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iamtrue_new2 (9137 posts)

betterlife (7314 posts)

flash (6954 posts)

nariman_789 (6579 posts)

radhikarajen (4045 posts)

jegganath (3708 posts)

kovaiqueen (3501 posts)

Mayawati has said that she would support the Third Front only if she's their PM.(3 posts)

Would Sania Mirza be able to enter Australia Open 2008 semifinals?(3 posts)

Police end up giving many versions of the same blast.(3 posts)

Q. Pick the most successful star daughter
Kareena Kapoor
Kajol
Sonam Kapoor
Konkona Sen Sharma
Soha Ali Khan

NARIMAN_789

NEWS

50% of the Gujarati populace have been completely brain washed by Modi and Company and the Sangh Parivar trio. The Party will shamelessly try to derive sympathy from the arrest of Beasts like Mayaben who are responsible for roasting hundreds of people alive. 50% of the Gujarati populace too might endorse it citing their own ridiculous reasoning. This is the tragedy of this State which always prides in calling it as an advanced one and the even more bigger irony is that this is the land of Mahatma !!

How can Bapu''s legacy be preserved when the Sanghis who were his eliminators now garlanding him ??

The tragedy in Gujarat is that this women who has committed such a heinous crime and severely censured by the High Court likening her to more than a terrorist will be portrayed as a martyr by Modi and Company for the cause of Hindutva. It is unfortunate that in an advanced State like Gujarat, 49% of the people have such a medieval mindset and worship the Talibanisation. The Country hands its heads in shame at the conduct of this Minister in Modi Cabinet !!

The Talibanisation of the fanatical Hindu outfits is complete and Karnataka is the best example where they seem to enjoy a free run with patronage from the Authorities. Recently, these outfits with the help of Authorities were even preventing installation of a Chaplin statue on the grounds that he was a Christian. It is very sad that such a progressive State like Karnataka is being drawn back into the medieval times by the Hindu version of Taliban !!

Mr Flash, If the Left had been really serious about this Third Front, they should have put their preparations in right earnest much before and not just during the time of elections which only reveals rank opportunism. Except for the Left parties to some extent, the constituents of the so-called Third Front have no ideology or principles. What the Left is going to achieve with this formation is anybody''s guess. It all depends on the numbers as they pan out on the ''D'' day. The credibility of the Third Front will be known then !!

Mr Flash, Saying is different from actioning !!

Given our judicial track record, I think it is too early for justice. Probably their next generation may get justice. Let us wait for it !!

Mr Flash, You are taking her views too seriously more than our Media. My feeling is that it does not merit any attention and the only reason she assumes importance is because she belongs to the Nehru family !!

Mr Flash, They both feed each other in a lawless democrazy such as ours !!

Mr Flash, By quoting Gita, I think she just wanted to score a point over Varun, nothing more, nothing less. It is not necessary that people who are only well conversant with Gita should quote it !!

Mr Flash, I feel that Priyanka is telling something just for the sake of it. I cannot say for certain whether she has read Gita. If indeed she has, then she can very well tutor her cousin brother on this who appears to be a spoilt brat promising to cut neck and hands quoting Gita !!

Mr Flash, Constitution is not a fixed one and it has been amended time and again as we learn from experience. It is time that the Election Commission, an autonomous body, is vested with more powers. We cannot have a moral code of conduct just for the sake of it, it has to be strictly adhered by the political parties and if not they should be made to pay the penalty. We need to change with times and not move in just one direction. Our whole problem lies in this inflexibility factor !!

Dear Mr Krishu, What you said is absolutely true. Those who are in the Third Front are there only to extract the best possible bargain from the seats they get with the two main formations. However, it all depends on whether the Congress and BJP together crosses 272 seats, if not the formation of a Third Front Government will be a real possibility may be with the support of a major Party from behind !!

My dear Friend Mr Rebel, Yes it is true that the Third Front Governments were short lived whether it was the 1989 NF experiment or the 1996 UF conglomeration. Yet the thing to be noted is that they crumbled only because the major Party supporting it pulled the plug from behind. While in 1989 it was the BJP, in 1996 it was the Congress and that has to be noted !!

Mr Flash, It is a free for all. No doubt about it !!

Your suggestions are worth considering. But the question is who is going to bell the cat ??

Mr Flash, Ofcourse our diversity automatically invites fragmentation of the polity. But I feel we are taking this too far to our comfort !!

Dear Mr Krishu, I enjoyed that joke very much. Thank you. But the way things are turning out, anything can happen. It is sad that politics in this Country has descended to such absymal depths and is all about dirty bargains and seats before elections and the position of power after elections. Peoples interest are being given a complete go-bye. Yes it is really a wonder that we see such a high voting percentage in every election !!

Mr Flash, That UPA or NDA are better than the Third Front depends on the perception and prejudice of the person evaluating it. The whole, alliance making exercise is bereft of ideology, principles and conceived by opportunism and naked power play more than anything else !!

Mr Flash, Has Varun read Gita ??

In a totally fragmented polity, the easy way out for Politicians is to exploit religion and caste divide to serve their purpose. This divisiveness serves them well in our first past the poll electoral system as a mere swing of 1-2% votes will win elections. As it is, we have a toothless Election Commission which is not even in a position to disqualify a candidate violating the moral code of conduct and the least it can do is to serve a notice. This makes the task of those politicians who thrive on hatred to make merry while the sun shines. Unless and until the EC is armed with more powers to disqualify candidates and parties violating the moral code of conduct, we will be only debating on this subject for ever without meaningful action !!

Who knows, a fourth front might even emerge after the elections. It all depends on how the numbers turn out !!

As it transpires, neither the Congress led alliance nor the BJP led alliance will be in a position to garner a simple majority. To grab power they have to necessarily poach on the third front Constituents and in the process making all kinds of dirty deals. Similarly, the Third Front too will not be in a position to form a Government without the support of either the Congress or BJP. The bottom line is they need each other to share the spoils of office !!

Mr Flash, Does the UPA or the NDA alliance have principles or ideology ? They are also an alliance of opportunism. Therefore, it is wrong to only target the Third Front !!

For the plethora of parties in fray, it is a game of seats before elections and power post elections. The electoral field is competitive and political parties employ all the possible ploys to win over the electorate wherein ideology and principles matter very little. Pre-poll tie ups may not live up to post-poll and are just for public consumption. In the end, people who vote on a principle become the laughing stock when the party they have voted changes colour and backstabs!!

Basking on past glory would do no good for the Congress and it has to realize that the ground realities have changed wherein the regional parties have come to dominate the political spectrum. Fragmentation or chaos whatever you call this, but this is the reality. The so-called National parties or Notional parties like the Congress and BJP have only marginal presence in many major States and are in direct conflict only in the smaller States which number around 8. Given this scenario wherein parties are confined to margins how can you call any Party as a National party in this Country today ?

Mr Flash, irrespective of which side of the prism you look at, Ram Janmabhoomi is out and out a divisive issue which spread communal hatred and divided our society and the irony is that a political party took upon the task of building a Temple. The other issues like freebies, land for tillers etc. are not divisive issues by any stretch of imagination. They are pure social issues initiated with the purpose of ensuring social justice !!

Dear Mr Krishu, It is peoples indifference which is the root cause of the present plight of this Country. I completely agree with you on that !!

Not all dreams turn to reality. Only a microscopic minority does. To dream is the easiest thing in this World. What I meant was the composition of this Country is such that a two Party system is just not possible. When this is not possible even in UK, USA, Italy etc., how can you expect that in a Country like India which has so much diversity and a peculiar one at that !!

My dear friend Mr Rebel, that was precisely what I meant. Despite all its shortcomings, UPA is any day better than the NDA led by the communal and neo-liberal BJP. It cannot be denied that under the UPA there has been increased thrust to improve the rural infrastructure and increase in rural spending. Although overall I do agree that their performance in governance is far from desired. I will also any day warmly welcome an alternative to the UPA minus the BJP and hope it happens in the current elections !!

Yes, but first Iran should shed its carrot and stick policy towards the Fundamentalists ruling the roost in its Country !!

Moral policing is more connected with politics than with any love for culture !!

Although the BJP lost in Rajasthan and Delhi after the Mumbai terror attack, it cannot be denied that this ghastly incident helped the BJP electorally in many urban seats as otherwise its performance would have been even worse !!

In Bihar, the Nitish Kumar Government which has the BJP as its partner is doing all that he can to woo minorities especially to wean them away from Lalu. But, interestingly this does not appear as appeasement policy from the BJP as in its dictionary such a charge will stick only against those parties opposed to BJP !!

What about Valentine''s day with even marriages today commercialized as never before !!

The first and foremost task should be to modernize the Madrassas and the Ulemas must be stressed upon to drop all medieval teachings of Koran in the syllabi !!

The main cause of the current urban mess is mindless development without necessary infrastructural upgradation. This can only lead to disaster in the near term !!

My dear Friend Mr Rebel, it must be change for the better and not the other way around !!

Everything including marriage is only commercialized today !!

Dear Mr Rebel, what is of concern is whether it is change for the better or change for the worse ??

Mr Flash, regarding Naxals, please note that it is the individual States which need to take a call on this and not the Centre as it is more a regional problem than a National problem. Almost all the terror outfits have been banned by the Central Government for your information !!

Dear Mr Krishu, For your information, even in USA, there are not just two parties, there are many other parties too in the fray. But, since the main contest is often between the Republican and Democrats, we very easily forget others. As regards why I said India is special is because apart from having different religions, caste, communities, we have many languages too and States are divided based on that. Please note that there is no common language like in other Countries. In USA for instance, English is the common and main language spoken, but in India you can never say that although Hindi is a National language it is not spoken and understood in many States and that is the reason why our Country is quite unique in itself. Therefore, What I said is true and valid !!

Why debate on a outcome which is just not possible in this Country ?? India is plural, multi-lingual and multi-ethinic Country which has its own special characteristics and you cannot compare this with any other Country of the World. Here two party system can remain only a pipe dream with regional aspirations emerging as the foremost priority. Even the so-called National parties like the Congress and BJP behave as regional groups in their respective areas of strength. One good example would be Karnataka and Tamil Nadu !!

Why not ? This is election time and Parties are doing their level best to convince voters. What is not warranted at this stage is only communal and neo-liberal parties like the BJP whipping up divisive issues with a view of creating enemity between two major faiths and thereby yield electoral dividends out of it. This must be stopped at any cost and it can happen only when the active role played by the election commission in derecognizing those parties which play on the religious emotions of the people !!

It is premature to come to such a conclusion given the Country''s track record !!

Mr Flash, With Advani himself admitting in a meeting at Gorakhpur that it was Ayodhya movement which propelled BJP to prominence in many States which eventually paved the way for its coronation at the Centre, I think we require no better acknowledgement than this candid admission by a leader of a Party !!

It is a welcome step that the UPA in its last leg did not venture into a stimulus package thereby falling into the trap laid by various Trade and Industry lobbies who are feeling the pinch of a global slowdown. More especially the Realty sector which is in a big hole of its own making. The builder lobbies are still not willing to reduce the price of apartments despite drastic drop in tbe price of Steel, Cement etc. It is affordability which is the basic reason for the fall in demand of homes and not low interest rates as the realty sector wishes to believe. They must realize that in A class Cities the price apartments have gone up by nearly 500% in just two years between 2006-2008 and there is no other option now but to bring down the price !!

The unsustainable growth rate of over 9% is akin to a human having a diseased elephant leg. This may appear big for the moment, but it is highly contagious and infectious which can only cause immense harm to his health and physique. Whereas, the sustainable growth path is akin to a well exercised muscular leg in a human. This is a sign of a healthy body and will prolong the human''s longevity. Which is preferable and the choice is very clear !!

Mr Flash, I differ with your view here totally. As said by you, emotional issues like Freebies, Land for tillers, Aam aadmi are not divisive issues but inclusive in the sense they appeal to all sections of the populace. Whether they are implemented on ground is a different matter altogether. Whereas the Ram Janmabhoomi is a thoroughly divisive issue which sets one religion against another and it is a policy of exclusion. Therein lies the crucial difference which you seem to have conveniently missed out !!

The Sri Rama Sena hoodlums targeting ladies at pubs and hangouts in the name of protecting Country''s culture is akin to targeting only the mosquitoes in the hope of eradicating it without doing nothing about the environment which breeds them in the first place. As usual, Sangh Parivar and their followers are way off mark !!

It is not even a budget and just a vote on account. So what is there to expect ??

Mr Flash, Yes well said. Democracy cannot be in existence only by name, there should be enforcement and conformance to fit it aptly !!

Mr Flash, I am not sure whether you understood what I meant. It was an emotional issue which brought the BJP to centre stage even in its once weak areas. Only this issue tagged with riots made this impossible as possible as otherwise the reality in this Country is a third force gaining ground in a State dominated by two main parties is very rare phenomenon. The fact that the BJP was able to do this in many States is itself testimony to this !!

Mr Flash, It only establishes that the Government is directionless and is not taking the issue seriously as it merits !!

Mr Flash, Why not ? Many Governments have done it in the past and have opposed the bail granted by the Court of law. It is not that only the affected people should go in for an appeal. It is the duty of the Government to maintain law and order and if the Karnataka Government had real intention to punish the accused, it could have gone for an appeal when the accused were let off so lightly. But for reasons best known to it, it did not do so. However, it is not surprising considering that the Government filed a very weak case in the first instance !!

Mr Flash, if it happens the World will breathe a lot easier, but my basic instinct tells me that it is going to be a long drawn battle considering the backing Taliban enjoys amongst its Afghan tribal populace !!

Mr Flash, The spate of murders in Bangalore was all extensively displayed in the media, both visual and printed and yet I am surprised that you missed it out. Even then you can gloss through the internet sites and check out for yourself. Regarding the crimes in other cities, I do not have any readymade data with me as I can only recount what I learn through the media !!

Unfortunately, it is so. This is due to the backing they enjoy amongst the tribals of the Region either due to fear or favour or religious consideration !!

The Opposition parties calls the CBI names and deem it as partisan and the Highest Court of the Land indicts them in various cases. Yet the eighth wonder is that whenever there is an incident, the opposition parties only calls for a CBI probe. Why is it so ?? Can we call this as the eighth wonder of the World !!

Mr Flash, As often said, we must fight our own battle and must not depend on others !!

Mr Flash, Are you kidding ?? Why not appeal against the bail granted to Muthalik in a Higher Court ? What prevents it ??

Mr Flash, For your information, in Gujarat, where it appears invincible right now, the BJP was the third party after the Congress and Janata Dal. In Orissa and Karnataka, it was totally non-existent. In Uttar Pradesh, BJP was not even a major force till the Ayodhya agitation. This was the situation that existed prior 1990. But the Ayodhya imbroglio changed all that and the BJP gained ground even in hitherto weak areas and this can only be attributed to the Ayodhya issue and nothing else !!

Mr Flash, Muthalik has been let off on bail by the sessions Court, so why not appeal against it in a Higher Court ??

Mr Flash, yes every party is fooling in different ways but none by raising a issue of Temple over Mosque and that is why this acquires more prominence than others as it is not a mere Temple issue, but a dispute between two major religions in this Country !!

Mr Flash, Although we might differ on the single stance aspect, it cannot be denied that the Ayodhya issue did yield rich electoral dividends for the BJP. As regards the verdict in the Lok Sabha polls 2009, it is already a foregone conclusion and it will be hopelessly hung !!

Mr Flash, all said and done, the Indian Government reaction so far is far from desired and it is letting Pakistan go away very easily after such a heinous crime originating from the land of Pakistan !!

Mr Flash, But only a single stance like the Ram Temple issue did bring enormous electoral dividends to BJP in the past and it did grab power from being on a fringe status depending solely on this issue by exploiting peoples sentiments and emotions and spreading the message of hatred in society thereby dividing it on communal lines to yield electoral dividends out of it. However, later this issue is not bringing the desired results thanks to the BJP and its Leaders who through their many flip-flops on this issue eroded their own credibility in the process. Now whenever they talk about this issue, even their own party cadres take it with a pinch of salt !!

Mr Flash, Yes we do have a provision. But who has to do it in this case. It is only the public prosecutor appearing on behalf of the Government and as of today, it does not seem that they have done it and therefore the intentions are very transparent and clear to everyone !!

Mr Flash, Yes I agree. That is the whole problem !!

Al-Qaida are only doing their job. Their job is to kill innocent people in the name of launching Jihad or what they call holy war. These inhuman creatures are a curse to the humanity !!

It is highly unfortunate that a religious symbol has become a Party''s personal property to rake up as and when it suits them. It is their constituency which has to see through their diabolical game plan which is only after the seat of power!!

27 murders in as many number of days. That is law and order situation for you in a City like Bangalore !!

Mr Flash, One ie. BJP is using it for vote bank politics and the others are countering it !!

Mr Flash, Both the Countries should bear in mind that this ego clash and inflexible position is only jeopardising the lives of the innocent people who have nothing to do on this issue !!

Yes, he will succeed as he has all the requisite qualifications. What more is required when he has adequate training in AK47s and was in possession of it ??

27 murders in as many number of days has taken place in Bangalore. Is any place more unsafe than this !!

Mr Flash, Yes I agree. But in a Country like ours where law takes its own course, corruption acquires a new zenith !!

I totally agree with this Mr Flash !!

Mr Flash, You can also argue that the Prosecution has not put a strong case against the offender intentionally !!

Nothing is surprising about this. It is election time and the BJP is up to its game once again to fool the electorate all over again !!

Mr Flash, Not only this, the poor man is also unware to as to what is the cause of the price rise. Who is manipulating it ?? How speculative trading even on commodities is causing a big hole in his monthly budget ? How too much money in the liquidity market fuels inflationary tendencies ? How the Government�s policies are dictated by Industrial lobbies to benefit them at the cost of poor ? How through the globalization policies, the Country imports inflation to the misery of commoners ? How the policy of unbridled materialism plays havoc on his/her livelihood etc.

Mr Flash, It is the ignornace of the poor which is perennial joy for the rich and the affluent. That is the reason why the Capitalists, Elitists and Media will whole-heartedly support bail out of a fraud company like Satyam, but on the other hand will object to subsidizing the poorer sections of society through the Public Distribution system. It is the poor man�s ignorance that he is not able to understand the speculation in commodity pricing and the nuances of online trading. Yes, the poor man does not know what exactly is globalization is all about and for whose benefit !!

Mr Flash, More than the apathy of people, you can blame the apathy of the Karnataka Police !!

Well said Mr Brijeshdev. If the Chief Minister of Karnataka has any morality left with him, he should immediately quit office !!

Mr Flash, However what is not understandable is how do they come out of bail the very next day especially when all their violence were shown in the visual media !!

Mr Flash, The main reason for the marginalisation of BJP in Uttar Pradesh is that the people have seen through its game of whipping up hatred and passions just to win elections and doing nothing afterwards !!

Mr Flash, What we are witnessing is that such habitual offenders being glorified as torch bearers of Indian culture and getting elected as MPs or MLAs. Punishment is just not forthcoming !!

Mr Flash, However, what is not understandable is that they being released on bail a day later !!

Mr Flash, Rather than the age, it is the fitness and awareness that matters most to occupy the position of top office !!

Mr Flash, China has a dictatorship for a long time, but there is no anarchy there !? While in India, we have democrazy and still anarchy. Why it is so ??

Mr Flash, If a major economic change having a bearing on the standard of living of the masses is not even mentioned in a Party''s manifesto, then I leave it to you to judge for yourself as to the functioning of the so-called democrazy in this Country !!

Mr Flash, Manifestos are public declaration of intentions, policies, principles etc. They are promises to people. But, as you say if the parties are not serious about it, then it signifies their discaring for the masses !!

Mr Flash, even introspection today can help to an extent. Why it should happen only after the defeat which appears imminent ??

Mr Flash, You should have patience. You can expect the final judgement 20 years later !!

Mr Flash, My point is nobody can pretend to be a saint amidst sinners !!

Mr Flash, Yes good suggestions are most welcome in whatever quarters it may come !!

Mr Flash, The point is that you cannot single out Indian culture in particular. It is a mix of multitudes and it is this reality probably the Sangh Parivar outfits are unaware of. Sex and liquor (called as Soma paana then) are given utmost importance in Hindu mythology. It is this bitter truth probably the Sangh Parivar outfits are unaware of and twist the issue out of context !!

Mr Flash, It did not arrest for over two days and took that step only after pressure from the Media as well as opposition parties. From the way of functioning of the Karnataka Government, it is quite evident that they are toeing the line of Ram Sena !!

Mr Flash, This sangh parivar outfits forget about the Kamasutra, sexy sculptures in some of the ancient temples, the very Yoni they worship etc. Probably they do not understand much about their own culture !!

Mr Flash, Nobody is comparing any two specific instances here. A strong willed Government should not succumb to violent or non violent protests by general public especially on security related issues. If it does, then it shows its soft approach. The exchange for terrorists anywhere it happens is wrong as it shows the meekness of the Authorities. Mufti episode too was a dark chapter in our dealing of security related issues. The point here was the repeated assertion of Jaswant Singh that he would never mind to exchange terrorists and pay ranson once again if faced with a similar situation. This statement was totally uncalled for as it was an open invitation to the terrorists !!

If such a legislation is enacted, a majority of the politicians will be out of job. But this is not likely as this legislation has to be enacted only by these politicians of over 70 years of age and all said and done they will not do anything that will jeopardise their own interest!!

Mr Flash, the question here is the timing of his letter which raises eyebrows !!

Mr Flash, even the Courts are quite confused in our Country !!

Mr Flash, It is not that time it is for the first time this strange alliance of Kalyan and Mulayam is happening. They were also together before in the assembly elections before this one and Mulayam''s party became the single largest party then which proves that there was no adverse impact on SP aligning with Kalyan. What Kalyan''s exit from BJP in UP can do is to reduce the BJP to pulp in Uttar Pradesh !!

Mr Flash, Yes totally agree that peoples involvement is necessary to reform the system. But, what we see in our Country is generally peoples indifference and ignorance. Difficult to visualize how anything is going to change with this kind of attitude !!

Mr Flash, the irony is that even manifestos of Parties did not claim implementation of globalisation and liberalisation policies. For instance take the manifesto of Congress in 1991 and that of NDA in 1997 which eloquently talked about the virtues of Swadeshi and against liberalisation and globalisation. But, it is another matter that while in power, they became ever more neo-liberal than the former. So it is just fooling the masses in the name of good governance !!

If Chawla can be accused to be a Congressman, then similarly Gopalswami too can be rightly accused to be a BJP man. If one may recall, Gopalswami was working in the Home Ministry Department of Advani and he became CEC with his good wishes. Therefore, many of his actions have always tilted in favour of the BJP. This was evident in the way he conducted the Gujarat and West Bengal elections. While the West Bengal elections were spanned for over 7 phases, Gujarat had just a single day poll. Moreover, he just sidelined the communal CD issue that cropped up during UP elections. Such partial actions blotted the fair image of the office of the Election Commission. It is regrettable that today this institution has become a fertile ground for politicking !!

Mr Flash, we all live on hopes and the search is on even if it is elusive !!

Mr Flash, If it is a systematic failure, so be it. But it was totally uncalled for on the part of Jaswant Singh to assert that he will release the terrorists once again given a chance. This was an atrocious and irresponsible statement which has to be condemned in unequivocal terms !!

Mr Flash, I am sorry I do not agree with you. Everything is wrong with our democratic system and more so the electoral system which is on the basis of first past the poll system and candidates who poll just 21% of the valid votes win a seat. For your information, many candidates won in Rajasthan with a similar margin in the just concluded election !!

Whether it has paid rich political dividends is a matter of debate. But the fact is it has benefited the poorer segments of society to some extent in this era of high food inflation !!

Mr Flash, Yes periodical reviews should be undertaken with a open mind and not with any particular dogma in mind !!

Absolutely Mr Flash. Cannot agree with you more. Pitiable state of affairs as a whole !!

The peoples demand is more morally binding than legally binding !!

Mr Flash, Laws are always in place, but the problem is nobody is there to enforce it except on the helpless two wheeler drivers who disobeys traffic rules !!

While none can disagree with her on this. The point is what urgent steps the First World countries are going to take to curb this danger !!

Mr Flash, Agree, well said !!

If the Yeduriappa Government is so much perturbed with the pub culture, why not cancel the license ? Not doing that and just talking for public consumption is not going to serve any purpose except to cater to their constituency which gets fooled by such jingoism !!

This is the main problem of following Globalisation policies where the Country''s economy becomes enslaved to the vagaries of the economies around the Globe. The so-called liquidity crunch has happened due to the huge capital outflows and suddenly the Indian market which was bustling with overflowing money was suddenly faced with drought. Here, we have the Policy makers around the Globe and RBI in particular reverting to the cheap money policy in a bid to boost the so-called growth. The problem here is that we are already in a bubble which has not burst unlike US and European economies and the cheap money policy can only enlarge the bubble further to break up later with catastrophic effects all round. This is a time for exercising caution and take a relook at the mindless monetary expansion policies !!

Mr Flash, It is the duty of a elected Government to take people into confidence while adopting path breaking changes in policies which will have its effect on the standard of living of the masses. The recent SEZ referendum in Maharasthara is a case in point. If the Government can conduct referendum even for a SEZ why not for a drastic change in economic policy ??

You seem to be searching for lame excuses condoning this horrendous incident. Such kind of statements can only embolden more lumpen elements to take law into their own hands !!

Mr Flash, What is clear from the Mangalore incident is that the fanatical right wing forces of Hindutva have been emboldened by a friendly Government in power. The latest Mangalore incident cannot be seen in isolation. It has to be seen in the light of attack on Churches and Nuns very recently. All these are taking off with a game plan and that is to replicate the Gujarat model in Karnataka by fanning hatred and injecting communal poison in the minds of the people. If this Sena is so much aghast at pubs and hang outs, why it could not request the Government to close them as afterall there is a Government in power whose ideology is not very much different. Not doing this and taking law into their hands is horrendous. The Sanghis ideology cannot be understood at all. All these forces are open to foreign investment even at the cost of mortgaging our self interest for the sake of investment, but these people cannot digest foreign culture invading our youngsters. What kind of double standards ???

Mr Flash, Atleast the Rajasthan CM is not as hypocritical as Yeduriappa is !!

Mr Flash, all kinds of lame excuses for the costly lap will serve no purpose. The fact of the matter is that the Plane was allowed to take off from Amritsar which was absolute failure on the part of the then Authorities. Nevertheless, leaving that aside, Jaswant Singh''s assertion that he will repeat the mistake once again only extends an open invitation to terrorists to hijack the plane once again. This kind of statement emanating from a former External Affairs Ministers is highly unfortunate as well as dangerous !!

Mr Flash, Was any referendum held in this Country to adopt liberalisation and globalisation ??

Pakistan would have become tired of all these warnings from India and USA with no concrete action !!

Mr Flash, If things go in this way, then the final option would be a full scale war only in the long term !!

Mr Flash, Kashmiris want the right to self-determination and I do not think they would like to merge their State with Pakistan. The majority of Kashmiris want an independent Kashmir. It is Pakistan which is unnecessarily trying to complicate the issue in the name of religion and India which is turning a blind eye to the wishes of majority of Kashmiris who are acting as hurdles in the process. It would be better if Jammu and Kashmir is bifurcated into three distinct terrorities namely Jammu, Ladakh and Kashmir valley and a referendum held on the wishes of the people. The Government of India can act based on that. If this is done, I am sure terrorism in this Country would be significantly reduced !!

Mr Flash, the search is endless !!

Mr Flash, So what you say in a nut shell is that democracy and scams go hand in hand !!

Former External Affairs Minister and Finance Minister Jaswant Singh has clearly said that he would not hesitate to release the terrorists and pay ransom if he is confronted with the Kandahar situation once again. India should practice a policy in direct variance to this and can ill afford to have such kind of Ministers in its ranks !!

Mr Flash, Yes the stinking river will flow unmindful of dissent !!

More than a good Administrator, Modi is a good advertiser who knows the marketing techniques very well. If Modi had started a Advertising Company, he would have gone places. This man should be given the credit for mesmerizing the Gujarat masses and making them believe that it was he who developed Gujarat when the fact of the matter is that historically Gujarat was a prosperous State right from the time of Moghuls. If Modi indeed had turned around a State like Bihar or Orissa or even Uttar Pradesh, then it would have added credibility to his claim. But, that is not to be. Even today, despite the claims of Gujarat being a developed State, it boasts of significant number of malnutrition deaths and agrarian distress on a vast scale!!

Mr Flash, By this you automatically endorse that Capitalism is not a perfect system as such. So, the main question is whether it is any better than the other financial systems and a lesser evil ? What can be concluded with the pace of various scams engulfing around the Globe and the financial collapse adding to the din is that Capitalism has a systematic problem with its growth agenda which is not sustainable and which is the cause for the current financial tsunami. The difference between Capitalism and other "isms" is that Capitalism provides the perfect breeding ground for such scams to engulf the whole system as it is greed and unbridled materialism which is the name of the game. As a system it promotes scams in the name of material gain and the market is dictated by its obsession towards the stock market. Take the number of scams that has surfaced in USA recently, the list is just endless !!

Mr Flash, Whether India might like it or not, but the International opinion is against India on the Kashmir issue. The sooner our Country realizes this the better it will be. The LeT Chief too has said that jihadi activities will stop once the Kashmir issue is resolved. So in the good interests of the Country, the Indian Government should take the people of Kashmir into confidence and resolve the issue at the earliest !!

Mr Flash, the alternative ie. free for all democracy is already in operation and despite this I do not think India has become a tourist centre of attraction !!

Ofcourse yes. Pakistan should not delay this anymore. But what can be done when the Civilian Government there is running with the hare and hunting with the hound not knowing what to do ??

I do not find any wrongdoing by the MNS activists against the Pakistani Artist performing here. They were only expressing the sentiments of the Mumbaikars who are aggrieved lot after the terrible tragedy. The Government had no business to issue visa to the Pakistan Artist and that too in such a short span after the attack !!

Mr Flash, Satyam lost its credibility the day when Ramalinga Raja on his own admitted in his letter that he was fudging the account for more than four years. Regarding the new Board not asking for a bail out package, I do not think in such a short time, they would have had a feel of the real accounts of the Company and its financial position as such. As regards the law taking its own course, it is a familiar tone in this Country which has lost its credibility !!

Mr Flash, But today the External Affairs Ministry has accepted Pakistan''s contention of a joint probe into the terror trail. Let us see how it evolves !!

Mr Flash, This is what I am calling as Crony Capitalism which is very dangerous to the lower strata of society and has the potential to create social unrest!!

It is not only a set back for India Inc. It is a set back to the very concept of free market economy which is being glorified and worshipped today in the name of liberalisation and globalisation. The concept of crony capitalism has utterly failed and it is time the policy makers around the Globe look for a new World economic order. With the innumerable scams surfacing now and then, the World by now should have bid adieu to the concept of free market economy, but unfortunately this has not happened due to the pressure from money bags !!

The credibility of an award is determined primarily upon proper evaluation procedures being adopted. Sadly, Indian Cine awards have become too much politicized and is not based on merit. Having said that, there have been exceptions wherein good films too have been rewarded but that has not always been the norm but only an exception. Imagine the utility value of these awards if Satyam has been awarded for Corporate Excellence !!

Ultra fundamentalists and barbarians like Taliban should be marginalised and not encouraged to become part of any Civilian Government as Taliban is uncivilian. In toto, they are a threat to humanity !!

Modi can become a PM only in one''s dreams !!

Any kind of bail out will set a very bad precedent and will encourage more Corporates to indulge in frauds. If it is about protecting employee interest, then it must be borne in mind that Satyam is not the only IT Organisation in this Country. Let the people who are employed in Satyam look for alternative jobs and not depend on the Government for their salaries. Afterall the truth is crores and crores of people in this Country do not enjoy any kind of job security and if it is about protecting employment, then why not the Government care about each and every individual on the street who loses his or her job !!

The immediate step to be taken by the Government of the day is to cut all diplomatic and trade ties with Pakistan. This has to come into immediate effect. Let us atleast see whether we are brave enough to do this !!

Mr Flash, All said and done, the Government has no business to bail out fraud Companies like Satyam in the name of protecting employees and investors interest. It is against all ethics and principles that one preaches !!

Nortel, biggest telephone equipment maker has filed for bankruptcy in USA. Its impact is likely to be felt by our IT majors in the near term. By the way, with the scorching pace, Companies after Companies are falling like nine pins, it is evident to everyone that the Capitalism model in USA which has been the showcased and propogated to the World has utterly and very badly failed and faltered. Atleast now let our Policy makers at home realize the inevitable and that is the American model of growth is systemically deficient and unsustainable in the long term. Leaving everything to the market in the name of competition only helps to create more scams as the Players vie with one another in amassing wealth where greed rules the roost. It creates more inequality in the system as a whole and paves the way for social unrest in the long term. Better we realize this before things go out of control !!

There must be no bailing out of Satyam. It is hard earned tax payers money that is at stake. Let India not emulate USA where it is all about Corporatizing profits and socializing losses. If the Satyam employees are losing jobs, so be it. There are lakhs of Indians who are losing jobs everyday and that too with peanut salaries. Does the Government any day bother about them ?? Those employed at Satyam are definitely a better lot and part of the elitist club as in their hey days, they should have accumulated lot of wealth through fatter salaries. Let them now go and look for an alternative job!!

Mr Flash, Everywhere it is implementation that is the problem. We can endlessly frame laws, but the question is what we are doing about its implementation on ground ???

Mr Flash, Very deplorable state of affairs !!

Mr Flash, Sadly friend that has been the norm in this Country rather than an exception !!

This is another example of monarchy under the garb of Democracy. Ultimately our Country is moving towards anarchy !!

If the alacrity with which the Board was consituted was shown in the regulatory aspect, things would not have come to such a pass. It is too little, too late and Satyam cannot be retrieved in its current form !!

It is really shocking to know that we can even show fictitious cash balances in the Balance sheet and that too for more than four years without anyone checking it. What kind of regulatory system we have today ? It shows the utter failure of a liberalised economy. One might recall that it was the same Price Waterhouse Coopers which were the Auditors of the discredited Global Trust Bank and yet the Government at that time thought it wise not to blacklist this Auditor. What Satyam Scam conclusively demonstrate is that it is not an isolated incident and more disasters are waiting to happen !!

As Citizens of this Country, what can we do best. Wait for the next scam to erupt and sing a similar tune !!

If admitting Kasab''s nationality has taken so long, one would dread to imagine the amount of time, Pakistan would take to dismantle terror networks operating within !!

Mr Flash, Yes I totally agree with you. Alernative administrative mechanisims should be surely put in place to tide over such crisis when the State is held to ransom by a few employees. The Government should be capable of taking tough action against the striking employees. Certainly those employed in Oil Sector should have no grievances considering that they enjoy a hefty pay with perks combined with job security. One cannot ask for more !!

Mr Flash, What is the need of the hour is leadership sans party politics !!

It is not just a set back for India Inc. It is a set back to the very philosophy of Capitalism. The foundational deficiency in Capitalism lie in its roots of unsustainable growth which results in cycles of boom and depression. Incidents like Satyam originate after a boom period when the economy cools down. The big bosses of Companies are under a compulsion to show big time profits in tune with the expectations of the market and the investor community. There in starts the fudging of balance sheets to please the markets. It is not that only Satyam or Asatyam is involved in this exercise, every firm does that to please the market and the only difference may be that Satyam has gone a bit over board in its misadventure !!

Budget after budget, the Government is increasing the allocation on defence expenditure, but no change is happening in the Police Force and they are operating with obsolete weapons in a terror age confronted with sophisticated weapons. If the Government is really intentioned to combat terrorism, the foremost task is to modernize police force !!

If the Srilankan Government is really interested in curbing the menace of the LTTE then it should address the problems of Tamils who are feeling alienated in their own Nation !!

Yes the Government should give into the reasonable demands of the Truckers who are vouching for reduction in diesel price after the steep fall in International crude prices. They also want the Government to lower tax rates on interstate movement and these demands are quite reasonable !!

The Oil PSU Staff and Management have been a pampered lot all these years and if this is the case, how could the Government expect them to change their behaviour all of a sudden overnight. They are now taking the whole Country to ransom with their unwarranted strike bringing the citizens of this Country to their knees. The Government is clueless as to how to handle this complicated situation ?? What is the need of the hour is that alternatives should be planned well in advance to thwart the intention of such strikes !!

Mr Flash, it is Crony Capitalism in all its flying colours. Scam after scam in the Corporate World is surfacing one after another which makes one wonder as to whether the regulatory mechanisms have failed altogether. The current Satyam episode only reveals the dangerous nexus between the Corporates, Politicians, Banks, Auditors and Bureaucrats who are at the task of bolstering their venues at the cost of the gullible investing community !!

This is reflecting very badly on the auditing system in place for Companies. What were the Internal and External Auditors doing ? How they overlooked such a big fraud in the interim and final audit ?? Is it a case of red tapism at its worst with the Auditors hand in glove with the Corporates. To add salt to the injury, Satyam was very recently conferred the Corporate Excellence Award and its Chairman, Ramalinga Raju was conferred the best Entreprenuer of the year !!

Greed and more greed which is the hall mark of Capitalism is standing tall in flying colours. The fraudsters list is just carrying on and on. Today it is Satyam, tomorrow who ???

It is a bad strategy to leak the type of action prematurely which makes the enemy even more comfortable !!

Mr Flash, I am sorry to say that we are not following Democracy in this Country. What we are doing in its name is practicisng Mobocracy. We have miles to go before we can even pride ourselves as a democracy. As a first step, we must learn from our neighbouring Countries such as Bangladesh and Srilanka !!

Mr Flash, corruption is a way of life !!

Mr Flash, All said and done, I feel that Bangladesh has a more matured democracy than India where atleast the system is trying to correct itself and there have been path breaking administrative, electoral and judicial reforms in the best interest of the Country. In India, there has been talking and more talking without any meaningful action. The system is only getting rotten by each passing day. If only we could earn the right lessons from Bangladesh, our calling as Democracy will have more value !!

Mr Flash, I cannot agree with you more. Yes, the mind set has to change for the better. But the question is will it change given that the people too endorse it to an extent !!

Srinagar recorded just 19% voting percentage and some other areas of Kashmir also recorded very low voting percentage. Ofcourse, they were an improvement over 2002 figures which were dismal. But yet it is very much below decent expectations. Just because over 50% voting percentage was registered doesnt mean that people in the Kashmir valley have given up their separation from India. People vote for various reasons and the fact that the PDP has improved upon its performance itself demonstrate where the sympathy of Kashmir people really lies. What this election demonstrated is that the Kashmir Vally, Jammu and Ladakh voted very differently and it was truly a fragmented verdict !!

Mr Flash, the question is what is the Government planning to do if Pakistan refuses to act ?? So far the Government is treading a cautious path launching a diplomatic offensive co-ordinating with other Nations which is ofcourse the need of the hour. But,however it does seem that all these pressure applied on Pakistan have come to naught and Pakistan is just refusing to act and infact is now raising the war pitch against India. In this scenario, it is very distressing to see our Government taming down to Pakistan''s belligerence inspite of we being the aggrieved Party. Atleast, let the Government resolve that it will not resume diplomatic ties with Pakistan unless it begins to act and fulfil some of India''s conditions !!

Young Chief Minister is okay. But why only his son is the question ? Are there no young leaders other than Omar Abdullah in JKNC ?? We all pride ourselves as a vibrant democracy, but what is happening on the ground is monarchial style of politics !!

It is not clear as to where the terror attacks took place, Pakistan or India ? The kind of aggression Pakistan is showing gives an impression, the aggrieved party is Pakistan and not India. So far, it is very much evident and appears that Pakistan is not going to take any concrete action against terrorists operating in its soil and is also calling for sufficient proof to proceed ahead. One does not know as to what kind of proof will satisfy Pakistan to move forward ?? The International Community too have considerably mellowed down their pressure on Pakistan. From hereon, it is also impossible for India to superficially guard each and every bit of its land from future terror attacks. So what is the solution ???

This is a deliberate attempt by Pakistan to mislead the International Community which is bound to fail. What is clear is that we cannot expect any meaningful action from Pakistan against terrorists operating in its soil. The Pakistani Civil Administration and the Army are a prisoner of their own misdeeds. In such a situation, I do not think the Government has any other option but to launch calculated and targeted strikes at terror camps in Pakistan. By only such a action, we can give a strong message to Pakistan that India at no cost will tolerate violence by insurgents !!

Mr Flash, Unless you implement the necessary Police and Administrative reforms such tough legislations will serve no purpose and will only result in their rampant misuse !!

Why can''t you look at your own dirty face in the mirror before starting to advise others my dear Friend ???

Unless the proposed Investigation Agency is made into a professional body devoid of Government intervention, we cannot expect much from it !!

Mr Flash, Yes they will see the issue only in the narrow prism of developing their own constituency serving their interests !!

Those Jihadis who are prepared to even lay down their life, can they be cowed down by any tough legislation ?? It would be foolhardy to think so. What matters are not laws and more laws, but their effective implementation on ground which is not the case in the Country today !!

Mr Flash, That is where the task of intelligence gathering come into play. It must monitor their movements both in conventional as well as unconventional methods. Both co-ercive diplomacy and intelligence gathering should go side by side and ofcourse the task is onerous, but by no means insurmountable !!

People are wondering as to whether the proposed Federal Agency would be any different from the inefficient functioning of existing Agencies like the CBI and RAW. If the Government wants some concrete action from this proposed agency, it must first register it as an autonomous and professional body unmindful of Government interference. Such an Agency should be populated with the best brains in the Country and should be equipped with the latest technology expertise to handle terror attacks - both internal as well as external. Only such a path breaking step can counter terror effectively !!

True to their colours, the BCCI which is the richest Sports body in India today is more concerned about their loss in revenues than the disaster that has happened in Mumbai. They through their representatives might be compelling the Government to let the tour to Pakistan proceed. What they are not bothered about is whether Pakistan can guarantee the safety of the players. All they want is money at the cost of human lives !!

The problem today is one does not know who is in command in Pakistan. Is it the Civilian Government, ISI or Military or terror outfits ? So, it is chaos that is ruling the roost in Pakistan today. Therefore, expecting any concrete action from Pakistan would be futile to say the least !!

The public have expressed their anger at the outrage and the inadequacies of the Administration in tackling terror. This kind of mobilisation for a worthy cause is good and conveys a message to the rulers that they cannot take things lying down. Instead of showing rank indifference to the happenings, it is good to see public participation on a large scale putting pressure on the Government to do something in safeguarding the lives of the innocents !!

Mr Flash, Whether the Congress or BJP are going to be the rallying point or whether they are going to rally around smaller parties remains to be seen ???

Mr Flash, I understand your anguish. But we are living in a hopeless system which is not even attempting to correct itself !!

Mr Flash, Let us wait and watch as to how it evolves. One hopes that this also does not end up like earlier terror attacks which were forgotten without a whimper and peace talks initiated between Countries !!

If Pakistan Administration is really serious enough to counter terror, then it must lose no time in busting the terror networks spread far and wide within the Country which has assumed gigantic proportions elevated to the level of a hydra headed monster in the making. It is very clear that the Pakistani Military is very well aware of the places from where these terror networks operate and therefore the job should be very much easy and what matters is the intent to strike at it. If this is not possible, atleast it must let other Countries to do the job for it. The Pakistani people on the other hand must realize the inherent dangers of terrorists operating within and should rally against it. When you are protesting against some cartoons and are prepared to lose your life, why not the crime against humanity ??

It is a free-for-all election in 2009 with all the permutations and combinations in glaring display to grab power at any cost. Naturally, the one with the largest number of alliance partners will have a comparative advantage over others. NDA is a pale shadow of what it was in 1999 and added to this is the UP factor where the BJP will be even hard pressed to repeat its 2004 performance of 10 seats this time around. Added to this, the NDA is practically absent today in the key States of West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and most parts of the North East except Assam. Furthermore, the BJP can only lose seats from hereon in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh etc. where it performed to the maximum in 2004. Though it might gain in a few States, that will not be quite enough to catipulate to a stage where it can stake a claim to power. At best the BJP or NDA can function as a King maker or Queen maker !!

Mr Flash, strongest in what sense. Is it in terror attacks ? or countering terror ??

Mr Flash, you are coming exactly to the point. What is the reason for such a steep fall ? The underlying reason is the fall of many Non-Banking financial companies in USA which were engaging themselves in commodity futures option. The fall of these Companies naturally paved the way for the fall in Oil and other commodity prices. Therefore, once again it is proved beyond doubt that it is speculation more than anything else which has spiked commodity prices including oil Worldwide !!

Mr Flash, in the interest of humanity, the World must act unmindful of the consequences !!

There is a perception that Indian electorate vote differently for Assembly and Lok Sabha and this is grossly wrong and overstated. It is the local level incumbency or otherwise which will play a decisive role in the electoral outcome. Elections 2009 in that sense will be a watershed in our Country''s electoral history as it will most probably see a fractured verdict as never before !!

Ashok Gehlot seems to be a simple man compared to the autocratic, authoratarian and monarchic self-styled Rani who took the people of Rajasthan for a ride. I strongly feel that Mumbai terror attacks strongly helped BJP in Rajasthan as it won nearly 21 of the 25 urban seats in Rajasthan. If not for it, the BJP''s final tally would have been very much less !!

The phrase �running with the hare and hunting with the hound� fit in perfectly with respect to Pakistan�s attitude on terror!!

If India exercises the option of attacking terror camps in Pakistan, then that would mean infringing on other''s territory which can only result in war and prove disastrous to both the Countries. What India must do in the current situation, is to convince the outside World that Pakistan is indeed a rogue State and it is in the interest of humanity that terror networks should be dismantled in that Country. It can then take this campaign forward through the form of a joint strike by UN forces against terror camps in Pakistan which is only the best option in the current circumstances !!

My dear Friend Mr Rebel, You could not have put it more straight. I fully agree with your assessment. But the tragedy today is India does not have any other option but to go along with USA which is always known for its rank double standards on dealing with terror !!

With the death of Hemant Karkare, this case is as good as dead !!

Mr Flash, Better late than never. Let the Government see as to how much havoc terror attacks can create and take necessary steps to counter it. Ofcourse, you cannot avert terror attacks, but atleast we must have the ability to combat it instead of appearing helpless. The Mumbai terror attack only demonstrated as to how India became a laughing stock to the World with criminals ruling the roost for more than two days !!

Mr Flash, public memory is short, individual memory is long !!

Mr Flash, That is a more frightening prospect. But, the Pakistani civil administration has a daunting task on hand. On the one hand they need to convince the outside world of the firmness of their actions and on the other they must convince their population that they are not acting under compulsion from India. It is a catch 22 situation !!

Mr Flash, All these banning and freezing bank accounts are eye wash techniques which were even adopted earlier to fool the outside World. These terror Organisations very easily adopt a different name and continue their operations. Moreover, freezing of bank accounts cannot stop funds flowing into these terror Organisations as it is mainly the Hawala racket that is funding their activities. What Pakistan must do is to bust these terror hide outs or if it is incapable allow the outside World to do it !!

All these bravado talk are of no use unless they are translated into action. What is required is the PM must not just talk, but walk the talk. There cannot be a greater insult to this Country with 10 criminals holding it to ransom for more than two days. Atleast now, let the PM and his Team act instead of announcing stimulus measures to revigorate the economy which can wait !!

The point is that she was never relevant in the first place !!

Mr Flash, all these banning rituals will do no good as it has been done before too where the banned Organisation adopts a different name and continue their nefarious activities. I think time has come for the World to attack terror camps in Pakistan which can only be ever lasting solution to this mess !!

Mr Flash, The Politicians are quite aware that public memory is short whereas individual memory is long !!

The BJP was more relying on the Mumbai terror attack to enhance its prospects. Ofcourse, the Mumbai terror attack would have cast its shadow to a certain extent in the polls or else the BJP would have fared even more miserably !!

Looking at the results of the current round of assembly elections, it is quite evident that neither BJP or Congress are in a position to cross even 140 seats in the next Lok Sabha elections. Therefore, neither UPA nor NDA are likely to cross even 200 seats as a collective entity. The results are going to be more fractured than ever with a stable Government not in realm of possibility. In such a scenario, every MP or even a non-MP would be fancying their chances as the next PM. Let us see who has the last laugh and walk their way to the Race Course Road !!

Mr Flash, I am wondering as to how these terror Organisations are increasing their strength day by day by adding new recruits. What is clear is that a significant majority in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia are sympathetic to these terror outfits and this is highly dangerous !!

Let this first come into a reality as there are many hurdles to be crossed with many State Governments resisting this on the grounds that it will curtail their powers !!

Mr Flash, This is highly deplorable to say the least and exposes the utter lack of seriousness with which our elected representatives look at a burning issue like terrorism. Afterall all these MPs and Ministers are highly protected with the tax payers money and it is the common man in Metros who is facing the brunt from terror attacks. The questions that arises immediately is what is the use of this Parliament ???

Watching the instant action taken by Pakistan under US pressure, it is quite evident that the Pakistani Civilian Administration are very well aware of the whereabouts of these so-called Stateless Actors and their illegal activities. The World too knows that the US was well aware of the credentials of a rogue State like Pakistan when it engaged it for the war against terror. Now it is not known as to who call the shots in Pakistan ? The Civilian administration that exists today in Pakistan is just a cover up under the garb of democracy to foster terror activities. Still India has to tread with caution and engage in proactive diplomacy to put Pakistan in the dock !!

In the current scenario, India has no other alternative but to depend on USA !!

Yes, it will be the case. For example in 2003 when the BJP won Rajasthan, MP and Chattisgarh, it swept Lok Sabha seats too in these States when they were held later after four months. Similarly in this round of assembly elections, whichever Party gains power in these States will have the edge in Lok Sabha polls!!

This is really a testing time for India as a Nation. Knee jerk reactions will not serve any purpose and terror camps in Pakistan would have switched sides already. The task now should be to gather effective intelligence during the time available on terror camps and at the same time engage in diplomacy to convince the World about the threat Pakistan terror camps poses. If and when the talks fail with Pakistan, the Government then can target terror camps in Pakistan individually or better would be to involve USA and Israel who are specialists in such task !!

More than the Politicians, it is the system as a whole which is to be blamed for the current mess. Politicians are only steering this rotten system. It is corruption galore in all Departments and people in general lack even the basic civic sense. Just go to any street in any of the Metropolitan Cities except the posh localities and look for yourself the mounting garbage on the streets. It is just pathetic !!

Mr Flash, I join you in condemning this dastardly attack. My heartfelt condolences goes to all those dear ones who have lost their lives !!

I wish the sweet little boy Moshe all the very best. An orphan at 2 years. Imagine this child aged two years held as a hostage for 14 long hours and seeing his Parents tortured to death. What this would have done to the psyche of this little boy ? How cruel were these terrorists ? Seeing this boy smiling not even knowing about the fate of his Parents brought unending tears in my face. He has now left for Israel to live with his grand parents. Atleast let peace return to him there !!

This is the problem in this Country where everything is seen from the electoral angle. This is a great tragedy and let us not think about elections !!

Mr Flash, It would be much better if USA, India and Israel constitute a Task Force to exclusively target terror hot beds in Pakistan and Afghanistan. This is an option worth considering !!

Mr Flash, It is unfortunate that freedom of expression is being misused to the core by such anti-National forces !!

Mr Flash, It is a misnomer that Capitalism promotes competitive prices and not in tune with ground realities. If it is so, then why did we have such a situation today in the Globe where prices of every commodity has shot up leaps and bounds ? Any answer ??

Mr Flash, Regarding it is the people to decide on the kind of economic policies to be framed, I do not think any referendum as such has been held in this Country to adopt Globalisation or Liberalisation. Coming to the point, what is the guarantee that tomorrow we will not be faced with a similar situation once again as falling Banks get used to the bail outs and become complacent sensing that any way the Government is going to bail them out with the tax payers money. This may also have a multiplier effect too wherein it will encourage other Banks too to be misadventurous knowing that the Government is always there to bail them out. Does this not mean rewarding the rich at the cost of poor. Does this not demean the very concept of a free market ??

Mr Flash, Natural justice can be done only if the law is allowed to take its course and not circumvented upon !!

Mr Flash, Even illegal activities like prostitution and liquor are permitted in society, but that does not make them holier and the people should not be encouraged to consume them just because the law does not forbid such activities. Isn''t it ??

Mr Flash, the point is whether this bail out by the Federal Government of USA is essentially to reward the crooks in the business and give them a sense of belief that even if they indulge in such excesses in future, they have always have the tax payers money to bank upon. What kind of Capitalism is this ????

Mr Flash, I have my own doubts as to whether it will happen. But if the UPA Government musters the courage and ban these Organisations, then it will certainly be a step in the right direction and can promote communal harmony in society !!

Mr Flash, Another false mis interpretation of Capitalism. How can Capitalism provide equal opportunities to all when inequality is inbuilt into it ?? It is survival of the fittest and law of the jungle philosophy which is the hall mark of Capitalism. But, how can it be relevant in a society where people are not even sure of one square meal a day ? The masses literally lack the financial power to prosper in a Capitalist economy where everything is over priced to suit the whims and fancies of the market players which we are witness today. We all know how speculation and crooked manipulation has boosted commodity prices all over the World. Theories or dogmas are exactly imposed on the people in Capitalism format. What about the bail out by US Government at the cost of tax payers money ? How about Government and monetary policies being framed just to suit lobbies ? Is this not imposition upon the people ???

Compare the realty prices in 2004 and today and you will see that prices of most apartments and land have shot 300 to 450 percent atleast.Rentals have shot up to unreasonable levels making life of a commoner miserable. Such excesses in real estate, commodity prices, stock market valuations have been chiefly triggered by 7 per cent interest rates and ample liquidity policy followed right from 1998 to 2005 wherein home loans came down to ridiculously low levels to touch just 7%. And now, with a downturn in the Real estate segment, there is a clarion call by the Realtors lobby to cut interest rates and restore the same to 7% level once again. Where this can lead us ? Only to more misery for the common man, rise in property prices, rentals and the vicious cycle can only fuel more inflation. The Finance Minister''s call to cut prices to increase demand has fallen on deaf ears and instead the Realtors wanted to create the bubble once again in the property segment through cheap interest rates which has been responsible for the current financial mess all around the Globe. The BJP too which can be held very much responsible for the present plight of the common man has also raised the pitch for lower interest rates and raising liquidity. Afterall it will do so only because it is essentially a Trader''s and Corporates Party lobbying only for their interest. Let us hope the RBI and the preseent Government stand the test and do not fall into the trap laid by the jealous Realtors !!

Mr Flash, More so when you have political Parties like the BJP which thrive on hatred, fissures and divisions in Society. RSS is the least qualified to talk about politicizing terror!!

Mr Flash, For so many collapses and chaos in the market, Capitalism should have also been buried long back. But yet it is thriving and we all know as to who are sustaining it as a system for their own collective benefit at the expense of billions around the Globe. The fact of the matter is Communism did exist for over a Century before collapse in some Countries. We do not know the exact reasons for this so-called collapse ? But, the fact of the matter is Soviet Union disintegrated to bits and pieces after the fall of Communism which drives home the point that Communism acted as some kind of catalyst in the integration of the erst while Soviet Union. Leaving aside the pluses and minues of Communism, you can never accuse it of greediness and manipulation as it has happened now. My contention has always been that neither Capitalism nor Communism, which are extremes can solve the problems particularly as diverse and as complex as our Country. It is only the correct blend of economics which can usher in the much needed change in this Country and that should also be followed up with a well knit system. The Nehruvian concept of Socialism and ie. Mixed economy was the most appropriate one and well suited for our Country and the human development figures from the UN also validate this !!

Mr Flash, It cannot be denied that Capitalism and especially the crony variety promotes widespread inequalities in the system !!

Mr Flash, In such a pathetic scenario, how can the theme "innocent until proved guilty" hold true ??

Mr Flash, the question is should the Companies which has gone in the red due to excessive greed be compensated with the Tax payers money ?? Won''t such a false measure make these Companies secure in the belief that howsoever lavish and crook style they run the business, the Government will compensate them and therefore there is no need for worry at all about the future as they can live with the tax payers money. What is this kind of "ism" in the first place and I am sorry you are supporting it which I did not expect from you !!

Mr Flash, Can you recall during the UTI financial crisis when the then Government tried to bail out Investors in a limited way, the hue and cry raised by the Capitalist Media here saying that we are still living in a socialist mind set and the Investors should try to live with loss and gains as part of the free market system and the Government should not waste the tax payers money. I do not know where these Capitalists are now hiding when the Federal Government in USA is bailing out Banks after banks pumping out billions of dollars. Does not the same principle apply here also. It is quite evident that the USA does not follow what it preaches to the World and thier motto is corporatize the profits and socialize the losses in the name of saving Banks from collapse !!

Being in a responsible position as Leader of Opposition and projected as shadow Prime Minister by his Party, one expected some semblance of balance in Advani�s conduct. But he has once again gone over board as his nature. Taking the affidavit filed by a terror accused that she was tortured by the ATS at face value, this man started lecturing in a Chattisgarh election rally to incite the people, raise their passions and in the process harvest votes for his Party. This man is now in a mission of now or never as he is already over 80 and this might be his last chance to don the mantle as PM. The irony is this man was our former Home Minister and here he is defending a terror accused and that too in a election rally. It is all for votes !!

Advani want everyone now not to communalize terror and term it by religion. This from a Party and its President who have all along politicized terror generalizing it to a particular religion and launched a hate campaign to harvest votes for their Party. He and his Party should understand that terrorism by Sikhs was called as Sikh terrorism and terrorism by Islam was called Jihadi or Islamic terrorism and so terrorism by the so-called Hindus will be termed Hindu terrorism very rightly. But for Advani and his team it is okay if you say Islamic terror but where it will hurt them is that if you say Hindu terror. Not only this, torture can be inflicted on terror suspects of another denomination but not on Hindu terror suspects. Legal aid should not be given to terror accused if they belong to another denomination, but it is totally fair on their part to lend the same. Double standards galore in anything and everything is BJP�s style !!

Mr Flash, May be the people are laughing out of frustration more than anything else !!

Mr Flash, that is what everybody is saying and that is to wait for the charge sheet. Unfortunately, the Sangh Parivar is not prepared to wait for it and instead resorting to mud slinging and besmirching the ATS, thereby demoralizing the investigative agencies. This is anti-national stand to the core !!

It is our Public financial institutions which have saved us from the current mayhem in financial markets worldwide. But, this coming from a President of a Party whose Government has been trying to privatize Public Sector banks by divesting the equity portion is what is itching everyone. If not for the Left, it was for sure that the current Government would have gone ahead and offloaded the equity in Public Sector banks to uncomfortable levels. If we may recall, its predecessor NDA came with a proposal to limit the Government�s share in Public sector banks to just 23%. Fortunately for this Country, this proposal did not go through which would have if they had come to power once again and the result would have been total collapse of our financial system throwing away the life savings of individuals and brought a question mark on the credibility of our financial system!!

A Human development Index ranking (a UN study done annually) placed India in the 126th position in 2007. Remember India was ranked 85th in 1991. In the World Bank annual report o per capita income ranking India was placed 160th in 2008 (it was 135th in 1991). Similarly in the estimate of poverty as per World Bank norms measured it as 58% in 2008 (it was 52 per cent in 1991). Actually the World Bank norms for poverty are diluted and do not take into account the commoner�s requirements for education, health care, social costs etc. though they are much more realistic than the Indian Government in estimating our Country�s poverty. According to WHO report, India is rivaling with third World Countries like Ethiopia and sub-Saharan African Countries with the highest rates of child malnutrition, infant and child morality, morbidity and maternal mortality. As per the World Sanitary Congress in 2008, India has the highest percentage of population defecating in the open. From the figures it is evident that we were much better off in 1991 than today. It is also evident as to where the 8 to 9% growth for 17 years has led us to !!

Mr Flash, Atleast Manmohan has acted sensibly in the given situation instead of reacting irresponsibly like Advani did in an election meeting to score brownie points and earn applause. If in fact like Advani said he was reacting to the affidavit filed by the Sadhvi, then the question needs to be asked as to how can a person in such a responsible position take the allegations by a terror accused at face value and that too voice the same in a public meeting. I do not think any body can play more vote bank politics than this ?? Simply unimaginable is the depths to which our politics has sunk !!

Mr Flash, It seems you are instantly reacting to the caption and not to the contents. To just put it in a nutshell, from the desperate acts of the Sanghis and threats from BJP Leaders to scuttle the investigation process it appears that they are being afraid of more being revealed in the days to come !!

Mr Flash, May be they are reminding it again and again as some are in doubt !!

Mr Flash, the state of affairs is unfortunate. As you said it will not take too much time to dispose them off. But neither the NDA did it nor the UPA for reasons best known to them !!

Mr Flash, If that is your stand, then I appreciate it. Regarding the oft repeated �every one is innocent until proved guilty�. In India, what we are witnessing is every influenced person getting away from the clutches of the rule of law. There have been very few instances where the influenced have been held guilty all these years. We can just count the numbers by our fingers. That will tell you something about our legal system as a whole. Therefore, one is innocent until proved guilty theme sounds odd unfortunately!!

Mr Flash, I appreciate your stand especially the first para. As regards Media giving excess publicity with selective leaks by the ATS, this is certainly not desirable. But that is the way our Media functions � over built up and it applies in all cases. It has happened before even when the suspects were of different denomination and it will happen again and again as the Media has now become highly commercialized and harping on sensational news to boost their TRP rating. As regards the RDX diversion, that actually relates to the Samjhauta blast and not Malegaon, if I remember correctly where investigation is still in incubation. So, it is wrong to paint the whole thing as orchestrated just because there is some variation in investigations. This happens because investigation is not a full proof one and is also based on speculation based on the interrogation. Therefore, my contention would be to better wait for the charge sheet rather than react to each and every revealation !!

It is quite apparent by the way the Sanghis are trying to intimidate and besmirch the ATS. Actually, it appears there is much more to hide than it meets the eye. Instead of letting the ATS do the job of investigating the matter deep, the Sanghis are trying all tricks in the game to scuttle the investigation process with the BJP Chief even threatening a civil war. All the time, these people are asking for evidence, but don�t these people know that evidences are not presented to the people one by one, but to the Court of law. And this from the people who were calling for clamping POTA on all terror accused even before they were convicted when they happened to be from another denomination. The shameless Advani went even to the extent of politicizing the Sadhvi remand and torture on the basis of her affidavit in an election meeting at Chattisgarh. Nobody knows how this man can take at face value the voice of a terror accused ? If the accused are really innocent as they profess, they will be let free by the Court of Law. Is it not ?? Whom are these people trying to fool by all these tricks ?? It is also a pity that some educated intellectuals too are falling prey to these tactics !!

It is quite apparent by the way the Sanghis are trying to intimidate and besmirch the ATS. Actually, it appears there is much more to hide than it meets the eye. Instead of letting the ATS do the job of investigating the matter deep, the Sanghis are trying all tricks in the book to scuttle the investigation process with the BJP Chief even threatening a civil war. All the time, these people are asking for evidence, but don�t these people know that evidences are not presented to the people one by one, but to the Court of law. And this from the people who were calling for clamping POTA on all terror accused even before they were convicted when they happened to be from another religion. If the accused are really innocent as they profess, they will be let free by the Court of Law. Is it not ?? Whom are these people trying to fool by all these hoodwinking ?? It is also a pity that some educated intellectuals too are falling prey to these tactics !!

Mr Flash, If you say this, then you are blatantly mixing religion with politics !!

I am sorry Mr Flash. You were all along maintaining in the Forum that a terror suspect is entirely a different kettle of fish. Now it is quite evident that your tone has changed !!

Mr Flash, My stand is very clear. Let the investigation proceed and the charge sheet framed in the Court of law and let us wait and watch whether the charges stand the test of law. I am not saying that they are guilty now itself. All that I am saying is that do not scuttle the investigation process by intimidation and strong arm tactics. I never doubted the credibility of ATS like some are doing in this forum selectively singing the tune of the Sanghis !!

Mr Flash, Everything may not be Gold, but some might be Gold. The fact that in the past most cases have failed does not mean that this too will fail. Why come to hasty conclusions now itself and cut a sorry figure later. It is better to wait and watch !!

Mr Flash, How do you know before hand that the revealations are concoctions ?? Even when Islamic terror suspects were caught they were also labelled as concoctions by their supporters. Your line seems to be no different from theirs !!

This is the whole problem about Globalisation and liberalisation wherein the Capitalist media as well as Politicians are always bothered about only high collared jobs !!

Mr Flash, name calling will also be both ways !!

Mr Flash, May be the British are repaying their gratitude to RSS for all their active assistance during pre-independence days !!

Mr Flash, Yes they are patriots for those who cannot see !!

Mr Flash, It can be very well so as after all we are only in the preliminary stages of investigation. Why jump to hasty conclusions on each and every revealation ???

Mr Flash, This is not the first time terror is linked to religion as the Sanghis say. It has been linked in the past too. However, many intellectuals kept on saying that terror should not be linked to religion and even now their stand may be the same !!

Mr Flash, Films and Court trials are entirely different. But, I do admit they have similar success rates. However, let us wait and watch. Purohit has several charges ranged against him. Time will definitely answer !!

Mr Flash, with the passage of time, are humans not becoming civilised than they were say 2000 years ago ? How this transformation happened ? It happened due to modernity and abolition of barbaric practices rooted in the society as such. 100 years ago Sati was a given thing, but today it is a crime as humans have evolved to the changing situation. Therefore, human behaviour too should adopt to the changing times and those who stray away from it citing Newtons third law can be rightly called barbaric !!

I was referring to the caption only. I will not jump to conclusions like somebody prematurely just for political convenience. Just like when you say it is all a political conspiracy and there is no evidence at all, people are getting framed etc. kind of selective stuff. I have been only repeating in the Forum that the case needs to be investigated without pressure and the truth revealed to the Nation and if these people are framed in the case then they automatically become suspects for more blasts too. It is another thing that you do not find any suspicion when the boot is on the other leg and that shows your prejudice. There is no restriction to my commenting about the Malegaon case as such !!

Yes, they are. It becomes more dangerous when it acquires political dimension !!

Mr Flash, Yes we have a very long distance to cover to ever call ourselves a democracy !!

Mr Flash, Political violence too can be contained to a great extent if you ban communal parties !!

Mr Flash, I see nothing wrong in prefixing religion with terror !!

See the creation of Linguistic States was adopted by the Congress in 1929 and there was a consensus then itself amongst all major political parties across the political spectrum for the creation of the same. The integration of States according to language was a National necessity but the Congress went back on this promise after independence and then succumbed when various movements like Samyukta Maharastra Samiti and the one led by Potti Sriramalu turned extremely violent. What is of importance is that with the creation of Linguistic States, the rights of Linguistic minorities too were protected under the Constitution. It is exactly this provision which is now being threatened by people like Bal and Raj. So painting Nehru and them with the same brush is unwarranted and indecent !!

Mr Flash, Violence relates to human behaviour and his/her attitude and to relate it to Newton''s third law is not right or proper !!

Mr Flash � All parties practice vote bank politics. Yes this is a fact and inevitable in a Democracy like ours. But the problem arises when a Party like BJP which practices it to the core accuses other Parties with the intention of a malicious campaign against minorities to bolster its Constituency support !!

Mr Flash, I am talking about political parties and not Communities !!

Crude oil prices have fallen drastically and yet our Government is hesitant to cut the prices of Petroleum products under the pretext of Oil Companies making losses. The financial position of the Oil Companies is a subject of debate in the Country where there is no transparency in their financial disclosures. Leaving that aside, why did the Government on the other hand lowered the cost of aviation fuel thrice in a matter of one month ? Does not reducing aviation fuel prices lower the profits of Oil Companies ? But the Government explains that away saying that aviation sector creates employment. This is just an unacceptable argument. Those vouching for an oil price reduction can also argue that reducing the oil prices too can generate employment in the long run by creating demand. We can definitely accuse this Government that they are refusing to lower the prices as they want to benefit the Private Sector Oil Companies like Reliance and Essar. Alas the UPA which came on an Aam aadmi slogan against the India Shining slogan has completely forgotten its very promise to the people. With Manmohan and Chidambaram at the helm, this was but expected !!

Mr Flash, Yes it is a very sensitive issue and it must be handled with great care and diligence. The ATS would probably have not touched an Army Officer without solid evidence and now it is upto them to prove it in a Court of Law !!

Mr Flash, But the problem in this Country is that the barriers last for ever and the case drags on and on and on .....

Mr Flash, The Law is not taking course and that is the real problem !!

The case is too premature and it is unworthy of comments at this stage !!

Mr Flash, Your statement is valid in a true Democracy !!

Mr Flash, Do you mean to say that the RSS and BJP did not exist before 1992 ? Infact even before 1989, they were raising all provocative issues to whip up the sentiments of the masses. Various Commissions of enquiry implicated directly the RSS and its Sister Organisations in various riot cases in the Country. This is fact. It so happened that the BJP suddenly discovered a very divisive slogan of Ram Temple and exploited it to the core endangering the unity and integrity of the Country in the process !!

Mr Flash, It can be a collective one !!

Mr Flash, first let us think about containing communal violence. The rest will fall in line later !!

This is one of your own imagination before the verdict is out. I know very well that you will not beleive even if the Court gives a verdict in favour of ATS and start finding reasons for defaming that also !!

Mr Flash, it is not in the hands of people alone. It is the in the hands of the Government who should take stern action against communal forces exploiting religious sentiments for political gains !!

Another canard spread by the Sanghis to their followers is that the ATS is selectively targeting only the Hindus by leaking information during the course of investigation to the media on a piece meal basis only with respect to Malegaon blast. This is another blatant lie and it is sad that some are taken up by this claim. In fact leaking to media has been the norm in earlier blast cases too where the terror suspects belonged to Islam. Take the recent case of Delhi, where some suspected terrorists were caught. Media was leaked information about their future plans, what was in their lap top, how they proudly proclaimed in the lap top that they were enemy No.1 to India and all that kind of stuff. But at that time, these revealations all the time were music to the Sangh Parivar ears, but now suddenly when the boot is on the other leg, everything has changed for them. Another case of clear double standards akin to Sanghis !!

Mr Flash, Did I anywhere deny that communal riots took place even before 1992 ? What all I said was rath yatra launched by a political party headed by its President to garner votes did more damage to the polity than one could have imagined. Ofcourse I fully agree with you that we have to forgive and forget and not talk about retailiation etc. In fact I am frequently maintaining in this forum that retaliation can never end violence !!

Mr Flash, Yes and it depends on their mettle not to be swayed by communal forces !!

Mr Flash, But each Country has its own characteristic and different from the rest. We only have to think about ways and means to limit the violence and it can only be done by sidelining the communal and fanatical forces like the RSS, BJP, Bajrang Dal, SIMI, Jamat-e-Islami etc. and not by encouraging them which can only lead to more communal hatred and bloodshed !!

Mr Flash, I do not see any other Party exploiting terror for vote bank politics like the BJP and the Sangh Parivar. They just use this as a means of whipping hatred and raising communal passion to win votes and now the latest Malegaon incident in which many of their Members are accused itself proves to the extent they can go to polarize the voters !!

Mr Flash, It is not the so-called communal parties. They are communal parties and there is no doubt about it at all !!

Mr Flash, Films with excess publicity too have went on to become blockbuster for your information !!

Now since he is out on bail, this case can be very well forgotten for ever !!

Mr Flash, Elections are nearly six months away and therefore viewing everything from the point of elections is meaningless. The Investigation Agencies were not able to file a chargesheet for more than a year itself offers enough scope for their release and the Government of the day has done the right thing in releasing them !!

Mr Flash, Why should Globalisation even come in violence ????

Mr Flash, What can an Opposition party do ? Do they have any powers if at all ? They can just condemn the terror strike and ask the Government to tone up its Intelligence network and ask the security forces to remain alert and that is it. Apart from this what more they are expected to do ? I do not see any double standards on this. On terror attacks, the Media and everybody always blame the Central Government. Ofcourse the Central Government too have to share the blame, but squarely is not fair. But what about State Governments who are supposed to maintain law and order ? They too have been caught napping time and again. Is it not ??So the problem has to be approached in a Consensus manner and not by targeting anybody as pro-islamic or psuedo-secular etc. which can only aggravate the problem on hand !!

With the passage of time, it is clearly emerging out that it was pure speculation and nothing else which has driven commodity prices to dizzy heights endangering the very existence of poor around the Globe. Just take the case of Crude products which was ruling at 147 US Dollars per barrel and which analysts were expecting to cross even 200 US dollars in the mid term. Now it is ruling at just USD 55 per barrel. What has warranted such a tremendous hike and such a drastic fall ? Has the demand fallen in just a matter of days ? Even so the percentage of reduction should have been just 20-30% and not 300-400 !!

The so-called dip in inflation has still not been felt by the Aam-Aadmi. It is not a dip in prices exactly and it only tells us that rate of price increase has slowed down from over 10% to 9% now. But we need to wait for the revised figures also which is always 20 to 30 basis points higher than the released figure. As regards cutting rates, when will the Policy makers realize that only the overuse of monetary instruments has landed us in the present trouble.In the long run the real economy would enforce a correction on monetary misadventures. That is what exactly is happening now. Real growth can take place only if there is increase in physical productivity which simply means that the economy is able to produce more goods and services with the same amount of resources both physical and financial!!

Mr Flash, As it is, I do not find much difference between the governance of UPA and NDA, only that the neo-liberal policies have gone slow during this period, courtesy the Left, which has insulated us tremendously from the Global financial crisis. On terrorism, both have failed and more so the NDA when terrorists were emboldened to even attack our Parliament and Red Fort and the Government was found sleeping in Kargil. On Corruption, the UPA has a relative cleaner record than NDA. As regards the downfall of UPA in 2009, we never know. The Congress has more chance to form the next Government because it has more allies in its ranks at present. Having said that, it all depends on the current trends in the assembly elections in 6 States. So let us adopt a wait and watch approach !!

Mr Flash, is it fair to prematurely judge the fate of a film even before its release ???

Mr Flash, It atleast needs to be contained is it not and this can be done only by keeping Communal forces away !!

Mr Flash, Why single out only Afzal Guru ? There are 25 mercy petitions pending with the President since 1995 !!

It has shocked no one in this Country. We as common people of this Country are used to it and we know it is futile to wage a battle with those wielding power, influence and money !!

Mr Flash, It seems to be a way of life. Isn''t it ??

Mr Flash, As citizens of this Country, let us hope for the best !!

Mr Flash, Ofcourse no Party is a saint and all are responsible for the present dismal State of affairs. But, all these years in this Country, I did not see any President of a Political Party launching a rath yatra for building a Temple in place of a Mosque. This I thought was vulgar display of spreading communal hatred and disharmony in the Country. In any other Democratic Country, the Party would have been derecognized then and there. But not ours. This started it all and over all of us today with no hope for tomorrow !!

Mr Flash,Violence has its own reasons anywhere. But the question is what has to be done to quell it !!

Mr Flash, It should have been done complying with due procedures only obtaining relevant permission from the Court of Law !!

Mr Flash, What is the message we are giving to the World when our own Leaders are questioning the motives of Investigative Agencies and calling them stooges ???

Imagine yourselves in a civil war like situation and you will realize the compulsion of Nehru then. It is always easier to point fingers, but difficult to resolve a problem !!

Mr Flash, Violence anywhere in the World shake reputation of Nations. In India, in the 21st century, we are going back to pre-medieval period fighting in the name of religion, caste etc. This definitely will diminish the image of the Country in the outside World. Not only this, our trade relations too with many Arabic Countries will be greatly hampered !!

Mr Flash, I do not want 1947 to be repeated again. It is not a joke, but if communal polarisation, hatred and ill feeling proceeds in this pace, then we are definitely heading there once again. No doubt about it !!

Mr Flash, Yes. I too agree that anyone can be punished only after proving their guilt and I have been stressing that here time and again. But, what has been most damaging is the way the Sangh Parivar is trying to intimidate the investigation agencies and asking for proof every now and then,attributing motives for arrest, slamming them to be anti-Hindu, pro-Islamic etc. This trend is very dangerous and purely anti-National. The job of the ATS is to frame a chargesheet before the Court of law and not deliver it to any RSS man. Moreover, they have every right to interrogate anybody during any stage of investigation. How can you question their action asking for proof before interrogation ?? This was the same BJP/RSS combine who were clapping their hands when the Investigation agencies were clamping down upon suspected Islamic terrorists and also sought upon them impose the draconian POTA on the terror accused stressing that a terror accused is different from the rest. You just cannot play double standards suiting occasion to the gallery is my humble submission !!

Yes, if the ATS is able to provide substantial evidence which can stand the test of law to bring the culprits to book in the Malegaon blast probe, then it is definitely a curtain raiser and could provide more leads to other blast cases in this Country. There is definitely a possibility that some blasts in this Country could have been perpetrated to further the cause of a political party and this must definitely be probed deep. But the ATS should handle this investigation with utmost care and diligence as the issue is very delicate and sensitive. Already the Sanghis have developed cold feet and have started a systematic and orchestrated campaign that Hindus are being targeted and victimized. It is upto the ATS to play their cards well in such a situation !!

Mr Flash, It is not fair to say that the Left have not condemned acts of terror. The fact is they did and all Political parties do it. This is another canard spread by the BJP. The reason for them to point out this particular incident is that the so-called secular parties have often become targets of the Sanghis and portrayed as supporters of Islamic terror and now when the wheel has turned full circle and now that some of the the Sanghis have themselves come on the terror radar, the Left and other Parties who have been targets of BJP are not prepared to lose this opportunity in taking the offensive and it is quite natural !!

Moreover Mr Rebel, the BJP coming to power in such a polarized atmosphere in the Country can peril our very existence as a Nation at large !!

Ofcourse Mr Flash !!

Mr Flash, We know the sequence very well. He is going to come out on bail tomorrow and in a month this case will be totally forgotten for ever !!

Mr Flash, Time has to prove as to whether Obama is a leader of quality or not ??

Mr Flash, I do not know why he is targeting us ??

Well said My dear Friend Mr Rebel. Nodoubt the Sanghis are playing a very dangerous game in their attempt to polarize the society for electoral gains. It can bode only ill will for the Society in the long run.. Hope the Country as a whole realizes this before it is too late !!

We hear an absurd argument from the BJP Chief that a Hindu can never become a terrorist. Good that he did not extend this logic to go ahead and say that no Hindu can be a criminal, murderer or even petty thief !!

Arun, The history relating to the creation of Linguistic States in this Country had lot of bloodshed. It was all started by the fast unto death organized by Potti Sriramalu in which he ultimately died and this lead to large scale violence which had all the makings of a civil war. This led to the creation of Linguistic States. However,due care was also taken to protect the Linguistic minorities in those States and Article 29 and 30 of the Constitution clearly spells it out. The grouse against Bal Thackeray and Raj is that they are acting against the very spirit of these Articles spelt out in the Constitution to protect the Linguistic Minorities which is anti-national. I do not think it is right to paint Nehru and Bal & Raj with the same brush !!

UFLA has accused the RSS of involvement in the recent Assam blasts. This might be a possibility too and the Police must investigate the case deep and devoid of supposed assumptions !!

Mr Flash, What we are witnessing today is the BJP leaders practising rank double standards in dealing with terror !!

Again distorting facts as is your wont and it would be ridiculous to compare a Nationalist like Nehru with a third grade politician like Raj painting him with the same brush. Moreover, it was not Lalu who demanded a separate Jharkhand, it was the BJP, JMM and Congress which did so. Infact Lalu was against the separation of Bihar. Remember it was BJP which during its tenure divided India even further and created Uttarkhand, Jharkhand and Chattisgarh and even now demanding Telangana !!

This is a serious issue in which a serving Army Officer is involved and also misusing Army funds. Moreover, the terror radar has also spread on many Sangh Parivar sympathizers and even BJP Politicians and it is getting murkier by each passing day. The ATS should handle the case diligently and prove it in Court of Law. Nodoubt this is going to be difficult considering the backing enjoyed by the Sanghis and also the way they intimidate the Investigation process !!

We have Policy makers around the Globe very busy pumping in excess liquidity into the system to save the Financial system and Markets. They are now exactly back to square one. Was it not this excess liquidity responsible for all the problems the World is facing today ?

The Sanghis are now doing a fine job of intimidating the Investigative Agencies and to arm twist the case. Their high profile Leader in UP who is on terror radar has dared the ATS to arrest him lest they will face a huge backlash. Does he not know that a Police has all the right to interrogate anybody at their will ? These were the same people who were demanding POTA to be invoked on all terror accused as they were different from normal criminal cases. But now they sing quite a different tune when it comes to them. They attribute all kind of motives on the functioning of ATS and claim innocence. Even before a detailed charge sheet is filed, they jump up the bandwagon and say that the case is too weak to stand in Court. They see no wrong in providing legal aid to the accused and also have flown back to the familiar line of �one is innocent, till proved guilty�. But whether it applies only to Sanghis is the question which begets an answer ???

It is a vicious circle Mr Flash !!

Mr Flash, It is good that they are apprehensive about the outcome and not as over confident as NDA was during 2004 which subsequently had egg in its face !!

Mr Flash, The term is all but over so what is the use of dismissal or resignation as such ??

At the outset, how can you compare the democratic set up in USA and India ? They are following the Presidential system and we are following the Parliamentary system and so the caption falls flat there itself. Second, in our Country today there is not even one Pan-Indian leader whose base cuts across language, caste and religious barriers. Therefore, our search for a desi Obama would be futile !!

Mr Flash, My point was applying Newton''s third law of motion is pointless as it leads to nowhere except disaster !!

Mr Flash, This applies in all cases. But the problem is when somebody becomes selective ??

Mr Flash, Too much cook spoil the broth and it holds true here also !!

Mr Flash, Not worth mentioning at all. This is a drama being played again and again by Politicans to fool the public !!

Ha Ha Ha. Why your stomach is burning with envy my dear Friend ? See this is a Forum where the debating language is English. You very well know what is the distance between English and yourself and therefore does it not hurt you to pose such a question, if at all. Once again for your information, the NDTV Forum is for Users with good English and not gibrlish !!

Mr Flash, it is good that they have been released and there is no point in detaining them without evidence on hand. Ofcourse they should be rightly compensated for wrongful detention. The AP Governnmet has done the right thing !!

I completely agree Mr Flash. Ofcourse we are deceiving ourselves with such castles in the air !!

Mr Flash, The Sanghis have a totally different view and that is the root of the problem !!

Obama gave a fine speech and now the time has come for his words to translate into action and we all know the difficulty arises only here. Let us see whether Obama is different or he is just another run of mill story !!

Arun, I can very well understand your discontent with our democratic system. But please do not compare India with any other Country. Ours is a peculair set-up !!

It cannot be said so because in predominantly White dominated areas, it was the Republican Candidate who scored. Ofcourse Obama won, but the margin was very thin even when compared to the most pessimistic opinion poll which gave Obama a 6 point difference. Finally Obama ended with 52% and his rival Mcain 48%. Moreover, Mcain claimed more States than Obama, but that could not translated to seats as they were less populated. Not a very wide difference despite the Bush factor which should have translated into a massive anti-incumbency wave. This very well illustrates that the racial factor still dominates in USA and it is difficult to set that aside !!

Mr Flash, Today the tragedy is that it has become hostage to vote bank politics with all games played for the seat of power either for or against it !!

Yes Mr Flash, I too agree that when the Investigation is still premature, nothing should be leaked to the Media as such !!

Yes I totally agree with you on the undue publicity given by our Media for terror attacks which must stop forthwith. In fact by this, they are only toeing the line of terrorists whose sole motive is to create a sense of panic amongst citizenry. But, our Media is only interested in sensationalism and TRP rating !!

Mr Flash, I do not know how many times we are going to get ashamed ??? There seems to be no end at all ??????

Mr Flash, They might have condemned the terror attacks in the name of Hindutva !!

But the problem is that the Sanghis apply this logic selectively ??

Mr Flash, Why can�t we wait for the charge sheet ?? Is it a media trial ?? I do not think the ATS would be so foolish to touch an Army Officer without sufficient evidence on hand !!

Mr Flash, Do you mean to say that the CPI(M) recognized Hindutva only in the form of terror ??

Mr Flash, It is all media speculation. No chargesheet has so far been filed. If so, how can you come to the conclusion that the case is weak now itself ?

Yes, it is a matter of very serious concern which poses great threat to the unity and integrity of this Country. Above all, an Army Officer engaging in such acts is a National shame !!

Yes, it is a matter of grave concern and that too infiltration in their Intelligence wing countering terrorism. It reflects very badly on the top brass of the Army !!

Every action has equal and opposite reaction - Newton''s third law and endorsed by the Sangh Parivar for thier violent actions now and then. But, how this can only apply to Sangh Parivar is the million dollar question ???

It would be better for Raman Singh to learn a trick or two from the AP Chief Minister Rajasekhara Reddy as to how to tame Naxalism !!

Infighting is rampant in every Party. What might cost the BJP is anti-incumbency factor coupled with the perception amongst the MP people that the current incumbent is one of the most corrupt bettering even the Congress. Last time the BJP won on a landslide and the margin to be bridged is huge. Howevever, every election is different in its own way!!

Bajrang Dal activists allegedly involved in Nanded and Thane blast. Sadhvi seen closeted with BJP Leader Rajnath Singh and the MP Chief Minister. News reports say that she actively campaigned for Modi in the recent assembly elections. Lt. Col Purohit having close links with the VHP Leader Togadia. Yet despite all these the Sanghis says that there is no link between terror and the Sangh. Let us also believe so !!

How true this sounds today ??

Yes, they are spreading the message of hate with full vigour aided by the fanatics and terrorists from the other side as well as our so-called secular politicians and now their agenda of hate has reached even army corridors !!

Mr Flash, my contention always has been that the case is too premature and it is not proper to say anything about it unless we have a glimpse of the detailed charge sheet on the accused. Having said that, I also wish to add that the ATS would not have dared to touch Armymen without sufficient proof on hand and therefore I presume that there should be a strong case. However, if it is not so and it is just a political game then the ATS should be well prepared for a severe backlash as it is a very sensitive case involving the Army !!

Mr Flash, Will you accept the recent terror strike in Ahmedabad and Surat as an act of retaliation to the Genocide in 2002 ??

Armymen engaging in terror activities has no parallel and it is a very dangerous trend which has to be nipped in the bud before it is too late !!

Mr Flash, the investigation is at a very premature stage. The chargesheet is yet to be prepared. It is not right that we should brand them as culprits now itself. If at all, we can call them as terror accused and that is it. But what should be borne in mind is that the ATS would not have mustered the courage to hold armymen unless they had sufficient evidence with them !!

Mr Flash, Why can�t we take it in a positive way and say that the Blacks are having pride in saying that their man is becoming the most powerful men on earth and that too in a land where Whites constitute a significant majority. Infact this goes against the concept of racial discrimination !!

Mr Flash, From my observations I do not think the Left in general or CPI(M) in particular have ever trumpeted that they are very honest parties. However, the fact remains that they are relatively less corrupt than other Parties. It is the BJP which often trumpets itself a honest and Nationalist Party when the facts are totally to the contrary with numerous corruption charges against its MPs and MLAs. As regards other Parties, they don''t have any reason to trumpet themselves as they all sail in the same boat !!

A serving Liutenant Colonel alleged involvement as the key conspirator has sent shock waves throughout the Country. In case if he had done this as alleged by ATS, how could such a educated man think this way ? How can killing a few innocent people be a solution to a terror problem ? If it was a retailiation, why nobody owned it up courageously ? Was it retailiation or a political game ? Won''t such retaliation invoke even greater retaliation from the other side especially when thier network is wide and far reaching ?? In the process, who are going to be killed, it is innocents all over again !!

Mr Flash, Apart from coalition compulsions, they have their own compulsions too. Is it not ??

Mr Flash, This is all very nice to hear. But the fact is that the World is practically divided and I thought this is a very small issue !!

Mr Flash, I do not think Cuba is practising Globalisation or Liberalisation leaving everything to Market forces. That explains it all. Moreover, even today in this Country how many people have the luxury of having own Mobile phones or television for that matter ? Even electricity is yet to reach more than 40% of the population. That will tell you the state of affairs and the success of globalisation policies ??

Mr Flash, When it is not even necessary to organise a religious faith, why a way of life is the big question ??

Mr Flash, It is a wonder we are surviving as a Nation despite such intolerance ???

Yes Mr Flash and also they should not succumb to threats from Political parties !!

Agreed Mr Flash !!

Mr Flash, I do not see anything wrong in such adjectives to herald his arrival on the scene as some kind of introduction. When a Women is elected Prime Minister or President, do we not specify their gender ? When a Dalit becomes a Chief Minister or Prime Minister of this Country, will we not say that he is the first Dalit to occupy the post etc. etc.

My Dear, these Terrorists are doing it in the name of religion only. So, what is wrong in calling them so ???

The ATS squad of Maharasthara should not succumb to the pressure tactics of the Sangh Parivar and Shiv Sena and should take this Malegaon blast case to its logical conclusion. The Sanghis once again are up to their game and are spreading a canard that it is only Hindus who are being targeted, but in reality many Islamic terror suspects too have been caught in various blast cases and are being interrogated. They completely hide this fact. It is important that the masses do not fall to this third rate tactics !!

Mr Flash, I do not know what is going to change with Obama''s win. But definitely his victory demonstrate a paradigm shift in American politics with a Black occupying a top position of the Country. It is worthwhile to remember that Blacks were not even permitted to vote in USA some decades ago. If you take this into consideration, this is definitely a trend setter !!

Mr Flash, Do you mean to say that common people are not using Mobile phones or Television in Cuba which is not covered by Globalisation ??? I completely differ with that argument !!

Mr Flash, Yes it is time that a new Global economic order emerges for the collective well being of the Planet !!

I request you to post your views in English first because I do not understand your native language !!

Mr Flash, many terror suspects (Muslims) have been held in various blast cases also. So, it is not proper to pin point Maharasthara alone. The Malegaon incident is hogging National attention because this is a case where several ex-Armymen and even today a serving Colonel has been arrested. Moreover, a Sadhvi who has affiliation to a Nationalistic Organisation (as they call themselves) has been arrested in the case also. So, naturally it is deriving National attention !!

Moreover Arun, as you admit if Hindu terror attacks are a retaliation. Why don''t they have courage to own up the incident ?

If the ATS is able to conclusively prove that the Sadhvi and Ex-Armymen (affiliated to the Sangh Parivar) are responsible for the Malegaon blasts, then doubts will certainly arise of the conspirators of some other blasts in the Country namely the Jama Masjid blast at Delhi, the Ajmer Blast, the Hyderabad Mecca blast, another Malegaon blast last year, Samjauta train blast which were initially thought to the handiwork of the Jihadi extremists. Now suspicion will naturally fall on the Sadhvi and some Ex-Armymen associated with the Sangh Parivar !!

Electoral politics is very competitive and this makes Parties behave the way as they do. They just need votes to survive as a party and spin money. What can be done about this ???

Is there a Party in India fitting into your vision Mr Flash ??? I don''t think so !!

Mr Flash, I am happy that you agreed !!

Mr Flash, correction can happen only if there is a will to correct by the law makers. For our Politicians are very much happy with the present rot and they will never change it for the better and that much we can be sure irrespective of whichever Party ascends to the office of power. The less said about today''s Media the better as all have their own affiliations. As regards the people, they are totally indifferent to the affairs of the Country at large and detached from the happenings. You cannot blame them too as the masses have their own financial crisis to contend with. From what I have said, you have to infer as to whether it would be possible to correct the wrongs as they exist !!

Mr Flash, but what is the guarantee that the next Government whoever it is will be successful against terror. They too might fail considering the resources at their command. Do you mean to say that if they too fail, they should also put in their papers. If that is the case, then the next best option would be to handover the Country to the Army who will manage it much better !!

Mr Flash, Ofcourse having a policy is better than not having a policy at all. But it is also important as to what kind of policies we profess as it has a direct bearing on the livelihood of the masses at large. Growth phobia has its own limitations as can be very well seen from the financial crisis in USA where the bubble burst with too much liquidity in operation and Companies mindless expansion anticipating more growth. Now we have the prospect of a recession or even depression as some economists claim and the whole World is going to pay the price for an American misadventure of mindless credit. The Policy makers in USA have not learnt the right lesson and are condemned to repeat it once again. Already Globally we are faced with a major agricultural crisis on hand which is a creation of the proponents of Globalisation and now adding to the misery is the Financial crisis. All these clearly demonstrate as to how dangerous crony Capitalism is as a working system !!

Mr Flash, It appears you are not too confident. Your apprehensions are truly valid considering the track record of our Investigative agencies before !!

Mr Flash, Anyway elections are hardly six months away !!

Ofcourse Friend !!

Mr Flash, In that case do you want the whole Government to put in its papers ? It is just asking for too much and I do not think they will do it given the pleasures of office !!

Arun, if it is proven (note my word carefully, if it is proven) that Malegaon and Modasa blasts were organised indeed by Hindu Extremists then how can we conclude that these were the only blasts they orchestrated. It may be that they might also be involved in many other blasts as afterall blasts took place at a mosque in Hyderabad, Ajmer and even in Malegaon before as Intelligence Agencies are yet to find the culprits. How can you overlook that possibility. However, now it is too premature to call this and we need to wait for the investigation to take its shape and the kind of chargesheet that the ATR delivers. At the same moment, I would also like to add that we should never lose the sight of Islamic terrorism which is assuming dangerous proportions and should be effectively countered !!

Mr Flash, This is being done with the objective of scoring political brownie points. Let them do it. They are Politicians and it is their job of misguiding the people, polarizing them and securing their votes in the process. We can do nothing about it as it is the system we live and cherish !!

Arun, Humans have what we call the sixth sense. Why can''t we think. If some nefarious and inhuman elements are doing wrong acts, why some must do the same thing as a retaliation ?? If that is the strategy, will there ever be an end to violence ??? If you have some scores to be settled with the Government or somebody, be brave and attack the concerned individually. Not doing that and attacking innocents is just a terrible thing which cannot be condoned !!

Mr Flash, you are confusing technological excellence with Globalisation. Whether there was Globalisation or not, Television, Mobile Phone etc. would have become available to common man at affordable prices. These are the fruits of technological excellence and not Globalisation as such !!

Mr Flash, So you do agree that Capitalism is not a perfect system and has its own drawbacks. However, the bone of contention is whether balancing the positives and negatives, Capitalism is useful or detrimental to the Society or not? But the way it is being practised in the World leaves much to be desired!!

The Intelligence Agencies have their glass full. As you said it is a jungle where there are many creatures indulging in terror activities and the Agencies must fix the right one. Nodoubt it is an onerous task !!

Mr Flash, Yes it is good work by the ATS. Let us see whether the charges stand the test of law ???

Mr Flash, These are the various stages of Investigation. Next is the Narco analysis. Many offenders before too have reported negative in the polygraph tests before. That doesnt mean or convey anything. Let us therefore wait. If Sadhvi indeed is not guilty as the Sangh Parivar claim, she will be acquitted by the Court. But nobody can deny the role of Ex-Armymen in the blasts. It seems that the ATS has enough evidence on this score as per News reports !!

With the number of terror attacks on the rise, the least our current Home Minister can do is to resign honourably thereby enforcing accountability. Let him part with the job to a new face preferably Moily or even Antony where atleast there will be some whiff of hope!!

Mr Flash, Do you have an idea as to why Human Rights Activities are acting so ????

Mr Flash, But the Sanghis it seems are polishing it too much. You just cannot have different standards on terror related activities. Either you stick to the logic that one is innocent till proved guilty or stick to the other extreme that one becomes an untouchable as soon as he or her is caught by the Police and apply the same in all cases !!

Mr Flash, Furthermore those who embrace new religion from way of life can stick to the way of life as well as practise the new religion. Why that is not possible ??

Mr Flash, I do not mind if the complaint originate from the concerned who are being targeted and converted to Christianity or any other religion for that matter saying that their way of life is getting affected. But the problem is that it comes from the stable of the Sangh Parivar who also say that Hindutva is just a way of life and not religion as such. My question is who gave them the power to be self-custodians of a particular faith or way of life as they say. Furthermore, if it is a way of life why should there be any organisation to represent it ? Individuals have the full freedom to profess it as they deem fit. Christinaity and Islam have Organisations to represent them because they are claiming to be religions whereas Hinduism is just a way of life. So, what is the motive of any Organistion to defend it ? Everything depends on the perception of an invidual who practices this way of life. If he feels that he is being targeted by other Religions, it is his duty to bring to the notice of the concerned Authorities and not the Bajrang Dal/VHP who indulge in riots and rapes as a retaliation to conversion activities !!

I just do not understand the recent Government decision to enhance the Foreign holding in Pvt Indian Insurance Companies to 49%. This decision comes at a time when one of the World''s largest Insurance Company in USA namely the AIG became bankrupt and the Federal Government pumped billions of dollars to save it. Viewed from any angle, this decision does not make any economic sense especially at a time like these when there is tremendous Global uncertainity and the fate of many Insurance Companies hangs in balance. But the Manmohan Team (who are faithful Agents of USA) has other interest and took this decision to suit National (read: their own) interest. This decision too might have been taken under compulsion from Foreign powers like the Nuclear deal earlier. Alas our Policy Makers are taking this Country to dogs!!

I do not think any other Country in the World is confronted with such varieties of terrorism as India is today. This makes the problem even more complicated and problematic for the Intelligence Agencies. One does not know who is responsible for any blast as the conspirators are many!!

If it is so, ask the Ex-Army men to go and assasinate the corrupt Politicians if they have semblance of courage. Instead of that why they target innocents ? Is that not pure devilish and cowardly attitude and it is shocking that some people too are supporting this !!

As usual you have come with your Warped logic written in Gibrlish. Mind you it is not the CBI which has caught the terror accused in Malegaon and Modasa blasts, it was the Anti terrorism squad of Maharasthara. So, don''t show your ignorance not knowing even this. Second, don''t say to me that when the Police catch the Islamic terror suspects everything is fine and when they catch the Hindu terror suspects, everything is flawed and it has political overtones. That shows your Sanghi mentality more than anything else !!

The point is how you can avoid vote bank politics in a Democracy. They are inter-related. Democracy is all about peoples vote and attaining power. Naturally parties will vie with one another to cultivate vote banks. Asking Parties not to practise vote bank politics is like asking a drunkard not to drink with a whisky in front of him !!

Mr Flash, The NDA had a strength of 310 members in Parliament. The point is if they were really sincere, they would have readily brought the bill in Parliament. The point is even if the bill is defeated, their Government is not going to fall. Atleast it would have shown that they had the right intention and the Opposition was not co-operating. But, they did not do this and were just whispering for public consumption. So what I said is very much right !!

The Sangh Parivar claim that Hinduism or Hindutva is a way of life and not a religion as such. But what is lingering in everyone''s mind is why then does the Sanghis and BJP shout up and down and indulge in riots, rape Nuns etc. when people who practise this way of life ie. Hindutva or Hinduism embrace a religion even if that is forceful as they say. Actually it is not conversion at all as Hindutva is not a religion and just a way of life and people can lead that way of life as well as practice a religion of their choice. Why does they not give them this freedom and instead forcibly reconvert them to Hinduism ? If any body can clarify this utter contradiction, it will be very useful for everyone to clear this confusion !!

The Sanghis and their political wing the BJP have a strange logic on terror. When the accused is a Muslim terrorist, they decry when other Parties stand on behalf of them claiming that they are innocent. They call other Parties psuedo-secular and anti-Nationals. Very recently, the BJP criticised vehemently the move of the Vice Chancellor of Jamia Millia when he wanted to give legal aid to the terror accused. They called it Anti-National. Lawyers were attacked in Lucknow and other places when they expressed their desire to appear for the terror accused. However, the BJP and the Sanghis seem to have a very different logic for Bhagwa terror accused. They support the terror accused and claim their innocence just like the SP/RJD did for the accused Islamic terrorist. Similarly, they praise the move of the RSS and Shiv Sena to give legal aid to the terror accused. The BJP says that terror accused can be called as a terrorist only if they are convicted and they are innocent till then. But does not this maxim hold good even for the accused Islamic terrorists too is the question ??

Mr Flash, May be they think that human rights are only for terror suspects and not for innocents who get trampled in the process !!

Mr Flash, You sound too sarcastic. But the fact is this Government too has utterly failed in tackling terror like its predecessor !!

Ofcourse, he has to be hanged as per the Supreme Court verdict. The Mercy petition is with the President and she should take the decision on the advice of the Cabinet. But you know the law takes its own time in this Country. So, you must be patient to get justice !!

Does the people of MP really have a choice ? They have only to choose between the devil and deep blue sea. Neither of the two parties are going to solve any of their problems with reports coming in that malnutrition in MP has reached monumental levels and more than 50% of the people are living in acute poverty with not even one square meal a day !!

Mr Flash, It is funny that the Capitalists now talk about Regulatory mechanism ? What is free market all about ? It is about leaving everything to the whims and fancies of market without Government intervention which was perceived to automatically correct the ups and downs as they come. The excessive speculation and cartels took commodity, asset and share prices beyond reason and now since the bubble has burst as it was the right conclusion and quite expected, these Capitalists have now started to talk about regulatory mechanism and all such stuff. Whom they are trying to deceive? This is nothing but to capitalise the profit and socialize the losses. Alas the common man does not know as to how the Governments around the Globe are playing with his livelihood in the name of crony capitalism !!

Reply to Mr Arun Dalvi - Every terrorist is dangerous to Society. How can you make a distinction between them. Their motive is one and the same and ie. to attack innocents !!

When the Capitalists around the Globe call for Regulation, the very concept of free market economy is lost and defeated. It is an admission of total defeat and does spell out to the World what free market actually is. In USA, they have a Policy where if the Corporates make hefty and speculative profit, it is all theirs and Capitalism comes into play. However, if they make losses, then the Government will bail them out at the cost of tax payers money. So suddenly they switch to socialism when it is convenient. What kind of a policy is this and for whose benefit it is is anybody''s guess ??

I was only pointing out that Globalisation only accentuates the misery of the poor and does not provide any benefit as such. So where is the question of pleasure ????

Mr Flash, when Capitalists call for Regulation, the concept of Free market economy which is the principal component of Capitalism is lost and defeated for all practical purposes. So Capitalism is gone and defeated. It is surviving as the World�s leading money spinners along with the Federal Government in USA are behind it and propping it up. As regards USA, it is crystal clear that the hefty and speculative profits made out of the misery of the common man around the World have to shared by the US Corporates and losses have to be compensated by the Government. What kind of policy is this is anybody�s guess ??

The fact that the Maharasthara Government is treating Raj Thackeray with kid gloves is evident in the way he was arrested and let off. Now that the issue is going out of hand, it has no other option but to book him under NSA. Earlier too, Bal Thackeray was playing the same game and he was not arrested which has set a very bad precedent !!

My Friend, Even Gujarat Chief Minister who speaks so much about terrorism was found sleeping when the Bomb Squad disposed bomb after bombs. This is for your information please !!

Now a new angle to the terror has emerged and we have the Sadhvi and some ex-Armymen rounded up for their alleged role in the blasts at Malegaon and Modosa. We might very well recall that even before this blasts took place at Mosques in Hyderbad and Ajmer. Even Malegaon was a target before too. Earlier SIMI was a suspect. However, now a new terror angle has emerged. So, investigation should go deep and track down the real culprits who are responsible for all these blasts along with many other blasts in the Country !!

Mr Flash, I was pointing out only the inherent contradiction and unstable ideology they profess time and again to deceive the masses. As regards Hindutva being a way of life, if it is really so then why does the Sanghis and other Hindu Organisations object when conversions happen to other religions even if they are forced (as they say). Afterall Hinduism is just a way of life and not a religion as such according to you. So what does it matter if people take up a new faith. Can you clarify ? This is lingering in my mind for long !!

Mr Flash, Is it not too premature to call for proof at this stage when the investigation is on. How can the Police reveal their findings now ? We need to wait till the matter comes to the Court and there a Chargesheet will be framed against the accused and you can know the list of charges from there. It is a pity that the Leader of Opposition does not even know this and playing politics !!

Mr Flash, I am sorry to say this. But, you are sounding like a Politician !?

It would be better not to come to any conclusion right away. Let the Police probe and find out the culprits. Ofcourse there must be some hard evidence on hand to pin down the Sadhvi and the Police must take it forward and find out the entire network behind the Blast !!

Mr Flash, You have rightly gauged the pulse of Indian masses !!

Why selectively blame only the poor Rajisthan police ????

Yes indeed Mr Flash. It is unfair to target only J&K when it is a norm everywhere in India. We are more a Monarchy than a Democracy !!

Mr Flash, the news is that illegal Hindu immigrants from Bangladesh formed a group which is orchestrating such attacks !!

Terrorism is mainly an urban or even metropolitan phenomenon as rural India is completely insulated from it. It is not right to portray that the entire Country is under the grip of terror. Ofcourse, concrete action has to be taken against the perpetrators of terror from whichever quarter it emerges for that you need to keep out politics from the ambit of a terror probe !!

If there is a cause and effect, you will have no peace at all Friend. Supporters of Jihadis will argue that their method of violence is correct as the perpetrators of crime in Mumbai and Gujarat riots are roaming freely as Chief Minister, MPs and MLAs without being brought to book. The man who was responsible for the demolition of Babri Masjid is a claimant for the Prime Minister post. There were numerous riots in India on religious minorities and therefore terrorism is the only means to solve their problem. So will go their argument. Similarly the so-called Hindus might argue that there can be no greater disaster than the Partition of the Country and so their method of violence is correct. Also, they were under invasion for 1000 of years by Moghuls. But, where is the end to all these is the question ????

In Globalisation, pleasure is only for the elites and it is pain and more pain only for the poor masses !!

So by your warped logic suggests that targeting innocents has the secret support of all right thinking Hindus. I do not think you can demean your religion more than this. Don''t vent your fury and prove your ignorance. If this is your mental outlook, what is the difference between a terrorist and a right thinking Hindu ????

Mr Flash, First let them find the real culprits !!

Why are you so blind ? Everybody is condemning terrorism from whichever quarters it emerges. The problem with you is you are completely blinded by the Islamophobia which is the root of all troubles and that is why you are not able to distinguish things and analyse the problem on hand in a neutral manner !!

Mr Flash, In Sangh Parivar especially BJP different people speak different things. Rajnath Singh says one thing, Advani says one thing. The question is whom to believe ????

Mr Flash, It is a Hindu fundamentalist outfit in Bangladesh for your information !!

If the ATS version is true then it is definitely a eternal mess and an impending disaster in waiting !!

Instead of having elections once again which is not going to serve any purpose, it would be better if the Country is handed over to the Army. We can then hope that alteast some change would happen !!

Condemn all kinds of terror and fanaticism and only that would be a neutral stance!!

There is no limit to dreaming. Yes, we can dream and dream .....

So your warped logic suggests that as revenge the Armymen have the right to target innocents as terrorists do. So what is the difference between a terrorist and a armymen ??

That is a childish speak as is your wont, you confused Chap with Gibrilish !!

The Country is at the cross roads and facing two kinds of terrorism. Economic terrorism unleased by the proponents of Globalisation ably aided by the Policy makers threatening to rip apart the social fabric of this Country and the second can be divided into two parts and one is the religious terrorism fomented by the Islamic terrorists from outside the border, some local Muslims within the Country, Bajrang Dal and VHP pretending to be cultural organization and engaging in rioting and terror activities ably aided by Politicial parties like SP, RJD, BJP etc. Second is the linguistic terrorism promoted by politicians like Bal, Raj, Yeduriappa etc to whip up the passions of the masses. How the Country is going to solve this mess is anybody�s guess ??

The same logic may also apply to a Muslim terrorist who will claim that he is taking revenge because his Community is still awaiting justice for the Mumbai and Gujarat riots and the perpetrators are roaming as Chief Minister, MPs and MLAs. If for every action there is equal and opposite reaction as per Newton law, then violence will never end !!

If the Army men too target innocents as a means of revenge then what is the difference between a terrorist and them ???

Mr Flash, another bomb blast and the ritual will continue with no concrete action. People are just getting fed up of this !!

Mr Flash, There is no end to human dreams !! We can just dream on !!

Raj is just following only the foot steps of his dear uncle Bal Thackeray. In the 1980s, Bal Thackeray with his lumpen elements launched a organized campaign which ended in riots against the South Indians. Suddenly in the 1990s this man suddenly had a change of heart and he talked about Hindutva and unifying all Hindus. Now, with that plank getting busted, he swung again back to the basics and started to whip up Marathi sentiment or Marathi manoos and talked against North Indians swallowing the jobs of the Marathis. One is left wondering what this Hindutva is all about. On the one hand, this man talks of Hindutva and on the other he talks about driving away North Indians. Can you be anymore absurd than this. That is Bal Thackeray/Yeduriappa type of politics. Raj is just following them !!

Mr Flash, Yes fully agree with your contention. We have a practically useless electoral system which has to be urgently reformed !!

Mr Flash, If the NDA wanted to reform the Judicial system, it could have very well done so as they enjoyed brute majority in the Parliament. Why listen to the Opposition ? Were they listening to the Opposition voice each and every time they took a decision ? The startling fact is that they just did not have the heart to do it and only saying that for public consumption. Ofcourse none should interfere with the Investigation. But, we should not be selective in condemning terror is my humble submission !!

The only achievement that can be seen is this Government has survived its full term. Failures are many and the most important is following the neo-liberal economic policies of its Predecessor namely the BJP to the detriment of the poor,imposing the Nuclear Deal on the Country for the convenience of the Foreign powers and Corporates without the approval of Parliament, failure to take head on the challenge of the fundamentalist forces especially the Sanghis, knee jerk reactions in countering terror etc. While bidding farewell to the NDA Government, the Country had hoped that there will be some change in the pro-rich economic policies, but unfortunately this only continued albeit with less speed � thanks to the speed break of the Left parties !!

Leave alone India, your enthusiasm for Capitalism and Free market economy will not be shared by even USA and European Countries today especially after the current fiasco. Speak to any common man in Street, there is total aversion towards Capitalism and its core principals !!

After the current crisis, many advocates of neo-Capitalism are now singing a different tune altogether and say that there should be better regulation. Therefore, Capitalism is a worst system and even more destructive in a Country like India which has nearly 70% of the people living with just Rs. 20/- a day !!

If we are going to cast aspersions on every move of the Police, then it will definitely lead to total demoralization of the police force. Allow them to do their duty !!

The Indian Policy makers are only precipitating povery with their neo-liberal policies. This is likely to lead to severe social unrest in the not too distant future with chaos all around !!

It is too premature to make judgements as of now. However, the Police would not have embarked on this mission without some proof on hand. If this is true, then it is definitely a disgrace for the Nation as a whole where Army Officers owe allegiance to a particular Organisation more than the Nation at large. What this implies is that the poisonous seed implanted by the Sanghis has now borne fruit and grown into a tree. Now whenever there is another bomb blast three will be utter confusion as to who are behind it !!

Mr Flash, even Muslim terrorist are also caught with suspicion only. We cannot have different yardsticks for judging different cases. It is pure hypocrisy of the highest order. Ofcourse, you cannot conclude prematurely that they are the culprits. But the Police would not have rounded them without some evidence on hand. The question is whether this will stand the test of law ? Let us wait and see !!

Mr Flash, But it is a fact that it is the Left parties who averted the privatization of our Public Sector Banks and it is also a fact that it is the Left parties who prevented the Providend Fund of employees to be deployed in Stock market. What about Capital account convertibility. Who prevented it ? It is only the Left Parties. If all these had happened, our Country too today would have gone bankrupt by now. Please accept hard facts !!

Yes the Saffron terror outfits are spreading the Agenda of hate with a purpose and that is to elevate the BJP to the office of power once again. With this sole motive in mind, they are in a rather destructive mode and the casualty is the Unity and integrity of this Nation.Nodoubt all their acts can only lead to a civil war in the not so distant future and another partition may be a prospect once again !!

With the 16th Bank falling namely Alpha in the USA and many Banks falling in Europe, the crisis is only likely to deepen with no road to salvation !!

If you were to believe ever again that markets are there to make you rich without putting much effort and feeding on others work, pause and think again. The losses that investors have suffered now are very very real and substantive. Where are those who advised you to invest and make money ? Are they still around ? Brokers always get a share of the transaction. They are hardly taking any risk, unless they put their money too there, which hardly would be the case. A lesson one should learn is never ever dream of gambling and enjoying when getting money by putting someone else to risk. Its never a fair and just method. If you have lost all your worth, do not lose heart. Most of the worlds'' poor people are still worse off than what you are. People still live without caring too much for the future, without investing in future. Let future belong evenly to all humans. With this message, lets retreat from this floor which is full of rotten blood. Forever!!

May be, we can do that. But do we have adequate police personnel ??

I am amazed at the alacrity of our Finance Minister once the stock market went to a downward spiral. This was a Finance Minister who was blaming global factors as the cause for the hyper inflationary spiral in our Country and expressed his helpnessness to come out of the situation. But now when the Stock market went down, he and his RBI Governor wasted no time in cutting the CRR under the guise of injecting liquidity into the system. By this action, he just undid what he did just two weeks ago, increasing the CRR saying that there was ample liquidity in the system and this was causing inflation. Just within two weeks all the liquidity evaporated into thin air. Where have all the money gone ? Do we need to say now as to how fragile we are as a economy purely dependent on the happenings in USA and Europe. This I am sure all will accept is extremely dangerous !!

Mr Flash, the various "isms" you have mentioned which failed according to you did not cheat the poor masses and robbed them. Capital"ism is doing exactly that. We can certainly follow an economic model that has the right mixture of transparency, accountability, regulation, controls, devoid of speculation and manipulation, encouraging our Public sector enterprises, concentrating more on the mainstay of our economy ie. Agriculture,organised development which is not purely metropolitan centric, removing widespread disparities etc. !!

Mr Flash, This is not an issue of freebies. It is about snatching away the land of someone without his or her consent to the benefit of a Industrialist under the guise of job creation !!

In the case of inflationary spiral, our FM blames Globalisation as the reason. Again during this current financial crisis or tsunami as they call it, once again our FM blames Globalisation. So, our FM who is the torchbearer of Globalisation in this Country knows very clearly as to how dangerous it is and how it is hanging like a damocles sword above our neck. It seems even our internal economy is clearly dictated by what is happening in USA and elsewhere. This will clearly demonstrate as to how fragile we are as a economy !!

Without bothering about investments, let us spare some thought about the common man of the World especially in India, Latin American and African Countries who are reeling under hyper inflationary spiral due to pure speculation and manipulation by the Capitalists to corner money and more money at the cost of poor. Else, how can you explain about the price of crude coming down from nearly 150 dollars per barrel to just 68 dollars today. What is the economic logic in this ? Even if demand has fallen as they say, how can there be such a steep fall in prices ? It is just pure speculation, hedging and hoarding which is responsible for this situation. Today in USA, the price of house in Detroit is just equivalent to Rs. 75,000/- and it has come down nearly 200%. So, what this implies is Speculators and manipulators in alliance with the Policy makers have taken over this World and are playing with the life of poor !!

Mr Flash, Mixed Economy is the right model for sustained economic growth. Our late PM Jawarhalal Nehru was absolutely right when he just avoided Capitalism, Socialism and Communism as an economic model and adopted a mixture of these "isms". In the current scenario, I think any "ism" other than Capitalism would be suitable for the World economic order and particularly India !!

It goes without saying that nothing today remains in the hands of our Government and everything impinges on the performance of Global economy. High inflation is attributed to Global factors and now the turmoil in the finance market too is attributed to only global factors. All these clearly exemplify as to how dangerous Globalisation policies are !!

Where is inflation targeting the Government was talking about. Some days ago, they were effecting CRR rate increases and increasing Repo rates as monetary measures to curb inflationary tendencies in the economy!!

Elections are fast approaching and we can expect more such dramas from Politicians. As long as the people are willing to be fooled, this will continue !!

Although it may not solve the problem overnight, yet it will send the right message that the Government of the day is alive to the situation!!

Mr Flash, the captioned subject relate to suspects and not guilty ones. How can we deny what is their right as per the law of this land ???

They are the ones who created the crisis in the first place and now let us see how they solve it ??

The common man is least bothered about the fate of Dalal Street. What matters to him are bread and butter issues namely food, housing and clothing and this is being jeopardised because the Government it seems is obsessed with the Stock market and nothing else. With our Government infusing more liquidity into the system at a time when there is hyper inflation, its effects on the common man would be catastrophic. Moreover, as our Country is merged into the Global economy, the pumping of billions of dollars by the FED as well as European Monetary authorities too is going to have a devastating effect on our economy too in the long run with steady depreciation of rupee on the cards against these currencies which can only lead to more inflation in th economy. All in all, an utter chaos which was very much foreseen given the way these economies were run by greedy Capitalists. The sufferers once again are going to be the poor innocent masses who do not know what is hitting them with all political parties fooling around without revealing the real cause and effect !!

Ofcourse it is easy to promulgate a ban. But where we lack utterly is enforcement. History will recount us the fate of such bans in the past!!

Those who are the actual cause of the current credit crisis are going to discuss ways to stem it. Fine !!

For some time, we had the masses facing the heat from the IT and ITES Companies and their absurd salary levels which made life miserable for the common man in the Street whenever he proposed to buy a Flat or take out a rental. Now the wheel has turned full circle and it is indeed very good to find that IT Companies are facing the feat due to global credit cruch. Let this continue for sometime in the interest of the common man of this Country to bring down the inflation to tolerable levels !!

Too much attention is focussed in this Country on the Dalal Street and that too in a Country where just 2% of the population invest in equities and debt instruments. The problem that has arisen today is because most of our Foreign exchange reserves are capital account surplus rather than current account surplus. So, when the going is bad, naturally the FIIs take away the money they invested in this Country. So, the whole system is very fragile and it is the FIIs who dicate the course of the economy in this Country which is quite unfortunate. One does not know where the stock market indices will finally end. But in any case, they cannot go below zero !!

Mr Flash, I do not think there is such a law in practice in our Country. Ofcourse, everybody in this Country take advantage of the loopholes in our legal system and added to it is the large scale corruption. But you need to draw a line between a terror suspect and a actual terrorist ? Is it not !!

Can there be fire without a smoke ? The reason for expressing apprehensions about ICICI Bank is its foreign exposure especially to Lehman Brothers and AIG which have become bankrupt. May be today ICICI Bank is saying all is fine and the Finance Minister too is endorsing it. But who knows about tomorrow ? Afterall Lehman Brothers became bankrupt after declaring unprecedent profits only last year. That will tell you something about regulation and auditing !!

Mr Flash, capitalism is all about unsustainable growth, hyper inflation, speculation, greed and unbridled materialism. It is about 10 becoming 100 and 100 becoming 200 which is impossible. So, boom and depression are symbolic of Capitalism as they are inherent in it !!

It is the Left Parties who are to be thanked if India if at all is today insulated from the Global economic crisis. Recall that during the BJP reign, they were trying hard to privatise even National Banks by divesting the Government''s equity and reduce it to just 31% which they succeeded by passing the Finance Bill in Parliament. Similarly, during the UPA reign also, Manmohan, Chidambaram and Company tried hard to maintain that, but the threat of Left Parties forced them to reverse the disastrous decision of the NDA Government and bring up the stake of the Government in Banks. Similarly, Insurance and Provident Fund etc, the Government was trying hard to allow private players dominate the market, but they were not given room by the Left Parties. At that time, all these wise movies by the Left Parties were dubbed by the Capitalists as anti-development. Now, all those Capitalists who slammed the Left now seem to be citing non-privatisation as the reason for our insulation from the current economic crisis. Ha Ha Ha !!

Terror has certainly dampened the festive spirit. But the Economic meltdown matters very little to Indians in general as hardly 5% of the population invest in Stock markets and Mutual Funds. May be its after effects in the form of systemic collapse will affect all Indians and this may take six months to one year when the financial tsunamic will wreck havoc on India !!

It would be better for this Country to concentrate on uplifing 70% of the population who are living with less than Rs. 20/- a day than vouch for such space missions !!

Certainly yes and India has now become a permanent and bonded slave to the USA for ever. It is indeed a great achievement and our Prime Minister and his Team deserve all the accolades for making this possible. They have served their American Masters very well and the PM even went to the extent of sacrificing his own chair for guarding the American interest. Remember, this was the man who made India a slave of WTO when he was then Finance Minister and today he has added another jewel to his glittering crown. Kudos to Manmohan and his Team. Now every Indian can hang his head down with shame !!

What is more important ? To be a people friendly State or Investor friendly. It would be good if West Bengal opt for the former rather than the later for its own good !!

The Orissa Government has completely failed in tackling the violence unleased by the Sangh Parivar and its political wing which is in its coalition. President''s rule is definitely an option which can be exercised if things go out of hand and in Orissa I think it has still not reached that stage !!

Mr Haroon, How you can be selective in banning Communal Organisation ? If you just ban the RSS/VHP/Bajrang Dal, then it can only provide political ammunition to these Organisations through their political arm the BJP to once again poison the minds of the Indians that the Government has been selective in banning communal Organisations and targeting only Hindus !!

It is an impending disaster and nothing can prevent it. The Money market has totally collapsed and with the bubble in the Property market segment exploding triggering mortgage and sub-prime crisis. It is an absolute mess !!

India followed the Nehruvian concept of socialism from the 1947 to end 1980s. Whatever be its pitfalls, there was atleast orderly and sustainable growth in the economy during this period. India was completely insulated from developments around the Globe. Public Sector enterprises flourished. Agriculture as an occupation was prospering and we did not witness suicide spree by the farmers as today. Environment was protected since there was no unbridled materialism. Then came the 1990s when Manmohan Singh unfortunately became India�s Finance Minister under the stewardship of the corrupt Narasimha Rao. Liberalisation was ushered in with the excuse of an Indian economy collapse and India was integrated to the Global market. The result we see today after more than a decade is lopsided and uneven growth with the financial system too much dependent on the gambling casino called as the Stock market. Speculators and greedy manipulators entered the arena of even agricultural produce making basic commodities unaffordable. Even many of the Government�s own Financial Institutions which stood the test of time like UTI, IDBI etc. collapsed. Property prices at absurd levels. Mind boggling inflation making the life miserable for common man. Development is purely metropolitan centric, unorderly and chaotic. Farming as an occupation totally collaped and has become unremunerative. Regional disparities widened beyond imagination and today all in all we are witnessing a chaotic situation which is a time bomb all set to explode with the collapse of the American and consequently the World economic order. Yet we see the Media here still supporting Capitalism as an economic model when the truth is that it has not only utterly failed but has become a laughing stock. Karl Marx and Lenin would now be laughing in their grave as the Capitalists themselves have dug up the grave for Capitalism !!

I agree Mr Flash, it was a atrocious and totally irresponsible statement and to be condemned by all right thinking people. The Government can do nothing about such politicians, it is only the people who should teach them a fitting lesson in elections. But unfortunately in our Country such politicians get elected again and again !!

Bajrang Dal is a very dangerous communal organisation which is in the field to prop up its political wing called as BJP. Bajrang Dal in close proximity with VHP and RSS whip up the passions of the masses just to polarise the voters on communal lines to benefit its political wing rather than for any social upliftment. Lately, many of their activists were caught red handed making bombs in Nanded and Pune. As per Police investigation, the hand of Bajrang Dal is suspected in many bombings especially in minority dominated areas and very recently in Kandamahal relief camp. There are umpteen evidence to prove it is a dangerous Organisation and the Government should take the least time in banning it once for all !!

If I should address it to the Moon, I would advise IT not to allow human beings in its territory !!

Greedy Capitalistic policies are a crisis of their own making. Boom and depression are common in a capitalistic oriented economy and both are laced with danger for the common man on the street. Cheap money policy is the cause of the current crisis and yet we find the Central Banks around the Globe once again cutting rates in a desperate measure to boost the stock markets especially at a time when Inflation is tearing apart the common man. What kind of policy is this and for whose benefit ????

Our law says that one is innocent till proved guilty. Certainly a suspect should not be deprived of the basic legal assistance to fight his case !!

Left is always portrayed by the Indian Economic Media as anti-development and so is now their principled opposition to the Nuclear Deal. Leave alone the Left''s war cry, and apply our own mind logically. Why it is that USA is so eager and doing everything in a hurry. Why is it sending its representatives often to India to pressurize our Country in inking the deal ? Is it for the love of our Country ? Difficult to believe given the history of USA which has always been selfish to protect its own interest? Moreover all those in favour of Nuclear Deal have still not effectively countered the Left''s point by point threadbare analysis of the ill-effects of the Nuclear Deal. So who is myopoic ? It is only Manmohan and Company who without a mandate to govern are making this Country permanent slaves to the USA !!

Let the Police do thier job and we should not cast aspersions on their functioning. But the Police should not view things from a narrow prism of Islamic terrorism and should view the issue in a wider issue with the Bajrang Dal emerging as a major nuisance maker. Very recently their activists were caught making bombs in Nanded and also their involvement is doubted in the recent bomb blasts in Maharasthra. So, it is better to take these also into consideration while probing the blasts case !!

The quicker the better. The Government should not only stop with banning Bajrang Dal, but should also ban VHP, RSS, Jamaat-e-Islami, Christian Democratic Front etc. which are creating communal strife in society for their own political games !!

With the integration of economies throughout the Globe, it will be impossible to avoid the Global financial meltdown. If America catches a cold, India will be down with fever and that is the crux of the Globalisation. This situation has arisen due to the speculators and greedy Capitalists being hand in glove along with the American Policy makers thereby draining out the entire financial system. The sub-prime crisis and the liquidity crunch are all the FED''s own making and now these were the people who were trumpeting to the World that they had the best regulatory system in place. Now, the whole World is laughing at USA and its ludicrous economic policy !!

The US model of economics has become the laughing stock of the World. Those who boasted so much about regulation have fallen flat and have egg on their faces. Unfortunately in India, our Policy Makers are adamant in following the US economic model which is only a sure recipe for disaster. The worst sufferers of the US Imperalism, greed and capitalist tendencies are the poor people around the Globe !!

Mr Flash, So what you say is if the people gives their verdict, any murderer can get away with the crime and the law enforcing agencies should forget the crime and go forward. Is that the logic you are forwarding friend ?? If that is the case, why not close all the Courts and put all the criminal cases before the people. Atleast the cases will move fast as the people are going to give their verdict once in five years or even earlier !!

One gets too bored to write on this topic again and again. May be this menace would stop automatically if the terrorists too get bored with their inhuman killings !!

Mr Flash, the problem is much deeper than you realize. America has just made a mockery of the basic economics and this was a Country which was boasting to the World that it had the best regulatory system in place !!

First, we are a very densely populated Country which makes the job of the terrorists very easier to unmask themselves. Second, our Intelligence Agencies are not equipped with the best talent and expertise to tackle terror. Third, in many States and even the Centre, there are any number of vacant jobs which are yet to be filled in the Intelligence cell Department. Last but not the least, vote bank politics (which is inescable in a democratic system such as ours) make it very difficult to tackle terror !!

My friend Mr Flash, Is it the people who are the ultimate judge of a crime against humanity ?

USA has now become the laughing stock of the World. Thier Capitalist model which they portrayed to the World is crumbling and the Government is now playing with the Tax Payers money to benefit few Corporates. It is this model, people like Manmohan, Chidambaram, Jaswant Singh and Yashwant Sinha are following and it is only a matter of time we are also in dire straits as USA. What is the need of hour is an economic model which is not over zealous and sustains itself on a equitable growth path !!

Mr Flash, I do not share your view. Mamta has gained a lot of political mileage out of this and the result will be reflected in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections !!

Terrorists were under the control of Pakistan Government earliera and now they have gone out of control for sure attacking the very establishment which had supported them. There is a nice lesson here for the Pakistan Government not to play with fire !!

Mr Flash, These problems would not have arisen had the West Bengal Government and Tatas followed the recent Maharasthra example where voting was conducted to decide as to whether SEZ has to be allowed or not in a Village. The resounding verdict given by the Villagers was "NO". West Bengal also could have followed the same example by knowing the wishes of the farmers of that area. Instead it followed a draconian path and we see all the bad results for the State as a whole. The lesson in all these is the States must not be over zealous of FDIs at the cost of villagers !!

I thought it was a statement blown out of proportion. In India the habit nowadays is to see everything in the narrow prism of Investor interest rather than Workers interest. This is certainly deplorable !!

Ofcourse, it is one of the hurdles, but India as a Nation has to cross many hurdles going forward as all kind of problems surmounts this Country !!

While the Nanavati Report says one thing, the Bannerjee Report says another thing totally contrary to what is being said by Nanavati. So, the question is which to believe and whom to believe ?? Those in favour of Modi will cite Nanavati and those against Modi will cite Bannerjee !!

It was a dastardly attack and the bombed placed resembled like a moon. Whatever the provocation might be, but this is a monster attack which can only be done by inhumans. All said and done, I do not think terrorism can be finished just like that and it is a long drawn battle !!

Day in and day out we see extremism on the rise of various hues whether it is of the minority as well as majority. This is very dangerous for the sovereignity of the Country. The sooner it is finished, the better for this Country !!

Here in India, we find both the previous and present Government trying hard to pass on the hard earned PF corpus of employees to Private Players. Just imagine the fate of this money in the hands of these unscrupulous elements ??

Conversions have been happening in this Country from time immemorial. The question that arises is why it is only now the Sangh Parivar combine has woken up suddenly and targeting the Missionaries. The answer is very clear and that is the Lok Sabha elections are fast approaching and the more the voters get polarised, the more it will help the BJP. Alas, everything is being done by the Sangh Parivar combine to help its political wing rather than for any conversion cause as they tell the World !!

Boom and bust is the hall mark of capitalism. The most frightening scenario is a few elitist Speculators and Manipulators are taking the World for a ride with Policy makers around the Globe behind them in their crude game. This is also the price the World has to pay for the Cheap money policy and it is this policy which is truly responsible for the collapse of Lehman !!

Why blame the CBI selectively on this alone when their record on all cases has been the same !!

I do not think it is the Communists alone who are organizing Bandhis in this Country. History suggests to us that it is the Sangh Parivar combine which has organized more bandhs and hartals in this Country than even the Communist parties. If Buddhadeb feels that bandhs are a nuisance then the question arises as to why he is sticking on to a Party which is having a totally contradictory stand to many of his neo-liberal views. If he is courageous enough, he should leave the party once for all !!

I do not know America misled India on the Indo-US Nuclear deal. It is Manmohan Singh alone who has misled this Nation in his eagerness to ink the deal at the earliest !!

If Mamta suceeds in derailing the Nano Project, then surely she would have done great service to this Country for the first time saving it from absolute traffic chaos on the road with Nanos adding to the misery of the commoners. In these days of scaracity of Petrol, introduction of Nano can only worsen the situation much further. Earnestly hope she succeeds in her mission !!

The Corporates and Politicians ask the farming community whose lands are snatched for the purpose of Industrialization to think about the next generation. But, what about the current generation ? Who will sustain their livelihood after their lands are snatched ? Who is going to give them jobs ? What about the livelihood of daily labourers engaged in agricultural activity in those areas ? We do not have the right answers for many of these, but want those people to sacrifice for the next generation. No one will ever see the pain unless their own house is on fire !!

All those who vouch for the Industrial progress talk about the next generation. But the question is what about the fate of this generation who lose their livelihood ? What are the safeguards provided to them ? Are they adequately compensated to sustain their livelihood ?

They say our Country is a Democracy and therefore everybody has a right to start his or her Party. But it always happen that film personalities are more interested in politics especially when their stardom is fading away and Chiranjeevi is one fine example. When he realized that his films were turning out to be flops one after another, he chose the other green field called as Politics which is money making wonderland. Whether he will come out successful, nobody knows. But with NTR becoming a Chief Minister within three months of launching his Party, we can say nothing about Andhra and its people !!

Unless Productivity is linked to the pay hike, it will surely be a drain on the exchequer. The Central Government should also have thought about the finances of the State Government before implementing this Pay Commission report. It would be worthwhile to recall that during the implementation of fifth pay commission, many State Governments went bankrupt. Such a situation should not have been allowed to happen once again. Further, it is a wrong notion that all Private sector employees are paid well as the truth is only those in the BPO and IT sector employees enjoy that exclusive privilege and for the rest it is just substandard especially for those in the middle level. But it seems that Chidambaram and his Team have other ideas !!

Yes, safety mechanism have to be put in place on a war footing. Like terrorism taking its toll now and then, these stampedes are becoming order of the day. Administration authorities have to take steps that too much crowd is not allowed to go inside the temple. They can organize the crowd at the entry point itself. It is peoples cooperation which is required to prevent such tragedies. This will stop only when the people realize that the so-called God will neither help them nor protect them in times of adversity. It is just their foolish belief which is their undoing !!

I agree. Whatever you say about USA, there is not a single terror incident after the September 11 attacks and that has come through some concrete action at their end. It is pertinent to note that immediately after this dastardly attack on the twin towers, USA started a exclusive Agency to counter terrorism. That kind of approach is needed here also. But what can you do in a Country where even recruitment of policemen is not taking place !!

Please recall that the same intelligence system which was under our former Home Minister was sleeping when the Parliament and Red fort was attacked. Do you mean to say that they were not given a free hand then also ??

The functioning of our CBI and RAW does not seem to lend credence to your view about their capabilities. I do not think a single case has been solved by these Agencies. The cases just drags on and on !!

Mr Flash, Forget the UPA which is not able to counter the terrorists effectively as they lack the political will as you say. But what about BJP at the helm ? They too were utterly helpless against the terrorists and many dastardly attacks took place during their tenure too. Is it not ??

On what basis you say that UPA is protecting terrorists. Give some solid evidence. Other than the Afzal hanging issue, give more evidence to substantiate your view ??

It is your perception that UPA is harbouring terror elements. What is required is solid proof to substantiate it. Ofcourse they lack the courage to hang Afzal and it is a big crime. No doubt about it. But it would be too over-reaching and hallucination to say that UPA is harbouring sleeper cells in the Country. Sushma made this statement and even the NDA allies are against it !!

The truth is I do not belong to any political party nor I am an adversary to any Political party. I dislike the BJP, certainly yes. But, I only criticize it when it is essential to criticize it and not the other way around. Regarding the Home Minister resigning, yes on moral grounds he should resign, but it seems he is following the footsteps of our former Home Minister Advani who did not resign even when the Parliament was attacked under his tenure. I just wanted to say that Modi was bragging that no terror attacks can take place in Gujarat under his tenure and the happenings disprove his bravado. He is a normal Chief Minister like YSR, Yeduriappa etc.

Mr Flash, It is maintenance of law and order which grants security to the people and you cannot deny that it is exclusively a State subject. Security and law and order are inter-related. Centre can intervene only upon request from the State to meet their requirement or give advise in critical situations. As you said where the Centre feel that the State is acting against the Constitution it ofcourse has the right to dismiss it and that too upon Parliament approval !!

Have the CBI solved any case in this Country ?? Nothing as far as my recent memory goes. What is funny is that despite this track record, we always hear voices that the cases should be transferred to CBI. One does not know whether to cry or laugh !!

The hype will be worth in Uttar Pradesh and not Nationally. In UP I will not be surprised even if she wins 50 seats. May be a Congress-SP alliance would be able to neutralize her hold to some extent !!

I only hope that he keeps his word and not follow the module he adopted when he was Speaker repeatedly threatening the members that he will quit, but which was not forthcoming at all even till date !!

Our CBI and RAW functioning tell a lot about our capabilities. Infact the best thing would be to outsource MOSAD intelligence here for a price. We are outsourcing many things, why not this one for a good cause to save the lives of our people !!

A federal Agency even assuming it is constituted,will it be any different from our CBI or RAW which have proved themselves worthless !!

The terrorism issue is becoming complicated with the involvement of locals. I do not know how the Country is going to come out of this given its geographical disadvantages !!

37 bombs in a matter of two days at Ahmedabad and Surat have exposed totally the limitations of Modi�s administrative ability and has punctured his unique plank of �security� which he was boasting all along claiming that Gujarat was a safe haven under his leadership and there was no room for terrorism in his territory. How can an Administration be so casual in security inspite of a red alert issued across the Country ? It seems the terrorists were having a free run in Gujarat ? Are we not right when we slam this as Modi�s soft policy on terror which has endangered the lives of people ? Whatever said and done, Modi cannot occupy the high moral ground on security aspect anymore. He has fallen to the ground and very fast one at that !!

This is not even fit to be assumed. The comments are absolutely irresponsible, shocking and anti-National to say the least. That it has come from a spokesperon of a so-called National Party is even more disgusting. How can these dirty politicians even think of politicking at this time of a great tragedy. Alas they are worse than even the terrorists !!

Both the Media as well as Bollywood should be more responsible while depicting terrorism. They should not sensationalize and give the terrorists a heroic status. We often find the Media reporting in such a manner that the whole Country is under the mercy of these terrorists and people are just trembling with fear. This emboldens the Terrorists further and this should be avoided !!

External Security is the prerogative of the Government of India, while Internal Security comes under the domain of concerned State Governments. Restructuring the former will not be a problem, while the later will depend on the co-operation from the concerned State Governments!!

The prevention of unlawful activities Act contains many of the provisions of POTA. It can be and should be used effectively against terror. That terror activites have increased due to scrapping of POTA is a myth like the one that Gujarat was a safe haven under Modi !!

The best way is to strengthen our intelligence setup with the best brains available and also adopt unorthodox methods in gathering intelligence information. The Mosad would be an excellent example of a vibrant Intelligence Wing. The Central and State Intelligence should be integrated and deputed to Israel on a fact finding mission about the functioning of this Intelligence Organisation called as Mosad which has successfully countered the terrorists. This will provide them some insight as to how to adopt unorthodox methods in tackling this evil. Can we not try this instead of always crying for POTA etc.!!

This Federal Agency concept will only remain on paper and a pipe talk. Its birth totally depends only on the State Governments willing to forego their powers. Will that happen is a million dollar question ???

This is a very difficult thing to believe. Some of the bombs were located near Police Stations, on tree tops and on hoardings and they were never concealed at all like they were earlier. The first question that arises is the Gujarat Police had only 7 Members in the Bomb diffusing squad. If so, how come they were able to diffuse 18 bombs within a matter of few hours ? The second is why even one of the bombs did not explode ? The third is how come the terrorist who planned meticulously earlier had left all the bombs in the open for everyone to see ? All these are questions which will beget an answer !!

It is not throwing mud. This is ridiculous. I still do not know what is the purpose behind this as to whether it is a diversionary tactics by the terrorists etc. But it really appears as a face saving drama enacted by Modi and his Police after his security bubble burst off with 18 bombs exploding one after another !!

First they must be caught. Punishment comes afterwards !!

This issue will flare up till the J&K Assembly elections as it has potential to exploit both the majority as well as minority !!

10 live bombs located in Surat and the Bomb Squad is diffusing it. Very difficult to believe. How come the Gujarat police have become so efficient within a day. The question that crops up is how come the Police have located 10 live bombs and that too with none of them exploding ? Or else it is a stage managed show with a drama enacted by Modi and his Police as a face saving measure after his security bubble ripped apart in Ahmedabad with 18 bombs exploding one after another. Ofcourse Modi and BJP fans can for sure believe this story !!

POTA can be applied only if criminals are caught, but what we are seeing is that both the Central and State Governments have no clue whatsoever to the terrorist acts committed. So, how can POTA be helpful in such a scenario. It gives a very sorry picture about the capabilities of our Intelligence Agencies !!

If Politicians restrain from bringing dirty politics into the terrorism issue, automatically we can see perceptible difference in the way it is handled as of today !!

Yes, I agree with you. Democracy is a root cause of many of our Country evils where Parties vie with one another for vote bank. Always it is elections and victory that is the prime focus of attention of any Party and not the well being of people. Can we imagine these kind of terror strikes with regularity in a Country like China for instance. Ban elections and definitely Citizens will see stark difference !!

May be you are talking about something akin to a Federal Agency Network. But for that to happen, the State Governments consent has to be obtained by the Centre. Will the State Governments be willing to forego this intelligence system network from their hands ?????

Despite the bomb blasts at Bangalore and a terror red alert issued across the Country, especially to Modi''s heartland,central intelligence inputs on the possibility of a terror strike, terrorists themselves sending a message of their impending strike at Gujarat, the Modi Government has been found wanting and is culpable of a serious security lapse. Eighteen blasts all over Ahmedabad is something unheard of and it speaks volumes about Modi''s handling of security issues despite all his rabble rousing rhetoric on this issue. The fact is that the BJP and its followers always claimed that Gujarat is a safe haven and there were no terror strikes after the Akshardam episode of 2002. But it seems that the terrorists had other plans and had a point to prove about the tough talks of Modi and his Company which are only in paper. People must realize that rabble rousing bravado can win you only audience but what matters is results on the ground and Modi is a total failure on that front !!

Scrapping POTA is not the cause of increased terror activites. Even when it was in place, terror activities did not subside and were on the rise. The heightened terror activities now implies that the terrorists have regrouped themselves and are working actively with local sleeper cells across the Country. The situation today on the security front is really very grave !!

Then he should have resigned from the Party''s post as soon he was elected as Speaker to uphold the Constitution !!

They do not just appear to be above board. They practise what they preach. See the simplicity of their CMs whether it is in Kerala, West Bengal or Tripura and you will understand. The Chief Minister just mingles with the people like ordinary citizens. Even I heard from many of the Kolkotans about Jyoti Basu doing shopping with them in local vegetable market. The Chief Minister''s envoy is not followed with 20 or 30 cars as they do in other States. As regards the funds for elections, I do not know much about it. They may have their own source of funds through their Trade Unions and party members contribution. Moreover they also do not spend lavishly on election expenses as other Parties do either it is in West Bengal, Kerala or Tripura. What ever said and done, you cannot hide the fact that the Left is far better in terms of integrity when compared to the other so-called Nationalist parties like the BJP and Congress !!

There is no point in enacting draconian laws like POTA which have been misused time and again to settle political scores over opponents. POTA can never act even as a deterrent to terrorists as they are the ones who are not even afraid to lay down thier life for the stupid cause they espouse. Why the hell they will be afraid for a law like POTA. Infact, POTA will only have a negative effect. It will indirectly help the terrorists in disinformation campaign and send a message to some of the misguided youths of the minority community that the entire Indian State is against them which will help them attract new recruits and which can lead only to more terrorism !!

Not just the South, the Country has become a hot hed of terror activities. This is a issue which has to taken up very seriously by the Government atleast now !!

It was very ghastly to see Hospitals being attacked by these Terrorists. I think Humanity has totally vanished. Whosoever who have committed such acts cannot call themselves as humans. Alas, it is the innocent poor people who are trapped in such incidents. I just could not see the pain of a young boy who was wounded in the attack. The terrorists should well remember that if thier quarrel is with the VHP/RSS/BJP combine, why they are targeting the innocents for that ???

Yes, for that to happen the Public should always be alert. But the problem is after a lull in terror acts, we take things very easy which is human mentality. How to change that and be on a constant vigil ????

Mr Flash, Which are these political parties who are supporting the terrorists. Can you name them ? Are you meaning the Samajwadi party which is supporting SIMI ???

Honestly, I do not think enacting POTA will be a solution for ending terrorism. The best course would be to effectively implement the existing criminal laws to perfection !!

Just image we have just over 12,000 Police stations in this Country for a population of 110 crores and our State Police too have been vested with outdated technological equipments. If this is the case, how can you expect them to rise against terrorism. Further the terrorists have lot of advantages over the Intelligence as they must be lucky just once and we must be lucky always. As being pointed out, there is a call for a Federal Agency under the direct supervision of the Central Government where the State''s intelligence too must come under its control. But for this to happen, there has to be a consensus. Will that happen in this Country ??

Mr Flash, Do you mean to say that Parties dealing with money bags and caught in sting operations are Nationalist ?????

There is no second opinion that the dastardly savage attacks where the terrorists did not even spare Hospitals and innocent children has to be condemned in the strongest terms possible. But if you see the sequence of events, it is clear that BJP, Modi and his colleagues invited trouble upon Gujarat by their rabble rousing. They were always boasting that Gujarat was free from terror right from 2002 and it was only due to Modi that was possible. But, now even after alerts from the Centre and even from the Terrorists through E-mail, the Gujarat Government has been found wanting in giving security for its people and the Terrorists have taken the challenge head on. The sufferers are the poor innocent people !!

First the Prime Minister and Finance Minister economic policies must be reformed and should resonate their election slogan of �Aam aadmi�. They are now making the same mistake of the BJP which generated so much hype on the India shining slogan with the active help of print and visual media and they claimed victory even before the result. That slogan can fetch you votes only from the elitist circle who rarely vote and feel that it is better to enjoy the election eve holiday rather than trouble themselves going to the polling booth. It is the Aam aadmi who is going to decide who is to lead them and he will decide only on the bread and butter issue. Let us hope that the UPA�s policies does not force a significant section to fall into the laps of communal and neo-liberal forces once again who are thirsting for power and waiting to pounce upon the opportunity !!

Why is that too often the stings, cash bags etc. are associated with only the BJP, Congress, Samajwadi Party, BSP, TDP etc. Why not the Left even once have been associated with this ? It seems nobody has the courage to approach them with money bags as they know well that Left MPs will not succumb to appeasement. This speaks volumes about the Left''s credibility on the corruption front which is far better compared to the other so-called Nationalist Parties in India !!

Mr Flash, In this way will you also call the Karnataka Government led by BJP too as a disgraced one as its Chief Minister has been on a purchasing spree buying MLAs from other parties and making them Ministers !!

That cash bags decided the numerical superiority in Lok Sabha is a open secret. This so-called sting operation done on the three BJP MPs might only have validated it. But what invites suspicion is that the background of these 3 MPs complaining as they have already been involved in the MPLAD scam and were even expelled from the Party. Subsequently the explusion was revoked and they were invited back to the Party. Ofcourse Amar Singh & Company are no saints, but the BJP MPs complaining are sinners to the core. Whom to believe is public discomfiture ??? Surely Indian politics has become worse than a cess pool with the public practically having no choice !!

It is always easy to blame intelligence failure, but they can do justice only if they are provided with the best technology infrastructure available to track and gun down terrorists. So, the time has come to upgrade our technology infrastructure and also to overhaul the entire Intelligence network system in our Country. A recruitment drive should be initiated to attract the best talents available in the Country to the Intelligence system network of both the Centre and respective States. A well co-operated and co-ordinated mechanism by the intelligence agencies of both Central and State Governments together can also be very effective against curbing terror activities. More often we find the communication gap between the Centre and the State which is one of the main cause of our inefficiency in anticipating terror. Border sealing must be given top priority and corruption & nepotism to be eliminated at the booth level which can prevent terrorists from crossing over !!

Even Lok Sabha elections are purely localized. Voting pattern depends on various factors. Nuclear Deal surely will be the last issue on which the people will vote for !!

For a change, India can try that. Why not? Is this system any better to hold on to it !!

If the BJP headed NDA comes to power, is the Country going to see any difference. It is only going to be worse than this !!

On numbers yes, UPA has emerged stronger. On the factor of credibility, their credentials have gone for a toss. In their eagerness to show the House support for the Deal, money bags were flying thick and fast. Not only the ruling Party, but the opposition too especially the BJP and BSP were competing fiercely. But the end numnbers suggest they were no match to UPA as they are the one who are in power and have better bargaining power !!

This captioned item will be appearing now and then. Commentators will always be moaning that Politics has reached its lowest depth. One does not know as to how low it is!!

Manmohan has told very clearly that he cannot be a bonded slave to the Left, but only to the USA who are his Master. His vision is to bow to the dictates of the United States and dance to the tunes of Bush. It is unfortunate that his Party too is following him in this pursuit. From 1991 onwards, he was the man responsible for taking his party to death bed and now along with Chidambaram he will be performing funeral for his party !!

If Chatterjee feels that a Speaker is above his Party, then on the day he took oath as Speaker, he should have resigned from his party post. But he did not do that. So, he was a Speaker as well as a member of party too. Once his Party asked him to put in his papers upon withdrawal, he is duty bound to obey the dictates of his party. But for reasons best known to him, he refused to do so and the Party has expelled him which is a step in the right direction !!

If it is genuine, then it can be made public. Let the public see for themselves as to how MPs are trading themselves in Parliament. All these murky dealings were open secret and now the only icing on the cake is that they will be made public. Both the ruling and the opposition have no moral right to speak about this as they both are sinners on this count !!

Mayavati is the most unreliable Politician in India. This does not mean that other Politicians are anyway reliable. There is severe competition in the field but Mayavati is ahead. Parties like the Left are making a big mistake in aligning with her and Naidu. It may serve them well today, but there is always a tomorrow where Mayavati will be ditching him and dining with the likes of Advani !!

Quota is not an end in itself. It is only one of the means to emanicipate the deprived sections of society. But, what has spoiled the party is its politicisation which has made it a total mockery. I honestly feel that except for SC/ST the other sections of society do not require this quota at all. We can very well have other ways to help the poorer sections of society !!

How can the Prime Minister speak when the Opposition especially the BJP members did not let him speak and was asking for his resignation ?

It would be better for the Congress party if it concentrated more on curbing price rise rather than the so-called financial reforms which will take it nowhere. It should better learn the right lessons on the BJP�s India shining fiasco in 2004. But for that to happen, it need to get rid of neo-liberalist like Chidambaram out of Office. Will it do it as the time is very short. If things continue in the same way, the Congress might be headed for a severe drubbing in the next elections whenever they are held !!

What is there for the CPI(M) Party to be frustrated about. Somnath as a disciplined Party member and a eight time MP should have gracefully stepped down from the post once his party directed him to do so. But he did not due to his love for the chair. A man who was repeatedly venting frustration at the Lok Sabha members that he would resign now and then did not do so when his own Party wanted him to do so. So, as a measure of enforcing strict discipline in the party and to serve as a warning to others, the Party has expelled him which is the right step. The one thing I appreciate in the Left is their party discipline, simplicity and relatively corruption free unlike other Parties. They were supporting the UPA Government not due to any personal agenda or Ministry post for themselves but on the basis of a common minimum programme which is quite different from what we are used to. They are far better than the likes of Congress, BJP, SP, BSP etc. !!

It would be better if elections came as on schedule or even later as a new Government if sworn in Office will start its tax and fuel assault on the people of this Country. Atleast the present regime will be on its toes since elections are scheduled within a year !!

The UPA did not have a majority of its own and was thriving on support from the Left from outside. There was a common minimum programme and Left''s antipathy towards USA is already known. The Prime Minister should have considered the Left support to this Government for more than four years without imposing personal agendas like Mayavati or Jayas or Naidus or Mamtas. They just wanted the common minimum programme to be implemented. When they voiced their opposition to the Deal a committee was constitued to study the Deal. But the question is why did the PM move ahead on the Nuclear Deal without the findings of this Committee? Why did he dance to the tunes of Bush and Company who were hurrying him to sign the deal ? Why were not the implications of the Hyde Act not provided to the Committee members on grounds of secrecy ? All these questions naturally arise !!

Those in favour of the Deal say it is in National interest. Those who oppose it say that it is against National interest. The main point here is it worth to shell out Rs. 3,50,000 crores for just meeting 6% of our energy requirements !!

As the Finance Minister said price rise is an issue where the people should be patient and get used to it. The wholesale price index is running near 12% today. Next year, surely the prices will get reduced at this point in time automatically due to the base effect and the Wholesale price index will reflect that. Government can then say to the people that inflation has come down while in reality the ground situation will be far worse with only prices in actuals rising little less compared to last year. People having been burdened with inflation will get used to it with the poor having nothing to lose as they have already lost one square meal a day. Having reduced inflation as per the wholesale price index, Government bowing to the dictates of Corporates and Multi Nationals will vouch for more growth and ease the monetary policy drastically which will once again fuel the dreaded inflation a year later. So goes the vicious cycle. The Government around the Globe should atleast listen to the World Bank and IMF which have severely cautioned against cheap money policy and its disastrous consequences on the economy and the poor people !!

When Deva Gowda, Gujral etc. can become PM, why not Mayavati who atleast has solid base in UP. She can very well become a possible PM Candidate with the support of BJP and Advani will be the Deputy Prime Minister who will offer Mayavati the PM post for rotation and as usual the first chance. There is no doubt that after her turn, she will refuse to hand over power and Advani will once again start crying !!

Well said my dear Friend Mr Rajaye_Hind. Although you have used some harsh words. I feel Advani and his party truly deserve it !! Nobody is a saint in the whole drama. The BJP did try its horse trading tactics and so was the UPA and Mayavati. No one Party has the right to slam another except may be the Left as none of their MPs abstained from voting and they voted according to their Party directive !!

India and Indians will see much more. In the next elections, we may even see the rotation of Prime Ministership as is being done in some States. Mayavati and Advani might enter into an arrangement of rotation whereby the first turn would once again go to Mayavati for two years. As usual, after two years she will refuse to forego her prime Ministership and the Advanis will start crying foul and propogate to the people that they have been cheated once again. Ever willing Indian masses will oblige them and sympathize for them. This is India for you. It will never change !!

If indeed this friendship ends as an alliance, the biggest beneficiary in the next elections in UP would be the Samajwadi party which will repeat its last performance. Congress can hope to maintain its tally as last time !!

When MPs in Jails are contesting elections and when the people even elect them why not they have the privilege to come and vote!!

Opportunism is the hall mark of our entire political spectrum which includes even the people as it is them who elect such Politicians. Jaisa Praja Vaisa Raja so goes the saying !!

This is not the first time this is happening nor this is going to be the last time. It will happen again and again and the public will watch the tamasha and line in queues to vote. The Politicians can be sure about that and so they have nothing to fear. The Public will punish the incumbent and bring in the opposition. The opposition who was brought into power will be worse than the incumbent and once again the cycle will turn and the Country will roll on. The Politicians have nothing to fear for they have the people behind them !!

Yes, it was an avoidable crisis if only Manmohan had not been adamant in finalizing the Nuclear Deal. Heaven would not have fallen if indeed he had waited till the findings of the Committee constitued for the purpose. But what can be done if the Committee itself had not been presented with the broad contours of the Deal in the first place which tends to give an impression that there is more to hide than to reveal !!

In real sense, Somnath has not shown any courage, he has only shown his love for the chair just like other parties !!

If Manmohan had taken this bold step a year ago, everybody would have atleast praised his courage if not the Nuclear deal. But now doing this at the fag end of his career and that too deceiving a Party that has supported it for four years after voicing in a meet that Nuclear deal is not the end of the World and is not the only issue. Exactly eight months later singing a different tune and dancing to the tunes of Bush and Company who are pressurizing to accept the Deal at any cost and are prepared to even ink it with a minority Government at the helm raises only suspicions as to the real beneficiaries of the Deal. Anyway Manmohan will be remembered for two fiascos, one was the gate way to liberalization which has just sunk the poor and now the Nuclear Deal for which the Country will have to pay a heavy price later and shell out Rs. 3,50,000 crores !!

Yes Nuclear Deal will be acceptable to the young elite Indians who constitute 3% of our total population. As for the rest of the young Indians, I doubt if they know the abc of Nuke Deal. Only the Media is portraying as though whole India is behind the Nuclear Deal which is not true. The fact of the matter is that a brute majority of Indians are not aware of what it is in the first place !!

I totally agree with my dear friend Mr Rajaye_Hind. It was undoubtedly the irrepressible Lalu Prasad Yadav. One might have differences with him and his style of politcs, but what one cannot wish away from him is his sense of humour. The fact that he slammed Left as having America phobia when their sons are studying in USA was a good slap on some of the Left Leaders double standards whose sons or daughters might be in USA. Although one might argue with that view, yet one must praise that sense of humour !!

The bag of cash display in Parliament could have been stage managed by the BJP which is quite capable of such theatrics. Also, Dalals like Amar Singh, Ahmed Patel also cannot be discounted. Ultimately it has been once more proven that the BJP has no ideology as such like other parties and is only after power and money. The fact that 7 of its MPs cross voted and also many abstained speaks volumes about its party discipline. A worthless party to say the least !!

One does not know whom to believe. The BJP MPs who played this drama in parliament were already tainted in the MPLAD scam. They allege that Amar Singh, Ahmed & Company paid them bribes three days ago. Then the question arises to why they waited all these days to show this. They could have easily registered a complaint in the police along with the sting operation tape that they possess. That they did not do it and waited for almost the end of the session only speaks poorly about themselves. All they wanted to was to create a drama and prevent the trust vote from being enacted. As a responsible Leader of opposition, can Advani allow this. Infact he allowed the Parliament which was already degraded to more indignation. The fact he has only means that he is also hand in glove in the whole drama. BJP MPs charge Congress of purchasing MPs and Congress vice versa. Mayavati accuses UPA of horse trading and UPA vice versa. The only silver lining here is the Left parties who could not be purchased or even being approached. That speaks volume about the Left integrity as a whole !!

For a Diplomat like Manmohan what matters is only the Nuclear Deal and his commitment to Bush. He does not bother about inflation as he very well knows that growth oriented policies can only lead to hyper inflation. IMF and World Bank have already alerted Countries around the World of the disastrous effects of cheap money policy and unchecked asset price escalation. Ofcourse the onus on the cheap money policy solely rests with the BJP which during its reign of 1998-2004 just made a mockery of monetary policy. The present Government can be faulted for not reversing that policy very earlier during its reign. If indeed it had done that and tightened the monetary policy much earlier, the poor of this Country would not be suffering as they are today !!

The primary cause of the current political crisis is only the adamancy of our Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to dance to Bush tunes!!

The UPA Government might scrape through courtesy the BJP which has developed cold feet over toppling this Government seeing the upsurge of Mayavati as an alternative. It is reported that 10 BJP MPs would abstain. The figure might even go more. Alas one comes to know what a disciplined Party BJP is !!

From the eagerness of United States in inking the Deal, it does appear that is more suits the American interests rather than our National interest !!

At every low point in the Indian Political scenario which happens now and then, we are used to saying that politics has reached its nadir. But for how long we are going to keep saying this ? Neither our Politicians seem to be learning any lessons nor the people of this Country. Anything other than total overhaul of the entire political system is not going to save this Country !!

My dear Friend Mr Rajaye_Hind, I am sure this finds you in the best of health and spirits. Not Mayavati alone, our Country politics is dominated by Politicians who are the most corrupt. Probably in UP people like Mayavati and Mulayam are thriving mainly because of their dangerous mix of caste and religious politics courtesy the communal and caste divide. They are being aided by the BJP which follows rank communal Hindutva politics on the other side. Every Party is a sinner and why blame Mayavati alone !!

Hello my dear Friend Mr Flash, Hope this finds you in the best of health and spirits. Friend, I never disagreed with you on the opportunist politics indulged by all parties. I only felt and even now feel that BJP is just a cut above the rest on political opportunism and I would award it Rank 1 ahead of Congress on this front. But it is true that every Party is opportunistic and mocking at our Democratic system !!

I strongly oppose the Nuke deal on account of the following reasons. Firstly, the contents of the deal has still not been made transparent by the Government. Second, this is a Deal which is going to cost our Country an astonishing Rs. 3,50,000/- Crores in the long run and all this just for meeting 6% of our energy requirements. Third, the cost of energy is estimated at Rs. 5/- per unit as against Thermal and Wind power which costs much less. Fourth, what was the urgency in going ahead with the Nuclear Deal and dancing to the tunes of Bush and Company !!

Inflation around the Globe is the result of Cheap money policy and speculative market followed all over with its disastrous consequences. Monetary policy will always a time lag of more than two years for it to take its effect on the economy and right from 1999 to 2004, India along with the entire World was following this cheap money policy which resulted in such a kind of spiralling inflation. It is being forgotten that Money too is just a commodity and more you release it, the less will be its value. Both the BJP and Congress are squarely responsible for this mess. The BJP for following the Cheap money policy and the Congress for sustaining it!!

Given that UPA is in power it will have a better bargaining power than the Opposition and may scrape through. That would be the best news for the Congress party which would have been mauled badly had elections been held very soon !!

She is just unpredictable. I feel the Left is making a great mistake in relying on her. It seems that there is no alternative left with the exit of Samajwadi party, but still Maya just cannot be relied upon given her past record!!

As a seasoned and disciplined soldier of the Party, he should have put in his papers as soon as the party told him to do so. But he is shamelessly sticking on to his chair on the premise that the Speaker is partyless and non-partisan. In the same length, he also says that he does not want to vote along with BJP. One might recall that he has all along as a Speaker threatened to quit now and then. But now when the time has come for him to quite, he is steadfastly refusing. He is afterall an Indian politician and can we expect him to quit the chair gracefully. Definitely not.

I do not think even 10% of the population in India would be aware what Nuclear Deal is. But if it is made into an election issue, then the biggest loser would be Congress only.

Despite appeals by the Prime Minister, Petroleum Minister and its own President, not even one BJP ruled State has cut the Sales Tax/VAT on Petroleum Products. This goes to prove thier duplicity on whatever they speak and remember this is the Party which is asking the Central Government to cut taxes and duties !!

Dialogue is a step resorted to by any Government just to waste time and thereby scuttle the tempo of agitators !!

Kudos to the Rajasekhara Reddy Government in Andhra Pradesh which has taken over the entire burden of LPG hike. By this measure, he has once again proved that his is a people friendly Government !!

Growth and rising prices are inter-related and can be only seen in unison. Text book economics and economic reality suggest that high growth leads to high inflation in the economy. In such a scenario, the beneficiaries are the elites and the upper middle class and the losers are the lower middle class and poorer segments of the society who find it very difficult to make both ends meet. The problems gets magnified if food prices go over the roof as is the case today. This has happened due to the speculative trade where the retail giants in USA have come to the fore and are determining the commodity prices in the market. Else how can you explain a situation where the Government is claiming of a bumper harvest and yet the prices of such commodities are increasing ? Finally, only a full scale recession around the Globe can bring the prices down and it will be the poorer sections of the society who will be the happiest lot if that happens !!

The CPM ruled States have cut the Sales Tax and this has to be welcomed by one and all. Now the Left Front�s arguments on rationalization of taxes in Petroleum sector will carry more credibility. Further, it is the Left Front which has placed alternatives before the Government to avoid a price hike. The BJP on the other hand is just on the job of malicious criticism to derive political mileage not caring a wee bit for the masses. If they did have some semblance of caring for the masses, the States ruled by BJP would have reduced the taxes by now. But it has not been the case and it has been using this issue only to derive political mileage with an assumption that the people of this Country would have forgotten by now the frequent price hikes effected by it during its reign in power and that too especially when International oil prices were hovering at relatively lower levels than it is today !!

As a Devil quoting scriptures the BJP has condemned the oil price hike and termed it as an economic terror on the masses. Actually, all that the BJP needs to do is just to turn the pages of history backwards and see its conduct in Office. It increased petrol by nearly 70%, Diesel by 100%, LPG by 150% and Kerosene by a whopping 400% and that too when International oil prices were hovering at just between $19-26 per barrel. What actually happened was it imposed a variety of cesses on oil boosting its price in the process and now it is shedding crocodile tears after the Government has revised the price when International oil prices are touching $130 per barrel. Ofcourse the public do have short memory, but it is so foolish on the part of BJP to believe that the public will buy its credentials !!

The elitist Public will get used to it in course of time. Alas it is the poorer masses who are going to suffer for no fault of theirs. There is a argument forwarded that since people are using four wheelers and two wheelers indiscriminately, there should be a big price increase to curb the consumption. But, why should the poor suffer because of the selfish acts of the elites ? Increase in petroleum prices will have a cascading effect on the prices of all commodities. On the one hand, the Governemnt is asking people to use public transport and on the other hand it is encouraging consumption of cars even though it is well aware that India is a not energy sufficient Country. This is just ludicrous to say the least !!

Speculators around the Globe are betting that the Crude prices is all set to touch even 1000 dollars per barrel in a matter of another five years time. If that happens, what will be the situation in our Country ? I just dread to imagine !!

I do not care about Petrol as it is a rich man's fuel, but the price hike on Disel and LPG is too high. Diesel is extensively used in the farm sector and this hike will have adverse impact on the overall agricultural growth. Ofcourse, the Central Government did reduce duties, but what it missed was switching over to specific duties instead of advalorem which would have practically eliminated this price increase. Moreover, taxing of Private sector oil companies too would have been a very good move and earned the exchequer the much needed respite. But, unfortunately this has not been the case. Finally, we are all paying the price for relentless globalisation policies which thrives on speculation and shortages. The worst is yet to come and some speculators are betting that the prices of crude will touch 1000 dollars per barrel in a matter of just five years. If that happens, imagine the situation in this Country ?

Although there are ample merits in the arguments forwarded by the Left parties on the rationalization of pricing policy of the Petroleum sector, yet their arguments will gain more weight if only they go ahead and reduce the Sales tax on these products in the States they are ruling. Not doing this and crying hoarse everytime the prices are hiked will not bring them any good name and they will be judged by the public only for their double standards. Similar is the BJP's cry. Why can't they advise their State Governments to reduce the sales tax to reduce the burden of the common man ? Finally, it is the poor people who are caught between the devil and deep blue sea having nowhere to go !!

The Congress must realize the pitfalls of globalisation policies which have only worsened the conditions of the poorer sections of society. It also must be borne in mind that the Congress was a force to reckon with till the late 1980s and its terminal decline started in mid 1990s especially after the onset of globalisation policies. The vote bank of the Congress even today constitues only the poor and underprivileged sections of the society, while the elites have already been hijacked by the BJP. Mindless Globalisation policies can only destroy the Congress even further and even limit its appeal. Having MMS and Chidambaram at the helm of affairs can only delight the business community while distancing from the poor. All these must be taken into consideration while deciding on the quantum of hike !!

My dear Friend Mr Rajaye_Hind, Very good thoughts indeed and ofcourse we must all strive towards a casteless society. The Policy makers should understand the limits of reservation policies which in the long run can only have negative impact on the society. Today, we are in a situation, where every caste or community prides itself in calling backwards. But, I strongly disagree with you regarding your supporting the CM's stand to deal firmly with the protestors. Afterall, they have only taken her Party's word of commitment during public meetings in 2004 promising them Scheduled tribe status thus opening a pandoras box. It is desperation to win elections which has prompted her Party to make such a promise and now they are facing the music. Atleast let this be a lesson for the future !!

The onus is on both the Central and State Governments to cut the taxes and duties levied on petroleum products as the party cannot continue on for ever. Many neo-liberal analysts voice a view about the market allowed to determine the price of petroleum products. Yes, this can be done, but before doing that the taxes and petroleum products should be reduced considerably as it exists in the USA and Europe. You simply cannot have it both ways like high taxes and duties and yet have market determine the price. The BJP did that in 2000 when it dismantled the administered price mechanism, but this was done without simultaneously reducing the taxes and duties on petroleum products making it literally a mockery and a heavy assault on the common man. This is akin to Heads I win, Tails you lose scenario. Thanks to the UPA for reversing that neo-liberal decision and bringing back the administered price mechanism on petrol. Rationalisation of duty structure should be foremost priority of the Central Government in this high price regime !!

If the recommendation on the Gujjars by the Rajasthan Government is taken forward, then reservations have to be made in excess of 49% already stipulated by the Supreme Court as the Rajasthan Government wanted a special criteria to be created in the name of Gujjars declaring them as nomadic tribes. Although the Rajasthan Government is well aware that this is not a possibility given the Supreme Court order, yet it has made this recommendation only to pass the buck to the Centre and escape for the moment. It is a cunning strategy devised to fool the Gujjars !!

One doesn't know what was the plan the TRS had in mind while resigning from the seats and then contesting them once again. Aren't they aware of the costs they have imposed on the exchequer by such gimmicks. If they were really interested in Telengana as they profess, they would have resigned their seats long back. But now all this are viewed by the populace as mere stage dramas and very rightly they got the drubbing in the bye-polls although it is still a shock that they are holding on to some of the seats !!

Entirely true and I agree with you. But I differentiate the BJP from other parties simply because it talks so loudly about Nationalism and Hindutva, but practices exactly contrary to what it preaches !!

To hide its own follies, the State Government of Rajasthan has passed on the buck to the Centre. It has now written a letter to the Central Government calling upon them to declare Gujjars as nomadic tribes and reserve 4-6% extra in addition to the 50% reservation that already exists. This is a very cunning strategy aimed at passing on the buck to the Centre. Everybody is well aware that the Supreme Court has declared that the reservations should not cross the 50% limit. But knowing this, it has still played this tragedy to pass on the buck to the Centre. What a clever manipulation ? I do not think any other Party in India can match this cunning and manipulative strategy of BJP. We have to give the devil its due !!

Now there are news reports that Vasundha Raje is planning to dissolve the assembly. Her Party's strategy is to gain sympathy that the Government has not given into Gujjar demands and pit the Gujjar community against Meenas and Jats. So, the thinking in the Party is that even though they would lose Gujjar votes, they hope that they can gain the votes of Meenas and Jats by pitting the Gujjars against them. It is this that the Party strategist Arun Jaitely is proclaiming loudly. Shame on him. All this from a Party which speaks so loudly about Hindutva and its virtues, but practices the worst form of caste politics. All this who accuse casteist parties like the SP, BSP, Paswan etc., better watch for BJP it is the worst amongst the worse and more so especially when it differentiates itself from other parties and accuses them of practising vote bank politics. Can there by bigger hypocrisy than this !!

Hello my dear Friend Mr Flash. Welcome back !!Thank you for your agreement. Yes, all parties in this Country have thrown principles and ideologies to the wind long ago. What matters ultimately is power and money !!

BJP as a party always acts contrary to what they preach. In the mid 1990s, they talked loudly of Swadeshi and against globalisation policies, but once they tasted power, they embraced globalisation religiously and adopted neo-liberal policies which no Government in India ever dared to tread. They talk of Hindutva and its virtues, but once in power they will start building bridges between Hindus and Muslims. They talk of tough action against terrorism and terrorists, but in power their External Affairs Minister will handover terrorists in person. In opposition they speak about war against Pakistan, but in ruling they will send buses and trains to Pakistan. That is BJP for you who are the masters of double speak !!

At the outset, this is a good lesson for Political parties like the BJP which in their desperation to win elections make foolish promises to deceive the masses. Gujjars have only got frustrated after the BJP which was elevated to the Office forgot the promise it made as usual. It seems they are a Community which will not give up easily and will fight to the finish. So the very vote bank of Gujjars which the BJP obtained by manipulation will go against them in the next elections and they will be crushed to death. And this from a Party which accuses others of practicing vote bank politics !!

Obviously, it is the Rajasthan Government which has to be blamed for the mess today as it was the same BJP which promised during last election campaign about providing ST status to Gujjar community. No, this is not vote bank politics as it is done by BJP in National interest. Vote bank politics will apply only to other Parties in BJP's Dictionary. The Pandarox box was opened way back in 1999 when the Vajpayee Government classified Jats in Rajasthan as backwards. That too was done only in National interest and not vote bank politics. What a strange logic provided by a Party which is calling itself as a Nationalistic party although in real terms it is psuedo-Nationalistic !!

Subsidy on Petrol is purely notional as it is heavily taxed by both the Central and State Governments. With International Oil prices climbing from $35 per barrel to $135 today, the happiest lot would be the coffers of the Government which are experiencing a windfall in tax collections, refining Oil Companies and Private Sector Oil Companies whose profits are soaring sky-high. As the Government is not prepared to sacrifice the revenue out of Petroluem products, the other option would be to raise the prices. But, instead of resorting to price hikes, the best option for the Government would be to cut Customs and Excise duties on Petroleum products, impose a Luxury tax on Private Sector Oil Companies like Reliance, Essar etc., impose a Luxury Tax on purchase of Cars, 5 star hotel accommodation and International travel. The Government may also consider imposing a Cess on Corporate Tax and high income tax brackets. All these measures combined would have a very good impact and the Government can do away with raising petroleum products and earning the displeasure of the masses especially as general elections are fast approaching and the devilish BJP which is making a big hue and cry on this issue to exploit the masses !!

It was really ugly to see the BJP�s second rung leadership especially Jaitley and Sushma getting after Yogendra Yadav for the faulty exit poll. By mocking and launching a tirade against Yogendra Yadav and laughing at his exit poll, these leaders have proved as to how uncivilized and uncultured they are. To be fair to him, as a psephologist, Yogendra Yadav predicted based on the inputs he received from his Team. This is not the first time that exit poll predictions are going awry, it has happened many times in the past too. This CNN-IBN exit poll on Karnataka came only after the end of third phase of poll and so the chances of it making it any impact in the election is absolute nil. The BJP leaders should remember that this was the same Yogendra Yadav who gave unfair advantage to the BJP in the 2004 Lok Sabha polls by predicting more seats than the actual tally during each phase of poll. Similarly, the NDTV too gave unfair advantage to the BJP during the UP Assembly poll by placing it ahead of even BSP. Finally, the tally of the BJP was even below 50. No Party which were at the receiving end made a big show of it. However, at that time the BJP leaders didn�t complain as the exit polls favoured them, but now they sing a different tune and even go to the extent of mocking at Exit pollsters. In fact they are browbeating Exit pollsters into submission to favour their Party !!

Yeduriappa is a rank opportunist who was even prepared to split the Party in the event of the Party not aligning with the JDS to form the Government then. His recent Hogenakkal stage drama where he claimed that parts of Tamil nadu belonged to Karnataka only demonstrated the extent he can go for whipping up sentiments of the people for votes. As he is now in power, you will realize very shortly that he is the biggest joker of the pack beating even people like Deva Gowda and Dharam Singh. Morever don't assume that by getting 110 seats the entire electorate of Karnataka voted for BJP. They just got 1/3rd of the votes and nearly 50% of the seats and this happened due to the pitfalls of first past the poll system and our stupid electoral system !!

The BJP won mainly due to the pitfalls of �first past the poll system�. The BJP has emerged as the single largest party despite being second in vote share to the Congress. This can happen only in a Democracy like India where a Party with just 1/3 rd of the vote share gets nearly 50% of the seats disproportionate to its actual strength on ground. The Congress enjoyed this advantage during the 1970s and 1980s and now it is the turn of BJP which is flourishing in this useless system in some of the States. Has time not come for our Democracy to amend the electoral laws to enable seat allocation in relation to the actual vote share ? Only if such a amendment take place, will it reflect the true aspiration of the people. Else it will just be Mobocracy where a Party which has pocket of strengths will get more seats than a Party which polled more votes overall. If Bangladesh and Srilanka have changed their electoral system long back, why not India ??

The Congress has to blame itself for the defeat. It should have taken the sky rocketing inflation issue very seriously and should have taken the necessary corrective steps. As a first step, futures trading which was unveiled by the BJP led NDA Government in this Country for the benefit of speculators should have been banned altogether. But the Congress didn�t do it for reasons only known to it. May be it didn�t want to antagonize the Ambanis who have entered this trade and have a powerful lobby canvassing for them in various Ministries. It should have also tightened money supply further ignoring the pleas by Industrialists and associations like CII and FICCI who want it both ways to their benefit and detriment of the masses � ie when inflation is high, they do not want interest rates to increase to keep the growth story intact, but conversely when the so-called inflation falls, they immediately clamour for rate cuts which is a strange logic It should have also gone ahead and cut excessive taxes and duties on Petroleum products. All these steps would have to some extent cooled down inflation. But, it seems that neo-liberal politicians like Manmohan and Chidambaram have other ideas and want to kill their own party which has still a strong base amongst the underprivileged and poor for the benefit of a few !!

It is the BJP which has to be blamed for the mess as it was the one which promised Gujjar SC status in case the Party wins the elections. Now, after coming to power it is singing a different tune having practised vote bank politics of the worst kind. It is now in a deep pit from which it will be difficult to retrieve. Let this be a lesson for all the political parties which take the people for granted and make irresponsible promises which are difficult to implement !!

Yes, it may have a bearing on the National polls and push the Congress and Janata Dal Secular into an alliance in Karnataka atleast in the next Lok Sabha polls. The two parties together may prove a deadly and lethal combination. Moreover, the Congress as a wake up call may also possibly work out an alliance with the SP in Uttar Pradesh by enlarging the UPA alliance. The Left parties too would have realized the futility of third front atleast for now and have the foremost task of keeping the communal and neo-liberal forces at bay !!

First, we need to wait for the results of the Karnataka elections which will be out on Sunday. Even assuming that the BJP make inroads in Karnataka,it will not in any way bolster its prospects in Tamil Nadu, Andhra or Kerala where already there are strong regional parties in the fray and BJP is just a marginal player with just under 5% in all these States. So, sucess in Karnataka doesn't count for at all as each State is different with their own dynamics !!

Manmohan and Chidambaram say that the Government can do little to curb the price rise as it is a global phenomenon. So,we can take this as a blanket endorsement from the torch bearers of globalisation that it is globalisation which is responsible for the current price spiral. This danger to food security was stressed as far as 1992 when the Globalisation policies were unleashed in ths Country by anti-globalisation forces, but MMS who was the FM at that time sang a different tune. Now we all know where Globalisation and market economy will lead to and how it is a the biggest threat to the poor masses. Atleast now, let us hope our Policy makers realize the perils of globalisaiton policies and tread cautiously. It is too late. But, yet better late than never !!

Yes, it is quite true that cheap politics has marred our fight against terrorism. The worst sinner in this regard is the BJP which talks so much about Nationalism, but acts totally to the contrary

Unless people foresake blind religious beliefs, there will always be fake God men to cheat them. It is all in the hands of people who must use their brains and be rational !!

If this happens and the joker called as Yeduriappa takes over, it will be a very sad day for Karnataka. Hope this doesn't happen for the good of Karnataka !!

In Indian politics, anything can happen. So the latest one of the Congress cosying up with Samajwadi Party is no surprise. The Parties in India it seems very well know that they can take the people for a ride irrespective of the opportunistic and unprincipled alliances they make as people are ready to wait in queues and vote. If we can digest a BJP aligning with Ram Vilas Paswan, Nitish Kumar and even Karunanidhi who have diametrically opposite ideology, why not this ????

Congress is not the only psuedo-secular Party in this Country. Even Parties which are allied with the BJP like JD(United), Biju Janata Dal are psuedo-secular. But still it has no shame in allying with them just to taste power leaving aside its communal ideology !!

My dear Friend Mr Rajaye_Hind, the sad part is that the BJP and its Leaders are playing petty politics even at a time of such a tragedy which has happened in the State where they are governing. If UPA is soft on terrorism, so where does it place the BJP ? Is Rajasthan not governed by BJP ? Is law and order not a State subject ? Just like the Centre, they too have been caught napping when terror struck. What were the State Intelligence Agency doing even after the wake up call at Ajmer ? The BJP should be ashamed to speak about terrorism and we all know the record of the so-called Iron man called as Advani. They can do all these tamasha as the public memory of Indians is very short !!

Let us hope so !! May be the real culprits seeing the sketches will be laughing in their room as to how different the faces are !!

Thank you Mr Rajaye_Hind. I do not know what is funny in your message to be rated so by someone when you are telling the absolute fact. Afterall truth is difficult to digest, you see !!

No election is similar and everyone is different. Karnataka is different from Gujarat and HP in that it is tri-polar contest instead of a bi-polar one. One need to wait and watch what the final outcome will be ??

I do not think this factor will play a part as the so-called agreement was just between two parties for sharing the spoils of power. They just had no business to split the share of power. But yet they did due to their sheer convenience. Not being able to reconcile their differences, they fell apart on plum and cash rich ministerial portfolios. So where is the betrayal factor at all coming into question here ?? Leaving that aside, even if the current assembly elections result in a similar scenario, these two parties will not feel any iota of shame to join hands once again throwing the betrayal factor way behind. It is all power and money that matters in politics. Ideology is totally irrelevant and only means to climb to the seat of power !!

Dear Mr Gabriel, You have the right to disagree. See, we have any number of options. The Government of the day should choose the best one which is most practical and feasible. Your suggestions too look worth a try. Let us see how the Governement deals with the big problem on hand ???

Who said so ? MP, Chattisgarh and Rajasthan are backward States and even today are classified under the BIMARU status !!

Well said my dear Friend Mr Rajaye_Hind. I fully agree !!

This has been stressed upon time and again by the intellectuals as well as the commoner. But, actually if a Country adopts such a position it amounts to a tresspass and India if and when it enacts such a position will become answerable to UN which may even invite International sanctions. How can India which criticize Israel for striking Lebanon and Palestine adopt such a stand ? Will India which has the foremost problem of terrorism on hand muster the necessary courage and eradicate the roots of terrorism from wherever and whichever quarter it originates like Israel is doing ?? The best thing for India would be to present all the necessary evidences it has on hand and provide them to UN to convince them of the need to declare Pakistan and Bangladesh as rouge Countries. This is an option worth trying !!

Thank you for your agreement Mr Cool. It is all in the hands of lawmakers. They should take decisions wisely in tune with the situation !!

It is not the lack of laws, but it is its effective implementation which is acting as a stumbling block in our fight against the evil menace of religious terrorism. Terror must be dealt with terror. In USA there has not been a single terror strike after September 11. In Israel, although there are terror strikes now and then, the terrorists are given a fitting reply in their own language which makes them frightened to carry out such terror attacks in future. Similarly in Britain too, we see the Government of the day acting very tough against terrorists. But in our Country, this has not been the case and the terrorists are striking at will their select targets. Rightly or wrongly, there is an impression that the Government is going soft against terrorists. To erase this impression gaining ground, no time must be lost and it must immediately hang people like Afzal who fomented attack on our Parliament to convey an effective message to people who create terror. Dilly dallying on this issue will only make the tag of �soft on terror� line to stick which is not good neither for the Country in general nor for the Congress in particular !!

First of all to counter terrorism, there must be effective co-ordination between the Central and State Governments Intelligence Agencies which has not been the case so far. Exchange of information between the two is vital to preempt terror strikes. But, in reality, there is absolutely no cohesion on the ground and this facilitates the task of terrorists and make them more easy to carry out their evil acts in the name of God and Religion Modernisation and technological upgradation of our Police force too is vital to counter terrorism. . Local sleeper cells dominated by locals should be targeted without mercy. Ofcourse in this endeavour, our burgeoning population is a disadvantage, yet we have to face the situation with forebearance, wisdom and with an iron will to counter terrorism. We are debugged with a very large border running into thousand kilometers with Pakistan and Bangladesh and this places us at a very great disadvantage as it is easy for terrorists to cross over bribing the greedy Patrolling Team. This area must be looked into and must be strengthened !!

I feel that anything will be better for Karnataka rather than having an rank opportunist like Yedurippa at the helm. He is a person who believes in black magic in twenty first century and that gives you an idea of his credentials !!

Remember even the wealth of BJP MLAs and Members have increased manifold. Don't portray them as clean. They are as rubbish as other parties and even more !!

May be or may not be. But, once again the Political parties namely the BJP, Congress and Janata Dal will not feel shy for cosying up once again and there will be stiff competition amongst the top three. All accusations of betrayal, secularism, corruption etc. will fall flat and the talk will be that in the interest of Karnataka we have decided to join hands once again. But, the public knows that it is only for loot of public finances irrespective of whichever ties with one another. Afterall, the last time the BJP Government fell after just eight days was primarily due to allocation of key Ministries harped upon mainly due to their fund raising capacity. Only the decimation of Janata Dal (secular) in the elections could prevent this. But, I do not think the Indian public is so wise !!

Most of the outrageous acts against poor Dalits do not come to light as it is being ignored by the Media at large which mainly thrives on sensationalism and half-baked stories. Only a small proportion of such unsavoury incidents do come to light and it shows the true picture of India as a Nation where its own Citizens are being treated very shabbily by their counterparts. The way Dalits are being treated in the BIMARU States must be seen to be believed. It is time our Political and Judicial system co-ordinate with one another effectively to erode this menace of outcaste Pariah treatment !!

Well said My dear Friend Mr Rajaye_Hind. But, unless you change the electoral system and promote State funding of elections, how can money, material and muscle power be eliminated ? Some Party should take the lead forward !!

Yes, Karnataka elections will definitely hold the edge for the main contestants in the Lok Sabha elections. Whosoever emerge victorious will enjoy a distinct advantage in the next Lok sabha polls whenever they are held. I only hope the neo-liberal Party like the BJP loses so that it would lost its face altogether !!

I feel the Congress has a very good chance considering that even in the last elections it polled nearLY 35% votes which is 5% more than what the so-called single largest Party, BJP, got. The rapid disintegration of the JD(S) can only be advantage Congress. It is not whether Congress gains or not, the question is how much it will gain and whether it will attain a simple majority on its own. That is the REAL test !!

We are not worried about our Agriculture growing at just 2% inspite of the food crisis looming large, but are still worried over Industrial slump which has record over 10% growth. This is what we call wrong set of priorities in our manner of selection. Atleast today, why can�t we concentrate on Agriculture and analyse as to what is ailing it to find cures ?!

I do not think the arrival of SM Krishna into the electoral scene will pay rich electoral dividends for the Congress. But, surely the disintegration of JD (Secular) can only work to the advantage of the Congress in a three cornered cost. Even in 2004, when the Congress just secured around 60 seats, it polled more votes overall than the BJP and JD(Secular). Remember at that time, the JD(Secular) performed remarkably well by encroaching Congress traditional votes of Minorities and SCs/STs. But, this time with the JD(Secular) fading away and with a joker like Yeduriappa being a rival, the situation can only be tailor made for the Congress to make major dividends. However, price rise may act as a great spoiler in Congress Party. We need to wait and watch !!

Duty cuts can help only if Traders pass on the benefits to end Consumers. But what see in reality is Traders only using this duty cuts to enhance their profit further. So, for the poor consumers it is back go square one. They are stuck where they are !!

Well said my dear Friend Mr Rajaye_Hind. All said and done, you cannot blame the hoarders and black marketers who will only naturally take advantage of a crisis. But, it is ironical that today when many Optimists are forecasting about India becoming a Global super power, we have been forced to import agricultural commodities, the very ones, we were self-sufficient a decade ago. When you start to import, you only are prone to the vagaries of the global market which has become a huge speculative commercial Casino in making. The time has come for our Policy makers to wake up or else we are only moving in the direction of Countries like Zimbabwe where the so-called inflation rate has crossed 1000% due to scarcity of agricultural commodities !!

My dear Friend Mr Rajaye_Hind, Thank you. Yes. You can live without a house, Car, Air conditoner etc. but not without food. It is paramount to our very existence !!

It is time for the Policy makers to take note of the impending food crisis and take corrective measures immediately as the Country is now paying dearly for its mindless liberalization and globalisation policies ushered in without taking into account the aspect of food security and price stability within the Country. In Latin American Countries there has been unprecedented riots in food ration shops and continuation of this situation can only push nearly 100 Crores around the Globe to dire poverty in the years ahead. It should have stuck our Policy makers about the complex situation in India where there is burgeoning population and food security is paramount to the Country�s survival. As such, the Government instead of trying to promote Industrialization by destroying agriculture should instead have followed a balanced approach wherein steps should have been taken to improve the productivity of the farming sector. But, 16 years of globalisation and liberalization only made Agriculture a unremunerative occupation with people migrating from Villages to Cities and farm lands are in dire need of agricultural workers. This policy if allowed to continue can only bring misery throughout the Country !!

My dear Friend Mr Rajaye_Hind, Yes you are right. Now the Government blames Globalization for the price increase. But, what prevented the Government from insulating itself from mindless globalization policies ?? The impending agricultural crisis has been forewarned much before during the ushering in of liberalization and globalisation policies and now India as a Country is paying the price for neglecting the Agricultural sector and thereby creating a food crisis. Let us hope that atleast now the Government should have realized the imminent danger of mindless globalisation and liberalization polices which will only ultimate lead to anarchy within the country !!

Reservation is only regarded as a tool for social empowerment and is not an end in itself. In a Country like India which has a peculiar caste divide, reservations have become a serious bone of contention between various Castes and communities, with each one vying with one another to harness the benefits of it and we have a strange situation in the Country where every caste prides itself in calling backward rather than forward. The pathetic part is that reservation instead of being a social tool for empowerment has instead become a tool for politicians to deploy it to their own electoral advantage. I do not think the backward class in any way can equate their plight with the Scheduled Castes and Tribes who are the most oppressed lot and who definitely need reservation in proportion to their population percentage. But the problem in the OBC reservation is as to which caste can be classified as backward ? There is no clear cut Statistical data nor empirical evidence to quantify the population of backward castes in the Country. In fact the definition of a backward caste varies from State to State and region to region. This is what which has made reservations for backward castes a mockery in this Country !!

The World must ponder as to what led the people of Nepal to fall into the lap of the dreaded and extreme ideologically driven Maoists ??

High economic growth rather than reducing poverty increases it and that is the truth irrespective of how much one can hide. High growth naturally induces high inflation and the consequent sufferers are the poor masses of the Country whose incomes do not match the rise in expenses. As a result those who are in poverty are even reduced to dire starving conditions. The Governments around the World have a choice and it is between low inflation and low growth or high inflation and high growth. The choice is difficult, but yet the economic logic is as simple as it is. Too much money supply for the cause of market can only create hyper inflationary conditions. If Countries as populated and poverty prone as India chose the later of high inflation and high growth, it would turn disastrous in the long run where it can even lead to social unrest. The Economists and Monetarists around the Globe must have a serious relook on their objectives especially after the fiasco of abnormal price rise in all trading commodities the World over !!

Raj Thackeray is ofcourse propogating a divisive agenda tearing Citizens apart on liguistic lines. But, he too pales in comparison to the show organized by Yeduriappa and his Team to Hogennakal on a purely sectarian and divisive agenda. As you all know, Yeduriappa is from a Party known as BJP which talks about Akhand Bharat. But, the funny thing is that their leader in Karnataka incites violence on Tamils and take forward a divisive agenda for stopping the Hogennakal Project with the theme of protecting Kannadigas interest. In their hot pursuit they want to tear India apart. The so-called Nationalist leaders do not say even one word condemning his action and these are the people who talk so loudly about vote bank politics. What a shame !!! More ridiculous is the fact that it was his Party while being at the helm at the Centre in 1998 which sanctioned this Hogennakal Project in the first place. Can anyone find more double standards than this ? Surely BJP is a party with a difference !!

A full proof concrete strategy must be in place to fight the menace of terrorism. Half baked measures are not going to help. Border patrolling must be much more strengthened to prevent terrorists from crossing over. India is in a huge disadvantage since it has no accepted boundary line as all are in the bone of contention with our South East Asian neighbours like China, Pakistan and Bangladesh. So, there is an urgent need to revisit this issue and reshape our boundaries to guard them more effectively. Furthermore local sleeper cells fostering terrorism activities must be crushed with an iron hand and a spirited fight must be waged against the Jihadi forces. The recent efforts of the Governement in countering terrorism has worked well, but more is needed !!

How are you my dear Friend Mr Flash ? I tried many times posting welcoming messages to you, but to no avail. By the way, yes you are right, futures trading on agricultural commodities must be banned forthwith. But, please note that it was during the BJP reign, that this concept of futures trading was unveiled knowing very well that it will make the innocent poor people suffer by creeping food inflation. No wonder, we call the BJP as a neo-rich party. The current UPA Government too has not covered itself with glory and they should atleast now ban this futures trading forthwith if they are to retrieve their image as standing for Aam aadmi. But let us see whether the likes of Chidambaram will do it as business tycoons like Reliance are involved in this futures trading !!

Nodoubt a total revamping of the PDS system is the need of the hour. Moreover, as food prices are galloping to record levels due to wrong policies being followed around the Globe, the basic minimum the Government has to do is to hike the subsidies to make the PDS more attractive. Furthermore, the Central Government should not just shrink its responsibility by passing on the buck to the State Governments. It has to ensure that the subsidized items reach the poor and needy by appropriate follow-up measures !!

Mr Karankumar, Thank you for your encouragement and I too appreciate your post and endorse your views wholeheartedly !!

They are also contributing factors to an extent and the hoarders will naturally take advantage of the prevailing situation. But the main issue connected with the price rise is growth mania we see all over the Globe wherein the agricultural sector has become a heavy casualty due to gross commercialization. This was exactly what was forewarned by the anti-globalisation forces even before the onset of the globalisation process and the worst fears have now come true with agricultural production fading out and falling. More is in the offing in the days to come and the poor people will pay the price for no fault of theirs !!

On the other hand, it is the neo-rich who reap the benefits of cheap money policy. No poor who is earning less than Rs. 20/- a day is going to borrow ? Anyway the poor borrow only from money lenders at exhorbitant rates even today as no Bank will provide them a loan in the absence of security. And with the way the Realty prices are galloping, I think even a person who earns Rs. 30,000/- per month will dread to borrow these days ? Only reasonable growth can be sustained in the long run. Low interest rates if at all benefit only the neo-rich and the affluent. The simple economic rationale is anything which is supplied more loses its value and the same is with money supply too. The rich and the super rich are not going to be affected by this price rise as they can manage with anything and everything. It is only the poor who are going to face the song. While saying this nobody is calling for exhorbitant rate of interest which can only kill the economy. What all we require is a reasonable neutral rate of interest corresponding to the actual price situation prevailing in the Country which can only stop the march of inflation to an extent !!

Taslima herself denied that she ever made such a comment as calling Indian Government as �Fundamentalist�. That must set the record straight. However, what is deplorable is the way Taslima was treated by both the Central Government as well as the West Bengal Government State Government. They just buckled under pressure from Islamic fanatics who knew no sanity or tolerance. If we are going to crawl like this before fundamentalism of all hues, then there is no salvation for this Country. The Central Government made repeated somersaults on the Ram Setu issue bowing to pressure from Hindu fanatics. The handling of MF Hussain issue also exposed the Central Government to the hilt. Atleast on one matter, the Central Government is even handed, it is crawling before all kinds of fundamentalism and treating them with kid gloves. Very sad state of affairs prevailing in the Country and a tremendous blow for real secularists !! When are we going to change ??

This happens when justice is delayed inordinately as well as denied. People lose faith in the judicial system and take law into their own hands. Unless and until we make the Judicial system energetic, proactive, and accountable to the masses, such tendencies will only be on the rise !!

Economic reasoning tells us that cheap money policy increases money supply and fuels inflation. What is the use of low interest rates when property prices have skyrocketed making it literally impossible for the common people to purchase a small property ? For whose benefit is this cheap money policy? It is obviously for the markets who blackmail the Policy makers to toe their line by reducing interest rates. What is required is a stable interest rate policy in consonance with the actual price situation in the Country. Instead of this boom and bust business cycles, why can�t we strive for a stable and sustained growth which will surely deliver us the desired results in the long term. The problem today the World is facing is exactly due to the Cheap Money policy which has resulted in skyrocketing price effect on all commodities. Ofcourse price rice in agricultural commodities is a different story altogether which has happened due to the neglect of agricultural sector and shrinkage of cultivable lands. Added to this, is acute commercialization with the result of commodity trading which has resulted in Speculators manipulating market. All these are exactly the result of Globalisation policies. I pity the poor people of India !!

Not only Tigers, all living beings have the right to live in this Planet. Tigers are more cared for as their tribe is becoming almost extinct. Non-vegetarians always forward a theory that it is the will of so-called God who has set the balance of nature and this has given them the solemn right to slaughter other living creatures to satisfy their appetite. They cite examples of how Tiger, Lions etc. are killing other living beings for food. But, if indeed God has created this delicate balance by setting one living being against another for food, then he must not be a Protector, but a sadist who relishes cruelty. As he is deemed Supreme by his followers, he could have very well created a World where such cruelty is not inflicted across living creatures for the purpose of food as he has all the powers in his command, but it seems that his sadistic pleasure has overdriven him in his desire to create a world of his type where one creature is set upon another. My only appeal to my friends is defeat this evil will of the so-called God and be a vegeatarian. Show God what compassion and caring is all about !!

What was forewarned much earlier by the anti-globalisation forces have now come true. Food security has become the biggest casualty in the World�s urge of crazy industrialization. This has happened due to the continuous neglect of agricultural sector and converting prime agricultural lands to pave the way for Industries in the name of Industrialization. In a predominantly agrarian Country like India which boasts of a huge population which is exploding further, food security is paramount to its very existence. Even today our Country lives in villages where 60% of the people thrive with less than Rs. 20/- a day. Such abnormal rise in food prices can only throw the life of people out of gear and force them to dire starvation especially in South East Asia, East Africa and Latin American Countries which are steeped in poverty. Moreover the policy of the United States and some European Countries to use agricultural produce as bi- products of bio-fuel has only aggravated the impending crisis !!

What was forewarned much earlier by the anti-globalisation forces have now come true. Food security has become the casualty in the World�s urge of rapid industrialization. World over we see the phenomenon of agricultural produce coming down, while demand on the other hand is going up due to rising population. This has happened due to the continuous neglect of agricultural sector and converting prime agricultural lands to pave the way for Industries in the name of Industrialization. Western Countries need not care much about the agrarian crisis since they are not burdened with huge population. But in a predominantly agrarian Country like India which boasts of a huge population which is exploding further, food security is paramount to its existence. Even today in our Country, 60% of the people thrive with less than Rs. 20/- a day. Such abnormal rise in food prices can only throw people to dire starvation especially in South East Asia, East Africa and Latin American Countries which are steeped in poverty. Moreover the policy of the United States to use agricultural produce as bi- products of bio-fuel has only further aggravated the crisis. The disaster-in-waiting can only be set right, if the Government speeds up massive investment in rural infrastructure and deploy technological upgradation in right earnest. Moreover, prime agricultural lands should not be acquired at any cost to pave the way for industralization and steps should also be taken to avoid deforestation. But how these can be done when we follow globalisation policies which can only lead to unbridled materialism at the cost of environment. There is a very serious conflict of interest !!

We see a strange argument being forwarded by Government employees that their salaries should be on par with IT Companies. The simple fact is that IT Companies are paying money out of their profits, while in the case of Government employees, it is the tax paying public who are in real paying their salaries. A Government job is secured with no hire and fire policy and they also get Dearness allowance indexed to Inflation. Moreover there are is no performance based salary hikes and it is automatic every year. They also get a life time pension indexed to inflation, a facility which is only available to quite a few in this Country. So, frankly there can be no comparison between the two. The last pay commission while suggesting hefty hikes also suggested to the Government to prune down the work force by around two lacs, but this was conveniently ignored while the hefty hikes were implemented. With the result, we saw many of the State Governments going bankrupt not being able to cope with the pay increase. This time the Central Government should be very careful while implementing the pay hikes and it should not go beyond its means as it will be the poor masses who will be put to hardship later. Let the Government also take into account the sufferings of the people in the unorganized sector before going for any hefty hikes !!

Karnataka Assembly elections are approaching and Yeduriappa and his men have started staging dramas. Now he and his Team have fled to Hogennakal to stop the Water Scheme Project for the water starved Dharmapuri and Erode Districts. Reason, Salem, Erode and Dharmapuri belongs to Karnataka. I do no think any body can be more parochial and racist than this. He has put to shame even regional parties in his misdemanour. Shame on this man and this party which talks so much about vote bank politics but always act contrary to it. Their ideology is Akhand Bharat, but their thinking is more parochial and regional. Atleast let us appreciate that they understand the federal reality that India is !!

It is said that God created this Universe and within that the Earth, all movable and immovable properties and above all, living beings in this Planet. He is the one who has created birth and also death. What I do not understand is the Thiests praying to God to give them long life and health to avert death. According to them it is God who created birth as well as death. How death can happen ? it is through the form of diseases and who created these diseases ? it must only be God. So my question to Thiests is what is going to be served by praying to God to give them long life as it is God who is desiring to see your end through Death in the form of diseases. In this way, they must embrace death gracefully as it is the will of their God. Let us see If any Thiest can give a satisfactory explanation to my question without diverting the topic on hand !!

Not only Tigers, all living beings have the right to live in this Planet. Tigers are more cared for as their tribe is becoming almost extinct. We always see the Non-vegetarians always forward a theory that it is the will of so-called God who has set the balance of nature and this has given them the solemn right to slaughter other living creatures to satisfy their appetite. They cite examples of how Tiger, Lions etc. are killing other living beings for food. But, if indeed God has created this delicate balance by setting one living being against another for food, then he must not be a Protector, but a sadist who relishes cruelty. As he is deemed Supreme by his followers, he could have very well created a World where such cruelty is not inflicted across living creatures for the purpose of food as he has all the powers in his command, but it seems that his sadistic pleasure has overdriven him in his desire to create a world of his type where one creature is set upon another. My only appeal to my friends is defeat this evil will of the so-called God and be a vegeatarian. Show God what compassion and caring is all about !!

All said and done, BJP is a party of the rich, for the rich, by the rich and to the rich. Counting on the short public memory of the Indian masses, this Party which ruined the farmers when it was in power is now shedding crocodile tears on the pitiable plight of farmers. Our farmers should not fall prey to this propoganda campaign unleashed by the neo-rich BJP. They should be made aware that it was during the BJP�s reign at the Centre, the much damned SEZ economic policy was conceived which acted as a catalyst in usurping land from poor farmers !!

In today�s India, no party can be certified to be called as National Party. All parties are only regional in nature including the Congress and BJP. We can only say that relatively the above two have bigger influence than other parties in more States. Federalism is nothing but regionalism !!

Yes the Government can go ahead provided it has the majority in Parliament behind it. Today we find even the BJP is opposing this deal out of poor opportunism only to embarrass the Government. If it had been in power, it would have been ready to sup up with the US even with 50% of what the Congress has achieved now. This was even confirmed by the US delegate exposing the BJP to the full. Still the BJP has no shame and their functionaries went on a denial mode. As regards finalizing the Nuclear deal, the Congress can proceed with the deal when it is able to secure the confidence of the Left with whose oxygen it is now surviving in power !!

North Eastern States do not count for much in the Indian political scenario except for Assam which has around 14 seats. The winners in these States are anyway going to align with whosoever in power at the Centre. But what is unfortunate in the North Eastern political scenario is parties like the NCP cosying up with the BJP. In India it seems there is no ideology as such and it is power alone that matters !!

Capitalism is even a bigger evil than Communism perse for the poor people. What is required is a mix of both the economic ideologies. Jawaharlal Nehru did that through the concept of Mixed economy. Unfortunately, we failed in its proper implementation !!

Even today Hockey is called as the National sport in this Country. But today it is pathetic to see the performance of our National Team which is finding it very difficult to compete against International competition. Today we are being today that our Hockey for the first time in its History have even failed to qualify for Olympics. What a shame !! This has happened because of our inability to produce the right talents to grace our Hockey Team. Moreover lack of resources and disinterest of the public at large towards this Sport has added to its woes. Today it is Cricket madness all over the Country which is killing every other Sport. Commodification of Cricket has made our Nation what we are today which has only got worsened with the auctioning of Cricket Players. Our Media at large are contributing in a big way by hyping up the game of Cricket. In this age of globalisation, Media sides where money is and therefore it is no wonder that today they are after Cricket. Unless the Government and the public at large step aside Cricket and show interest in other sports, we are heading towards eternal disaster !!

Definitely not as the Government has assured the Banks that it will compensate them for all the defaults by the small and marginal farmers. Moreover, the Government has also announced a swap scheme where the farmers who have borrowed from money lenders can borrow from Banks to repay their debts which will be compensated by the Government in due course. But the question is how the Government is going to do about this as it has not allocated funds for this purpose in the current Budget. May be the Finance Minister will unviel his plan when the Budget is passed in Parliament. But still this is a very bad precedent set by many State Governments as well as the Central Government by waiving off debts. The Opposition mainly the BJP too is culpable as their Members were shouting for the debt waiver allowing the Parliament not to function and when it is finally announced they show their duplicity (as always) in doubting the implementation of the debt waival scheme as such. All in all the Government could have better served the Farming population by starting Agro technology Institutes in far flung areas by educating the population in improving the Productivity. It could have also touched upon the biggest problem facing the farmers of low farm inputs and the price of Diesel in particular by offering more subsidies as in the West to enable the farming population combat the uneven global competition to some extent. But these are long term measures which will not be politically prudent. So the Government lives for the day just like its populace !!

Budget goes and comes. Funds are being allocated for different sectors. But unless the main problem is addressed, how can there be any improvement in the standard of living of the poor people ? It is delivery mechanism where the Governments are failing time and again as the flow of funds hardly reaches the people. Now through the process of so-called liberalization, the Governments coffers are filled to the full by taxing more and more to the detriment of the poor masses, but yet there is no change in the ground situation or it is even getting worse as per the Human Development Index. Why ? The answer is very simple. The Governments (irrespective of parties) announces grandoise schemes with fashionable names, but the intention is not matched with the desired effect on the ground what with middle men and Bureaucracy cobbling up the money all for themselves leaving little for the intended masses. Parties and Press are calling many financial changes as reforms, but unless the more important reforms happen in this area ie. system cleansing, how are we going to transform the society ??????

What goes up must come down is the economic logic and the show cannot go on and on. If 100 becomes 110, the growth is sustainable, but on the other hand if 100 becomes 300 then growth is not possible at all. This is simple logic. The Corporate Sector should not be greedy and avaricious. They cannot and should not be jealous to reap more and more profits. There will be downswings in such a lopsided growth and they should be able to weather the storm. Too much pampering of this Sector has only made Agriculture what it is today. A slowdown will definitely help in bringing down the ridiculous price levels in the Country prevailing today in Realty Sector. Such a downswing can only benefit the �Aam Aadmi� !! Nodoubt if you say what is reasonable you will be labeled as a Communist !!

True, the Union Budget was framed with only elections in mind. Congress is hoping that its symbolic moves like Waiving of farmer loans, hiking exemption limit etc. will benefit it in the Lok Sabha elections. But, what is ultimately going to help the Congress in Lok Sabha is the anti-incumbency factor starting to roll in BJP and its allies ruled States like MP, Rajasthan, Chattisgarh, Orissa, Punjab and even Bihar. This will surely turn the tide in Congress favour whenever the elections are held. As far as Gujarat is concerned, even there the Congress can gain as enthusiasm for Advani from the Gujarat electorate will not be as much as the wave for Modi !!

We must understand that there is a cold water going on between Vajpayee and Advani. Vajpayee doesn�t like Advani to head BJP and vice-versa. To shun him out of politics totally, Advani a cunning schemist as always brought out this idea of conferring Bharat Ratna on Vajpayee. He well knows that it will be rejected outright, yet just to send a signal to his Partymen and scuttle the chances of Vajpayee he pulled out this trick from his bag. Vajpayee despite his age and failing heath still wants to occupy the top position if offered and this Advani is very well aware. So, it is just a arrow to nail him down. All said and done, I do not think any other Politician can match this trio in power thirsty politics !!

Friend, Can you explain how is that possible ? High growth naturally induces high inflation and this happens when you the follow the monetary policy of cheap money or expansionary policy. You can see the predicament of USA which is now just wondering to what to do with the economy where the Federal Reserve itself created an artificial boom by sub-prime lending which is now hanging like a Damocles sword on the economy with the borrowers going bust. The cheap money policy followed all these days boosted asset and stock prices beyond reasonable limits and this has created the climate of a recession once again. One doesn�t know why the World is following the American model of boom and bust which is dangerous phenomenon creating havoc on the livelihood of ordinary people !!

Mr Flash, Ofcourse Taxation is a means of generation of revenue and it is a must. But, there is a length to which a Government can go in garnering resources. I think the Gujarat Government is crossing the Lakshman rekha !!

Welcome Friend Mr Flash. I did post many messages welcoming you back but unfortunately they didn�t get posted. Hope this one does get through. As regards the subject of exporting other lots of species, I think it is Project Tiger which deserves more attention today as their population is dwindling to dangerous proportions. When we are not able to guard our National Animal, we should just hang our heads in shame. In this Budget, the FM has allocated Rs. 50 Crores for the security of the Tiger. But, the Centre and the States should decide on the security and accountability aspect between themselves. Let us see as to what is in store for these unfortunate creatures !!

On the whole, the General Budget lived up to expectations of give-aways. But what I didn�t like in the Budget was lowering of tax rates for those earning between Rs. 3,00,000/- and Rs. 5,00,000/. It could have been avoided as people who earn more have to necessarily pay more as taxes and people who earn such salaries cannot be termed by any means as �Aam Aadmi�. By such an action, much income tax revenue has been lost at a time when the Government is trying to garner more resources for social funding. Moreover with regard to the waival of Rs. 60,000 Crores of farm loans for small and marginal farmers, it is a temporary step which was not warranted. The Farmers could have benefited more, if more Agri Technology Institutes were sponsored for improving the productivity of the farming population in distant villages. Such a measure could have to a certain extent helped them in warding global competition. The Government could have surely subsidized it. But this should have happened much earlier. Moreover, the factors burdening our poor farmers are the price of farm inputs and this should have been looked into. Furthermore, a majority of the farmers borrow from usurpious money lenders and not from Public Sector Banks and we have to see as to how much this move will benefit them. Hiking of Capital Gains tax is a good move and also the move not to lower the Corporate Tax despite hectic lobbying !!

Maintaining high growth and controlling inflation is impossible and it is like holding water in your folded hands and managing it without leaking. High growth induces high inflation and that is economic rationale. Moreover, high growth doesn�t necessarily mean more employment and it can also be jobless growth as is today in India. We need to compare the pre-globalisation era and the post-globalisation era to analyse as to how much the prices of every single commodity have gone over the roof. Some may say that wage inflation is being ignored when analyzing rising prices. But India is a Country where even today nearly 60% of the population live on less than Rs. 20/- a day. So, you can just imagine their plight in such a inflationary scenario. What is required today is a sustainable growth path where inflation will be kept at tolerable limits and high growth should not be targeted at the cost of inflation. But with the growth mania gripping the policy makers today such a approach will ever remain a pipe dream !!

I would not call it as a populist budget, but a peoples budget !!

Well said my dear Friend Mr Rajaye_Hind, BJP is a past master in vote bank politics. They accuse others of the same when their record on this score is just pathetic to say the least !!

As a gift to the people of Gujarat who voted for him, the Modi Government imposed additional tax to the already existing VAT. This is sure to cause severe strain in the prices of all commodities. But who cares. Nodoubt Modi has delivered to the Gujarat people what they wanted from him !!

BJP will return to Hindutva whenever it is in opposition and will adopt secularism (which it terms as appeasement) whenever it is ruling. This is the game plan of the BJP from time immemorial. But the surprising thing is how their supporters are never tired of getting fooled time and again by the Jingoism tactics deployed by Sangh Parivar leaders !!

Tigers should be the most precious possession today since it is almost becoming extinct. In India where they are being heralded as our National animal, it is ironic that they enjoy no protection whatsoever and are at the mercy of poachers who slay these animals for their body parts which enjoy a huge market in Countries like China, Korea etc. Tiger conservation is the need of the hour. But in our Country where land is a scarce commodity due to the burgeoning population, animals are at a huge risk since shrinkage of the forest area is happening day in and day out. The animals come into direct conflict with the livelihood of the forest dwellers who tie up with poachers to slay these poor animals. Ofcourse Forest Security Officials are too to be blamed and they are neck deep in corruption like the rest of the bureaucracy. But the problem area is deployment of adequate Security cover and provision of adequate infrastructure to protect the poor animals. With the tiger population almost reducing to just half it was before, it is time that these animals are exported to Countries where they will be safe. We as a Country are totally unfit to protect magnificent creatures like the Tigers !!

Everybody is talking Growth with equity. But the man who has transformed this into a reality in India is one and only Lalu Prasad Yadav. See the miracle this man has performed. Diesel prices have gone over the board once again, but this man has once again cut fares. In his continuous five budgets, this man has not even once raised the fares. He only has cut the fares twice benefiting the Aam Aadmi. This time he has extended grandoise concession to Senior women Citizens as well as young girls . He has also reduced freight charges on Petrol and Diesel and also unveiled a forward looking vision for Indian Railways to transform into a modern railway network in the near future. Just like Samosa is to Aalu, Lalu is to Railways. Lalu ka Jawab Nahin !! The BJP is only making itself a laughing stock by criticizing Lalu�s Rail budget. People are very well aware as to the performance of the NDA Railway Minister whose only job was increasing railway fares to the detriment of passengers !!

Raj Thackeray�s Party says rather boldy that even if he is arrested, Raj Thackeray will not come out on bail. But in the next two days when he is finally arrested, he immediately comes out on bail by executing surety and paying penalty. This quality has been emulated by Raj from his dear Uncle Bal Thackeray who is also just a paper tiger who will make huge noises but will act totally to the contrary to what he actually said. The credit for developing this parochial parties mainly goes to another communal, divisive and neo-liberal party called as the BJP which gave these parties importance by aligning with them. Even today, if you watch the BJP�s reaction to Raj�s diatribes it will mostly be muted and once again they start blaming the Congress !!

Shiv Sena led by Bal Thackeray grew in dominance only due to its parochial slogan of �Maharasthara for Maharastharians� and targeting South Indians by letting off spirited attack against them and destroying their livelihood. In the interim, this man realizing the vote banking potential of �Hindutva� slogan from the BJP after the Ram Janmabhoomi movement began to switch his Party�s outlook overnight and talked the language of communal politics by pitting Hindus against Muslims. Ofcourse, this shift helped his Party to attain power in alliance with the BJP in Maharasthara and after its dismal tenure at the Office was thrown out of power by the people. Now having realized that Hindutva is no longer working as a slogan, and watching the success of Modi and his parochial Gujarat Asmita campaign, his Party has again switched back to Parochialism and is trying to revive its old divisive slogan. Now Raj Thackeray has taken up the gauntlet and is directing his tirade against all North Indians with active support from Bal Thackeray�s Shiv Sena. What does this mean to Hindutva as a slogan ? Where is the so-called Hindu Unity these people were shouting only some years ago ? Are they not directing their ire against their own Community members raising the issue of narrow slogans ? Such incidents only repeatedly demonstrate the futile slogan of �Hindutva� and the so-called Hindu unity in particular !!

Kudos to RBI Guv Y.V. Reddy for not falling into the blackmail laid by the Markets to reduce the rates like his counterpart in USA. Already the cheap money policy has created havoc and asset & commodity prices have skyrocketed beyond the reach of the common man. Low interest rates and reduction in Cash reserve ratios help only the Market, but hurt the common man. Although the highly influential and elitist so-called Middle class are being fed up with theories that low interest rates on housing loans will be to their advantage. Actually, it doesn�t work that way. Huge FII Inflows along with cheap money policy have bloated the asset prices unreasonably that today not even the Upper class can dream to afford a House or a Flat in a Metropolis. Rental values, both residential as well as commercial have increased exhorbitantly by nearly 300-400% over the years making life miserable for the common people. Regional disparities have never been so sharp as they are today. While a single bed room Flat in say a City Patna costs Rs. 10 lakhs, while in Pune the same will cost more than 60 lakhs. Growth and consumption centric policies have deployed increased money supply into the system which in turn fuelled inflation and its deleterious effects are felt across the Board especially by the common man. Although this cheap money policy was a carry over from the earlier NDA regime which always went with the market sentiment bothering little about the plight of the common man. The present RBI Governor did try to quell inflation by hiking rates, but he has not been able to achieve the desired results and the asset bubble is still hanging. It must always be borne in mind that Cheap money policy is an open invitation to mind boggling inflation !!

Mr Gale, Ours is a Presidential system or Parliament system ? In a Parliament system, it is not necessary that Parties should declare their PM Candidate before hand . It is the elected representatives who will elect their leader !!

My dear Friend Mr Rajaye_Hind, Never believe the rantings of a parochial and communal leader like Thackeray who will change his tongue according to developing situation !!

Advani as a PM candidate is a blessing in disguise for a beleaguered Congress. Advani is not a charismatic personality and a poor crowd puller. His meetings or even large rallies are attended only by a few thousand people. Moreover, he carries the thorn of leading the rath yatra during the 1989 which led to large scale communal riots all over the Country and simultaneously resulted in increased terrorist activities too. He is over 80 and a tired leader with no vision except the seat of power in his sight. Advani at the helm will nodoubt discourage potential allies to be drawn to the NDA fold later !!

Advani being projected as a PM candidate by the NDA can only be soothing to the Congress as it well knows given the track record of Advani, the BJP will find it difficult to cultivate new allies into the NDA fold. Moreover, Advani is by no means a charismatic leader and his meetings hardly attract a few thousand people. He is terribly old. He can only be deemed as power thirsty as the rest of our Indian politicians and his role in the Babri Masjid demoliton by sponsoring the infamous rath yatra wherein in the aftermath thousands lost their lives only sought to drive home the point that he is a opportunistic and cunning leader who is more interested in the seat of power rather than any vision for the Country. Congress as a Party would be extremely happy in Advani being projected as PM by the BJP !!

Mr Patriot, I entirely agree with your view. It is regrettable that we are witness to low level of tolerance even on this message board with vulgarish diatribes being indulged in if our views are not in consonance with some one�s line of thinking. This must change for the better if we need to have a healthy debate in this Forum !!

The exact meaning of Secularism is religious considerations should be excluded from Civil affairs or public education. But often practice is different from theories, more so especially in India where the word Secularism has got distorted of late. The principal reason for this is our kind of Democracy and populace set-up divided badly on religion/caste/linguistic basis. Democracy is all about securing the votes and it is no wonder that our Politicians cater to religions, caste and communities to cultivate vote banks. Appeasement starts from there. A simple example is while the Brahmins are wished away in every State by the Politicians as they constitute a miniscule number, while in UP they are being cultivated even by a Party like the BSP as they constitute over 10% of the population. For the BJP and RSS, what they consider as appeasement is only appeasement of the Muslims, while they blindly ignore the rest as they too are sinners to the core. They support those caste groups which are huge in numbers. It is easy to follow secularism say in a Country like Japan, China or even for that matter USA, but it is quite impossible to replicate it in a badly divided Country and a polity like India !!

Mr Gale, You might recall that it was the NDA Government which gave a go-ahead to this Project during their reign. They even highlighted this as a major achievement in their election manifesto. The fault of the present UPA Government is in continuing what was left unfinished. Both the Governments have be to blamed for taking up a technically and economically unviable Project more so especially the BJP considering that it is opposing the same it proposed before !!

My dear Friend Mr Rajaye_Hind, as usual Well said !! But I wish to add one more. What I am practically terrified with BJP is apart from its communal angle, it is its extremely neo-liberal policies. I dread to imagine a BJP Government in Office when International Oil prices are ruling so high. Moreover, all PSUs will be sold for a song without a whimper as afterall they created a separate Ministry for this purpose during their reign !!

What you said doesn�t matter at all ? Does the sins of Stalin, Lenin or Mao erase the sins of Modi or Advani & Company ? Although it would be na�ve to solely attribute the cause of Islamic terrorism on the BJP or Sangh Parivar combine, yet the increase in terrorist activities and strikes in the Country can be directly related to them as it is them who provided enough fodder to terror and terrorists in the name of whipping religious passions over trivial issues like Ram Janmabhoomi or even the Gujarat massacre etc.

Mr Patriot, We can only hope that it doesn�t happen and the BJP will never come back to power at the Centre. But, as we are in the age of desperate coalitions, it all depends on whims and fancies of these so-called secular parties without which the BJP can never aspire to occupy the Gaddi as they know they can acquire a majority of their own Nation-wide. But, how can you trust people like Naidu, Mayavati, Jaya or Chauthala as they are all opportunist politicians who will change like a chamelon given the situation. It is not that all other parties or Politicians are not opportunists, but the above are most likely to fall into the BJP bandwagon in case they get around 150-160 seats in the next Lok Sabha !!

I fervently hope that this bird flu scare makes many people turn into vegetarians. It has been proven time and again that there is no substitute to a Vitamin and protein rich hygienic vegetarian diet. Clinically it has been well established that non-vegetarian consumption encourages the risk of heart disease, high cholestral levels due to its fat content and various other deadly diseases like Peptic ulcers and Cancer. It is a misconception that non-vegetarian food is tasty as afterall you cannot consume a strict non-vegetarian diet and vegetarian ingredients have to be added into the same to add flavour. Last but not the least, imagine the cruelty inflicted on birds by burying them alive and also throwing them live into the fire to extinct them on a mass scale. This is nothing but inhuman slaughter !!

Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were the first humans to reach Earth's highest point, the summit of Mount Everest in the Himalayas. Hillary was promptly knighted for his unique feat and in later years led expeditions to the South Pole and to the source of the Yangtze River. His famous book was the Everest memoir High Adventure which highlighted his adventurous expedition to one of the World�s highest peak. He has carved a niche out of himself through his unique achievement and although he is no more today, he has acquired immortality and his name will forever remain in the annals of our History !!

Unfortunately, that is the case with religions engaging in competitive fanaticism trying to outwit one another. Where this will lead to is disaster !!

Well said Mr Patriot. Along with Advani, Mayavati and Samajwadi too have joined the chorus for a Bharat Ratna. I feel there is more to Advanis demand that it meets the eye. It seems that Advani wants Vajpayee to retire from politics actively. However, to his predicament Vajpayee is still sticking on eyeing for the PM�s post once again in case another confusing occasion arises where the Parties making hotch potch alliances after the polls will stick for a compromise candidate. Advani�s candidature as PM will not be taken kindly by many parties as he was in the forefront of the Babri Masjid demolition and a once poster boy of Hindutva. Vajpayee would have become the consensus choice once again (in case the occasion arises which I hope do not). Therefore, Advani himself wants Vajpayee�s retirement symbolically by conferring Bharat Ratna for him. How low can our politics and politicians stoop for power than this is anybody�s guess !!

Mr Gale, Sensationalism and over-hype have been the bane of our Media these days and they have been driven along commercial lines overlooking the social aspect in their coverage. That is why a news on Aiswaraya or Shilpa creates waves than some poor farmers commiting suicide in Vidharba, continuing atrocities on Dalits etc. Pressing issues are ignored conveniently at the altar of commercial expediency. Launching of a car is given greater coverage than say food security. The Media in our Country has become the slave piece of Capitalists and Corporates who swung opinion in their favour without analyzing issues in depth. Ofcourse there are some exceptions to the rule, but they are quite few in a bunch of money spinners !!

What will really benefit the common man is a cheap Public transport system and not such low priced Cars more so especially in a over populated Country like India which is starved of space !!

Certainly No !!

It has been the same story in India for decades. What is the difference just in UP ??

We have �no work, no pay� policy for workers and Government employees. Why not we adopt the same yardstick for Governors and President too ? Afterall, they do little work to justify their compensation !!

Rather than this Car benefiting the common man, it is once again the creamy layer which is only going to corner the benefits as now they have the wonderful opportunity to procure this tiny beauty for their Sons and Daughters. The real losers are indeed the common man riding in Scooters and cycles who are going to be jammed in between due to the reckless driving by the new users !!

This TATA Nano Car is called as Common man�s car. But the question is whether a real common man can afford such a Car which costs more than a lakh especially when his/her existence is on hand to mouth basis. Where is the parking space for him or her to park this Car when a family is living in just two rooms ? What about its maintenance ? What about the Petrol consumption ? All this talk of this Car serving the common man�s aspiration is pure humbug, skullduggery and a wrong notion about what a common man in India really is !!

There must be limits set for ourself and we must work within such boundaries. You cannot justify everything in the name of development and growth. Like for instance, you cannot eradicate the limited forest cover available in our Country which is very low by International standards in the name of development and say that we should move ahead with the times. It would be a sure recipe for disaster. The real need in this Country today is overall improvement in Public transport system which will only really help the common man and not launching of more Car models which can work only as hindrance to the common man while commuting to work. Even developed Countries like Singapore are discouraging people from procuring Cars while ironically in our Country where the infrastructure is in shambles, we are encouraging Cars. When are our Policy makers going to learn lessons ?

Mr Gale, what is needed is a change in mindset and coming out of the craze mentality in the wretched game which is spoiling all other Sports in this Country !!

My dear Friend Mr Rajaye_Hind, The environmentalists have ample justification in their side of view. Moreover, such kind of ambitious launch in the name of catering to the common man can only worsen the International Oil prices which are already hovering around the $100 per barrel mark and is expected to cross even $200. Imagine the crippling effect, it will have on our economy as a whole !!

Such low priced cars will not serve any purpose in our Country and it will only be a bane. What is needed is drastic improvement in the public transport system as a whole !!

The question is whether the common man afford this car ? Mr Gale, who is common man according to you !!

My dear Friend Mr Rajaye_Hind, I am fine. Probably the Moderator is on a paid holiday. Thank you for agreeing to the issues I have raised. I only disagree with you on the question of affordability. I do not think those who belong to the real middle class can afford even this low priced Car. By middle class, I do not mean people who earn above Rs. 30,000- per month who I would label as rich. Unfortunately in this Country both the Media and the Government are twisting as to who is the real middle class !!

Mr Gale, You cannot keep on justifying everything in the name of development and growth just for the sake of it. The reality as it exists in this Country should wake us up from slumber as otherwise there will be total urban chaos from which it will be difficult to retrieve. Moreover, calling this new Tata Car as catering to Middle class segment is totally false and contrary to truth. I do not think any family belonging to the real Middle class can afford the car even at this so-called low price of a lakh as they showcase. As usual, this car too caters only to the higher end who will now enjoy the luxury of owning more cars exclusively for their Sons and daughters. Imagine the wastage of fuel, pollution and traffic chaos and you will understand what I exactly mean !!

Knowing Mayavati nobody will take it any seriously, even including her !!

The traffic situation in most Indian cities is already in shambles, with long snarls (especially during rush hour) causing wastage of much time and fuel. Two and three wheeler drivers are generally seen to be a nuisance on the road, driving dangerously and with scant regard to courtesy and traffic rules. Most of them, when they get their hands on a bigger vehicle, can be expected to carry on in the same vein without any regard to the fact that driving a car like a bike is much more dangerous and a much bigger nuisance to the rest of the traffic. It looks like a good way to further bloat our road accident numbers. Add to that the severe shortage of parking spaces in our cities, and we have the perfect recipe for total urban chaos. Another serious downside no one seems to have thought of is that most of our cities have long been the front runners in the dubious list of the most polluted cities in Asia and the world. They are desperately in need of good, clean, reliable and scalable public transport. All in all, unless we manage to build many more roads, widen our network and harbour more parking spaces than we currently have, unless we manage to educate drivers better before giving them a joke of a driving license and unless we take serious steps to combat fuel adulteration and the resultant pollution, the �one lakh car� seems like a devil in disguise. It would be better if domestic sales are prohibited, initially at least, and it is manufactured for export only !!

The truth is an NRI is given more privileges than it is available to a living Citizen of this Country !!

The way the Media is focusing on Cricket makes one wonder as to whether there is no other issue in this Country except the Colonial game called as Cricket which is being played only in parts of the World. Perhaps the Media wants to make hay while the sun shines as people in India unfortunately are mad after this game which has destroyed every other Sport in the Country. A failure in a test match or even a 20:20 makes Indians deeply mourn, while not able to win a single Olympic medal and that too for a Country boasting of more than a billion people does not make us hang our heads in shame and the issue is left aside near the dustbin as a orphan child. Often the BJP/RSS Supporters talk of the so-called slave mentality of Indians, but it is better if they first focus their attention on this game which was presented to us by the British when they ruled us. The Shiv Sena and VHP ruffians attack Valentines day saying that it was imposed upon us, but it is a eighth wonder why they are not raising their pitch against this colonial game ? But how they will do it when they themselves are mad after this game. Their priorities are totally wrong as always !!

What a strange logic ?! When the BJP wins, it is assumed that the educated vote in large numbers and when it loses, it is assumed that the educated do not come out and vote. It is forgotten that the same BJP was routed during the last assembly elections when it wielded power and was aspiring for a second innings in power !!

If this trend continues, India will beat up China by 2025 A.D., making India the most populous nation in the world. In 2025 A.D, India will have 1591 million people and China 1554 million people. Only five countries in the world - China, USA, Brazil, Indonesia, and United USSR have more population than Uttar Pradesh (145 million), which is one of the 28 states in India. The total population of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu was 55.6 million as of 1991. About 4,478,000 people die every year in Tamil Nadu, or to put it another way, 1,227 people pass every day into eternity without knowing Christ.Every year the total Population of Australia, is added to the population of India.More people live in India than all the people living in North America, South America, and Australia put together.The death rate in India is 8.39 million per year. This means that 23,000 people everyday, 958 people every hour, or 16 people every minute !!

How fast is India Growing in terms of population ? The population clock in the Union Health Ministry, Nirman Bhavan, New Delhi, now ticks at the rate of 31 persons per minute. The clock shows that about 44,640 babies are born in India everyday. Hence the population of India increases by 16.29 million every year, which is equivalent to the total population of Australia. Here are some more facts about our motherland. The present population of India is around 1.1 Billion (1100 Million). The billionth baby is a girl. Her name is ASTHA (which means Faith). Her mother's name is Anjana Arora, and her father's name is Ashok Kumar Arora. She was born in Delhi at Saftharjung Hospital at 5.50 a.m. on Thursday, May 11, 2000. India with about 2.4% of the land area in the world contains about 16% of the population of the world. The density of the population in India has climbed up from 261 per square kilometer in 1981 to 267 per square kilometer in 1991. This is ten times greater than the density in the United States (26 per square kilometer) and 2.5 times greater than the density in China (109 per square kilometer). The birth rate in India (31 per thousand people) is greater than that of China (20 per thousand people) !! to be continued�

Well said my dear Friend Mr Rajaye_Hind. But, how can anyone expect justice in a climate where those who are culpable of holacaust are supervising their own destiny ?? Will justice be ever forthcoming given the situation is the million dollar question ?

Bolstered by the sweep in Gujarat and Himachal, the BJP has already started dreaming of capturing power at the Centre once again. It is once again miscalculating the scale of its victory as it did in 2004 when it captured MP, Rajasthan and Chattisgarh & preponed the Lok Sabha elections only to be humiliated with a defeat staring in its face. Despite such euphoria exhibited by the BJP today, things are not as rosy as it makes out to be. Ofcourse it won Gujarat, HP and Uttarkhand singlehandedly and Punjab in alliance with Akali Dal. But these States just count for under 50 Lok Sabha seats. In Rajasthan, MP and Chattisgarh it will be a different ball game altogether where the Congress is strong and organizationally sound. Individual charisma also will not play a role as it did in Gujarat and the recent byelection results clearly prove that the BJP is on a big downslide in these States where anti-incumbency is set to take its heavy toll. Added to this, is the inherent weakness of the Party in the crucial State of Uttar Pradesh where it is playing practically third fiddle to the BSP and SP. So, it is clear that the party is once again making the same mistake as it did in 2004. One thing with the BJP, it never learns !!

Just because you or some of your friends rate my message as funny, my message doesn�t become funny. It more reflects on the kind of tolerance level you people have which is what is being described as dangerous !!

Mr Gale, Do you think even in Gujarat it happened that way ??

The fact of the matter is that this kind of lopsided development is taking place everywhere in the Country. The so-called reformists like Naidu, Krishna, Amarinder Singh, Jayalalitha and even for that matter Chauthala lost. But, it is true that Modi has won. The reasons may be many. The demographic status of Gujarat suits the BJP very well. It is a State where the Upper castes are in huge numbers. Second, he doesn�t have a pro-active opposition like in other States and the Congress in Gujarat is just moribund which raises its head only during elections. It is a Party which is so low in confidence and lacks killer instinct. The high blitzkeirg publicity campaign of a Vibrant Gujarat too worked wonders in a predominantly Urban State like Gujarat. If you take a close look at the results, Modi has not done so well in rural areas as in urban. Of the 123 rural seats, his party was able to win around 70 which is relatively a weak strike rate than in urban areas where he just swept the elections. Furthermore, the communal appeal during the campaign worked very well and this is ofcourse expected in a extremely polarized State such as Gujarat. Last but not the least, there is no one to match his oratorical skills in Gujarat wherein he was able to convert every accusation into an opportunity for himself. So, to conclude it is not just lop sided development which took Modi forward, it is a combination of various factors !!

Mr Gale, But, I doubt the Congress or any other party in India will learn the lessons considering the electoral verdicts are purely cyclical in nature. Today it may the BJP, tomorrow it may the Congress with all their pitfalls and inadequacies !!

The fact of the matter is Modi has won the battle despite several odds stacked against him. It is a win for Modi and Modi alone and he has proved that he has requisite charisma to sway the electorate. This verdict assumes significance considering the severity of the anti-incumbency syndrome which have been taking its toll on many incumbents in the past. In India after the 1990s, 98% of the incumbents have been thrown out after their term. Only select States like West Bengal, Gujarat, Bihar and to an extent Madhya Pradesh have escaped from the clutches of this syndrome. To attribute this verdict purely due to communal overtones will be distorting the nature of the verdict at large delivered by the Gujarat electorate which has to be accepted. Sure, there were communal discourses by Modi which could have titled the scales marginally, but the Congress would be defeating itself if it believed that it was the sole reason for a verdict of this magnitude. It appears that the Congress has not been able to present itself as a viable alternative and has given an impression to the Gujarat electorate that it raises its head only during elections. For instance in Andhra it was able to take advantage of the anti-incumbency factor primarily due to the efforts of YSR�s padayatra and many pro-active rural programmes. It seems nothing of that happened in Gujarat. The benefits of anti-incumbency in certain cases will not be automatic and one has to make necessary struggle. The lesson from this verdict is only a sustained campaign of public awareness can bear fruits in a polarized State such as Gujarat. Will the Congress learn the right lesson ??

The Afzal issue is all set to become a major embarrassment to the UPA unless and until it takes immediate steps to hang him. Modi exploited this to his fullest advantage while selling security related issues to the Gujarat electorate. Any kind of lame excuse will never carry weight with the people at large and immediate steps should be taken for his hanging. Once the Clemency petition has been initiated at Afzal�s end as per course available, it is for the Government to reject it immediately and hasten his hanging or else the psuedo-secular tag is set to stick and erode the credibility. They will never be able to face atleast the Gujarat electorate next time around probably in the Lok Sabha elections where it will roll over to be an important issue to be fully exploited by Modi if assuming no decision is taken by even then. The coming days will reveal about the Government�s stand. Let us wish wise counsel will prevail ultimately !!

The Gujarat verdict will have no National implications at all and the effects of the verdict will be strictly confined to Gujarat where the Congress will be totally demoralized. In India, situation in every State varies from one another and it will impossible to replicate the Gujarat verdict on a National scale. One also needs to wait for the outcome in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chattisgarh to derive at any forthright conclusion on a National perspective !!

I do not think one can fault the Australian Government for this. In a climate of terror, there will be occasions when innocents will be suspected and we can do nothing about it. It is good that Hanif extricated himself and came out in flying colours. All the best to him !!

Here, I saw a message from Mr True in talking about the so-called balance in being a vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian. Again his thinking is on faulty lines. You must remember that Bulls, goats, Chickens, Pigs are being reared to be slaughtered. Moreover imagine the vegetation they consume. A Bull will consume nearly 200 times more than a single human and similarly a goat too in lesser measure. So, the vegetation being lost on account of their increased numbers is being lost in your argument. If they are not going to be reared, their numbers are not going to increase and Nature has always ways to maintain its delicate balance. The point is humans are going against the very concept of Nature by rearing them for slaughter. Untold cruelty is inflicted on these animals and especially the story of a Bull is difficult to digest. It toils hard and the humans use them to the full in every activity like transport etc. and later when it becomes old it is taken directly to the slaughter house. There was also a time in this World when humans didn�t exist. Did not Nature maintain delicate balance then too. So your argument is fallacious and out of context !!

Moreover, what is done in Punjab too earmarking 50% of seats for the Sikhs is purely on communal lines. Why your eyes are shut to that scenario is my question ??

You are confusing between social and economic discrimination. Scheduled castes and Tribes are socially outcast apart from being economically backward and that is why our Constitution is according special privileges for their upliftment !!

But during the six years of NDA reign, the BJP could have certainly acted on the Nanavati report ? Why didn't they do it ??

Appeasement politics is not initiated by anyone. When there is Democracy, appeasement politics too naturally will come into the picture in a badly fragmented polity such as our Country where caste and religious discrimination still exists. If you think that there should not be any appeasement of any caste/religion or community then the Dictatorial regime can only be favourable to your line of thinking !!

Mr Gale, Yes True. But why Vijay Diwas are also being organized to commermorate those events ? Is that not provocative too ??

My dear Friend Mr Rajaye_Hind, nobody is my foe. Everybody are friends to me. What is the enemity I am having with Mr True or Mr Mayavi or Mr Stopperbhai ? Nothing. We might have different views but that doesn't make us enemies. Only thing I appeal to people is not to become too emotional while defending their views. They must have the patience to listen to others views too !!

As a Country, we are not able to take bold decisions thanks to our Democracy. The way Taslima has been treated fearing threats from radical elements is deplorable to say the least. Yes Taslima issue was a real challenge for India's secularism and we once again failed !!

It will never stop in a Democracy like ours. Electoral politics is all about consolidation of votes and even in USA which has a more responsive Democracy than ours there is a widespread belief among the Whites that the Blacks are being appeased at the cost of the majority. There is nothing wrong in extending concessions to the deprived sections. What is wrong is only dividing the polity for electoral gains !!

My dear Friend Mr Rajaye_Hind, this has been stressed upon time and again, but nothing is happening going forward !!

Don't you consider the scheduled castes/tribes as deprived ? They are being given various concessions (which you can also term appeasement) to bring them on board. It depends on the way you look at it !!

Thank you my dear Friend Mr Rajaye_Hind. It is nice to know that you are with me. We can only try our level best to educate people about the benefits of being a vegetarian. It is for the people to decide what is best and decide on which side they are ? If they endorse sacrifice in the name of religious beliefs, then definitely they are on the side of cruelty. But, if they are willing to forego medieval beliefs and be more compassionate then they become humans in a true sense !!

I have clearly shown that all parties perform this appeasement politics in the name of caste, creed and religion. What I find puzzling is you always only find Muslim appeasement in each and everything when appeasement politics is being carried across the political spectrum. I have repeatedly told that you cannot escape appeasement politics in a divided polity like ours. Again to repeat some more instances of appeasement politics from the other side. What about the Jats being classified as backward in Rajasthan by the vajpayee Government. Was that not appeasement ? Similarly what about the BJP promising tribal status for the Gujjar community in the last assembly elections in Rajasthan ? Is that not appeasement ? So my conclusion is when you have democracy like ours, appeasement politics is inescapable !!

A brute majority in this World are meat eaters and so my tribe of Vegetarianism stands a pale shadow in comparison. Animal cruelty is secondary when human�s appetite is foremost. That is the way of this World and you cannot do much about it except hope for the best by constant education. But, what I am miffed with is sacrifice of animals in the name of pleasing God. Even assuming that there is a God, one doesn�t know which God will be happy with the cruelty inflicted on his own creation. Most of the religious scriptures justify this concept of sacrifice and that is also one of the main reason I am against God and Religion. The Vedas, Puranas, Greek scriptures, the Koran etc. all favour animal sacrifice as means of pleasing the omnipresent. Tomorrow is ID and this is a day when animal sacrifice takes place to please the so-called Almighty. Halal is what is called the Islamic method of sacrifice and it forwards an argument that it inflict little pain on animals and is the purest of all sacrifices. Actually Halal is a straight lift from the Jewish concept of sacrifice where the throat of the animal is slit open for the Blood to ooze out. What is particularly disturbing is even giant and endangered species like Camels will be slaughtered enmasse on the eve of this festival of sacrifice. Using the Halal method it takes nearly 2 hours for a Camel to die and the sight of the sacrifice will be certainly gruesome and brutal even by one�s own imagination. My fervent appeal to one and all is to atleast spare such giant animals or if not kill them on a single stroke instead of inflicting wholesome cruelty on them. Atleast even if two or three people change their mind seeing this, I would have succeeded in my mission !!

My dear Friend Mr Rebel, This was what I pointed out to Mr True who has this dream of a Hindu Rasthara just as a Swayam Sevak. The fact of the matter is a sizeable section of the so-called Hindus themselves will be against such a concept. The problem with people like Mr True is that they just overlook its deficiencies while clamouring for Unity !!

The question is why do you insist that the procession should only go through a mosque. The problem arises because those in the procession doesn�t restrict themselves to religious rituals but raise provocative slogans through the rally and that leads to skirmishes between the two communities. So, the Government is doing what is best in dealing with this situation !!

You and your friends quite often talk about this so-called appeasement of the minorities. If this is so, what are you going to say about the recent decision of the Punjab Government led by Akali Dal � BJP to give 50% exclusive reservation for Sikhs in educational institutions despite Hindus numbering over 40% of the population in Punjab. Is this not blatant appeasement of a particular religion ? Why you leave such kind of appeasements to your convenience and target only the appeasement of Muslims ? Is that selective amnesia ? Mind you, in India appeasement is being carried out by all parties in the name of caste,community and religion. You cannot do much about it given the divided polity we are in. But, just targeting only a Muslim appeasement doesn�t give you the true picture of the appeasement politics in its entirety !!

But the so-called Hindus in India will itself oppose a Hindu Nation. A Dalit or a Scheduled caste will never want a Hindu Nation and they number over 25% of the total population. So, what can be done about that ???

It would be better if India moves from the present �first past the poll system� to proporational representation system. First past the poll system is like a lottery where even 1% between parties can make huge difference in seats. It is really criminal if a party which just has 1% or 2% more keeps all the seats. There are also cases in our Country when party with a less percentage of the total number of votes polled walks away with more number of seats just because the votes get concentrated in regions. This cannot be construed as peoples mandate at all. Even our Neighbours like Srilanka and Bangladesh have made major changes in the electoral system, so why not we ? It is time that we move to Proportional representation system. The argument that it will create more confusion will not be valid as even with the present first past the poll system there is confusion compounded with Parties aligning with one another during elections devoid of ideology or programme !!

One doesn�t know the reason why nearly 23 clemency petitions are pending with President for more than a decade. What are the status of these petitions, nobody knows ? The Killers of Rajiv Gandhi too are yet to be hanged and this is despite the SC upholding the hanging sentence. Afzal case is a more recent one and we need to wait for a year or more to watch the Government�s stand on the same. It is very clear that political repercussions in Kashmir is delaying his hanging which is sending a bad message. But, what I am wondering is why poor Dhananchay Bhattacharya was hanged immediately without battling an eyelid. Although he too committed a horrendous crime, yet considering the other cases, his was instant !!

But the question is whether the Congress as a Party justified it ? They have been expressing regrets for the incident, while the BJP is on record justifying the violence as a reaction !!

My dear Friend Mr Rajaye_Hind, It is good to admit the mistake, but they have repeated it once again in Gujarat under the slogan �Vibrant Gujarat�. So, this makes clear that they will never change !!

Mr Gale, To put the facts straight, yes Modi has been denying all along that he never uttered anything regarding Sohrabuddin when the facts are otherwise. He was speaking at a rally and has been caught on camera while delivering his speech. So, he cannot escape. Whatever has been telecast in Media shows very clearly that he has justified the murder of Sohrabuddin and also incited crowds in doing so. But the question is why did this man put the Policemen who did this act of executing Sohrabuddin in jail. In fact if he is not a coward, he should have rewarded them and also justified their action in the Supreme Court by filing an affidavit that Sohrabuddin was indeed a man who had terror links. Why didn�t he do that is the question which exposes his double standards and hypocrisy !!

Mr Gale, they are terminal disease and you also know terminal disease has no cure !!

Mr Gale, That is the point I am also making out. If you say for every action there is equal and opposite reaction as per Newton�s law then there will be no end to violence !!

It has taken nearly more than three years for the cunning Advani to realize that the India shining campaign boomeranged. But I do not think they have learnt any lesson with the way they hyped about Gujarat�s development and hailed it as �Vibrant Gujarat� for which Modi was responsible. They projected to the whole World as though Gujarat was a under-developed State like Bihar and UP and it was Modi who turned it overnight to a Singapore and that he was the messiah of Gujarat�s development. The elites of Gujarat nodoubt have fallen prey to that slogan seeing some infrastructural improvement in Cities which are nodoubt happening in every State of India and which have more to do with Foreign Direct Investments. The Villages and Towns of Gujarat remain as dirty and underdeveloped as they were in the past. Finally, I do not think the BJP will ever change. It is a Trader�s and neo-liberal Party which gives scant regard to the poor and have-nots. It stands only for business interests and that has been proved time and again !!

It is better for the Democracy of this Country if we move from this �first past the poll system� which gives a rather misleading picture about peoples mandate (if at all) in the first place. Here the winner takes them all. Say if we take Party A polled 45% votes and party B polls 43%, it may so happen that in our faulty electoral system even with the less number of votes Party B may emerge victorious just because party B would have won with very small margins compared to Party A who would have won less number of seats with huge margins. This trend may benefit one Party or the other in the electoral race. Assuming that even if party A wins, he may win with a thumping majority although the difference between the winner and loser would be only just 2%. Moreover, our coalition arrangements makes mockery of the so-called peoples mandate even more with 24 or 25 parties combining with no ideology or programme just for the sake of power. It is worthwhile to note that even our neighbour Srilanka and Bangladesh have made far reaching electoral reforms. But, here we stay where we are continuing with this British arrangement which is totally unsuitable for us. It is time that we move to Proportional system, ie. allocation of seats on the percentage of votes secured from first past the poll system to give more validity to the peoples mandate !!

Of all the Exit polls, it was NDTV exit poll which was more clever. Unable to gauge the winner in a very close election race, they forecasted both the possibility of the BJP winning as well as the Congress winning. The high end for the BJP was 110 seats while for the Congress, it was 95 according to the survey. In this way, they are on safe ground as nobody can say they went wrong even if things go awry on 23rd. I think all the exit polls conducted in this Country can follow this to be more accurate !!

Mr Gale, The fact that you cannot pinpoint my affiliation to one party itself proves that I am neutral. Anyway as you said let us see the results on 23rd. As regards, we remain the same irrespective of who wins or loses is quite true and I entirely agree to it !!

That may be because Modi is presiding over his own destiny and manipulated justice to his whims and fancies. The fact that the Supreme Court asked the Government to reopen more than 2,000 cases is itself a valid point !!

Without doubt, it was only Modi who brought Sohrabuddin into the campaign to raise the pitch. Sonia only called �merchant of death� in a generalized manner referring to the riots. Modi reacted in this manner and raked up a issue which was sub-judice justifying a cold-blooded murder. Anyway, the Supreme Court will decide on it appropriately. I only hope people do not accuse the Supreme Court of also being psuedo-secular when they act ??

If for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, then there is no end to that. Tomorrow some will justify taking revenge on the basis of Gujarat riots, will you justify that ???

May be, that is applicable to some. But as far as me is concerned, these exit polls and opinion polls are not suitable in a plural and diverse Country such as India and they will most of the times proved incorrect except on some occasions like astrology !!

Opinion polls and Exit polls were wrong not once or twice, but most of the times. It is clear that you are not following them. They were right only on some occasions !!

Despite the exit poll predictions forecasting a edge for Modi, the game is still wide open. All the Forecasters were wary in their predictions, while the CNN-IBN said that over 1/6th of the voters didn�t reveal their choice, the C voter survey told a similar story. Moreover, while the CNN-IBN said that the Congress was gaining in Central Gujarat especially the Tribal belt, the NDTV said the other way around saying that the Tribals significantly moved away from the BJP, but not voting for Congress. Further the difference between the two main parties is so narrow that it would have better for the pollsters not to hazard a guess. So, all these projections can be taken with only a pinch of salt as they have gone totally wayward in the past to anyway rely on them and more so in a very close contest as in Gujarat where even a 0.5% swing for a party can do wonders and that is the tragedy of our �first past the poll system� which represents the so-called peoples choice. Elections are a lottery and let us see who wins it and claims peoples mandate ??

Mr Gale, But religion, creed and caste are the reality in India. We can ignore the disease only at our peril ??

The repeated failures of Exit polls in Indian context. Let us take instances very recently. All exit polls predicted a neck-to-neck contest in Andhra Pradesh between the Congress and TDP. Finally the result was a Congress sweep. All exit polls were unanimouns in their findings that the Congress would win more than 90 seats in Punjab in 2002, finally the Congress got just 62. During the Indian Shining fiasco of 2004, all exit polls predicted a majority for the BJP led NDA, except for the NDTV poll which finally gave NDA 235 seats. Finally, the score was just 182 for NDA and all Statewise projections went horribly wrong and the worst assessment was in Bihar and Gujarat where all exit polls predicted a NDA sweep, when the result was just the reverse. Very recently, take the UP assembly elections, all exit polls predicted only around 130 seats for BSP with the BJP coming behind very closely except for CNN IBN which predicted around 70 seats for BJP. Finally, the score was 208 for BSP and just below 50 for the BJP. These are just some instances and there are many other too. So, take these exit polls with a pinch of salt and with a health warning. They make come right occasionally once in a while just like astrology. The reason why they go wrong is the complexity and plurality of the Indian electorate !!

It will be Central Gujarat which will hold the key to Gujarat elections and it is dominated by Tribals and pockets of Muslims. 2002 was different as the Tribals too were polarized along communal lines and the region which was a pocketborough of the Congress saw its total wipeout and scoring just 7 seats in a total strength of 43. But now the situation is different and the Congress can hope to make major gains provided the tribal turnout is more. It is here the real battle will be fought !!

In the 2004 Lok Sabha election, if one may remember all these Exit polls did not give the Congress more than 5 seats in Gujarat. Some even projected a BJP sweep of 24 seats. Finally, the score was 14-12 making all exit poll and opinion poll projections totally wrong. So, treat these opinion polls and exit polls only with the contempt they deserve as they often go wrong. We need to wait for the final results on 23rd. But, even taking into account the exit poll results, the BJP has no reason to feel elated as it is very clear that it is losing ground in its stronghold !!

How an Afzal hanging or Shahbano verdict is connected to Sohrabuddin case ? I fail to understand your logic !!

Mr Gale, So you believe the Exit polls at your convenience. I am shocked when you call others as prejudiced !!

With the contempt court Notice issued against him, it has become very clear that the SC has taken a serious view of his diatribe in a Poll rally. Afterall he has been caught on camera as many BJP l.eaders in the past and he cannot go on and fooling around and say that he did not saying on Sohrabuddin. Afterall this man applauds the Policemen who have killed Sohrabuddin in the meeting due to his criminal links, but still he puts them in jail for their so-called good work. What a hypocrite one can be ??

As a Modi fan, you are entitled to your view. Modi is trying to symbolize himself with Gujarat and create individual worship which is very bad for the Polity. Let us see how he fares in the elections ??

If Modi is nominated as the PM candidate for BJP, the Congress would find the going even more easy. Even long term alliance partners such as Nitish will find it hard to align with a Party that has Modi at the helm. Besides, it will also make it much more difficult for BJP to expand its NDA. Modi at best can only be a regional leader and all his National aspirations will not hold much water. He has spoiled his name too much to emerge as a National leader in a plural Country as India. First of all, let us see if he holds Gujarat atleast !!

Mr Gale, True no party today is consistent in their ideology or programme. It is all the �seat of power� and the games played to acquire that. But the point is how much damage you do to a society by adopting dangerous gambits with the aim of dividing people !!

It will be futile to believe Opinion polls and Exit polls due to their flip-flops in the past. The reason why they fail often is they cannot quantify the exact community-wise voting and which community turned out in large numbes. But, from the type of turnout in Phase I, it is quite clear that things are not going to be easy for Modi as his supporters project. Initial estimates reveal that Urban Centers recorded moderate voting, while the rural areas especially in South Gujarat dominated by Tribals recorded heavy turnout. With signals emanating that Tribals are moving away from BJP, that will be fatal for Modi. One thing is clear in the first phase, all this talk of Vibrant Gujarat, development, Hindutva or communal rhetoric etc. carried no purpose especially with the rural voters who feel it as an insult heaped on them. Moreover, the Urban voters too didn�t turn out in large numbers as Modi would have hoped for. Although it is too early to bring down curtains on Modi unless and until we know the position in the second phase covering Central and North Gujarat, one thing is clear, all this talk of landslide for Modi has just been proved pure humbug and it is a tight race !!

Even then I will not take this Forum as any measure of support at all as hardly 2% of the Indian populace have the privilege to use Internet !!

I am just wondering about the �Jeetega Gujarat� slogan. If Modi wins, it will be okay. He wins and therefore Gujarat wins according to Moditva. But in case he loses, the very slogan will give a poetic justice to the verdict and that is Gujarat winning by the defeat of Modi !!

The question is why the fascists are preventing from others speaking ?? They are trying to impose their will on them !! Afterall everyone have the right to espouse their opinion on a issue !! Modi may be god to them, but he is devil to most !!

A pure white lie. Even the Times Now showed clearly what Modi stated. Anyway the Supreme Court will be deciding on it shortly and it is sure to pass severe strictures on him. But for the BJP wallahs, they would never mind and will begin to slam the Supreme court too. Afterall which Institution in this Country has escaped condemnation from BJP and the Sangh Parivar ??

Is it the Congress only changing their statement ? What about the BJP�s stand on Modi�s statement on Sohrabuddin ? They just don�t know what they stand for ??

Mr Gale, PM is just trying to create a wedge in the already divided BJP. You are just reading too much into it !!

My dear Friend Mr Rajaye_Hind, Simply this Forum doesn�t reflect the mood of the Nation as such. Despite all their support to Modi and their claim that he will win with a thumping majority, the ground reality in Gujarat is totally different. We will definitely come to know about it very soon !!

What a twist of statement ? All that Digvijay singh said that there was some kind of Hindu terrorism on exhibition in Gujarat citing the Tehelka tapes wherein some Sangh Parivar members and a BJP MLA Harish Bhat openly boasted on camera that they made crude bombs in a Factory and used them during riots. This was only targeting those fanatics who do not love peace. This statement had its own justification and whether it could have been avoided is debatable. But, this statement was twisted out of context by Modi and his Parivar which generalized it and are now making it a big issue in the Gujarat citing that Digvijay Singh labeled all Gujaratis as terrorists and this has become a main slogan of the campaign of BJP. Such kind of tactics are adopted in the knowledge that in our kind of elections which is based on �first past the poll system� even a 0.5% swing can help to snatch many seats !!

Yesterday during the NDTV Question-answer session we were witness to the worst kind of facism indulged by even a reputed leader like Arun Jailtley. In this session, everybody had their turn and when Arun Jaitley spoke, Kapil Sibal didn�t intervene at an given moment and maintained decorum. But, when it was the turn of Kapil Sibal, Jaitley just didn�t let him to speak and intervened again and again spoiling the whole debate. This is not only restricted to Jaitley, but in many of the debates on Gujarat in the Media, we find those supporting Modi and the BJP heckling, bustling and not letting others speak. This is what is called ugly form of fascism wherein they do not entertain an alternate opinion. Hope they mend their ways !!

Ha Ha � what a defence ? You have put even the BJP spokesperson to shame. First of all, please understand that it is really criminal to dwell on any subject which is under the jurisidiction of the Highest Court of Land. More so especially when your own Government filed in the Court that it was a fake encounter and a cold blooded murder and punished the culprits. As it happens to every BJP men, Modi is caught on tape using the most abusive language and if you have not seen it, just see Times now where they have been telecasting this repeatedly. On seeing that, I can definitely say that Modi is sure to be censored by the Court. As usual, the BJP which denigrates every Institution in this Country, will also slam the Supreme Court !!

All these network of roads and infrastructure hardly matters to people living in villages who are more concerned with their daily livelihood. They will see Modi only as a man who hiked power tariff a record four times and imposing a cess on Diesel and making it even costlier !!

Mr Stopperbhai, I am a humanist. I do not believe in opinion poll and exit polls after their repeated fiascos. At best, they are just indicators. In fact you forget the fact that it is the so-called Secular Media which you often abuse which places Modi just ahead and only two polls have come ofdate, one is a CNN-IBN and the other is Week-Cfore which are not quite clear in their assessment. Opinion polls and even exit polls have gone horribly wrong in the past to become trustworthy. Ofcourse you will believe this according to your convenience. My optimism of a defeat of Modi stems from the 2002 assembly election results itself. I just had a chance to see the winners and losers of all Constituencies in 2002 and to my amusement I found out that in atleast 40 constituencies the result could have swung either way where the Congress was defeated by margins between 500- 8,000 votes. Remember, this happened in a highly polarized election and when the BJP was a united force which is not now the case when the Party is badly divided. Finally, it all boils down to the turnout. If the poor turnout in large numbers on the polling day, Modi is certain to be shown the door and that is a high probability. Regarding development, even Modi has disowned it and now banking on divisive factors to tilt the scales in his favour. So it is pointless to talk about when even Modi doesn�t have confidence to propogate the so-called development he has ushered in !!

I do not know what wrong Digvijay said. As the Tehelka tapes clearly showed about VHP activists boasting on camera that they even manufactured bombs and used it during the riots. So, citing this, he said there is Hindu terrorism too in Gujarat. What is wrong in his statement ??

Mr Patriot, They may deny it in Delhi and before the Supreme Court, but will trumpet the same in Gujarat to the fanatic crowds. In fact if the Supreme Court gives an adverse judgement on Modi, they will lambast the SC too. BJP/RSS always blame other parties for vote bank politics, which is true, but they are its worst practitioners !!

This is like hiding a pumpkin inside a plate of rice. First of all, Modi has no right to talk about Sohrabuddin in an election meeting as the matter was sub-judice. The tape on the particular meeting is very clear wherein Modi exhorts the crowd into a frenzy by calling him by his name and speaking about the credentials of Sohrabuddin and branding him a Terrorist by saying what could the Police do with a man who was having AK-47 and bombs ? Finally, when the crowd say �Kill him,kill him, he concludes by saying as to whether he needs Sonia ben�s permission to do that. One doesn�t know whether Sohrabuddin is a terrorist or not as the matter is before the Supreme Court. But the question is how could any responsible Chief Minister blatantly play to the gallery by speaking on a matter which is sub-judice and also exhort the crowd for revenge ? Moreso when it was his own Government which has filed an affidavit in the SC calling it a fake encounter and also punishing the concerned Police Officers by lodging them in prison ?? If Sohrabuddin is indeed a terrorist as the Government claims, it should have filed an affidavit on those lines !!

It is ironical that while Modi is being hailed as �Hindutva Hriday Samrat� by most BJP supporters, the Parent body ie. major sections of the State RSS/VHP are opposed to Modi tooth and nail and even supporting the Congress. What is the reason for this ? May be they are showing to the World what �Hindutva� really is and the so-called Hindus can never be united !!

My dear Friend Mr Rajaye_Hind, it is the so-called �Hindutva� which makes some people overlook all the wrongs of rank communal and neo-liberal party like the BJP !! But they must realize the very Hindutva forces in Gujarat are opposing Modi and supporting the Congress. They must ponder as to what is the reason for it ???

Mr Patriot, he is playing the usual Politician games that he was quoted out of context !!

Mr Patriot, trying to wriggle themselves out of the controversy, the BJP has started to play dirty games. They want to Project Modi as the one who has been targeted by the Election Commission for no reason and thereby gain sympathy votes. If the Supreme Court indicts Modi, then the Party will shamelessly start blaming the Supreme Court too. That is their style. The EC did well to issue notices to Sonia, Digvijay too thereby demonstrating that they are a very neutral Institution. But, comparing Sonia�s �merchant of death� remarks to Modi�s is just ridiculous. Modi has challenged the very �rule of law� whereas Sonia and Digvijay can at best be accused for violating the moral code !!

Mr True, it is not a secular analysis. I know casteism is as communal as religion. It is the reality in India where caste is the determining factor and Modi already becoming a �demon� for Muslims. It is not that I want the Congress to win. For me, every party in India are one and the same in different garbs. Only that I see the BJP as more neo-liberal and communal than other parties due to their past actions. That is the reason I do not want them to come to power at any cost. But the verdict does not depend on my or your opinion, it depends upon the people who still vote in our Mobocracy !!

There is never Constitutional ethics in this Country. It has been destroyed time and again by various Political parties. As long as there is no strict action, this trend will continue in future too !!

Finally, what is BJP's stand ? Does they believe Sohrabuddin's is a fake encounter or not ? Modi replies one thing to election commission and tells another thing to the people !!

Mr Gale, in what way Buddhadeb is troubled by Gujarat elections. He has enough troubles in his own State to sort out. Anyway his clarification now should close this matter !!

A majority of the Forum members along with a elitist section feel that this election will be a walkover for Modi. Admitting that the Congress is weak in Gujarat it is pertinent to note that even in the heavily communaly polarised election of 2002, the Congress secured 40% of the valid votes polled. This election is different with the BJP as a party ranged against its Leader and the Congress has caste arthimetic in its favour. Finally, all depends on the voter turnout. There is a 15% tribal population in Gujarat along with 7% Dalits. Muslims too number nearly 10% of the electoral population. If these communities turnout in large numbers on the polling date, then it will be advantage Congress. So, it is better not to count the chickens before they are out !!

Mr Gale, Sonia could have avoided those remarks of "merchant of death". But, I do not think this election is a walk over for Modi as you feel. I strongly believe that the Congress has caste arthimetic in its favour in Gujarat. It all depends on the turnout during elections. Gujarat has 15% tribal population and a 7% Dalit population. Moreover, there is a 10% Muslim population in Gujarat. If these communities turn out to booths in large numbers then it will be goodbye for Modi !! Anyway why count the chickens before they are out, let us wait for two more weeks and we will know the true picture. It is always wise to remember the fiasco of "India shining" !!

If Sonia had said anything wrong by saying �merchants of death� let the election commission take necessary action on her. But to say that this provoked him and also compare that with Modi�s utterance on the Sohrabuddin issue is ridiculous to say the least. Modi quoted on a matter which is sub-judice. That too being a Chief Minister of a State, he justified a murder by saying that whether he needs Sonia�s permission to do that after the crowd responded in a hysterical manner. The fact that Sohrabuddin is a criminal or not is to be proved in the Court of Law and the BJP Government of Gujarat has filed an affidavit itself saying that it was a fake encounter. So, if Modi is condemning fake encounters, how can he justify the murder of Sohrabuddin in an election meeting. Double talk and double speak is the hall mark of Modi as usual !!

I have never said that Mr Gale. I only stressed upon our poor judicial system !!

Mr Patriot, I do not think this Forum is an indicator of any support as such. Afterall only 2% of the total populace of the Country have the privilege to use internet. So, you can just ignore this support !!

Mr Gale that is an afterthought and double speak as usual. He is on record and caught on camera inciting the crowd and justifying the murder of Sohrabuddin. How can he call Sohrabuddin�s as a fake encounter when in the Supreme Court it is his own Government which has filed an affidavit that it was a cold blooded murder and punished the culprits. This stand is simply ridiculous to say the least !!

Now Buddhadeb has spiked another controversy by unnecessarily raising a debate about the existence of Ram. I do not know what was the provocation for his utterances. The ASI did that because there was a provocation from the other side scuttling a so-called development Project. But, in his case, it sounds rather distasteful to just question a religion�s or a sect�s belief. Granted, he has the freedom of expression to espouse his views. If it is a rational belief and he doesn�t believe the existence of �God� as a entity, why should it be just against one religion and a mythological character in particular ? If he has the courage, he should also question the existence of Allah and Jesus too as all Gods are just a figment of human imagination. However, the truth is he will not be able to do so considering the serious repercussions. So, it is better not to use freedom of expression on a selective basis and spoil one�s own credibility. He must also realize that such selective targeting can only help the very forces he wish to wage a war against !!

EC sends notice to everybody. But it will be judged only by its stern action setting a precedent which has been absent so far. Considering the past, I am not very confident !!

How ignorant can one be ? It is party affiliation that makes one blind. It was only the Modi Government which has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court accepting that gunning of Soharabuddin was a fake encounter and a cold blooded murder & also punished the guilty Police Officers. If so, how come he is now singing a different tune in a public meeting and exhorting people to kill by inciting communal passions and also says that he finished him just like they said in a very cool way. If he really felt that Sohrabuddin is a criminal, his Government should have boldly made that plea in the Supreme Court. Isn�t it ? If this is so, why this double standards today and also with the spectacle of a Chief Minister taking law into his own hands !!

Sir, How ignorant can one be ? It is party affiliation that makes one blind. It is only the Modi Government which has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court accepting that gunning of Soharabuddin was a fake encounter and cold blooded murder & also punished the guilty Police Officers. If so, how come he is now singing a different tune ? If he really felt that Sohrabuddin is a criminal, his Government should have boldly made that plea in the Supreme Court. Isn�t it ?

Mr Patriot, The tragedy of electoral system in this Country is that you can raise emotive issues and win votes. The Election Commission does nothing except watching it. It is very quick to issue a notice, but there is no follow-up action after that. Not long back,there was the communal CD flare up in Uttar Pradesh and the Election Commission made a big issue out of it, but now where does the case stand today, no one knows ? Only if the Election commission is strict and exercises its authority atleast once there will be conformity to election laws in this Country. But as like many other set-ups in this Country, it is too teethless. Really shameful !!

It is not a challenge to the Congress or Left. It is a challenge to the �rule of law� for which the Supreme Court and the Election Commission should take strong action. But looking at the past events doesn�t inspire any confidence at all !!

Mr Gale, I wonder how can the people of Gujarat decide a blatant violation of the �law of the land�. First of all, what constitutes a peoples mandate when most do not vote ? Hardly the turnout crosses 50% in many instances. All this talk of Politicians obtaining peoples mandate to justify their excesses is totally rubbish and I am shocked you are endorsing it too. You seem to be having different rules for Karunanidhi and Modi. Finally, It is our teethless Election commission which makes people like Modi survive and pollute the electoral battle !!

Okay, the Congress follows dynastic politics and it needs to be severely condemned. But, dynastic politics is being religiously followed by almost the entire political spectrum without exception. The BJP which talks so much about the dynastic politics of Congress doesn�t feel shy to adopt it whenever required. Very recently in the UP elections, Kalyan Singh, Rajnath Singh and Lalji Tandon made their son as MLA nominees. Similarly in Rajasthan, the son of Vasundaraje and the son of Jaswant Singh are MLAs and one is a Minister. This is only just an instance and there are many examples. Similarly parties like the DMK, Shiv Sena, National Conference, RJD, Samajwadi Party etc. unabashedly follow dynastic politics. So, who has the right to criticize whom ??

I strongly feel that human rights activist like Teestha Salavad should also concentrate on the Pandits who have been made refugees in their own Country, on the plight of Dalits and Scheduled castes who are being constantly persecuted by Uppercaste and Backward caste people, on the families who have lost their sole bread winners due to terrorism activities etc. She definitely can also involve herself in persecution against the minority population. But rightly or wrongly she gives an impression that her only concentration is on the issue of Minority (especially Muslim persecution) and the rest doesn�t matter. When the Taslima issue was burning, she was nowhere to talk about freedom of expression. But, she will be in the forefront to protest about the fanatical mentality of Hindu zealots. Such a one sided stand doesn�t suit her status as a self-styled human rights activist !!

Mr Flesh, I agree with you on the Teestha issue. Her credibility is completely eroded. Either it is co-incidental or something, she gives an impression that she will be in the vanguard only on issues concerned about minority persecution which is absolute nonsense and polluting the whole concept of a human rights activist !!

There is no dispute over the fact that all those MPs connected with human trafficking issue should be punished. But, giving the judicial system in our Country it will only remain a pipedream except for poor Katara who was caught red handed !!

I totally agree with you on the double standards of people like Teestha Selavad. She gives an impression that she will come out only on issues concerned about Minorities which is total nonsense and polluting the whole concept of a human rights activist !!

The problem with BJP supporters is they also deviate from the topic on hand and go hither and there !!

How you say perception Mr Gale ? I am unable to understand. He is openly asking the people a question as to whether a man should be murdered or not and getting the response he says that is what I have done. This is totally contrary to what his Government filed in the affidavit in Supreme Court where it accepted it was a cold blood murder and promised to take action against the concerned policemen who are still languishing in Jail. If this is the case, I do not know where the question of perception comes at all ??

Mr Gale, since you often say that you are not prejudiced, I expected a more clear response from you !!

What a double faced man is this person called Modi. By his stand, he has besmirched the Constitutional position he occupies. He has went against the Highest Court of the Land by talking in a matter which is sub-judice and therefore is liable to be prosecured for sheer contempt of law. His Government in an affidavit files one thing and states very clearly that the Sohrabuddin encounter was cold-blooded and promises to take action against the concerned policemen who are still languishing in Jail. But Modi exactly tells the opposite to the audience and exort them to kill in an election meeting by justifying a murder. Modi and his ilk have proved as to how low they can stoop for cheap votes !!

Well said my dear Friend Mr Rajaye_Hind. It is a pity that a person who justifies a cold blooded murder is occupying a Chief Ministerial position !!

Mr Gale, I do not think the Congress ever raised the Soharabuddin issue as you claim. It is only that Sonia called Modi as �merchant of death� referring to the genocide. It is Modi who took up voluntarily the Soharabuddin issue in the election meeting to play to the gallery. His Government is filing an affidavit in the Supreme Court that the Soharabuddin murder was cold-blooded and also expresses its determination to punish the concerned Police Officers. On the other hand, Modi in his election meeting exactly does the opposite of what his Government position is to gain cheap votes. I think this is enough to know the true colours of people like Modi !!

Moreover if you say the Secular Media particularly the CNN-IBN and NDTV are partisan, then how they come out with a Opinion poll which puts Modi ahead ? You are also only quoting that to say Modi is ahead. That shows the total hypocrisy inbuilt in you !!

The State government of Gujarat itself had admitted in Supreme Court that Sohrabuddin was killed in a fake encounter. Three IPS officers, including DIG border range D G Vanzara, who was formerly heading the Anti-Terrorist Squad of the Gujarat police, were arrested in connection with the case and the matter is now in the Courts. If this is the scenario, I do not know how a Chief Minister of a State conduct himself in such a irresponsible fashion to claim that Sohrabuddin was a criminal and so the killing was warranted. He is only just playing to the gallery for cheap votes and speaking on a matter which is sub-judicial. If Sohrabuddin is indeed a criminal, then what about Sohrabuddin�s wife who was raped and killed ? Was she too a criminal ?Till yesterday, Modi would assure to punish those who murdered Sohrabuddin & his wife in mysterious circumstances. Today he is telling the crowd that they deserved death. Modi is the Judge, lawyer, witness & hangman all unto himself. Our laws become very active for ordinary people but become impotent before Modi & associates. Shame wants to go in hiding when we boast of being citizens of a large democracy, the essence of which is rule of law !!

Modi is talking about everything except the so-called development !!

I am surprised and shocked that you still believe in opinion polls and exit polls even after their flip-flops and failure to predict correctly often ??

Well said Mr Gabriel !! It is unfortunate that even educated people fall prey to these kind of tactics deployed by Politicians !!

Why the BJP is following and emulating the Congress in everyway ? Why can�t you be different as you say �You are party with a difference� ??

That is the point. Having decried the personality tag often, why the BJP is following the Congress or even bettering it ??

Mr Stopperbhai, I do not want to comment upon the terror target on Rahul. But, I see you are making a big fuss about the absence of a Chief Ministerial candidate for the Congress in Gujarat. Many elections have been won by parties in the past without projecting anybody as a Chief Minister. Even the BJP has done that before. In the 2004 Lok Sabha polls, the Congress didn�t project anybody as Prime Minister and the BJP was trying to convert the polls into a Presidential contest. But did the people buy that thesis ???

The difference between the Congress and BJP is the Congress or any other Party for that matter doesn�t make hype on development and terrorism just like the BJP does often. You talk about development in Gujarat. Please understand that this kind of lopsided development takes place in any State in India. In fact, States like Tamil Nadu, Maharasthara, Punjab, Karnataka or even Kerala performs better than Gujarat in the all important Human development indicators. The difference is those parties which rule those States doesn�t make it such a big hype like the BJP does often. The CM of Maharasthara doesn�t deny suicides are taking place in Maharasthara as in Gujarat. Moreover, a Congress rule in Gujarat is not going to do any wonders and they will face the same anti-incumbency factor the next time around. This is Indian elections which you are not able to understand or do not want to understand just because you are affiliated to a certain divisive ideology. You are saying that I am not predicting a Congress win and only hazarding a guess after seeing the Media reports and Opinion polls. If you have seen my posts much before (even a year back) I had already indicated that the Congress was all set to take over Gujarat provided the election is not polarized on any communal issue such as the riots in 2002. It is not that I am commenting after seeing the Media reports or opinion polls. You are seeing I am posting just based on Media reports. This is simply ridiculous. Everybody knows the state of affairs in the Country only through the Media both Print and Visual and only based on that we frame our opinion. Seeing many elections in India from the early 1990s, it has become clear that anti-incumbency syndrome will take its toll and my prediction was based just on that premise. Even in 2004 Lok Sabha elections and the recent assembly elections in Uttar pradesh, you were confident. But what happened ? Moreover, please understand that Sonia is not my aunt, just as Vajpayee, Modi and Advani are your uncle !!

Yes, Mr Patriot. Just because I question Modi�s hype some people will brand me as a Congress supporter. The truth is all parties in India are only cheating the people, some in a small way and some in a big way just like the�India Shining�and �Vibrant Gujarat�!!

I wholeheartedly endorse your opinion Mr Gabriel !!

You are wrong Mr True. Tehelka has exposed the Congress too many a time. Why are you forgetting the Jessica Lal murder case, anti-sikh riots expose and even the cash-for-query scam where a Congress MP was involved !!

These fanatics will never change. All Religions are surely a scourge to the Society as a whole. They divide people in the name of God, Caste etc. How rightly Karl Marx pointed out that �Religion is the opium of the masses� ?!

Thank you Mr Parandhaman for your agreement !!

Mr Gale, By the face of it, I think you are pointing to a Modi win in the elections. But, I feel otherwise. Things are not going to be easy for Modi at all. My optimism stems from the dreaded anti-incumbency syndrome which have dislodged many hyped personalities like Naidu, Krishna and Vajpayee who were touted by the Media as certain �winners� in the past. Atleast they didn�t have the dissidence factor to take into account like Modi is facing today. Even accepting the fact that the Congress is weak in Gujarat, I do not see any scope for smooth sailing by Modi. Anyway let us wait for the final outcome. If Modi repeats his 2002 performance (even in terms of seats and not votes) braving such odds (which will be a miracle) then we have to certainly accept the fact that he is a great orator who can build castles in the air which Gujarati people are prepared to believe !!

Despite the elites praising Modi to sky high, �Modi�s aura� is simply overhyped. Personality cult, which the RSS decries often as a �Congress culture� is being religiously practiced by BJP often. They did that to Vajpayee during the NDA reign and said that the Country had no other alternative other than him. But the 2004 verdict told a different story altogether and even in the pet constituency of Lucknow, the turnout was below 36%. Pathetic to say the least. Similarly Modi is being praised to sky high levels by his Supporters, mainly by the urban elites and NRIs as a man who is the messiah of �Development and Prosperity� and a figurehead of �Hindutva�. But, the fact that Gujarat is already a relatively prosperous State and Modi has done no wonders is well ignored. Despite the so-called development, it is a fact that Gujarat has fallen behind in several human development indicators. The Gujarat Government denied outright that there were no farmer suicides, but finally through the courtesy of right to information Act, they were compelled to share the tragic suicides of more than 500 farmers. The round-the-clock electricity is also a big sham especially in the rural areas and what has caused distressed is the high tariff charged for irregular supply. About Modi�s personality, the less said the better. He is man who is a publicity maniac and wants his face embossed everywhere around the nook and corners of the State. He created an impression of himself of being more bigger than the Party and ie. the reason the dissidence has raised its ugly head with even a staunch RSS loyalist such as Kesubhai revolting against him. The dissidence has raised to such a feverish pitch and the BJP�s self-professed tag of �Party discipline� has gone with the wind with the Party just grappling and not knowing what to do ? A man who cannot keep his own party together, how can he be described as a �Great Leader� ??? The BJP escaped the anti-incumbency in Gujarat only due to emotive issues coming to the fore in election campaigns right from 1990 and this election is very different and is being fought on livelihood issues. Never mind the Opinion polls or exit polls, the Congress is sure to give Modi a run-for-his money and this is the stand I am maintaining all along !!

My dear Friend Mr Rajaye_Hind, I cannot agree with you when you say that Taslima is staying here illegally. She has been given a valid Visa which is to expire only in February, 2008, by the Indian Government with Kolkata as her temporary home. The fact that her own Country drove her out shows the utter fanatical leanings of its rulers showing them in a rather poor light. She has sought refuge in our Country with the hope that our Country has place for freedom of expression and we are proving her wrong by our conduct !!

Mr Gale, even now it is unfortunate that some fanatics are still not satisfied. Really shameful to call ourselves a �Secular Country� with no freedom of expression in every case !!

The title is �Can Rahul Gandhi make a impact in Gujarat polls �, but I think this is totally irrelevant as I do not see Rahul Gandhi anywhere in the campaigning trail of Gujarat !!

Mr Gale, In India if you see elections are won only on a negative mode and that is on the plank of �anti-incumbency�. People do not vote on the basis of a positive manifesto of any Party, but only with a desire to punish the ruler of the day. They do not vote for a Opposition on account of a better future as they often tested all the Parties in the scene, but only with the intention of dislodging the incumbent. So, it is no wonder that Politicians follow the people !! If you better call it �Jaisa Praja, Vaisa Raja� !!

Mr Stopperbhai, I do not know whether you have watched my posts all along. I have always maintained that Islam as a Religion has more fanatics in its ranks than other religions. Islam goes a step further in religious fanaticism by way of terror activities in the name of �Jihad� which is to be condemned by all right thinking people around the Globe and not just in India. However, I totally differ with you when it comes to condoning fanatics amongst the Hindus which will be a prejudiced view. You must realize that fanaticism by one religion evokes a sharper reaction from the other. It is a vicious circle which will not stop unless we put a full stop to fanatical elements. Even today, I maintain that if not for the demoliton of Babri Masjid, terror activities would have been somewhat minimized than it is today. Regarding psuedo-secularism which you often stress upon, I even now maintain that all parties are psuedo-secular in India including the BJP. Having a democracy like ours and not wanting to practice vote bank politics is asking for too much. It is the same way as practicing Globalisation with unbridled capitalism and still talking about equitable growth and protecting the environment which is just not possible as they contradict each other !!

If there is any other Politician who can compete with Gowda, it is the fire brand Sanyasian Uma who has proved her mettle with her indecisions often and frequent flip-flops. She calls Modi a psuedo-Hindu and BJP as a anti-Hindu party, but come elections, she wants her candidates to withdraw since she doesn�t want to avoid split of Hindu votes What a bundle of contradiction this lady is and she was also once the Chief Minister of a State. I pity the people of that State !!

We often pride ourselves as a working democracy and an open society. All open societies must permit absolute freedom to individuals � artistes or not � to question and reject inherited wisdom. Taslima Nasreen has been reduced to living the life of a fugitive on the run all because some fringe Muslim group decided to mix up the carnage in Nandigram with literary censorship and because the CPI(M) government was too nervous to question the bizarre juxtaposition of the protestors. This is disgusting to say the least as we see the State Machinery which prides itself on secularism bowing before the dictates of fundamentalists. We also see the Sangh Parivar and particularly a butcher like Modi who have made a mockery of �freedom of expression� in the past standing behind Taslima only to gain political mileage out of it and with the objective to paint others as �psuedo-secular�. But, the question is whether the Sangh Parivar is fit enough to talk about individual liberty, freedom of expression etc., when they can be accused with ample justification of damaging every expression of individual liberty in the name of hurting religious sentiments. They are not so na�ve to understand that the current fanatical upsurge of the Minority community too can be justified on the same grounds as one cannot set borderlines in a civil society for what is tolerable and what is not ? That is simply not workable. Finally the Central Government needs to be appreciated for standing behind Taslima. The Taslima Nasreen controversy is not as important for what it says about her as it is for what it says about us � as a country and as a people !!

Yes, Ideology today is totally extinct from our Politics. But, if you see here many Members in this Forum are only supporting a Party based on its ideology. They feel that the policy of Hindutva will cleanse the Party of all its sins and Omissions & Commissions. Eventhough for the Parties ideology doesn�t mean anything and what matters is power alone, their supporters have different ideas !!

Mr Gale, Some days ago you and Mr True were apprehending that the Congress might once again tie-up with Gowda in Karnataka and I strongly countered it saying that it will be �once bitten, twice shy� for the Congress and today with news about imminent dissolution of the Assembly, my stand has been vindicated. I feel the Congress has not been tempted despite the JD(S) and its Chief Deva Gowda offering it support and even Krishna offering to break-up from the JD(S) to form a Government with the Congress. So, here they have differentiated themselves from the BJP and limited their greed !!

The difference between you and me is simple. You are willing to curtail freedom of expression when the boot is on the other leg. When Hindu fanatics and Zealots target Artists and Filmmakers, you justify the same on account of hurting the so-called �Hindu sentiments�. However, when the Muslim fanatics target liberal faces like Taslima you jump up and down shouting freedom of expression. I am very clear about Freedom of expression and will condemn whoever curbs it and not like you in a very partial manner which exposes the rank double standards. So, who is shedding crocodile tears is very clear ? Regarding Assam violence, some adivasi groups wanted to be recognized as �Scheduled Castes� and there was violence when two groups pitted against one another. How can the UPA or the Congress held responsible for it. The question is did they promise something to a Community that they will be classified under Scheduled caste during elections exactly the way BJP did in Rajasthan promising �Scheduled caste� status to Gujjar Community. Kiran Bedi has sought resignation since he had a tug of war with her Seniors. What has the UPA Government got to do with it. Please talk some sense !!

The stand of inviduals like Gurudas Gupta is highly appreciable. The West Bengal Government should listen to this sane counsel !!

Mr Maran, I thought the Left should have stood its ground and not bowed to threats from the religious Fanatics. Certainly, they could have provided the necessary Security to Taslima. Instead, asking Taslima to leave fearing law and order problems only exposes the Government and its will to deal with threats from fanatics. I would also put the Rajasthan Government which shifted Taslima to Delhi fearing law and order under the same category !!

The news is out is that Karnataka Assembly is to be dissolved anytime sooner than later. Here, many Members like Mr Gale and Mr True were apprehending that the Congress is likely to tie-up with Deva Gowda headed by JD(S) once again. But this has not happened despite Gowda�s overtures to Congress and even a faction headed by Prakash pledging their support to Congress for Government formation. The Congress rightly did not fall prey to these teasers and lollypops unlike the BJP which despite being ditched once showed overt greed in assuming Office even taking into account the inherently unstable arrangement it seemed right from the beginning. Congress has proved itself different in this case by sticking to the common one liner �once bitten twice shy� !!

Mr Gale, we see only blame game in the Country without appropriate mechanism to counter terrorism put in place. The SP blames the BSP, the BJP blames the UPA, Mayavati blames the Central Intelligence. But, what was the State Intelligence doing when it has become clear that UP has become a hot bed to Jihadi elements with frequent terror strikes ? As a first step, I think we must pack our Central Intelligence with more talents who would act rather than react to terror strikes. Second, the State Police Departments have to be modernized to suit the changing times and they must have the best technology available with them. Third, the number of Police stations in the Country have to be increased in proportion to the growing Population. Fourth existing laws should be added more teeth and it is not enough if laws are in place, they must be implemented in letter and spirit. Fifth, the Government must not succumb to threats from the Human Rights activists and they must give a free hand to the Army and the Police. Ofcourse, there will be innocents who will be targeted and that cannot be avoided, but that cannot act a deterrent to curbing terror activities. If we proceed along with these lines, I am sure Terrorism can be minimized although it cannot be eradicated once for all !!

The question is whether only Deva Gowda and his sons have amassed ill-gotten wealth ? Are the BJP and Congress leaders anyway clean ? I do not think they have the moral right to expose Deva Gowda when their hands are unclean !!

Yes, it is truly amazing from where Mr True gets such information ??? I am curious to know Mr Gale�s opinion on this !!

No Party is sacrosanct when it comes to protecting freedom of expression in our Country unmindful of the religious bigots and their fanatical fatwas. The BJP wants the Centre to protect Taslima Nasrin (very rightly), but on the other hand is not tolerating freedom of expression when it comes to attacking the so-called Hindu sentiments. Husian is still afraid to tread into India fearing the Hindu Zealots who have placed a prize on his head Moreover, the virolic attack on the students and Professors over an art exhibition in Gujarat, the banning of the film Parzania in Gujarat and the cultural terrorism organized against Valentines day etc. clearly exposes their double standards on the issue. The Left which is very quick to condemn Hindu Zealots whenever freedom of expression becomes a casualty has no hesitation in asking Taslima to pack her bags and leave the State. So, they adopt different yardsticks for measuring fanaticism and while being tough on Hindu fundamentalism, they easily given into the threats of the fanatics from the Islamic Community which clearly exposes their duplicity in dealing with such issues. Similarly the Congress, too is not insulated and has many times caved in to the bigotry threats both from the Majority and Minority fanatics. In this Country, unfortunately the freedom of expression is only on paper !!

Mr Gale, I also wish to inform you that the one post you responded in haste initiating all kinds of accusations against me in �how National media influence elections in Gujarat� was not my Id, but one belonging to an Imposter called nariman_786. You can very well go there and check for yourself. I have never tried to indulge in personal abuse while engaging in debates as far as possible. That is why I always wish to caution you to check well before you respond to any message. In the end, in utter frustration you said we should part as good friends. However, I now say why can�t we continue our friendship !!

I am certainly surprised that you are not able to see the difference. A duplicate ID by name Nariman_786 is castigating you and you have just vent out everything against me. That is why I say often to see well through your glasses before you comment on anything !! I am sure you will take this in the right spirit !!

Mr Gale � Please watch out. It is not me. It is another duplicate ID !! I am Nariman_789, whereas it is Nariman_786!!

Mr Gale, Certainly I agree that this is not the way she should be treated. The West Bengal Government should have boldly given her protection against fundamentalists. Freedom of expression has gone for a toss once again in this Country. It is sad state of affairs. The ball is in the court of Central Government. But, why has she been moved even from Jaipur ???

When their game was very well known, how did the BJP believe them the third time ?? Going to such ludicrous lengths and you are asking me not to criticize it here. How can that be Sir ??

Mr Rajaye_Hind, Why you too have started this game of duplicate ids

Her visa is set to expire in February, 2008. This is a test case for freedom of expression and the Government should not succumb to pressure tactics from fanatics and go ahead to extend her visa. This poor lady has nowhere to go and her security is at stake !!

What are you saying here ? He is saying whether I committed murder and you want to respond to that in a cool way. This exposes you outright Mr Gale. He is shifting from the topic and personally abusing me and you are defending him !! Keep it up !!

I will launch a attack only when there is justification to attack. Remember I have attacked every Party many times on this Message Board. Even recently I called for the resignation of the West Bengal Chief Minister on the Nandigram issues. So take off your glasses and see things in its perspective !!

A post of Mr Gale, saying how could the Congress embrace MLAs from the BJP for the Gujarat Assembly elections disappeared. I give my counter to it as follows :- It applies both ways. You are seeing just the one side (as always). In the same way, how could you justify the BJP embracing MLAs and MPs from other parties to contest on its ticket as it slams them psuedo-secular in its terminology. Is it justified ? Is it not the worst kind of opportunism ? Also, how could the BJP align itself with those parties which it calls as psuedo-secular ? One can very well argue that when a MLA or MP quits the party and join another party, he or she embraces its ideology shedding the earlier one !! Reply from you (without prejudice) to clarify the above will be appreciated from my end !!

The issue was mixing up of the Ayaram and Gayaram issue with the current one and I proved they are entirely different !!

It is you who brought this issue and I just countered it. Is it not ?? By the way, you are also only attacking the Left and Congress in this Message Board. I have never seen you criticizing BJP anywhere. While from my side, I can very well say that I have criticized the Left and Congress too many times on this Message Board. So, who is prejudiced ??

Mr Gale, Did I say anywhere that NDA implemented the Project. I only said that NDA gave the go-ahead to this Project and for your information the same was also highlighted in their 2004 election manifesto. If you have the time, you can go through it !!

Don�t pretend that you are not. You are the one who is posting in duplicate ids not having the courage to enter into any debate. I have seen you all the times indulging in personal abuse without sticking to the topic. So better I ignore such fanatics !!

Mr Gale, It applies both ways. In the same way, how can you justify BJP embracing MLAs and MPs from other Parties who it slams as psuedo-secular ? or even an alliance with other Parties which it slams psuedo-secular ? Is that not sheer opportunism and manipulation of the worst order ? While I agree with you that it is some kind of opportunism involved to filed former BJP MLAs. Yet one can argue that they embrace a certain party agreeing with its ideology shedding the earlier one !!

The question is not about one boasting about a murder, it is about the severity of the crime. Understand that !!

I have to only bring the previous Government files to show all those particulars. But, is it worth it ? If you would have seen the Media, TR Balu, the Minister for Shipping showed those documents where the NDA approved the present alignment. However, you will not believe him. You will not believe Govindacharyas words also. It was the PM Vajpayee who in a grand public meeting gave the go-ahead to the Sethu Samudram Project in Chennai in 2002. However, thank you atleast for endorsing now that Ram Sethu could be declared as a National Monument !!

The BJP�s claim that JD(S) gave unconditional support is sheer nonsense. Even as the JD(S) pledged their support to the Yeduriappa Government, Deva Gowda imposed 12 Commandments to be honoured and also sought a MoU to be signed between both the Parties. The BJP High command in their overt greed to occupy power at any cost set aside those saying those were mere suggestions which can be looked into after the Government took over Office. Some of those conditions which were included in the beginning were the alliance to end in the event of a Lok Sabha polls, cash-rich Ministerial positions to JD(S) nominees and the non-induction of a BJP MLA who called for a criminal case against Kumaraswamy. Later, when the Governor insisted on an unconditional support from the JD(S) MLAs for Yeduriappa to be invited in the first place, the BJP campaign Managers begged Kumaraswamy to offer that letter to the Governor which was done. However, Gowda stood by his 12 conditions. This letter of unconditional support was just a ploy to cheat the Governor. Later, the 12 conditions imposed by Gowda became 21 and after some negotiations, some of the conditions were dropped like the alliance falling apart in the event of Lok Sabha etc. The BJP Leaders were under the impression that the JD(S) had no option but to support the BJP and they just thought they could play a game and took Gowda threats for granted. In the event of winning the confidence vote, they thought they could continue as a caretaker Government. But the wily Gowda understood their game and gave the parting kick. Finally, the BJP wallahs were prepared to stake claim to form a Government which was inherently instable. Yeduriappa emerged just as a man who would be satisfied even if he was Chief Minister for a day. However, now we see the �innocence� theory being sold out by BJP to their foolish followers !!

A frustrated Sangh Parivar fanatic showing his true colours !! Keep up the culture !!

The twelve conditions were there even before the JD(S) gave the so-called unconditional support of individual affidavits to the Governor and demonstrated shamelessly to the President. The BJP High command brushed aside those saying that they were mere suggestions. Who they are cheating now to say it was unconditional support ?? They can sell their theory to fools !!

Aayaram and Gayaram was about the actions of individual MLAs in those days when horse-trading was a norm when they were just criss-crossing from one party to another. Karnataka is specifically about two parties acting under the command of the National leadership. It is ludicrous to compare the two !!

My dear Friend Mr Rajaye_Hind, Apart from its extreme neo-liberal policies, the communal polarization for its electoral benefit is another dangerous portent to this Country. It is a Party which will do anything for power and is most power hungry Party in this Country. This has been proved many times before the Karnataka episode also. How one can forget Vajpayee accepting to form a Government with just 160 seats knowing fully well that his Government is not going to last long. They were also claiming then that they had the peoples mandate with just 20% of the valid votes. Even before the Government won the vote of confidence, and in the thirteen days they were taking very important decisions like clearing the Enron Project to which they were opposed all along as an opposition. Simply a Party without any principles and policies just wanting power to please the Business Houses and Corporates for its monetary advantage !! A disgusting party and is a Cancer on our polity !!

The all India Minorities Forum has combined two disconnected issues namely Nandigram and Taslima and staged a protest which turned so violent that the army needs to be called in to maintain peace. Both the Central and the State Government should not give into the pressure of these fanatical forces and it is our duty to protect liberal faces like Taslima Nasreen who have every right in the World to express their opinion. By succumbing to such fanatical forces, we will only be setting a wrong example !!

Mr Gale The BJP had a full two years ahead of them before this Scheme was sanctioned. If they had any interest for this so-called bridge built by Ram as they claim they would have taken steps to protect it by declaring it as a National Monument when the Scheme was sanctioned in the first place. As regards asking a BJP Spokesperson, what questions can be posed to them when they are following classic double standards in each and every issue. I was posing this question to you only because you intervened to my post when I raised as to why the NDA did not declare it as a National Monument. So as a person who defended their stand, it is natural I posed the question to you !!

So we need to wait and watch the situation as to whether the Congress aligns with the JD(S) once again with Gowda at the helm. The reason I am suspicious about the BJP and JD(S) tie up is they have set a dangerous trend of doing anything for the sake of power. Those who have aligned twice, why can�t it be for the third time too ??

If the Centre goes for dissolution, what is going to be our stand ? we are going to see it here ?! Be happy, if the people do not hit BJP and JDS with chappals !!

My dear Friend Mr Rajaye-Hind, He may have his views. But he cannot be intolerant and say others are not matured. This is a Forum and everybody have the right to express their views and it is essentially for debates. But, I see many Sangh Parivar Supporters showing their rugged cultured and exposing themselves not willing to tolerate criticism !!

For some reason, you are confusing issues to protect some Party. Aayarams and Gayarams were nothing but MLAs moving from one party to another. The present incident in Karnataka is unparalleled and one of its kind where a Party which cried betrayal immediately joining hands once again within a matter of days . If you have any such instance, you may please quote here for the benefit of Forum Members !!

True it applies to one and all who are still protecting their favourite Party by painting everybody in the same brush !!

So far in Indian Political history, we have never seen shameful drama like in Karnataka. Always the scene prior to this was the alliance partners quarelling amongst themselves and splitting off. They have never joined hands once again within a fortnight after fighting like barking dogs outside like it happened in Karnataka. May be, they would have had an alliance much later in the next elections which is also opportunism. That is another point. But certainly we were never witness to this kind of drama. The sad part in all these was some educated intellectuals also lending their support to the claims of their dear party without bothering about the steep political opportunism inherent in it. Never they would have imagined that this Government would fall in just seven days to become a laughing stock and what a great foray by the Saffron Party to South India. Wonderful !! It is the Supreme Court�s observation in the Bihar Assembly dissolution case which is responsible for all the current unsavoury happenings wherein they have given blanket license to Politicians to do anything for the sake of power !!

A man who has committed one murder, will be let off with life imprisonment. While a man who has committed two or more murders will be hanged and ie. the BJP. They are fit to be hanged for duping the people!!

Only one opinion poll has come on Gujarat till date. Where is the question of average ?

Still sympathy votes for BJP ??? Are you still living under that illusion ??

Dissolution can happen, provided ofcourse, the BJP and JD(S) do not join once again and claim Governance as per the Supreme Court�s observation in the Bihar Dissolution case where it mentioned that shifting of stands by political parties, change of alliances, horse trading etc do not matter and what matter is numbers alone. Going by that dictat, there is still that possibility with these two parties namely the BJP and JD(S) and the BJP is an expert in staging dharnas. Moreover, Rajnath Singh has also told that he doesn�t mind BJP being betrayed again and again. So, there is no problem from his end also. The so-called educated intellectuals are always there to render support to their claim once again !!

There is a difference between men who committed one murder and three or four murders !!

I only brought that out to say that the so-called Ram Sethu can be an under water treat !! How can you dispute that ??

Now come out from the point of view of BJP. Why didn�t they declare it as a National Monument when they were in power ?

Mr Gale, can it be passed immediately. The Parliament needs to be convened. In the present case, the dissolution might be okayed in a couple of days from now !!

So, you have itself now predicted doomsday for Modi. Where was the confidence you people exuberated initially ? You all were claiming that Modi will win hands down. Now, you are itself not confident of the outcome and the reasons you are going to state after Modi�s probable defeat are obvious, dissidence, infighting etc. after the elections. For your information, only one opinion poll has come on Gujarat till date and it was only a Secular (Psuedo-secular in BJP�s analogy) Media which predicted that BJP is in the lead initially. But whether it is correct, is a different matter altogether !!

Who was greedy in Goa ? It was the BJP which was prepared to sup with even Catholic Groups which it was opposing earlier for the sake of overthrowing the Congress !!

Mr Gale, All Politicians are power hungry only and this I wish to endorse wholeheartedly. But, as I say often there is a difference between �Worse� and �Worst� Karnataka experiment falls into the second category for since Independence never did we see Politicial opportunism and blatant power mongering for cash rich ministerial positions. The difference between the BJP and Congress is simple. The Congress wanted an alliance on its own terms and its man as Chief Minister, while on the other hand the BJP wanted power at any cost even at the cost of its self-respect. Once the alliance broke away with the JD(S), the Congress did not want to cosy up with Gowda again despite the Father-Son duo approaching them even after the so-called first betrayal of the BJP when they refused to transfer power. When the Congress refused their plea at the first instance itself, how they will accept now ? But, the BJP even after the so-called betrayal did not feel shy of aligning once again with the JD(S). That is the crucial difference between the two for now in Politics, it is a selection amongst the worst and this fits into that category well !!

The real fight between the two was over acquiring cash-rich Ministerial positions and the Congress had nothing to do with the instability of their Government. For the BJP, whatever ugly happens in this Country is due to the Congress only. If there are pot holed roads in the State ruled by them, they will once again invoke Congress. Shameless people !!

Are you sure you are including the BJP as well in this list ??

Really a funny message from a Sangh Parivar fanatic!!

Mr Gale, there is a lot of difference in Deva Gowda approaching Congress voluntarily and the Congress approaching him directly. The point is the Congress is not willing to shake hands with