Gandhigiri Circa 2009 - The Tamasha

The Indian government's hoo-haa about freeing Gandhiji's personal belongings from foreign clutches is quite laughable...What was it doing for the last sixty years? If these objects are so important, why and how were they allowed to be taken out of the country? This is nothing but a campaign tactic by the Congress party...

Then there is James Otis, the American collector, who put up amongst other things Mahatma Gandhi's famous spectacles, sandals and pocket watch for auction in New York...This is how he justified his money-making action:

My intent never was to create any sort of anger or animosity towards the auction, it was the opposite: to promote Gandhi's words, actions, and to promote nonviolence in any way we can.

Bullshit...He was out to make money...Why not just admit it?If he were so concerned about the health of India's poor, why didn't he do something about it?Why did he make this statement

I would be very happy to welcome any serious offers from the Indian government and it might not even have to be financial. There are things they could offer in terms of helping the people of India that I would more than welcome, for example improving health care for the poorest Indians in exchange for the items. I would welcome any ideas like that that would benefit the Indian people.

after the controversy broke?

Then after the auction,Culture Minister Ambika Soni had this to say:

The Government acquired five personal possessions of Mahatma Gandhi at an auction in New York through the “services” of business tycoon Vijay Mallya.

According to Vijay Mallya,who acquired Mahatma Gandhi's memorabilia at an auction in New York with a $1.8-million bid on Friday

he had not been contacted by Indian officials on this but would gift the items to the government.

Hmmm...Very interesting...Who should we believe?I believe Mr.Mallya...what about you?

Another Criminal Enters Politics

This post was inspired by an observation a fellow blogger made about how people have not protested former cricketer Azharuddin's entry into politics...It is true...None of us have...As I see it, politics is the right profession for him...He has experience in fixing things for money without thinking of his fans or his country...He'll be a good politician by being a disgrace to our country...And guess which party he has joined - the Congress, a party of cheaters and manipulators...He's going to be projected as the party's new Muslim face, to take on the All India Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen...Okay, a lot of people may say his involvement in fixing matches has never been proven in court but obviously there was some evidence otherwise he wouldn't have been banned from cricket...I mean, Sanjay Dutt was declared a non terrorist by the court and yet we had a problem with him joining politics, so why don't we have a problem with Azharuddin joining politics?They were both involved in illegal activities and therefore both should not be allowed to contest elections...

Why I don’t like politics

My interest in politics is next to zero because I feel that the political game and politicians are rotten…Look at our politicians - is there even one worthy of being called a statesman? No…Why? Because politics is a nasty business -it has a habit of corrupting people and attracting those who want only power and money…If you notice, most of our politicians don’t have a predilection for public service and a passion for solving problems using democratic institutions (prime eg. Indira Gandhi who furthered her quest for power by resorting to undemocratic means)…They support policies that will benefit them personally…

Politics is about compromise - one has to do things to get elected and stay in power that one wouldn’t do otherwise…To get elected and/or to remain in power, people have to compromise on their beliefs and values and it is this that keeps a lot people with integrity out of the political arena…It is not that well meaning people don’t get into politics but often they may not get elected (especially if they stand as independents) because of the lack of funds, clout and support of the general public…The fact of the matter is that in political life if one wants to succeed, one has to be backed by an already established political party… This is not to say that new parties with a vision and wanting change won’t come up (eg. Lok Patritran) but it’ll take them years to gain support and make a difference especially if they stick to their beliefs and values and resist the established game politicians play…

Politics has a habit of attracting the wrong kind of people because of the money and power involved…For this reason, it also attracts criminals…Being an elected MP or MLA not only allows them to further their criminal aspirations, it also legitimizes them…They get party tickets because of their political ‘contacts’ (read politicians who they have bribed) and once they are elected, they don’t have to worry about getting caught…

Even though India is a democratic country, political parties are not…They are ruled by dynasties or a few senior members…Any member who does not toe the party line or disagrees with the ruling elite will be booted out…So, how does a principled person with more gumption than I have make an impact in this kind of a scenario?

Since we are a democratic country, how do these no-gooders get elected? They get elected because their constituents (who display the same trait as them) vote for them…The fact of the matter is that people are individualistic and always look out for themselves, not the general welfare of the nation…Thus they vote for leaders who will cater to their personal interests and these leaders in turn only support causes which will get them votes and let them remain in power and make money…The love of money is the root of all evil…

I know I’m going to get a lot of flak for this post and I hope not everyone thinks like me…I hope there are people in this country who are not perennial complainers like me, who will never compromise on their integrity and have the gumption to stand up to the existing political machinery and do good for the country…
Edited to Add:
Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa now has the dubious distinction of being India's No.1 WTF CM...Reason: He has earmarked RS.130cr in the budget for temples and mutts...

By the CM’s own admission, it is to propitiate the divine forces to show mercy on Karnataka and ward off sins committed by his predecessors.

This revelation by the CM was made, when former dy CM Siddaramaiah, who has presented seven budgets in the past, scoffed at him in the assembly on Thursday for making such a huge allocation to temples and mutts. The CM’s response: “There are no rains and food production has fallen due to the sins committed by various people in the past. I believe in God. I have allocated money so that Gods will be pleased and shower mercy on us.”

Now you know why I think all politicians are idiots?

Mr.Rove, spare us!

In an article in the WSJ, Mr. Karl Rove pays tribute to his former boss Mr.George W. Bush's decision making abilities:

To start with, Mr. Bush was right about Iraq. The world is safer without Saddam Hussein in power. And the former president was right to change strategy and surge more U.S. troops.

A legion of critics (including President Barack Obama) claimed it couldn't work. They were wrong. Iraq is now on the mend, the war is on the path to victory, al Qaeda has been dealt a humiliating defeat, and a democracy in the heart of the Arab world is emerging. The success of Mr. Bush's surge made it possible for President Obama to warn terrorists on Tuesday "you cannot outlast us...."

...At home, Mr. Bush cut income taxes for every American who pays taxes. He also cut taxes on capital, investment and savings. The result was 52 months of growth and the strongest economy of any developed country...

...He was right to have modernized Medicare with prescription drug benefits provided through competition, not delivered by government. The program is costing 40% less than projected because market forces dominate and people -- not government -- are making the decisions...

The most laughable paragraph:

And Mr. Bush, a man of core decency and integrity, was right not to reply in kind when Democratic leaders called him a liar and a loser. The price of trying to change the tone in Washington was to be often pummeled by lesser men.

(Karl Rove was Senior Advisor to President George W. Bush from 2000–2007 and Deputy Chief of Staff from 2004–2007)

My Comment: Mr.Rove, if Mr.Bush were so right how did he manage to leave such a mess?

Bihar CM for Nobel Peace Prize (updated TTM vs TTS))

PatnaDaily.com reports:

Senior Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Union Health Minister Dr. C. P. Thakur, at a press conference in Patna on Saturday said that he had nominated Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for the Nobel Peace Prize for doing an outstanding job in the area of Right to Information in the state and maintaining communal peace in the region.

The 'Nitish Model' of governance has become very successful in Bihar and the Central government must learn a lesson from it and implement it in other states as well," Dr. Thakur said during the press meet.

The nomination enraged the Railways Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav..."How dare he!!!" he screamed..."I should have been nominated...I have lectured students at IIM(A) and now am going to Japan to lecture students there...What has Nitish Kumar done?" Later on (according to The Times of India) after Laloo had cooled down, he remarked:

There is an English term I have coined -- "TTM: Tabar Tor Malish...His (Dr. C. P. Thakur's) argument was that the Nobel Prize should be given to Nitish because he implemented RTI in Bihar. The whole world knows that it was the UPA government which got RTI implemented throughout the country...Perhaps because the Lok Sabha polls are near and the MP has his eye on the Patna seat. If the MP is fielded, it will become easier for RJD MP Ram Kripal Yadav..

Nitish Kumar laughed and reacted to Laloo's coinage of the new term 'Tabartor Tel Malish (TTM)' to describe him thus:

The Railway Minister himself was the victim of TTS (Tabartor Shilanyas Syndrome) in his attempt to break all previous records of laying foundation stones in Bihar.

Anyone can install foundation stones throughout the state but how many of these projects will actually take off or be completed – that's the main question," said the Chief Minister.

(PatnaDaily.com rocks!!!)