Domestic

Congress Party – The Sore Losers

: Domestic : Written by CIAdmin : 05-22-2014

The much awaited results on 16 May 2014 are now out. For the nation the results have brought a lot of hope. For the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) the results have brought fulfillment of a dream beyond their expectations but with loads of responsibilities. The Congress party feels it has been hit with a ton of bricks and their very existence seems to have been reduced to a laughable presence in the parliament where they cannot even claim to be the main opposition. Some regional political parties have been shown the door by the electorate while a few parties have …continue reading

16 May 2014 – Day of Hope or Despair

: Domestic : Written by CIAdmin : 05-11-2014

16 May 2014 is likely to be a watershed day in the modern History of India. This is the day that will decide the fate and future of not only the major political parties in India but also of a lot of current and potential political leaders of the nation. The long drawn out election period has seen many an intense battles among prominent political leaders as also the emergence of a new political force and its leaders in the form of Aam Admi Party (AAP). The rhetoric has ranged from the sublime to absolutely low down gutter induced expressions …continue reading

The Modi Impact

: Domestic : Written by CIAdmin : 05-08-2014

The war of words between the Congress and Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) is going from bad to worse. Other regional parties like SP, TMC, BSP, AIDMK and National Conference too have joined the Congress in the BJP, read Modi, bashing act. It is BJP versus all others since not only Congress but nearly every political party in the country has only one aim – how to keep Mr. Modi away from New Delhi. Day in and day out one can see the tired and crest fallen faces of the Congress leaders on various news channels trying to put Mr. Modi …continue reading

Assam Riots – A Clear Case of Misrepresentation & Vote Bank Politics over State and National Interests

: Domestic : Written by CIAdmin : 05-06-2014

The state of Assam is on the boil once again. The politicians are squabbling once again and playing the ‘blame each other’ again. Congress was quick to place the blame on Mr. Modi and BJP for their poll campaign speeches which they termed as provocative without trying to pin point the real cause of what instigated the riots. Mr. Gogoi, the Congress chief Minister who has been in power for over 14 years at a stretch, has failed once again since he did not anticipate that trouble could occur in the present highly charged environment during the election season. In …continue reading

TsuNamo sweeps Varanasi

: Domestic : Written by Hashmi Shams Tabreed : 04-24-2014

Even the most die hard of Modi supporters wouldn’t have anticipated the kind of response Modi received from Varanasi on his nomination day today. it was a stunning and awe inspiring show of support from the city for BJP’s PM nominee Narendra Modi. Just a day back, media’s blue eyed boy, Arvind Kejriwal filed his nomination from this seat. In a show of strength, his party AAP, managed to converge a lot of its volunteers from different parts of country, mostly Delhi NCR and U.P for the road show that preceded his nomination. Around 5-10 thousand people, mostly AAP volunteers from outside, local Muslims and …continue reading

Not 2002, 2001 shapes my view on Modi

: Domestic : Written by Hashmi Shams Tabreed : 04-19-2014

I was an intern back then. Having done my diploma in journalism and mass communication, i was working with a senior journalist to learn the tricks of on-ground reporting and developing contacts.My mentor was a veteran journalist, aged about 52 years. Everyone used to call him Haji sahab. He had gone on Haj with family twice and on both occasions used his contacts in Haj committee to get Haj subsidy. He was a smart fellow. Always getting what he wanted just by approaching one of his numerous contacts. Haji sahab was living in Gaziabad with his parents and two sons, …continue reading

Story of a Narendra Modi rally

: Domestic : Written by Hashmi Shams Tabreed : 01-23-2014

Manbela, Gorakhpur: If you’re afraid of crowded places, you should avoid Modi rallies. I’ve covered Modi’s Delhi and U.P rallies. The crowd has consistently been above 3-4 Lakhs. I’m sure congress will be willing to pay a fortune to get such an audience for Rahul’s rally. The overwhelming public participation in a state where BJP was lagging at the fourth place is a testimony enough of a strong Modi wave. Till six months back Mulayam, Mayawati and a host of other UP leaders were dismissing Modi citing the complexities of UP electorate. Their arrogance has given way to panic as ground reports indicate a …continue reading

No more donations ! Stop funding the Anarchists

: Domestic : Written by NitinMishra : 01-20-2014

[This article has been submitted by Manjunath P from Bangalore. He was active in organising meetings in Freedom Park during Anna movement. An early member of AAP and part of AAP’s social media campaign during Delhi elections. Disillusioned with AAP government he now runs an awareness campaign to highlight perils of donating to AAP] The recent interview with Barkha Datt presented a new side of Arvind Kejriwal. The tone and tenor of the so called humble leader of common man had changed. The attitude reeked of arrogance so typical of men in power. Kejriwal’s claims of great achievements in Delhi bore uncanny resemblance …continue reading

I see hope in Narendra Modi

: Domestic : Written by NitinMishra : 01-19-2014

[This article has been submitted by Praveen Koul, a Kashmiri Pandit. Born in Budgam, his family moved to a refugee camp in Jammu, he grew up listening to stories of his home in Budgam and the atrocities that forced his family to flee. He hopes of going back to his ancestral home one day] Today, twenty four years after the day mass exodus of Kashmiri pandits began in valley, a delegation of Pandits met Narendra Modi with memorandum. It said,“Challenge to the idea of Indian Nation state continues in Kashmir in one or the other form. Extirpation of entire Kashmiri …continue reading

The Monk who sold aam aadmi’s ferrari

: Domestic : Written by NitinMishra : 01-11-2014

There is no doubt upcoming 2014 parliamentary election is going to be a historic one. For the first time positive agendas like development and effective governance are dominating the political discourse. Anti corruption agenda has got a major fillip with entry of AAP. Countless elections were fought with corruption as the main electoral plank. Rise of VP Singh post Bofors scandal is still the best example of electoral reversals driven solely by anti corruption agenda. Despite the cynicism prevalent since then, Arvind Kejriwal has successfully managed to rake this issue up once more. There are stark similarities between both situations. The anti corruption campaign led by VP …continue reading

Dear Arvind, I want my money back

: Domestic : Written by NitinMishra : 01-09-2014

[This article has been submitted by Manjunath P from Bangalore. He was active in organising meetings in Freedom Park during Anna movement. An early member of AAP and part of AAP’s social media campaign during Delhi elections.] Frankly, I had never heard of Arvind Kejriwal till Anna’s Janlokpal movement. The movement had touched the simmering anger against corruption and the dishonest politicians. I still remember how we had switched off the lights in our building for an hour to support Anna. Most of the buildings in our locality had done the same. Round the clock media coverage on people’s participation acted as a booster …continue reading

Kerala: BJP’s southern conquest

: Domestic : Written by NitinMishra : 01-08-2014

While the overzealous media is busy propping up AAP in an apparent attempt to pit Kejriwal’s party against BJP in order to contain Modi, BJP is busy not only consolidating it’s strongholds but breaking new grounds. The glee with which congress is willing to endorse Kejriwal betrays the animosity displayed by AAP towards congress and hints towards a tacit understanding between both. If the assumption is that such a plan would succeed against Modi then probably they fail to recognize the genius of Modi. He is not just a master strategist and a skilled orator but a genius in organizational skills. It’s no …continue reading

Good riddance Dr. Manmohan Singh!

: Domestic : Written by NitinMishra : 01-03-2014

If one had to sum up 10 years of Dr. Manmohan Singh’s tenure as Prime Minister, almost every adjective to define bad governance can be exhausted. He can very easily be credited with prompting the debate about worst PM ever. Announcement about today’s press conference had set media circles buzzing about possible important decisions. What turned out was stage used by PM to display his bitterness towards media and his possible nemesis Narendra Modi. A stone faced PM read a script as usual and went on to give unconvincing answers in his occasionally stuttering tone only to flare up when …continue reading

The failed opposition

: Domestic : Written by NitinMishra : 12-31-2013

Recent assembly election results threw up an anomaly. An aberration in what was supposed to be a 4-0 clean sweep for BJP. The anomaly was Delhi. The result was surprising in many ways. The BJP which won 2/3rd majority in Rajasthan and M.P stopped just 4 short of majority. Congress was decimated and went down from 43 to 8. AAP the underdog rose from Nil to 28. Result was interpreted in a million different ways. The group generally termed as LIMP (liberal, intellectual, media and politicians) used it to dismiss the Modi wave. AAP on the other hand viewed it …continue reading

The Manchurian Candidates

: Domestic : Written by NitinMishra : 12-30-2013

This 1960 Novel by Richard Condon was a political thriller masterpiece. The plot revolved around a US presidential nominee. He had unknowingly been subjected to an extensive mind control program which in effect turned him into a puppet in the hands of his controller. He was propped up as a war veteran of impeccable character who also held a Medal of Honor from Iraq war. A combination the US public really loves to elect before things go haywire. Of course, this article is not a review of this old classic but i thought it would be prudent to give the …continue reading

Held guilty until proven innocent

: Domestic : Written by NitinMishra : 12-28-2013

For more than a decade congress and its allies used Narendra Modi scare to build up a vote bank. The scare tactic worked better than Hitler’s propaganda and effectively demonized Modi. The thought behind this propaganda was congress’s policy of divide and rule. The congress seemed to have built on its legacy of dividing India into groups and communities along ethnic, sectarian, religious,linguistic and caste lines each group scared of other. If one looks at India’s electoral politics you’d notice a gradual decline in political discourse and participation. Barring late 70′s congress enjoyed uninterrupted power and the country continued its …continue reading

How Anna outfoxed Kejriwal in his own game

: Domestic : Written by NitinMishra : 12-18-2013

So we finally saw a rare consensus among parties in parliament. After a decade of commotion, squabbling and stalled work, what the Indian parliament did on Lokpal bill was refreshing and a welcome sight. A Bill envisaged 46 years ago and deliberately allowed to gather dust by successive governments finally got life. It’s one of those occasions when the MP’s deserve accolades and i’m glad Anna thanked them. The struggle for this bill isn’t without its share of controversies. The Janlokpal movement that exploded on national scene spearheaded by an unlikely octogenarian Gandhian Anna seemed fizzled out once Arvind Kejriwal …continue reading

Election travels: The Modi wave, Nitish painfully denies, exists !

: Domestic : Written by Hashmi Shams Tabreed : 12-16-2013

Fig: Representative photo, not actual photo from Muzaffarpur Travelling in the Bihar bound Vaishali express, i couldn’t help but overhear the conversation among groups of passengers. Participants were the usual suspects, migrant workers from Delhi and suburbs, traders, government servants, students, people in private jobs and others. Bored of the lengthy journey, i was strolling across the coaches. over the next eight hours, the dominant theme that emerged was politics. Contrary to perception, people of the cow belt are politically very aware. The recent debacle of congress and drubbing of it’s Yuvraj is a hot topic. People think this is …continue reading

AAP The road ahead

: Domestic : Written by NitinMishra : 12-11-2013

This article was submitted by Rakam Singh Bhati, an AAP volunteer from Trilokpuri Delhi. Published after minor semantic changes approved by the author. The underdog has performed. David Kejriwal has slayed the mighty Goliath Sheila. The work that started under Anna three years back, blossomed into a political movement last year. The blood and sweat of thousands of volunteers over last one year has paid off. Based on the reactions we got from public, we knew AAP has a chance but to see it trump the congress and stop the BJP is a real achievement. For the first time people have a …continue reading

Burning with Jealousy, the sad case of Nitish Kumar

: Domestic : Written by NitinMishra : 12-10-2013

“Ye sirf blower ki hawa hai (blower’s wind), koi leher nahi hai (not a [Modi] wave)” screamed the headlines of national dailies, quoting Bihar’s Chief Minister and JDU Chief Nitish Kumar taking a jibe at Mr. Modi after results of Delhi elections were out. These days his only claim to media space is a comment on Modi. He conveniently missed out the fact that despite his massive rallies, only one of his 27 candidates won in Delhi. The one who won had joined JDU just before elections and had earlier won on JD, JDS and LJP tickets. It is a …continue reading

The obsession with dismissing the Modi wave

: Domestic : Written by NitinMishra : 12-09-2013

By Sunday evening, the results of elections in the states of Rajasthan, MP, Chattisgarh and Delhi were out. The results were nothing short of spectacular for BJP. Yet, predictably the Indian media was churning out stories by dozens as to how the so called Modi effect failed. Political pundits, journalists, even congress spokespersons were at pains trying to prove how a Modi wave did not exist. Newspapers the next day were littered with same stories. Media space was mostly shared between singing paeans on AAP and Kejriwal and disproving a Modi effect. While this partiality is baffling, it is not …continue reading

The 2013 Delhi election stalemate

: Domestic : Written by NitinMishra :

So the final tally in Delhi stands at BJP 32, AAP 28, Congress 8, Others 2. What are the options for government formation in Delhi. Two clear messages that have come out do not elicit any hopes. AAP has, understandably, denied either taking or offering support to either congress or BJP. AAP has recieved the mandate based on Anti Congress BJP plank and it would be political harakiri if they attempted that. AAP also hopes that the current results will help it gain more votes in case of a reelection. The non BJP votes and those who have voted for …continue reading

Why AAP’s brinkmanship maybe it’s Achilles heel

: Domestic : Written by NitinMishra :

“Sheila gone, Modi next”, screamed headlines of a national daily quoting AAP leaders. Buoyed by their unexpected success, the exuberance of AAP leaders is understandable, however going by their utterances on news channels, seems they’re taking this seriously. AAP’s debut in Delhi is spectacular given that they’re just a year old party. A party made up entirely of volunteers, although a sting earlier by media-sarkar showed this may not be true, campaign driven by nukkad sabhas, concerts and massive social media propaganda seems to have conveyed the message to their targeted audience. They need to be congratulated for this performance. …continue reading

The Magnificent failure of Rahul Gandhi

: Domestic : Written by NitinMishra : 12-08-2013

To an external observer, the obscene amount of time, money and effort spent by the massive congress propaganda machinery in propping up, praising and defending Rahul Gandhi was more than enough to turn your street corner paanwallah into Tom Cruise. Yet, the Shahzada, as lovingly called by Modi, appears as dry, as lame as ever. There is absolutely nothing in his personality that appeals to the common Indian. The only claim to fame Rahul has is increasing congress tally in 2009 elections in UP to 21, however with the benefit of hindsight it can very well be called a fluke. …continue reading