Jaywalking: Politically incorrect.

The Indian political scene is getting from bad to worse, to down right nasty. Achuttanand (forgive the spelling) was crucified for being pro-party (or was it anti party). Mayawati and congress, read Sonia Gandhi, are at loggerheads for a small pie of the most populous state.
Recently, the beaten down BJP has been quite and licking its wounds after being defeated in two elections, back to back. It is the BSP vs Congress battle that is taking center stage right now. CBI is ready to file the charge sheet against Mayawati for disproportionate assest case from 2003. Imagine that Maywati was not even the CM at the time. Now with the construction of a few thousand crores worth of parks, where would the real income of Ms Mayawati stand???
She is trying everything to make life tough for her political rivals, no wait, that is the UP Govt. without any political agenda. From lathicharging (baton charging) the peacful protestors in Amethi, to arresting the UP Congress chief, for commenting against women and communal harmony (she is woman, mind you). It is all holds barred in the political arena today.
As one of my friend says, "I would run for politics, but I would be killed or threatened to withdraw the next day" That is the problem today. There are people who want to make changes, and know how to bring them about. But the current crop of Leaders are relentless to allow anyone who is not their son, nephew, grandson, even grand nephew to take the lead and actually do something.
I don't like any particular party too much, but the move to get one of India Inc.'s honchos, out of Infosys and into the government's ambitious unique id project was really steal. It really signalled that this time the PM is in control and he wants a corporate approach to governance than the psuedo-socialist approach that left out the needy and helped the greedy.
If NREGS is to achieve its actual target, it should employ people to build roads and infrastructure to help develop the country, and not just have the landless farmers dig soil endlessly, just so that he does some work for the day's pay. Most people in the urban India don't even know that NREGS only asks the labours to dig soil, most of the time, to no constructive result.
We are being told is that inflation is negative. While I used to get pulses at an average of about Rs.45-50 in the beginging of the year, today the rates are almost touching 100 bucks. And they say that with the monsoon in its present state, don't expect it to get any cheaper soon. The dal-roti idom is dieing, forget about housing and clothing. If a person can't feed himself, how do you expect them to work to earn their meals, and living. Although India Inc. is happy and hiring again, but India Inc is only about 15% of the 1.25 billion people in this country.
Lastly, I must agree with Shekhar Kapoor (of Mr. India fame). We must do something soon or loose even Water, Gods gift to man, in a country that worships nature as God; God save us all.

Politcal Jaywalk

So far I have refrained myself from commenting on the current turmoil in the political arena but, I feel that every day the politicians are serving out more garbage than serving people. So, here I am with my first Jaywalk into politics. First of all, I would like to clarify that I am not pro-anyone. I am a liberal. With that out of the way, let me begin by saying that the politicians are doing what they do best - Mud Slinging.

Recent spate of politics in India, the largest democracy, and US, the erstwhile free country, has left us wondering WTF! In India, the shoe-gate was toned down, and the religious hate speech by the "other Gandhi" Varun made prime time news. As two widows from the same family fight it out to best their own sons' political carrier, the main agenda is left out in the summer sun, sweating. Let me point out a few things off the top of my mind:

1. Varun would make a better leader anyday than Rahul. Rahul is meticulous and divisive in his ways; agreed. But recent Varun saga puts him in a different league. He knows the pulse of the people more than Rahul does. For those who heard Rahul speak during the no-confidence motion in July last year, did he not remind you of a certain aged RSS champion from the opposition, Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It only goes to show that he is not at all ready to step out of his mother's shadow.

2. Sonia Gandhi uses the shadow of Manmohan Singh to do her work as the alternate PMO. What else would justify her choosing an a champion of reforms who has little to with politics even after 5 years as the PM than a first time MLA. Lets hope she would dare the right wing patriots to wear the crown herself; if she comes to power that is.

3. P.Chidambram, the home minister of our country had a Reebok hearld at him, or was it a Nike. The point is that it wasn't him to be blamed for the what CBI did. It was his predecessor if anyone was to be blamed for it. Still, I condemn what happened. The shoe was not thrown at a person, but at the Home Minister of India. It is the saddest thing to happen, and yet, somehow it is an expression of demcracy. The fact that he guy was let off without any charges is also commendable whereas the Bush shoer got convicted and is in prison.

4. If the leaders of today would stop playing regional politics and conentrate more on the economy, or development and upliftment of people. I mean, is there a single man made monument that they can boast of, built after independence? Mamta Banerjee made it about her personally to seige the Tata Motors plant in West Bengal. While states jumped at the project when it shut down, numerous other projects still hang in balance. Posco plant in Orissa, Dadri power project in UP are just 2 examples.

5. The world has great expectations from Obama, but am more skeptical of him than before he got elected. He is a new world president, but he is no better than some of our own politicians at turning around and going back on promises. Opening up Bush era torcher cases against the officials is just one thing on top of my mind. His approval rating is dropping like the Dow Jones did around his election. I think such a young leader of a country like the US is not right, where people start to live their life when they are 40, he still seems to have some way to go on world politics though.

6. I thought political mud slinging was getting too messy in India with even film stars getting their hands dirty until I read about the French President doing it to fellow world leaders. I don't know what kind of leverage he hopes to derive there, but it is in bad taste all the same.

I would write about more such futalities of politics, but I have to stick to my Indian Idealism too (pun unintended).
So go out and vote, and let me know how it turns out.