Lalu Prasad Yadava and his Foul Toungued Obsenities

The Yadava chieftain from the cow-belt of Bihar who is facing prosecution for the fodder scam, has said that if he were the Home Minister of India he would crush Varun Gandhi under a "road roller". We do not associate civilised behaviour with the politicians of India, but even by the promiscuous standards of Indian politicians, Laluji's comments seem to be far from the accepted norm of a loose, oath filled lying tongue for which politicians have become notorious. What is alarming that a man who holds a responsible position in the constitutional order of India can get away making such a barbaric remark. What is worse he believes that the Home Minister can get people crushed under road rollers as part of their perquisites of office. So apart from the pelf and corruption that come with a political office, Indian politicians now claim the secular right and previl;ege of getting people killed preferably under road rollers. I know that Mrs Indira Gandhi preferred to have people killed in car accidents. The fact that all people associated with the 1968 Nagarwala case died in road accidents cannot be considered a mere coincidence. Her father had numerous of his lovers killed and the less said about Rajiv Gandhi who justified the killing of 10,000 sikhs in Delhi the better. The people of India must have the sense not to vote criminals who speak the coarse language of a gangster from the gutters.It is high time the electorate made up its mind and rejected the criminals who masquerade as "politicians". I wonder why all the criminals from North India are from the Yadava or the Thyagi caste.

It is really strange that Shri Varun Gandhi, the son of Hon'ble Meneka Gandhi is being treated in such a shabbyn manner. Agreed that his comments that were widely attributed to him do not deserve any sympathy and bespeak of a mind set is more attuned to the rhetoric of the Congress Party than the BJP, the fact remains that his father the late Sanjay Gandhi was the first to introduce the kind of coarse language that has now become the stock-in-trade of that national disgrace called the Indian National Congress. I do not want the sins of the father to fall upon the son, but facts are sacrosanct and hence I am constrained to state this.Having said that it is the Congress that has brought about the absolute degradation of the political system by entrenching the filth of dynastic politics the BJP is forced to react and hence the relevance of Shri Varun Gandhi to the BJP. By effecticvely using the coarse language of Shri Varun Gandhi as a foil the BJP has dented the image of the Congress. Nothing works better than using one royal price against the pretender in chief, Rahul Gandhi.Booking Shri Varun Gandhi under the NSA is totally a bad move and it will generate a sympathy wave for the candidate and, I am afraid will give tonnes of legitimacy to the ideas of Shri Varun Gandhi. It is unacceptable that criminals like D P Yadav, Sahabuddin, Arun Gawli and scores more are able to contest freely while Shri Varun Gandhi sits in jain. I think Mayawati is playing into the BJP hans by doing this and I suspect, that the top brass of the BJP is not unhappy as it would get the sympathy vote. Is there a secret alliance with the BSP over the Varun Gandhi issue.The same arument over Sanjay Dutt. This man is not half as dangerous as Mulayam Singh Yadav and the dothi clad criminas in the Ydava political parties of the cow belt. But an example is made of him as he is easy pickings.I think the Congress and its brand of politics needs to be consigned to the landfill if Indian democracy had to survive.

Chander Mohan, Anuradha Bali and thenpolitics of matrimony

Anyone reading my posts would have realised that I am an inveterate enemy of dynastic politics and the cynical corruption of the Indian political class. Having said that I must add that the manner in which the son of Bajan Lal, Shri Chander Mohan, the sacked Deputy Chief Minister of Haryana was treated is not only shocking and barbaric, but also violates the spirit of the freedom of choice so precious to all of us. The politicians of Tamil Nadu have at the last count 3 wedded wives and scores of concubines and they find a respectable place in Sonia's (s)table and why should Shri Chander Mohan be treated differently.First things first. The statement of Shri Bajhan Lal disowning his son for having married his lover Anuradha Bali suggest that he has the right to decide for his son. Shri Chander Mohan was holding the responsible position of the Deputy CM of Haryana after having won the elections from his constituency 4 times. What does it mean to "disown" his son. Further he stated that the responsibility for the upbringing of his 2 children from the first wife, Seema, will rest with the "family". What law give Bajhan Lal the authority to take children away from the parents. I wish the ever alert mahilaa organisations take note of the patriarchal argument made by shri Bajhan Lal, treating children as if they were mere pieces of real estate. I am not defending Shri Chander Mohan, I am only pointing out that he has a right to live out his life with a woman he loves, for whom he gave up his political position. I am reminded of Edward VIII who abdicated the throne in order to marry Mrs Simpson. To my mind Shri Chander Mohan has shown spine and I laud him for it.It is obvious that the marriage with Seema had broken down and that she has the support of the patriarch. Chander Mohan need not have taken the dubious route to matrimony through a bogus conversion to Islam a la Dharmendar and Hema Malini. The Hindu Marriage Act does not mandate against a second marriage provided the wife does not complain. This is is the provision exploited by Shri Karunanidhi and scores of Dravidian politicians who practice polygamy with the elan of their Chola rulers.I saw both of them on TV last evening and it appeared that both seemed very happy together. Anuradha Bali was the Assistant Attorney General of Haryana and from the interaction on TV she seemed a highly articulate ans strong minded woman, If Shri Chander Mohan has married her out of love I think no one has any right to complain, least of all Bajhan Lal.The divorce laws are extremely antiquated and I think if one cannot live in a state of marriage he or she should be allowed to opt out. Shri Chander Mohan has only done that.I wish the newly weds the very best.

Why Indian Universities cannot be World Class

A former chairman of the University Grants Commission is now decorating the chair of the Prime Minister of India and like any profligate public institution the UGC believes that by spending huge sums of money the quality of education, particularly at the University or graduate level can be improved. It is ironic that when the whole world, especially China is spending nearly 700 million US dollars on just one University, the UGC plans to spend 73 million US dollars on 12 "World Class Universities" as suggested by the Report of the Sam Pitroda Knowledge Commission. It is not possible for quality to be purchased at 9 million US dollars a piece and the mandarins of the UGC like their former Chairman is quite unaware of it. Moreover public money is being wasted in creating Centers of Social Exclusion and Inclusion Policy a hobbyhorse of Sukhdev Thorat, who in these days of identity politics is enjoying his season under the sun.
The Indian University system is utterly devoid of both vision and dedication. The officers who essentially run the University with the Vice Chancellors acting as their patrons are usually corrupt and almost all University decisions are taken on the basis of percentages. The UGC spends crores of rupees every year on major and minor projects and yet the impact factor of Indian research is just 0.o1 %. The bills and reports submitted are usually fraudulent and with the cut and paste option available on the Computer almost all reports are made to order. It is usually arranged that the UGC funds third rate Research that is an embarrassment to any civilised institution. I wonder if the former Chairman of the UGC Dr ManMohan Singh is aware of the deep rooted corruption in the funding of higher education. It is time for the UGC to stop the charade in the name of funding "quality research" based entirely on percentages of commissions.
Corruption exista at all levels of the University system. One notorious former Vice Chancellor who was dismissed for "forgery" even ended becoming the VC of a Centrla University and the Chairman of NAAC. He promptly brought his mistress into the University and even provided a senior level job for her in the organisation he once headed. We know that under the leadership of such men as the one referred to above the Universities degenerate in happy hunting grounds for Vice Chancellors with an overactive pecker.The autonomy granted to the Universities is generally misused for persecuting the independent and promoting the courtiers. The UGC instead of enforcing the minimum standards of public probity in the University can be trusted to protect every act of nepotism and corruption. Even the RTI is of no use. Recently I asked for Information from the Information Officer of the UGC on a particularly notorious case and I got the answer that the information cannot be disclosed for "administrative reasons".Against THIS BACKGROUND IT IS OF NO USE SPENDING CR ORES OF THE TAXPAYERS MONEY OF SUCH INSTITUTIONS.

A Sterile Debate on NDTV Again: Fair or Lovely?

Barkha Dutt seems to be bent on displaying her amazing arrogance before a national audience without shame and without remorse. On Sunday, 28th September, there was yet another sterile debates on We the People regarding the most important issue facing the country: Is being fair un color the same as being lovely. The primadona of NDTV had rounded up the ususal suspects the gaggle of beuty queens, advertising gurus, business exccecutives and an o0dd politically correct dissenter. The issue was whether Indians equate fairness with beauty and therefore moredesirable and sexy at least on the matimonialmarket. The amazing arrogance of the woman who conducted the show is reflected in the fact that the members who were asked to comment on skintone and its alleged relationship with Indian conceptions of beauty were all FAIRSKINNED AND possessed skintones which ranged from fair to weatish and not a single one was dark. By exibiting such women and making them represent the dark skinned, Barkaha Dutt and her ilk have willynilly reinforced the age old stereotype that light skin is devine. NDTV has perfected the art of projecting the most reactionary politivcal messge in thegarb of appearing subversive.One more point. If NDTV thinks that fair is not beautiful or desireable then why is it that the stable of Pretty Young Things in Dr Roy's stable are all fair and perhaps to some eyes even lovely. It is sheer hypocricy to preach against colorconsciousness and at the same time project only white and light toned women in the various programmes of NDTV> That channel is always on the so called liberal side on every dbate. How amny dalit newsreaders anchors and reporters are working in NDTV. I am sure with the exception of the jasnitors and drivers there will be no dalit working in NDTV. It is time the sponsors stopped giving money to thi

Abhinav Bhindra Deserves a Big Hand

For the first time ever the Indian National Anthem was played at the Olympics, an event in which a resident Indian was given a gold medal. It was simply great to see the young Abhinav Bhindra receiving the medal without the nakra we have come to associate with the likes of Sania Mirza and of course, the cricketers. The outstanding performance of Abinav Bhindra was in spite of the Indian system and not because of it. It was due to his own effort and that of his family that was responsible for the outstanding performance. If we had the Indian Government involved in promoting shooting as a sport the fate would be disastrous. Just look at Hockey, a sport in which the like of Dyan Chand gave the country an enviable reputation. I think the time has come for the Indian Government at the Center and the State Governments to let go of sports and concentrate on just law and order.The demeanour of Abhinav Bhindra was quite a contrast with what we have come to expect from sporting icons. He comments were dignified and almost self deprecating. He did not hold himself as a model for the rest of the youth and honestly admitted that he "has been punching holes in paper bags for the last ten years" an obvious reference to target practice.Somehow NDTV was not happy with the victory of Abinav Bhindra--it was politically incorrect. A rich boy from a well-to-do family has won a gold medal. NDTV would prefer an OBC with a non English speaking background to have won a medal as that would promote the fractured political identity that is celebrated in elite circles in India today. So when Suhil Kumar won a bronze medal in yes a sport from the boon docks of the cow belt of North India,it was just the opportunity for NDTV to pull out all stops.

Terrorism, the Congress Regime and Sushma Swaraj

The repeated acts of criminal violence against the citizens of India should be a matter of serious concern if we have a half decent government. But we have in New Delhi a self obsessed bunch of courtiers and dynastic fascists who want to hood wink the people at every step. The Congress and its so called secular parties are never tired of saying that the minorities should not be disturbed. If jihad terrorists take refuge among the minority population how is the nation to defend itself. Now that HUJI is being suspected the police will have to investigate the settlement of illegal Bangladeshis in the country. To cry out of roof tops that police investigation is ipso facto minority harassment is another way of encouraging terrorism and the politicians who play this dirty game never suffer the consequences only innocent citizens.Susham Swaraj has drawn attention to the fact that the Congress Party is the likely benificaiary of the wave of terror attacks. In Assam the ULFA militants atre openly protected by the state leaders of thwe congress, in Nagaland the naga militants are close to the Congress. In fact the history of the Congress Party aiding and abetting with anti national groups is well known. Who supported the Sikh extremists like Bhindrewale? Everyone knows that Indira Gandhi for improving the electoral prospects of the Congress in the Punjab supported the Damdami Kahalsa terrorists and only when they gunned down Atwal, the DIG, near the Golden temple did she have any second thoughts. Her Home Minister misnamed Gnani Zail Singh must have been aware of the facts but being a courtier rather than a political figure he did not utter word and kept his mouth shut. Similarly in Tamil Nadu Mrs Gandhi aided and supported the LTTE throughout the 1982-84 period. Given the fact that the Congress has indulged in anti- national activities, I would not be surprised if the terrorists have acted in concert with their political supporters. When BJP ruled states only are targeted, if becomes clear that the terrorists see eye to eye with the Congress which is also anti BJP.The fact is that the vote of confidence won by the UPA is tainted victory and large sums of money have changed hands in order to ensure a comfortable victory for the Congress and the bunch of courtiers in the LOK SABHA. The terror strikes have diverted attention from the cash for vote scandal and I feel that the Susham Swaraj theory needs to be taken seriously. As long as India has anti national parties like the Congress and the Communists there will always be Terrorism.

In fact when Narasimha Rao was the PM the vote of confidence was won through outright bribery.

A Solution to the Israeli Palestenian Question?

The peace in the middle east seems to be extremely difficult because both Israel and Palestine are locked in a state of mutual recrimination: peace with justice means that the existing paradigm for ordering the relations between the two societies has to be reconsidered. The Ashkenazi elite from eastern Europe and Poland that is essentially the ruling aristocracy of Israel has dominated the politics of Israel since 1949 and given its long association with Zionism is unlikely to support the obvious solution to the problem: A single Palestinian and Israeli state. A decade back even the so called liberals in the State of Israel would have been aghast at this solution but now civil society groups in Israel have begun debating the single state solution. The great Israeli historian, Ilan Pappe the author of The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine has been a long time advocate of this new shift in Israeli perception toward Palestinians.
The central feature of this new solution is the recognition that land for peace has not provided either security to the State of Israel or peace to the Palestinians. It is necessary for those affected by the placement of Israel in the erstwhile land of Palestine to have a chance to lead a life of hope and a normal life as any signatory to the UN Charter of Human Rights will testify. An ethnically pure State of Israel has been of great moment only to the Ashkenazi and the Mizrahim sections of Israeli society with roots in North Africa, Asia and the Ottoman Empire have now willing to consider the possibility of the joint Israeli-Palestine state. This solution recognises the historical injustice of evicting the Palestinians from the land and at the same time recognises that a Jewish homeland, as promised in the Balfour Declaration is a reality. The fact that 4.5 million Palestinians are living in conditions of extreme deprivation is the real cause for terrorism in the region and if USA is sincere about a viable peace in the region it must address this issue.
For more than 2 decades the official US position as reflected in the Camp David accord and later the Oslo Agreement is the 2 state solution. While Israel is in favor of this policy it does everything to undermine the peace accords by making the living and working conditions of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank extremely difficult. These territories are so closely guarded by Israel for fear of suicide attack that both territories have become huge camps where life, to put it mildly, is horrible.
It is time for USA the major backer of Israel to put its weight behind a solution as promised by all American administrations since Richard Nixon.