A couple of months back Anna Hazare went on a fast unto death to protest against growing corruption in India. There is no doubt that he has helped highlight the problem that has been ignored for many decades but, inadvertently he has done some damage too. He has set a trend that can have grave consequences.
Our nation’s beloved Bapu is in the news again, thanks to Joseph Lelyveld's controversial book about him and Anna Hazare’s fight against corruption in a true Gandhian style. Since two-thirds of our country’s population is under 35 years, it merits discussion to understand what the Gen Y thinks about the Mahatma? Or perhaps, do they even bother to think about the man who led our country to freedom?
It is said that he who is good at making excuses is seldom good at anything else. Common sense demands that one agrees to it but, what about our dear politicians? They have an excuse ready for every failure or mishap or vice. Thus, it would be more appropriate to say that he who is good at making excuses is sure to succeed as a politician.
'Corruption' is the buzzword these days with a new scam unfolding every now and then. This is one of those few words that have the rare distinction of not requiring an introduction to anybody. Just when we thought one knows enough about the topic, comes a unique comment from BJP president Nitin Gadkari. Recently, he labelled the charges against Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa as immoral and not illegal, thereby not being corrupt. Worth exploring further...
"Will he?"; "Won't he?"; These are questions often asked with reference to Rahul Gandhi's candidature for prime ministership sometime in future. For many, it is not even "Will he?" but, "When will he?" People cannot be blamed for this premature conclusion, given the history of Indian politics and the obsession with dynasty rule.
No, this piece of writing is not about the famous Bollywood actor, Akshay Kumar or his movie, but about the real life Singh of India who is currently ruling the country. Dr Manmohan Singh has an impeccable record of excelling in everything that he does. He has put to rest many of his criticisms and will continue doing so with his sheer dedication and focus.
In times when one is used to hearing the term 'governance deficit' more often especially due to the current crisis in the Kashmir Valley, the term 'governance transparency' comes as a surprise. No doubt that the former would have made a catchier headline but, the latter too deserves attention.
Politics is a very complex field; more so because it involves human relationships with a variety of objectives in mind. Politicians have their own lexicon. They have a unique art of expressing the same situation in different words, depending on which side of the table they are. Such ambiguous expressions help the politicians evade uncomfortable situations and make good of opportunities.
Nitin Gadkari was chosen as the president because he was seen by many in the BJP as a clear thinker, an organiser and as someone who has a forward-looking attitude. This was before he was elected as the party president but, half a year down the post, he has not done much to prove his supporters right. Instead, he has landed himself into one controversy after another due to his loose comments.
There are two sides to the story of innocent lives being lost at the hands of our soldiers. One, are the alleged fake encounters purportedly being done by some of our Army or police men for winning awards and recognition. On the other side, are the protests leading to more loss of innocent lives.