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| Pranab and Rahul Gandhi: Guide and 'Misguided' |
'India Today', May 18, 2009 issue:
"He (Rahul Gandhi) still talks of Manmohan Singh as 'my Prime Minister' and his mother Sonia Gandhi as 'my boss'....... He has pushed everyone else into the background and assumed the role of chief campaigner, chief spokesman, chief conscience-keeper....attacking the BJP's weakness and leaving the door open for possible future alliances".
## "China kept haunting Indian diplomatic circle repeatedly this year (2009) amid kid-glove approach from New Delhi as Beijing raised several bogeys - first a dilution in visa regime and then an objection to Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh. On this score also, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, often compared to the one-time failed Home Minister Shivraj Patil, could not really defend strongly the government's China policy".
- analyst Swati Deb in magazine 'Political and Defence Weekly'.
** "Pakistan is far too important a neighbour for India's relationship to be defined purely by government to government interaction. What is needed is active civil society and business interaction......There is today an upwardly mobile Pakstani middle class that if equally, if not more, worried about the Talibanization of their country".
- Edit in 'Political and Defence Weekly'.
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| Shivraj Patil and Sushma |
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| Sukhoi-30MKI burning the air over Jaisalmer, Rajasthan |
Aug 31, 2009 issue
"The Biblical saying, a prophet is not without honour except in his own country, has been turned on its head in India. The row who was responsible for partition, sparked off by Jaswant Singh's biography of Jinnah, has shown that Nehru is honoured too much in his own country....In the Congress's view any crticism of Nehru is denigation, and any praise of Jinnah is eulogy".
-- Mark Tully, former BBC journalist
2010:
In the context of alliance building with Shiv Sena, the book 'Ayodhya - Battle for Peace'
by blogger (Nirendra Dev) says,
"When he (Advani)and Pramod Mahajan floated the idea of an alliance with Shiv Sena, there was strong opposition from the likes of Jaswant Singh and to an extent by Atal Bihari Vajpayee himself. However, Advani reportedly argued that in the past Congress and socialists had joined hands with Sena to end the leftists’ control on the trade union politics."
December 28, 2011
Lokpal mess: Trinamool puts Govt. on tenterhooks, favours autonomy for states
Didi is again out with her tantrics putting the government on tenterhooks.
A day after leaving the Congress-led UPA alliance high and dry by opposing the revised Lokpal Bill on the floor of Lok Sabha, Ms Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress today made it clear that the party will never compromise on the autonomy of the states in setting up state-level ombudsman but asserted that it will not vote against the government.
“There is no question of voting against the UPA government, it’s our government,” a senior party leader said clarifying on the party’s strategy to be adopted during the crucial debate and voting on the revised Lokpal Bill in the Rajya Sabha on December 29, 2011.
Trinamool Congress’s last minute opposing the bill in the Lok Sabha yesterday had caused severe embarrassment to the government especially to the crisis management team headed by Mr Pranab Mukherjee.
Trinamool has six members in Rajya Sabha and have decided to move two amendments. The party member Mr Sukhendu Sekhar Roy is set to move the amendments seeking to “overhauling and deletion” of Part-3 of the Bill with summary deletion of clauses from 63 to 97 in the Part 3 on Lokayuktas. .
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| Mamata and Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina: Both need Muslim votes |
Nov 9, 2012
I cannot agree more with Anita Pratap of the famous LTTE-Sri Lanka reporting in 1980s and 1990s that: “The fallout of modern television coverage is that it has made journalism superficial, unnaturally fast-paced and entertainment oriented, and it comes with inherent, embedded distortions”.
It is worth mentioning here that the Hinduism was never understood to be what it is today. Of course, the Sangh Parivar is to be blamed for making our grand Hinduism - one God religion. Even in the past humour on Lord Rama and other characters of Ramayana have been around.
In Bengal, noted comedian the Late Bhanu Bandyopadhyaya had a satire record-player (audio) drama: 'Nava Ramayan' -- where jokes like Rama being a bad husband or Lakshmana being 'manly' only with women had surfaced. Please note Bhanu died in 1982 and this was prior to BJP-Sangh Parivar era. We did not have Shah Bano case nor Salman Rushdie's 'Satanic Verses' was banned yet.... in other words, the country was more tolerant --- or in effect 'unmindful' to silly jokes or genuine jokes.
I am sure people never doubted Bhanu's faith in Hinduism, because that was never an issue. (from my blog)
March 9, 2013:
In 2001 when reports surfaced about Advani-Vajpayee differences, Vajpayee had called Advani's wife and said he wanted to come for lunch. Advani was immediately summoned home by his wife... What better instance can one give of friendship?
Sushma Swaraj was asked to react for some comments made by George Fernandes against Jaipal Reddy. Sushma was smart to counter: "George Fernandes and Jaipal were friends once, they can again become friends and then they will not spare me".... Vajpayee-Narasimha Rao friendship too was more than mere politics perhaps
May 31, 2014 :
Congress leaders in isolation and in separate pockets making noises especially against Rahul Gandhi. Even Mizoram chief minister Lal Thanhawla, a Congressman of many years and a Christian himself, has lambasted the party leadership of the manner it has been handling the defeat.
His eloquent oneliners are more than the normal reactions from disgruntled Congressman.
Lal Thanhawla said the party “paid for its misdeeds” and it “does not know how to face defeat”. He added he has written to Sonia to refrain from blame-game in the party and rather introspect instead. “In that way, the defeat we faced is good for us,” he said.
Has Sonia Gandhi emulated her mother-in-law Indira Gandhi in displaying her unquestionable love for a son, who is today seen as a political liability?
The hapless Kerala Congressman TH Mustafa’s unceremonious suspension is a case in point.
Old timers would vouch with me that on the eve of 1977 elections when Indira Gandhi was cautioned by her coterie members like P N Haksar and Subhadra Joshi, Indira’s response used to be: “Those who attack Sanjay attack me”.
The Congress is convincingly appearing leaderless and rudderless. The manner the likes of Ghulam Nabi Azad and Digvijay Singh are quoting L K Advani on daily basis suggest a very interesting phase -- the total bankruptcy in Congress arsenal wherein they could have had the Modi regime on the mat.
"Advaniji doesn’t give hints, he states everything with clarity. But ‘jo na samjhe woh nadaan," said Azad almost elevating BJP patriarch as an elderly statesman. These appear like trying to use Advani's aging shoulders to shoot at the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Both Vasundhara Raje and Sushma Swaraj are important BJP players - besides being women-in-power faces; but the Congress attack is only a bit of cacophony. (June 29, 2015)
Sept 24, 2016 :
PM Modi had hit the usual jackpot when he showed the mirror to Pakistani population: - look at the contrasts in two countries in last seven decades.
"I want to tell the people of Pakistan - India is ready to fight you," Modi said, adding that both countries should fight against poverty, unemployment and illiteracy -- "let's see who wins".
These utterances were reflection of a vintage Narendra Modi – that seeks to elevate Namo as a regional statesman – and certainly not to the liking of ‘sickular’ brigade in India. No wonder, initial Congress reactions have been “verbal belligerence” and Left called it only a rhetoric from PM.
Tragedy of our time is opposition parties in India have remained in their cocoon still unable to reconcile to Modi’s rise as the head of the government in country’s largest democracy – as a directly elected representative of the people.
Getting back to facts about Pakistan, we know it as a state that has withered. Failure to uphold democracy and take on the country of ‘kafirs’ India has only left Pakistan lost in its faith plot.
The “Pakistan” (sacred homeland) dream to sustain on ‘faith’ alone itself was flawed as Bangladesh moved out of its eastern wings and Prime Minister Modi is too right in pointing out: the day is not far off when the Pakistani people will wage a battle against their rulers and against terrorism.
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| 2019 - Movie |
2017:
December 31st:
Despite 'wake up' call in Gujarat, 'Moditva magic' works for BJP
The 'Moditva' as a brand must have survived in the year 2017 for the BJP but the outcome of just concluded Gujarat elections that saw Prime Minister Narendra Modi make blistering campaigns left a few crucial political lessons for Modi-Amit Shah duo.It is probably for the first time in last three and half years since BJP came to power in 2014, it has to reconcile to the fact that the 2019 parliamentary elections will not be a cakewalk.
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| Modi: Sea Plane campaign 2017 |
Cambridge Analytica: A saga of manipulation of data to influence electoral mandate?
Best credited for 'helping' Donald Trump emerge the ultimate winner in 2016 US Presidential elections, British data mining and analytics firm Cambridge Analytica in its home page claims to help political parties 'find voters' and 'move them into action,' media investigations say.
'We find your voters and move them to action....By knowing your electorate better, you can achieve greater influence while lowering overall costs'-it affirms.
According to a report in the British daily, 'The Guardian': 'The company at the centre of the Facebook data breach boasted of using honey traps, fake news campaigns and operations with ex-spies to swing election campaigns around the world, a new investigation reveals.'
Making an inspiring speech, the King of Jordan said, "Today's global war against terror is not a fight between different religions. It is between all faiths and communities against extremism, hate and violence".
"Too much of what's heard or seen in the news today is about what separates people.....Around the world suspicions are being flamed by what different groups do not know about the other," he said adding such "ideologies of hate" distort the word of God to steer up conflict and "justify crime and terror".
(March 1, 2018)
Dec 30, 2019
2019 in Review: Youths & minorities finally challenge ‘Moditva’
New Delhi, Dec 30
First time in years the religious minorities especially Muslims are flexing muscles – literally.
'Moditva' as a political phenomenon and with combined magic of pro-Hindutva tilt and push for development as a catalyst looked invincible.
Empowered by sympathetic support of youths in general and students in universities and of course the opposition parties against the newly enacted CAA, the minorities have able to take the battle into the rival camp – the so called ‘Hindu-nationalist zealotry’.
“For me as a youth and as a tribal from north east, we are against immigrants. But we want a government that will not focus on promoting one religion and work against others,” said a Naga youth Neingulie Sakhrie during anti-CAA noisy protest of December 15 in the capital.
The anguish of youths getting onto the streets have transformed Indian politics more than once in the past.
The JP movement also rested heavily on youth power, so was the anti-Mandal Commission protest during V P Singh’s tenure.
Similarly, the youths played a pivotal role in 2011 Anna Hazare-led Lok Pal movement against corruption – which BJP somehow benefited in 2014.
'Moditva' as a political phenomenon and with combined magic of pro-Hindutva tilt and push for development as a catalyst looked invincible.
Empowered by sympathetic support of youths in general and students in universities and of course the opposition parties against the newly enacted CAA, the minorities have able to take the battle into the rival camp – the so called ‘Hindu-nationalist zealotry’.
“For me as a youth and as a tribal from north east, we are against immigrants. But we want a government that will not focus on promoting one religion and work against others,” said a Naga youth Neingulie Sakhrie during anti-CAA noisy protest of December 15 in the capital.
The anguish of youths getting onto the streets have transformed Indian politics more than once in the past.
The JP movement also rested heavily on youth power, so was the anti-Mandal Commission protest during V P Singh’s tenure.
Similarly, the youths played a pivotal role in 2011 Anna Hazare-led Lok Pal movement against corruption – which BJP somehow benefited in 2014.
2020:
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| TMC rebel Suvendu Adhikari joins BJP |
Dec 15, 2020
Remembering writer John le Carré : (Courtesy - New York Times, The Guardian)
If he had political points to make, and he increasingly did, John le Carre still gift-wrapped them with elegant, complicated plots and dead-on descriptions; he could paint a whole character in a single sentence. He was a best seller many times over, and at least a half dozen of his novels — including “A Perfect Spy” (1986), which Philip Roth pronounced “the best English novel since the war” — can be considered classics.
But he will always be best known for his Cold War novels, a perfect match of author and subject. -- 'New York Times'
He was in his late 20s when he began to write fiction – in longhand, in small red pocket notebooks, on his daily train journey between his home in Buckinghamshire and his day job with MI5, the counter-intelligence service, in London. After the publication of two neatly crafted novels, Call for the Dead (1961) and A Murder of Quality (1962), which received measured reviews and modest sales, he hit the big time.
John le Carré in 1979. He had begun writing fiction as a commuter from his home in Buckinghamshire to the London offices of MI5, the counter-intelligence service.
- (The Guardian)
The real enemies for Le Carré were not the Russian gangsters, for all their brutality, but the western, and particularly British, enablers and louche House of Lords and City corruptionists, with palms extended to take a share of the money, however obtained.
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| Blogger: Journalism is also playing cards well |
Dec 6, 2021 ::
March 5, 1995 was such Black Day --- a Sunday -- I was in AIR, Kohima newsroom
In Nagaland itself, another such 'Black Day' was March 5, 1995. The incident had claimed eight lives when Rashtriya Rifles returning from election duty in neighbouring state of Manipur went berserk in the southern part of Kohima mistaking a 'tyre burst' to an ambush.
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| Midland House: Those were the days ! |
This journalist was in AIR, Kohima newsroom that fateful day and made a miraculous escape. I was summoned back home in West Bengal but native Nagas remained clueless for days on what was stored in their fate in the name of combing operation and retaliatory violence.
Two journalists (non-Nagas) later had to leave/flee state capital Kohima permanently and the then Deputy Commissioner Kohima, L V Reddy was killed few days later.
Hours before NSCN-IM meet, rival group - NNPG - raises 'local-outsiders' bogie
New Delhi:
The locals-outsiders debate, a long-lasting feature in the northeast and also in Nagaland, has taken a new twist and somewhat ugly turn.
On Monday, the umbrella body Naga National Political Group (NNPG) comprising seven militant groups operating in an unprecedented move openly directed their tirade against the NSCN-IM virtually tagging them as 'outsiders', tenants, in the state of Nagaland.
"Nagaland today is a land where tenants, with Govt of India's help, dream to be landlords through heckling, harassing and brutalising the owners with symbolic tools like Integration, flag, constitution, Pan Naga Hoho," the NNPG Working Committee said in a statement issued late Monday.
The NNPG, which is formally headed by its convener N. Kitovi Zhimomi, is now more than keen to ink an early solution and final peace pact with the Central government. It had signed an Agreed Position joint statement with the Centre on November 17, 2017 in the presence of former Naga peace talks negotiator R.N. Ravi.
"Since 1997, Nagaland has lost two generations and counting," the NNPG statement said in reference to the delay in finalising the final pact between the Centre and the NSCN-IM. Such a strongly worded statement issued just a few hours before NSCN-IM General Secretary Thuingaleng Muivah holds a key meeting with his colleagues and senior leaders was a bit surprising.
Dec 25, 2023
"Nehru would not have dreamt to coerce Kashmir into India...": Lord Mountbatten told authors Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre
"Do you remember the particular feelings Nehru had about the Kashmir issue? Did they complicate things?" -- Lord Louis Mountbatten (1900 - 1979) was asked by eminent authors Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre
.... His response was :
"I do indeed. From the beginning, he (Nehru) confessed he was deeply involved in Kashmir. He was a Kashmiri Brahmin, it was his home. But he was a man of the highest integrity and intellect. He would not have dreamt to coerce Kashmir into India on account of his emotional attachment...
Nehru never expunged from his mind the facts as he saw them. he did not have such an emotional block that he could not see then, he could. I urged him to have a plebiscite to decide which was Kashmir wanted to go. He immediately agreed...".
Nov 7, 2023
From a distance, one could note wide smiles of joy:::: Peace to harmony with forces : Naga mothers being 'reasons' for everything
To many what Assam Rifles has been doing with Naga Mothers and a few widows from Phek district is nothing exceptional.This is a "people's friendly force" is the refrain from many soldiers and officers.Assam Rifles has been fostering a new bond with the locals over the years.
Not long ago, earlier in January this year, the force rescued more than 172 civilians at the Zojila Tunnel site in Jammu and Kashmirwho were trapped due to an avalanche. The value of the force is now felt overseas as well and has resulted in their deployment in Sri Lanka during Op Pawan and United Nation missions at Haiti and Congo.
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| GoC, Maj Gan Lakhera with Naga Mothers from Phek |
Kohima
Success lies in doing the things you know best rather than chasing multiple things.
Soldiers across the world are associated with guns and violence. But in northeast India, men in camouflage and these days even eves or women are also harbingers of peace. But as emotions; what works best in a soldier ?
In an Indian soldier; perhaps it is the typical one --- bond with motherhood. --
Away from home, these soldiers often hit upon elderly women; and that way the 'Naga mothers' are a special lot they hit upon at times.The Naga mothers have a reputation of their own. One had heard of injured soldiers being attended by an emotional Naga mother and she would easily scream "marom bhi lagey (I feel bad for the wounded soldier)".
(Happy New Year - 2024)
ends
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