Dressed Up Secularism.

M.D.Kini (Mumbai) says:

April 25,2013 at 10:17 PM IST

Congress started with three concepts of governance - non-alignment, socialism and secularism, and all three have failed the nation as they have been misunderstood and misused. When India was attacked by China in 1962, not a single non-aligned country supported India. They were all non-aligned with right & wrong. Socialism increased poverty and India grew by the so-called 'the Hindu rate of growth' which should rally be called socialist rate of growth. Secularism is the essence of Hinduism as it believes that all rivers reach the sea, and all faiths are an attempt to know God. This concept has been misused by Congress to frighten the minorities to get their votes. It is sad that minorities accept crumbs like reservation rather than be part of the resurgent India on an equal footing. Almost 400 million people in India are poor in spite of the Congress rule most the 65 years of Independence. Congress has used slogans to win elections, not by good governance. Modi has proved that it is possible to give good governance with the same rules and regulations. Good governance should be the watchword for India now. Minaz Merchant must be applauded for his correct analysis of secularism. MDK.

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 http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/headon/

April 30,2013.

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A code of conduct for politicians.

A code of conduct for politicians.

Your edit, Code of conduct for politicians, (DNA,25/4) is timely. Our politicians behave more like rulers than as representatives of the people. They rarely keep in touch with the people as elections are won more on the basis of caste or creed than on the basis of social work in the area. That is why most of the funds allotted for social welfare measures are not even spent. That is why most of the public works are shoddy.That is why they can disparage voters with impunity. In any other country elected members of the parliament or assemblies would not go scot-free as in our country.

Curiously, the Forty Second Constitution Amendment Act, 1976, has incorporated 11 Fundamental Duties which include respecting the National flag and the National Anthem to safeguarding public property and abjuring violence. This was done during the Emergency regime of Indira Gandhi (1975-77). However, she never thought of any duties for the representatives of the people. The time has come to draw up a list of duties for our representatives as well. The most important is to keep in touch with their constituents. They should present a report to the people what they have done for the people twice a year. Mumbai citizens remember this exercise was done regularly by Ram Naik when he was in the Maharashtra Assembly, and later, when he was elected to the parliament. It should be their duty to see that all budgeted amount for the constituency is spent without time over-run. Every constituency should have a voters' council. Which should make them accountable. Good governance norms and good conduct norms should be mandated by law and implemented by the Election Commission.

http://epaper.dnaindia.com/epapermain.aspx?pgNo=8&edcode=820009&eddate=2013-04-25

April 26,2013.

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What's age got to do with it ?

What's age got to do with it ?

Vivek Dehejia, in his analysis, 'What's age got do it ?' (IE,20/4) has rightly pointed out that there are 'three Is' – ideas, interests, and institutions – which shape policies in all states. Age has nothing to do with policies. Rahul Gandhi may be young but has no clue as to how to ensure economic progress for amm admi except to sympathise with them. Can we build a prosperous country without empowering people with education and health? After 65 years, mostly with Congress at the centre, vast areas of the country are without power, roads, and even water. He has not spoken about it. Congress has no new idea to offer except 100 days of work, and now distribution of doles through Adhar. It does not want to embrace the new idea that P.V.Narasimha Rao introduced in 1991 which changed the economic course of the country, increased its GDP and reduced poverty. Indian businessmen are looking abroad to invest as tere are many hurdles here in India.

The continuous procession of scams show whose interest is being pursued by the the party in power, and without any whimper from the young Turks of the party. The institutions such as police and the investigating agency (CBI) have lost their credibility. Both protect the politicians and the elite, not the common people. The next parliamentary election should be fought on restoring the credibility of ideas and institutions which serve the common interest. Good governance is the issue, and everything else is distraction of the vested interests.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/whats-age-got-to-do-with-it-/1105115/

April 20,2013.

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Old wine in an old bottle.

Old wine in an old bottle.

Your 'quick edit' has summed up the Congress policy for the country in a few words, " Old wine in an old bottle". Rahul Gandhi has failed to provide a road map for the revival of industry and agriculture, has only repeated some old slogans and vague ideas . It is the liberalisation of the economy from the stifling controls which increased our GDP & per capita income of the people, ushered in telecommunications & software revolutions, and increased the revenue of the government. However, instead of using the revenue for empowering the poor with education and health, the government has frittered it away in various schemes which have huge leakages in the hope of getting votes of the poor. Many poor people send their children to private schools to provide a better future for them and people spend a lot of money on illnesses which could be prevented with potable water and primary care. He has nothing to say on all these issues.

Instead of providing incentives to businessmen for investments in various sectors which provide employment and create wealth, a large number of projects are delayed due to red tape and indecision. No wonder many Indian businessmen are planning to invest their money in foreign countries. 

There is drought in parts of the country, and farmers are selling their livestock and flocking to towns and cities. Then there are problems like rampant corruption and inflation. He has not even referred to these problems.

Rahul Gandhi, like Congress in all these years, seem to believe in distributing doles to people, not in the empowerment of the people.

http://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/1819027/editorial-dna-edit-selling-old-wine-in-an-old-bottle

April 5, 2013.

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Drought is failure of policy, not rains.

Drought is failure of policy,not rains.

Professor H.M.Desarda has summed up the water scarcity in Maharashtra in a few words :" Drought is failure of policy,not rains"(Daily News and Analysis,26/3/13). According to his findings, Maharashtra had 90% rainfall in 2012 which is a long-term average, only 17 out of 355 talukas received less than 300 mm rainfall, the state has 40% of the big dams in India, and still there is widespread scarcity of water in Maharashtra. Most of the water has been diverted to water intensive industries such as sugar mills, alcohol and petro-chemical industries. There was a documentary in a TV channel which showed how water is being pumped to sugar mills, owned by the ministers and MLAs, while the surrounding villages go with out water. Another report states that sugar cane is grown in 10 out of 25 lakh hactares of irrigated land in the state. Yet another report says that not even one percent increase in the irrigation facilities in the state in the last 10 years in spite of spending Rs.70,000 crore. No wonder villagers flock to the towns and cities, and one of them from Solapur tells a reporter that ' Life in Mumbai footpath is better than in our drought-hit village'. This is how the present government in Maharashtra helps amm admi.

http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_drought-is-failure-of-policy-not-rains_1815739

April 1, 2013.

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