Gandhi’s talisman for Rahul

Mahatma Gandhi's talisman was strengthening the weaker parts of the society so the nation can stand firmly on all its columns. Otherwise, India would be stressed and limp along. If people around you are doing well, you will do well. The myopic men of BJP may look to it as charity rather than investment in human development. 

Years-ago, i wrote a piece called the nation is a bus that’s on a journey, imagine each tire is a community, and each tire has the necessary air to assure safe journey. In the 2nd bus, the tires with full air can scream at low air-tires, look I  worked hard to be full, you need to pick the slack and come up to our level  ... whose loss is it if they cannot? It behooves the majority to uplift the minority, not for charity but for parity and preventing a drag. The more people we pull out of ditches onto a level playing field,  the bigger the consumer market would be, all will gain from it.

Obviously, the bus with full air in the tires will have a safe journey over the limping one.
Whose journey is assured? 

We need to make a short video clip contrasting the difference to bring cohesion in society and get rid of the nonsensical idea that it is appeasement of minorities.


What do you think?
Mike
Thank you

Thank you

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Gandhi’s talisman for Rahul

Courtesy - Indian Express

It is good that even when an imaginary Hindu fear has paralyzed the Indian political mind and Muslims are being invisiblised, Rahul Gandhi and the Congress are returning to their Gandhian roots, even if their steps are yet not that firm.

“How can you be a party of Muslims?”, the leaders and ministers of the Bharatiya Janata Party fumed after an Urdu daily Inquilab reported Rahul Gandhi saying that the Congress was a party of Muslims. It turned out that it was a gross misrepresentation of his conversation with a group of intellectuals with Muslim names. This meeting was also decried as a partisan and divisive move. The BJP demanded an explanation from Rahul Gandhi, taunting that on the one hand he claimed to be a pucca Hindu, a Shiv bhakt, and on the other, he was meeting Muslim intellectuals and declaring the Congress a party of Muslims.

As if my Hinduness is defined by its opposition to Muslims or my standing up for the rights of Muslims presupposes disowning Hindus. Only a small mind can think like this. But India is now being ruled by a very narrow vision. In more democratic and normal times, one would have dismissed the attack by the BJP on Rahul Gandhi as absurd. But these are viciously extraordinary times. Keeping company with a Muslim or Christian can turn you into an anti-Hindu and anti-national.

It was good that Rahul Gandhi was not unsettled by the assault on him. He repeated that he and his party stood for all marginalised people, irrespective of their religious or caste identities.

Muslims, all of us know, are among the most marginalised communities in India according to all social and economic indicators. They continue to be Indian citizens with equal rights. But since they are like the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, who have been pushed behind other communities, they would need a supporting hand from the state to give them a sense of equal citizenship. That is why former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that the minorities had the first claim on national resources. Sadly, this statement has been twisted into a weapon against the Congress and no independent analyst or intellectual has thought of defending the ex-PM. For what he was saying was truly Gandhian.

It also gave you solace to see the Congress regaining that old, forgotten Gandhian courage. It was, in fact, the talisman he had given. When in doubt about the appropriateness of your action, you should think how it would impact the last person in the line.

Since the new mascot of the BJP is Gandhi, if we leave Ambedkar aside, let us remind the party of what Gandhi had said in the most difficult days of his life. His last days were the most trying times. He himself admitted that his battle with the British was not as difficult as the one that he was having with his people. Failing to persuade the Hindus and Sikhs of Delhi to end violence against Muslims, Gandhi decided to go on fast to cleanse himself and also the hearts of the hate-filled Hindus and Sikhs who wanted to make Delhi Muslim-free. While on fast, he was charged with partisanship: The fast was on behalf of the Muslims and he was pro-Muslim. Gandhi, as was his habit, discussed and responded to the charge in his daily deliberation.

I am fasting for Muslims and since the fast in on their behalf, it is against Hindus and Sikhs, Gandhi said. As polite and non-polemical as he was, Gandhi never believed in mincing words. He was fighting against those who called themselves Hindus and thought that they had not just the first but the only claim on India. All others had to live according to their wishes. Gandhi rejected this claim emphatically.

Gandhi saw himself as a man responsible for both Pakistan and India. So, he added that in India this fast was for Muslims and in Pakistan, it was for the Hindus and Sikhs.

A simple principle of statecraft to remember — minority rights are the foundation of a democracy. Always stand for the rights of the minorities because majorities tend to hegemonise the political, social and cultural space of a nation. This applies to all countries, religions and ethnicities. Had Gandhi been in Pakistan, he would have fought against the Sunni Muslim majoritarianism and in Sri Lanka, he would have stood up against the Buddhist Sinhalese majoritarianism. He wrote that he had learnt it from a European friend while he was in South Africa that when in doubt you must side with the minorities.

It is good that even when an imaginary Hindu fear has paralysed the Indian political mind and Muslims are being invisiblised, Rahul Gandhi and the Congress are returning to their Gandhian roots, even if their steps are yet not that firm. When in doubt, stand with the persecuted and the minorities. Do not fall into the trap of false equivalence. Would it win Congress seats? What this conviction did to Gandhi, we know. The walk back to Gandhi may not take the Congress to power. But it is a process of recovery of its conscience. No small gain.

What the Gandhis should do next

Aakar, I am right with you. Indeed, the congress should do what you have suggested - Additionally, they did very well on the economic front - a 4.5% growth was good, compared to less than 3% growth in the US and UK - India is tied to global economy and will rise and fall with it. 

Rahul and Sonia betrayed the followers of Congress - by not even attempting to defend their record and not responding to Modi's attacks, when they did, it was too late. They did not even want to win.  I kept up with Google search, they were not news makers. Policy wise they are good, but what they need is a fighter like Priyanka - for the sake of a strong opposition - Rahul can resign in Amethi or Sonia can resign in Rae Bareilly and Priyanka be given a chance.

Although Modi will do well with the development and social cohesion, we need strong opposition for checks and balances, and for the sake of vibrant democracy. 

Mike Ghouse
# # #

What should the Gandhis do after being clubbed into submission by Narendra Modi?

Courtesy:

http://tribune.com.pk/story/712623/what-the-gandhis-should-do-next/

Let’s first look at what they have chosen to do so far. They were churlish in accepting defeat, with Rahul Gandhi in particular putting up a shameful performance. His words — “Congress party has done pretty badly” — did much to validate those who said he was casual in his approach to the elections.

Sonia Gandhi mumbled some words without naming Modi and then disappeared. In the meeting with the party it was business as usual, with their offer to resign (to what mandarin does Sonia send her resignation? It would be interesting to know) being rejected by the courtiers.

What should they do now? There are four things that they can do personally, setting aside all the talk of analysis of the defeat, which will not happen, and revamping of the state units, which will not happen.

The first thing is to communicate to the Congress and its voters that the Gandhis recognise how large this defeat has been. They have not done this so far, and if they understand what a monumental thrashing they have received, they have not shown it.

The second thing is to put their hand up and raise their parliamentary profile. For 10 years, Sonia refused to take the office of prime minister, which was fine because she was not qualified intellectually, as I have written before. But she also refused to do much work in the Lok Sabha. It was Pranab Mukherjee who was Leader of the House from 2004 till his elevation as president a couple of years ago. Sonia did little inside Parliament and left it to others to do the defending or, on the rare occasion, attacking. Rahul was, of course, famously absent from action for much of the time. This has to change. The forum from which they can revive the party’s image is the Lok Sabha. The sorry huddle of Congress MPs, less than four dozen in a house of 543, will discourage them, but they have to man up.

The third thing is for them to sum up what it is that they stand for and communicate it to potential voters. My understanding is that the Congress stands for three things: pluralism in society (let us discard the word secularism, which has become a turn-off for many), liberalisation in the economy and a focus on state spending for the weakest Indians.

From editorials explaining the reasons for Modi’s victory, the wrong lesson for the Congress to take would be that their broad policies were wrong. They were not. The execution was poor and the management was incompetent. The three Congress pillars are unexceptionable and a stress on them will redound to the party’s benefit because they are sound.

Perhaps the Gandhis already know this, but even if they do, most of their supporters don’t. They should compress the message and begin to drum it. They should add the three points as a coda every time they speak.

On liberalisation, they should assist Modi, despite the Indian tradition of making the opposition a platform for nuisance. The BJP was negative and unhelpful, opposing foreign direct investment in retail. The Congress on this count should not be petty.

The fourth thing they should do is resist attempts to rollback their big schemes. There is talk of trimming the employment guarantee scheme. Some of the others, such as the National Food Security Bill and the Right to Education law can be hit in execution. Modi will certainly go after the Unique Identity scheme, which he so viciously attacked as a sop for Bangladeshis.

The capacity of the Congress to resist in Parliament is depleted in the Lok Sabha, but it has other fora: Rajya Sabha and, importantly, the media.

The Gandhis have chosen to hide behind their ministers and chamchas, which was fine when they were in power. Now, stripped of it and of much of their aura, they must show they can do politics in the way it needs to be done in India. Modi shows great joy in doing the work he does and it is what makes him an attractive figure. The reluctance of the Gandhis is the opposite. It is an asset in victory, but it is thoroughly off-putting now, when it seems they’re only biding their time, waiting to be returned again to power.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 25^th, 2014.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces. The writer is a former editor of the Mumbai-based English newspaper Mid Day and the Gujarati paper Divya Bhaskar. His book Translating Saadat Hasan Manto’s non-fiction work will be published this year aakar.patel@tribune.com.pk

Paid News clouds India's election outcomes

George Bush practiced it as well, and the damned right wingers always have the money to blow be it in the United States, India or elsewhere. This is the greatest danger to democracy. Mike Ghouse

Critics say unregulated spending on India's elections is subverting the vote.

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2014/04/paid-news-clouds-india-elections-2014416121619668302.html

Baba Umar Last updated: 21 Apr 2014 09:52

An estimated $5bn will be spent on India's ongoing elections, the most expensive polls in its history [AP]

Last week, India's Election Commission (EC) warned the country's media houses against telecasting or publishing exit polls "by showing them as opinion polls". The announcement came after English-language channel NDTV aired a survey showing nationalist opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies grabbing more than 272 of the 543 parliamentary seats in India's nine-phase national elections. The elections will end on May 12. "In order to maintain level playing field and to ensure free and fair elections, the Commission advises all print and electronic media not to resort to the type of practise as mentioned... which for all practical purpose mean publication of exit poll while claiming that the same is only an opinion poll," the EC said in its statement. NDTV's survey was preceded by an interview with BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on a Hindi channel, India TV. The interview drew the ire of critics, who claimed that India TV is biased in favour of the BJP. The TV station's director of news resigned the following day. India's ruling Congress party has sought stern action against what it alleged was "paid news" and a violation of the Election Commission's guidelines. "The phenomenon of paid news, without hyperbole, has resulted in an insidious subversion of the most fundamental of democratic ideals: the purity of the vote," Paranjoy Singh Thakurta, a journalist and author, told Al Jazeera. "The autonomy of the media is meant to facilitate greater accountability of public personalities and reduce corruption. But when the media itself indulges in corrupt practises, especially during election campaigns, it seriously undermines the processes and structures that are meant to uphold and strengthen democracy," he said. Costliest polls According to various estimates, political parties in the world's largest democracy are pumping about $5bn into vigorous campaigns to lure 814 million voters - a sum second only to the 2012 US presidential polls, in which more than $6bn was spent. According to the New Delhi-based Centre for Media Studies, which follows the election spending, a whopping $4.9bn (Rs 30,000 crore) is being spent on the elections, making it by far the most expensive electoral exercise in India's history. Feature: Poll spending set to boost Indian economy Advertising and media groups, the consumer goods sector and manufacturers of party flags and other campaign paraphernalia are benefiting from the huge spending, which is boosting India's struggling economy. In addition to proposing that "paid news" be made an electoral offence, the Election Commission has also monitored candidates' expenditures. There are caps on how much candidates can spend on campaigning, and the election body has also made it mandatory for political parties and individual candidates to track their expenses on advertising in social media, which will be accounted for in the candidates' total expenditure. Thakurta argues that much of paid news is, however, far less overt. "Subtle and not-so-subtle attempts are made to 'commission' journalists to write articles that favour a particular candidate or discredit his opponent. In the absence of real investigative powers with the Press Council of India (PCI), including powers to conduct search and seizure operations, it is extremely difficult (and often impossible) to track illegal transactions in cash or kind," said Thakurta, who was one of the members of a sub-committee formed by the PCI in 2009 to examine the paid news phenomenon. Media benefits Campaign advertisements in TV, print, radio, and on the internet could see $800m pumped into the advertising sector during India's election season, according to a report by the country's largest local media agency, Madison Media. "One of the major reason for 17 percent growth [in advertising sector] is [ongoing] Lok Sabha elections followed by five state elections [later]," said Sam Balsara, the chairman and managing director of Madison Media, which has been working with the BJP to help the party with media planning and buying for their campaign. Listening Post - Indian media: Choosing sides? "Besides, advertisement campaign on television will fuel rate hike, regional dailies will continue to grow, and phase three roll out of [FM] radio is expected to attract new local advertisers," added Balsara. The Communist Party of India (CPI) recently wrote to the Chief Election Commissioner to ban opinion polls, which it called "paid news", after an undercover operation conducted by a news channel exposed the manipulation of numbers by opinion poll firms. In the past few years, there have been numerous cases involving politicians and corporations spending big money for favourable press coverage. Election guidelines allow candidates to spend up to $116,102 (Rs 70 lakh) on campaigns, but the actual cost is thought to be much higher than the approved sum. To assure voters' support, Indian politicians often bribe voters with cash payouts rolled in newspapers, mobile phone recharges or sometimes alcohol. Election authorities have reportedly seized about $32m from politicians in the past three years during election-related raids. Last month, Election Commissioner HS Brahma said the big money involved in polls is creating an uneven playing field. "The biggest challenge to all of us today is the nexus between the politicians and crime - and secondly, the money power," he said. Corporate donations to politicians is not a new phenomenon. "This is a common practice. It is a quid pro quo deal," said Anil Verma of the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), which monitors election-related activities. In the past eight years, businesses have donated a total of $62m (Rs 378 crore), constituting 87 percent of political parties' contributions from known sources, according to an ADR report. "Also for contributions below $332 (Rs 20,000), the source does not have to be disclosed to tax authorities," Verma said. "This limit should be reduced so that source of any contribution is reflected in the candidate's affidavit to the election commission." He said corporate funding to politicians is a common practice around the world. "But what we are saying is it should be transparent. If it's opaque, there will be obviously doubts."

 

Rahul Gandhi failed to defend his party’s governance.

Current Indian Government is unduly criticized over growth, it is a shame that the Prime Minister and the Prime Ministerial candidates are not defending.

Yes, India's growth rate dropped from 10% to 5% in the last three years.  Indeed, that is the case with all economies in the world with a few exceptions, India is interconnected with the world economies, and is going to rise and fall with the world economies. 

Indeed it is the congress party that took India to 10% growth and it should defend both the rise and fall. It is predicted to recover this year to 5.7% and move up from there.

UK’s economic growth is marked at 2.9% while the US is at 2.6%

We brag about India being the world economy, but unwilling to see the effect of interconnectedness.

Blaming the Indian government should always be there, but must be reasonable. I am surprised Congress is not defending it. 

I urge the economists to write about it.

URL - http://mikeghouseforindia.blogspot.com/2014/04/rahul-gandhi-failed-to-defend-his.html

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Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. He believes in Standing up for others and a book with the same title is coming up. Mike has a strong presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News; fortnightly at Huffington post; and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes all his work through many links.