Random Thoughts

Strongest words spoken by any PM at the UN General Assembly

“Pak is a terror state Pak should shut down terrorist camps if the talks have to be fructified. Pak has to shun the path of terrorism”.

What is BJP machine advocating stop talking. Recommending Manmohan should go to UN and start thrashing SHARIF with a hockey stick. (Bhartiya Jhagraloo Party)

What happened in Kargil and thereafter is forgotten.                 

For Gates, corruption isn’t A BIG BILL TO PAY

Gates made news this week with his statement that there would be no poor countries by 2035 (he also made a viral video promoting his website), but what went mostly unremarked was a series of statements about aid and corruption. Gates issued a two-part response to critics of foreign aid provided by governments. “Many people think that development aid is a large part of rich countries ‘budgets, which would mean a lot can be saved by cutting back. When pollsters ask Americans what share of the budget goes to aid, the average response is 25 percent. When asked how much the government should spend, people tend to say ’10 percent.’ I suspect you would get similar result in the United Kingdom, Germany, and elsewhere. Here are the actual numbers. For Norway, the most generous nation in the world, it’s less than 3 percent. For the United States it’s less than 1 percent, “he wrote.

As for corruption, Gates begins at home. “There is a double standard at work here. I’ve heard people calling on the government to shut down some aid program if one dollar of corruption is found, On the other hand, four of the past seven governors of Illinois have gone to prison for corruption, and to my knowledge no one has demanded that Illinois schools be shutdown or its highways closed,” he writes.

BIG DATA

Current number of foundation employees               1,194

Asset Trust Endowment                                           $40.2b

Total grant payments since inception                    $28.3b

Total 2011 & 2012 grant payments                       $  3.4b                        

Random Thoughts

21 Jan 2014

                                                               Random Thoughts

What AAP stands for

       A-     Anarchism,     A- Authoritarian,   P-  Pullulated ideas

AK and his gooms decided a new format to arouse emotions for their. Three Major Failure, “Failure of Janta Darbar” “Revolt in the Party “Non completion of their promised manifesto in the prescribed time frame.

So they found a mechanism to divert the attention of Aam Adimi from the real issues

AAP’s mandate is for improving law and order, not subverting it

In a clear case of overreach, two AAP ministers faced off with Delhi police last week. First, women and child welfare minister Rakhi Biria tried pressuring the police into arresting the in-laws of a woman who had been allegedly burned by them. Second, law minister Somnath Bharti and his supporters tried hectoring law officers into conducting a late-night raid, and arresting a group of African women for allegedly dealing drugs and running a sex racket. The confrontational way in which the two ministers got personally involved in these cases exemplifies a misreading of the remit of their offices. Ministers, no matter how well –meaning, cannot afford to chuck policymaking and behave like chowkidars.

Law and order in a democracy depends on rules and procedures that cannot be subverted. Bharti’s case in particular highlights why police procedures cannot be thrown to the wind. Reportedly, the law minister and his supporters insisted that police conduct a raid without a search warrant and detain the women at night against rules. Meanwhile, the women have alleged that Bharti and his men illegally entered their house, molested them, detained them in a car and forced them to undergo drug tests, which turned out to be negative. In fact, they feared worse had the police not been there to object to the minster’s highhandedness.

A Download from Internet:

India Against Corruption

The movement started by Arvind Kejriwal (when he claimed to be an activist) was not showng much following. He (AK) roped in Anna in 2011 to spearhead this movement. Anna a simple ex soldier of the Indian Army, who had done social work in his village (Ralegaon) and later in the state of Maharashtra, fell in this trap of AK. And Anna’s leadership brought the movement  to a “National Focus”.  AK and his agents Gopal Rao, Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, Kumar Vishwas became “Zero” to “Hero” overnight. Mainly due to overzealous electronic media.

What is corruption? Corruption is not a standalone phenomenaon : Corruption is not limited to petty (LL) officials making some small sum in providing unlawful help or services to “Aam Adami”. Corruption is neglect of duty, people in Govt services, pvt jobs industry indulge in business activities or even setting up NGO’s. All this is against the norms. The movement started as an “anti corruption” surge, culminated in political Party AAP. Their agenda was misguiding the “Janta’. The AAP gave a call to be indisciplined (vuq’kklughurk ) Jungle Raj (vjktdrk) As a part of their election strategy, AAP leaders and volunteers engaged in sending wrong messages.

a.       Don’t pay your electricity dues.

b.      If you even thieve electricity go ahead

c.       If your electricity is disconnected/ redo/(due to nonpayment of bills) yourself or call me (AK) or our volunteers

It is the easiest way of character demolition. We the people mostly want to lead an indisciplined life. You can motivate the people to agitate in the shortest possible time.  Character building; positive social change, nation building is a process of decades/generation. What other political parties have taken decades to offer that is free goodies to the Janta; AAP has done this in the beginning free, water/highly subsidized electricity. Without analyzing its long term effect or what to say even short term. AAPs rise can be compared to small screen performer RAKHI SAWANT. Her body language, postures attracted the young boys a great deal. She glamorized all young men, was scintillating and gave them sleepless nights and vanished in a matter of 2-3 years.

AAP wants to become BAP (cki): A man becomes BAAP around the age of 24 years. Here AAP wants to become BAAP with in the just24 months.

AAP to little good here

Bhushan’s espousal of referendum on the forces in Naxalite areas shows AAP’s lack of understanding of national issues

The term referendum seems dear to the heart of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Prashant Bhusan. This is the word we have heard most often from him since AAP’s historic victory. First he sought a referendum in Kashmir to ascertain whether the armed forces should be deployed there. His own party, under heavy fire from other political parties, disagreed with him. Not one to be deterred that easily he now wants a referendum to see whether the security forces, which he feels are handmaidens of big corporate, should be removed from Naxal-domina.ted areas. This has of course set off a flutter in the dovecotes of politics. Now, to express such sentiments if you are a civil society activist protesting at Jantar Mantar is one thing and is acceptable. But now that he is part of a party which is in governance, there are certain areas into which it is best not to go into without understanding all the ramifications. We wonder if Mr. Bhusan has asked those living in Naxal-dominated areas whether they would feel safer with the removal of the security forces. Has he made this comment after having studied all the facts? We suspect not. Mr. Bhusan’s remarks are irresponsible and serve to highlight his party’s lack of understanding of larger national issues.

There is CHAOS in AAP, Better watch out

India Against Corruption

The movement started by Arvind Kejriwal (when he claimed to be an activist) was not showng much following. He (AK) roped in Anna in 2011 to spearhead this movement. Anna a simple ex soldier of the Indian Army, who had done social work in his village (Ralegaon) and later in the state of Maharashtra, fell in this trap of AK. And Anna’s leadership brought the movement  to a “National Focus”.  AK and his agents Gopal Rao, Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, Kumar Vishwas became “Zero” to “Hero” overnight. Mainly due to overzealous electronic media.

What is corruption? Corruption is not a standalone phenomenaon : Corruption is not limited to petty (LL) officials making some small sum in providing unlawful help or services to “Aam Adami”. Corruption is neglect of duty, people in Govt services, pvt jobs industry indulge in business activities or even setting up NGO’s. All this is against the norms. The movement started as an “anti corruption” surge, culminated in political Party AAP. Their agenda was misguiding the “Janta’. The AAP gave a call to be indisciplined (vuq’kklughurk ) Jungle Raj (vjktdrk) As a part of their election strategy AAP leaders and volunteers engaged in sending wrong messages.

a.       Don’t pay your electricity dues.

b.      If you even thieve electricity go ahead

c.       If your electricity is disconnected/ redo/(due to nonpayment of bills) yourself or call me (AK) or our volunteers

It is the easiest way of character demolition. We the people mostly want to lead an indisciplined life. You can motivate the people to agitate in the shortest possible time.  Character building; positive social change, nation building is a process of decades/generation. What other political parties have taken decades to offer that is free goodies to the Janta; AAP has done this in the beginning free, water/highly subsidized electricity. Without analyzing its long term effect or what to say even short term. AAPs rise can be compared to small screen performer RAKHI SAWANT. Her body language, postures attracted the young boys a great deal. She glamorized all young men, was scintillating and gave them sleepless nights and vanished in a matter of 2-3 years.

AAP wants to become BAP (cki): A man becomes BAAP around the age of 24 years. Here AAP wants to become BAAP with in the just24 months.

AAP to little good here

Bhushan’s espousal of referendum on the forces in Naxalite areas shows AAP’s lack of understanding of national issues

The term referendum seems dear to the heart of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Prashant Bhusan. This is the word we have heard most often from his since AAP’s historic victory. First he sought a referendum in Kashmir to ascertain whether the armed forces should be deployed there. His own party, under heavy fire from other political parties, disagreed with him. Not one to be deterred that easily he now wants a referendum to see whether the security forces, which he feels are handmaidens of big corporate, should be removed from Naxal-domina.ted areas. This has of course set off a flutter in the dovecotes of politics. Now, to express such sentiments if you are a civil society activist protesting at Jantar Mantar is one thing and is acceptable. But now that he is part of a party which is in governance, there are certain areas into which it is best not to go into without understanding all the ramifications. We wonder if Mr. Bhusan has asked those living in Naxal-dominated areas whether they would feel safer with the removal of the security forces. Has he made this comment after having studied all the facts? We suspect not. Mr. Bhusan’s remarks are irresponsible and serve to highlight his party’s lack of understanding of larger national issues.

There is CHAOS in AAP, Better watch out

Fact File-a Point to Ponder A Self-defeating Exercise An overzealous battle against defence corruption can have a disastrous fallout on national security

Fact File-a Point to Ponder                                                                                       18 Jan 2014

A Self-defeating Exercise

An overzealous battle against defence corruption can have a disastrous fallout on national security

With polls around the corner, corruption topping the political agenda and the inclinations of the defence minister, there were few raised eyebrows when India terminated its contract to buy 12 helicopters from Agusta Westland due to allegations of illegal payoff against the deal. The government has struggled with the decision for several months, ever since allegations of bribes to Indian officials emerged in an Italian court case regarding Agusta’s holding company, finmeccanica. But following the CBI’s charge sheet coupled, one suspects, with the AAP’s electoral success, the decision to terminate was inevitable. The Bofors howitzer controversy and the deserved reputation defence sales have for corruption have made the Indian polity sensitive to any whiff of scandal  regarding arms. It does not help that arms sales are shrouded in some secrecy and often include a geopolitical element that cannot be put down in a ledger.

Nonetheless, there is a need to recognize that an overzealous battle against defence corruption can have disastrous fallout on national security-with potential costs of which would far outweigh the economic price of a kickback. This is not only because a certain degree of opacity is inevitable in such purchases. The Indian Army has a very limited set of options when it comes to weapon sources. Many vendors are monopoly producers. They cannot but from certain countries. The Services will only seek weaponry that is superior to their likely opponents. An honestly bought fighter that can be shot down at will is a case of morality taken to the point of absurdity. Finally, India’s defence is unusually dependent on imports for a large country.

All of these mean that India’s punitive policies against errant arms sellers are self defeating. The defence ministry, for example, has blacklisted so many artillery makers that India is struggling to find a replacement for the Bofors gun. The Naresh Chandra committee on defence preparedness is only the latest panels to recommend India consider punishments like fines and imprisonment rather than broad brush actions like blacklists. Even cancelling contracts should be weighed against other possible punishments. It often incurs enormous costs to the exchequer and results in inferior replacements. India lives in a tough nighbourhood and in issues a greater weight should be given to practices that enhance security.  

Editorial HT Jan 3, 2014

Comments:

The “Defence Industry Base” is a slackening No improvement. Latest reports say more than 50% is the import factor whether small or big projects. We are behind on our re-equipment plan by 20 years in all our induction/modernization plans. We have to wake up to reduce the gap with our immediate adversaries.  

The Fact File-A standoff between two largest “Democracies” Devyani Episode An Undiplomatic Affair

The Fact File-A standoff between two largest “Democracies” Devyani Episode

An Undiplomatic Affair                                                                                        15 Jan 2014

If democracy entails policy making that must be responsive to public and electoral sensitivities, then the Indian government couldn’t really have acted differently. This is not to suggest diplomacy must be surrendered to street rhetoric and visceral emotion. It is only to contend that as India’s polity has become more fragmented and as electoral competition has intensified, sources of foreign policymaking too have multiplied.

A variety of domestic constituencies –many of which only had a peripheral foreign policy role 20 years ago-now influence the external affairs ministry (MEA). These range from a loud media, particularly news television, to middle-class opinion that can be overdone but is difficult to entirely ignore. Finally, there are state governments and regional voting groups that come into play.

A distant observer could well dismiss the end result as not being ‘mature’. Yet, a democracy’s foreign policy does in some manner have to reflect its democratic pressures, good or bad. America knows this. In 1960, a US Air Force pilot, Gary Powers, was shot down over the Soviet Union and put in prison. Public and media reaction was significant. Powers’s father gave a series of interviews and even wrote to Nikita Khrushchev, “father to father…one old coalminer to another.

No foreign policy relationship can be nurtured (or destroyed) by just diplomats and ivory-tower in terlocutors, having a discussion in a closed room. If domestic factors can harm India-US ties, it is necessary to encourage countervailing domestic factors that can remedy this damage. Here India needs to do some course correction.

Where has India gone wrong? Powerful sections of the Prime Minister’s Office have let the US relationship decay, while advocating a quixotic and starry-eyed approach to China. It is no secret that the State Department bureaucracy is not packed with enthusiasm for India. The Pentagon and American business have been better constituencies for India but New Delhi has neglected both.

A critical drag has been India’s lethargy in economic decision-making. President Barack Obama took office in 2009 not as a grand strategist with any abiding interest in India but as a transactional president who thought of jobs and economic benefit. To some degree, his goals were never going to be compatible with India’s. Nevertheless the UPA government didn’t help by putting economic reforms on the slow burner and downsizing GDP growth.

In turn, a sliding economy gave India less space for strategic thinking and, for example, a maritime role in Southeast Asia that may have brought it to While House’s attention. Finally, cussed reversals in tax and trade policy caused a situation where India was and is being (overstatedly) pilloried on its intellectual-pro-party record even by companies that had invested heavily here, and by a US IT industry that was once its greatest champion.

TOI 10 Jan 2014 Ashok Malik

COMMENTS:

A small affair blown up to a war like situation. Cant the two countries sit down and resolve to a amicable solution, specially to plug the weakness,   for the future.

The Fact File-A stand off between two largest “Democracies” Devyani Episode An Undiplomatic Affair

Hanging By A Thread                                                                            16 Jan 2014

Bangladesh’s legacy of blood endangers its future prospects

Bangladesh was conceived of as a political community of human beings drawn together by shared experience and held together by their own language, customs and beliefs-which Pakistan had worked hard to destroy. But when Bangladesh was actually born on December 16, 1971, it was in the aftermath of a horrific man-made disaster, which ironically also exemplified one of the greatest triumphs of human will. Following the assassination of Bangladesh’s founder-President Shekh Mujibur Rahman in August 1975, Mollah, the ‘butcher of Mirpur’, and some of the other Jammat, Al Badr and Al Shams collaborators were pardoned by Major General Ziaur Rahman who allowed them to return to Bangladesh from exile in 1978.

Mollah’s hanging, which took place against a backdrop of international condemnation, coincides with the anniversary of brutal killings of intellectuals across Bangladesh in the dark days before liberation. In many ways, the infliction of death on a razakar, a collaborator, symbolizes Bangladesh’s continuing legacy of blood. Forty-two-years after the most appalling butchery, the justice being meted out to its collaborators isn’t just being seen as a fulfillment of an old promise. It has also resurrected wounds which reflect irreconcilable social and political differences in a country that’s seen plenty of violent convulsions but not enough reconciliation.

That the past continues to haunt present-day Bangladesh is best exemplified by the current political imbroglio there. With national elections barely a month away, the ruling Awami League alliance and BNP-led opposition are yet to see eye to eye on modalities of conducting free and fair polls. Given historical, political and cultural linkages, neighbouring India can hardly be a mute spectator to developments in Bangladesh. The latter’s geographical linkages to India’s northeast makes Dhaka an important player in our Look East policy architecture. Besides, turmoil in Bangladesh provides fertile ground for anti-India forces to fish in troubled waters. With US withdrawal looming over Afghanistan, Indian leadership can hardly afford a turbulent eastern front.

At this crucial juncture, New Delhi must reach out and support all democratic stakeholders in Dhaka to mitigate distrust and break and cycle of violence plaguing Bangladeshi polity. It must realize that a peaceful, democratic Bangladesh can galvanise the region by serving as an important conduit between South and East Asia. On the other hand, instability will increase regional security challenges and further propagate the legacy of blood in Bangladesh.    

Extract of an article 17 Dec 2013

Comments:  

India created & established a “New Nations on 16 Dec 1971 against all possible odds. A true display of political, diplomatic and decisive military victory. A salute to the leaders of that time and those who perished in the WAR.