Congress Poll Manifesto

 

Dear Rahul Gandhi

You have invited suggestions from public for possible incorporation in the Congress Poll Manifesto , if found suitable

Based on my perception of what would benefit the public most ( in order of importance ) , following is how Congress manifesto should read :

Ø   Corruption

We will introduce / pass , a  of Jan Lok-Pal Bill within 2 months of assuming power at the Center

Ø   Jobs

  

     We will create 15 million jobs per year , starting from 2015 , especially thru rapid investments in infrastructure projects , which generate millions of jobs. To bring this about , we will introduce special Infrastructure Bonds , whose interest will be tax-free for 25 years.

No questions will be asked as to the source of funds invested by individuals or by Organizations / Institutions

Ø   Economy

We will liberalize FDI in Insurance / Retail and all other non-defense related sectors of economy

Ø   Productive Use of  Un-Productive Money

We will create a structure, whereby Private sector and Religious Trusts ( such as Tirupati / Lord Padmanabhan / Shirdi SaiBaba / Satya SaiBaba / Siddhi Vinayak / VaishnoDevi etc ) , will come forward to invest , at least Rs 10 lakh crores per year for the next 5 years. This will be done thru,

·          No-Tax  ( for 10 years ) , “ Job Creation “ Bonds , exclusively devoted to creation of Jobs for poor people in less-developed states

·         Enabling investments into these bonds , thru a Voluntary Disclosure Scheme ( VDS ) where no questions will be asked as to the source of the funds. This will bring back Rs 35 lakh crores stashed away unproductively / secretly by Indian nationals and Trusts

·         We will create similar “ Job Creation “ Bonds where subscription will be restricted to,

#  NRIs  /  PIOs

#  Foreign NGOS / Foreign Charitable Trusts (eg Bill Gates Foundation )

#  Foreign Sovereign Funds ( China / Oil-rich countries etc )

  

·         We will introduce this measure within 6 months of coming to power

Ø   CBI

We will make CBI as much  independent of the Central Government as possible ,  by making Chief of CBI report to a panel of retired Judges of the Supreme Court

CBI will have its own Expense Budget ( as part of the Central Budget ) and will be free to hire additional professionals without needing permission from any Central Ministry

Ø   Electoral Reforms

We will introduce , within 6 months , a Electoral Reforms Bill in Lok Sabha. This will have provisions for

·         NOTA

·         Right to Recall

·         Negative Vote …………..etc

Ø   Representation of People Act

We will amend this Act within 6 months of assuming power , by incorporating provisions for

·         Acceptance of donations from abroad

·         Acceptance of ALL donations to political parties only thru cheques

·         Issue of paper receipts for all donations

·         Publishing on party web site ,

    #   full details of funding / expenditure / donations etc

    #   full details of Assets / Liabilities / Income Tax Returns filed etc of Senior party functionaries ( including those holding Ministerial positions ) – updated annually

   #   full details of FIRs / Court-Cases ( whether criminal or civil ) filed against any Senior Party Functionaries ( including Ministers ), with punishments awarded , if any

   #   number of Lok Sabha / Rajya Sabha meetings attended by its elected representatives

Ø   Right to Information Act

        As  interpreted by the CIC ( Chief Information Commissioner ) / confirmed by the Supreme Court and advised by the Attorney General , we will ensure that all political parties are covered by RTI

Ø   Naxal  /  Maoist Menace

We will eliminate this menace thru full integration of these Tribal areas into the mainstream of the Social / Political and Economic development.

We will do this by granting special status to these areas , where industries / businesses / NGOs , will be encouraged to set up Skills Training Institutes , by giving accelerated depreciation benefit for the Capital Expenditure incurred and 150 % write-off on the recurring annual revenue expenditure

Ø   Relations with Pakistan

Whereas we will encourage constructive dialogue with Pakistan to resolve all outstanding issues , this will be done only after Pakistan dismantles all terror-training camps on its territory , as certified by the Home Minister

   Dear Rahul :

 I am not sure how many citizens will take the trouble to spell out their suggestions like this

My last suggestion is that you frame a “ Multiple Choice Questionnaire “

Publish this on as many Media as possible – especially Online Web sites

Then ask people to record their choices

A Smart Phone based Mobile App would be great !

·          hemen  parekh  (  26  Oct  2013  )

PS :

Earlier , I have forwarded somewhat similar suggestions to Shri Murli Manohar Joshi , who is in charge of drawing up Poll Manifesto for BJP

But then , when it comes to serving the national interest , there ought to be no differences amongst the political parties , as to the goals , even if the means to reach these goals may differ somewhat 

GOP

In America , GOP stands for “ Grand Old Party “ , ie the Republican Party

In India , Congress could be termed GOP , having ruled the country for over 55 years since independence

Sheila Dikshit is the Chief Minister of GOP - ruled Delhi for last 15 years

In 1998 , she defeated BJP’s Sushma Swaraj and came to power

All because Sushma could not contain the onion prices then and people of Delhi got angry

This time , it looks like Sheila’s turn !

But Arvind Kejriwal of Aam Aadmi Party ( AAP ) is spoiling the fun !

By challenging Sheila to a public debate in Ram Lila ground

He wants to discuss GOP , viz:

Ø  G   (  for  Garlic  )

Ø  O   (  for  Onions  )

Ø  P    (  for  Potatoes )

GOL ( Grand Old Lady ) says ,

 “ This is patently unfair . Can’t you see that I am begging the hoarders to release the stocks ? ”

May be she should beg the people of Delhi to turn Jains – at least till 4^th December

But then , if Jains keep away from “ Garlic – Onion – Potatoes “ , they might even keep away from the Grand Old Party !

Whichever way you look , it seems , on 4^th Dec , it is

“ Advantage AAP “

People of Delhi are angrier than ever  !



May be this is why Sharad Pawar decided not to contest 2014 Lok Sabha elections !


About time too  !

·          hemen  parekh  (  25  Oct  2013  )

SOS to SOS to SOS !

Meaning,

Save  Our  Souls ……..          to

Son  Of  Sonia…………….         to

Subsidize  Our  Subji ( Subzi )

Rahul Gandhi,

To fill our empty POTs ( Stomachs , in Marathi ) , please give us our daily POTs , viz:

Ø    P..   for..  Potato         (  at Rs 3 / Kg  )

Ø    O..  for..  Onions         (  at Rs 2 / Kg  )

Ø    T ..  for..  Tomatoes    (  at Rs 1 / Kg  )

Announce in your next Election rally that you will get these included ( at the subsidized prices mentioned above ) , in the Food Security Bill

A little while back , you saved the democracy by tearing off the Ordinance

Now save 400 million poor people by fighting inflation ( which you cannot feel ) and fighting the evil opposition ( which haunts you everywhere ! )

On the battlefield of Mahabharat , Lord Krishna told Arjun :

“ If you die , you will go to heaven : if you win , you will rule the World

  Therefore , arise , O Son of Kunti , determined to fight this battle “

हतो वा प्राप्य्सी स्वर्गं , जित्वा वा भोक्षसे महीम 

तस्मात् उत्तिष्ठ कौन्तेय , युद्धाय कृत निश्चय !

For the 2014 National Elections , the battle-lines are already drawn !

It will be a battle of empty POTs and very angry RYOTs !

·          hemen  parekh  (  24  Oct  2013  )

Perform or Perish ?

IAS officer , Ashok Khemka was Managing Director of Haryana Seed Development Corporation from  Oct 15 , 2012  to  April 4 , 2013

Roshan Lal , Principal Secretary ( Agriculture ) , has recommended issue of a charge sheet against Khemka for “ alleged irregularities in wheat seeds sale “ , during Khemka’s tenure as MD

And what were those irregularities ?

Not meeting the target for the sales

Meaning , “ under-performance “

I request Khemka not to protest or fight the charge

He would do this country , a great favour by accepting his “ crime “ and going to jail !

He would establish that “ Under-Performance “ by a Government Officer or a Public Sector Officer , is a crime , punishable by laws of the land

A welcome precedence that would put behind bars ,

Ø  Sitting MLAs of Delhi State Assembly ( Congress-men )

Ø  Current Corporators of Delhi Municipal Corporation ( BJP men )

Of course that would give a patently unfair ( ? ) advantage to Aam Aadmi Party candidates on 4^th December , since none of them had , as yet , an “ opportunity  to under-perform “ !

People of Delhi have a unique chance to ,

Ø    Elect 40 + AAP candidates on 4^th Dec

Ø    Demand that they would be considered to have “ performed “ , only if they manage to bring down the onion price to Rs 20 per Kg , within 4 weeks of being voted to power

Arvind Kejriwal ,

Passing Jan Lok Pal Bill on 29^th Dec in Ram Lila Ground may be very dramatic , facing dozens of TV cameras , but what people of Delhi need NOW , is cheap onions !


Law or no law , people are unwilling to forgive non-performers

·          hemen  parekh  (  23  Oct  2013  )

Pandora’s Box

Through an earlier / independent investigation , CBI has already filed a FIR against Naveen Jindal in the Coal Scam

Last week , CBI followed up with an FIR against Kumar Mangalam Birla

Anil Ambani and Sunil Mittal have already appeared in Courts , for various alleged “ irregularities “ committed by their companies in connection with 2G / 3G spectrum

Sahara Chief , Subrata Roy is in trouble with the law ( deep up to his neck ) , in connection with unauthorized collecting – and then not refunding – Rs 20,000 Crores to unsuspecting rural folks ( who cannot , even be traced , for want of proper addresses ! )

Then there are any number of minor minions who are already behind bars or about to go

Now , Supreme Court has asked CBI to investigate 5,800 telephone conversations of lobbyist Niira Radia , and report if there were collusions between some industrialists / businessmen / government officers / politicians etc , for grant of illegitimate favors

By the time CBI gets done , there is no doubt , dozens of skeletons will start tumbling out of the Corporate Cabinets – apart from several State and the Central Cabinet !

Till 2014 elections , expect at least one FIR every month , against some or other eminent / well-respected industrialist !

Enough “ Corporate Fodder “ for BJP to “ fire-up “ the debates in the winter session of the Lok Sabha .

No one will even talk of Lalu’s Fodder – Scam !

Corporate India ,

Your Pandora’s Box is wide open

·          hemen  parekh  (  22  Oct  2013  )

A Contrarian View

Pakistani prime minister , Nawaz Sharif , yesterday suggested that America should get “ involved “ in solving the “ Kashmir Issue “

Expectedly , Indian politicians are all united ( at least on one issue ! ) in telling USA :

“ Keep your hands off Kashmir . We don’t need third party intervention to solve , what is essentially , our bilateral problem , as agreed in Shimla Agreement .

 “

Except that no politician is willing to admit the harsh ground reality that , after 60 years of LoC skirmishes – and thousands of deaths , India and Pakistan have failed to resolve the issue “ bilaterally “ !

Late Vasant Sathe was the only politician who had the ( suicidal ? ) courage to say ,

“ Only practical solution is for both countries to accept LoC as the international border “

And such a “ practical solution “ can come about only through a third-party mediation , without making either Indian or Pakistani politicians losing face !

Let us admit :

Ø  Without a peaceful solution of Kashmir Issue , thousands of innocent Indians living close to LoC will continue to die

Ø  Unlike Israel , India cannot engage in “ Hot Pursuit “ of the terrorists into Pak-Occupied Kashmir , without risking an all-out Nuclear war

Ø  Western Nations ( especially USA ) need Pakistan to fight  Al Qaida.     Despite endless Indian protestations , billions of dollars worth of American Aid money to improve Pakistan’s economy will continue to fund terrorists in POK

Ø  China is encircling India by establishing strong economic / military presence in Tibet / Nepal / Myanmar / Sri-Lanka / Maldive / Pakistan etc

Ø  Even Russian support to India is waning , as Russian economy gets more and more integrated with EU

Let us ask ourselves :

“ Is it right to continue spending billions of rupees in maintaining our military presence in Kashmir , when 400 million BPL Indians don’t get 2 meals a day ?


  How long must 1.6 million Indian children ( below the age of 5 ) continue to die , year after year , due to starvation ? “

Alas ! Neither Rahul Gandhi nor Narendra Modi would have the moral courage to answer this question !

In their party’s Poll Manifestos , there will be a deafening silence on this practical solution !

·          hemen  parekh  ( 20  Oct  2013  )

 

BJP Poll Manifesto

 

Mr Murli Manohar Joshi is in charge of drawing up BJP’s Poll Manifesto for 2014 Lok Sabha Elections

He has invited suggestions from public for possible incorporation in the manifesto , if found suitable

Based on my perception of what would benefit the public most ( in order of importance ) , following is how BJP’s manifesto should read :

Ø   Corruption

We will introduce / pass , “ Anna-Version “ of Jan Lok-Pal Bill within 2 months of assuming power at the Center

Ø   Jobs

  

     We will create 15 million jobs per year , starting from 2015

Ø   Economy

We will liberalize FDI in Insurance / Retail and all other non-defense related sectors of economy

Ø   Productive Use of  Un-Productive Money

We will create a structure, whereby Private sector and Religious Trusts ( such as Tirupati / Lord Padmanabhan / Shirdi SaiBaba / Satya SaiBaba / Siddhi Vinayak / VaishnoDevi etc ) , will come forward to invest , at least Rs 10 lakh crores per year for the next 5 years. This will be done thru,

·          No-Tax  ( for 10 years ) , “ Job Creation “ Bonds , exclusively devoted to creation of Jobs for poor people in less-developed states

·         Enabling investments into these bonds , thru a Voluntary Disclosure Scheme ( VDS ) where no questions will be asked as to the source of the funds. This will bring back Rs 35 lakh crores stashed away unproductively / secretly by Indian nationals and Trusts

·         We will create similar “ Job Creation “ Bonds where subscription will be restricted to,

#  NRIs  /  PIOs

#  Foreign NGOS / Charitable Trusts

#  Foreign Sovereign Funds

  

·         We will introduce this measure within 6 months of coming to power

Ø   CBI

We will make CBI truly independent of the Central Government , by making Chief of CBI report to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

CBI will have its own Expense Budget ( as part of the Central Budget ) and will be free to hire additional professionals without needing permission from any Central Ministry

Ø   Electoral Reforms

We will introduce , within 6 months , a Electoral Reforms Bill in Lok Sabha. This will have provisions for

·         NOTA

·         Right to Recall

·         Negative Vote …………..etc

Ø   Representation of People Act

We will amend this Act within 6 months of assuming power , by incorporating provisions for

·         Acceptance of ALL donations to political parties only thru cheques

·         Issue of paper receipts for all donations

·         Publishing on party web site ,

    #   full details of funding / expenditure etc

    #   full details of Assets / Liabilities / Income Tax Returns filed etc of Senior party functionaries ( including those holding Ministerial positions ) – updated annually

   #   full details of FIRs / Court-Cases ( whether criminal or civil ) filed against any Senior Party Functionaries , with punishments awarded , if any

   #   number of Lok Sabha / Rajya Sabha meetings attended by its elected representatives

Ø   Naxal  /  Maoist Menace

We will eliminate this menace thru full integration of these Tribal areas into the mainstream of the Social / Political and Economic development.

We will do this by granting special status to these areas , where industries / businesses / NGOs , will be encouraged to set up Skills Training Institutes , by giving accelerated depreciation benefit for the Capital Expenditure incurred and 150 % write-off on the recurring annual revenue expenditure

Ø   Relations with Pakistan

Whereas we will encourage constructive dialogue with Pakistan to resolve all outstanding issues , this will be done only after Pakistan dismantles all terror-training camps on its territory , as certified by a UN Agency , on an ongoing basis

   Dear Mr Joshi :

 I am not sure how many citizens will take the trouble to spell out their suggestions like this

My last suggestion is that you frame a “ Multiple Choice Questionnaire “

Publish this on as many Media as possible – especially Online Web sites

Then ask people to record their choices

A Smart Phone based Mobile App would be great !

·          hemen  parekh  (  19  Oct  2013  ) 

Winds of Change ?

Hardly a week passes without some Newspapers or TV Channels announcing the results of their “ Opinion Polls “ of voters re :

Ø  Forthcoming State Elections

Ø  Narendra Modi  vs  Rahul Gandhi

Ø  NDA  vs  UPA  vs  Third Front …..etc

Not only the number of voters being polled increasing but even the coverage is increasing

Questions being asked are mostly open-ended

But then , all Statistical Sampling carry the danger of a bias getting introduced through,

Ø  Conducting Agency

Ø  Sample Size

Ø  No of Options ( Centralization Tendency )

Ø  Leading questions

Ø  Stratification of people being polled….etc

Given all of these limitations , there can be no doubt that the Opinion Polls are pointers to the shape of things to come

Whereas contesting parties – and candidates – can afford to debate the accuracy of the exact “ Numbers “ , they may ignore the “ Trend “ at their own peril !

The trend is very clear ,

Ø  In Delhi , Aam Aadmi Party ( AAP ) will come to power with an absolute majority

Ø  In other 4 States , BJP will improve its share

Ø  At the Centre ( in 2014 National Elections ) , NDA may form the Government thru a coalition

On 4^th Dec , people of Delhi will re-confirm these trends by electing 40 + AAP candidates

The Wind of Change is an ill-wind that blows Congress no good  !

·          hemen  parekh  (  19  Oct  2013  )