Lesson Number 5

For Arvind Kejriwal and his cabinet colleagues , meeting people of Delhi in person and listen to their problems , was very desirable

In the past , a couple of Prime Ministers have tried to do the same

But on a smaller scale , by " Pre-Selecting " and admitting in their compound , some 30 / 40 people on any given day

By putting in place , some " System " of pre-selecting , they made the exercise manageable

What went wrong with Arvind's failed attempt to hold a " Janata - Darbar ", yesterday , was not that it was a wrong idea

It was a " System Failure "

It was a failure to properly " Anticipate "

120 lakh people of Delhi have at least one problem each , which the past government - and the municipality - have failed to address  !

Hence , it did not need much " Imagination " to expect 10,000 persons to turn up  !

Can you  imagine , what would happen next time if 100,000 persons turn up, -  which is very likely  !

Now , it would be impossible to listen to the grievances of even 1,000 persons , one at a time

Arithmetic is quite simple

A minister would need at least 2/3 minutes to listen to a complainant and need another 2/3 minutes to give a reply / make a notation on the complaint paper / give instructions to his secretary etc

At 5 minutes per person , he can manage no more than 12 people per hour

A staggering 80 working hours ( 10 working days ! ) to meet / listen to 1000 persons  !

Obviously , something not " Do-able "  !

What is the way out  ?

Simple

STEP NO  1

>  Implement a " System - based Solution " outlined in my blog (30 Dec

     2013 )

STEP NO  2

>  Launch " MAGIC WAND " mobile App , described in my blog ( 27 Dec

    2013 )

Look up on my web site

DEAR   ARVIND

Lesson Number 5 :  Differentiate between " DESIRABLE " and " DO-ABLE "

*    hemen   parekh   (  12  Jan  2014 / Mumbai  )

The Bandwagon is Rolling

Today's Guru-Mantra seems to be ,

"  Let us learn from  AAP  -  and in a hurry , too  !  "

>  Rahul Gandhi says,

    "  We have to learn from AAP , how to connect with the ordinary people "

    He is even changing the Lok Sabha candidate selection criteria to ensure that only honest , non-corrupt , non-criminal and youthful candidates get chosen - and transparently

>  Jairam Ramesh says ,

   "  Had we introduced Lokpal Bill 2 years back , AAP would not have come

      into existence "

Soniaji  /  Rahulji  /  Man Mohanji  are in agreement

They are asking Jairam to resign his ministerial post and ensure that history does not repeat itself in April / May 2014 , by implementing what AAP did , viz: connecting with grass-root congress workers

>  Mohan Bhagwat ( RSS ) is telling Rajnathji ,

   "   Wake up from the euphoria of having won in 3 states . Look back over

       your shoulder . AAP is gaining ground . Ensure selection of honest

       candidates having clean image  "

>  Man Mohan Singhji admits ,

    "  Somewhere along the line , we failed in our understanding of what

       common men ( Aam Aadmi ) want

       We could not contain inflation and corruption

       We must learn a lesson from our defeat at the hands of AAP  "

>   Aslam Sher Khan ( Congress ) says ,

    "  The way things are going , it seems , the party has not learnt any

       lessons from the recent defeat  "

>   Pankaj Chaturvedi ( MP Congress spokesman ) says ,

     "  We have to learn lessons from AAP - especially in simplicity  "

>   Chhatisgarh CM , Raman Singh told party MLAs ,

    "  We must live with simplicity , as Aam Aadmi was influenced and

       impressed by it  "

>   Sanjay Nirupam ( Congress MLA ) says,

     "  If AAP can reduce electric bills in Delhi within a week of coming to

        power , why can't Congress government in Maharashtra do it

       after 5 years ? "

>   Digvijay Singhji told Congress party co-ordination committee ,

     "  Those who sit in their homes and hurl abuses on political parties ,

       and their leaders , should learn from Kejriwal to form a political party

      ( first ) and ( then ) make whatever laws they want to "

>   Mani Shankar Aiyar says ,

    "  I hope and pray that the AAP stops the BJP and Modi

       The Hitler ( Modi ) must be stopped from coming to power

       The Congress would welcome any assistance from AAP in this regard "

>   Amartya Sen ( Economist ) says ,

  

     "  It is wonderful that they have succeeded in mobilizing people

        One has to congratulate them on their success

        AAP should have laid more emphasis on areas like education

        and health in their election campaign  "

>   Shivanand Tiwari ( JDU ) says ,

       "  Personally I feel , the AAP as a phenomenon has got people

         excited .  People have responded favourably to a third alternative

         which is a good thing  .  They should be given time , before any rash

         judgment  is passed on them  "

>    Basudev Acharia  (  CPI - M ) says ,

       "  Yes , there is a lot of similarity between AAP and our party  "

>   K Narayana  ( CPI State Secretary - AP ) says ,

     "  AAP has proved in Delhi that the BJP and the Congress were not

        alternatives anymore and their end is near  "

>   Shatrughan Sinha ( BJP MP ) says ,

    "  Other parties should learn from AAP's rise from the grassroots

      Honesty and transparency must go together but that rarely happens "

>   Naresh Agarwal ( SP ) says ,

    "  We have decided to watch AAP for a period of six months before we

       decide on things like an alliance with them  "

>   Bhartruhari Mahtab ( BJD ) says ,

    "  I expect AAP to deliver on the promises that were made before polls "

>   Dara Singh  (  BSP  ) says ,

    "  We want to watch what the AAP does for a few months before deciding

      on anything  "

>   Ravi Shankar Prasad ( BJP ) says ,

     "  AAP has put up a good performance in Delhi but had it not been in the

       fray , BJP would have done better "

>   Rajiv Pratap Rudy  ( BJP ) says ,

      "  Regional manifesto is setting the National Agenda .

        This is what happened in Delhi

        A great churn is taking place  "

>   Prakash Karat  ( CPM ) says ,

     "  The interesting point about the AAP has been that they have been able

       attract the middle classes to politics in a metropolitan city like Delhi

        It hasn't happened before and is a novel phenomenon

        AAP did what CPM wanted to do  "

The list goes on and on

Apparently , leaders of political parties are vying with each other to climb onto the AAP bandwagon  !

But the bandwagon is rolling - and how  !

4  LAKH members in a single day , yesterday  !

Target of  100 LAKH  members in 10 days  ! That may be just a beginning !

Poor , oppressed , tormented , tortured , looted , raped , hungry and starving , are all marching towards AAP offices , - and web site - from all over India  !

There is no stopping them  !

The only option for 1400 + , LOCAL REGIONAL POLITICAL PARTIES , is to merge with AAP

I  URGE THEM TO MERGE WITH AAP TO DECIMATE THE DEMONS OF PAST  !

It is time to STOP  THINKING  LOCAL

GO  NATIONAL  /  GO  AS  ONE  !

Or else , get consigned to the dust-bin of History  !

*    hemen   parekh   (  11  Jan  2014  / Mumbai  )  

Dark Cloud Over Horizon ?

Of all the countries in the world , America contributes most to the Global Warming

As a result , over the past few weeks , a white cloud ( Polar Vortex ) , has enveloped entire America , plunging temperatures below zero

In India , a dark cloud has been gathering over the past few years

And it is caused by no ordinary " Warming " !

It is caused by people's anger " Boiling Over "  !

Boiling over the past 15 years , at the rampant ,

>   Corruption amongst law-makers / bureaucrats / low-level government

     officers  / black-moneyed  businessmen  / greedy industrialists  etc

>    Criminalization amongst politicians - turned - mafia

Now with the arrival of AAP government , this dark cloud has slowly started clearing in Delhi

But a dense dark ominous cloud still envelopes  rest of India

Will AAP succeed in clearing it in April / May 2014 elections  ?

If opinion polls published on TV channels last evening are to be believed , it will

And believe me ,

Over the next few weeks , these opinion polls will get , ever more ,

>   Sharper

>   Shriller

>   Deafening

The writing is on the wall  !

But the short-sighted politicians cannot read  !

And the far - sighted TV channel experts are refusing to read  !

Every Saturday ( starting tomorrow ) , Arvind Kejriwal and his Cabinet colleagues , will sit on a footpath outside Delhi government Secretariat  and face the public

They will make themselves " Accessible " to people

They will " Listen " to people

What next  ?

Holding a cabinet meeting in Chandni Chowk  ?

Or , a Delhi Vidhan Sabha session at Rajghat  ?

AAP says ,

"  To hell with procedures / precedents / barricades

    Hail , the power of People

    Come out on the streets

    Clear the Dark Cloud  !  "

*   hemen   parekh   (  10  Jan  2014  /  Mumbai  ) 

Lesson Number 4

Hesitation is your worst enemy

On the battlefield of Kurukshetra , Arjun had doubts

Sure , he had been wronged by cousin Duryodhan , but how can he think of fighting him - and grandpa Bhisma - just to regain his rights  ?

When Gandiv ( the mighty bow ) started slipping from his hands , he sat down on the chariot and told Lord Krishna ,

"  I am confused . I have doubts about fighting this battle  "

It was then that Lord Krishna taught him Karma-Yoga

Rest is history

When Arvind Kejriwal ( Chief Dark Cloud ) , announced launching of a helpline yesterday , the Doubting Thomas  of all respectable TV channels broke into a chorus :

>   Helpline is an eyewash - bound to fail

>   No more than a populist measure to divert people's attention

>   A ridiculous , half-baked idea

>   If people are to conduct sting operations , what will you do ?

>   Going back on promises - what else

>   Corrupt officials will get friends to make fake phone-calls on helpline

     and learn about the " Modus Operandi " of the planned sting

>   If it was this easy to get rid of corruption , Congress would have done it

     50 years back

>   Why did it take you 15 days to announce such a simple thing ?

DEAR   ARVIND

Remember ,

>  Too much analysis produces paralysis

>  No decision is worse than a bad decision

>  Fear of failure is your worst enemy

>  World average is : One idea succeeds after 99 fails

>  Only way to success is by experimenting - by making mistakes

>  Only way to learn swimming is by jumping into water

>  Successful governments all over the World , have a " BIAS FOR ACTION "

This is your Lesson Number  4

BIAS   FOR   ACTION

Learn it well

*   hemen   parekh   (  09  Jan   2014  /  Mumbai  )  

    

       

Referendum in Kashmir ?

Benito Mussolini is supposed to have said ,

"  If you plan to dig a well in the village , you can ask all the villagers , but if you have to declare a war , you have decide , all by yourself  "

That applies to Kashmir situation as well

And not only for the government of India but equally for the government of Pakistan

Neither the people nor the governments of either country would want the Kashmiri people to decide what they want

  

And the Kashmiri people know that either India or Pakistan or both would reject the verdict of Kashmir people !

Sad - but true  !

Equally sad is the fact that there is very little prospect of a " Peacefully    Negotiated " settlement

If there was one , we would have found it after 40 years of negotiations  !

Or , could it be that neither government is looking for one  ?

Could it be that , interests of numerous political parties on either side of the border are best served by keeping the Kashmir pot boiling  ?

Could that be the reason why ,

>  BJP is asking Man Mohan Singh to reveal what was the  " solution "

    that was almost within the reach , a few years back  ?

>  BJP , itself does not wish to divulge the " Kashmir Accord " reached

    between Atalji and Musharraf , during Agra Summit but could not be

    signed ?

>  Prashant Bhushan wants " involvement " of Kashmiri people in solving

    Kashmir issue  ?

>  Why no one dare talk about late Vasant Sathe's practical suggestion

    to convert  LoC  into an international border  ?

>  Militaries of both the countries  continue to justify purchase of billions

    rupees worth of military equipment , year after year , and without any

    audit / kick-back  scrutiny  ?

>   Arms - selling countries of the western world do not want India and

     Pakistan to settle this issue amicably  ?

>  China and America want India and Pakistan to divert billions of rupees to

    missile development , instead of strengthening their economies  ?

It is a pity that the Indian media - and India's  corrupt politicians - are jumping on Prashant Bhushan's throat , instead of raising above mentioned questions

We don't have to agree with Prashant . Just allow him to express his views

How many of us have the courage to tell the truth to our people  ?

*   hemen  parekh   (  08  Jan  2014  /  Mumbai  )

 

Lesson Number 3

Yesterday was a field day for TV channels

Panel experts were screaming :

>  Prashant Bhushan wants to hand over Kashmir to Pakistan

>  Rakhi Bidlan is a compulsive liar, who seeks cheap publicity by alleging

    terrorist attack on her car

>  Kumar Vishwas is hiding communal skeletons in his cupboard

>  Aam Aadmi Party is falling apart

>  AAP has no experience in governing

>  AAP has neither a Vision , nor a Policy on any national matter

>  In trying to contest Lok Sabha elections , AAP is biting off more than

    what it can chew

>  AAP has no clue about financing government expenditure . By subsidizing

    Water / Power etc , it will bankrupt the Delhi government

>  AAP is indulging in populist give-away with an eye on 2014

>  AAP is shying away from catching corrupt Congressmen

>  AAP is a B-Team of Congress / hand-in-glove with Congress / stooge of

    Congress

>  AAP ministers are practicing phony simplicity to fool people

Amidst a free-for-all  " VERBATHON " amongst the so-called experts and the vociferous / dominating TV anchors , these are a few comments I could catch  !

Now , don't blame the TV anchors

Their own annual salary-increase depends upon the TRP rating of the show !

But as far as the experts are concerned , they were engaged in a game of one-up-man ship !

Each was trying to prove that ,

>  he had more negative opinions about AAP

>  he could do a better job of provoking AAP leaders

>  he had , at his command , many more words to run down AAP

But thank God , Arvind and his team ,

>  readily admitted their shortcomings

>  apologized for their mistakes

>  refused to get drawn into a controversy

>  did not get provoked

A classic example of an elephant ignoring the barking of dogs  !

In short , they kept their COOL

DEAR  ARVIND  ,

Congrats  !

You did well in your lesson number 3 , viz ;

KEEP  COOL  /  KEEP  POLITE

*   hemen  parekh   ( 07  Jan  2014  /  Mumbai  )      

Lesson Number 2

Yesterday , Arvind Kejriwal declared ,

"  I will not contest Lok Sabha election but I will actively campaign all over India , for AAP candidates  "

No doubt , a wise decision

A decision to contest a Lok Sabha seat would have carried a dangerously detrimental message , viz: ,

"  For me , getting into Lok Sabha is more important than fulfilling my

    promises to people of Delhi  "

In which case , people of not only Delhi but of entire India , would have wondered ,

"  This person seems to be obsessed with ambition which exceeds the

    commitment he has made publicly - and repeatedly - only a few days

    back

    How can he be trusted  ?  "

For Arvind , a wiser decision would be to leave Lok Sabha campaigning to his colleagues

He must not leave Delhi for the next 6 months

Every day , he must ,

 >    make rounds of Delhi

>     personally assess if his officers are working hard to deliver on poll

       promises

>     tell people , what he has succeeded in implementing , what he is

       working on next , what is at planning stage. In short , present to

       people , his performance card

>     admit the honest mistakes that he - and his Cabinet colleagues - made

       and how they are learning to walk the tight rope of governance

>    tell people what can be done and what  CANNOT  be done - and why

      the limited resources cannot be stretched

Sure , it is exhilarating to see the people's response to AAP , from all over India

Sure , you would like to ride the wave of people's pent-up frustration against corruption , to get 50+ seats in Lok Sabha . Entirely possible

Sure , you would want to galvanize the people's anger against the shameless - and self-serving - politicians , to rewrite , THE NEW POLITICAL ORDER

But,

DEAR  ARVIND  ,

First completing current - and somewhat manageable - commitments  to the people of Delhi has to be your  ONLY PRIORITY

If you succeed , in the annals of modern India's history , it will merit a chapter titled ,

"  THE   DELHI   EXPERIMENT  "

And in World History , chapter on " ARAB  SPRING " will be followed by a chapter on " INDIAN  SUMMER - MAY 2014  "

Let this be your lesson no 2

*   hemen   parekh  (  06   Jan   2014   / Mumbai  )