Hi Friends,

Even as I launch this today ( my 80th Birthday ), I realize that there is yet so much to say and do. There is just no time to look back, no time to wonder,"Will anyone read these pages?"

With regards,
Hemen Parekh
27 June 2013

Now as I approach my 90th birthday ( 27 June 2023 ) , I invite you to visit my Digital Avatar ( www.hemenparekh.ai ) – and continue chatting with me , even when I am no more here physically

Thursday, 22 May 2014

All Seasons Are Election Seasons

There were 152 MPs in the 15th Lok Sabha , who had criminal cases pending against them

In 16th Lok Sabha , this figure has gone up to 186  !

A case of " Progressive  Democracy "  ?

Supreme Court has directed the courts to complete their trials within 12 months

And , Narendra Modi has made a poll-promise to set up Special Courts for this purpose

Q :  How many special courts will need to be set up ?

A :  At least 15 ( my estimate ) - assuming that each court can dispose off ONE 

      case per month ie: 12 cases per year ( on daily hearing basis )

That is Do-Able, if BJP is really serious about breaking the nexus between politics and crime ( we will know soon ! )

May be 50 % of the MPs ( around 90 ) will get convicted , with a jail-term of 5 years or more , and lose their seats in the Lok Sabha. 

That means , in 2016 - 2017 , Election Commission will need to conduct fresh elections in these 90 constituencies ! A mini General Election  ?

Karl Marx may have said , " Religion is the opium of the Masses "

In India , it seems , " Elections are the opium of the Masses " !


*  hemen  parekh  ( 23 May 2014 / Mumbai )

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Tuesday, 20 May 2014

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs




In 1937 , Walt Disney produced ( in 2D / Black & White ) , a film ,


“  Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs  “


Around the World , this fairy tale became immensely popular , among children and adults , alike


Closer at home , in 2014 , Narendra Modi crafted a colorful and 3D holographic film, titled ,


“ Sonia and the Thirty-Nine Dwarfs “


[ - also known as Congress Working Committee  ]


This became hugely popular in villages and towns of India


And parents started teaching their tiny tots , a brand new nursery rhyme ,



“ Madam – Baba sat on a throne

  Madam – Baba had a great fall

  All the Congress yes-men

  And all the UPA dwarfs

  Could not put Madam and Baba

  Together again  “



But surprise of surprise  !


For the Nth time , the yes-men were singing , in unison ,


“ No !

  No , we won’t accept your resignations “


Among those 39 dwarfs , sat a midget , who had earlier called Narendra Modi , “ Impotent “


Little realizing that he would himself , be playing that role when election dust settles !


Never before in the history of India , have so few inflicted so much misery on so many – and for so long !


It is high time the dwarfs fade away from our collective memory  !



*   hemen  Parekh  ( 21 May 2014 / Mumbai )

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Sunday, 18 May 2014

What Are the Chances ?



Over the past few weeks , we saw many surveys re: which political party will win how many Lok Sabha seats


These included , Times Now-ORG / CNN-IBN-CSDS / Headlines Today - Cicero / ABP News-Nielsen / News 24 - Today's Chanakya / Cvoter - India TV etc


Although , " Today's Chanakya " came closest to predicting the number of seats that NDA might win , others too were fairly accurate


Using statistical techniques , they computed the Chance ( Probability ) for each party , based on asking a few thousands voters ( sample ) , their preferences


Now is the time to survey the voters , once again , as to what do they believe , when it comes to BJP fulfilling its poll promises


For each item ( of BJP's poll manifesto ) , what is the perceived chance ( probability ) that the BJP Government will fulfill / deliver on its promises ? Will it be 10 % - 50 % - 100 %  ?


The outcome will determine BJP's credibility among voters , vis-a-vis , its poll promises


It may be even an eye-opener for BJP  !


If conducted and results published by end June 2014 , such a survey might even become a " Self Fulfilling Prophesy "  !


If it turns out less-than-flattering , BJP will work twice as hard to prove the pollsters wrong  !


Here are the " Chances " which I attach to fulfillment of each of BJP's following poll promises , by the end of 3rd year :


*  Ensure minimization of Black Money and setting up of a Task
    Force  ......... ( 50 % )


*  Special Courts to stop hoarding and black-marketing. ( 100 %)


*  Set-up a Price-Stabilization Fund.......( 100 % )


*  Develop labour-intensive Manufacturing ...  (  10 %  )


*  Empowering youth for Self-Employment...  ( 25 % )


*  Transforming Employment Exchanges to Career Centers(10% )


*  Eliminating corruption thru E-Governance... ( 10 % )


*  Rationalization / Simplification of Tax-regime.. ( 20 % )


*  Insulate intelligence agencies from political intervention and
    interference..... ( 10 % )


*  Strengthening physical infrastructure with expediting work on
    freight and Industrial Corridors..... ( 15 % )


*  Setting up Gas-Grids and National Optical Fiber Network up to
    the village level.......  (  30 %  )


*  Quadrilateral project for Bullet Trains..... (  5  %  )


*  Establishment of National E - Library.....  (  40  %  )


*  Implementation of National Education Policy .. ( 50 % )


*  Evolving further the PPP model to PPPP model .. ( 50 % )


*  Building 100 Mega-Cities................  (  0  %  )




Did I miss out any  ?


Parallel with whatever the Pollsters may - or may not - do , it would be worthwhile for BJP Tech-Team , to come out with a mobile App ( to be named , " RUN - Rate Us Now " ? ), to find out what voters feel , on a 5 star scale


Or , an App that would let the voters prioritize among various promises



*  hemen  parekh  (  19 May 2014 / Mumbai  )

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Friday, 16 May 2014

Next 100 Days



Dear  Narendrabhai ,


You have talked your way to power - calling yourself , " Mazdoor # 1 "


Now , it is time to " Walk the Talk "


People of India have taught a lesson to the party which called you ,


"  Merchant of Death  ( Maut Ka Saudaagar )  "


They believe you to be " Merchant of Dreams ( Sapno Ka Saudaagar ) "


Of course , no one expects any miracle to happen on the ground , in the next 100 days


But the decisions that your Cabinet takes - and transparently communicates to the people - in the next 100 days , will tell them , whether your Government is any different than UPA-2


Here are the decisions that people expect  :



A ... FIGHTING  CORRUPTION



*  Appoint Central Lok Pal

*  Appoint ( where missing ) , Lok Ayuktas in BJP controlled States

*  Appoint Special Fast-Track Courts to try within 1 year , criminally-
    charged MPs / MLAs / Bureaucrats / Politicians / Businessmen



B...  BLACK MONEY  TO  WHITE MONEY



*   Introduce Amnesty Scheme , for monies invested in Infrastructure SPVs

*   Amend Personal Income Tax  to Inverse Taxation Regime , where the
     incremental tax rates keep going DOWN in each higher slab

*   De-monetize Rs 1000 currency notes



C...  JOB  GENERATION



*   Amend Corporate Tax Regime , with incrementally reducing tax-rates
     for Companies with higher employee-strength

*   Introduce " Accelerated Depreciation "  for investment in Capital Assets.

     Capital Goods industry is the Mother of all industries


*   Focus on creating " Self-Employment " thru tax-breaks for self-employed

*   Low interest loans for self - employed



 D...  DEVELOPMENT  OF  NORTH-EAST STATES



*   Industrialists / businessmen will not come forward  to make huge
      investments in North-East , in absence of excellent infrastructure of  
     roads / rails etc


     All private investments made here must be tax-free for 25 years



E...  SIMPLIFY  LABOUR  LAWS 



*  Today's labour laws make it extremely difficult - if not impossible - for employers to layoff / retrench workmen , if demand shrinks


*  Employers are unlikely to hire thousands of youth , if they cannot easily trim the workforce , to match the shrinking demand


 *  So , an important corollary of any Job Generation Scheme is to modify our existing Labour Laws to facilitate layoff / retrenchment , when situation so demands , while protecting the interests of the workmen concerned



F...   EDUCATION  / UNIVERSAL LITERACY



*  What is responsible for keeping 28.7 Crores of Indians illiterate ( 37 % of World's illiterate ) , 66 years after independence  ?


*  Ans :  Lack of educational infrastructure consisting of Schools / Colleges /
Equipments / Qualified Teachers .. etc


*  Solution ?


Push for E-education thru online delivery of subject-matter thru tablets




G ...  GOOD GOVERNANCE



Ask each concerned Minister , to publish within 100 days, on Ministry's web site , PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION PLANS  , for the following :



*  Food Security Bill


*  Connecting 2.5 lakh  panchayats  thru broadband


*  Aakash Tablets for 220 million students


*  Delivery of Services Act


*  Aadhar Identification Card


*  Electoral Reforms / Right to Recall


*  CAG audit of Private Companies using Government resources


*  4G Wireless Internet all over India


*  Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor


*  Amritsar-Delhi-Kolkata Industrial Corridor


*  Natural Resources Allocation Policy


*  Political Party's Funds under RTI scrutiny


*  Liberalization in FDI ( Entire economy - not just retail )


*  Government funding of Elections


*  Interlinking of Major Rivers


*  " India Post Bank "  with 139,040 branches in Rural areas


*  Bank A/C for every adult by 2016


*  Divestment / Closure of loss-making / bleeding PSUs


*  Imparting skills to 500 million youth ( NSDC )


*  Sulabh  Sauchalaya  ( Remember "Sauchalay before Devalaya " ? )



Dear  Narendrabhai ,



Do provide a ROAD-MAP ( with clearly defined mile-stones ) of how you intend to translate your DREAMS into REALITY


with regards ,


hemen  parekh ( 17 May 2014 / Mumbai ) 





     


Tuesday, 13 May 2014

48 hours to NaMo



In another 48 hours , exit polls will become obsolete when election results start pouring in

And as the sun rises in the sky on 16th May , usual games will play-out on TV channels

*   CLAIM  GAME

   In this game , the main players will be the leaders of BJP and its pre-poll allies

All of these leaders will claim personal credit for BJP's victory - without appearing to offend the Great NaMo  !

They will tell the TV anchors  :

There never was any doubt that we will win

We had told you so , all along

NaMo wave was unstoppable

People were fed up of UPA's failures

This is the beginning of the end of the Dynasty Rule
We will not be vindictive ( - except in case of RSVP  !  )

We gracefully accept the mandate given to us by people to bring in Good Governance

People want Gujarat Model replicated all over India and we will do it


*    BLAME  GAME


    This game will be played by leaders of Congress and its UPA allies

They will try to hide their faces on TV channels ( - now I understand why police cover up the faces of alleged culprits ! )

But if caught unaware by those intrepid roving journalists / cameramen , they will mumble in inaudible voices  :


We humbly accept the verdict of the people

We honour their wishes ( though much against our wishes  !  )

We will play the role of a responsible opposition ( - but make no mistakes , at every small opportunity , we promise to disrupt the working of the Lok Sabha , better than what BJP ever managed  )

RSVP had nothing to do with our defeat

Our Working Committee / Parliamentary Board will examine the reasons why people dumped us ( - and find some scapegoats ! )

After all , we have been playing this game for over 65 years and know too well that you cannot fool all the people all the time  !

You win some , you lose some

We will emerge stronger by 2019  "



*   AIM  GAME


   This game will be played out by the Third Front political leaders whose only " Aim " was to remain " Relevant " in the Lok Sabha  !

These leaders will be saying  :


As a Third ( rate ? ) Front , we have emerged stronger

So what , if we cannot form the Government  ?

We cannot even agree on who is our Prime Ministerial candidate !

But can't you see that we are M-powered  ? ( Maya / Mamta / Mulayam ) - with 3 potential PMs  ?

As always , we will continue to provide NaMo , our " Issue - based " support  ( - the only issues  being , withdrawal of all scam-related cases / disproportionate assts cases  / CBI investigations,
etc , against our Behenji / Didiji / Netaji  )

And of course , grant of " Special Status " to W.Bengal / Bihar / UP / Tamil Nadu / Odisha / Seemandhra  etc
 

On 16th , switch on your TVs to witness the  " Grand  Finale  " !


*  hemen  parekh  ( 14 May 2014 / Mumbai )


Saturday, 10 May 2014

The Die is cast



With only 41 seats of Lok Sabha remaining to be voted upon tomorrow , the die is cast

Outcome of those 41 seats is unlikely to make much of a difference to who will form the next Government at the Centre

If BJP falls short of 272 seats , " Aya Ram , Gaya Ram " horse-trading will settle the issue

But what will send a loud and clear message across India is ,

"  Who wins in Varanasi  ? "

It is no more a question of Congress vs BJP

Or , a question of David vs Goliath

It is no more a question of choosing between , lesser of the two evils

Even if AAP has made a few honest mistakes and occasionally , compromised on lofty principles , for the first time , people of Varanasi have a choice

To choose between the least of the THREE EVILS  !

 There are no ABSOLUTE standards by which to judge political parties

There are only RELATIVE standards - and , even these keep shifting

If you think , some of the AAP members - and even , some of its leaders - are susceptible to making immoral compromises , you are entitled to your opinion - which is your right

And Arvind Kejriwal would be the first person to defend your right


Let us ask ourselves ,


"  Who is the Least Corrupt of the three  ?

   Who do I deserve  ?

   Who is likely to resign if he cannot fulfill his poll-promises  ?  "



BJP came into power in Gujarat on 26 Dec 2012 , by promising :

" If voted to power , we will construct 50 lakh houses for the poor in next 5 years "

In the 500 days since BJP came to power , Gujarat Government should have built , and distributed , 13,69,863  homes

To find the truth , file a RTI application - without expecting any answer  !

Of course , by 20th May , expect NaMo to resign as Gujarat CM

Not for having failed to fulfill his promise to people of Gujarat

But , to fulfill his poll-promise to people of India , that , if voted to power , BJP will construct 100 Mega-Cities in next 5 years

That is one Chandigarh or Gandhi-Nagar , every 18 days  !

Hopefully , P C Sorkar ( jr ) will help out with a Mirage
  !



*   hemen  parekh ( 11 May 2014 / Mumbai )


Sunday, 4 May 2014

Marriage Season is upon Us !



Election Commission will announce the results of Lok Sabha elections on 16th May


And , declare open the Marriage Season


Marriages of convenience - no doubt  !


Both , NDA and UPA will fall short of absolute majority , by 50 - 100 seats


Floor Managers and Business Brokers will swing into action to weave a complex web of Mergers and Acquisitions ( M & A  )


Independent candidates will offer themselves for Rs 50 Crores


(  Remember the movie , " Dulhaa  Beekta  Hain "  ?  )


Party offices of smaller parties will carry the banners ,



"  Sale  !  Sale  !  


{  Except that this is not , a  " Going out of Business "  sale


It is a ,  " Getting into Business "   sale  !  },


We are selling honesty , integrity , honour , conscience , morals , ethics , self-respect , party-name  etc . You name it - we got it  !


Here are our going " Market Rates " :


* For 10 seat support................. 2 seats of  Minister of State


* For 20 seat support ...............  2 seats of  Cabinet Minister


* For 30 seat support ..............   Minister of Industry + Minister of Trade "



Yesterday's sworn enemies ( who wanted to dispatch you to Pakistan or jump into Indian ocean ) , will suddenly become " Bosom Friends "


" Enemy of enemy " will cease to be a friend


" Friend of a Friend " who sells-out to opposition , will become an enemy !


Like the annual ritual of the Jain Community ( Kshamapana ), saleable Dulhaas , will beg  Kshamaa ( forgiveness )  of everyone they abused during the past one year


They are chanting :


*  Let us forget the insults and forgive each other


*  Let us not be vindictive and let loose the " Caged Parrot " / ED  etc


*  Let us work as a team to quadruple our assets ala Jamaai-Raja


*  Let us reward the people who voted us to power , with "Broken Promises"


*  Let the  "  Winter-of-Conflict "  be over on 12th May


*  Let the  " Summer -of - Swindle "  begin on 16th May



PEOPLE  OF  INDIA ,


Is it any surprise that the " Greatest Circus on the Earth " is followed by the " Weirdest  Horse-trading on the Earth "  ?


And even if you don't like horses , don't insult other animals such as Dogs , Monkeys , Rats , Elephants etc , by naming this trade after them  !


You are damned if you vote : damned if you don't  !



   hemen  parekh  (  04  May  2014  /  Mumbai  )