A Castle in Air ?

When people talk about someone " building a castle in air " , it is said in a derogatory way

But dreamers know no other way  !

All of them build castles in air

And a few fortunate ( - and hardworking ) , even succeed in laying a foundation under that castle , at a later date  !

Modern day civil engineers have even demonstrated that one can build a sky-scraper , by building the top-most floor first and the foundation , very last  !

Being a dreamer , Arvind Kejriwal has , over the past few months , built just such a 18 story sky-scraper  , in the sky ( - remember his 18 point questionnaire to Congress  ?  )

When he gets sworn-in as Delhi Chief Minister on 28th , he must start laying a foundation below that sky-scraper

It will have to be a foundation of " Good Governance ", consisting of :

>  Committed colleagues ( not Ayaram - Gayaram  ! )

>  Non corrupt bureaucrats

>  Transparent processes

>  Timely delivery of services to Delhi citizens

>  "  Always Approachable " ministers ( no beacons / security / bungalows )

>   Periodic public scrutiny of Government's performance

>   Decentralized decision making  .............etc

I may have left out a few items

That is not important

What is very important is ,

In coming days  , will AAP leaders conduct themselves with such honesty / dignity / transparency / sense of purpose , that ,

>   42 opposition MLAs would find it  impossible to oppose the Vote of

     Confidence on 3rd Jan  ?

>   Congress / BJP will be forced to take action against their own corrupt

     leaders ( eg: Adarsh Scam )  ?

>   Some 1400 regional political parties ( as per Election Commission

     records ) may consider merging with AAP , in order to bring about

     a change in the political climate of India ( a viable 3rd front  ) ?

DEAR  ARVIND ,

>  Do not allow the past corruption crimes of Congress / BJP , to cloud

    your vision

>  Do not fritter away your energy in solving pea-nut problems

>  Enlarge your horizon beyond Delhi, to cover whole of India

>  Focus on 2014

*   hemen   parekh   (  26  Dec  2013  /  Mumbai  ) 

The Sinking Ship ?

It is said ,

"  When a ship is about to sink , the rats desert it  "

Is Congress , a sinking ship  ?

Here are some reasons to believe so :

>   Some years back , TMC deserted it

>   Ever since A Raja / Kanimozi episode , DMK was threatening to leave it .

     This finally happened last week

>   On issue of Telengana , TSR left sometime back.

 Now Kiran Reddy is

     about to leave

>   Last week , Prafull Patel gave a hint that NCP is getting ready to leave ,

     when he he asked Congress to own up all of its past mistakes , starting

     with 2G Scam

     Earlier , Sharad Powar had made it amply clear that he won't work under

     Rahul Gandhi as a PM

    

>   Having got a " Clean Chit " from CBI in the dis-proportionate assets case

     Mulayam has started distancing himself from Congress

>   Having got special status for Bihar , Nitish has ceased to cozy-up

And now , to top it all , Congress workers ( motivated by Sheila Dikshit / JP Agarwal  ? ) , are demanding that Congress withdraw its " Outside Support " to AAP

For a " Re-born Reformist " Rahul ,  it is a classical case of ,

" Dammed  if I do , dammed if I don't "

If he agrees to withdraw support BEFORE the swearing - in ceremony  scheduled tomorrow , he will stand exposed as a fickle-minded and a foolish leader , who cannot be trusted , even by friends !

If he decides to withdraw support AFTER the swearing-in , ( by voting against the confidence vote , mandatory for a minority government ), people of Delhi would hold HIM responsible for bringing down AAP government

And that would make Arvind Kejriwal , a martyr  !

And further ensure that in a re-poll , AAP returns to power with a thumping majority and Congress loses , even those 8 seats  !

From the view-point of 2014 elections , such a total rout of Congress in Delhi , would be a dream-come-true for BJP  !

But I hope , Arvind - and his party men -  realize that :

>   Sinking of the Congress-Ship , is neither their objective , nor a priority

     Leave that job to BJP  !

>   Delivering on pro-poor reforms is their priority No ONE

>   To be able to deliver these reforms , it is necessary for AAP to assume

      power - then survive Confidence Vote to retain that power

>   To remain in power , they need continued support of Congress

>   For Rahul to quell his internal mutiny ( engineered by the sitting

     Congress MLAs who suffered at the hands of AAP candidates ) , AAP

     must not push him to the wall !

>   If AAP goes after the past corruption cases of defeated Congressmen

     ( - and women  ? ) with vengeance , Rahul will be left with no option

     but to withdraw support

DEAR   ARVIND

In a game of chess , you don't try to checkmate your opponent in the very first move  !

It has to be your FINAL / WINNING move  !

If need be , please re-read your Chanakya  !

*   hemen   parekh   (   25  Dec   2013  /  Mumbai  )

Prophets of Doom ?

Since yesterday morning when Arvind Kejriwal announced that AAP will form a government in Delhi , prophets of doom have sprung into action everywhere - mostly on TV

They are saying :

>   AAP government cannot deliver on its impractical poll promises

>   AAP has sacrificed its principle of taking no support

>   AAP has betrayed the people of Delhi

>   AAP is lusting for power - like all other parties

>   AAP has no experience in running a government

>   People will soon get disillusioned with AAP...............etc

Then there are some who are not happy being mere dooms-dayer  !

They want to pro-actively  bring about the downfall of AAP by laying a carefully concealed trap for AAP to walk into  !

Take Dr Harshvardhan of BJP

He challenges AAP government to arrest / prosecute within next 30 days , those persons who were held guilty by the Shunglu Commission , in respect of CWG scam

Being a polite gentleman , he does not name names ( Sheila Dikshit ? )

He says , exposing and punishing the corrupt is an important poll promise of AAP

You would think Sheila Dikshit would get offended with Dr Harshvardhan

Oh , but No !

Quite the contrary

She too wants Arvind to walk into this trap  !

That would give her just the desired excuse to withdraw that " Outside Support " of Congress to bring down the AAP government

I hope Arvind is smart enough to see through these macabre machinations of mediocre minions , who want to lead AAP , up a garden path  !

DEAR  ARVIND ,

Exposing the corrupt is  " IMPORTANT - but not URGENT "

It is NOT your priority No 1

Delivering pro-poor reforms is both " IMPORTANT and URGENT "

Stay your course and watch out for the traps

Remaining honest in the days to come is far more important than exposing the corruption of the past

*    hemen   parekh   (  24   Dec   2013   /   Mumbai   )

How long ?

By afternoon today , it will no more be a question ,

"  Will AAP form a government in Delhi  ? "

Over the past 10 days , people of Delhi have decided that

Question will be ,

"  How long will that government last  ?  "

My guess :

It will last until after the 2014 national elections

Neither Congress , nor BJP want to run the risk of a re-poll in Delhi

They know that they will get wiped out in case of a re-poll

But one thing is certain

Despite its desire to keep BJP out of power in Delhi by propping up AAP , Congress will withdraw its " outside support ' , if pushed to the wall by AAP

That would depend on what are AAP's priorities , viz:

>  Deliver on its promises of " pro-poor " reforms ( water / power / prices )

OR

>  Launch a barrage of " anti - congress " / " anti-corruption " investigations

Any attempt to embarrass / humiliate Congress , at this stage, will backfire  !

If that happens , Congress will not hesitate for a re-poll ,- come what may  !

The questions that AAP leaders must debate this morning , are :

>  Can we fulfill our promises to people without getting uninterrupted 6

    months to perform  ?

   

>  What is more important in the short - term  from viewpoint of Delhi-ites ?

>  If we do not get next 6 months to carry out our reforms , can we make

    a meaningful impact on 760 million voters in 2014  ?

>  If Congress withdraws its outside support after 2 months , will BJP come

    forward to support or will they gloat , " We had told you AAP can't last "

>   What will we achieve by focusing on past corrupt deeds of Congress ?

     People already know about these . How will exposing these deeds help

     people right now ?

>   Should not our TOP-MOST priority be to offer good governance  ?

>   Can we not leave this matter ( of past corrupt deeds ) to Jan-lokpal

     and the judiciary  ?

Dear Arvind ,

If  you have learned your " Game Theory " ( John Nash ) well at IIT , you are expected to be a " Rational Player " , whose sole focus is ,

"  Forget about the dis-advantages of the opponent ( in this case , discomfiture of Congress ) . That is NOT the winning strategy

What move will secure AAP's long-term advantage ?  "

I am not asking you to compromise with your principles

Just get your priority right  !

*   hemen   parekh  (  23  Dec  2013  /  Mumbai  )

" Adarsh " is an " Ideal " Scam !

In English , hindi word " Adarsh "translates as  " Ideal

 "

And true to its name , Adarsh Society Scam is an " Ideal " scam , where ,

>   Guilty ex Chief Ministers and bureaucrats are not to be punished

>  Quid-pro-quo , flat owners do not have to vacate their flats

>  Only tax payers are made to bear the cost of Rs 7 crores investigation

Now compare this with the " Case of Campa Cola ", where ,

>  Builders and bureaucrats have been let go scot-free despite violating

    all laws

>  Innocent flat-owners are about to be thrown out on the footpath , for

    remaining ignorant of the conspiracy between the builders and the

    bureaucrats

>  Flat owners have had to sell ornaments and spend crores of rupees in

    legal battle stretching 20+ years , just to prove their innocence  !

May be  , a "  less - than - ideal  " scam  !

Talking to FICCI general body meeting yesterday , Rahul Gandhi said ,

"  Corruption is bleeding our people dry . It is an unacceptable burden on the people of our nation . We must fight corruption with all our strength and determination "

And not a word about Adarsh  !

But poor people of Delhi don't understand management jargon  !

They only understand Arvind Kejriwal when he says ,

"  Congress is sucking the blood of the poor  "

And they don't think Arvind is being too harsh  !

They are least bothered with how many laws UPA - 2 have already enacted and how many more , it is planning to enact

They are telling Arvind ,

"  Please form a government

   Now in Delhi - and later at Center in 2014

   Then , whether they are ex - or current ,

   place behind bars , all those corrupt / criminal politicians and bureaucrats ,

   and do it  NOW "

   The writing is on the wall  !

   At the coming storm , the ostrich is hiding its head in the sand  !

 *   hemen   parekh   (  22  Dec  2013   /   Mumbai  )

  

Bitter Truth ?

A Sanskrit saying goes ,

"  Do not speak untruth , even if sweet

   Do not speak sweet , if untrue

   Only speak what is both true and sweet

   Never speak bitter truth  "

But when Kumar Vishwash says ,

" I will tell the bitter truth " ,

he expresses the anguish / suffering of , not only the people of Delhi but of entire India

He is saying ,

"  While offering unconditional support , Congress has no love lost for AAP

   Their single point agenda is to keep BJP out of power

   And it is no different with BJP  "

What Congress and BJP seem to have failed to realize is ,

"  AAP does not need anybody's support

   People of Delhi have chosen to bypass them and have given AAP , a

   conditional support - based on conditions contained in AAP manifesto "

Despite such loud and clear message , Rahul Gandhi has failed to firmly tell Maharashtra CM , Prithviraj Chavan to accept Adarsh Scam Report and initiate actions against those found guilty of misusing their positions

May be RaGa does not want the bitter truth to come out in the courts  !

So much for his trying to take credit for Lokpal Bill  !

Will Anna now demand,  Maharashtra's toothless Lok Ayukta to initiate proceedings against those allegedly involved in Adarsh Scam  /  Irrigation Scam  /  Sale-of-Sugar Mills scams  ?

Or

By keeping quiet , will Anna enable another Kumar Vishwash to rise in Mumbai  ?

May be a Mayank Gandhi  ( MaGa ) ?

In 2014, will it be RaGa Vs NaMo ?

 Or , will it be , RaGa  Vs  MaGa  ?

*    hemen  parekh  (  21   Dec   2013  /   Mumbai  )

Wanted : A Chief Minister

Instead of trying to woo  /  cajole  /  persuade , suitable candidates , Delhi Lieutenant Governor Jung may want to try the conventional method of filling government vacancies , by releasing following advertisement in leading national newspapers  :

COMPANY   DATA

>   Vacancy            :   Chief Minister - Delhi

>   Company           :   State Government of Delhi

>   Business            :   Delivering good governance to citizens of Delhi

>   Posting              :   Delhi

MAN  SPECIFICATION

>   Age ( Max )        :   45 years ( relaxable in case of SC / ST / OBC )

>   Edu Qualification :   Any graduate other than a Medical Doctor

                                   ( Engineers from IITs preferred  )

>   Experience          :   Prior experience in running a Government , would

                                    be a " distinct disadvantage "

                                    First time MLAs preferred

JOB  SPECIFICATIONS

>  Responsibility        : -   To get rid of corruption among Govt Employees

                                   -   To fulfill poll - promises

>   Eligibility              :  Preferably a bachelor with no brothers / sisters /

                                   uncles / cousins etc

                                   Must not hold shares in any company

                                   Assets of less than Rs 2 Crores

>   Skills  Required     :   Participative style of Management

                                    Ability to delegate ( no abdicating of responsibility )

                                    Reward performance of colleagues

                                    Zero tolerance for non-performers (merciless )

               

GROWTH  PROSPECTS

>  Career Growth        :  Outstanding achievers can look forward to staking

                                     their claim for PM position in 2014

TERMS

>  Salary                      :  Rs 10,000 - 400 - 12,000 ( Pre-revised )

>   Perks                      :  House + Car ( temporarily suspended till money

                                       becomes available - till then , occupy own flat

                                       and drive own bicycle , for which loan will be

                                       given on low interest )

>   Probation Period       :  5 years from swearing-in

LAST DATE TO APPLY      :  X-Mas Day 2013

Suitable candidates should attach supporting documents , such as Support Letters from other political parties .

Support must be unconditional

Selected candidates will have to pass a written test of Confidence Vote

SEND TO                         :  Lt Governor Jung , Raj Bhavan , New Delhi

-----------------------------------------------------------

*    hemen   parekh   (18 Dec 2013 / Mumbai )