On THE Interview

There would be very few of you who would remain unaware of the recent blockbuster which came out on TV. No, I am not referring to any film, I am referring to the interview given by the one and only Rahul Gandhi. In spite of all statements to the contrary Congressmen all over the country, indeed the world must have had at least one face-palm moment when they saw the interview. I have never been either for or against Arnab Goswami. However today I am thankful to him for having shown what Rahul Gandhi is like. The Congress would have liked him to be in the limelight. However the result has been that he has been in the flood light of ridicule and disbelief.

It beggars belief to think that the INC wants this person to lead the nation. He has no administrative experience whatsoever. He has not even been a minister. Experience to rule the nation does not come by doing party work and by staying in village homes for a few days. The only major thoughts he seems to have to "change the system" and "empower women". We have no clue if he has any clue about how to do this.

After seeing the interview one is hard pressed not to think that there is a serious coterie in the INC which is out to push Rahul Gandhi into power for its own reasons, for, the hand behind the throne is always more powerful than the throne itself, as it is neither visible nor accountable.

I will not go too much into detail, and will touch on but a few things.

1. The guy keeps referring to himself in the third person. What, is he royalty?

2. He reports to the PM and hence does not communicate to the press? This guy claims to want to "change the system" and he does not even speak to the press enough! Well he is in good company. Sonia Gandhi is not exactly known for her talkative nature. Manmohan Singh, I think, has given 2 press conferences which were supposed to be frank and open. They turned out to be whining sessions, to absolve himself of all blame. Please correct me if I am wrong.

3. Change the system? There is a book called India, A Portrait, by Patrick French. The maximum no of youth who have gotten in through family connections are in the Congress, this is democracy for you.

4. A guy at his level, who is constantly in the spotlight would have expected to be prepared for the interview. The safest option is to vet the questions beforehand and be ready with the answers. At least he would not have stammered on screen and be seen sweating so much!

5. Talking about concentration of power - Indira Gandhi is probably the best example of this independent India has ever seen, not taking into account her son, Sanjay (Indira Gandhi was accused of having a kitchen cabinet, however this is possibly a greater insult to accused of, than that of being a dictator). Interesting that Rahul did not mention this. He has seen his father and grandmother die. He was born in 1970. He probably saw but was too young to remember the Emergency period in the mid 70s, or rather he conveniently forgot.

6. "When a big tree falls, the earth shakes" seems to be an insensitive remark. This was made by Rajiv Gandhi at the time of the anti-Sikh riots. What was his intent? Many people see it as condoning the riots. However Mani Shankar Aiyar of the INC has a different view. You be the judge.

We can go on like this. However I would only be boring you with details of what you have already laughed about. Also there was a wickedly funny joke I saw online about a quip from Sanjay Gandhi to Rajiv Gandhi in heaven. However out of fear of my blog being blocked by the powers that be (as a few sites have) I will refrain from quoting it here.

I think today if not tomorrow, he will, fortunately or unfortunately, become the leader of this nation. I only pray that by the time he reaches that stage he is wiser and more capable than he is now!

On MMS and Rahul Gandhi

A post after two months! Well, this was prompted by Manmohan Singh's latest press conference and an editorial in the The Hindu. 

MMS has confirmed he will not be running for any more terms in office. Let us analyze a few things.

1. He is 81 years old (though he looks much younger)

2. The image of MMS and his government are possibly at the lowest level since he came to power. Possibly even die-hard INC supporters are extremely pessimistic of UPA 3 materializing.

3. There has long been a clamour in the INC to make Rahul Gandhi the PM candidate

So does this declaration raise any eyebrows? I think not. Moving beyond this revelatory or prophetic declaration, MMS has also said it would be a disaster for the country if Narendra Modi becomes the PM. He also believes Rahul Gandhi has excellent credentials, and one asks what are they? This person has not held a single position of responsibility in the government till date. His interactions with the public and corporate India, time and again, reveal his immaturity. This is the person who the current PM thinks has excellent credentials? A person with zero experience? This, my dear readers, I believe will be disastrous for the country, Rahul Gandhi, God forbid, becoming the PM.

Also this press conference like the one earlier seemed to be all about exculpating himself. The UPA government is accused of serious levels of corruption. As was the case the last time the PM once again mentioned political compulsions. He seems to be saying, I am clean, I cannot manage the system around me!

Also do our politicians have no regard for the judicial process? Narendra Modi has recently been cleared of all charges of complicity in the Gujarat riots, still the Congress persists in blaming him for the riots. Whatever the truth, this is a person who has has ample political experience. He has also been the Chief Minister of a state since 2001, hence he has ample political and administrative experience. Between Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi I don't think anyone should have any illusions as to who would make a better PM!

If I am not mistaken MMS is a Parliament member from Assam. The present Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi wants to change the time zone to take advantage of different sunrise and sunset times there. The Hindu pointed out that this would add another dimension to the way in which the north east is already held to be different and instead proposes that IST be changed to be 6 hours ahead of UTC in place of 5h 30m like it is now. My question - is it not simpler to change the working hours? Office hours in summer and winter would be different!

Should we be worried for or about "Shehzada"?

Rahul Gandhi had recently remarked that he also may be killed the way his father and grandmother were, but that he did not care. He tried to emotionally involve the audience via the family references. One of the most controversial remarks, as everyone is aware now, was about an intelligence officer briefing him about some developments in UP. 

Now till date he has not clarified further on these remarks. Questions were raised as to why a mere (I don't think I can say this with a straight face) MP was briefed by an intelligence officer. The UP government itself does not seem to have received the inputs shared by Rahul Gandhi. As per news reports the officer in question might not have given accurate information also.

So on the one hand I think we should be worried for him, for his safety, that another young (again, difficult to say this with a straight face) life in the country might be lost. On the other hand I should be worried for this country. This person does not seem to have the maturity to keep sensitive intelligence reports (true or false) to himself. Also if I remember correctly he was blaming the BJP for creating hate via communal politics. This hate had supposedly given rise to terrorism to which his family had fallen victim. I am worried about this person's grasp on not only the country's history but also that of his family. I am currently reading a book called "India, a Potrait" by Patrick French which is quite informative. Indira Gandhi was assassinated after Operation Bluestar. The terrorist behind this Bhindranwale was propped by none other than Sanjay Gandhi and Indira Gandhi. Further Rajiv Gandhi had sent the IPKF to Sri Lanka. He was assassinated by the LTTE for his involvement in Sri Lanka. 

Thus Indira Gandhi fell victim to her own politics and there was nothing religious about Rajiv Gandhi's death. Does Rahul know this? Or is a potential future PM of this country simply lying to the people to garner votes? 

 

Another small technical point which had come to my mind. Jawaharlal Nehru is said to have come from a family of Kashmiri Pandits though there are doubters to this claim. Let us assume this is true. Now Feroze Gandhi came from a Parsi/Mohammedan family. Going by Indian traditions his progeny with Indira Gandhi would count as Parsis/Muslims. Apparently Rahul Gandhi countered a party member's claim that forward castes were not doing well in the party by pointing to himself. Leaving aside the point that this argument is null and void as he comes from the first family and he would still have made it had he not been able to spell his own name, how does he claim to be a Brahmin? I have no problems with any person from any caste occupying any role, I am just curious.

On "A Girl in a Busines School"

This post was actually supposed to be about a recent visit to Lord Venkateswara's temple. However an article I saw shared on Facebook caught my attention and hence this diversion. Shambhavi Singh from my alma mater, IIFT wrote an article on being a girl in a business school - fighting stereotypes - especially for the "lookers". So here are my pennies' worth.

I personally know of a case where a good-looking girl landed a great job. When this news broke out I was standing with two members of the placement committee who looked at each other and referred to the "top button effect". The general consensus was that the lady in question was not that intelligent, which is arguable.

First of all I liked the way the article was written. Now going into it, I do agree with Shambhavi that there are stereotypes formed about girls. However let me also talk about a few cases which I am aware of, having also spent some time in a b-school. Let me put in a disclaimer that I am all for women's empowerment and do not believe women are in any way inferior to men. However I do have a problem when women's empowerment comes in the way of equally deserving (note the emphasis) men.

Some of my best friends in b-school and even today (though at least one of them is not in touch, yes, if she's reading this article she knows who I am referring to!) are girls. Also inside and outside b-school I know girls/women who are good-looking and are also terrific at what they do. However let us not forget a few things. Stereotypes may be formed because of at least a few genuine cases and also, surveys keep telling us "lookers", male or female stand a better chance of doing well in life, as compared to their "more normal-looking" peers. No smoke, no fire - let me talk about a few cases where at least smoke was there.

1. The girl hanging out with a nerd - let me assure Shambhavi that these kind of thoughts are not restricted to the male percentage of the batch alone. There are cases where most of the batch agrees that the guy has fallen hook, line and sinker for the girl and she is using him (I do not deny it can happen the other way round also). Again let me say that the guy (or the girl in the reverse case) is equally to blame for not recognizing the situation. 

2. I know of another case where a girl and a guy on the placement committee were supposed to be an item. They mysteriously broke up after placement season and the girl landed a job.

3. A girl getting a job when her boyfriend was on the interview panel 

4. An experienced guy and a fresher girl went for the same interview. The guy's interview was ok, and in fact he was appreciated in front of the placement committee for being better than some of the others. However the summer job went to the girl. There was another lady from the girl's alma mater on the selection committee. But this can also be a matter of the girl being better (I am not sure, how) or simply a case of affection between old students of the same college irrespective of gender.

5. Companies, on and off campus specifically asking for female candidates, to get the gender balance right. People, unfortunately in India the sex ratio is in favour of guys, there are simply more guys in the labour pool!

So I do sympathize with Shambhavi on some points but I thought why not let these points also see the light of the day.

A Matter of Self Respect

The agitation in Seemandhra begs the question, too little, too late? A possible explanation is that the people were waiting for the politicians to oppose bifurcation of the state. When they were not forthcoming the unions and people decided to take things into their own hands. One thing seems quite clear. For whatever reason, the Seemandhra politicians lack the drive that their Telangana counterparts had. Even after the bifurcation was announced formally there was dithering in their ranks as to what to do next.

Added to this situation is a Chief Minister who, has made it quite clear where his sympathies lie. On the whole we had the pro-Telangana camp which was quite clear as to what they wanted. It is the pro-United Andhra camp that seems confused. If the Congress is to be believed both YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) had supported the decision to carve out a separate Telangana earlier. There was a volte-face once the public reaction in Seemandhra became apparent. Even now Chandrababu Naidu seems more opposed to the manner in which the state was bifurcated than to the actual bifurcation itself.

The agitating government employees seem to be losing steam. What else can one expect from a salaried class which is striking without pay? They justifiedly want the politicians to take over. However at least the Congress ones seem to be waiting for the powers-that-be to reject their resignations before they proceed further. The Congress for one seems to be playing a game of attrition, where it is not doing anything hoping the agitation will die down. It has formed another committee to look into the present situation. What is this if not a delaying tactic? Where is the attempt to gather all stakeholders in one place and reach (an impossible?) consensus?

Moving to the actual topic of this post, till date I feel irritated when someone refers to me as a Madrasi. Also when I say I am a south Indian typically one of the first questions is potentially whether I am a Tamilian. It was actually because of Andhra Pradesh and the likes of Potti Sriramulu that today we have states based on languages. Nehru was not very warm to the idea as he felt it would further divide the country. The state as it is today was formed in1956. However it is said that the people of Andhra got an identity only after NT Rama Rao emerged onto the scene. Look at Andhra Pradesh today. A foreign visitor can be forgiven for thinking that the Nehru-Gandhi family was from the state. Most major institutions, buildings and schemes are named after members of this family. For instance

1. Rajiv Gandhi International Airport - Hyderabad

2. Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station - Hyderabad

3. Nehru Zoological Park - Hyderabad

4. Indira Gandhi Zoological Park -Visakhapatnam

5. Rajiv Swagruha

I myself did not know that Tanguturi Prakasam was the first Chief Minister of Andhra State and that Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy was the first Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh (formed after Telangana was integrated). Where are institutions that bear these names? PV Narasimha Rao was a scholar and a polyglot. There is a expressway named after him in Hyderabad. 

Therefore it is not surprising to see politicians waiting for indications on what to do next from the "High Command" in a state which has forgotten its leaders and heros. What will happen next? The government is  mulling imposition of ESMA. If this is done the only possible alternative to capitulation would be for the entire government workforce to follow the path of civil disobedience and non cooperation. How many will the government arrest? However we must not forget the cost to the society and the average citizen in all of this. Care must be taken to ensure that at least hospitals and such critical institutions are not affected. One more thing. As long as the agitation is restricted to Seemandhra the government will happily sit and not do anything as the suffering would be limited to the average citizen there. When the impact spreads like it has - stoppage of water to Chennai, decreased power production affecting the entire southern grid - the government sits up and takes notice. This is when the threat of action like invoking ESMA looms. This is when the mettle of the protestors will be put to the test.

Where is Sonia Gandhi?

The Italian Job has been in the news of late. It is quite possible that the Supreme Court will hold the Italian Ambassador guilty of contempt of court tomorrow. Does this mean the diplomat will be jailed? He certainly cannot be let off lightly. He has given an undertaking to the highest court in the land and broke his word. Even if it is his government which is responsible, he as its representative is to be held responsible. Amidst all of this the Congress leadership seems to be strangely silent. One would like to know the reaction of the Congress President to the entire incident.

Further in the name of increasing compliance and security the government seems intent on framing laws that can be very well abused. The arrests made in the name of the IT Act are well known. Now even possession of laundered money, irrespective of the value is being made punishable. For e.g. if a father launders money via his daughter's account she can be arrested. I got this information from today's Economic Times. Why is the government intent on framing such laws? Why this hunger for power?

Really, Mr. Khurshid? Also, build apartments for our MPs

Our External Affairs Minister had a "courtesy meeting" with the visiting Pakistan Prime Minister, Raja Pervez. No terrorism-related issues were discussed as this was a personal visit. So why did the External Affairs Minister meet him? And this after the recent blasts in Hyderabad!

"Abhyaagatah swayam Vishnuh" is an ancient saying of this land. We believe in treating our guests as divine beings. Apparently the Pak PM prayed for peace in his country. We hope that Mr. Khurshid prayed for some sense to come into the Pakistani leadership - I do believe the people want friendly ties. It is the ruling class that needs to change.

Another thought came to my mind recently. The area in Delhi which is designated as Lutyens' Delhi is a property gold mine. Why should our "public representatives" live in luxurious bungalows? The present moment, when the economy is down, is the right time for our MPs to show their public service credentials. Imagine that we build a set of apartments, okay luxurious apartments for our MPs. Imagine what can be done with the land that can be freed up. There will be vociferous objections on the grounds of security. But seriously, if that is indeed the case our rulers' faith in our security forces will be apparent.

Another objection that would come up would be that this is a protected area heritage wise. Is this the heritage we want to preserve? If the government does not want to demolish the existing buildings let them designate them for different purposes. Throw these open to the public, develop these as parks, educational centres, science centres etc. The possibilities are many. What is needed is will.