Thanks Damodar for your comments. Am aware of the gaps in the analysis, but will use the time tested lame excuse of lack of time and space
I agree that mine mafia played a huge role in this election cutting across party lines, but then we are talking only about certain parts of Karnataka. What actually is shocking is the conversion of Kannada chauvinism into votes by BJP if you notice the caste -wise and region wise break up of the poll percentages and the middle class apathy is shocking to say the least. (I did see Kiran Shaw's interview). Its also of interest that there has hardly been much discussion on the inroads in terms of numbers that BSP might have made in Karnataka. My only disagreement is the thesis that coalition politics = instability. This essentially comes from my own bias that coalition politics generally tend to be more democratic. Nonetheless, instability needs to be defined - would we prefer the Modi brand of stability - or can we call it stability at all? Insofar as the cost of frequent elections on the exchequer is concerned, we just need to compare it with the cost of maintaining protocol and upkeep of the numerous governors, ministers and last but not the least the Prez. Maybe charity begins at home and Dr. Singh can follow his own advice and donate a substantial portion of his huge pension from the IMF to help start a hedge fund to negotiate instability :) Best 2008/5/28 damodar prasad <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > Dear Bobby, > > Some immediate thoughts: > > 1. In Karnataka, we need not fail to see the secular betrayal politics of > JD(secular). When I say bertrayal, i am not pointing to the 'betrayal" > version of BJP. That betrayal is part of the politcal game that we are > witnessing since 1977. But the betrayal on part of JD (S) to join hands with > BJP to make gowda son kumara swamy, the CM of Karntaka..This has only lead > ppl to lose faith in secularism as proogated by JD(S) and even BSP. > > 2. NDTV and IBN has extensively reported on mine mafia nexus btwn all the > politcal parties. Now it is not even nexus.In fact, GowdaJD, Cong and BJP > have given tickets to mine & real estate mafia. (ystrday, NDTV was shwoing > the visuals of the overt changes in the bodily expressions of Arun Jaitley > when shaking hands with indpndnt MLA and big shot MLA of BJP.) > > 3. In an online interview with Kiran Shaw, CEO of BIOCON, she says that the > elctoral victory of BJP is good indication that the K'taka would now have a > stable govt and infrastructre prbs. of b'lore is redressed. Stabilty, > Consensus has creeped into our political discourse since Narasimha Rao govt > assumed power. (It seems, the CPIM-CPI centric Left is now using these > terms more profusely than others.) But then needn't we also adress the issue > of stabilty b'coz it is not only the corporates but the entire middle class > sincerly desires soem form of stable govt. > > 4.Comprising with the neo-liberal poltics and adjuusting with the economic > 'reforms", the Left has tied itself to onky one agenda of keping the BJP out > of power. This will have detriemnatl effects not only on the polity but also > on the cosntituency of the CPI/CPM left. It may be noted that when the UPA > govt asumed power at centre with left supporting from outside, there was hue > & cry from the right of all spectrum. It was heard that an attempt was made > to arrive at a conivenent comprise btwn arun jaitley, arun shourie, > chidambaram & jairam ramesh for prusiing the reforms agenda further. As this > information reached the market, share prices regained the momentum. > > some immediate thoughts.. there are other issues raised in ur > write-up,whcih needs a up-close look. > > regards, > > damodar > > On 5/28/08, Bobby Kunhu <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >> >> Dear friends (particularly those that argued vehemently about BJP's fate >> before the elections) >> >> I think its time for stock taking, why I wrote this piece. I hope atleast >> some form of debate evolves around this. >> Edwin's reply to my post on Hogenakkal seems to be coming true. >> >> The question is not the simplicity of the narrative, the question is how >> to tackle the deeper and farther reaches of fascist forces and each one of >> us needs to take responsibility on this count >> >> Of course opinions and criticisms are welcome as always >> >> Warm regards >> >> >> >> >> * >> * >> >> *Secularism on the Dock* >> >> *Bobby >> Kunhu**·*<http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=1&view=page&name=gp&ver=sh3fib53pgpk#11a2df7318ad0330_11a2de9e7e54075a_11a2de5e7a020aa5__edn1> >> ** >> >> * * >> >> *"First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out—* >> >> *because I was not a communist;* >> >> *Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—* >> >> *because I was not a socialist;* >> >> *Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—* >> >> *because I was not a trade unionist;* >> >> *Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—* >> >> *because I was not a Jew;* >> >> *Then they came for me—* >> >> * and there was no one left to speak out for me."* >> >> Martin Niemoeller >> >> >> >> As the results of the Karnataka elections started pouring in, my anger >> boiled over (while my pride in my own psephological skills brimmed over) – >> with myself and people like me and reminded me of the clichéd adage that " >> *History repeats itself" *– that the great economically up surging Indian >> middle class that represents the shining India seem to forget quiet often. >> No self respecting observer can deny that the BJP is the political front of >> RSS – a fascist self-serving organization that tends to promote divisive >> politics based on religious identity. But no, this large population finds it >> convenient to ignore and deny this fact like it is convenient to ignore and >> deny that they form only a small minority in the humungous demographic >> nation that India is. >> >> >> >> Let me start with the caveat, that this is a list of accusations broadly >> against the "shining India", and specifically against commercial >> establishments, political formations and civil society formations – >> essentially "people like us". >> >> >> >> Well, the truth cannot be denied that the legitimate growth of the >> political fronts of the RSS, both in its earlier avatar as Jan Sangh and the >> current avatar as BJP, was facilitated throughout the last four decades, >> starting from the emergency, by today's self professed secularists – and >> Karnataka – as one of the most important stages of the anti-emergency >> movement in South India – perhaps is the logical culmination for a new era >> of this dangerous phenomenon. Let me paraphrase this with some support from >> the historian Bipan Chandra's candid and controversial analysis in his book >> "*In the name of Democracy – JP Movement and the Emergency". *JP's >> personal animosity towards Indira and his eagerness to topple her at any >> cost, gave birth to a number of future political leaders for India touting >> the JP brand of socialism – whatever that might be. But the single entity >> that benefited most out of that experiment and still has JP on its pantheon >> of co-opted heroes is the then Jan Sangh, now BJP. The first non-congress >> Indian government thereafter, headed by Morarji Desai had Jan Sangh >> ministers including Vajpayee. This ministry was also supported by the >> Communist Party of India (Marxist). Since then, BJP has claimed legacy in >> terms of its adherence to democratic norms both to its opposition to the >> emergency and as heirs to the JP movement and that makes a load of >> difference in a country like ours that thrives on iconoclasm. If you chose >> to disbelieve Bipan Chandra or me, please ask the likes of George Fernandes >> or Nitish Kumar or Mulayam Singh or even Laloo Prasad. >> >> >> >> Since then, the next couple of decades were devoted to a myopic political >> project of dislodging the Congress, regardless of the costs involved. The >> mainstream left is as complicit and guilty in this project as anyone else in >> this drama – and the harvests from this project was reaped en masse by the >> BJP, while decimating the so-called alternative initially into a "third" >> force and later increasingly into political non-entities >> >> >> >> Now this is not to absolve the Congress of its crimes in facilitating the >> BJP's political growth. One would need to start with the variant Congress >> development models, but because of lack of time and space, I would start >> with that most foolhardy action in 1986 when there were Congress governments >> in the Centre headed by Rajiv Gandhi and UP headed by N. D. Tiwari, when >> they deposed before the court in a dramatically and insidiously short trial >> for the Indian Judicial system (12 days), that unlocking of the gates of >> Babri Masjid could not result in a law and order situation. This gave the >> necessary fillip for the Hindutva family to set out on its historical >> journey to legitimate constitutional power. >> >> >> >> In 1992, the Congress government headed by Mr. Narasimha Rao, sat on its >> haunches silently watching as a 150,000 strong mob led by prominent BJP >> leaders including L K Advani, pulled down the Babri Masjid structure on >> December 6th, followed by large scale communal rioting across the >> country. Anyways, this time around for the BJP, it had its own Chief >> Minister in Uttar Pradesh in the person of Kalyan Singh. >> >> >> >> This government also marks a watershed in Indian economic history by >> setting the wheels of neo-liberal market politics in motion under the >> stewardship of Dr. Manmohan Singh. This politics definitely also set the >> ball rolling for steadily increasing the genie coefficient and facilitating >> an interesting livelihood crisis particularly in the agrarian sector, >> creating the necessary conditions for social friction for the rise of >> divisive politics. Arguments against this can be countered by revisiting the >> history of socio-economic conditions that led to the rise of Nazism in >> William Shirer's *"The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich". * >> >> >> >> In the meantime, the judiciary, particularly the Supreme Court played its >> role in facilitating the rise of the BJP in its own inimitable ways. It kept >> and still keeps shirking from its duty in creating a final resolution to the >> Babri Masjid issue either ways, which would have taken the wind out of the >> sails of the Hindutva families' political surge. The best shot in the arm >> came in the form of justification of the main BJP ideological plank of >> "Hindutva" by a bench headed by Justice Varma, then the Chief Justice of >> India on the 11th of December, 1995. >> >> >> >> Immediately after this saw the first major fruition for the BJP efforts of >> around three decades in this particular direction was the ascent to the >> Central Government for 13 days for the first time in 1996. Lack of numbers >> fell the government. This was followed for 13 months in 1998 and a return to >> a full term between 1999-2004. All of this under the stewardship of Atal >> Behari Vajpayee, justified by the so-called chameleon-like "secular" >> constituents of the umbrella – NDA – that facilitated this ascension, as the >> right man in the wrong party. >> >> >> >> In the meantime, Corporate India and its constituents, buoyed by its own >> unexpected and unhindered increase in wealth and economic domination, >> silently started backing the political horse (BJP) that appeared all set to >> be the future of a super-power India, demonstrated further by the pivotal >> role played by the BJP in the election of the Nuclear technocrat A.P.J Abdul >> Kalam as the President of India, except for few lone dissident voices such >> as Anu Agha of Thermax. I am including the role of the English language >> media, both print and visual, and their consistent misreading of the BJP, >> inconsistent reportage, wavering between support on economic policies and >> criticism during horrendous incidents like the Gujarat genocide and their >> lack of touch with ground realities as part of Corporate India. >> >> >> >> Of course, the BJP continued the economic program set in motion by the >> previous Congress government in letter and spirit – I would allege to >> facilitate the increase in identity based socio-economic friction – and >> Gujarat became its first successful laboratory to test this thesis through >> the post Godhra genocide unleashed against the Muslims. This models success >> also depended on provoking communities traditionally suffering ascriptive >> disabilities against the Muslims, in ways similar to the attack on the Jews >> by the Nazis. So successful was this experiment, that the master-mind behind >> the genocide not only remains scot-free, but gets re-elected twice as the >> Chief Minister of the state – Mr. Narendra Modi. >> >> >> >> Nonetheless, the 2004 general elections, where BJP walked the plank of >> shining India backfired, returning the Congress to power, but in an >> extremely diminished form compared to all its earlier avatars. >> Unfortunately, the Congress and all its secular allies including the >> mainstream left did not read the bold writing on the wall – it was not BJP's >> communalism that got them to power, but the deepening socio-economic divide >> and an ever-increasing agrarian and food crisis that called for critical >> economic restructuring. But instead, the Congress reinforces its economic >> agenda with minor window dressing like the National Advisory Committee, >> progressive laws like the Right to Information Act and supposedly >> progressive policies like NREGM, JNURM etc. none of which has made any >> impact on the socio-economic conditions of the vast majority of the >> incessantly suffering Indian masses and instead created platforms for >> displacement through SEZs including Nandigram and Chengara in states >> ruled by the mainstream left, thereby creating ample opportunities for BJP >> to capitalize the schism to further its communal agenda, while setting the >> stage for political *hara-kiri *for themselves. >> >> >> >> Here it is pertinent to note that the run-up to the Karnataka assembly >> elections saw the BJP promising and promoting a Gujarat Development Model >> for Karnataka, while fostering communal discontent through issues like Baba >> Budangiri in Chikmagalur or Idgah Maidan in Hubli, preparing the base for a >> repeat of the Gujarat kind of experiment in Karnataka. >> >> >> >> Now, insofar as the non party – political civil society is concerned, in >> the initial days of the BJP's growth, we consoled ourselves and others that >> the geographic and demographic size and diversity of India would pose as the >> biggest insurmountable obstacle to the fascist ambitions of the RSS family. >> When they did manage to come to power in the Centre, we again consoled >> ourselves that the BJP would never truly be representative as a national >> party as coalition politics had come to stay, and BJP would never be truly >> able to come on its own – especially given its non-presence in the south. >> With Karnataka, BJP has announced its presence in almost all geographic >> regions of India through legitimate and constitutional means. They do not >> even feel it necessary anymore to hide behind a Sikandi (due apologies to >> trans-gendered friends – the usage of the term is only to co-opt one of the >> Hindutva terms and connote the use of a façade rather than the "sexual >> incompetence" it originally was meant for) right Man in the wrong party like >> Vajpayee, while biding their time to make the ultimate bid for power in the >> Centre on their own that can facilitate their fascist ambitions through >> constitutional mechanisms or even their dream project of over-turning the >> Constitution. How do we console ourselves now? Or do we as usual react >> every time only after BJP and its family members have set the agenda, be it >> Babri Masjid, the Gujarat genocide or Baba Budangiri, while the BJP is >> enthused and devising ways to make their presence felt in states where they >> traditionally have been non-existent from Kerala and Tamil Nadu to Mizoram >> and Nagaland. >> >> >> >> As I would not like to end on a pessimistic note, the only option that I >> personally see as having devised ways of corroding the BJP base as of now >> seems to be the BSP idea of a grand bahujan alliance. They also seem to be >> the only political party that seems to be increasing its cadre and voter >> base consistently across the nation. >> >> >> >> Well, we can either cross our fingers now or pray to our respective Gods, >> or we need to redouble and consolidate our efforts at exposing the BJP with >> equal or more professionalism and propaganda than the BJP can unleash!!!!!! >> >> >> >> ------------------------------ >> >> ·<http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=1&view=page&name=gp&ver=sh3fib53pgpk#11a2df7318ad0330_11a2de9e7e54075a_11a2de5e7a020aa5__ednref1>The >> author is a Human Rights Advocate, Educator and Writer >> >> >> -- >> Bobby Kunhu >> >> >> > -- Bobby Kunhu --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. 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