My Columns: Without Fear and Favour

Indian Politics : Lack of Youth Representation By  Deepak Parvatiyar September 11, 2014 At a time when 50 per cent of India’s population is below the age of 30, why can’t we have dynamic and efficient young politicians in their twenties or thirties? The general elections this year saw the highest number of young voters ever, yet it saw the highest ever percentage of older candidates becoming Members of Parliament! A research by PRS Legislative Research – a New Delhi-based independent research institute – showed that the proportion of MPs aged 25-40 was the lowest ever in the 16th Lok Sabha with just 47 members of Parliament belonging to this age bracket. How can one explain the prevailing state of affairs in Indian politics? Doesn’t this suggest that there is either a leadership vacuum among the youth in the country or the established senior political leaders are not willing to give political space to the youngsters? You may also like to read Top 10 ...

Can Politicians in India ever be Honest ? By  Deepak Parvatiyar September 10, 2014 “Na Khaoonga, Na Khane Doonga,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently declared. Loosely translated, it meant the PM would not tolerate corruption at public offices and one of his cabinet ministers lauded his remarks saying it required “real guts” for the PM to make such public proclamations. Why can’t we have honest politicians? Consider a quote from Simon Cameron, who served as United States Secretary of War for Abraham Lincoln at the start of the American Civil War — “An honest politician is one who, when he is bought, will stay bought.” It does conceal less and reveals all! Role of Big Money and Lobbyists in Politics You may also like to read Politicians of India At this juncture I am reminded of American Gil Fulbright’s last year’s satirical crowdfunding campaign for his project, ‘The Honest Politician’, that sought to enable him contest for the Kentucky senate aga...

What does Amit Shah mean by Congress – free India statement By  Deepak Parvatiyar September 9, 2014 (Published todayhttp://www.elections.in/blog/what-does-amit-shah-mean-by-congress-free-india-statement/) What does a “Congress- free India” mean? Doesn’t it allude to the Congress being the culprit for all the ills that we have in today’s Indian society? How justifiable is such an argument? Can we term it as a calculated and systematic ploy of its arch rival – the Bharatiya Janata Party – to denigrate the Congress in the people’s eye to an extent that it becomes an object of hate and disdain? Yet, more importantly, is such a scenario probable? War of Nerves between BJP and Congress One could well articulate the differences between the Congress of yore that fought for our freedom, and the Congress remote controlled by the Nehru-Gandhi family, which is now being singled out for rampant corruption, inflation and poverty. Whether such charges of corruption stick to t...

Outcome of Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s India Visit By  Deepak Parvatiyar September 8, 2014 Overseas bounties seem to be pouring in this monsoon for India. It began in July with the presidency of the new BRICS Bank to India, followed by the out-of-turn visit by US Secretary State John Kerry to New Delhi to facilitate a better chemistry between President Barrack Obama and the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi before they meet in Washington later this month; and the USD 35 billion ( Rs 2,10,000 crore) pledge by Japan to invest in India over next five years for various developmental works, besides Japan lifting ban on six Indian companies including HAL during Modi’s visit to the country a few days ago. The latest in the line is the inking of the long-awaited Indo-Australia nuclear deal that allows the latter to sell uranium to India, during the recent two-day state visit of the Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott to New Delhi during 4-5 September 20...

Narendra Modi’s Teachers’ Day Speech By  Deepak Parvatiyar September 6, 2014 http://www.elections.in/blog/narendra-modis-teachers-day-speech/ Consider the impact that Narendra Modi’s Teachers’ Day address could have on young impressionistic minds of school going children! Wouldn’t it have a lasting impression? We have seen US President Barrack Obama interacting with students at St Xavier’s College, Mumbai during his India visit and we still remember it. Yet, Modi’s interaction with students is more ubiquitous because of his choice of the date – the Teachers’ Day! Modi’s Teachers’ Day Address :  Meticulous Exercise Wasn’t his live address to millions of students across the country through electronic mediums and digital technology a grand spectacle? It did require meticulous planning and swift execution and Modi effectively displayed that he is a great organiser of spectacular events. School timings were shifted when Modi addressed from New Delhi’s Mane...

Expectations from Chinese President Xi Jinping’s India Visit By  Deepak Parvatiyar September 5, 2014 Much is expected of the ensuing India visit of the Chinese President Xi Jinping both on strategic and economic fronts. Indian Commerce Minister Nirmala Seetharaman visited Beijing at the same time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Japan. India expects Jinping’s visit to pave the way for major Chinese investments in the country, while also hoping China to facilitate Indian IT services exports by removing the barriers. Border dispute between the two countries too are expected to figure in the summit meet. China High on India’s Agenda There is no doubt that China is crucial to the Modi government’s foreign policy. Vice President Hamid Ansari had visited Beijing in June this year (Seetharaman had accompanied Ansari to China then too). At that time both countries had signed a Memorandum of Understanding on facilitating Chinese industrial parks in India...

Significance of Narendra Modi’s Japan Visit By  Deepak Parvatiyar September 4, 2014 “Being a Gujarati, money is in my blood…commerce is in my blood.” Mark Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s words when he met top Japanese industrialists in Tokyo. Obviously, a Gujarati has a knack for business. Yet the point that needs to be underscored is that hard bargaining forms the core of his business sense. “Apvanu bhav su chhe?” (What is the right selling price?) – can be heard all through a bustling Gujarati market place. Twin Challenges of dealing with Japan and China It’s from Gujarat too, Ahmedabad-Mumbai railway corridor to be precise, that Modi has proposed to introduce Bullet trains in the country. The two countries that are wooing India to buy such trains are arch rivals Japan and China. Does it surprise anyone therefore, that at the time when Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was busy offering the Japanese bullet train technology to Modi, India’s Commerce Minister N...