My Columns: Without Fear and Favour

Corruption and Inflation – Where India Stands on Completion of One Year of BJP Government By  Deepak Parvatiyar May 28, 2015 Rate this post A message recently went viral on internet – if a mug has to be chained in a public toilet for fear that it may get stolen, how can one expect corruption to be curbed? How true!  In spite of all those sermons on corruption, the fact remains that no one has ever eliminated corrupt practices and only the benchmark of corruption changes from time to time. Transparency International – the global coalition against corruption – says “corruption is the abuse of entrusted power for private gain…” Obviously, this “abuse” of power has much larger connotation and could not be confined only to corrupt actions but even corrupt thoughts and vested designs. You may also like to read Analysis of year of Modi Government Has Modi Government Merely Repackaged former UPA-government’s key schemes? In Indian context, where ...

The Amethi Drama: Smriti vs Rahul By  Deepak Parvatiyar May 26, 2015 Rate this post Let’s draw a parallel between Smriti Irani and Arvind Kejriwal. Both had contested the last general elections, respectively, against the potential prime ministers of the country – Rahul Gandhi of the Congress Party in Amethi, and Narendra Modi of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Varanasi. Both Irani and Kejriwal – despite being popular faces – were political greenhorns at that time although both had tasted some political success in their limited career. While Irani was already a Rajya Sabha member from Gujarat, Kejriwal just had a 49-day stint as Delhi’s chief minister. Both Irani and Kejriwal were rank outsiders in their respective Lok Sabha constituencies. Both gave a decent fight before losing and both stood a credible second against their respective formidable opponents. Despite their defeats in the general elections, both are ministers today – Smriti is a Union Minister, w...

Plans of Modi Government to Celebrate its First Anniversary By  Deepak Parvatiyar May 23, 2015 5.00 / 5  (100.00%)  1 vote As the Bharatiya Janata Party plans grand celebrations to mark Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s completion of first year in office on 26 May, let me quote an American writer on business management and practices,Thomas J Peter, who says: “Celebrate what you want to see more of”. Who else other than the BJP understands Peter’s words better? Its very first government in 1996 had lasted just 13 days. The next time when it came to power in 1998, it was just for 13 months. Thereafter, when the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) got the mandate to rule for a full term, it could not do so as its leaders hastily opted for an early election only to face defeat and remain out of power for the next 10 years. It is little wonder, therefore, that anniversaries hold an important place in the BJP’s mind. Even in 1998, when not many ex...

War between Arvind Kejriwal and Najeeb Jung By  Deepak Parvatiyar May 21, 2015 Rate this post The ongoing public spat between Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over the control of Delhi administration has exposed the grey areas in governance that require immediate redressal to ensure against any such crisis in the city state of Delhi. The immediate provocation was the appointment of Shakuntala Gamlin as acting Chief Secretary of Delhi by the Lieutenant Governor in spite of Kejriwal’s strong opposition on 15th May this year. This made the Chief Minister cry foul alleging that the LG was “functioning as if there is President’s Rule in the national capital and there is no elected government here” by bypassing the “democratically elected government…(and) issuing instructions to officers”. Much drama unfolded ever since. Both Kejriwal and Jung indulged into public sparring with Kejriwal even dispatching an angry letter to Jun...