THE GREAT GAMBLER

Manmohan Singh loves to flirt with gambling. Look at his track record.

Gamble 1: In 1991 he was severly criticized for adopting the open market economic model. Many from his own party were against his decision to move from a socio economic model to a much more rightist capitalist driven economic model. It was then Prime Minister Narasimha Rao’s staunch backing for Dr Singh’s bold vision that helped him push those reforms. And rest is history as they say. Today India is the 2nd fastest growing economy in the world. And thanks to the booming economy, India’s reputation as a global power has bolstered.

Gamble 2: In 2005 he played his next big gamble by striking the nuclear deal with the US. This was strongly opposed by the Left & the BJP. Sonia Gandhi’s support this time & some smart political manovering helped the government survive the trust vote in July 2007 & also sealed the deal. Was the deal good? India has joined the elite nuclear club but the real answer will be known only after a decade or so if India is able to generate enough ‘power’ to meet the demand of a growing nation & still retain its foreign policy independence.

Gamble 3: This time he has played the biggest gamble of all. Peace with Pakistan is something which no leader has achived in the past 62 years.Post 26/11; the anti-Pakistan rhetoric is on its peak. But the PM’s meeting with Yosuf Raza Gilani (Pakistan PM) & his controvertial joint statement has put Dr Singh again in the spot.



Critics think that he has given the advantage to Pakistan by ‘delinking terror with the peace dialogue & including Balochistan’ in the statement.

The positives of this gamble:

1) Engaging Pakistan: Dr Singh knows that by taking a monolithic stand of not talking to Pakistan will not take them any where. Pakistan will stick to its stand of asking for more evidence against the likes of LeT & no action will be taken.By appreciating the concerns of Pakistan that encompasses talks on Kashmir & discussing India’s involvement in Balochistan, Dr Singh has made the right move. Engaging Pakistan is the only way to make some concrete progress

2) Two to Tango: It is foolish & impractical to assume that Pakistan will adhere to all conditions of India. For the dialogue to move forward both sides will have to be aprreciate each others concerns and above all act upon them. If India wants terrorists of 26/11 to be brought to justice then India will have to respond to Pakistan’s query of RAW’s involvement in Balochistan. Post the Sharm-el-Shaik meet between the two PMs the immediate results are interesting. For the 1st time since the attack Pakistan has accepted that Ajmal Kasab is indeed a Pakistani national and also arrested 26/11 mastermind Zakhiur Rehman Lakhvi.

3) Less reliance on USA: It is imperative for India to be in a position to push Pakistan to take some tough action. By taking a rigid stand India will have to rely completely on international pressure & especially on USA to pressurize Pakistan.USA’s main concern is Afghanistan not India-Pakistan.

Negatives of the Gamble

1) Gilani is no Musharraf: Trusting Gilani’s quest for peace is not the problem but his ability to deliver is the worrying factor. Army is the biggest player in the state of Pakistan. So even if Gilani wants genuine progress he would need the support of General Kiyani led Pakistan army. It was much more productive to do business with the enigmatic Musharraf who controlled both the army & the government .But for political parties to act themselves is virtually impossible in Pakistan. So will the army support Gilani to take this dialogue forward with an open mind is a big worry

2) Unstable Pakistan: The biggest risk for Dr Singh is the uncertainity attached with Pakistan. History is a testimony that the democractic structure of Pakistan has always remained vulnerable. 3 dictators have ruled the country. So even if some concessions are made by India they back fire if some rightist dictator comes to power in Pakistan.

3) Dismantling terror infrastructrue: Will Pakistan & the ISI eliminate fundamentalist group which were created by the ISI. Unfortunately the groups’ that were nurtured & used by the army during the proxy war against India have become monsters. Any move to dismantle them can cause major casualty to Pakistan itself. So does the state & army have the willingness to cut the giant tree which has deep roots?

Like his previous gambles, Dr Singh is again looking at the long term picture & wants to do business with Gilani. His intentions are very result oriented but the road to achieve that goal is going to be a huge task. Playing with fire is a great spectale but if not handled properly it can casue major injuries. So will the most apolitical PM of India crack the most complex political matrix??? Even the most seasoned gamblers will find it difficult to predict this one.

CRICKETERS V/S POLITICANS: THE POLITICS OF CRICKET

Board Cricket Control of India (BCCI) is the most potent, independent & influential sports body of India. Its influence is not restricted only to India, but across the cricket world. Therefore it’s comes as no surprise that today a plethora of politicians & cricketers are standing in the fray to be a part of this magnanimous cricket body. But their reasons are enitirely different.

Ironically, post independence there has been 21 BCCI presidents, but only 3 of them have played Ranji cricket. Till the 1980’s, politicians didn’t display much enthusiasm in cricket adminitration. Madhavrao Scindia was the only exception. It’s only in 2005 that political heavy weight, Sharad Pawar dived into the politics of cricket. Arun Jaitley (BJP) is one of the VP’s of BCCI, while Union Minister & former chief minister of Maharshtra Vilasrao Deshmukh (Congress) recently became the VP of the Maharashtra Cricket Association.

It’s only in the last decade or so that the politicans have suddenly started displaying enthusiasm in cricket administration. And why not, when there is an opportunity to control or partially control a body that earns more than 100 billion rupees a year & at the same time has the ability to influence the world of cricket in any fashion it wants. Sharad Pawar known for his shrewdness spotted this opportunity much before his other collegues. In the past 5 years he was much more effective & potent as the President of BCCI (Even after Shashank Manohar took over from him) compared to his stint as the Union Minister of Agriculture. And now every other politician wants to be associated with cricket administration. Lalu Prasad Yadav, Vilasrao Deskmukh, Arun Jaitley are just a few examples. There will be many more politicians jumping into the fray very soon. In an era of twenty 20 cricket they realize the potential of cricket as an enterprise. Power & money are two factors that are entising our politicians.

On the other hand our cricketers who have always remained apprehensive of running for the top administrative posts have also started eyeing those postions. But the reasons for them are very different. History is a testimony that post retirement irrespecive of the startdom & stature any crickter might have achieved it’s his connections with the top bosses that determines his future role in cricket. The best epitomes of this are Sunil Gavaskar & Kapil Dev. Both legends of Indian cricket played togther & enjoyed the almost same degree of success. But post retirement their stories were completely different compared to their playing days. Gavaskar has been a regular member on various committees set up by BCCI & ICC including the post of ‘chairman of the ICC cricket committee. His controvertial remarks which have rubbed other cricket nations the wrong way have not curbed the support he has enjoyed from the BCCI for all these years. On the other hand Kapil Dev never got the same kind of treatment from the BCCI post retirement.He did become the coach of the Indian cricket team in 1999 & also served as chairman of National Cricket Academy. In May 2007, Kapil joined the breakaway Indian Cricket League, which led to his removal from the NCA. But through out Kapil Dev has shared a turbulent relationship with the BCCI.

Sourav Ganguly & Mohammad Azharuddin also faced unfair treatment from the BCCI which sealed their cricket careers. Azhar was banned for life after the 3 member BCCI probe committee found him guilty of match fixing with out any concrete evidnece. Ganguly had to cut short his cricket career after been continously dropped from the squad, even after making one of the strongest comebacks in world cricket. Both cricket legends realized that the only way they can contribute meaningfully to Indian cricket is by taking the ‘political’ route.

Ganguly has made it public that he is interested in running for the post of CAB (Cricket association of Bengal) president. And if he does win, there is a chance for him to run for the post of BCCI president in 2013!!! It would be too naïve to start assuuming that Ganguly would become the BCCI president so easily, but it is a possibility if planned properly. On the other hand, Azhar who was lying low all these years after his life ban suddenly resurrected his cricket prospects by getting elected to the Lok Sabha. And look at the immediate ramifications; two members (Kamal Moraraka & KM Ramaprasad) of the BCCI probe committee that banned Azhar for life now want the life ban to be lifted. It won’t be long before the life ban is lifted given the political clout he now enjoys. And been a cricketer with the tag of a politician has made his position very strong. Probabaly the ban should have been lifted much before, but the only way to make it possible was to take the political route. Ganguly has Azhar as a prime example to plan his future.And he has already got on to the task. The battle between the politicians & cricketers is brewing. For the love of cricket, let’s hope that the cricketers win this one.

Manmohan, Mahendra & The Media

Manmohan Singh & Mahendra Singh Dhoni have two things in common. Their maiden name starts with ‘M’ & they both have the surname ‘Singh’. Their connection with the media (which also happens to start with M) is quite interesting. Both were not considered as natural leaders at the beginning of their leadership tenures. While Dhoni became an instant hit as captain after winning the T20 championship in 2007, it took Manmohan Singh 5 years to prove his mettle as the effective political leader of India.

When Manmohan Singh was picked up by Sonia Gandhi as the Prime Minister in 2004, the media called him the wrong choice. The general view point was that Manmohan Singh was reputed & an amazing economist but he lacks the ability to lead a country. Through out his first tenure as PM,he was constantly referred as a ‘weak’ prime minister who was following the directions of 10 Janpath (Sonia Gandhi’s residence). The turn around came in July 2008 when Dr Singh threatened to step down as PM if the nuclear deal bill was not passed. He got full support from Sonia Gandhi and eventually he did manage to achieve the most important goal he had set out in his first tenure as PM. Post the nuclear deal suddenly the media started regarding Dr Singh as a good leader. Congress named Dr Singh as the official prime ministerial candidate for 2009 elections & a direct battle with LK Advani was set (the official PM candidate of the NDA). The media thought he lacked the oratory skills of Advani & would lose a head to head contest. But election 2009 was the turning point for Manmohan Singh’s image. Suddenly he emerged as the darling of the media. In the last few months, many media houses named him as one of the best prime ministers ever!! These are the same media houses which laballed him as the weakest ever just a year back. His opinion amongst the masses saw a dramatic turnaround. Suddenly he was referred as the man who can lead as stronger India in the future. He officially earned the title of ‘Singh is King’.

MS Dhoni had a much easier time becoming the heartthrob of the same media. His 183 against Pakistan brought him under the lime light. But he achieved super stardom by captaining India to a spectacular victory at the T20 championships in 2007. The media declared him as the uncrowned ‘King of India’ after the one day victories in Australia and Sri Lanka and the comprehensive Test victory against Australia. He was proclaimed as the best captain of India by the media in a span of 1 year. But one series changed it all for MSD. The loss at T20 championships in England last month transformed his persona overnight. From ‘Captain Cool’ he became ‘Captain Fool’& ‘Arrogant Dhoni’. Some media channels that use to carry his promotional campaign till a few days back, now wanted him to be dropped as the T20 captain.

These two cases clearly reflect the inconsistent approach of the media. Certain sections of the media have played a very irresponsible role, especially in the case of MSD. Yes, we all are disappointed that India lost and above all played miserably. But that does not mean that they can carry a malicious campaign against a particular individual. One victory cannot discount the 2 years of tremendous leadership that MSD has displayed. Cricket thrives on passion in India and makes a good story for any media house. But when they add more fuel to fire by questioning the ability of an individual based on just 5 matches then it can only be termed as ‘obnoxious journalism’. Similarly the same media had arrived at the conclusion that Manmohan Singh is a weak PM even before he took the oath. One has to give time to a person to prove his calibre. Just because one politician is so unlike his counter parts by not indulging in only lip service but instead believes in doing genuine work with utmost honesty, he cannot be termed ‘weak’. In Dr Singh’s case one thing that has emerged very clear, is that actions speak louder than words.

The media has to be more responsible. It’s a section of the media which creates and twists people’s image day to day based on the event. Like no one series can determine a good captain, similarly certain traits (like ordinary oratory skills) cannot undermine an individual’s potential. Manmohan Singh & MSD both have contributed substantially in their respective fields. Obviously their fields can’t be compared but their commitment & intentions can never be doubted. People & specially the media should be more forth coming and practical. Winning all the time is not possible and cannot be the bottom line all the time. A curious defeat at times is a much bigger victory.

IPL Vs IPL

The summer of 2009 was truly special for televison viewers. The two biggest television events of India took place at the same time. The Indian Premier League in South Africa & the Indian Political League (Elections 2009) kept the audience enthralled from April to May. What made this even more interesting was the fact that, there was a huge clash between the two in March, which saw IPL shifting to South Africa due to security concerns. There was a huge debate on whether it was the right decision to move IPL out of India. It was interesing to see both the reality events clash with each other on the small screen. But who won this battle?



To judge the winner of the television battle would be tough, if we go by the day to day data for both the events.But if we pick up the two most important days for both the events- 16th May, the day elections results were announced & 24th May, the day IPL 2 final was played, then it would be a fair comparison. There are broadly two parameters to judge the success of a event/program on television- 1) Total viewership – the total number of people that tuned in to catch the event & 2) TVR ( Televison Viewership Rating)- This also includes the ‘amount of time spend’ by the audience watching the event. From a commercial perspective, TVR is more important for an advertiser than the total viewership.

The total viewership for Election 2009 results on 16th May, according to, TAM Peoplemeter System (Televison Viewership Agency) was 60 million. Close to 45 million watched the coverage on Hindi news channels, while the remaining 15 million witnessed the political drama unfolding on English news channels. On the otherhand, the IPL 2 final on 24th May, according to aMap (Televison Viewership Agency) was 11.7 million. This was higher than last year’s IPL final.



The TVR for Election 2009 final (16th May) was 10% on Hindi channels & 1.08% on English channels. The combined total for both Hindi & English news channels comes up to 11.08%. Now, the TVR for IPL 2 grand final was 8.3%, slightly lower than last year’s IPL final.Surprisingly for many, Election 2009 emerged as the clear winner in the television battle.
Though one major difference between the two remains that, Elections 2009 threw one clear winner, in the form of UPA. IPL 2, on the other hand had two winners- Deccan Chargers & Lalit Modi (Thanks to the moolah IPL 2 earned).


Published on - http://behindindia.com/india-news-stories/article/ipl-03-06-09-1.html

WINNER & LOSER : ELECTIONS 2009

Election 2009 was special for more than one reason. In this blog, I am listing out the biggest winners & losers of this election. The winners are those , who will have a enduring impact in Indian polity. And the losers are those, who had very high stakes & have suffered a major setback

THE BIGGEST WINNERS OF ELECTIONS 2009

Manmohan Singh
SINGH IS KING: Election 2009 was the mandate for Manmohan Singh. His honest and decent image, along with the unshakable stand on the nuclear deal, made him emerge, as one of the best prime minister ever. He is the face of reforms & progress that can give India a better future.


Rahul Gandhi
THE SAVIOUR: He has emerged as the messiah of the poor & youth. The youth wanted a leader who was forward looking and could lead them in the future, while the poor wanted a leader who can fulfil their needs and aspiratons. Rahul Gandhi is that leader. His decision of going alone in UP was the turning point for the Congress.


Sonia Gandhi
THE UNDISPUTED LEADER: This election puts to rest, as to who is the strongest leader of this great nation. The manner in which she held the UPA coalition together was nothing short of remarkable. Her faith in Manmohan Singh as the prime ministerial candidate & Rahul Gandhi to lead the Congress campaign paid huge dividends. The Congress has been revived, thanks to her relentless efforts.

Nitish Kumar
THE PERFORMER: In an election that saw the power of regional leaders emaciating, he emerged as the strongest regional leader. His performance as the chief minister of Bihar has won him accolades across party lines and his popularity has surged across North India. His success underscores the fact, that people want development over caste & communal politics.

Mamata Banerjee
THE REBEL: Finally after 3 decades the ‘Left’ hegomony in West Bengal has been broken. Not only has she challenged the future of the 'Left' in their strong hold, but has also emerged as the ‘Voice of Bengal’.

The Indian Voter
THE KING: The Indian Voter has emerged as the King maker and chosen its own destiny. By choosing a secular, stable & strong government, it has proved that India is not only the biggest but the most powerful & vibrant democracy of the world.

Election Commission
THE UNSUNG HEROS: The most under-rated people of this election. Election Commission has proved that in this complex country, beset by terrorism & dirty politics, it is still possible to hold free & fair elections. The EC’s meticulous planning and execution is remarkable. A round of applause, for the team, that made this excercise a resounding success.

THE BIGGEST LOSERS
L.K Advani
END OF THE ROAD: His dream of becoming the prime minister crashed. The milestones of his great political career included the formation of BJP & the ‘Ram Mandir’ campaign which bolstered his popularity among the Hindu harliners. But he lacked the charisma and acceptability that Vajpayee enjoyed.


Narendra Modi
THE FAILED CHARMER: Many thought that the BJP had found the charismatic personality in him which was missing post Vajpayee. But his charm & magic was restricted to Gujarat. The star campaigner of the BJP failed to garner any extra support outside his stronghold. His unacceptability among other NDA parties, may dash his hopes of becoming the prime minister.


J Jayalalitha
OVER CONFIDENCE: Her overconfidence before elections was one of the biggest factors for not posting an impresssive performance. People were incredulous about the promises she made with regards to the ‘Tamil’ issue in Sri Lanka. Even a strong pre poll alliance could not help her to register a huge victory.

Mayawati
DELHI IS FAR AWAY: This election was a reality check for Mayawati. She still has a long way to travel, before she reaches Delhi. During the UP assembly elections, her ‘social enginneering’ earned her a thumping victory. But her failure to live up to their expectations, led to a disappointing performance this time around

The Yadavs (Mulayam, Lalu Prasad & Ram Vilas Paswan)
NO WHERE TO GO: Their selfish and arrogant aprroach pre elections has cost them dearly. Not only did they loose badly, but also lost out on an opportunity, of becoming a part of a stronger government at the centre. With all three out of power both at the centre & state, the future looks bleak.

Prakash Karat
BROUGH T TO THE GROUND: His dogmatic attitude and ideology, which is out of tune with reality has brought him & his party to the ground. His stand on the nuclear deal, which he potrayed as ‘anti- national’ and continous blackmailing during the UPA regime back fired. The masses taught him & his party a lesson.

Published on http://www.behindindia.com/india-news-stories/slideshows/election-winners/manmohan-singh.html - 21st May 2009

http://www.behindindia.com/india-news-stories/slideshows/election-losers/l-k-advani.html - - 21st May 2009

POST DIVORSE, ITS MARRIAGE TIME

With the last leg of campaigning for the elections getting over, the season of marriage proposals begins. Unlike a normal marriage, Indian politics is about divorse followed by marriage. Congress & the Left were at loggerheads for the past one year. Left was responsible for bringing the UPA government on the brink of collapse last year. It was a bitter divorse which ended on a highly sour note. But one year down the line, Congress is playing the role of the groom and trying to woo the probable bride. The only difference this time around is that there are multiple brides which it is trying to woo. The kind of vibes the groom (Congress) has been sending over the last few days does not reflect any vestige of the rocky marriage that the Left and Congress shared for the past 4 years. But the proposal is not restricted only to the Left. The Congress also wants Jayalalitha & Nitish Kumar to be a part of this marriage.
The biggest advantage the Congress has at this junction is that it is the most viable option for most regional parties. But the biggest negative for the Congress is that if it wants AIADMK & JD (U) to join its allaince, then it will have to break ties with its close associates of the UPA- Lalu Prasad’s RJD & Karunanidhi’s DMK.Barring Nitish led JD(U), no party would be comfortable alligning with the BJP due to it’s communal image. Even for the Left the biggest problem is that it cannot form a third front government without the Congress’s support.




In all likelihood which ever alliance comes to power, the two most practical marriages possible are- 1) A Congress led government at the centre along with the Left, where Congress is the groom and Left is the bride. 2) A Left led third front government with Left as the groom along with various brides (smaller parties) & the Congress plays the priest’s role by blessing the marriage (support the government from the outside). Given that there is going to be a fractured mandate, Congress & the Left will have to work together in some way or the other to keep the BJP out of power.
The other probable marriage which no one is talking about at the moment is between the BJP & Mayawati. This couple might just shock everyone by tying the knot. As Manmohan Singh says ‘Politics is the art of the possible’. This possibilty could just underline Dr.Singh’s statement.

Published on- http://www.behindindia.com/india-news-stories/article/election-2009-01.html

THE GRAND OLD PRIME MINISTER OF YOUNG INDIA

Elections 2009 are around the corner, setting the buzz as to who would be the next Prime Minister of India. L k Advani is the prime ministerial candidate for the BJP lead NDA, while Dr. Manmohan Singh is all set to be projected as the Prime Ministerial candidate of the Congress lead UPA. It won’t be fair to conclude that these elections will be Advani V/S Manmohan, as Indian elections are not about personalities but diverse issues spearheaded by a plethora of political parties. And in the age of coalition politics, the 3rd name that has emerged as the possible contender for thePrime Minister’s post is Mayawati, the undisputed leader of the Bhahujan Samaj Party and the front runner to be the prime ministerial candidate of the BSP-Left lead third front. In this blog I won’t be elaborating on how much chance does each candidate fancy of occupying the most important political portfolio, but want to throw light at the age profile of the primeministerial candidates.
Dr.Manmohan Singh is going to be 77 in 2009. No doubt he has been an honest leader, argubly the most qualified leader in the world to lead a nation. In 2004, when this humble ex-finance minister of India, went on to become the accidental prime minister, he was 72. This was around the same time when the India rising wave had started making noise across the world. And during his tenure, India made its presence felt across the globe like never before. The biggest nations of the world went on to appreciate that India would surely emerge as the ‘Super power’ of the 21st century along wit China. This would also mark the end of US dominance and European pseudo super power.The main reason attributed for India to attain this new global status was because of its ‘youth’ power.
LK Advani is 5 years older to Dr Singh. He will be completing 82 this year. If Lk Advani does become the Prime Minister this year, he will go on to become the oldest politician to be elected as a leader of a country and the 2nd oldest leader in the world. If one looks at the list of oldest leaders of the world, there are only ‘two’ legitimate elected leaders- 1)Abdoulaye Wade, President of Senegal , who is going to be 83 this year ( he was elected in 2000 at the age of 74 and re-elected at the age of 81 in 2007)and 2)Dr Singh who is 77. Mayawati is probably the only young face among the three candidates aiming for the top post. She could become the Prime Minister at the age of 53. But she can’t be considered a candidate yet because she has no official support yet from any party. So that leaves us with two official candidates running for the top government post of the country.
Ironically, as mentioned earlier, India’s youth power is considered as its USP to become a super power. The 20th century super power USA’s population age is ‘65’. By 2030 1 out of every 5 Americans would be 65 and above. And yet they elected Barak Obama who is 47.Much younger than the current population age projected. He went on to defeat John Mcain who is 72. If we look at the other major global leaders, they all are much younger than their Indian counterparts. E.g. Gordon Brownof Britain is 57, Nicolas Sarkozy of France is 54, Angela Merkel of Germany is 54 etc. In India 54% of the population is below ‘35’ and yet the average age of the top two leaders is ‘80’!!!!
The last time India had a Prime Minister below the age of 60 was in 1989, when VP Singh became the prime minister at the age of 59 for less than a year. Rajiv Gandhi can be considered as the only young Prime Minister this nation got.He won a landslide victory (Post Indira Gandhi assassination) in 1984 and became the prime minister at the age of 40. At a time when majority of the countries are electing young and dynamic leaders to tackle the contemporary global issues, the probable super power of this century might go on to elect the oldest prime minister ever!!!
The average age of an Indian MP is 53. 14% of the MPs are above the age of 65, while only 6.5% are below the age of 35. A country with 54% of the population below the age of 35 has only 34 MPs of the same age group in the parliament. The root of the problem lies here, of not having young politicians contesting elections. Its easier said then done because not a single party encourages young people to contest election unless he/she comes with a political lineage.So forget getting a prime minister below the age of 35, getting more MPs and more people young people contesting election is the most fundamental way to inject some youth in Indian politics. Lack of dynamic leaders is another problem that parties are not able to project young leaders who can match the average age of an Indian MP (53). In BJP there is already major infighting between the second generation leaders. After Advani ,Narendra Modi who is touching 59 is considered the favorite to lead the party in the next elections. But here again without venturing in the personality issue, he too by the time become a prime ministerial candidate would be in his mid 60’s.
Pragmatic thinking and given the dimensions of Indian politics there are only two scenarios in which India can get a young prime minister in the near future. One if Mayawati with help of small minded parties comes to power. She at the age of 53 will be considered a young prime minister. But this whole Old V/s young issue is not merely restricted to the age factor. A‘Young leader ‘is asscociated with newer ideas and a fresh outlook, which I am afraid Mayawati lacks completely. She hasn’t displayed an iota of new age ideologies, but instead new age electoral politics which focuses on social engineering.
The second possible senario,for India to get a young prime minister in the immediate future is Rahul Gandhi . For the up coming elections, a faction of the Congress (sycophants) were demanding that he be named the prime ministerial candidate. But Sonia Gandhi’s faith in Manmohan Singh to lead for one more term along with giving Rahul Gandhi more time to gear up for the major role, delayed this declaration. Without deviating from the main point, the irony remains that the only way India can get a young leader with some amount of faith and credibility in the next few years is through ‘dynastic’ politics. People won’t have a major problem in accepting him as a prime minister since he is educated and comes across more sincere, but the problem is that this reiterates the fact that only power, money, political lineage and years of sycophancy can lead one to rise the ladder. This leaves not much scope for a free, liberal and fresh young thinking politican to rise to the top post in this country without any political lineage or divisive political ideology.
Janagran and Tata have initiated an awarness campaign asking younger people to sign up for voting. It’s a valiant effort and appreciative one also. It’s a good start to involve youth in todays political system. India does not need just one ‘Obama’ type personality to resurrect the political inclination in today’s generation. For that to happen Indian polity requires new faces and fresh ideoligies clubbed with new ideas that they can relate to. It needs leaders who can connect with this set of audience and raise new issues, not the ones we have been hearing for the past 6 decades. And if the steps are not taken soon, the average age of an Indian MP will remain the same for years to come. And we would still be choosing leaders for the top post with an average age of 80.!!!While Janagran would have launched a new campiagn called ‘jawan pradhan mantri chahiye’ abhiyan, there would still be many of us without voter id cards....

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