- by RAJEEV GOWDA This article is about winners and losers. But it’s not about the candidates who contested the recent general elections. It’s about some of the other players in the game. Among the clear losers were two sets of professionals who have traditionally contributed to the excitement that marks India’s festivals of democracy. One set consists of people who produce banners, posters, buntings, cut outs and electoral graffiti. Another set comprises market research firms that … [Read more...]
The Home and the World
May 30, 2009 By Leave a Comment
The Congress sweep has thrown up a host of talented and qualified MPs in Parliament and as Ministeries are being finalised, the spotlight is turning on to each of them. Shashi Tharoor, formerly at the UN, and prolific writer, was a closely-watched candidate and will surely be a keenly-followed Minister as well. So what was it like to work on his campaign team? What Mr. Tharoor had on his side was immense likeability. He could come across as a son, a friend, a brother and father figure to … [Read more...]
The flower girl
May 29, 2009 By 6 Comments
-By SANJAY JHA I see her often in the evenings, at a cross-road of South Mumbai. All of fourteen years perhaps, sprightly and smiling, cheerful and chubby-cheeked. She is usually accompanied by two brats, her younger siblings, who look straight out of a comic book, their naughtiness palpable through dry-skinned cheeks, practiced sales spiel and ruffled hair. The trio usually compete with each other to sell flowers in the fleeting sales window that they have before the go-ahead green lights … [Read more...]
Sheepish BJP ends introspection
May 28, 2009 By Leave a Comment
- by RAJEEV GOWDA As we wonder what went wrong for the Congress in Karnataka, given the party’s resounding success elsewhere, here are some fascinating insights about the Karnataka BJP’s election strategy from a news report in the Deccan Herald. Anyone wants to refer this news item to the Election Commission for suo moto action? Top brass embarrassed by inputs from several leaders on why party lost seats in LS elections Sheepish BJP ends introspection DH News Service, Bangalore: … [Read more...]
UPA’s challenge: rural government reform
May 28, 2009 By Leave a Comment
The media have gone overboard in ascribing the election victory to schemes such as the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, says Mihir Shah. These ascriptions might erroneously suggest new directions for Government, he says, and goes on to examine the issue of rural reform. A serious problem created by facile electoral analyses is that they give rise to even worse prescriptions for the new government. The commonest of these, much like a Bollywood formula for a hit film, is a juicy mix — … [Read more...]
Expect continuity, not radical reform
May 27, 2009 By Leave a Comment
says Swaminathan Aiyar in his most recent Swaminomics column, in the Times of India. The Congress is by instinct a left-of-centre party, says Aiyar, and the main thrust of policy will be to strengthen existing approaches — rural development, employment generation, infrastructure, and skill development. The Common Minimum Programme promised huge increases in spending on education, health, employment guarantees and rural development. Congress went well beyond this with its own Bharat … [Read more...]
Congress back to left
May 25, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Socialism is in the party's DNA and in the very being of the Nehru-Gandhi family says Sidharth Bhatia in the DNA (Daily News and Analysis). The Congress is now going back to its Socialist roots. Investors would do well to prepare themselves for large-scale spending on the social sector, usually perceived as a waste of precious resources. The emphasis will now be about the dusty tracks in rural India where Kalavati lives. This shift is not simply because it has brought the party electoral … [Read more...]
How BJP lost the plot
May 25, 2009 By 1 Comment
The emphatic victory of the Congress-UPA alliance may not have just a single explanation, says R. Jagannathan in the DNA, citing specific instances where the BJP lost the plot. The emphatic victory of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) may not have one single explanation. There are state-level explanations for its victories in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Punjab and West Bengal, for instance. But the fact that the party dented rivals such as BJP and Mayawati in their home … [Read more...]
Mask upon mask in the BJP
May 25, 2009 By Leave a Comment
In the Indian Express, Kumar Ketkar weighs in on the evolution of that very broad term, the 'Sangh', examining its genesis and eventual inevitable disintegration. The newly emerging middle class, which was the product of economic liberalisation, was the exact opposite of the Swadeshi Jagran Manch, another Parivar outfit, which opposed globalisation and Americanisation. But for militant Hinduism, the BJP-led front could not have come to power. But to seek power through such militancy and to … [Read more...]
After the elections: What’s next on India’s economic agenda?
May 25, 2009 By Leave a Comment
As commentators and pundits heave sighs of relief that India will probably enjoy a stable five-year term free from the diktats of right-wing loonies or left-wing fundamentalists, Knowledge @ Wharton looks at what will be next on the economic agenda. It looks like labour law reforms might finally be on the cards, infrastructure investment should now be stepped up, maybe there will be some privatisation of state enterprise, a definite global show of confidence in the Indian economy is expected … [Read more...]
