Friday, February 18, 2011

A Rarest of things?

Recently the world experienced on the rarest things that it will ever see, but it should see more of it. The world witness one of the most peaceful revolutions. The protestation at Tehran Square resulted in demand for the President to step down. I was sure that the Army would react. It would be China all over again, but things have changed.

There was a bit of violence that was between the protestors and supporters of the President. That where things get a bit weird. The Army failed or was to slow to react to this violence. In simple terms, they did not get involved. Could it all have been planned out? The Police have disappeared off the streets at the beginning of the protestation. Was this them in an official capacity. Also let me point another thing, did the Army resort to violence because of the large media presence that was putting Egypt into the international spotlight. Also not the forget the power of the internet. It played a big role. Did the government and the army not forget how the internet fueled protest in Iran inspite of its crackdown. Did the government and army allow for this strong presences of media because of its heavy backing of the United States, giving it not many choices?

Since the President has stepped down the army has been pushing out protest out of Tehran Square. It has officially said that it would take over leadership and democratic elections would be there in a month.

Well, I really hope it does happens and it all plays out for the best. But Egypt has a long way to go. 

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Indira and Modi the same side of the coin

In 25 June 1975,  Indira Gandhi declared emergency under the pretext of India being under threat of internal and external forces. However the actual reason was that the on the day of the declaration, the next day a court verdict was going to be announced. The verdict was on a case filed by Jayprakash Narayan on the then recent elections accusing Indira Gandhi of elections malpractices. If the verdict by the court found Indira guilty then that would mean she would be striped of her Prime Ministership, to avoid this she declared Emergency.

During the emergency there were gross violations. The press was gagged. Many political persons were arrested without being charged and tortured. There were rise in encounter cases. Journalists were persecuted. Sanjay Gandhi went wild by forcing many men to undergo vasectomy. There was a gross violation of human rights.

However the persecution for these crimes conducted by Indira Gandhi led nowhere. She successfully turned an arrest of her during the Janta Party rule into her favour. By the time Janta Party broke down she had successful converted the nation to support her. Then she died. Though the emergency is regarded as the darkest period in Indian Democracy, Indira is still regarded in high opinion because of the new heights she bought India to.

This draws on a parallel of the current Chief Minister of Gujarat Narendra Modi. The main man who allowed the gross human violation to occur. The man who did not initiate the infrastructure to stop violent mobs and in doing so giving permission for mass extermination of Muslims. While ongoing investigation has given him a clean chit, many people still believe that he holds a major responsibility for the Gujarat riots.

While this goes on, a group of people have voiced out their opinions that he should be forgiven for his past crimes and the present should be looked at, where he has converted Gujarat as a model state for many. 

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Outrage over the treatment of Indian Envoy?

The recent issue of raised by the media of the rough treatment of an Indian envoy to the US as raised diplomatic eyes. The media has shown it’s spotlight on this event. India took up the issue with it’s  counter-parts which resulted in an apology.

The media and government has failed to look at the larger affair of the large number of Indian’s who visit the US who get ill-treated. Bigges such as Sharuk Khan have also been harassed at an US airport and the government has not raised the issue.

Sure the US has a stringent policy against terrorism and this is resulting in loss of courtesy. Such roughness and stringent measures scare away most terrorist threats before they are even conceived. However the US government and the Indian Government should look into the plight of these tourist and citizens respectively. Just because of terror scare, no one should forget their manners.  

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

What is Myanmar upto?

This may be coming a little late, but this question has been going over my mind for some time.The question is releated to the release of Noble Peace Prize Winner Aung Sun Suu Kyi. Though I have not come up with any concrete theory, but I have a theory.
1.  One is that economic pressure. The economic sanctions of the Western countries have got started to pressure the economy... or that the leaders realised how much more money will pour in which they can pick up if the wester companies enter the market. Even after the release of Aung Sun Suu Kyi, she made a statement that seemed to me that she was critising the wester economic sanctions on the basis that could have been better jobs and more employment for the public.
However the big hole in this theory is that though West are not touching Myanmar, Myanmar has strong trading realations with members of ASEAN and China. 

What is Mayanmar upto?

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Let all the Heads Roll

With the large number of scams and corruption cases coming to light I want every head to roll. With this I mean that not only a few politicians resign or get kicked out, I am talking about something larger. A politician cannot take part in an illegal activity without out getting noticed by people who execute his or her orders. For example the letters that have come through to the ex-Maharashtra's CM, Ashok Chavan went through a screeing of his office. Ex-Telecome Minister A. Raja was making deals of a vast and important resource. Though he was heading the distribution of 2G spectrum, he was not the only one there. His whole department was there. They were watching the impossible happen or the suspicious happen or the absurd happen- such as the date change from of filing of application to filing of intent or how the stakes were sold at dirt cheap. Take even the CWG scam. All fingers point to Kalmadi, but trust me to do a scam on such a scale it takes more than one man, beacuse orders have to be executed by people and that was what happened. 
Sure someone may say, it was this poeple who stood up and thats why these things have come to light and these people are come to be questioned; but the things is this, if one is in the department then why did he or she raise this issue in the first place, why take this order why not question it and not just act blindly and then think what one has done. 
If not at least people at the all the levels should roll, high or low, who had knowledge of what was happening. 
The people who execute orders, the administrative services needs to thing on its feet or maybe it's just as corrupt. Then corruption is at all levels. 

Saturday, November 13, 2010

What a Facade!!

This may be coming a bit late but after much thought I have decided that Obama's visit to India was just a sham. I seriously see on real action in his visit. I say this for a number of reasons:
-- No real deals being made. Sure he visted some Indian- American Business Committe in Mumbai, where he said that he is looking to ink deals of about worth $500million, but nothing actualy on paper was finalized. At the most he made a duty import/export exception.
-- Then there was his speech at the Indian Parliament. For the first time the whole Parliament was present after a very long time, other than it was not much of importance, it was just a speech.
-- Yet this man was the most interactive President of the US. I am dissapointed to say that this was the first that a politician allowed himself to be questioned in a public forum, the dissapointment is of that it was not an Indian Politician. Also the media or maybe the students (cannt rule any one out) has highlighted questions pertaining of only Pakistan issues. 
At the end what has the this visit really meant for India and America.
Nothing other than the President understanding India more that any other of his predecessors.