Bring on The Empty Horses

http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=59100
Moment Of Truth

Opportunity for Left to move to Centre



``...Yet, a combination of the rhetoric of the Left and trade union power may exert negative pressure on the Sonia Gandhi government and it is here that the Left must think long-term.

The Left Front has been presented with a second “historic” opportunity to shape policy at the national level and enter the mainstream. To do so, however, it must reject many of the slogans it holds dear and get over its knee-jerk opposition to the policies of the Centre.

It had succumbed to the temptation of lambasting the Centre’s policies that the Left Front government in West Bengal was itself implementing.

Selling off sick PSUs and rolling out the red carpet for foreign capital are cases in point. It must shed its communist skin and assume more of a social democratic avatar if it is to assume the role of a responsible member of the ruling coalition.

Admittedly, this is not easy as it’s more comfortable shouting slogans and opposing everything from the outside.

But to guide its approach to the new Congress-led formation, it doesn’t need to look further than its successful experiment in West Bengal.

In other words, its policies must be Buddhadeb Plus and Nayanar Minus....``

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AlephNull #75
Thanks for the correction. If I am not mistaken G Fernandes`s Samata Party was also leftist wrt disinvestment.

Gujjubania # 8. . apt, very apt. Poor Rajiv Gandhi `s soul probably wondering if this is what he came to Sriperumbudur for? He was heard whispering ``Et tu Sonia ?

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http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/14/international/asia/14INDI.html

``The Communist Party of India (Marxist) issued a statement saying voters had rejected the ``pro-rich economic policies`` of the B.J.P. and its ``pro-imperialist foreign policy.``

Sitaram Yechury, a top Communist leader, said the ministry that is overseeing the privatization of state-owned industries should be disbanded. ``

gujjubania,

your diatribe against the lower castes is really funny :))) let`s all pretend it`s satire and enjoy it. you should write more in that vein....

BJP loses because of TNT-

Read my earlier prognosis regarding TNT being the real cause of BJP`s downfall. I had predicted that ABV would be retiring and Joshi would also lose. Advani kept his set because he was standing from a ``safe`` seat- My thesis is that it is due to their vulgar (read TNT) understanding of the aspirations and sentiments of the non-Hindu minorities that they have lost this time:


````#23 My Pakistan Diary: Lahore Aaya Main Othay Dil Chhod Aaya! on April 29, 2004
#208 by vertex on April 28, 2004 9:20pm PT

..............Any way, read this editorial form TOI in order to understand why ABV would be retiring soon...............and why Advani and Murli Joshis would be losing the elections due to their stupid understanding of IMs and their adherence to the TNT....... ````

Yeeah!!! I knew it!

Govinda has won!!

Two cheers for the man on the street who cares rat ar$e for the sophisticated power point presentations of the A.Q.Khans of the ``E-Governance initiatives`` in India.

Why do guys have to grumble if BJP was booted out by the indian people from power? We have to accept the fact that they lost because the majority of the country did not share their sentiments and claims of having done shining work in distributive justice and providing equitable benefits for greatest number of people across all the classes.
Perhaps their campaign itself was defective- not highlighting the short comings of the state governments in making negative contribution towards the efforts of the central government confused the voters- since every small lapse and ommission on part of the state governments in contributing to the miseries to the man on street was wrongly construed as a refutation of the india shining claims of the NDA.

Still, the best riposte to the India shining campaign was that TV clip which showed an un-employed youth striking down the claim of shining india and then making a resolve -`` Is baar to mujhe hi kuch karna hoga...`` -that sums up the resolve-

Thanks to all the citizens of my country! You are all wise guys, I love you all! Thanks for getting rid of rascals like Yashwant Sinha and Advani from the North and South Blocks! And thanks for NOT giving Sonia a full majority and letting their old rivals -the commies- to keep checks and balances on them!!!

farzana hasn`t say a word yet

is she busy helping sonia

Ref m_souza #91

[farzana hasn`t say a word yet]

She doesn`t have the BJP to kick around anymore! She has no material for the foreseeable future!

Ha, ha, ha!

Ref plats8 #77

[I concede your point about A. K. Anthony/George F./P. A. Sangma and how this
litmus test of Indian-ness doesn`t apply to them. In Sonia`s case, though, I believe
her non-Hindu`ness is used frequently by the BJP.]

Not just the BJP. In Tamil Nadu, Jayalalitha raised the issue of her Italian origin too. Why is it ``non-Hindu`` only if it is raised by the BJP?

Jayalalitha went further than Sushma Swaraj and Farzana`s implication that the real motive behind the reference to Karva Chauth was the not-too-subtle implication that Sonia didn`t want a long life for her husband. Jayalalitha said, ``I can understand Sonia not having `desh bhakti`; after all she was born in Italy. But how come she doesn`t have any `pati bhakti` and has eneterd into an alliance with the DMK that connived at her husband`s murder?``

Would you consider that an attack on Sonia for not being a Hindu or valid political commentary?

[I remember watching videos of Narendra Modi`s Gaurav Yatra prior to Gujarat elections and this was repeatedly done (``woh aurat Raam-ki nahi, to hamare kaam ki nahi`` or some such thing).

Everytime he Modi mentioned the Election Commissioner, he would make sure to
call him ``James Michael Lyngdoh`` - the insinuations were very clear.]

If JM Lyngdoh (the former Chief Election Commissioner) had kept his mouth shut about politicians, he wouldn`t have to endure barbs from politicians. Lyngdoh said quite a few things about Gujarat and Narendra Modi prior to the statewide elections in Gujarat and Modi responded in his own fashion.

Nobody said anything about TN Seshan who was quite strict about election rules. Not because he was a Hindu but because he did not step outside his official boundaries. No one is saying anything about Mr. Krishnamurthy, the current Chief Election Commissioner, because he is also keeping his nose out of political affairs.

[Again, this doesn`t relate to Sushma`s immediate speech; but the BJP`s campaign
patterns do follow predictable routes.]

Did they once raise the issue that YSR Reddy of Andhra is a Christian? Or AK Anthony of Kerala? Or that Doctor Artist Leader the Fund of Compassion is an atheist?

[p.s: I first came to know of Karva Chauth from Zee tv programs in the US. So, there... ]

I am a Hindu and am supposed to know about Hindu rituals. Except that Karva Chauth is not observed in the South and nobody has heard of it!

ballukhan #90
For the record, I am v. happy to see BJP/VHP/RSS voted out of power. This demonstration of the fact that Hindutva-vadis can be voted out of power is a comforting indication of the system`s ability to put a check on arrogance.

I am however less happy about Vajpayee being voted out of power, and certain of NDA`s policies being voted out of power. That`s life !

What the f. Even the supposed educated Indians on this board feel that all is merry with the stupid voters who elected people like Lallu, Mulayam and other such assorted human waste in to power. Is it in our genes to be borderline commies ? I wonder.

No wonder India has been a TURD WORLD since it`s independence. So five more years of Bihar is what Indians want... well good luck losers. May you enjoy your Bihar economy.

errata:
replace `say` with `said` in my previous post #91.....must`ve been half asleep....or shell-shocked....