Bimal Jalan on The idea of a Rs 1 lakh house

Bimal Jalan on The idea of a Rs 1 lakh house

Hello, is anyone out there? I am saying some truth about THE BIG BLUNDER OF LEFT!

Yes, Mr Shashi Tharoor says in a interview to The Economic Times.

“You have always been apolitical in your views. What made you join hands with the Indian National Congress? 

In a parliamentary system, political parties matter. Parties decide who should form the government which, in turn, decides the course of the entire nation. When I was making early decisions (to enter politics), I looked for values and wondered how I could make a contribution towards liberalism and social democracy. 

In the end, there was no doubt, it had to be Congress. There is very little scope in our system to stay independent and contest polls. Of the three national parties, the Left sadly is a prisoner of 19th century ideologies; it’s not a party to initiate progress and development…”

Chacha Manmohan Singh's Daman Singh words

Daman Singh, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's second daughter, interview to the rediff said. 

• “My mother, my father, my dog Snoopy and I, all of us sit, and everybody except my dog reads the newspapers. My father reads some dozen papers in English and Urdu. He scans every single newspaper. He sometimes makes notes as well. 
  
• Asked about Dr Singh's single most important achievement, Daman Singh says, "I think my father has given a lot of dignity to our country. He has enhanced national dignity."
  

Only such people have succeeded…….

In the second part of the interview with Rediff Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi says some interesting information; some excerpts. 

You know that India has the world's largest population of youth. This could be a demographic bonus or a demographic time bomb, depending on how they are harnessed. 

There was a time when it was believed that population was a problem, but the way the world's economic environment has since changed, India's population is considered an asset. The same advantage is with China also. 

But if these young people don't get jobs, it could lead to major social unrest. 

I don't accept this theory. The youth have talent -- they don't want a job, they want work. They want to develop their skills. China has begun work on some 80,000 skill development projects, whereas the Indian government has started only 600. 

I told the PM at a meeting, 'What are we doing? By itself my state is running 2,000 skill development projects and I want to increase this number by the hundreds, have public-private partnerships.' 

Our youth need value-addition, they are capable of doing it and they are doing it. They should be given an opportunity. 

Similarly, if an opportunity is given, will you lead the nation? 

I believe that the chief ministers of even the smallest Indian states are major instruments of powering the nation. And I, as a chief minister, am part of running the nation. 

Will you deny that you have no ambition whatsoever to become the prime minister? 

I have a mission, not ambition. I was not born to become something, I was born to do something. 

I did not have a desire to become somebody when I was a child, I don't have it now, nor will I have it in the future. 

I have a dream, to do something. I want to do something for the nation. I am part of the mission, not ambition. 

Ambition doesn't inspire me, mission does. 

What are the other things that drive Narendra Modi? 

Only devotion to Bharat Mata. That is enough for me. 

What are the challenges that face India today? 

We have a 100 crore population, which presents us with an opportunity to make the 21st century ours, to unleash the energy in the common man and take the nation forward. This is a big opportunity, and we should grab it. 

Who is your leadership model? Who are you inspired by? 

From my childhood I have been influenced by Swami Vivekanandji's life. I have studied his life, and live by it. I don't cross the limit. 

How much time do you spend on politics? 

In a way, if I say it myself it will seem immodest, but the reality is I am an apolitical chief minister. I leave for office at 9 am, and am there till 11 pm. Only during the elections, for those 30, 40 days, I spend my time on party work, otherwise the rest of my time I spend as an apolitical chief minister. I am not interested in this type of political activity.. 

People say this time you got your way with the selection of candidates for the Lok Sabha polls. 

We have a collective leadership, a democratic system. We heard the opinions of 10,000 party workers, the state team went to every district, and after listening to everyone we debated the findings from which we zoomed in on the plus points and minus points of various potential candidates. 

The state's 17-member team met them and gave their opinion. Then the decision from the grass-roots was conveyed to Delhi, and not to the chief minister.

In Delhi the 21-member team discussed the choice for hours and after this exercise whatever the Delhi team decided, I accepted it. This was the entire process.

Isn't this the problem with Indian politics? Too much credit is given to age and experience while someone who is younger and more dynamic, more efficient is ignored...

Let me share my experience with you. Please don't take this in any other way, and don't give a political colour to it, it's of no use.

I am saying this as a student. We should compare any two prime ministers, and here I will take the names of two Congress prime ministers. Rajiv Gandhi and P V Narasimha Rao.

Rajiv Gandhi was young and dynamic, had foreign exposure, he had everything, was good-looking, charismatic. Narasimha Rao had retired completely from public life, but had to suddenly return to active politics. Healthwise, and looks-wise, he was different.

But who ran the government better for five years? Who provided India a better leadership? If you think about it, Narasimha Rao's government was connected to the masses, and the nation benefited.

One simple reason: India is such a large nation, with so many languages, and only someone who has been around for a long time can solve its problems. So in this case, he was successful.

If you look at India's political history, too, only such people have succeeded.

But Narasimha Rao's government was accused of corruption.

Look, it was less compared to the Bofors scandal. I am not calling him great. I am merely saying, in comparison, who was plus and who was minus, I am only saying that. I am not giving Narasimha Rao any certificate. Bofors was no less. I am saying, compare the two and see who comes off better.

Both had pluses and minuses.

But the ultimate plus, was more with him though I agree no one has only negative aspects. And that is because for years he was involved with the situation, with the problems, any issues in Nagaland he could sit here and discern if this was the case, then that would be the outcome. Because he had experience, vision. He wielded a lot of power in such a large country.

Election is a fish out of water bowl………

After economic reform, many or almost all left party politician, left academic, unions, etc blame the reform process because poor people have not got benefits from ‘economic prosperity’ that our country has seen last ten or fifteen years. 

Here People's Democratic Party President Mehbooba Mufti says in an interview with BS. 

“What are the issues you expect the political parties to address in the election campaign?

The economic issues will certainly dominate the election campaign across the country. The fact is that the economic prosperity that we have achieved in the last decade is not evenly distributed across the society and regions. People and smaller parties like ours are looking forward to the major players to spell out policies that would translate this prosperity into visible results on the ground”. 

Let me ask are the ‘economic prosperity’ was achieved evenly and distributed well before the economic reform, which was started in 90s? 

It is not surprise, if any of these group answers with odd or muddled narratives.

Who will correct the misunderstanding cycle?

The fundamental understanding of word ‘reform’ is somehow missed out from its original path. Secondly, several of economists, policy analysts understood wrongly by relating US financial crisis and present Indian financial inclusion development. 

Of course, the economic agents and policy makers ‘intentionality’ is nowhere close. 

Mr Rakesh Mohan in his interview says “There are also some overlaps with the Percy Mistry lot, and with Raghu’s crew. So I think these panels were independent. Second, we had international peer reviewers who are amongst the most respected in each of their fields and therefore the process was designed to address the issue of impartiality.” 

However, Mr Jaideep Mishra says “the policy debate to chalk out a suitable road-map for financial sector reforms. And here, the CFSA report does not seem to materially differ from the earlier Percy Mistry and the more recent Raghuram Rajan committee reports in terms of direction and scope, although there are differences in terms of nuances and emphasis on the way ahead. ” 

And A V Rajwade blames in his BS article that “the political class that relaxed rules and supervision to allow bankers to create the mess they did.” 

But who will correct the misunderstanding cycle?

Can your vote buy money locked in the Swiss Banks?

An IIM Bangalore Professor R Vaidyanathan says in Swiss Banks “More amounts were stashed away during the Nehruvian regime.” 

The following are some excerpts from his interview with Rediff. 

“Firstly how much Indian money do you think is stashed away in the Swiss Banks? 

In 2006, the most recent Global Financial Integrity study, developing countries lost an estimated $858.6 billion (about Rs 43 lakh crore) to $1.06 trillion (abot Rs 51 lakh crore) in illicit financial outflows. Even at the lower end of the range of estimates, the volume of illicit financial flows coming out of developing countries increased at a compound rate of 18.2 percent over the five-year period analysed for the study. On average, for the five-year period of this study, Asia accounts for  approximately 50 percent of overall illicit financial flows from all developing countries. 

This report shows that the average amount stashed away from India annually during 2002-06 is $27.3 billion (about 136,466 crore). It means that during the five-year period the amount stashed away is 27.3x5=136.5 billion (about 692,328 crore). It is not that all these amounts went to Swiss banks. It has gone to different tax and secret shelters. The share of Swiss banks in dirty money being a third of the global aggregate, some $45 billion out of the 136.5 billion stashed away from India would have been hoarded in these years in Swiss banks. 

The important point is that this is only for five years. More amounts were stashed away during the Nehruvian regime. So the loot for 55 years will be several times higher. In fact, in those days the rupee commanded a better value per dollar. So fewer rupee could get more dollars. So the estimation that the Indian money stashed away may be of the order of $1.4 trillion (about Rs 71 lakh crore). 

You wrote in your column that the German foreign intelligence agency BND got names of 1,400 clients of the Liechtenstein-based LTG bank who were supposed to be suspected tax evaders. Of the 1,400, 600 were supposed to be Germans. Do you think of the remaining there will be Indians as well? Has the Indian government approached the German government for the list? 

Indian names will be there. Our tax evaders and crooks are like the omnipresent Maha Vishnu [Images] -- present in all continents and all tax havens. But our government has been lukewarm in this issue. It should have despatched immediately senior officials to get the names. 

Isn't it important to tackle the issue of domestic black money? 

It is definitely important. At least the domestic black money is used in our economy and to that extent it is productive. But the money kept in Swiss banks is neither useful to India nor does it benefit Indians. 

What role should the media play? 

The media has a very important role to play. At the moment it seems like most part of the media is more interested in the diet of an actress. Pressure by the media needs to be built up on this issue and remember that a lot of Indians don't just go to Switzerland to ski”. 

But it is absurdly and nonsense to say that “At least the domestic black money is used in our economy and to that extent it is productive.” Don’t you think so?

I am nobody’s stooge…

Yes says Captain, G.R. Gopinath. 

Listening is a biggest asset to act or not act on an issue. If we listen next two or three months probably we can act well over next five years on who have fooled us and who haven’t. Also interestingly who have learned to lead or represent us who haven’t? 

The following are excerpt. 

“What was the trigger (for jumping into the contest)? 

I was in Mumbai when the dastardly terrorist attack took place. I also saw the attacks on churches and minorities in Karnataka and how the administration failed to act. The recent attack on women in pubs at Mangalore was the final trigger... When a clerk in my office told me that instead of complaining, we should act, I decided. 

You were earlier with the BJP. Why as an independent now? 

Even this time around the BJP offered me a ticket, though from a different constituency. Other parties, too, approached me to contest. But I feel that the (political) parties have failed the people. All of them state lofty ideals but none of them sticks to it. In 1994, I was a progressive farmer when the BJP, which didn’t have much presence (here), approached and convinced me to contest elections. I toured 410 villages in a short time but lost elections. Eventually, I became disillusioned with the party and quit in the same year. 

We have to change the political system. We want our children to be engineers, doctors, entrepreneurs—anything but politicians. We have to change that. 

There is talk that you are being propped up by Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa to defeat his internal party rival Ananth Kumar. 

(Angrily) I am nobody’s stooge; I will not prostitute myself. 

Why Lok Sabha? Karnataka has sent several industrialists such as M.A.M. Ramaswamy, Vijay Mallya and Rajeev Chandrasekhar to the Upper House. Wouldn’t that have been the easy route ? 

Let us be clear. It is no secret that most of them bought their seats either by funding parties or selling their souls. I want the people to elect me. 

How do you intend to fund your campaign? 

With my own money. I will spend Rs25 lakh. The interesting thing is that young and old people across caste, class, community barriers are volunteering their time and money for the campaign. 

Have you got support from your fellow entrepreneurs? 

NRN (N.R. Narayana Murthy, non-executive chairman of Infosys Technologies Ltd) is travelling but has expressed support. Others such as Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (chairman and managing director of Biocon Ltd), Ramesh Ramanathan (co-founder of non-profit institution Janaagraha and a Mint columnist), T.V. Mohandas Pai (human resources head of Infosys), Pradeep Kar (chairman and managing director of Microland Ltd) and Prasad Bidappa (fashion designer) are actively participating and brainstorming for the campaign”.