Modi's victory. Did I expect it? Of course. He has found the formula for how to win in his state; he knows it better than anyone else; he applies it better than anyone else. It's exactly what Lallu Yadav did for years in Bihar: in that sense, these two are by far our shrewdest politicians. The lesson for any political party that hopes to beat Modi? Three simple words: learn the formula. Hear, absorb and understand what voters say, think and feel. Use that to stake out your political space. It's how Nitish Kumar finally managed to unseat Lallu. It's how someone will eventually unseat Modi.
Basic democracy, really. Doesn't necessarily do what some of us might consider the "right" thing, but that's how it works.
Modi's victory. Am I disappointed? Of course. For this reason and this reason alone: any government that presided over everything that happened in Gujarat in 2002 deserves no less than to be flung out on its electoral ear. It was no government that Gujarat had for the 2-3 months that started on February 27 2002. It was a failure that we must measure by every human being who was burned and slashed to death. There's no "forgetting" that.
Yet this is not the first government that has not got what it deserved. (The 1984 Lok Sabha election, in the wake of the worst massacre in independent India, comes to mind). Nor will it be the last.
And that's basic democracy too.
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11 comments:
Bad loser whining ;-) and comforting himself ;-)
Cheer up, comrade. This is not the end of the world. There are more elections to be fought. Now you may want get off your butt, go out into the street and enjoy some winter sun.
What does this say about the Congress Party?
The guilt or the lack of it has not been decided in this poll, and I would say the same thing had Modi lost.
The only real reason I regret this defeat is that it will make it that much harder to get the culprits of 2002. If we had a robust system in place that could not be directed/ influenced by the party in power, I wouldnt mind too much.
What is more worrying to me is the exultation I see in many I normally considered middle- of- the-road.
Modi's victory is or can be a problem for the BJP because it could lead it to believe that the Hindutva experiment can be repeated all over India. This in turn can become a problem for the rest of us.
regards,
Jai
cry baby cry...it aint gonna do any good
Now it is Oh Tee! Oh Raghu aka Raghu Reddy aka RR aka VEngsarkar aka OT aka Antonia Maino Mukta Khanna and who knows wot else ... oh you great man of poodlesofindia, tell me why you guys who are so happy with modi's win canot use their own name?.
Ottayan, what it says about the Congress is the old story: this is a party bereft of the imagination, credentials, vision and courage to find a way to beat Modi in Gujarat (and other people/parties elsewhere).
I've always felt: that state of the Congress is why the country turned to the BJP in the first place; now that the BJP has shown itself to be no more than a Congress clone (especially when it comes to bringing criminals to justice), what happens next?
Don't worry comrade, please petition Bush to bring democracy to Gujarat.
Anyway, I am going to enjoy the next five years of whining.
How come no three cheers here like the last time around. Is it simply because your favorites did not win
http://dcubed.blogspot.com/2006/05/here-are-five.html#comments
Meanwhile as one of the commenters said
Please whine for the next 5 years.
Even the Tehelka sting could not do much. The 1 lakh investment could have been used better
dcubed, you shud be proud of yourself, i mean this seriously. look at the guy above. he appears to hate your writing and your views, but he reads and remembers every single thing you write. to the extent he can quote you the exact url and gist of article.
what it means is, you're doing something right. they cannot ignore you, these "indian" and "oh tee" fellows. they have to take note and react. and abuse you, because they have nothing else in them.
keep it up, dcubed.
Dilip,
I wish you would take on one rabid nut here in the USA who is hell bent on destroying the peaceful fabric of our nation. The guy claims to have passed out of the IIT and Stanford, but the way his brain works,it would put him only in the league of our rabid Hindutva leaders.
This guy jumped the fence even before the ink on his IIT degree certificate dried, but he claims to be a "Hindu Nationalist"
This is his blog:
http://rajeev2004.blogspot.com/search?q=
Everyone,
The election may have been lots closer than you thought- I found this at http://www.anniezaidi.com/ - post titled Blink.
Several constituencies were won by margins of few 100s or low thousands.
In fact the vote for Cong+BSP, or cong+ a few independents exceeds the BJP vote in many.
Yes there are a few places the BJP won by a thumping majority.
But not so clear cut, that formula.
My thinking based on close elections with a well-read, politically savvy electorate is that done well, either "merchants of death" (Congress) or the Sohrabuddinization of it (Modi) could have made a difference.
A few hundred crossovers who voted for a "tough-guy eliminating gangsters" image could have cost the secular combine dozens of seats.
I could be very wrong, I dont know Guj politics but thats how it could have played out in Kerala.
regards,
Jai
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