Rahul Gandhi has lied again and again on Rafale deal and no one has investigated deep into his lies

The following article was written for MyInd Makers. Pasting it here for reference: 

I couldn’t help but notice how not a single Indian English media publication bothered to do even a single investigative piece of Rahul Gandhi’s continuous and absurd allegations on the Rafale Deal. In my opinion, that itself was a big give away that there was no scam involved. Because basic investigation would have revealed that Rahul Gandhi has lied again and again, in Parliament and outside. Publishing news that shows Rahul Gandhi is extremely poor light is highly detrimental to their agenda of bringing down the Modi Government, and therefore they have stayed away from questioning the government.

The best way to make my case is to cite the editorial, “The plane truth”, from The Hindu on September 24th, 2018. The Hindu is also a good example to cite because of their pivotal role in bringing out the actual Bofors scam. Given how they have a proven record of investigative journalism, one would have expected them to investigate deep into Rahul Gandhi’s lies. Instead, they make a startling claim.

“… the clarificatory statements issued — by the Centre, the French Foreign Ministry and Dassault — did little to clearly address what Mr. Hollande had said.  

But what did Mr. Hollande say? We don’t have to search elsewhere, because the editorial gives us an insight into the same – “…it was India that suggested the Anil Ambani-owned Reliance Defence Ltd. as the offset partner for the deal.”

Serious charge indeed! To which all the involved parties issue separate statements (All of them captured in the article here). Dassault saying that Indian government had no role. Indian government reiterating that they had no role in Dassault choosing any partner. French government saying that this was a government to government deal – every one of them has reiterated oft stated positions. Every single statement has directly contradicted what Mr. Hollande has said. Leave all these – even Mr. Hollande has told an agency AFP that he isn’t aware of any pressure on Dassault.

Amidst all this – why does The Hindu think that the clarificatory statements did “little to clearly address what Mr. Hollande had said”? They go on to repeat the question yet again:

“But all this merely begs the question: did the Centre suggest a partnership with Reliance Defence as Mr. Hollande said?”

I am still trying to understand the question! The Centre has said NO. Why does it “beg” the same question again and again? Is The Hindu expecting an answer they want to hear, and will not accept any other answer? Because they continue their tirade.

“Also, if so, what form did it take? A firm nudge in that direction? A quiet whisper in someone’s ear?”

If so? The answer is already a NO. Language such as nudge and whisper may make for good dramatic reading but is no substitute to hide the glaring agenda peddling happening in the garb of news! The tirade doesn’t stop

“Who suggested to who? And when?”

When the clarification reads an emphatic NO, why this constant barrage of irrelevant questions? Why doesn’t The Hindu don the role of investigative agencies and grill Mr. Hollande on his alleged claim? But since a result of such a work will put Rahul Gandhi at a loss, The Hindu is merely happy with telling us that “It remains to be seen whether Mr. Hollande will now choose to complete his half-finished remarks to the French investigative website.”

We are also told that “the corruption allegations have persisted in the absence — unlike in the case of some other defence deals such as Bofors — of a financial trail”

The allegations have persisted because Rahul Gandhi continued to invent lie after lie, and you folks found extraordinary pleasure in parroting all those lies. Your suggestion that “private briefings to Opposition leaders and the disclosure of all information that doesn’t jeopardize national security or impact the aircrafts’ operational capability are good starting points” is really amusing.

Amusing because do you really think the likes of Rahul Gandhi will stop peddling lies even after being briefed? Have you not heard Rahul Gandhi demand that every single point that will jeopardize national security be made public, so that our enemies know what exactly we are buying? Rahul Gandhi has persisted with the Doklam lie even after signing a report that said government did a good job with Doklam – yet The Hindu miraculously believe a private briefing to him will do a world of good!

Every single allegation was responded to, by the government. Counter questions were posed to Rahul Gandhi, and he just did not bother to respond to them. Instead of calling him out for his chicanery, The Hindu senses an opportunity to further his demand for a “Joint Parliamentary Committee”!

Amidst all this clutter, it is social media that rose to the occasion. Various articles have given us detailed explanations of the deal and easy to understand explanations of the allegations. The mainstream media meanwhile is searching for that elusive headline from their leader.

A R Rahman’s Harmony- Ode to unsung Musicians of India

The following article was written for MyInd Makers. Pasting it here for reference: 

I do not recollect a single interview of A.R.Rahman that talks about music. Now don’t get me wrong – there are zillions of interviews that ask him about Roja, Bombay, Slumdog Millionaire etc. Zillions of interviews that ask him about “inspiration” for his movie songs. And of course, no dearth of commentators that tell us that Rahman’s music is finished, after every movie that is released!

I haven’t learned music either. Like many, I just enjoy listening and trying to appreciate some nuances. In this context, when my brother first alerted me to his new show titled Harmony, I was really hoping it will not turn out to be another of those “interviews” where we don’t get to learn anything new about Rahman. And when we watched the first episode with friends at home, I was literally speechless. Because not only was this was the kind of show I always yearned to watch Rahman in, it also involved Rahman hosting, interviewing and discussing music!

Harmony is a 5-episode series on Amazon Prime. Rahman visits “non-popular” musicians from different parts of our country and interacts with them on their music. He then blends in with his music, to give us all an unforgettable experience. In the final episode, he brings them all onto one stage and does a concert – Harmony! 

Why are these episodes and stories unforgettable? Because they give us a great glimpse into the grit and determination of exceptionally talented artists who have struggled against odds to keep alive regional traditional music. Because they make us feel humble in front of the great sacrifices they have made, in pursuance of something so close to their heart.

We first meet Sajith Vijayan, in a stunning shot – playing an ancient musical instrument called Mizhavu alone on a riverbed. We know that the show will be only about music when one of the first questions Rahman asks when introduced to Mizhavu, is where does the reflection of sound come from? And that sets the stage for an engrossing discussion between both Rahman and Sajith, and some superlative performances of Sajith that will take your breath away! As we hear the story of Sajith, we are also introduced to his guru Shri PK Narayanan Nambiar.

The genuine warmth and happiness in Shri Nambiar’s eyes when he welcome Rahman must be seen to be believed. We are then told  how Shri Nambiar bought Mizhavu to the masses. Prior to that, this instrument was only played in temples. Shri Nambiar explains how he faced resistance when he wanted to bring it out. His logic? “If we confine something to one place, it will only get ruined”. So when Rahman compliments him for being very brave to have done that in those times, you can’t help but nod your head along in appreciation of Shri Nambiar’s actions to break the conventional mould.

A similar story, of safeguarding traditional music, plays out in Episode 3 – this time in Manipur. This story is of singer Laurenbam Bedabati Devi! Am sure you will also fall in love with bubbly nature and her voice once you watch the episode! To dedicate her life to the Manipuri traditional folk song - Khunung Eshei, Ms. Bedabati Devi chose to stay as a spinster. As cliché as it may sound, her struggle, her music and her efforts are truly inspiring, and Harmony provided the perfect platform for the world to know about them! By the way, watching Rahman try to imitate Ms.Bedabati’s unique singing style brought a large smile too!

Since we directly jumped to Episode 3 from Episode 1, please do not assume Episode 2 was uneventful! Here, we meet Ustad Mohi Bahauddin, who prays to his rudraveena before beginning to play. I was amazed to know that he has only 6 students, and only accepts students if they can only spend around 8-9 years to learn just one or two ragas! The conversation between Rahman and Ustad Bahauddin veers around the depth to which one can go with just mastering one or two ragas, and has Rahman playing a music bit from Tu Hi Re!

The 4th episode takes us to Sikkim, where we meet Mickma who plays the Panthong (Bamboo flute)! We are even shown how this flute is made, from scratch! This was the first time I saw a flute being made and was fascinated by the whole process. Mickma’s story is similar to the others – he chose to further the art of using the declining traditional Panthong, amidst very trying financial circumstances. Mickma also doubles up as the singer in his small yet lively band! We are treated to a performance by them too!

In all the 4 episodes, A.R.Rahman introduces a new instrument, and plays that instrument along with each of the musician, without overpowering any of their performances. However, the final episode left me a little confusing – perhaps because am not familiar with many nuances of music! I was expecting an encore by all 4 of them together, but I felt that the chorus overpowered the 4 musicians. Or perhaps the expectations after 4 episodes were so high, that it was natural to be disappointed? Either way, this episode doesn’t take away the awesomeness of the first 4 episodes.

In today’s world of fake reality show, we are treated to an actual reality show that brings forth true talent sans any of the melodrama. Harmony brings to us, the untold stories of many brave heroes who have sacrificed much to follow their passion. Harmony brings to us many life lessons that can be learnt. Kudos to Rahman for travelling to them and then making us travel along with them.

PS: Another simple observation for which I believe Harmony stands out - the non-dramatic nature of how the participants react when Rahman is around. For example - Sajith introduces his students to Rahman, and going by their reaction, he had to ask them if they recognized Rahman!

In 2013 I had changed my mind about Narendra Modi, In 2018 my belief in Modi has strengthened.

The following article was written for MyInd Makers. Pasting it here for reference: 

5 years ago, I had written an article for Niti Central on “Why I changed my mind about Modi". I detailed how I was among those who got carried away by the English media’s representation of Modi. I had viewed him as someone cold who was only winning election after election in Gujarat based on religious polarization alone.  His 2007 election victory in the State broke some myths about his governance model but did not shatter any of the serious allegations that gullible folks like me continued to believe. I always had one question on my mind — Of what use is this development if there is no security?

And then Social media happened. Reading various blogs and tweets, I often wondered – how could the big media players have done this to us? How could they have deliberately cheated us? Then the SIT report happened; social media revolution had picked up steam; Modi had started talking more, giving us a glimpse into his work – and the party finally announced him as its Prime Ministerial candidate. His candidacy energized both the cadre and outside supporters of the party – and the rest as they say is history!

Now that he was the Prime Minister, it is but natural that skepticism will clog the mind – How will he do what he promised? Or worse yet – will he do what he promised? Right from his first decision, which took the world by surprise, he has given us a glimpse into what can be expected! For the first time in our history, heads of all SAARC countries were invited to be part of the swearing-in ceremony of the new government. The Foreign policy had seen only rapid strides ever since – with India playing a pivotal role in the formation of the unique and prestigious International Solar Alliance; with India joining the many key alliances of the world; and more importantly the unique ways in which Prime Minister Modi developed a personal rapport with many world leaders.

During the campaign, he released a video in which he said “Mein Desh Jhukne nahi doonga”. Whilst many would want to show *the* surgical strikesare proof enough of his commitment to keep the country’s flag flying high, his most understated achievement is the improved internal security situation of the country. Outside of J&K and Punjab, we haven’t had a terrorist attack in our towns and cities. The violence in the North Eastern states has come down by 50%, which has also prompted the removal of the AFSPA; the drastic reduction in the number of naxals and their activities in the country – all point to a robust improvement that was precisely what was expected from this government.

Earlier, if you heard the name Bastar, it would have been only because of Naxal activity. Bastar was the hotbed of Naxal activity and counted as one of the most backward regions of the country. Today, the place where we could not even build proper roads, there is an operational airport in the Bastar region (in addition to many other programs)! Not just Bastar, in the last 4 years, through a unique UDAN program, 25 new airports have been made operational in the country (compare that to 70 airports in the 70 years since Independence!). The year 2017 saw more number of people take flights than those who travelled in AC Trains! If this isn’t reflective of our economic growth and improved connectivity, then I don’t know what is!

Many years ago, a friend once told me that a leader should be capable of showing the mirror to the society. In my opinion Modi did it twice – when he stood up in Parliament and asked – “Can’t we keep our country clean?”. Swachh Bharat was not a mere slogan – today we have nearly 75% of our villages proudly declaring themselves to be ODF (Open Defecation Free); we have toilets built across all schools; we have a healthy competition amongst cities to vie for the cleanest city award; we have schools imbibing this culture in students from a young age. Is this enough? Of course, there is a lot of work to do – instead of being cynical I’d rather we buck up and do whatever we can keep our village/town/city clean. After all, the question is indeed very pertinent – “Can’t we keep our country clean?”

The second time he showed us the mirror was both during the launch of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao and one of his Independence Day speeches. He asked us – “Who gave you the right to kill a girl child before she is born?”. And also – “Why don’t we ever question the boy where he went to and what he is doing? Why do we always question the girl?” Beti Bachao, Beti Badhao was mocked as usual, but today nearly 100 districts across the country have shown improved sex ratio; increased enrollment of girl child is seen across the country; and significant investments are being made for the betterment of the girl child.

NO JOBS added screamed every opposition leader and the English media followed suit. Not one media wanted to point out the fact that the Modi government has put significant focus on entrepreneurship through revolutionary schemes like MUDRA and Standup India, and this data is traditionally not captured as parts of “Jobs”.

“Make in India” was mocked to no end, but today when you buy a cell phone, instead of a “Made in China”, today we see a Made in India label. That’s possible because there are about 120 mobile manufacturing units in India, as opposed to just 2 in the year 2014. Make in India hasn’t been limited to phones alone – it’s across variety of fields ranging from mobiles to automobiles to aerospace! Friends, my knowledge on the full scale of Make in India is very limited but it feels very good when I see items of regular use prominently displayed in Made in India labels!

I can list out many such initiatives. I suddenly remembered that I missed talking about the significantly improved electricity situation in the country. A special mention needs to be made of a heartening and unparalleled achievement of the Narendra Modi government – the mainstreaming of the North East. The point is - One tweet or one article cannot do justice. Infact my twitter thread has already listed 88 such initiatives. These include the biggest disruptions of all time, GST and Demonetization; the 10s of benefitsto the middle class; financial inclusion; the small things that create a big impact; the resolution of long pending problems; the war on corruption ; and more.

In 2014, Narendra Modi had enthused the people of this country like never before, as is evident from the election results. And in the past 4 ½ years, he has shown us how he means business and beyond; how he is receptive to feedback; he has oft reminded us about our duties; questioned the status quo and has led from the front to bring in changes to our system; and has encouraged us to dream big to contribute towards a New India by 2022.

For him to guide us towards the dream of New India, it is imperative that he wins in 2019. The noise and the clutter created by the opposition must be drowned in the rain of his achievements. Narendrabhai - like in 2014, I will do whatever I can, to spread your message and help you w

With the opposition in tatters, TRS led by KCR is all set to sweep Telangana in the upcoming Elections

The following article was written for MyInd Makers. Pasting it here for reference:

One of the biggest conundrums of Indian politics is the unpredictability of our political parties. Just days after submitting to the Law commission that the TRS party supports simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, Chief Minister KCR called for the early dissolution of Telangana Assembly! This also shows us why it will be near impossible to get anywhere closer to simultaneous elections, in the near future. However, this article is not about the concept of simultaneous elections!

Chief Minister KCR is riding a wave of popularity currently. The party has already scored impressive victories in various by-elections held so far too. Along with MLAs who have jumped ship from other parties, the TRS currently boasts of nearly 90 MLAs in the 119member Assembly. An earlier articledetails how TRS has increased its strength from 63 in 2014 to nearly 90 by 2016! There is no constitutional crisis in sight. No one has threatened the downfall of the government, nor have there been widespread protests – so the obvious question anyone would have is, why now?

For starters, KCR would want to very strongly delink the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections for the moment. The agenda setting would get so confusing, and potential allies at national level would pose a big problem if simultaneous elections are held. For example, TRS is so strong that they would not want to ally with anyone at the state level. But there is also this possibility that the BJP would want to ally with TRS for the Lok Sabha polls (KCR and Modi enjoy a cordial relationship). If simultaneous elections are held, this alliance cannot take place.

But then why would KCR, who thundered angrily that regional parties are the future and he will lead an anti-Congress, anti-BJP front at the center, want to ally with the NDA? The answer is simple – no regional party is ready to fight at the national stage without the support of the Congress party. As of today, KCR and the TRS detests the Congress party. KCR did not even attend the swearing-in ceremony of H.D. Kumaraswamy because he did not want to be seen sharing stage with the Congress party.

Secondly, KCR and the TRS would want to cash in immensely on the popularity wave they are riding on, currently. This is their best chance to decimate the opposition parties and establish a strong hold – the decision has not been a sudden on and has been on the cards from around April-May timeframe itself.

Now comes the next obvious question. Why is he so popular? Because he is solving the basic problems of Water and electricity for Telangana. Today, Telangana supplies 24 hour free current to agricultural lands! At one point of time, we were reeling under a severe power crisis and the turnaround has been nothing short of a miracle.

He has also put a massive focus on water, through two flagship programs – Mission Bhagiratha, that will supply drinking water to every home. KCR claims that 46% of homes already have this supply. When reminded about his promise that he will not ask for votes if 100% is not done, he shot back asking why the questioner is worried – if people don’t like it, they will anyway vote me out!

The second program is Mission Kakateeya – a project aimed at restoring lakes and tanks in Telangana. This has been a huge success, with nearly 25,000 lakes and tanks revived, which in turn have provided for water to lakhs of hectares. 25,000 lakes and tanks friends! No mean achievement this, and no wonder English media doesn’t evince any interest.

In addition to these there have been many programs that disbursed money to farmers, poor and the weaker sections. KCR infact is claiming that he has done things that he hasn’t even mentioned in the manifesto!

KCR and the TRS party were also blessed with another advantage – a heavily compliant media. I do not recollect any detailed articles in any regional media that had criticized any single policy or even utterance of the Chief Minister or the ministers. In fact the only time any uproar was seen when the government proposed to implement some law for using “harsh language”. I had even wondered that though Andhra Pradesh also has a compliant media, there is at least Sakshi channel run by the YSRCP. Anyone wanting to protest in Hyderabad were placed under preventive house arrest!

The opposition is anyway in tatters. Only the Congress party has shown a minimum semblance of being an opposition party. Even then, it is no position to win the state. The BJP, for reasons best known to local leadership, has not been as active as it should have been. This was a golden opportunity to grab enough opposition space at least. Meanwhile, KCR is all set to regain power by end of this year.

Congress Party needs to listen to ManMohan Singh on oil prices before spreading Unrest for political gains

The following article was written for MyInd Makers. Pasting it here for reference:

It would be my failing if I didn’t give a hat tip to Shri Anand Ranganathan, for pointing out to the snippet from Prime Minister’s Manmohan Singh’s address to the nation in 2008. The tweet prompted me to look for the full text of his speech and I stumbled upon two seminal addresses to the nation by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The address on June 4, 2008

This address was necessitated because of a steep sudden increase in Petrol & Diesel prices. I will only be pasting snippets, but you can read the full speech here.

My Fellow Citizens,

I know that the price increases we have had to announce today will not be popular, even though they are only modest. 

The modest increase Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was talking about is as follows:

Price of petrol has been raised by Rs 5 per litre, of diesel by Rs 3 per litre and of an LPG cylinder by Rs 50. Prices of kerosene, a vital fuel for the poor, remain unchanged.

The increase during those times was greater than 10%. Dr. Manmohan Singh also gave out some vital statistics as to why this increase had to be necessitated and tells us that our Oil companies were stressed because – “You must remember that the Government is bearing the burden of issuing Oil Bonds.”

And then the sagacious Prime Minister tells us that this comes at a big risk. What is the risk? In his own words:

“However, I would like the nation to remember that issuing bonds and loading deficits on oil companies is not a permanent solution to this problem. We are only passing on our burden to our children who will have to repay this debt.”

Please read, remember and spread this information. In 2008, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has clearly told us that “we are only passing our burden to our children who will have to repay this debt”.

Friends – that time has come now. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh passed the burden to our children. Prime Minister Modi is repaying that debt and the same Congress party, led by Rahul Gandhi, that is responsible for this mess, is hitting the streets. A compliant media of course will not tell you about this seminal speech by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. It was left to social media heroes to unearth the source of today’s problem.

The address on September 21, 2012

This address was necessitated because of another steep increase in Diesel prices, cap on LPG cylinders and some chaos over FDI in retail. Addressing the nation then, the sagacious Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told us:

“…the subsidy on petroleum products has grown enormously. It was Rs. 1 lakh 40 thousand crores last year.  If we had not acted, it would have been over Rs. 200,000 crores this year. 
Where would the money for this have come from? Money does not grow on trees.”

Actually, one should spend time to read one full para that paints a very very gloomy picture of our finances at point of time:

“Where would the money for this have come from? Money does not grow on trees. If we had not acted, it would have meant a higher fiscal deficit, that is, an unsustainable increase in government expenditure vis-a-vis government income. If unchecked, this would lead to a further steep rise in prices and a loss of confidence in our economy.  The prices of essential commodities would rise faster.  Both domestic as well as foreign investors would be reluctant to invest in our economy. Interest rates would rise.  Our companies would not be able to borrow abroad.  Unemployment would increase.  
The last time we faced this problem was in 1991.”

Repeat the last time – “The last time we faced this problem was in 1991”.

So what are the amounts we are talking about? In 2008, we were told that the burden is close to a whopping Rs. 1,80,000/- crores because of the Oil Bonds. In 2012, we were told that the burden is close to a whopping Rs. 1,60,000/- crores.

Imagine yourself in such a situation where you have a large debt, because you are paying for your family, and suddenly find that you now have a steady source of income through which you can pay off this debt. Will you splurge more or will you prioritize clearing the debt so that your family can prosper better? Think about it – which course of action is prudent?

Since 2014, the oil prices have reduced. Any government that would want to put the country first will look at clearing of these dues. Remember the scale of the debt – Nearly Rs. 1,44,000 crores when NDA took over in 2014. The burden that was sought to be paid by our children, has been paid back with interest now.

I’d urge you to read both the speeches in their totality. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has laid out the source of today’s problem is great detail. The same source that his party is protesting today!

This is how Thiruvananthapuram M.P., Shashi Tharoor helped the Kerala Victims - by travelling across the world and tweeting

The following article was written for MyInd Makers. Pasting it here for reference:

While reading the Central government’s press release that listed out the sequence of events and details of assistance provided to Kerala, the date July 21st stood out. At first I thought there is some typo error, because we have only been hearing of Kerala floods in August 2018. However, it wasn’t a typo. The Kerala government submitted an interim memorandum to the central government on July 21st, 2018 because the state was by then already affected by floods and landslides.

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju was visiting the state on July 21st. Following the memorandum, a committee visited Kerala on August 7th to August 12th. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh visited Kerala on August 12th. Which means much before the English media woke up; much before the liberal gang could plot how to use this tragedy to divide the country, both the state and central governments were already on the job. And finally, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Kerala on August 17-18.

There is someone else also who visited Kerala from August 15th to August 18th. Thiruvananthapuram MP, Shashi Tharoor tweeted on August 15th that he is boarding a flight from Darjileeng to go to his constituency, Thiruvananthapuram.

While by that time, the people of the country were beginning to already know the severity of the floods situation in Kerala, Shashi Tharoor was still busy tweeting self-images of him wishing a Happy Independence Day and critiques of the Union government. Amidst more Independence day tweets that included taking a potshot at “Sanghis”, Shashi Tharoor managed to insert a couple of tweets on “Images from rain-drenched Thiruvanthapuram today” and how he was “running around to take stock”.

At this point of time, it didn’t bother anyone that he showed up so late into the crisis. Long time residents of Thiruvananthapuram told him that they haven’t seen so much rain ever! It gives you, the reader, an indication of the severity of the crisis. A crisis, during which, their MP was missing.

Amidst all the “running around”, Shashi Tharoor suddenly found both the time and inclination to tweet this:

Quite expectedly, he was taken to task by the netizens on the need to divert his attention towards repetitive messaging when his constituents were facing the crisis of their lifetime. Shashi Tharoor then moved his attention to the media, and accused them of not covering the Kerala floods enough.

Understandably, most time on twitter on August 16th and 17th was spent on tweeting about the Kerala floods. With ofcourse a couple of Congress eventsthat were honouring “young achievers”. Why Congress wouldn’t postpone such a program is beyond me, but then that’s Congress.  On August 18th, he even tweets that “today is the last chance to be saved alive”

And then on August 20th, we see a message from Shashi Tharoor that he has landed in Geneva! Apparently to meet with UN agencies. 

You might be tempted to ask, why am I questioning this act of his, when it seems to be borne totally out of goodwill. Because on August 17th, the same Shashi Tharoor has told us that he cannot approach the UN because only the Indian government is authorized to do so!

What rules and laws have changed between the 17th and 20th that Shashi Tharoor infact rushed to the UN to seek help? Why did he tell us that he cannot seek UN help, on August 17th, and then on August 20th, we suddenly get to know he is in Geneva?! Why doesn’t anyone find this odd that the Thiruvanthapuram MP, who tweeted non-stop on how bad these floods even as late as August 18th (remember the line, last chance to save lives?), suddenly found it fit to leave the state and go to Geneva?

Next, he says he is in Geneva in close consultation with the CM of Kerala. Shashi Tharoor himself tweeted a media link that summarized his “efforts” in Geneva (we’ll come to that in a short bit) – and the media link he gave tells us that the CM hasn’t authorized Shashi Tharoor to talk to UN of the government’s behalf! Who then was Shashi Tharoor trying to fool?

Now, let’s still assume Shashi Tharoor went to the UN and achieved a lot. Here is a summary he has himself tweeted out on August 23rd :

Read through them carefully folks. And think. Think if we really needed an MP to go to UN and then come out with a “recommendation” that the “State Govt could carry out rapid needs assessment, sector-wide damage and loss assessments for recovery planning”? I mean, arent’ those some of the basic things any government would do? Or any agency in times of crisis would do? Is this what his trip to the UN achieved? Three recommendations? Three recommendations that are so basic in nature?

If you are still not convinced that Shashi Tharoor went out of Kerala purely out of goodwill and has been talking to the UN from August 20th (when he landed in Geneva) to August 23rd (when he tweeted out his “recommendations”), then here’s his tweet from August 22nd. Yes, August 22nd (I haven’t mixed up any dates).

Tell me friends – what warranted his jump from Geneva to Germany now? What possible value addition has he bought to both Rahul Gandhi and Kerala by his travel to Germany during these difficult times? Shashi Tharoor has confirmed on twitter that he has left Thiruvanthapuram on 18-19. Which means he was in his constituency for just 4 days, tweeting out images of significant destruction; telling us on August 18th that today is the “last chance to save lives” and then he leaves on the same night?! He even tweeted about his interviews to a couple of English channels and quite expectedly they didn’t find it fit to ask him about his absence in the state.

Let’s take his “I was in Geneva for Kerala” statement at face value.

Then what was he in Germany for? Was he also in London accompanying Rahul Gandhi? Because Shashi Tharoor only tweeted today (August 25th, 2018) that he is back in Delhi. Back in Delhi. Not yet been to Kerala.

So in a nutshell – during Kerala’s most devastating floods that became severe prior at ~August 12th, the Thiruvananthapuram MP visited his constituency on August 15th, spent 4 days, left the country on August 19th, visited Geneva on August 20th only to submit a “recommendation” that asked the state government to prepare a report, visited Germany on August 22nd, returned to Delhi on August 25th, and is yet to go to Thiruvananthapuram.

Whilst central minister were already on the job from July 21st, Shashi Tharoor didn’t even find it fit to tweet about the severity of the floods from July 21 to August 14th. He tweeted about Kerala MPs meeting with Rajnath Singh on August 10th. Rajnath Singh himself visited Kerala on August 12th, whilst Tharoor could only make it by August 15th!

Perhaps instead of blaming the “national media”, it is time for Shashi Tharoor himself to reflect what difference his presence or absence even makes to his constituents? After all, why blame Delhi based media when you yourself cannot be there for your people? Hopefully you had enough time in your foreign tours for this reflection, Dr. Tharoor.

Rahul Gandhi misleads the people of India again- This time on Doklam

The following article was written for MyInd Makers. Pasting it here for reference:

On 10th July 2017, “It’s my job to be informed of critical issues”, thundered Rahul Gandhi on twitter. At the height of Doklam crisis, because Rahul Gandhi wanted to do his “job of being informed of critical issues”, he met the Chinese Ambassador, Bhutan Ambassador, India’s ex NSA, and Congress leaders from the North East. Except anyone from our own government, Rahul Gandhi met everyone else so that he can be “informed of critical issues”.

Subsequently, the Doklam issue was resolved between India and China. However, that hasn’t stopped Rahul Gandhi from continuously saying that “China is still there in Doklam”. For the past year, he has been continuously trying to create an impression that China has occupied Indian territory. So everywhere he goes, he merely repeats ad nauseam that “China is still in Doklam”.

On August 24, 2018, a foreign journalist finally mustered the courage to pose the obvious question to Rahul Gandhi – What would you have done differently about Doklam?

Rahul Gandhi’s answer should jolt you, if you are still harbouring any ambition of wanting him to see him in a position of responsibility.

“(fumbling) I don’t know the details of Doklam, so I cannot answer your question”

In a different world, this answer would have made headlines across the media. Not in ours. In today’s day and age, our media is still thinking they can hide information from the public. Sample today’s front page of The Hindu (Incidentally, filed by the daughter of N.Ram) – “Chinese are still in Doklam: Rahul Gandhi”.

Front page folks, front page. And not a single mention of Rahul Gandhi’s assertion that he doesn’t even know about Doklam.

Scan any news report in the English media today. None of them tell you about this gaffe. Actually, it’s not even a gaffe – it’s an admission of misleading the gullible people of his country. It still beats me as to how this cannot be a serious issue of debate across the news media. If not for social media, we wouldn’t even have known that Rahul Gandhi has simply been bluffing all along.

Thanks to social media, we also came to know that Rahul Gandhi is part of the Parliamentary Committee on External Affairs! We also came to know that the government and the army gave a full-fledged briefing to this committee. Yet, he is travelling around the world telling them that India is still at fault. How exactly does Rahul Gandhi want to get away with mindless rhetoric and blatant lies?

The Doklam issue began in June 2017. And was resolved with diplomatic maturity by August 28, 2017. Writing for MyInd Makers then, Ramaharitha Pusarla commented that this standoff episode would rank as a “new milestone in Indian Diplomacy under Narendra Modi.” The article details well how the Chinese tried every trick in the book to put India on the backfoot and yet how we have come out on the top. For the uninitiated, Doklam is an old issue between India, China and Bhutan. When China wanted to unilaterally build roads in disputed areas of this region, India stood in solidarity with Bhutan and sent its troops to stop the Chinese activity. After a 2 month standoff, the Chinese backed off. If this is not a victory for our country, then what is?

Even after this new milestone, our media didn’t find the heart to praise the Modi government. Instead they have continuously sought to amplify fake news even months after the issue was resolved. OpIndia did a commendable job documenting all these instances of the Indian media playing to the tune of the Chinese propaganda even after the issue was resolved. It is this mischievous propaganda that Rahul Gandhi has latched on to and repeated it ad nauseam. Now, he is doing it in international forums. What kind of pleasure does the President of the Indian National Congress derive, in deriding his own country at international forums? Am sure if this question is put to him, he will say, “I don’t know”!

Kerala Floods: The divisive agenda of Liberal Mafia is on full display amidst massive Tragedy

The following article was written for MyInd Makers. Pasting it here for reference: 

The Kerala floods have bought out the best in lakhs of people across India. They have also bought out the worst in scores of “liberals” across India too. Unfortunately, this small bunch of people have access to so many newspapers and web publications, that their noise drowns out the stories of countless sympathetic Indians.

At the forefront was Shekhar Gupta, publishing article after article calling South India rich; calling North India as a tax burden on South India etc. I had tweeted and even written about this divisive agenda many months back ( Extreme left radical website The Wire had lit the divisive fire then).

If funds from a rich state should not be used for development of a poor state, why then should the logic stop at the state level? Why should funds generated in Hyderabad be used for development of tribal areas in Adilabad? Why should funds generated in Vijayawada be used for development of backward areas in Srikakulam? Why should funds generated in Mumbai be used for developing Latur? Or funds generated at Noida be used for development of Gorakhpur?

Wait, why stop at city level? Why should funds generated from “Hitech City” of Hyderabad be used for development of roads in “Old City” of Hyderabad? But then it is futile to expect logic and liberals to walk together.

Sensing a great opportunity here, other members of the ecosystem furthered some more lies that only South Indian states have given funds to Kerala. Once that lie was busted, the members of the ecosystem ignored the factthat even the North Eastern states, despite having flood problems of their own, have contributed to the relief. Prominent journalists were on the forefront of trying to spread these rumors too.

Seeing the barrage of criticism being mounted against them with respect to this flimsy argument, the “liberals” changed track. They now moved on to saying how Modi government gave only 100 crores. As and when Kerala government proceeded to seek more funds, the central government was open to disbursing funds. The Prime Minister announced a further 500 crores. The Home Ministry released a further 320 crores. All this adds up to 920 crores. But the “liberals” stuck to either 100 crores or 600 crores. And are now trying to tell the country that while UAE is offering 700 crores to Kerala, central government is offering 600 crores only.

What the “liberals” didn’t tell you is that there are some things money can’t buy. Like the nearly 100,000 metric tonnes of relief material (Rice, water, milk etc) sent to Kerala. Like the nearly 65 helicopters/aircrafts the Indian defence forces have deployed. Like the 30,000 lives the Indian defence forces have saved so far. Like the nearly 300 boats deployed. Like the GST sopsannounced by the Central government. Like the nearly 20 special trains being run by the Railways. Like getting the Naval strip in Kochi ready for commercial flight operations.

The liberals then start propagating that the while Kerala asked for 20,000 crores, Centre gave only 600 crores. First, no one knows the source of the 20,000 crores amount. What we did come to know was that when the Uttarakhand floods happened, the state government then had requested for nearly 14,000 crores as help from the center. Subject to correction, the central government gave about 1000 crores. Also, important to note here that both the center and state was governed by the Congress party then. Did you see so much noise at that point of time? Not just by these liberals – then opposition parties also did not make this an issue – because the opposition was more responsible then. Every one who could help, came forward to help without shouting about no help from the center! Equivalent help in terms of resources was provided by the center at that point of time too. However, since logic and liberals can’t walk together, it is now an uphill task to propagate these facts across.

The center has been equally steadfast in supporting the Karnataka government when the Kodagu region is also going through similar flood damage. However, the liberals cannot further their agenda if these facts are also bought to the forefront.

Even the Kerala CM has expressed satisfaction at the way the central government has reacted and assisted the state government. This hasn’t dampened the campaign by the liberals even by a wee bit. They are marching on, trying to foment their divisive agenda. Each time we think the liberals cannot stoop further down, they compete to prove us wrong. The Kerala floods have indeed exposed the worst amongst this gang.