Society: Unwittingly You Are Housing and Feeding Criminals and Rapists

Ayaz Ansari, 32, was recently arrested in Mumbai. He was apprehended as a suspect for molesting 13 minor school-going girls (aged between 7 and 15) across the Western and Central suburbs of the city. Ansari quickly turned from “suspect” to a confirmed criminal by his own admission – he had molested not 13 but 25 minor girls in the past 12 months. He felt no guilt or remorse for what he had done and allegedly even said that he would do it again. It has been reported that he has been booked for rape. The Sessions Court remanded him to police custody till April 25^th and then he had to be produced back in court. In the interim period, investigators conducted a mental check-up of Ansari to ensure that the defence would not claim mental illness for his many crimes. He also stole cell phones from children and teenagers to support a drug and alcohol habit. A crime that he had been jailed for in the past. Ansari was reportedly homeless and slept on footpaths and in mosques.

So this means that the average taxpayer of the country has by now spent money on Ansari to house and feed him during his previous incarceration, and is now paying to give him shelter (in a prison) instead of his previous homeless state, to transport him to and from his place of stay (the jail) to the court with armed guards and for psychiatrist analysis. This is just the start. The case will go on for a long time with hearings, judgements, re-appeals, more hearings etc. etc.

Honestly, it is unfathomable to me that a person like this can even have some sort of defence. What argument can justify what Ansari has done? Or what the animals in the bus in Delhi did on the night of 16 December 2012? Or what the pack of wolves hunting in a herd repeatedly did to numerous girls in Mumbai’s Shakti Mills compound? Or for the filth in Bengal’s panchayat (see https://www.google.co.in/#q=bengal+panchayat+gang+rape)? Or for Ajmal Kasab?

As a taxpayer, if I was ever consulted about how my money should be utilized, spending on Ayaz Ansari would definitely not be my choice – why, it wouldn’t even be an option that I would consider. Take a moment to ask yourself and answer this question: Would you rather spend your money on such criminals or on alleviating poverty and hunger, on health, on education and infrastructure and on internal security? Your answer would probably be the same as mine.

Yet, collectively we have taken care of the Nirbhaya monsters since December 2012/January 2013 and also of the Shakti Mills rapists (one of the rapists had actually boasted to a victim that they, the gang, had done this numerous times) since August/September 2013 (this case has really moved fast as per the Indian standards). These are just two of the innumerable such pending cases which we know about because the media diligently gives updates on them. Most cases find a small mention in the papers and there is no follow-up on them so they slip out of the collective consciousness and then a President like Prathibha Patil comes along and grants Presidential pardon to rapists and murderers (see https://www.google.co.in/#q=Pratibha+Patil+presidential+pardons).

Cases like this beg serious questions:

• Do perpetrators of reprehensible crimes deserve State-appointed defence lawyer – at the cost of taxpayers?

• Should the State spend massive amounts of taxpayer money in form of food, shelter (jail), clothing, transport (to and from courts), security (policemen) and the cost of defence lawyers on criminals who have either admitted to their crimes or have been caught red-handed?

• A serial molester (Ansari), a gang of serial rapists (Shakti Mills rapists), a brainwashed terrorist (Kasab) – all people who have no will to reform – do they deserve to be members of the society in any form even in jail?

Doubtlessly most people will say a resounding “no” to all these questions. Clearly India needs fast track courts that give judgement within days or hours;  or maybe even no courts and long-drawn out proceeding in such cases. They are literally open-and-shut affairs that warrant no more than immediate and fit punishment for their crime without the option of re-appeals or Presidential pardon.

Self-styled “humanists” will raise a hue and cry about these questions – but can these humanists face the victims and drum up some of the same humane-ness for them – or is the trauma of a 7-year old victim of sexual abuse at the hands of a habitual abuser of not worthy of compassion, sympathy and outrage?   

More about Ayaz Ansari, the serial molester across the media: https://www.google.co.in/#q=ayaz+ansari+mumbai+serial+molester

How much did India spend on Kasab?  Minimum estimate = Rs. 26 crores | Maximum = $ 108 million https://www.google.co.in/#q=how+much+did+india+spend+in+kasab

Politics: Narendra Modi: Creating a United India

For months before the elections Narendra Modi was branded, described and demonised as the most polarizing politician that India has ever had. The results proved all the pseudo-intellectuals totally wrong. In three decades – 30 years – Modi is the only person to have got a clear, unqualified mandate from the people of India substantially establishing himself as the most unifying personality in the country.

2014 proved to be historic on many fronts:

• This is the first time that people voted for a person – Narendra Modi – and not for a Party. All BJP advertising only said, “Ab ki baar Modi sarkaar”.

• This is the first time a non-Congress Party has won so decisively.

• In an age when India thought that coalition governments were here to stay, Modi changed the trend completely – making the impossible happen.

• This is the first time in 30 years that India will have a government that is not held hostage by regional Parties as their last minute allies.

• This is the first time that a ruling Party had the Prime Ministerial candidate of their opposing counterpart as their only campaign agenda.

• This election saw the highest voter turnout ever. From apathetic spectators of a sport called “elections” more people (in terms of both numbers and percentages) went into the voting booths to exercise their franchise and establish their claim to being responsible participants in a democracy.

The Demonization of Narendra Modi

• Pseudo-seculars (sickular, really) in the media and elsewhere played the judge and the jury with Modi labelling him as communal and branding him as “Hindu” (seriously, why should this be an insult? Any person of any other religion can take pride in their religious status and be “secular” because of it, but if you are a proud Hindu, you are automatically “communal” and “intolerant”!) because he was in RSS and is in BJP – both termed as upper-caste Hindu organisations.

• Where various courts and investigative committees have found Modi innocent of any pogroms, the anti-Modi brigade howled like hyenas for his blood over what happened in Gujarat in 2002. No facts or figures impacted the prejudices.

• Giving him a hashtag of Feku on the social media, the Gujarat model of development was rubbished as mere rumours.  The model was called a myth and spurious figures trotted out to prove that there was no development in Gujarat while Modi was the Chief Minister.

Transformation Into the Most Unifying Leader In India

First, Gujarat has repeatedly voted Modi into power in the Assembly elections. This cannot be chance. Certainly not a co-incidence for almost 12 to 13 years. This is only choice of the people of Gujarat. If indeed their conditions were so abysmal, can the Modi-slayers explain how he got 26 out of 26 seats in the Lok Sabha elections winning by over 5, 70,000 votes in the beleaguered Vadodara alone (where he is supposed to have engineered a bloody pogrom)?

BJP, which had no presence in Assam, has become the cause for the CM Gogoi to resign. UP and Bihar, two States supposed to be mired in caste politics and voting got together to reject all those practising votebank politics (including Congress, Samajwadi Party, Mayawati’s Bahujan Samajwadi Party – which had a tally of zero) and Nitish Kumar’s – the man who thought he would stop Modi – JDU). 

With so much scare-mongering amongst “minorities” – especially Muslims and Dalits, a vote as decisive as this was not only improbable but nigh impossible. However, India united as one abandoning caste, religion, language, geography, age and gender to choose development and resoundingly establish itself as a true democracy. Bringing political awareness and drawing so many crores of people into the voting booths has been one of Modi’s greatest successes. Proving that all people across all votebanks truly want the same thing – safety, security and prosperity – has been his other major success.

Report Cards Don’t Lie

The true endorsement of Modi’s unifying achievement shows up in the most important facts of the results of the election – which were stunning to everybody and exhilarating to most:

• BJP has clear and utterly comprehensive majority – people want Modi as PM. No pussy-footing around with any alliances et al. About 30 crores of people have effectively insisted to turning a deaf ear to eh Cassandra’s and reposed their faith in Modi.

• Congress got just 44 seats – This is a total rejection of Congress. J Jayalalitha managed 37 seats (just seven short of Congress’ all India tally) from just one single State.

• Mayawati, Mulayam Singh and Nitish Kumar have been wiped out – all of these are either politicking on minorities (with efforts to keep the society divided) and/or have been anti-Modi.

• BJP swept States that were hitherto inaccessible to them including North-Eastern States and those in the Hindi heartland.

• Even in Kerala – a staunchly Communist State that had no truck to BJP in the past – BJP managed to get votes (though not seats) in every constituency.

• BJP allies like Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Shiv Sena got practically resurrected because of their association.

Achche Din Aanewale Hai

From being a campaign song, to a victory call achche din aanewale hai has become a firm belief in every person in the country.  The belief shows in the optimistic expectation in the common man. It shows by the rising share market. It shows in the strengthening dollar.

Not one to rest on past achievements and laurels of the election results, the man who describes himself as Mazdoor No. 1 won greater faith from the electorate when he said he would return in 2019 with a report card – thus proving his resolve and confidence.

India awaits.

Politics: Why Congress Needs THE DYNASTY | Part 1: Will Congress Accept Sonia and Rahul Gandhi’s Resignations?

After the extremely humiliating showing in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections Congress is facing the crisis it deserves for the decade of decadence it had unleashed on India. With just 44 seats, Congress does not even qualify to be the Leader of Opposition. Just how poor this Congress performance is can be judged by the fact that J Jayalalitha got 37 seats, just 7 less than Congress, from a single State (Tamilnadu).

In a less-than-two-minute appearance, Rahul Gandhi followedby Sonia Gandhi took responsibility for the decimation of the Party as theVice-President and President of Congress. But it doesn’t end there, does it? Assam Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi of Congress is to resign from his post because of the Party’s poor performance in the State. Nitish Kumar of JDU has resigned as Chief Minister of Bihar for the same reason. It is natural that Sonia and Rahul also resign from their posts in the Party.

It is widely expected that the du will give their resignation on Monday. May 19^th, 2014.

It is equally known that the Party will not accept the resignations.

Congress Members Close Ranks to Protect the Family

Even before the counting started, Congress knew that it had not fared well (though there was no inkling of just how badly they had done). They knew that India had rejected them thumpingly. For all the tutored ignorance about the pre-election Modi-wave, the Party knew that they were going to be washed out.

Before May 16^th, 2014, no one knew that Congress would suffer its worst defeat in its the history (including the 1977 Elections held right after the Emergency when Indira Gandhi was at her most unpopular) yet the loyalists closed ranks to protect their Crown Prince, Rahul Gandhi. Various Party workers were quick to go to the Press saying that the lacklustre, widely perceived as incompetent (and oftentimes foolish) scion of the Family was not going to be held responsible for whatever outcome the results gave. Sonia clearly was beyond reproach so even the thought of questioning her leadership was unthinkable, but Rahul needed to be protected.

Challenge from Within

The Congress advertising campaign prominently featuring Rahul Gandhi did not strike any chord with the voters. The bewildered Party didn’t know what to do to salvage itself – when a strong breeze of optimism came in form of Priyanka Gandhi.

Campaigning for her mother and brother in Raebareli and Amethi, Priyanka physically limited herself to these two constituencies but her spirited anti-Modi salvos reached all Indians all across the world. Suddenly Congress found a “leader” and there were voices of dissent against the Chosen Heir, Rahul along with voices of support for the One-Who-Gave-It-Up, Priyanka. (These voices became even more vociferous and were in the open once the counting started).

Rumours about Rahul’s arrogance and incompetence (fuelled by the fact he skipped the farewell dinner hosted by mom, Sonia for the outgoing Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh and a magazine article in which the reporter stated that after a decade, Rahul still didn’t know the name of a single Congress worker in Amethi) gained ground and allegations about hisdrug-addiction started flying around (especially after his big-grin appearance post the dismal failure of Congress that he led).

As always Congress looked for dynastic DNA to helm it and zeroed in on Priyanka who has three things going for her:

1. She is from the Family

2. She looks like her gamdmother, Indira Gandhi

3. She created waves with her fearless speeches in Amethi and Raebareli (incidentally the only two seats that Congress got from Uttar Pradesh)

Watch These Videos

Post by Narendra Modi Fans from Karnataka.

Bollywood: Hasee Toh Phasee: Deconstructing Meeta

Karan Johar’s Hasee Toh Phasee has one of the most vulnerable characters ever etched or portrayed on Indian screen – Meeta (played by Parineeti Chopra). Meeta’s defencelessness is tragically and touchingly underlined by her bluster. She does not ask for pity or sympathy ever – and yet your heart just goes out to her. Irrepressibly brilliant, punished for her unchanneled and irreverent experimentation, Meeta is pushed into a corner by social norms ganging up against her intelligent mind. So she does the socially unacceptable action to keep her going – she steals from her father.

See Meeta’s context: she needs money for her studies, for a project. Her overbearing uncle degrades her. Her only hope and emotional support; her father; tells her to toe-the-line. She is cornered – like a hounded animal against the proverbial wall. Her need to do her project is as great as that cornered animal’s need to live is. This is a situation where flight is no longer an option because there is nowhere to run. Fight is the only option – and that is what Meeta does. And she pays forever.

She can never return home – because she is persona non grata forever. She has been judged, sentenced and crucified. She is made irrelevant by her family. Irrelevance is very hard to live with (all those Facebook regulars who update their status as often as they can and all those selfie-addicts are in different ways of seeking to feel relevant).  Every person needs to feel relevant to at least one other person in this world. Every person needs a little bit of love and kindness in their life.

Meeta tries to make it on her own fighting her aloneness by swallowing a cocktail of anti-depressants. The drugs give her a shield of bravado and invincibility. When the drugs wear out she is heartbreakingly frail and unprotected – as evidenced in a number of scenes: when she first makes her appearance and is unceremoniously offloaded by her sister on her (the sister’s) would-be; by the boy on a dubious stranger – she just goes from on to another unquestioningly. That is the drug-induced bravado. When the boy returns to find her in a disreputable, dirty, insect-infested place lying in a corner in a foetus-like position; not admitting she has had no food all day – that is fragility – a fragility born of being irrelevant; of knowing no one really cares. Then the scenes where she is locked in and ends up wetting borrowed clothes and helplessly explaining it or when she tries to see her father and cannot because of a tree in the way and guilelessly stating it – that is vulnerability – a vulnerability born of being made so unimportant by everyone that you become just unimportant.

The truth is there is a little bit of Meeta in all of us. There is some vulnerable part of us that is constantly seeking love and/or approval. That is hungering for acceptance and longing to be free. No matter how well adjusted and together a person might seem, Meeta lives in all lives.

Politics: Kejriwal Drowns in Modi Tsunami

Arvind Kejriwal may have created history by forming a Party which gained national recognition comprising people from non-political backgrounds but he also created what is largely perceived as a single-person Party.

Arvind Kejriwal may have given a thrashing to incumbent Chief Minister Sheila Dixit of Indian National Congress in the Delhi Assembly Elections but then he went a accepted the same Congress’ support to become the Chief Minister of the one-city State.

Arvind Kejriwal may have created history by forming the State government with a Party that was just about two years old unseating the mammoth Congress from power in Delhi after 17 years of their rule; but he proved that the responsibility was too much for him to handle by resigning in just seven weeks.

Arvind Kejriwal may have turned from activist to politician but he proved that the best intentions did not lead to a stable government. He could not shed his activist skin during his 49-day tenure as Chief Minister.

However, his incredible win over Congress during the Delhi State Elections created a false feeling of invincibility in him. So much so that he decided to contest the General Elections across the country hammering together a group of idealist with little or no political experience. (To his credit, Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has attracted a lot of candidates who are achievers of their own standing.) But alas! Kejriwal become a victim of arrogance when he decided to contest against Narendra Modi from Varanasi.

But choosing to target Modi, Kejriwal also diluted the strong anti-corruption message that he had wooed Delhi (and the rest of India) with. During his brief tenure as Prime Minister, he did not start proceedings against Dixit as he had promised the public. By keeping mute about Congress and targeting Modi, who is known as being totally corruption-free, he made his own anti-corruption stance questionable. (A question to Kejriwal: Why did you not contest from Amethi against Rahul Gandhi or from Rae Bareilly against Sonia Gandhi?)

In Kejriwal’s decision to take on Modi he did not factor in two important facts: First that Modi represents a change for better to most people and second that he lost a lot of ground when he reneged on the trust that the people of Delhi had placed in him by his resignation. This impacted not only the Delhi voters, but voters all across the country.  And Kejriwal is paying dearly for his short-sightedness.

When he went to file his candidature in Varanasi, the car Kejriwal was travelling in was pelted with eggs outside the Kashi Vishwanath temple by crowds chanting Modi’s name. About two and a half hours later, black ink was thrown at Kejriwal by crowds who wanted to symbolically blacken his face.  While Kejriwal typically pinned blame for the attacks on Modi, the demonstrators blocking his car said that they wanted only Modi to contest from their city, (See http://www.hindustantimes.com/elections2014/the-big-story/kejriwal-arrives-in-varanasi-to-launch-epic-poll-battle/article1-1200060.aspx)

Despite trying to woo the Hindu and Muslim voters at the same time in the holy city, even people who did not support Modi were heard to say that if there was a crowd for Kejriwal, there would be a sailaab (flood) when Modi would be in Varanasi the next day. The prediction was right.  

Clearly despite his bravado and pompous posturing of a possibility of winning in Kashi, Kejriwal surely sees the writing on the wall: it is curtains for Kejriwal as the spotlight shines on Modi.

Tomorrow, May 10^th is when the electorate will make its selection and May 16^th will tell the rest of the world what the outcome of the selection has been and whether the phenomenal support has turned into a landslide win for Modi..