If there was a general election tommorow, who would you vote for?

[Sachin=GOD]

Communal Violence Bill heading for cold storage? PTI May 5, 2013, 01.56PM IST

The controversial Communal Violence Bill, which aims to protect minorities from targeted attack, is unlikely to be passed during the UPA-II rule with the Law Ministry raising objections to its draft and the Home Ministry mulling further consultations with state governments. Raising objections to certain clauses, the Law Ministry has returned to the Home Ministry the draft bill which 'largely sticks' to the provisions in the 'Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence (Access to Justice and Reparations) Bill, 2011' prepared by Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council. The bill proposes to impose duties on the central and the state governments and their officers to exercise their powers in an impartial and non-discriminatory manner to prevent and control targeted violence, including mass violence against religious or linguistic minorities, SCs and STs. The bill also proposes constitution of a body National Authority for Communal Harmony, Justice and Reparation by the Centre to exercise the powers and perform the functions assigned to it under this Act. The Law Ministry is said to have favoured further strengthening of the provisions of the bill and without any infringement on the powers vested on the state governments. "We have to have more consultations. More discussions are also required with the state governments which are the major stakeholders in any disturbing situation," a senior Home Ministry official told PTI. Home Ministry officials feel that the consultation process may take months as most of the non-Congress state governments are vehemently opposed to many provisions of the bill. The BJP has strongly opposed the proposed legislation and termed it as "dangerous", saying it will harm the federal structure of the Constitution. It has also questioned how the bill could presume that the majority community is always responsible for riots. The proposed legislation is also likely to face opposition from Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, Biju Janata Dal, AIADMK and Akali Dal which are in power in West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Punjab respectively. The bill also provides for transfer of cases outside the state concerned for trial and take steps to protect witnesses, sources said. The bill was first introduced in Rajya Sabha in 2005 and subsequently referred to the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs. The Committee submitted its report in 2006 to Parliamentand notices were given in March 2007, December 2008, February 2009, December 2009 and again in February 2010 in Rajya Sabha for consideration and passing of the Bill. The bill, however, could not be taken up for consideration on any of these occasions. Thereafter, several suggestions from civil society groups were received and examined. Finally, the NAC said in July 2010 mthat there was a need to revise the law to deal with communal violence. It worked on a draft bill and submitted it on July 25, 2011 to the Home Ministry.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/communal-violence-bill-heading-for-cold-storage-/1111730/0

[The Outsider]

And you are speaking of yourself or did you mean Congress?

Huh?

BJP is the only national party which supports Uniform Civil Code - the cornerstone of true secularism.

Is BJP secular?

[bulbul]

Huh? Is BJP secular?

What type of Secular? Congress type or some other type?

[Khalpat]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/NDA-regime-constructed-50-of-national-highways-laid-in-last-30-years-Centre/articleshow/20869113.cms

NEW DELHI: The UPA government on Monday admitted before the Supreme Court that the NDA regime, in five years, constructed nearly half the total length of national highways laid during the last 32 years. In an interesting affidavit filed before the apex court, the Centre said the length of national highways in the country was 29,023 km in 1980, which expanded to 76,818 km by the end of 2012. This means 47,795 km of national highways was added by successive governments in 32 years. However, the affidavit revealed that during 1997-2002 (ninth five-year plan), when the NDA was in power, 23,814 km of national highways was added to the existing NH network, or nearly 50% of the total length of national highways constructed in three decades. This remains the largest construction of national highways during any five-year period since independence. In fact, during the nearly 10-year rule of the UPA government, the total length of national highways laid was much less - nearly 16,000 km, the affidavit said. During 2012-2017, nearly 3,000 km of additional national highways was proposed to be built but the government decided to de-notify 530 km of national highways in Madhya Pradesh and 627 km in Gujarat. The affidavit came on a PIL filed by Sanjay Kulshresta, who sought several directions from the apex court to make highways safe for motorists including making available expeditious medical help to accident victims. India has a total road network of 46.90 lakh km with a road density of 1.43 km per square km. While national highways account for 79,116 km, state highways make up 1,55,716 km and the remaining 44.55 lakh km is classified as 'other roads'. "National highways comprise only 1.7% of total road network but carry about 40% of road traffic," the Centre said. The petitioner had prayed for modernization of road infrastructure and traffic reforms to counter congestion. He had said rapid rise in personal diesel and petrol vehicles had nullified the effect of the Supreme Court directed conversion of all public transport in the city into CNG fuel. The petitioner had also sought a direction to the government to phase out very old vehicles, which were not road worthy and emitted noxious air. But the Centre said though it was empowered to fix age for phasing out of vehicles, it had not taken measures under the legislation. "Even though the central government is empowered to fix age limit of vehicles under Section 59 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, no policy decision has been taken (in this regard) by the central government," it said. It said every vehicle owner has to prove road worthiness at the time of renewal of registration certificate from authorized testing centres. "Only those vehicles can ply on Indian roads as long as they satisfy the prescribed norms and standards mentioned in the Central Motor Vehicle Rules," the affidavit said.

Well done NDA, Vajpayee and Mr. Khanduri. I wish to see them in power in 2014.

[zumi]

However, the affidavit revealed that during 1997-2002 (ninth five-year plan), when the NDA was in power, 23,814 km of national highways was added to the existing NH network, or nearly 50% of the total length of national highways constructed in three decades. This remains the largest construction of national highways during any five-year period since independence. In fact, during the nearly 10-year rule of the UPA government, the total length of national highways laid was much less - nearly 16,000 km, the affidavit said.

More evidence of the lost decade, squandered by the filth that is floating in Congress, one of the most corrupt government in the world. So India's greatest boom time so poo time for infrastructure building...there must so many more scams yet to come to light.

[RedFever]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/NDA-regime-constructed-50-of-national-highways-laid-in-last-30-years-Centre/articleshow/20869113.cms Well done NDA, Vajpayee and Mr. Khanduri. I wish to see them in power in 2014.

But who cares about development. We are secular country. Minority appeasement should be our top most priority. :winky:

[Clarke]

Err, the vote bank isn't just the minority, its the hordes of poor & struggling millions, in particular the rural crowd until late and soon the urban ones as well. Throw them promises of multi-billion schemes: farm loan waiver, nrega and soon to be unveiled food bill. Make a killing out of those and unveil something new next time. So yeah, while the minority votes across the board (Samajwadi gundas etc) the INC has shifted the game to the vast majority, the poor masses, as its vote bank.

[bulbul]

Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Tuesday claimed that the BJP might organise communal riots in Congress-ruled states in the hope of winning Lok Sabha elections due in 2014. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) feels it cannot win the election without "communalising" the situation, he said addressing the general body meeting of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee in Bangalore

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/bjp-planning-communal-riots-for-2014-poll-gain-says-digvijaya-singh/403603-37-64.html Its started :hatsoff:

[ravishingravi]

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/bjp-planning-communal-riots-for-2014-poll-gain-says-digvijaya-singh/403603-37-64.html Its started :hatsoff:

Secular enough for me.

[adi B]

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/bjp-planning-communal-riots-for-2014-poll-gain-says-digvijaya-singh/403603-37-64.html Its started :hatsoff:

love diggy baba,has made some legendary prophecies,true product of secularism

[Sachin=GOD]

Since leaving SP, Beni Prasad Verma has been very, very angry at Mulayam and has been spouting venom for a long time...2-3 days ago he said that MSY was not even fit to sweep the floor of the PM house. Then the Congress Spokespersons had to come on TV and say that he has been reprimanded and has been told not to make such statements in the future. Here's the latest: Beni threatens to quit Cong if stopped from speaking against Mulayam

New Delhi: Threatening to quit Congress if stopped from speaking against Mulayam Singh Yadav, Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma said he has been humiliated after he was reprimanded by his party for comments against the Samajwadi Party (SP) chief. Meanwhile, reacting to Beni's comments, Congress said that the party is not stopping him from criticising Mulayam, but he shouldn't make any personal comments on the SP chief. "No one has stopped Beni from criticising Mulayam. He has been asked not to make any personal comments," Congress said. The threat to quit the party comes just few days after Verma on Tuesday kicked up another controversy with his barbs at friend-turned foe Mulayam Singh Yadav. Verma had said that the SP chief was not even fit to sweep the Prime Minister's residence, drawing instant rebuke from the Congress. He prefaced his remark by alleging that the Samajwadi Party was a party based on "lies and fraud" and that it will be finished by the Congress. This is not the first that Verma has made personal comment on the SP chief. Verma once a close confidant of the Samajwadi Party supremo was gradually sidelined after Amar Singh came into the picture. The Kurmi leader quit the party in 2007 and joined the Congress before 2009 Lok Sabha elections.

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/beni-threatens-to-quit-cong-if-stopped-from-speaking-against-mulayam/404061-37-64.html

[Sachin=GOD]

On the road to 2014 Arun Jaitley July 08, 2013

The results of the 2004 general elections indicated that the national election results were the net aggregate of the results of all states. There was no all-India pattern. Neighbouring states had voted in opposite directions. The 2009 general election results, however, presented a different analysis. In most parts of the country there was a visible pro-incumbency trend. The Congress did better than its otherwise natural strength in the states. The urban constituencies voted overwhelmingly in favour of the Congress. The performance of the Congress in states like Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat was much better than its strength in the legislative assemblies of those states. As we approach the next general elections some significant changes have taken place. The very acceptable persona of the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, in 2009 has been adversely affected. Corruption, indecisiveness, weak leadership, price rise and the terrible state of the economy have created a huge anti-incumbency environment. The Congress has withered away in Andhra Pradesh on account of a political split. It has lost partners in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu on whom it had piggy backed to success in 2009. While disillusioned with the Congress, the charge against the BJP was that it had not been able to put its own house in order. Its galaxy of leaders was regarded as a liability rather than an asset. Fortunately, the party has now started putting its house in order. The possibility of the party contesting under one leader is now real. The BJP had won 12 seats in Bihar in the last elections where its alliance has recently suffered a setback. It has an opportunity to improve upon this figure. In Karnataka, the party has to factor in electoral realities rather than internal imbalances. With the two principal national parties without some of their regular allies, smaller and regional parties smell an opportunity for a Third Front. The Third Front has been experimented with on several occasions in India. It is a failed idea. There is no single party in the Third Front that is capable of winning a reasonable number of seats in Parliament giving it the strength to anchor a coalition. The anchor of a coalition necessarily has to be a party with over 150 seats in the Lok Sabha. Otherwise a coalition government would inherently be unstable. The Third Front has no one composite group. The DMK and the AIADMK, the Trinamool Congress and the Left, the Samajwadi Party and the BSP, the JD(U) and the RJD obviously cannot be members of the same front. They occupy diametrically opposite spaces in their states. A very large number of regional parties also occupy the non-Congress space within their states. They would run the danger of losing that non-Congress identity if they were to align in a post-electoral environment with the Congress. The political issues which are evolving in the run-up to the general elections are loaded against the Congress. Lack of decisiveness and firm leadership is the cause of popular concern. Never in history has the institution of the prime minister been so severely belittled. The prime minister is not regarded as either the leader of the country or of his own political party. The economic situation in the country is worrisome. The price rise has affected every citizen adversely, more so the middle classes and the weaker sections. Job creation has suffered. There has been a reverse flight of investment within the country. Business confidence is running low. Once perceived as a ‘dream team’ to handle India’s economy, it has produced a nightmare. Corruption has destroyed the credibility of the UPA government. From the Commonwealth Games to the 2G scam, the coal block allocations and the recent Railgate, the moral agenda is loaded against the government. The only relief to the government is on account of the pliability of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). In recent years the CBI’s credibility has suffered a huge setback. The more the CBI is misused in relation to Gujarat, the more will Narendra Modi’s support base be further consolidated. A potential loser can never use the CBI for vote gathering. The Congress now looks upon its new leader as a possible saviour. Its new leadership is a creation of the dynasty. The problem with dynastic leadership is that it is based on the charisma of families and surnames rather than on proven ability. Dynasties function only on the strength of charisma. They relish creating a mystique around them. Their political ability, administrative competence, leadership and decisiveness are unknown to the country. Are Indian voters aware of the economic vision of the scion of the ruling dynasty? Are they aware of his views on how to tackle the Maoist problem, the issues related to Jammu & Kashmir and Indo-Pak relations? His silence on issues of corruption is worrisome. His economic vision is unknown. Dynastic parties are only as strong or as weak as the potential of the current generation of the dynasty. Irrespective of whether the two principal parties declare their candidates for the prime ministership in the next elections, the de-facto leaderships are becoming clear. Besides the conflicts of parties and ideologies, the next elections could also be a contest between personalities. The nature of the contest would be more presidential. In the 2009 general elections, the Congress and the BJP shared 323 Lok Sabha seats among themselves. This figure is not likely to reduce in the forthcoming elections. With anti-incumbency working against the Congress, the party’s alliance being in a shambles in several states and the near sweep situation of 2009 in urban India likely to be reversed, the odds are loaded against the Congress. The possible presidential-type contest between the two emerging personalities will make it worse for the Congress. The possibility of one of the two major parties forging way ahead appears real. And this time it won’t be the Congress. Arun Jaitley is Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha

http://www.hindustantimes.com/editorial-views-on/ColumnsOthers/On-the-road-to-2014/Article1-1088905.aspx its the clearest indication so far that whether an official announcement regarding the PM candidate is made or not, Modi will be the face of the party in 2014.

[bulbul]

its the clearest indication so far that whether an official announcement regarding the PM candidate is made or not' date=' Modi will be the face of the party in 2014.[/quote'] It was never in doubt and there is no other otpion either.

[someone]

It was never in doubt and there is no other otpion either.

It's the best option for BJP and the country. And it is not a Party decision but a decision which "people" want for a change. You need to make your strategy to what the general public, your party workers want and need.

[adi B]

On the road to 2014 Arun Jaitley July 08, 2013 http://www.hindustantimes.com/editorial-views-on/ColumnsOthers/On-the-road-to-2014/Article1-1088905.aspx its the clearest indication so far that whether an official announcement regarding the PM candidate is made or not, Modi will be the face of the party in 2014.

still feel they will play out card trick at the last moment to gather the allies

[Sachin=GOD]

A bus ride to interesting times Are we looking at a November general election? Congress has not taken a final decision, but it is clearing the way towards that possibility.

It's the old London bus principle. Nothing happens for a long time, then suddenly three turn up at the same time. No decision is made by government for more than four years, and then a dozen come along, tripping one another on their way towards public discourse. You have to wonder why. Congress has developed an odd habit since 2009: it indicates its mind before it has made up its mind. Telangana was comatose on a back-burner when, quite out of the blue, Home Minister P. Chidambaram announced a solution was imminent. When passions advanced, government retreated. Last year Sushil Shinde switched on a green light, and turned it to amber in January this year. Now Digvijay Singh, general secretary in charge of party secrets, has told us a final solution is in plain sight. We should believe him. A general election is also in plain sight. If A.K. Antony is appointed General Manager, Repairs and Reconsideration, can elections be far away? First priority: send morality on holiday, and who better to do that than the most moral man in Cabinet. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha is the property of a family which can, with some justification, be described as corrupt. Not only do they take money, they also get caught, which is silly in our liberal corruption environment. But for ten seats in the state, all sins are forgiven. Joining Congress is a baptism; it bathes the sinner with salvation. JMM was corrupt and communal as long as it was scratching for power in the company of BJP. Perhaps this is good politics. We shall know only after voters have returned a verdict. Antony has quickly extended a Congress hand again to DMK in Tamil Nadu, another state where it cannot survive without an ally. The DMK is in less of a hurry, and may not do so before election dates are announced. Congress is the only party that knows when, but if it is getting antsy, there has to be a reason. But hurry is dangerous in politics. You can trip up if you have not planned how to negotiate the various traps that always lie on a plotted route. You hold one end of a map up, beaming at cameras, and the other end collapses. Has this happened with the CBI's charge-sheet in the Ishrat Jahan case, probably the final effort to derail Narendra Modi after more than a decade in which every twist of the legal process has been exhausted? CBI proclaimed Ishrat Jahan innocent, but admitted that the three men shot alongside her by Gujarat police were terrorists. Perhaps CBI and government thought that everyone who mattered, including media, would treat this as the final word. Then, quite unexpectedly, things began to go a bit wrong. The Intelligence Bureau, which is headed by Syed Asif Ibrahim, an officer with a fine reputation, refused to kowtow. A tussle broke out between IB and CBI over Ishrat Jahan. Facts emerged, which had so far been kept out of public purview: principally, that David Headley, convicted for his role in the organisation of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, had named Ishrat during his interrogation by the premier Indian investigation agency, NIA. Instead of leading an offensive, the government might be forced to clean up its own mess. Hurry has affected the food security decision as well. This is definitely going to be the main plank of the Congress re-election campaign. Remarkably, however, the most vociferous opposition to this decision has come from parties that have always the pro-poor banner: the left. Prakash Karat, speaking for Communists, Mulayam Singh Yadav, speaking for himself, and Dinesh Trivedi, on behalf of Mamata Banerjee, dismissed the decision as nothing but an election gimmick. There is certainly no money in the current resource base of UPA government to implement this expensive programme. But Congress is more interested in making this the central promise of its next manifesto, than implementation. If it wanted implementation, it would have issued the ordinance in the first six weeks of UPA2, not in the last six. Are we then looking at a November general election? Congress has not taken a final decision, but it is clearing the way towards that possibility. It does not want to be subverted by events that may not be fully in its control, including the behaviour of the extended family that keeps UPA in power without much reward in return. Its haste is out of necessity, rather than will. Complicated problems like Telangana however do not promise easy dividends, even if you take a decision. Nor will all the Band-Aid eliminate memory of corruption, end inflation, stop the rupee implosion, or reverse the sag in the economy. The only prediction that can safely be made is that the next general election, whenever it is held, will be the most interesting since 2004. Hop on to the bus in any case; the ride will be bumpy but exhilarating.

http://www.sunday-guardian.com/analysis/a-bus-ride-to-interesting-times I may be wrong here but I don't think Cong would want to go for Nov elections because State elections in Delhi, MP, Raj and CHattisgarh (a total of 72 Lok Sabha seats) are scheduled for December and in case Lok Sabha elections happen in Nov then these State Elections would also be preponed and will happen along side Lok Sabha. Congress' prospects look quite bad in all 4 of these states so IMO they won't take the risk of having Lok Sabha at the same time which would mean losing heavily in Lok Sabha in these states :hmmm:

[saneindian]

SG that is exactly what worries the Congress. The 5 assembly elections will be a huge boost to BJP (esp to Modi) and the thinking is not to give it that edge. Plus with rupee likely to continue to fall and hence setting in further price rise of essential commodities, the anti incumbency will only get worse for Congress to handle. Also the rush with which they have got the FSB ordinance has fuelled these speculations with prediction of Lok Sabha being dissolved immediately after monsoon session! The interesting part is the old guard of Congress wants to stick to original election schedule, the young Rahul brigade in the party is pushing for an early election.

[someone]

SG that is exactly what worries the Congress. The 5 assembly elections will be a huge boost to BJP (esp to Modi) and the thinking is not to give it that edge. Plus with rupee likely to continue to fall and hence setting in further price rise of essential commodities, the anti incumbency will only get worse for Congress to handle. Also the rush with which they have got the FSB ordinance has fuelled these speculations with prediction of Lok Sabha being dissolved immediately after monsoon session! The interesting part is the old guard of Congress wants to stick to original election schedule, the young Rahul brigade in the party is pushing for an early election.

Yes. the last point is certainly correct.

[Sachin=GOD]

SG that is exactly what worries the Congress. The 5 assembly elections will be a huge boost to BJP (esp to Modi) and the thinking is not to give it that edge. Plus with rupee likely to continue to fall and hence setting in further price rise of essential commodities, the anti incumbency will only get worse for Congress to handle. Also the rush with which they have got the FSB ordinance has fuelled these speculations with prediction of Lok Sabha being dissolved immediately after monsoon session! The interesting part is the old guard of Congress wants to stick to original election schedule, the young Rahul brigade in the party is pushing for an early election.

well, victory in assembly elections doesn't necessarily convert into a boost in the National Elections (ask the 2004 BJP which went for early polls due to State Election success and lost in Lok Sabha!!!). But this is a big dilemma for the Cong - go for November polls and risk facing big losses in Lok Sabha in the states which are also having Assembly elections simultaneously OR go for March-April 2014 elections and risk giving BJP some boost due to a victory in Assembly elections.... The young brigade led by Rahul Baba depends on things surveys etc and may have come to the conclusion that going to early polls would be viable but these things have a history of being drastically off the mark so IMO Cong would be better off going with the advise of the experienced old guard. BTW it looks like Cong is now pretty close to a Final solution on the Telengana issue- now what impact it will have to its prospects in AP, only time will tell. Some people are saying it can go either way - they will obviously gain votes in the Telengana region for accepting the demands but will also lose votes in Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema for splitting the state.

[saneindian]

IMO Congress has left it a little too late for Telangana. BTW hearing some interesting chatter. Modi likely to contest from Varanasi and Surat, Advaniji and Sushmaji totally at mercy of Shivraj Singh Chauhan- Bhopal and Vidisha, Rajnath to Lucknow, Murali manohar Joshi goes to Allahabad, Varun Gandhi mvoes closer to Gandhis from Sultanpur, Jaitley to Amritsar- unlike 2004 all top leaders being asked to fight LS polls. Even Rahul Baba likely to contest from Gulbarga in Karnataka besides Amethi.