Rantings.

Yesterday, I read Shekhar Gupta's opinion piece in the Financial Express on the BJP, and how it is totally at a loss to take advantage of the sinking ship that the UPeeA government is. A lot of it is a rehash of the usual accusations and bottom lines that the BJP is always associated with - its hard line Hindutva stance that always alienates the Muslims and also the political parties that swear by their sickularism, such as the CONgress, and potential regional players, such as SP and RJD.

Shekhar Gupta touched on the phenomenon that is Narendra Modi. The one man army is an enigma for most, and he is hated and loved in equal measure across the country. I do not think there is any politically aware person in this country who does not have an opinion on Narendra Modi. Again, Mr. Gupta repeated what so many commentators or pundits or analysts before him said - Modi can't succeed on the national stage at all considering the baggage he carries. Whether he is innocent or is cleared of all accusations, that tag will remain stuck with him forever.

So while many people may be itching to bring him on board the national arena, and even if he gets the faithful, whatever that means, to vote, he will alienate the rest. Basically the BJP does not have anybody to fill the vacuum left behind by Bajpayee ji.

This whole situation in my view is tragic. I do agree that things are not right at BJP, and what hurts me the most is that they seem thoroughly incapable of taking advantage of this great incompetence that the CONgress is displaying at all levels. I really hope that this country takes note of the grand scam that the Sonia Gandhi coterie has pulled on the nation and taken us back many years. I understand it is a tough global economy out there, but the incompetence, complacence, hidden interests, vote bank agendas and absolutely criminal rape of public finances and funds is all our own achievements.

And yet when I hear my friends telling me that there are no other options, it pains me. A part of it is, I am quite sure, the great sway on the media that the Gandhi family and their posse seem to have. The one thing that they can do better than anybody else is media management, with Times of India, NDTV and other big names firmly in their sphere of influence.

All in all, I have written many times that it is very fashionable in the country today to be a pseudo-secular, and Hindu bashing is a national past time. A lot of idiots believe it is cool to speak ill of Narendra Modi and RSS and some aspects of the BJP, and that the CONgress is the modern party that will take India into the next generation, with Rahul Gandhi at the helm. Of course, the CONgress has worked very hard to take into the next generation - of poverty, socialism, crony capitalism and corruption.

Unfortunately, the big pessimist in me believes that it is beyond the BJP or the CONgress to actually stem the social and economic rot in our country. Now that the people have tasted blood when it comes to making money by hook or by crook, any efforts by the Governments to being some semblance of rules and regulations in our currently free for all economy will be met with huge resistance, and to meet that resistance, we need strong willed governments and leadership, which we simply do not seem to possess. So its beyond the political spectrum that I believe our society to be damaged.

A lot of people, including writers in the East and West, talk of India being in this chaotic stage because this is the only way to go about the economic and social change it is facing today. It takes time for the chaos we see around us to settle down because I would imagine this is a very uncertain time for a lot of us. The tribals are afraid the big corporates are going to take over their lands and resources, some communities are afraid other communities are going to take over, some communities are afraid of being sidelined so ask for reservations, some states are afraid to let in people from other states, and this entire spectrum of fear and apprehension is buttressed by a huge cloud of hypocrisy and double standards that, to me, permeates each and every aspect of our society. That is something nothing we can solve on our own.