Will Modi be the next Atal for BJP??

Atal Behari Vajpayee was a gentle giant, Narendra Modi is self created portrait of muscular machismo trying to wake up his effete Hindu countrymen perpetually railing against the humiliations real and imaginary imposed by the other. 

Caught in the middle is the BJP desperately trying to be a political party in danger of fast being reduced to a one man cult. And, ten years after the Gujarat riots with no one of any standing held to account the BJP also has to deal with this festering sore which comes back to haunt it as Modi is repeatedly treated as radioactive by the NDA while being one of the few leaders who still activates the anemic faithful. 



Modi's megalomania where he has decided that he is a colossus while the rest of the BJP leadership should be grateful for his mere presence has also not gone down well for a party that used to pride itself on accountability and discipline. 

As a hapless Nitin Gadkari drawing his authority from the RSS no less watches in horror as Modi treats him and his dictates with utter contempt similar to what he reserved for best frenenmy Pravin Togadia. 

While, the Modi brand of machismo which equated the size of his chest to the prid e of Gujarat may work in the state elections to be held there later it does confront the BJP with a Modi sized problem. 

What are they to do with him? Hs is anathema to the allies, can't get along with the other leaders whose egos match his even when they do not have his popular draw and will ensure that Nitin Gadkari currently lobbying hard for a second term as president with the RSS insisting that the BJP change its constitution to accommodate him gets torpedoed. 

And what of Advani the perpetual bridesmaid never the bride under whose leadership the BJP lost two general elections? Will he finally make way for Modi? 

Plan B of the BJP was always to replace the moderate Atalji with him pan Indian acceptance and charisma with Advani who is conspicuous by his lack of those qualities. 

That was not to be. But pity, sensible leaders like Arun Jaitly, first having to defend the indefensible and then to pander to it. 

If the BJP is to regain its space as a sensible party of the right it must make its moral accounting right. Rajdharm as Atalji gently reminded Modi has to take precedence over Newton and Modi's theories of equal and opposite reactions. 

Otherwise the reality is that the BJP will never form the government again as a Modi led BJP will be an untouchable for all including Nitish Kumar and Mamata. Sure he might be friends with Jayalalitha but, he should learn the cautionary tale of the UPA government and its ATM ministries. She will not demand a pound of flesh but, a giant gouge will the BJP play along? 

It's been ten years since Godhra. India needs a decent Opposition and closure. That will happen with genuine justice and an apology since the first and fundamental right of citizen is a right to life and no growth rate can be used as justification for not providing it. 

The BJP needs to get in touch with its soul and look for the Atalji touch again.

Chances have increased for world war 3??

International analysts have launched a debate about the probability of a start of a new world war. The plans to deploy Patriot missile defense systems on the Turkish-Syrian border were another excuse for this discussion. There are allegations that the threat from Syria is only an imaginary cause of the deployment, and in reality it has to do with Iran and its nuclear potential.

Many experts have repeatedly expressed their opinions about a probability of a start of another world war. According to them, the third world war would be a doom for humanity, since the nuclear standoff would not leave anyone alive. This statement was recently made by Hasan Firouzabadi, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces.

According to him, the cause of a new world war can be a possible deployment of Patriot missile defense systems on the border between Syria and Turkey.

As Hassan Firouzabadi noted in his speech, this measure would lead to serious consequences for Europe and the entire humanity, noting that the new missile system was a “black mark on the world map.” NATO Secretary General Fogh Rasmussen noted that these missile systems would not stay in Turkey longer than necessary.

Currently, their deployment on nine hundred kilometers of the Turkish-Syrian border is under discussion.The reason for the deployment of Patriot was an official request by the Turkish authorities sent to NATO on November 21, 2012. On December 4, NATO representatives approved the request of Turkey.

According to the Turkish media, the authorities made this decision to protect the country against a possible attack by Syria. So far Patriot missile defense systems would be deployed in the provinces of Malatya, Gaziantep and Diyarbakir, the south-east of the country. In addition, the command center of the system will be located at a NATO base in Germany.

At the request of Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Netherlands, the missile complex will be deployed in January of 2013.

At a meeting with the NATO Secretary General, Prime Minister of the Netherlands noted that Germany, the USA and the Netherlands were working closely with representatives of the Turkish side to finish the installation of the anti-missile system as quickly as possible.

However, the Chief of Staff of Iranian Armed Forces was not the only one who had a very negative reaction to the possibility of deployment of Patriot at the Turkish-Syrian border.

As noted by Ali Akbar Salehi, Iranian Foreign Minister, deployment of anti-missile system on the Turkish-Syrian border is more a provocation than a way to protect against a possible attack by the Syrian Air Force. According to him, it would be foolish to hope that the deployment of Patriot would help to improve security and stabilize the situation in the region.

Salehi also said that the issue could not be solved without the participation of Syria, therefore, Turkey and NATO should not interfere in the Syrian problems.

However, other world powers had a cautious reaction to the situation. According to head of the Russian Foreign Ministry Sergei Lavrov, the deployment of the missile complex at the Syrian-Turkish border may cause new armed clashes and even a new global war.

According to him, the new Turkish Patriot system is a serious threat to many countries, including Iran and Europe. Despite the fact that the missile defense system is designed to reflect a possible attack by Syria, its location in Turkey can be quickly changed, so theoretically, it could be used against Iran that would not be able to do anything to oppose the attackers.

Russian experts believe that despite the large distance from the borders of Iran, the main purpose of Patriot is a timely suppression of Iran’s nuclear facilities located only 500 kilometers away. As noted by Dmitry Polikanov, Vice President of the PIR Center, a possible threat from Syria is just an excuse. In fact, the U.S. plans to use Turkey as a platform from which they can quickly suppress the threat from Iran. According to him, the Patriot deployment in Turkey cannot be temporary, despite the statements of the Turkish authorities.

Now Iran will be closely watched, and any wrong move would be seen as a provocation, and the consequences will be the most disastrous for the country because Tehran will not be able to strike back. Victor Nadein-Rajewski, a research fellow at the RAS, agreed with this opinion. According to him, the final location of Patriot missiles has not yet been approved, which is alarming.

According to him, deployment of the missile defense system is a way for NATO to help to strengthen Turkey as a strategic platform for the United States to fight against Iran.

Despite the fact that the country is ruled by the Islamic government with Prime Minister Erdogan in charge, NATO was able to draw the Turkish authorities into the conflict against Iran.

Especially, by helping in the fight against Syria, where Ankara has its own interest. Not all Russian experts are that pessimistic. According to the director of the Moscow Carnegie Center, Dmitri Trenin, one cannot state with certainty that Patriot missiles would be directed against Iran. According to him, Europe has long formed anti-missile systems that can successfully confront Tehran, and currently there is no need to supplement.

Of course, if the situation with Iran gets more complicated, NATO and the U.S. will have to take additional measures to counter it, and Patriot missiles would likely play an important role. Under the current circumstances this is largely caused by a political situation in Syria and Turkey.

As General Leonid Ivashov, director of the Institute for Geopolitical Studies, noted in his speech, at this time there can be no question of Syria attacking Turkey. Syrian state is dealing with a critical problem of the civil war, and cannot even think about a centralized attack on another country whose military power significantly surpasses the capabilities of Syria. According to General Ivashov, this is not a question of protecting Turkey from an attack by the Syrians, but the invasion of Turkish troops into Syria, as Ankara has been interested in the country for a long time.

Russia’s veto is the only factor that prevented the invasion. According to General Leonid Ivashov, the new missile facility is created not for defense, but an attack either on Iran or Syria. Incidentally, the deployed complex may help to fight missiles, combat aircraft and helicopters, but would be useless in the attacks of ground forces, or short-range missiles.

However, according to NATO spokesman George Litlla, the Turkish officials have repeatedly made decisions to open fire on the Syrian side in response to the falling shells.

In addition, Turkish representatives fear that riots and growing civil war in Syria will “cross” the Turkish border because the political situation in the border areas is unstable. According to Alexander Grushko, Russia’s envoy to NATO, deployment of anti-missile systems is a sign that the alliance began to interfere in the Turkish-Syrian conflict.

The deployment of missiles once again confirms the interest of NATO and the United States in the Asian region, as well as the fact that the U.S. is going to take an interest in the Syrian conflict. As stated by Anders Fogh Rasmussen, this measure would help to demonstrate to the world that Turkey is under the protection of the world’s leading powers.

Coach should also have a nationality??

Every team needs player of its origin. Obvious? then why it is not obvious that the same is not applicable to a coach, someone who can be of any nationality as long as he can bring out the best in the side??

Keeping the wins in the last three consecutive ODIs aside, the string of defeats led to suggestions from various quarters that Team India needs an Indian coach. Unfortunately, cricket has absolutely nothing to do with caste, colour, creed and nationality of the mentor. It's a simple fact that most are surprisingly giving a miss.

The argument that team needs an Indian origin coach would be valid if several members of the side found it hard to communicate with a foreign coach in a foreign tongue. The rise of players from the grass-root levels and the heartland of the country may indeed make this a valid point in which case, this write-up is defeated in its purpose. Otherwise, it seeks and begs to differ.

Individual merit of individuals cannot be subjected to his nationality. To this author at the very least, it is better to have a maverick foreign coach who infuses energy into a team than have a coach who may be speaking the same language but nobody is really listening! Of course, someone who speaks the same tongue, has superb credentials and has a persona which commands players to play their best and enjoy every minute of doing so, would be the ideal choice. Is it then not better to just say we need a capable man and not necessarily an Indian?

Most important point raised in favour of having an Indian coach for the team is that a former cricketer who has played in this team and at the domestic level, is the best because he recognizes challenges, works against identified limitations and is a hardened veteran in the not-so-subtle nuances of sub-continental cricket. Even former skipper Sourav Ganguly said he is not a big fan of the 'obsession' to get foreign coaches.

I just thing Fletcher didn’t have the skills to manage a team that has a star in every player, and that Ganguly would be the ideal man to take over from him. I don’t understand this obsession with getting foreigners to coach our team. How can someone who isn’t an Indian understand how our system works? Look at australia they always choose a national coach in which they won three consecutive world cup. You have got to have someone who knows the inside out not only Indian cricket, but also how the administration works here. Fletcher failed when it came getting the players to understand how he works and also didn’t have the influence needed to give the players a reality check.

Ganguly was someone who always called a spade a spade and need someone like him to take over. The guy needs to be fearless and not be worried about certain people in the board who want to run the show. Who can be better than him? Also, he hasn’t retired a decade ago so he is well versed with the way things work in Indian cricket. I feel he’s the perfect guy for the job. Fletcher is just like our prime minister who never comes to media never makes any statement why india consecutively loosing??


Coach of same nationality:

South Africa: Gary Kirsten - This team is like a raging bull and has a superb matador steering its rampage.

New Zealand: Mike Hesson - Accused for his alleged role in having Ross Taylor sacked and replacing him with Brendon McCullum. Kiwis thrashed recently by South Africa.

West Indies: Ottis Gibson from Barbados - Mentored West Indies to WT20 title. Period!

Clearly then, there is no set principle that a foreign or a coach of the same nationality can ensure success and improve a team by miles.

Well, Fletcher was on the two year contract which will be ended on the coming april. So lets ripe for the indian coach.

Modi vs Rahul in 2014 loksabha election??

After the congress chintan shivir, it is decided congress decided to fight 2014 loksabha general election under the leadership of Rahul gandhi. After the smashing victory of modi in gujrat he is also become favourable for PM from BJP. With these two candidates contradiction is on who has an edge in 2014 general loksabha election. Let's try to find out.

Nobody can, of course, predict how the next general election will run out. There is much enough time between now and 2014 or even late 2013. But it is not unreasonable to presume that Modi and Rahul will be their parties’ respective standard bearers, even if they are not officially declared their prime ministerial candidates. It will be worth to watch which stratgies both the national parties adopt.

Starting with Rahul Gandhi with an initial advantage, for in his party there is no challenger. The Congress’s refusal to allow any alternative power centre to emerge whether in the youth wing or in the central leadership or in the states will ensure that he has a free run. Rahul will get whatever he asks for.

Modi has strong grassroots party support, and is certainly first among equals in the party, but unlike the Congress, the BJP is not a single-power-centre party. Every BJP Chief Minister is a power centre, and the party is India’s most federated organisation. Plus, there is parental interference – from the RSS. Modi will have more challenges before the anointment than Rahul.

Modi and Rahul also have similarities of a sort. Neither Congress nor BJP is likely to announce their candidatures in advance – for the former because it does not want to saddle Rahul with any defeat, and the latter to avoid deterring potential allies. It is more than probable, therefore, that both Rahul and Modi will be their parties’ chief campaign managers with a major say in who gets to run and who does not in the next elections. They will also crucially determine campaign strategies.

The most important element in the Rahul-Modi clash will not about ideas or policies, but their ability to tailor state-level strategies that will work for them. A Lok Sabha general election is often a bunch of state elections aggregated as a national vote.

Here, Rahul has the advantage of not raising hackles among any sort of ally – from Nitish Kumar to Navin Patnaik, the Congress would be an acceptable option at the centre.

For Modi, the search for allies has to be more strategic. The general assumption that he will find it tougher to get allies is not founded on any realistic assessment of post-poll political realities, even if pre-poll rhetoric needs allies to keep their distance from him.

If he is hoping for a reverse Hindu consolidation, Modi has to seek it through proxy – for example, in Assam, he could talk of the Bangladeshi influx. In UP, he can talk of Hindu-Muslim unity to build the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

But one point is important: at 150-plus seats, the Congress can still form a government like UPA-1, with outside Left support. At 150-plus seats, the BJP will have to provide a leader other than Modi to run a government. At less than 140 seats each, we are more likely to see a Federal or United Front of regional parties in power with outside Congress support.

This arithmetic implies that Modi has a higher hurdle to cross than Rahul. Without 180 seats, Modi is a not a realistic contender for PM.

For politics is a game played with a scoreboard, and push has come to shove for the scam, scandal tainted party that is facing diminishing returns across the country despite a slew of well-meaning social welfare schemes designed to fetch votes by the bucket.

Although the BJP is in no better shape, the word on the street is that Rahul Gandhi’s elevation will serve as an impetus for Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modio assume a bigger, larger role in the BJP before the next general elections. With his hat-trick of wins in the State and with his advertised record as an administrator, Modi has a headstart over Rahul Gandhi, nearly 20 years his junior.

Indeed paradoxically, Modi, 62, is seen as more of a youth icon than Rahul Gandhi, who was missing in action when, say, the Delhi gangrape was scorching the party or when Google, Facebook and Twitter were being clogged up by the Oxford and Harvard educated geniuses in Manmohan Singh‘s government.

However, elections in India is not a zero-sum game.

The key to 7 Race Course Road will run through state capitals – Modi will have to have a viable state level strategy, both to get the BJP more seats in hitherto weak states (UP, etc), and to create future allies. Rahul has the luxury of making his plans after the elections and choosing allies with the right numbers. He also has the option of anointing a PM – like his mother did with primeminister.

Even if Rahul has a theoretical edge, all bets are off when it comes to the final battle where guts, grit and gumption count for as much as elevating rhetoric.

In the ultimate analysis, both Modi and Rahul will try and convince the electorate that they are more than their past – or their parties’ past.

Rahul will try to distance himself from his government’s recent record. Modi will try to get the electorate’s mind off 2002. The winner will be whoever succeeds more in making voters forget their past.
So, given all the imponderables that swing into play—caste, allies, secularism, communalism, etc—who do you think will come up trumps if it is Modi vs Gandhi in 2014? Does Rahul, who has the Gandhi surname, have the pan-national appeal that goes beyond the urban middle-classes? Which of the two could garner more allies, so crucial in a coalition era? Which alliance will triumph—UPA or NDA?

Indian cricket team back on momentum??

Team India, once impassable at home, is now a mere shadow of its reputation. The ascendancy in Gary Kirsten's era as a coach seems to be a forgotten story. India was also ranked No. 1 in Tests when Dhoni's men reached the summit and conquered the 2011 World Cup. Since then, the tides have turned and they have been subjected to a free-fall.

Plenty has gone wrong for MS Dhoni in the last 20 months: India have been thumped in overseas Tests, and then lost some more at home too; his captaincy moves have been questioned; and his batting form in Tests has been pretty ordinary - 958 runs in 33 innings at 33.03 - and those stats were propped up by home runs against New Zealand and West Indies. There's one aspect of his game, though, that has remained untouched by all these recent debacles - his ODI batting has been quite spectacular recently, even if all his runs haven't led to victories.

Since the end of the 2011 World Cup, Dhoni has played 27 ODI innings, scored 1166 runs, and averaged 83.28 at a strike rate of 92.39. The average has been helped along by 13 not-outs, but even allowing for that, these are amazing numbers: in these 27 innings he has gone past 50 on 11 occasions, and scored a century when coming in to bat at 29 for 5 in seaming conditions against a potent Pakistan attack. He has guided the team when wickets have fallen around him, consolidated during the middle stages of the innings, and been there during the slog overs, performing each role to perfection.

There has been criticism about him batting too far down the order at Nos. 6 or 7 - he has batted higher only three times during this period - but it can also be argued that he has given the specialist batsmen in the team the best opportunity to build their innings. That he has been left with so much to do is a damning indictment of the lack of form of the top-order batsmen. In these 30 matches that Dhoni has played, he has scored 16.38% of bat runs scored by all Indian batsmen, a pretty high percentage for someone who bats outside the top five in the 50-over format.

It is more of an emotional outburst to call for Dhoni's sacking. Despite results not going his way, Dhoni has performed consistently in the shorter formats. In Tests, it isn't fair to expect a No. 7 batsman to save the game every single time. The top order has hit the skids, the bowlers have struggled to pick 20 wickets and eventually MS Dhoni has had to bite the bullet. India has certainly not found its next Test or ODI captain yet. However, a T20 captain? Yes. It's perhaps time Dhoni is relieved of that responsibility. The grey hair is an indication of the stress he's had to bear over the last couple of years. Virat Kohli, who many believe is our future captain, can get a fair test handling the T20 side as he's proved to be India's run machine for the previous two years. There's Yuvraj too who can take over the T20 side.

It will be a never-ending discussion if one starts pointing out the loopholes in the grass root level where budding talents are born. Instead, the team management, selectors and the players should collectively think that it's never too late to bring about a change. Be it in terms of individual fitness, attitude towards the game or team-spirit. The game needs a strong Indian team. There is enough talent. The million dollar question is, 'will there be enough effort put in?' We'll find out in days to come.


It's about time the team management gives Rahane a go, even if he has to bat at the top of the order. For that to happen, either Sehwag or Gambhir should make way. The former has been living on thin ice for over a year now. Nobody knows, for how long his reputation can grant him a place in the side. The latter - Gautam Gambhir - has hit a dry patch too. Despite having an ODI average of over 40 in the last year (with most of his good knocks coming at the start of 2012), he has been under the scanner for repeatedly committing the same errors. Gambhir's rapport with captain MS Dhoni has also been a talking point. Who would you drop?

Rotation policy, once employed to reduce player fatigue, can be a solution to India's dilemma. Give Rahane a fairly long run while you alternate between Sehwag and Gambhir for different matches. It doesn't just give Rahane some breathing space, but it also creates a sense of competition among the senior players to save their place and perform to the best of their abilities. It is a matter of saving their career, after all. Similar approach can be used to figure out who among Manoj Tiwary and Rohit Sharma will cement his place in the ODI XI. The young talent will also gain some valuable experience this way.

India is in dire need of a bowling coach, a mentor of sorts, someone like a Wasim Akram or a Glenn McGrath who has the talent and the experience to help the Indian bowlers surge ahead in these testing times. Praveen Kumar, S Sreesanth, Irfan Pathan, Ishant Sharma, Ashish Nehra and several promising bowlers have succumbed to injuries on a consistent basis. Of course, one can't totally eliminate injuries at the International level, but preventing injuries to the extent possible will be one of the areas that should be addressed by the BCCI and it can be carried out by proper mentoring.

Most fast bowlers will fancy their chances against Dhoni in Tests, especially overseas, but in ODIs Dhoni has tackled them pretty effectively. Batting outside Asia remains a tricky issue for Dhoni - he averages only 33.13 in chases outside Asia, compared to 63.89 in Asia - but given his current form, he is India's best batting bet in ODIs regardless of the conditions.

Dhoni is although consistent when team team is passing from a bad phase. He scored century against Pak when half of the team was back to pavilion. Last two matches have awaken hopes for team india and jadega also has impressed with his performances. Will team india will be able to keep his winnning tune on and will get the momentum back??

It will be a never-ending discussion if one starts pointing out the loopholes in the grass root level where budding talents are born. Instead, the team management, selectors and the players should collectively think that it's never too late to bring about a change. Be it in terms of individual fitness, attitude towards the game or team-spirit. The game needs a strong Indian team. There is enough talent. The million dollar question is, 'will there be enough effort put in?' We'll find out in days to come.