A Verdict on the AAP v/s BJP v/s Congress Debate

The AAP v/s BJP v/s Congress debate has taken the country by storm! It's like Sri Lanka v/s India v/s Zimbabwe (where the Congress is Zimbabwe). Well, it doesn't matter. The country has given its verdict. While most are overjoyed with the result, a lot of us are sour. Some call it the 'death of democracy', yet others are claiming that it's a bubble waiting to burst, and then there are those who believe that the most controversial party would've done a much better job at the helm.

This post is not for bragging about the BJP's victory. It offers insights into what transpired. It is an analysis (without statistics) of each party's actions and their repercussions.

A friend said that his relatives in Ahmednagar were happy with the Congress. The Congress had waived off farmers’ loans and electricity bills. These subsidies are what has kept them in power for 55 out of the 67 years, and will continue to do so. You see, the Congress has spoiled people below the middle class so much that they don’t want to work hard anymore. The MGNREGA has given the lower strata the easier choice of being paid without working. As a result, labour for agriculture has become expensive, indirectly impacting the price of food grains. The PDS has, as usual, led to hoarding of food grains by middlemen creating an artificial shortage. Again, prices rise. This time, the middlemen make money. Policy paralysis, countless scams and almost 0% accountability has frustrated almost everyone.

Most of India (including me) was delighted with AAP’s dominating victory in Delhi. I must admit, however, that I was sceptical of AK ever since Anna Hazare claimed that his Jan Lokpal proposition was being diluted by Kejriwal and used for selfish reasons. After forming a government over much brouhaha, the repeated U-turns made by AK and company, mindless dharnas and unfeasible economic decisions left Delhi worse off than it was. Water tankers earlier would charge 800 bucks per round. After Kejriwal’s resignation, ungoverned, they started charging 1,500 bucks per round. Imagine the plight of common man who believed in AK. Plus the number of resignations from party members and mud being slung them, the vehement abuse of all politicians by AAP members; these left a lot of people disillusioned.

It is true that most people support AAP for its cause – wiping out corruption. But in a country like India, where corruption has penetrated every aspect of our lives, it will take a mammoth effort. A mere resignation within 50 days and blaming other parties for it won’t suffice. Hell, office politics is tough because of colleagues. What gave Kejriwal the feeling that running India’s capital would be any easier?

Corruption is a major issue for the middle class and bourgeoisie, not for the lower economic classes. Their concerns are jobs, wages and prices – primarily of food items. While we were crying about Salman Khan mistreating Gauhar in Big Boss, the poor man barely had food to eat because of job losses and food prices shooting through the roof. He was left exasperated. Consequently, he turned to the only man who talked the language he wanted to hear – Narendra Modi. More than the media, immigrant workers in Gujarat carried word of his good work around. Labourers would let their friends and family in Bihar, MP, UP and other places know about how efficient the governance in Gujarat is. Lower strata people (including Delhi’s slum dwellers) then decided to vote for Modi. “Wo tarakki laayega” was their reasoning. They are hoping Modi will bring more jobs and empower them to live a better life. They’re hoping this will make them earn more so that they can live in better houses, eat better and send their children to English medium schools.

The Congress’s definition of inclusive growth is flawed. Imagine an organization paying money to its employees for years regardless of shoddy jobs being done (or none at all). How long will it survive? Apply that concept to a whole country. Now imagine an organization providing its employees a conducive environment, giving them the necessary tools to perform well, bringing in business to ensure they have work, rewarding them accordingly and expanding consistently. Now apply that concept to a whole country. Which model will succeed?

The BJP has its flaws too – lots of them. No government is clean.  Nor will they make all of India’s issues disappear. For all we know, Modi’s model might fail miserably because other states don’t have the same entrepreneurial DNA as Gujarat. But the man deserves a chance. Narendra Modi comes with a proven track record – that of 12 years. He already has made the cabinet leaner, which will hopefully lead to project approvals faster.

Indian citizens are not in favour of the BJP; they’re in favour of growth and development, which currently only 1 man seems capable of delivering. Narendra Modi has sold us Indians the only feeling which is stronger than fear – Hope! It is this emotion that has led to BJP’s landslide victory. This is a humble request to put aside all bad blood and get behind the current Prime Minister of your country. He needs your support to help you live a better life. And I think he deserves it.

Book Review: Smart Phones Dumb People? - Parthajeet Sarma

People are getting dumber while phones are getting smarter. It’s a known fact. A funny saying these days goes such – “It’s important for man to be honest. Even phones are smart these days.” I had blogged about this here. The author, Parthajeet Sarma, looks to address this notion. Or so it seems by the title of the book – Smart Phones Dumb People?

Parthajeet Sarma is a fan of free markets and technology. This is evident from what he writes about. The author has slotted his thoughts into 5 main categories:

• Technology

• Innovation

• Entrepreneurship

• Priorities

• Corruption

The author’s writing seems inspired by Gurcharan Das and the likes. He presents a holistic view of India and its citizens in each chapter and provides relevant examples to justify his view points. He reminds us of how lucky we are because mobiles phones and vehicles are affordable today viz-a-viz 2 decades ago. He focuses on how technology is being leveraged to make common man’s life easier. Examples include travel portals, e-commerce websites, banking and ATMs (which he predicts may turn mobile soon) and more. He laments over the attitude of students joining IIT (simply to adhere to society’s or their parents’ norms); how Facebook has reduced the amount we interact with real friends. He does this in anecdotal ways – some funny Facebook updates and incidents between his friends and him.

Smart Phones Dumb People?

Parthajeet Sarma believes innovation occurs mostly in the west and not in India. I would beg to differ. Jugaad Innovation points out how innovation is increasingly gaining speed in emerging nations (including India). The western world spends millions of dollars on innovation and invention with precious little gained from it. On the other hand, Indians invest lesser money and achieve results to address issues plaguing their people more effectively. Resource usage is optimized in India and other emerging nations more than in western countries today.

While the author talks about using 21^st century tools to address 19^th century issues, I wish he would focus more on how smart phones are hampering productivity of man today. He could have touched upon more aspects relevant to the title of the book. While some humans have used technology for the enhancement of society, most of us are distracted by it. E-mails, chats, Social media and more keep us so distracted that we refuse to spend even a few minutes by ourselves. In fact, someone I know wants m-indicator, an app which suggests train and bus timings in Mumbai, to start suggesting which trains we should catch to reach work on time. Our increasing dependence on technology is scary. The book can also do with more concise writing. We Indians are guilty of framing long sentences; trying to put too many points in one sentence. That, however, adversely impacts the attention span of the reader. I’m sure, with time, Parthajeet Sarma will become more adept at writing (or he’ll find a better ghost writer ;) ).

The book is a breezy read; one that can be finished in a few hours. It doesn’t beat around the bush. Instead, it briskly covers a lot of points. ‘Smart Phones Dumb People?’ is a good read for youngsters who would like a bird’s eye view of how India has progressed over the ages. However, voracious readers may find it a little wanting in language. I wish Parthajeet Sarma all the best and hopes he keeps coming out with better books.

Should We Start Building Our Own Defence Equipment?

The Augusta – Westland deal (3,500 crores for 12 helicopters) is yet another case of corruption in the Indian system. New names keep cropping up regularly in the case, leaving the Defence Minister A.K. Antony wringing his hands in helplessness.

The calls for involving private sector companies in building defence equipment in India are getting louder. India has become the world’s largest recipient of arms in recent years. On the other hand, China, which held the top spot in 2006, has now fallen to fourth. Several TATA group companies, L&T, Mahindra, Reliance and others are showing increasing capabilities in developing defence equipment. The army, however, doesn’t seem too excited.

The Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO), Defence PSUs (DPSU) and ordnance factory boards (OFBs) hold virtually a monopoly in supplying arms to the Indian army. However, these entities are plagued with corruption, inefficiency and bias. Less than 3% employees in the DRDO hold a Ph.D. An acquaintance of mine has visited the DRDO a few years ago and said a lot of time is spent by employees chatting, sleeping or lazing around. All this while almost 30% procurement and 100% R&D for arms lies in the DRDO’s hands. The DPSUs and OFBs are no better. This is a large point of concern.

3,500 crore for 12 choppers - Augusta Westland deal

Senior officials say middlemen thrive in defence deals because foreign companies do not have the bandwidth to wade through red tapism and corruption in India. India must start developing in house defence equipment. We can’t build all equipment ourselves; some arms still need to be imported. But by doing this, India will reduce dependence on other nations and corruption in this field. We are easily the best software exporters in the world. That expertise can surely be utilized by the defence sector to develop state-of-the-art arms and help India stand shoulder to shoulder with the world. Our soldiers deserve to be better equipped wherever they are deployed.

What do you think?

An Idea To Get Rid Of Corruption [VIDEO]

How tired are we of corruption? And how much do we do to arrest it? Precious little.

My MBA classmates and I shot and composed this video in the fall of 2009 while we were studying at Bharati Vidyapeeth Management Institute. It's our take on how we can combat corruption without entering the system.

This video won awards wherever it entered a competition - Father Agnels' Institute, IES MBA Institute and others. The video was also applauded by renowned Marathi actor Sachin Khedekar. The following was his take of our video:

"I'm not so concerned about videos which constantly portray the problems we face. I don't want to hear people constantly say "It's not possible", "We can't do anything", "It's always been like this", etc. I want to see a positive sign where we are provided with a solution to such issues. This video is a classic example of such solutions." - Sachin Khedekar.

The team with Sachin Khedekar. The one on the extreme right is me.

We must stand as one against corruption. The process of reducing it (elimination is impossible) will be painstakingly long, but every bit worth it! We must not lose hope. It's important to stand as a united force and oppose corruption. If we do this, we'll fix the problem of rampant corruption without having to enter the system. Forget the saying "Apna kaam banta, bhaad mein jaaye janta (As long as my work is done, the world can go to hell)" and stand as citizens of one country.