Harsh Vardhan is BJP’s Dr Clean

SaswaBhartiya Janata Party announced Dr Harsh Vardhan as its Chief Ministerial candidate in Delhi. By naming him, the party has once again proved that it practices good governance and clean politics. With this, the BJP has lived upto its slogan of Sushasan Sankalpa, Bhajapa Vikalpa.

But what does Vardhan’s new political assignment mean for the BJP? And what does it signify in a triangular contest between the BJP, Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)? Fifty nine year-old Harsh Vardhan is the first among the equals in Delhi BJP and is a quintessential organiser with tremendous administrative abilities, who is credited for rebuilding the BJP unit in Delhi from the grassroot level after the party suffered a defeat in the 2003 Assembly election. It is pertinent to mention that he has never lost an election in his political career.

Dr Vardhan as the Health Minister in the BJP Government in Delhi, between 1993-1998, is known for his remarkable efforts in eradicating polio in the State. He has single-handedly developed the highly successful polio eradication drive in October 1994, which became a pan-India programme later under his supervision. Even the US on several occasions has praised the country for the success of this programme.

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Tejpal, Tehelka must pay for their sins

Sometimes proximity with power gives one the illusion of importance. Tarun J Tejpal was one such journalist who selectively sting-slandered the BJP by cultivating the Congress to the extent that it made him and his Tehelka count among Delhi’s who’s who.

Having thus gotten drunk on power, Tarun Tejpal, who is close to the Congress’s corridors of power must surely have experimented with things illegal on various occasions. But November 21 can match  be the worst the ‘sting crusader news maker’ has ever thought up. On Thursday the shocking news of Tehelka founder-editor molesting a young journalist working for his magazine broke. The 23-year-old victim is his daughter’s best friend. We, the journalistic fraternity hang our heads in shame for the criminal deed which Tejpal has committed.

The incident dates back to November 7, the first evening of Tehelka’s much publicised ‘Thinkfest 2013’ in Goa, where the guest list ranged from Finance Minister P Chidambaram to Taliban founder Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef.

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After Phailin, no relief in Odisha

It has been two weeks since Cyclone Phailin hit Odisha and made way for mammoth floods in its wake. Five districts were affected by it and 12 more districts fell prey to the subsequent floods.

Though the flood situation showed signs of improvement earlier, repeat floods have returned to haunt the State. The situation on the ground speaks volumes about how the multiple calamities continue to tear through lives.

According to Government information, these natural disasters have already claimed over 55 lives. As many as 1.23 crore people in 18,000 villages were affected by the cyclone and the subsequent flood. More than 42 lakh homes have been destroyed. Standing crops on 6,25,408 hectare of land with a value of Rs 5,000 crore have been damaged. While the total loss figure in the twin calamities is as yet unknown, the Odisha Government pegs the loss to power sector alone at Rs 1, 000 crore. Thousands of farmers and fishermen have lost their life’s savings. The figure is rising fast.

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Modi’s elevation is a watershed moment for BJP

Saswat Panigrahi

The announcement of Narendra Modi as Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2014 general election is a watershed moment in BJP’s history. This signifies the victory for the BJP in the round two of the game. Having said that, let me explain why. The Gujarat Chief Minister had already marked his arrival on to the national political scenario with the assignment as Chairman of BJP Central Election Committee. With that decision, BJP won round one.

But what does Modi’s new political assignment mean for BJP? What are its possible implications? How will the nation respond to the BJP’s decision?

A section within the BJP is opposed to the declaration of Narendra Modi as Prime Ministerial candidate. But the entirety of the BJP cadre wants to see Modi as the Prime Ministerial face of the party for the coming general election. And it is not only the BJP cadre. For the first time in India’s political history, it’s the people of the country who want to see somebody as the Prime Minister.

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Opportunist NiKu needs to be taught a lesson

Saswat Panigrahi

Nitish Kumar’s BJP cushion is now a matter of past. After hisJDU severed its 17-year-long ties with the NDA in the wake of Narendra Modi’s appointment as BJP’s Central Election Committee chairman, Kumar is a forlorn politician now.

Even as the Bihar Chief Minister managed to win a trust vote with the help of Congress and some sundry independents, his image as a politician has taken a severe beating.

By snapping ties with BJP on the issue of Narendra Modi, Kumar has made his intentions clear. There are no two opinions that Modi’s new appointment is just one step away from him being declared as BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate. This didn’t go down well with Nitish who is paranoid of Modi’s rise. But why? With just 20 MPs in his kitty, Kumar sees himself as a contender for the Prime Minister. This is nothing but a joke.

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A 9/11 worth remembering

Saswat Panigrahi

One hundred and twenty years ago, on this day, Swami Vivekananda delivered a model speech at the Parliament of World Religions held in Chicago. The world celebrates this day as World Brotherhood Day as a mark of respect to that sterling speech.

Bowing to goddess Saraswati, Vivekananda had begun his speech with “sisters and brothers of America!” At those words, he received a standing ovation of two minutes from an audience of 7,000. When silence restored, Vivekananda responded, “I thank you in the name of the most ancient order of monks in the world; I thank you in the name of the mother of religions; I thank you in the name of millions and millions of Hindu people of all classes and sects.”

Representing India, Vivekananda introduced the greatness of Hindutva and the eternal values of Indianness to the West. “I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true. I am proud to belong to a nation which has sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of all religions and all nations of the earth,” he said.

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Lalu Prasad Yadav has nowhere to go

Saswat Panigrahi

Justice has finally caught up with RJD chief and former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav. A special CBI court in Ranchi has sentenced Lalu Prasad to five years imprisonment in connection with one of the cases in the Rs 950-crore fodder scam.

Former Bihar Chief Minister Jagannath Mishra and senior JDU leader Jagdish Sharma got four years in jail. 43 others convicted in the case were also sentenced to prison terms. The culprits of the fodder scam have got their just desserts.

Lalu Prasad and his team have been found guilty of fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 37.7 crore from Chaibasa treasury of the undivided Bihar in the early 1990s. Lalu Prasad Yadav was heading the RJD Government then.

The wily Lalu managed to keep clear of the law for the last 17 years, thanks to his political association with Congress. But now, Lalu is certainly a persona non grata for the Congress which is in bed with Nitish Kumar.

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अपने कदम से निराश कर गए आडवाणी

Saswat Panigrahi

और आखिर लालकृष्ण आड़वाणी झुकने के लिए तैयार हो गए। उनके पार्टी के सभी पदों से इस्तीफा देने के बाद भाजपा में भयंकर संकट पैदा हो गया था। भाजपा के वयोवद्ध नेता ने अपने इस्तीफे के ३० घंटों के बाद अपना इस्तीफा वापस ले लिया।

आरएसएस के सरसंघचालक मोहन भागवत के आडवाणी से बात करने के बाद पार्टी और आडवाणी के बीच शीत युद्ध समाप्त हो गया। भागवत ने आडवाणी से कहा कि वे भाजपा संसदीय दल के उनके इस्तीफे को खारिज करने के फैसले का सम्मान करें। इसके बाद आडवाणी के पास कोई विकल्प नहीं बचा था। भाजपा का संकट फिलहाल तो टल ही गया है।

अब बड़ा सवाल- आडवाणी ने इस्तीफा क्यों दिया था ? हालांकि भाजपा के सबसे बुजुर्ग नेता ने कहा, उनके लिए भाजपा की वर्तमान कामकाज की शैली के मद्देनजर उनके लिए पार्टी में काम करना कठिन हो रहा है। पर यह जगजाहिर है कि वे मोदी को भाजपा की कैंपेन कमेटी का प्रमुख बनाए जाने से आहत थे।

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LK Advani era is passé in BJP

Saswat Panigrahi

Exactly 30 hours after LK Advani quit all party posts, triggering a crisis in the BJP, the octogenarian leader finally relented. A truce between the party and the senior most leader reached after RSS sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat spoke to Advani and asked him to respect the decision of the BJP Parliamentary Board, which rejected his resignation. Advani had no choice but to step back. The crisis in the BJP seems to be blown over at least for now.

But what prompted Advani to resign? Though the BJP patriarch in his resignation letter to the party president Rajnath Singh maintained that he had been “finding it difficult to reconcile with the current functioning of the party”, however, it is an open secret that Advani was opposed to Narendra Modi‘s appointment as BJP Central Election Campaign Committee Chairman.

Modi is riding on the crest of a massive popularity wave and has become the natural choice of the cadre for the face of 2014 election. It’s not only the BJP cadre, for the first time in India’s political history, it’s the people of the country who want to see somebody as the Prime Minister. But Advani is unable to reconcile with the very fact.

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मोदी की अगुवाई में जंग के लिए तैयार भाजपा

Saswat Panigrahi

भाजपा अब चुनावी जंग के लिए तैयार है। उसकी चाहत इस जंग में फतेह हासिल करने की है। गुजरात केमुख्यमंत्री नरेन्द्र मोदी की भाजपा केन्द्रीय चुनाव प्रचार कमेटी के प्रमुख के रूप में नियुक्ति इस बात का साफ संकेत है कि भाजपा चुनावों के लिए पूरी तरह से कमर कस रही है। किसी को बताने की जरूरत नहीं है कि मोदी ने भारतीय राजनीति के चेहरे को बदल दिया है।

अपनी नई जिम्मेदारी से प्रसन्न मोदी,जिन्हें अब नमो भी कहा जा रहा है, देश को उस रास्ते से अलग लेकर चलना चाहते हैं, जिसे देश ने १९४७ से आत्मसात किया हुआ है।

मोदी समता के पक्षधर हैं। पर वे अकलियतों के तुष्टिकरण की सियासत को खारिज करते हैं। वे राष्ट्र-विरोधी ताकतों को कुचलने के प्रति पूरी तरह से प्रतिबद्ध हैं। वे चाहे नक्सली हों या जेहादी।

मोदी को अहम जिम्मेदारी सौंप कर भाजपा ने जंग का पहला चक्र तो जीत लिया है। अब मैं इसे विस्तार से स्पष्ट करूंगा। ये तो निर्विवाद है कि वे देश के सर्वाधिक लोकप्रिय नेता हैं। गुजरात के मुख्यमंत्री के रूप में उन्होंने वहां पर अमन और विकास का माहौल बना दिया है। उनके विकास के मॉडल को अब पूरी दुनिया जानती है।

शायद भारत के इतिहास में पहली बार देखना में आ रहा है कि ना केवल भाजपा कैडर बल्कि समूचा देश मोदी को पीएम के रूप में देखना चाह रहा है। मोदी भाजपा की आगामी लोकसभा चुनावों में सफलता के केन्द्र में रहने वाले हैं।

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Modi behind wheel, BJP in battle mode

Saswat Panigrahi

The appointment of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as the chairman of the BJP Central Election Campaign Committee outlines a defining moment in Indian politics. It marks the arrival of a man who has already changed the country’s political discourse. Offbeat to the hilt, NaMo as he is popularly called, is all set to deviate from the faulty Nehruvian brand which is being followed since 1947.

Here is a person who believes in equality rather than appeasing the minorities. An individual who’s aware and committed to eliminate anti-national forces. Be it Red Terror or Jihadis or the fifth column.

Modi’s new appointment signifies a victory for the BJP in the round one of the game. Having said that, let me explain why. There is no dispute that Narendra Modi is the most popular leader of the country at present. The BJP’s star performer as the Chief Minister of Gujarat has successfully put the State on the path of peace and development — a model which is being recognised worldwide. It’s not only the BJP cadre, for the first time in India’s political history, it’s the people of the country who want to see somebody as the Prime Minister. That man leading the BJP’s 2014 poll campaign from the front will work as a catalyst for the party to win the next General Election.

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