Some Pricks For ModiSarkar

The first few months were euphoric. PM Modi toured the world like the lead of a Rock Band. He floored audiences all over. He moved quickly to dismantle some redundant practices like attestation of documents or a committee to dismantle redundant laws. The next two years, the action moved to economic reforms, railway reforms, budget reforms, demonetisation and so on. It’s in the third year that ModiSarkar seems fatigued. This is not electorally but in terms of actions in key areas such as defence, security, internal enemies and prosecuting the corrupt. Modi has been unwilling to dismantle the crimes of Congress – like RTE or scholarships only to minorities. The Aadhar he once strongly criticised with the words in a tweet: “...there is no vision, only political gimmick”. This same Aadhar is now being enforced him and Arun Jaitley for nearly everything.

On continuing the much trashed NREGA, Modi humorously said in parliament that he “would never make the mistake of shutting down NREGA, it’s living proof of Congress incompetence and failure”. But these are issues of continuity of govt policies and there isn’t much to fault. The biggest problem of PM Modi is that he appears insensitive and oblivious to death of Jawans. He has become indifferent to incompetence in his Cabinet or his key state managers. Here’s what Modi said about Congress handling Maoists:

 

Congress was divided. Agreed! Congress was corrupt and aligned with Commies and Maoist sympathisers. Agreed! What about BJP? There’s no coalition compulsion, so what will it take to bomb the hell out of Maoists? Why are our Jawans still dying? Like his contradictions on Kashmir and Aadhar, the Maoist thing is also strange. Worse are the lower-jacks of BJP. Sample just two of these stupid utterances:

I can’t believe these statements. Ram Madhav reiterates ISI is funding separatists. Hansraj Ahir says he will probe ISI funding of stone-pelters if a written document is found? Does PM Modi hear all this? At the beginning of his term, Modi had an absolute free hand in choosing his Cabinet. Some minor mumblings here and there apart, nobody questioned a single choice. Even Smriti Irani was given the benefit of doubt when made HRD Minister without any major educational qualification. We all backed Modi. Now there are voices like the website PGurus saying some “Cabal” is holding back Modi in his assertiveness. And, worse, Subramanian Swamy, known to shoot in the dark quite often, makes stranger allusions:

 

Whatever the truth may be behind Modi’s slowing down on many fronts, there is one thing clear – ModiSarkar desperately needs a Cabinet reshuffle. Certain NPAs are just trundling along with no major purpose or direction. And as a rule – It is always the bad eggs that get the most attention in media and public.

The Worst of ModiSarkar

In my assessment, over the last year or so, the following ministers are going to cause a lot of damage for Modi in the run up to 2019. It is better said now than later or not saying it at all. For each minister, the kind of job they are doing is described not by their ministries, but by my estimate of their public perception. We will just go through thumb nails of each of them (in no particular order).

Ministry of Troll-hunting: Initially I thought Modi had some women in his Cabinet to provide fair gender-representation. But surely, this cannot be at the cost of competence and pursuit of agendas not aligned with ModiSarkar. I don’t know what Maneka Gandhi does for women or children. In the last one year, she has been too busy promoting her son through journos of dubious reputation who are aligned with Congress. If that wasn’t bad enough, she started a WA group of assorted, disgruntled anti-Modi journos who run some campaign against “Trolls” on SM. The main target of this group of Modi’s own staunch supporters. If there are abusive trolls, there are many ways to deal with it. Why should a Cabinet minister be part of a group that consists Barkha, Bainjal (the most abusive troll on SM) and others that even organises a seminar on trolls with the Swedish Embassy? Recently, Delhi Police accused her animal-NGO workers for assault on some buffalo transporters. There is too much conflict in her agenda and that of ModiSarkar. That is enough to sack her.

Ministry of Ribbon-Cutting: Modi once called SheilaD a “Ribbon-cutting CM”. I am surprised he retains Prakash Javdekar who does nothing more than that. PJ is totally clueless on education or HRD and is mostly busy with some event here and there. He sermonises schools to provide great education at low costs but has hardly shown any major initiative. Our education system needs dramatic change and simplification. The discriminatory RTE Act needs modification. Our school text books are nothing but vehicles of garbage – especially history and social sciences. The worst poison is being fed to our children but this guy walks around as if he’s in some wonderland of bliss. He is convincing me strongly that Modi doesn’t really bother about education. PJ must go. HRD and education are too important to be left to a laggard.

Ministry of Eternal Whining: Over the recent Sukma attacks, the ever-glib Ravi Shankar Prasad asked “Do Jawans and their families have human rights”? Well, he’s the govt. He’s the Law Minister. Who is he asking this question to? Then in the Lalu Yadav tape episode involving exchanges with criminal Shahabuddin – he wants someone to start criminal proceedings against Lalu. Who should start? On the Law front, I am unaware of any great accomplishments by RSP. He also holds the responsibility for IT, in which he seems to be doing relatively better although his expertise is Law. RSP doesn’t need to be shown the door but has to be either asked to keep his mouth shut or be assigned a single ministry. I don’t consider RSP incompetent as a minister – he is just plain incompetent with his words.

Ministry of One-liners & Acronyms: The ministry of I&B is a leftover garbage from the Commie regimes. They needed to constantly dole out propaganda. These days propaganda doesn’t succeed with such an overflow of information. Venkiah Naidu is simply too nice a guy to be dealing with tough hoodlums of our media. After the one-day ban on NDTV (which was postponed due to rains), it was VN who was defending all the time on Twitter rather than NDTV. Fake news, slanderous news, old videos to incite violence in Kashmir – all of this is routinely happening. There is a desperate need for a media policy that places responsibility and punishment for falsehood, lies and wilful slander. So much, that India Today had gone to the extent of reporting Shashi Tharoor was requested by ModiSarkar to draft a Parliament resolution over Pak terrorist attacks. Then VN goes on to certify “The Hindu” as a great institution despite the rag being anti-Hindu, anti-BJP and anti-Modi. There are too many instances of non-performance by I&B. VN should be assigned to a new role. I&B itself is disguised unemployment. The incompetence rubs off on his ministry too, who retweet parody accounts that mock the minister and his ministry and cannot tell the difference. Shut down the I&B ministry itself.

Ministry of Kadi Ninda: Poor Rajnath Singh. I am sure he has his heart in the right place and does the best he can. But he is simply not up to the mark for a Home Minister. After every tragedy, he only seems to be taking briefings and relaying briefings. He is also guilty of peddling the falsehood that ISIS has no following or cells in India. It has been repeatedly proved that there are many ISIS cells, especially in Kerala and Kashmir. There is no proposal for any action against those who constantly rant Kashmir is not a part of India. Nothing proposed against those who celebrate convicted terrorists. No policy on how terrorists killed or hanged by SC should be handled. Why should terrorists be buried and allowed public funerals? They should be quietly burned to high hell in dishonour. These are things that a real HM of India should be sternly acting on. RS is simply not up to it. Too occupied with post-event mopping up than any pro-active signals coming from someone who is supposed to secure India and Indians. He has been taunted so much that he has stopped using the term Kadi Ninda.

Ministry of Durbaris: In 2009 the Congress, despite 26/11, got more seats than they did in 2004. Who managed the 2009 election for BJP? Arun Jaitley! The man who lost an election in a Modi-wave. AJ is a perfect Durbar manager. He has his durbaris from media, from Babudom, from Business-class, from the establishment. The guy has no enemies, only friends. I don’t find him competent for Finance or the part-time job of Defence. Many suspect he is there only because he is Modi’s close friend or because Modi is obligated to him or scared of him for some reason or the other. AJ is a great lawyer, an articulate orator and a sound thinker. The problem is, he thinks finance legally and has absolutely zero interest in defence. He was once again on NDTV with an exclusive, a channel his ministry has accused of money laundering, tax evasion.  

AJ is romancing the one he should be prosecuting. He protected Barkha in the Radiagate episode according to the late Vinod Mehta. AJ admitted to a foreigner that Hindu Nationalism was just an election ploy, according to Wikileaks. He stated on NDTV that the NatHerald case can be closed if the Gandhis returned the money. In 40 years of his political career, I dare you to show one article in the media that criticises AJ. He is the typical Lutyens Durbari that Modi intensely abhors. If Modi loses 2019, AJ will have a sizeable contribution in it. The 160-club, as it is called, desires Lutyens Love as much as the filth in the media and Congress do. More than Pakistan, Maoists, political parties or any other adversary – AJ is the biggest threat to Modi politically.

Whether PM Modi agrees or not, there are many voices (from his own supporters) that they are tired of the incompetence on various fronts, especially national security and prosecuting the corrupt. After the departure of Parrikar, the noises about Agusta Westland investigations have also died down. I am not sure ModiSarkar is really after the corrupt. So far, it’s only dropping crumbs at opportune moments. The only corrupt man they seem to chasing is abroad; Vijay Mallya. The corrupt from UPA regime at home are safe. The typical ModiSlave will instantly ask – “so you want Sonia Congress back”? I discount these idiots. People slam Modi to provoke action, precisely because they do not want Sonia Congress back. I had coined the slogan “Congress must die” but I don’t think anyone voted for BJP incompetence on so many fronts. Last week PMO tweeted about the value of pricks and how they save lives:

 

And it’s been three years. Certain key areas need drastic change. PM Modi does need a Cabinet reshuffle and ModiSarkar does need some pricks too. A prick in time saves lives – that’s ModiSarkar’s line, I hope he uses it to throw out the worst and get new talent.