Promise of Reason

This post is by Ratnakar Sadasyula, our guest contributor. Ratnakar is an IT professional. Please welcome him on POR.

The BJP’s spectacular rise in the 90’s was due to the enthusiastic backing of the younger sections of the population, during that time. The BJP had a large support from the younger educated professionals, the college going students, and people in the 20-40 age category. While the older generation still voted for the Congress, a major part of the BJP’s support base came from the youth. For a Generation, fed up with the shenigans of the Congress, the failure of “champagne socialism” and “sham secularism”, the BJP seemed the best alternative. The BJP’s right wing Hindutva ideology had large scale support among the urban educated middle classes, while its espousal of a capitalist economy enthused the youth. The reason why youth, including myself, supported the BJP in large numbers was its no nonsense stance on internal security and the country’s safety. Many ex Defence officers joined the BJP, impressed by the party’s discipline, its decorum. While there essentially was not much difference between Congress and BJP on economic policy in the 90’s, the difference was pronounced on other issues, like relations with US, more friendly policy with Israel, Uniform Civil Code, repeal of Article 370, which did really attract the youth. Read the rest of this entry »

It looks like just yesterday when I changed my status message in GTalk, copying from someone else of-course “Congress in LokSabha and BJP in ShokSabha”, friends laughed and I was amused. Now it has been more than a month and BJP is still in ShokSabha. They have once again ducked the process of self-scrutiny and they are busy doing patchwork. In-fighting is in open, letters are being passed, leaders accusing each other, president trying to be a hero, oldest leader yet not leaving the posts and what to say more once a cadre based highly disciplined party is being pulled in thousand directions. Let us understand the plight of BJP, there are three major types of leaders right now in BJP. Read the rest of this entry »

Bhartiya Janata Party manifesto

Bhartiya Janata Party IT vision

Indian National Congress manifesto

Communist Party of India – Marxist manifesto

Communist Party of India manifesto

Nationalist Congress Party manifesto

Bahujan Samaj Party did not issue any manifesto, only a 32 page appeal from Madam Mayawati.

PUTTING POOR FIRST

1. All BPL families to get 35 kg of rice or wheat every month at Rs 2 per kg. This will be available against Food Coupons redeemable both at PDS and private outlets.
2. Ensure farm loans at a maximum interest rate of 4 percent.
3. Waive agricultural loans.
4. Introduce a Farm Income Insurance Scheme through which both price and produce will be insured
5. Irrigate 35 million hectares of additional farmland within 5 years.
6. Initiate special schemes for the urban poor, such as loans at 4 percent interest to poor vendors.
7. Set up a “Workers Bank” to provide a safety net for unorganized sector workers.
8. Revise minimum wages and ensure strict implementation of the Wages Act. Read the rest of this entry »