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2014 – 2019 – what has changed - Part 3

Disruption: The one thing that Modi can be given full marks for is the disruption that his govt caused to a long established well entrenched ecosystem. Be it throwing out over 1500 high and mighty squatters from their Delhi bungalows, demanding accountability from NGO’s, making ministries and such offices out of bounds for media etc. they stirred up every retired hornets nest. Above all the secrecy and confidentiality that must be maintained in a govt had all but disappeared. It was like a nudist colony and many who hid all facts about themselves felt that govt being nude was cool. Thank god this changed. Now nothing leaks. Bottom line is that life is no longer as before. You can argue, debate, scream and protest but life is disrupted. The famed Lutyens club is finding its foundations being shaken. Some would argue that a new Modi club is taking its place. I say that wherever there is space created something or somebody will fill it. The difference is whether it is exclusive or...

2014 – 2019 – what has changed - Part 2

Kashmir: When one looks at history, the number of Himalayan errors made are as so many, that this is like a entangled thread with knots. Every time you think you untied one, another appears. Today it has reached a point where even if you give up the state to Pakistan there will be no peace. For decades a whole generation of people have been brought up on the myth that Art 370 and 35 is the oxygen they live on. Nothing could be further from the truth. Given the free money that goes towards lining the pockets of everybody involved nobody will want to resolve the issue. An honest attempt was made with the Mufti but he died and with his death everything came crashing down. This is a cancer, make no mistake about it and even if god were to be involved, there will be surgery, pain, scars which will take time to heal. If one goes by the actions in the recent past the surgery is being planned. The strength of Modi 2.0 will decide that fate.      Narrative: Here ...

2014 – 2019 – what has changed - Part 1

Starting from somewhere around the middle of 2011 when the mood of a nation was captured by a frail old man Anna Hazare the anger and frustration of the voters, especially the youngsters peaked around mid-2012 into a more visible, organised movement against corruption. By end 2012 the Delhi rape jolted every parent out of their TV couches and as 2013 dawned they were backing their kids, grandkids to go out and stand up against injustice, corruption, poverty, communalism, etc. From then on events speeded such that the Cong and UPA just didn’t have a clue what to do. They were trying to climb a speeding train while the BJP and Modi had already boarded the train and the only option was to get crushed underneath the juggernaut. The euphoria was high, and Modi tapped into that with 3 masterstrokes. 1) He was a gifted orator and could catch the imagination of the crowd and communicate brilliantly 2) He spoke the language of development which appealed to every voter 3) He talked of a dream wh...