UTOPIAN

Who must you vote for ?

2009-04-13T11:13:00.003+05:30

In just a few days India will begin voting for the next government. On Battle For India, the two biggest national parties, Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), debated on how and why their party was best-suited to lead the next Central Government. Congress was represented by noted lawyer and senior leader Kapil Sibal, BJP's representative too was a lawyer of repute, Arun Jaitley.

The two participants have been grilled on four major issues: governance, security, economy and stability.

Thank you for your patience.

Don't forget to vote and vote you must !

BEST OF FUTURE

The 'Hand' With Swiss-Connection ! - 3

2009-04-03T14:32:00.001+05:30

"We Could, We Commit, We SHALL !!!"

Visionary Iron Man Shri Advaniji on Sunday re-incarnated a 'deadly ghost', that the Congress time and again been scarily haunted by in the past, with deadly results that made them bite the dust and threw them out of power ! That was in 1989 and the ghost then was the 'Bofors Scandal' and their Swiss Connection.

Advaniji asked PM Manmohan Singh to raise at the G-20 summit in London the issue of hoarded black money in the Swiss and other foreign banks and take steps to get all those back to India. Credible estimates suggest these amounts range to a staggering Rs 25 lack crore to Rs 70 lakh crore, and Advaniji pledges to bring back the huge funds to India that can allocate Rs 4 crore each to 6000 villages for development of Health and Education.

Hello, all my dear 100 million strong Gen-Next Youth of India, aren't you all dazed why the Congress is mum on this ! And did Manmohan Singh pay heed to Advaniji's suggestion and acted upon it yesterday in London ???

Understandably, most of you were either yet to be born or were in your teens then, and I am pursuing to lay in this forum from today[RAM NAVAMI] for your interest and enlightenment some glimpses of and resurrecting a 22 year-old 'Ghost of Daily-Questions' by the indomitable Ram Jethmalani, those nightmarishly haunted the then PM, father of Rahul Gandhi, the Late Rajiv Gandhi.

Quoted below the exact report, published in The Statesman, on 19th June, 1987.

Dogs bark at a thief: Jethmalani

From Our Special Representative

NEW DELHI, June 18--In an open letter to the Prime Minister, Mr Ram jethmalani said : "The morning papers report that yesterday you called me a 'barking dog' not worthy of your notice in the presence of some of your colleagues and leaders of the opposition.

"I do not feel insulted in the least for dogs do not tell lies and they bark when they see a thief. I am proud to be a watchdog of democracy. You must thank your stars that I am not a blood hound.

"Over the years, your late mother and brother had both developed a healthy respect for me and had not ventured to use language resembling yours. I am sure you too will learn some day.

"You are accountable to the people of India and the nation must institute an inquisition of it's own, since you have crippled all normal legal processes.

"Every day I propose to ask you ten questions. This will continue for 30 days or until you are removed from office, whichever is earlier. The people will draw their own conclusions from your answers or your refusal to answer them as the case may be.

"Here is the bunch for today:

1. Has your wife informed you of the total estate left by her father who died early last month ?

2. Did he dietestate or intestate ?

3. Does the estate include an expensive villa and bank balance of more than $60 million ?

4. What was his financial condition and the approximate worth of his total estate only about five years ago ?

5. What was the sources of livelihood of your father-in-law during the last five years ? (to the best of your knowledge of course?)

6. What part of the estate has your wife inherited whether under a testamentary document or on intestacy ?

7. What has happened to her share of the estate ?

8. Have you or has your wife reported the inheritance to the Reserve Bank of India ? If so when ?

9. When you attended the funeral of Mr Olof Palme in Stockholm, were you accompanied by Ajitabh Bachhan and Mr Ardso of Bofors ?

10. Did you insist on a meeting with Bofors being held and was one held ?

"The newspapers say that my dear friend, shiv Shankar, was present when you called me a dog and he best knows how to deal with me. Short of having me 'liquidated' you have no other method of silencing my bark".

The least more to add. I feel better to leave on our most adored Gen-Next to ponder over.

Hope the best you all understand and expect you all to act decisively and vote en mass to enthrone Shri Advaniji as PM.

BEST OF FUTURE

The 'Hand', With Swiss-Connection ! - 2

2009-02-22T17:19:00.003+05:30

.........continued from, The 'Hand' With Swiss-Connection ! - 1,

THIS IS INDIA AND INDIANS

LOOK WHERE OUR MONEY IS GOING ???

Revelation on Swiss Bank Accounts, "who can save India ! No one knows where tax payer money is going" !!!

This is so shocking . . . . . wish black money deposits was an Olympics event . . . . . India would have won a gold medal hands down. The second best Russia has 4 times lesser deposit. US is not even there in the counting in top five !!

India has more money in Swiss banks than all the other countries combined !!!

Recently, due to international pressure, Swiss Govt. agreed to disclose the names of the account holders only if the respective Gov ts formally asked for it. Indian Govt. is not asking for the details . . . . no marks for guessing why ???

We need to start a movement to pressurize the Govt. to do so !! This is perhaps the only way, and a golden opportunity, to expose the high and mighty and weed out corruption !!

Please read on . . . . . and forward to all the honest Indians to . ... . like somebody is forwarding to you . .. . . . and build a ground-swell of support for action !!

Is India poor, who says? Ask Swiss banks. With personal account 'deposit bank' of $1500 billion in foreign reserve which have been misappropriated, an amount 13 times larger than the country's foreign debt, one needs to rethink if India is a poor country?.

DISHONEST INDUSTRIALISTS, scandalous politicians and corrupt IAS, IRS, IPS officers have deposited in foreign banks in their illegal personal accounts a sum of about $ 1500 billion, which have been misappropriated by them. This amount is about 13 times larger than the country's foreign debt. With this amount 45 crore poor people can get Rs 1,00,000 each. This huge amount has been appropriated from the people of India by exploiting and betraying them.

Once this huge amount of black money & property comes back to India , the entire foreign debt can be repaid in 24 hours. After paying the entire foreign debt, we will have surplus amount, almost 12 times larger than the foreign debt. If this surplus amount is invested in earning interest, the amount of interest will be more than the annual budget of the Central government. So even if all the taxes are abolished, then also the Central government will be able to maintain the country very comfortably. .

Some 80,000 people travel to Switzerland every year, of whom 25,000 travel very frequently. 'Obviously, these people won't be tourists. They must be travelling there for some other reason,' believes an official involved in tracking illegal money. And, clearly, he isn't referring to the commerce ministry bureaucrats who've been flitting in and out of Geneva ever since the World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiations went into a tailspin!

Just read the following details and note how these dishonest industrialists, scandalous politicians, corrupt officers, cricketers, film actors, illegal sex trade and protected wildlife operators, to name just a few, sucked this country's wealth and prosperity. This may be the picture of deposits in Swiss banks only. What about other international banks?

Black money in Swiss banks -- Swiss Banking Association report, 2006 details bank deposits in the territory of Switzerland by nationals of following countries :

Top Five
======

1. India ---- $1,456 billion

2. Russia ---$ 470 billion

3. UK -------$390 billion

4. Ukraine - $100 billion

5. China -----$ 96 billion

Now do the maths - India with $1456 billion or $1.4 trillion has more money in Swiss banks than rest of the world combined.

Public loot since 1947:

Can we bring back our money ? It is one of the biggest loots witnessed by mankind -- the loot of the Aam Aadmi (common man) since 1947, by his brethren occupying public office. It has been orchestrated by politicians, bureaucrats and some businessmen. The list is almost all-encompassing. No wonder, everyone in India loots with impunity and without any fear. What is even more depressing in that this ill-gotten wealth of ours has been stashed away abroad into secret bank accounts located in some of the world's best known tax havens. And to that extent the Indian economy has been stripped of its wealth.

Ordinary Indians may not be exactly aware of how such secret accounts operate and what are the rules and regulations that go on to govern such tax havens. However, one may well be aware of 'Swiss bank accounts,' the shorthand for murky dealings, secrecy and of course pilferage from developing countries into rich developed ones.

In fact, some finance experts and economists believe tax havens to be a conspiracy of the western world against the poor countries. By allowing the proliferation of tax havens in the twentieth century, the western world explicitly encourages the movement of scarce capital from the developing countries to the rich.

In March 2005, the Tax Justice Network (TJN) published a research finding demonstrating that $11.5 trillion of personal wealth was held offshore by rich individuals across the globe. The findings estimated that a large proportion of this wealth was managed from some 70 tax havens. Further augmenting these studies of TJN, Raymond Baker -- in his widely celebrated book titled 'Capitalism' s Achilles Heel : Dirty Money and How to Renew the Free Market System' -- estimates that at least $5 trillion have been shifted out of poorer countries to the West since the mid-1970.

It is further estimated by experts that 1 % of the world's population holds more than 57 % of total global wealth, routing it invariably through these tax havens. How much of this is from India is anybody's guess. What is to be noted here is that most of the wealth of Indians parked in these tax havens is illegitimate money acquired through corrupt means.

Naturally, the secrecy associated with the bank accounts in such places is central to the issue, not their low tax rates as the term 'tax havens' suggests. Remember Bofors and how India could not trace the ultimate beneficiary of those transactions because of the secrecy associated with these bank accounts?

IS THERE ANY ONE WHO CAN SAVE INDIA ?

================================

"YES WE CAN !!!"

BEST OF FUTURE

The 'Hand' With Swiss-Connection ! - 1

2009-02-22T16:44:00.002+05:30

Publishing below an earth-shaking revelation that I was re-directed to........

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN INDIA AND AMERICA

Posted by: "RADHESHYAM FALOD", rrfalodco@hotmail.com
Sat Feb 21, 2009 7:50 am (PST)

THIS IS AMERICA AND AMERICANS

A Swiss Bank Is Set to Open Its Secret Files

In the hush-hush world of Swiss banking, the unthinkable is happening: secrets are spilling into the open.

UBS the largest bank in Switzerland, agreed on Wednesday to divulge the names of well-heeled Americans whom the authorities suspect of using offshore accounts at the bank to evade taxes. The bank admitted conspiring to defraud the INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICES and agreed to pay $780 million to settle a sweeping federal investigation into its activities.

It is unclear how many of its clients’ names UBS will divulge. Federal prosecutors have been examining about 19,000 accounts at the bank, but UBS ultimately may disclose the identities of only a few hundred customers.

But to some, turning over any names at all heralds the end of the secret Swiss bank account, whose traditions date to the Middle Ages.

“The Swiss are saying that this is the end of Swiss banking as they knew it,” said Jack Blum, an offshore tax specialist. “Nobody will trust the security of the Swiss bank account.”

As part of the settlement, UBS agreed to cooperate with a broad summons issued by the Justice Department to turn over the names. Under the terms of a so-called deferred prosecution agreement, the bank and its executives could be indicted if UBS didn’t identify the customers.

UBS has said it is closing the offshore accounts of its American clients. But under the deal with the United States authorities, the bank must provide periodic written evidence of that to prosecutors. UBS earned $200 million annually from the business.

Prosecutors suspect that from late 2002 to 2007, UBS helped American clients illegally hide $20 billion, letting them evade $300 million a year in taxes.

In a striking admission, UBS said that from 2000 through 2007, some of its private bankers and managers had “participated in a scheme to defraud the United States” and the I.R.S. by helping American clients set up and conceal offshore accounts. The scheme involved falsifying or not properly obtaining or filing certain tax forms required of both the bank and its clients.

UBS’s offshore private banking business once employed some 60 private bankers in Lugano, Zurich and Geneva. Prosecutors claimed UBS referred clients to lawyers and accountants who set up secret offshore entities to conceal assets from the I.R.S.

UBS urged some American clients to destroy records and to stash watches, jewelry and artwork that they had bought with money hidden offshore in safe deposit boxes in Switzerland. The bank also encouraged them to use Swiss credit cards so the I.R.S. could not track purchases. In a statement on Wednesday, Peter Kurer, the chairman of UBS, said that “UBS sincerely regrets the compliance failures in its U.S. cross-border business that have been identified by the various government investigations in Switzerland and the U.S., as well as our own internal review. We accept full responsibility for these improper activities.”

Marcel Rohner, the group chief executive of UBS, said in a statement that “it is apparent that as an organization we made mistakes and that our control systems were inadequate.”

In January a senior UBS executive, Raoul Weil, was declared a fugitive, two months after being indicted by a federal judge in connection with the investigation of the bank. Mr. Weil, a Swiss citizen, oversaw the cross-border private banking operations from 2002 to 2007.

UBS had fiercely resisted turning over the names, even after some executives were indicted and implicated in the offshore private banking business. Swiss law distinguishes broadly between tax avoidance, tax evasion and tax fraud. Unlike in the United States, tax evasion is not a criminal offense under Swiss law.

The move by UBS to settle the case, on the eve of a Senate subcommittee hearing next Tuesday on the matter, signals how close the bank came to being indicted for not cooperating with prosecutors. Indictment is a near-certain death knell for corporations.

Of the $780 million that UBS will pay, $380 million represents disgorgement of profits from its cross-border business. The remainder represents United States taxes that UBS failed to withhold on the accounts. The figures include interest, penalties and restitution for unpaid taxes.

As part of the deal, UBS also entered into a consent order with the Securities and Exchange Commission in which it agreed to charges of having acted as an unregistered broker-dealer and investment adviser for Americans.

The settlement caps a painful run for UBS, which suffered more than $50 billion in losses in the collapse of the American mortgage market and received a $60 billion bailout from the Swiss government last October.

The bank will not have to pay additional fines and penalties, which could have brought the deal to more than $1 billion. People briefed on the issue said the banking crisis and the recession were factors in this decision by prosecutors.
===================================

continues......."THIS IS INDIA AND INDIANS"

BEST OF FUTURE

Indian Idol-04::13th Feb GALA Episode:: The "Final Top Three"

2009-02-15T01:10:00.002+05:30

Indian Idol-04::Feb13::Lighter Moments !::The Judge Swap !!

The Lghter Moment::Hussain, Anu And Contestants sing and Disco Dance !

Torsha Sarkar::Indian Idol4::Feb13th::"Judges' Comments"

Torsha Sarkar::Indian Idol4::Feb13th::"Rangeela Re & Laila Me Laila"

Rajdeep Chaterjee::Indian Idol-04::Feb13th::Judges' Comments

Rajdeep Chaterjee::Indian Idol-04::Feb13th::"Samne Ye Kaun Ayaa & Om Shanti Om[Karz]"

KapiI Thapa::Indian Idol-04::Feb13::"Judges' Comments"

KapiI Thapa::Indian Idol-04::Feb13::"Gulabi Ankhene & Sara Zamana"

Saurabhi::Indian Idol-04::Feb13::"Judges' Comments"

Saurabhi::Indian Idol-04::Feb13::"Lekar Hum Deewana Dil" & "Jawani Jane Man"

Yes, as you all are by now aware, the ever-smiling boy, Rajdeep Chaterjee has been eliminated tonight to leave way for two girl contestants along with the soldier, Kapil Thapa to try their luck out in the Grand Finale.

Let's all wait and watch on whom 'The Lady Luck Showers Her Blessings Of Smile', on that fateful and eventful evening of the !st March !

Till then it's time for all fans to keep on voting, as much as possible to see their Idol win !

BEST OF FUTURE

Playlist::Torsha Sarkar::Indian Idol-04

2009-02-12T22:55:00.003+05:30

Torsha is the name of a river.

And Torsha Sarkar's voice inevitably perhaps, streams down like the flow of a river too !! Best wishes to this most modest, cultured and sweet prodigy !!!

Watch this playlist and listen to her melodic prowess !

BEST OF FUTURE

"Slumdog Millionaire" sweeps BAFTA Awards::Snatches 7 Awards

2009-02-09T21:07:00.000+05:30

"Slumdog Millionaire", swept the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards 2009 winning seven awards from the 11 categories it was nominated in.

"Slumdog Millionaire", won awards in the following categories: Best Film, Best Director (Danny Boyle), Best Adapted Screenplay (Simon Beaufoy), Best Music (AR Rahman), Best Editing (Chris Dickens), Best Sound (Resul Pookutty, Glen Freemantle, Richard Pryke, Tom Sayers, Ian Tapp) and Best Cinematography (Anthony Dod Mantle).

Posted here below, 5 Videos of that jubilant achievement,

Part-1/5- Detail Story

Part-2/5- Rahman On "Jai Ho"

Part 3/5- Rahman Hailed

Part-4/5-All about 'Rasul Pookutty'

Part- 5/5- Chat with Child Actor 'Thanay'

It is Pride-Showering cats and dogs, all the way, from "Slumdog Millionaire", that makes all we Indians 'Multi-Millionaires' !

Three Cheers to "Slumdog Millionaire"....Hip Hip Hurray... !!!

BEST OF FUTURE

"PM In Waiting":: LK Advani -1/2

2009-02-05T23:42:00.000+05:30

This video in one single part was uploaded on Dec 11, 2008, here at , with the following video details,

"When BJP won peoples' hearts and formed Govt. in Karnataka the first southern state to be so,Rajdeep Sardesai of CNN-IBN grabbed the opportunity to have this candid and lucid conversation with Shri LK Advani, the header being, 'PM In Waiting' Shri L.K.Advani.I am uploading this video today because of it's sheer pertinence and relevance."

And Shri LK ADVANI, is by far the "hottest contender" and way ahead than anyone else as a probable PM !

BEST OF FUTURE

"PM In Waiting":: LK Advani -2/2

2009-02-05T23:12:00.000+05:30

This video in one single part was uploaded on Dec 11, 2008, here at , with the following video details,

"When BJP won peoples' hearts and formed Govt. in Karnataka the first southern state to be so,Rajdeep Sardesai of CNN-IBN grabbed the opportunity to have this candid and lucid conversation with Shri LK Advani, the header being, 'PM In Waiting' Shri L.K.Advani.I am uploading this video today because of it's sheer pertinence and relevance."

And Shri LK ADVANI, is by far the "hottest contender" and way ahead than anyone else as a probable PM !

BEST OF FUTURE

Advaniji at Rediff Chat

2009-01-22T13:15:00.013+05:30

Selective Excerpts from Shri Advaniji's today's answers at Rediff Chat that started at 11 AM, IST, are posted here below; with special thanks to Rediff.com.

byebyecongress asked, What is BJP policies to stop terrorism?

L K Advani answered, Byebyecongress,during the six years the NDA was in office, the security agencies including the IB, used to carry on a continuous campaign locating the terrorist module set up by the ISI in the country and smashing them. Most of our advance information about impending terrorist attacks used to be gathered from these raids. There were terrorist attacks, nevertheless, during those years, the more prominent being the attack on Parliament, the attack on Akshardham. In both cases, the terrorists were eliminated and those who plotted the conspiracies apprehended, and punished by courts of law. It is sad that the mastermind behind the attack on Indian Parliament who has been sentenced to death by the trial court, the appellate court and even the Supreme Court, has not been punished despite the lapse of so many years. I am pointing this out only to emphasise that terrorism can be fought only if both government as well as society have an attitude of zero tolerance towards this scourge. At this point I may even emphasise that for the Al Qaeda fundamentalists and outfits that Al Qaeda has created the world over, the most hated enemy is the United States. Why is it that after 9/11, there has not been even a small incident there? I believe that both the government as well as society there have an attitude of zero tolerance. The world over, it has been recognised that the ordinary laws created against crime are inadequate to confront this new menace that is terrorism and so the UN Security Council advised all countries of the world to enact special laws for this. I cannot forget that when the NDA government moved the Prevention of Terrorism Bill, we were able to pass it in the Lok Sabha but the Congress party and its allies who are today in the UPA had a majority in the Rajya Sabha and they defeated it. A provision of the Indian Constitution rarely used had to be invoked, a joint session of Parliament convened and POTA passed. Not only that, but one of the major planks projected by the Congress in the 2004 elections was the promise that if they came to power, the law against terrorism would be scrapped. Only in 2008, almost at the end of its tenure and that too after the horrendous Mumbai incidents, did the Congress party make a total U-turn and said that terrorism cannot be fought by the ordinary laws, special laws are needed, one of them being a special Central agency and the other being an amendment of the Unlawful Activities Act. For five years their adamant stand was that the present laws are adequate. I feel that even the laws now passed do not fully meet the situation. I pointed this out and they said that we will once again reconsider it when Parliament meets in February. On the whole there is no clarity, no consistency, and no real resolve to overcome terrorism.

L K Advani said, Vilas81, If I can attribute one single factor responsible for converting India's single-dominant polity into a bi-polar polity and making Congress and BJP the two principle poles of Indian polity, it is our success in our campaign against pseudo-secularism. For the first four decades of Independence, the debate between the Congress and BJP was perceived by the people as a debate between secularism and communalism. We changed the nature of this debate and transformed it into genuine secularism versus pseudo-secularism emphasising thereby that secularism was adopted by the Constituent Assembly without any dissent because that is part of India's tradition and history which rejects theocracy. So far as UP is concerned, with 80 Lok Sabha seats it is very important in our plans for the Lok Sabha and both the BSP and the SP, our principal rivals in that state, have by their performance in government earned immense displeasure for themselves. We are confident that in the Lok Sabha elections the party would perform very well.

L K Advani said, Sheena,I believe that a person's mental and psychological health has a lot to do with his/her physical health. As I have often said, my satisfaction in life and happiness in life is because of my personal family, as also my ideological family by which I mean the BJP and the RSS. Also, I am a small eater, some friends attribute my physical health to this fact. Jokingly a doctor who met me a couple of months back said to me that he had a thesis in respect of food. When God creates man he lays down the total amount of food he will consume in his lifetime, it depends entirely on him whether he takes 50 years to consume it or 70 years.

L K Advani said, 1000, My appeal of all sections of the people is, think and act as proud Indians. Those who are decision-makers in various fora, should also do likewise and not be influenced by considerations of caste or creed.

L K Advani said, Vijesh, I think that politicians as a class are no better or worse than any other section of society. And to dump them as being selfish etc not fair. Though the perception of the people about politicians as a class is not complimentary, because they are always in the limelight and their shortcomings are talked about much more than the shortcomings of other sections.

L K Advani said, KAYKAY, In 1997 India completed 50 years of its independence. I undertook a 59-day rath yatra to emphasise that Indian backwardness even after five decades of independence is due to the fact that we got swaraj but we could not convert it into su-raaj, good governance. In the UN human development index India ranks 128th. Its our resolve to see that by ensuring good governance, development and security, both at the Centre and in the states, within the next two decades India's human development index enables it to reach the top 10.

L K Advani said, skmagic, For the strongest democratic country of the world Obama becoming the president has been hailed as a historic event only because it is the first time that a black person has become the head of state. I remember that within the first few years of India's independence, Dr Zakir Hussein became the president of India and no one expressed any surprise over it, even though thi is the hard reality that India became independent in 1947 and that independence was accompanied by partition of undivided India on the basis of which part had a Hindu majority and which part had a Muslim majority. The basis of partition was the two-nation theory, or two religions. I believe that this has happened because of the culture of the country embodied as I said earlier in the views of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King.

L K Advani said, AKAA, The problem in Kashmir has its origin in an act of aggression by our neighbour Pakistan. This fact should never be forgotten. No wonder the Indian Parliament has passed a unanimous resolution saying that the portion of Kashmir in Pakistan's occupation is part of India and any solution of the Kashmir issue should never disregard this fact. At the same time I am conscious of the fact that problems which remain unresolved for decades tend to become more and more irresolvable. When Gen Musharraf had come to Agra we had tried to impress on him that the issue of Kashmir cannot be solved either by war or by a proxy war through terrorism. We are willing to discuss the issue as part of a composite dialogue in which all issues would be discussed. But let no one justify terrorism in the name of Kashmir.

L K Advani said, vks, One of the most consistent features of our activities throughout the six decades we have been functioning, first as Jana Sangh and later as BJP, has been our consistent campaign against votebank politics and these votebanks are comprised either of community or of caste. And even though some of our adversaries on that account tried to defeat the BJP as being anti-so and so, anti-a particular a community or caste, we have by our achievements tried to negate all that they have said and done. It is not a minor achievement for a party which had been reduced 25 years back, to a humiliating number of just 2 in the Lok Sabha, in the 1984 Lok Sabha elections, to have become the largest party in the Lok Sabha by 1996 or within the next 12 years. And it continues to be one of the two principal parties in Parliament.

L K Advani said, Rajan., In my interaction with youth during the last year I have again and again been stressing that while there was a time when India's growing population was viewed as a great liability for the country, demographers all over the world, when they find how large is the youth segment in India, they identify India's youth as one of the country's great strengths. It is therefore that the youth wing my party has undertaken a special campaign to ensure that every young boy or girl who has crossed the age of 18 invariably becomes a voter. Special programmes to honour and applaud first-time voters have been organised at several places. It is estimated that in this coming election, there may be 10 crore first-time voters. There are countries in the world like Australia, Italy where voting is compulsory and an elector who fails to vote has to pay a fine. In my proposals for electoral reforms, I have often suggested that this may be seriously considered. But meanwhile, my party units have been advised to carry on a sustained campaign to make the youth realise that strength of a democracy lies in the numbers of citizens who actively participate in the democratic process and so, even though there may be no law mandating that everyone polls, the youth should not consider voting only as a right but a duty as well.

L K Advani said, ANANDRK, In the field of economy we feel agriculture has been neglected. It is a shame that in the last few years tens of thousands of farmers have committed suicide. We believe that not only economy in general, but the country's future depends very much on how much we are able to do for the countryside both in respect of infrastructure as well as employment. The country has been exerting a lot for the spread of literacy and education. During our regime between 1998 and 2004 we launched the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. What is needed now is to extend the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan which covers only literary, to make every citizen in the country, particularly in the countryside, IT-literate. This would radically change the countryside and give the overall economy also a great boost.

L K Advani said, Hemanand, I feel very sad when reports of the Transparency International I find India at a very low point. And therefore it gave me great satisfaction that the NDA government under Vajpayee functioned for six years in a transparently honest manner and there were no allegations made against the government. Then again, what has been achieved in Gujarat under the leadership of Narendra Modi has made this state a model for all others in the country as a corruption-free state. I believe that this would be one of the principal objectives a new NDA government at the Centre would have in mind. The example of people at the helm of affairs, the necessary systemic changes that have to be made, and the setting up of the Lok Pal and Lok Ayukt would be steps taken very early during an NDA regime.

L K Advani said, RNV Jain, your expectation is very right, and you have only to contrast the functioning of the NDA government with that of the UPA government, the functioning of several state governments of ours like those of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Orissa etc with the few Congress-led governments in the country today, and you will see how we have tried to make not only our party but even the governments run by our party different from those of the Congress. Today, one of the major problems before the people has been power. And you have power-cuts in most of the states in the country, and yet the BJP-run states like Gujarat have not only moved rapidly towards eliminating all power-cuts but in Gujarat have guaranteed that every single village is provided electricity round the clock. Numerous developmental schemes and public welfare schemes have been implemented successfully in the NDA-run states, with the result that many foreign investors have been flockin to these states.

PRASHANT asked, WHAT PLANNING @ WAR WITH PAKISTAN ?

L K Advani answered, Prashant, security has naturally to be any nation's first concern. And a sovereign nation has every right to decide on the course of action it needs to take to safeguard itself. What action precisely to take, is a matter in which only a government which is fully posted about all the necessay parameters within which action can be taken, can decide.

tapabrata asked, What are your four priorites if you become prime minister?

L K Advani answered, Tapabrata, I recall the days I was deputy prime minister in Vajpayee's government, which gave thec ountry an excellent leadership between 1998 and 2004. Those were days when the country was beamning with confidence. The world had come to respect India and the general talk began that India would become a great power by the middle of the 21st century. Unfortunately, after the change in government in 2004, the mood has been becoming more and more desperate and these days as 2009 began, there have been more and more magazines with captions like 2008 has been the worst year in Independent India. The first task before an NDA government, if it is voted to power, would be to dispel the gloom and re-create the general climate of optimism and hope that obtained in the six years of Vajpayee's rule. Presently, one of our groups is working on what precise steps need to be taken in the first 100 days to bring about this transformation.

AK asked, Hello Advani Ji, Don't you think India needs a Younger PM at this time when there is a need to understand Global Situation and who can think of a Modern India.

L K Advani answered, AK, The question you have asked, I think the important part of it is that you need to understand the global situation, and who can think of a modern India. These are the two essential attributes you rightly think are necessary to lead the country. I can humbly claim that it is possible for me to do so.

Relevants of importance,

Shri L K Advani on the Rediff Chat:

'Our approach will be if they come, with them, if they do not, without them, if they oppose us, in spite of them'

BEST OF FUTURE

From The Oldest To The Largest::A Historic Address::Obama Thrusts on HOPE over Fear

2009-01-21T07:20:00.034+05:30

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

'Time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit'

Text of Obama's speech for his inauguration as 44th president

My fellow citizens,

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land — a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them— that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control — and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort — even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment — a moment that will define a generation — it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence— the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed — why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive ... that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."

America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.

==================================

Personal perception

Being the largest democracy, as the earlier US President Bill Clinton said, "We are natural Allies", for India and we Indians, with every change in the Globe, be it as insignificant as it may seem, we must be prepared to and be significant with our role to play that the change demands, with ofcourse, India's strong will for the fulfillment of her True Global Vision and act decissively there unto.

BEST OF FUTURE

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AN ADDENDUM [Thursday, the 22nd Jan, 12:20 PM]

Quoting below with thanks, as retrieved from Rediff Chat at 12:10 PM of 22nd Jan 2009 and as being said by Advaniji,

When Mr Obama was elected president of the United States, I had addressed him a letter, greeting him on the occasion and one of the paragraphs of my letter said, I quote,
For us in India your victory is a matter of special joy for two reasons. Firstly it reaffirms the close bond between India, which is the largest democracy in the world, and the United States of America which is the most powerful democratic nation in the world. Secondly, by reposing their faith in the ideals of equality, freedom and racial non discrimination the people of your great country have signalled the triumph of the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. So far as change of policy etc are concerned, it is for the new president to decide what his government would like to do, but I do think that the new president's attitude towards terrorism would be uncompromising.

Advaniji at Unveiling of the Swami Vivekananda statue

2009-01-14T19:29:00.020+05:30

Photos of Monday, Jan 12, 2009

Statue of Swami Vivekananda unveiled at Ramkrishna Square in Bangalore

Statue of Swami unveiled

With other dignitaries

Advaniji, Karnataka CM BS Yeddyurappa and Governor Shri Rameshwar Thakur

Track back to Advaniji's :: Ek Kaam Desh Ke Naam

BEST OF FUTURE

US Congress Comes to YouTube !

2009-01-13T05:35:00.003+05:30

Here is one of the most interesting, worth-following, a short of breaking-news of today[IST], that I hasten to add now for you all, thanks to Steve Grove, in YouTube News and Politics who with pride announced this.

The news blog goes thus;

Have you ever wondered what your elected representatives actually do in Washington, D.C.? Ever pondered what day-to-day life on Capitol Hill consists of? Do you want to connect with your Senator or Congressman, but don't feel like sitting down to write a letter?

Starting today you can do all these things via YouTube. As the 111th Congress kicks into gear, many of your elected leaders are starting their own YouTube channels. They're posting videos direct from their Washington offices, as well as clips of floor speeches and committee hearings alongside additional behind-the-scenes footage from Capitol Hill. And in conjunction with both the House and Senate, we're launching two new platforms that will help you access your Senator and Representatives' YouTube channels: The Senate Hub (youtube.com/senatehub) and The House
Hub (youtube.com/househub).

Learn more from the leadership of the House and Senate, here:

So, why are your elected leaders coming to YouTube? The short answer is: you. Your use of YouTube and other online platforms to speak up on political issues and hold your leaders accountable has shown just how powerful this medium can be. You've shown your elected officials that in order to be in contact with you, they need to come to the platforms you use most, and engage with you directly.

These YouTube channels have the potential to make Congress more transparent and accessible than ever before - but only if you continue to connect and engage with your government on the site. The House Hub and Senate Hub are the digital equivalents of a backstage pass to your government. Find your Senator and Representative on YouTube and make a connection... and if your elected representative doesn't have a YouTube channel yet, give them a call or an email and encourage them to get started.
=====================================================

Hope we in India as a vibrant and evolving democracy, take a leaf out of such transparency, accountability and other salient points of vital importance, from that of the US.

BEST OF FUTURE

Advaniji on National Youth Day:Ek Kaam Desh Ke Naam

2009-01-12T19:04:00.015+05:30

Swami Shri Vivekananda

On the ocassion of the National Youth Day, Advaniji articulated 5 ideas, in Bangalore, for empowering young Indians to build a stronger, more prosperous and more secure India. He also said that, if elected, the NDA Government at the Centre would pursue these ideas vigorously with appropriate policies and programmes.

Education for Man-Making and Nation-Building

Ensure that every Indian child--irrespective of caste, religion, class or language--grows to her or his fullest potential.

Physical, Mental and Spiritual Health

Revolutionise the healthcare system in India by ensuring that the basic needs of every citizen are taken care of.
Promotion of excellence in sports must be made a national campaign. To begin with, create sports facilities in every school, a sports stadium in every taluka, and a youth hostel in every district.

Employment-intensive Economic Growth

Productive employment to every able-bodied individual.
Promotion of Patriotism and National Values

Opportunities for our students, especially those belonging to disadvantaged backgrounds, to travel across the country.

The library movement has to be vastly expanded by promoting good literature.
The power of the Internet must be fully harnessed to promote national integration.

Promotion of Volunteerism Among the Youth

Revamping programmes like NCC and NSS, to channelise the enormous energy of our students and youth to achieve goals such as Swachcha Bharat (Clean India), Swastha Bharat (Healthy India), Saakshar Bharat (Literate
and Educated India), and Surakshit Bharat (Secure India).

However, Advaniji appealed to the youth of India not to wait for the Government to take the initiative. "As a first step, even before a comprehensive plan is drawn up by the future Government, I appeal to my young friends to take up in their own neighbourhoods, educational institutions or workplaces a national service campaign that may be called EK KAAM DESH KE NAAM. As a matter of fact, tens of thousands of young people are already engaged in such voluntary activities – tree plantation, blood donation, literacy drive, tuitions for poor students, care of the elderly, promotion of sports, arts and culture, etc. I urge them to write to me about their activities and these shall be publicized on my website www.lkadvani.in."

Read the full speech here

Track forward to Photo Gallery

BEST OF FUTURE

Advaniji on Climate Change:"Eco-Friendliness is not a mere fashionable phrase"

2009-01-11T19:10:00.013+05:30

"Bhagwan Mahavir and the other Jain Tirthankars were great environmental conservationists. They taught us that we human beings are merely trustees of this planet. We need to re-learn their teachings in our times.

Eco-friendliness is not a mere fashionable phrase, it has to be interwoven into our development paradigm.

We all have to become Adivasis or Tribals who know how to exist in harmony with the earth. The earth takes care of us, and so we have to take care of her. In this sense, Jainism is the most ancient Green Movement in world history."

That's is the essence of an address by Advaniji, delivered at the "Global Summit of the Jain International Trade Organization", held in Ahmedabad on Saturday,Jan 10.

Read the full speech here

BEST OF FUTURE

Zaid Hamid the Mickey Mouse: Brasstacks Hindu Zionism

2009-01-11T10:04:00.003+05:30

Here is an interesting video by ZaidMouse that is published for it's sheer humour.

Zaid Hamid has given a more than '10 and 1/2 hours' of talk, telecast in Pakistan TV under name 'Zaid Hamid Brasstacks Hindu Zionism' !

Hope it finds you enjoyable too !!

BEST OF FUTURE

LK Advani: The Visionary:Five-Point Promise on Education

2009-01-07T08:09:00.015+05:30

At the conference of the Gujarat State Primary Teachers' Federation on 4 January 2009, Advaniji, a visionary as he is, threw light upon his vision on Education and his concerns thereto.

Here is the concerned excerpt of his address;

However, the sad reality is that what we have achieved so far is not enough. The expectations of our people are rapidly increasing, indeed, they are galloping. Even a poor family wants a good education for their children. This is because people belonging to all castes and communities, and people in rural as well as in urban areas, have realized the importance of education much more than in the past. And theirs is a perfectly legitimate expectation. But the resources, programmes, partnerships, bureaucratic commitment and the political will to fulfill these expectations are woefully falling short.
This mismatch between expectations and performance cannot be allowed to continue.
The India of the 21st century cannot and will not accept this mismatch.
Speaking for myself, I cannot and will not accept this mismatch because I have always said that we have to make the 21st Century India’s Century. India has shown a glimpse of its potential to fulfill this dream through the achievements of a small section of our population that has had the privilege of getting good education. But imagine what India can achieve when all our children and youth receive high-quality education.
My Party’s commitment, the commitment of the National Democratic Alliance, and my own personal commitment, is: QUALITY EDUCATION FOR EVERY YOUNG INDIAN.
Our manifesto for the coming Lok Sabha elections will fully reflect this commitment. Nevertheless, I would like to use the opportunity of today’s function to make a Five-Point Assurance on Education.

Advaniji's Five-Point Promise on Education

A future NDA Government shall more than double the Central budget for education and healthcare.
In addition to accelerating universalisation of primary education, our new motto will be: Universal Secondary Education.
In order to achieve the goal of 100% school enrolment, and also to improve the current teacher-student ratio, the Central Government would assist the States to recruit at least ten lakh more teachers.
We shall ensure that not a single school in India is without basic minimum infrastructure, including the infrastructure for IT-enabled education, which has revolutionary potential to enrich the quality and enhance the impact of education. Public-Private Partnerships will be promoted massively to achieve this end.
Teacher training, teacher welfare and social security for teachers will receive never-seen-before commitment. All-out efforts would be made to attract the best talent for teaching profession. In particular, we shall launch a Shikshak Aawas Yojana to ensure that every teacher in India has his or her own house.

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BEST OF FUTURE

Advaniji speaks to PM of Nepal :Pashupatinath Row

2009-01-07T06:22:00.019+05:30

Publishing below the statement as aforesaid;

Tuesday, 06 January 2009

Statement by Shri L.K Advani on Pashupatinath Temple, Kathmandu, Nepal

The Bharatiya Janata Party is deeply distressed to learn about the shabby and totally unprovoked treatment meted out to the Indian priests at the sacred Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal.
A tradition going back three centuries, and which stood the test of time and which commands the respect of the people of Nepal, as well as millions of Hindus all over the World, has been trampled upon in a most clumsy and undemocratic manner by the Government of Nepal.
We call upon the Government of Nepal to respect the sentiments of its own people as well as the verdict of its own Court and hasten to restore the status quo ante in this regard.
The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Shri L.K. Advani, spoke on the phone with the Prime Minister of Nepal who assured him that he would make an announcement in the Nepal Parliament soon regarding the restoration of the status quo ante
====================================================

Trackback to Yet Another Attack On Global-Hindu Sentiments !

BEST OF FUTURE

New Year message from Shri L.K. Advani

2009-01-05T20:40:00.008+05:30

Wednesday, 31 December 2008

Let us end despair and usher in hope in 2009

Dear countrymen,

Tonight we bid goodbye to 2008 and welcome 2009. On behalf of my Party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, my alliance, the National Democratic Alliance, and on my own behalf, I wish all of you a very Happy, Prosperous and Secure New Year.

2008 has been a traumatic year for India both in respect of its economy as well as its security. The trauma has been mainly on account of the kind of government we have had in New Delhi. The most important lesson that the outgoing year teaches us is that India cannot afford to have a government in which the Prime Minister has no real authority, and the leader who has the authority has no accountability.

I have always believed that our country has immense potential to progress. But this potential has not been fully unleashed. This situation must be changed, and I believe that it can be changed. For this, all the stakeholders in India’s democracy need to adhere to two imperatives: Good Politics and Good Governance.

By Good Politics I mean honesty, incorruptibility and the readiness to place the interests of the country and the common man above one’s own or party interests.

By Good Governance, I mean: commitment to development, security and probity in public life. And by development is meant India’s all round development, by making the poor of all communities, and not any particular community, the first claimant to the country’s resources.

Let us together resolve to end despair and usher in hope.

Once again, I wish you a very Happy New Year.

Sd/:

(L.K. Advani)
Leader of the Opposition (Lok Sabha)

Veiled 'Pseudo-Secularists' Unveiled - UPA in Docks

2009-01-05T10:09:00.013+05:30

"Darul Uloom Deoband", a file photo.

"The BJP on Saturday sought to turn the tables on Congress over the administrative reforms committee report which, according to the saffron party, "blacklisted" Darul Uloom Deoband and demanded an apology from the grand old party in this regard.
BJP national general secretary Vinay Katiyar said there was no question of banning the Islamic seminary and said, "We should be proud that we have Deoband like Islamic centre, which gives religious direction to the rest of the world."
Quoting from the second administrative reforms report submitted by senior Congress leader Virappa Moily, he alleged, "On page 27 and 28, this report has blacklisted the Darul Uloom and accused the seminary of having contacts with terrorists and Pakistani leaders involved in anti-India activities."
Now the Centre is left with only two options - if the report is correct it must take action or ban the institution and if wrong, Congress should immediately seek apologies from the Muslims.
Meanwhile, Deoband chief rector Maulana Marghubur Rahman demanded that the Centre make the report public.", reports NewsX- Faizabad / Press Trust of India .
============================================================

Personal Inference

Masks of pseudo-secularists are unveiling slowly but surely with every passing time day by day and everyday !

That 'Darul Uloom Deoband' are put in the docks as 'traitors' goes on to unmask 'dictatorial politics of vindictiveness, blackmail and gross administrative-misuse by unscrupulous, slavish bureaucrats'.

Weren't the same 134 year-old seminary who issued fatwa to their fellow-brethrens to sing 'BANDE MATARAM' on 125th Anniversary celebration of our National Song, amidst all sorts of anti-nationalistic controversies of refutatory provocations by fanatically adamant other muslims in India ?

Is it again because of their recent condemnation of Jehadi Terrorism of any form as un-Islamic that, they are 'black-listed' so as traitors ??

Maulana Marghubur Rahman has every right with RTI Act on his side to his demand.Govt. must make the report public.

BANDE MATARAM

Yet Another Attack On Global-Hindu Sentiments !

2009-01-04T23:58:00.017+05:30

Pashupatinath Temple, Nepal

Maoist cadres on the New-Year[why ?] eve, removed Indian Priest from "The PASHUPATI-NATH Temple", that is Sacred not only just for India or Nepal but for the entire Global HINDUS.

Nepali Foreign Minister Upendra Yadav, today blasted Maoist-Allies for hurting HINDU sentiments.

The former guerrillas, Maoists and cadres of the Young Communist League (YCL), stormed Pashupatinath temple on thursday last in defiance to their Supreme Court order and to a more than 300 years' tradition as well, escorting the new priest to replace Indian Brahmins.

This triggered immediate protests from main opposition party Nepali Congress and Hindu bodies and people residing in the vicinity of the temple.

If the Prachanda-led CPN-Maoist government fails to abide by the Supreme Court verdict that directed the authorities to allow the Indian Priests to conduct the traditional rituals at the historic shrine, then a 'struggle committee' coordinated by Shiv Sharanraj Bhandari, is all set to step-up pressure on the Govt. through sustained agitation.

Mr Bhandari raised his fear of threat to assets of the Pashupatinath temple including a storehouse of abundant gold and other valuables. The local Bhandari community are now in gaurd of their sacred shrine after the thursday incident.

Back in India here is a video that shows 'Maoist-Naxals-Narcotic-Mafia-Nexus', being busted in Orissa that goes on to ring alarming bell.

Indian Govt. must raise it's concern on YCL's Pashupatinath storm issue and intervene with diplomatic pressure.

BJP President Mr.Rajnath Singh has already done so !

It's high time we must crack-down heavily on all these 'pseudo-democratic', gun-cultured Communist cadres. This shall and must be the first positive step towards tackling terrorism and ensuring internal security at large.

BEST OF FUTURE

Playlist:-1stASVOI WINNER Ishmeet Singh's TRIBUTARY-1/2

2009-01-04T14:29:00.002+05:30

Unforgettable Videos of Ishmeet Singh Sodhi, the 1st ASVOI winner of 2007, who is no more with us !

BEST OF FUTURE

Playlist:-1stASVOI WINNER Ishmeet Singh's TRIBUTARY-2/2

2009-01-04T14:02:00.000+05:30

2nd part of Unforgettable Videos of Ishmeet Singh Sodhi, the 1st ASVOI winner of 2007, who is no more with us !

BEST OF FUTURE

ArunJaitleyVSKaranThapar:YearEndSpecial Devil'sAdvocate::"Why Devilish !"

2009-01-03T23:23:00.007+05:30

In this unusual Devil's Advocate programme of 'Role-Reversal', BJP-Spokes-Person Arun Jaitley as an anchor interviews, 'The Devil's Advocate', Karan Thapar !

Mr. Jaitley starts with;

"Arun Jaitley: Hello and welcome to an unusual version of the Devil's Advocate. Though an advocate by training, I am not the devil in this interview, because the usual devil is my guest today, the one and only Karan Thapar. Welcome Karan.

Karan Thapar: Thank you."

And in the slog-overs, he bowls the indomitable Karan out, with this googly, and yet both part as cordial friends, which essentially the spirit of the show "Devil's Advocate" is !

"Arun Jaitley: Your interviews with Shahid Malik, the Pakistani High
Commissioner and earlier with President Zardari were very civilized one. You
were more polite to them that you are with your Indian guests. Was it the Indian
hospitality?

Karan Thapar (laughs): No, it wasn’t Indian hospitality. In case of Zardari, he was at the other end of the satellite and it’s almost impossible to interrupt someone. In case of Shahid Malik, I could have been extremely aggressive buy would have I achieved the relative openness and candour enterprise that I got?

Arun Jaitley: Well, all I can tell you Karan is we, the Indian politicians, are also looking for such very civil interviews from Karan Thapar.

Karan Thapar: But Arun the best interview was when I quarreled with you and you fought back with me – both you and I enjoyed. That makes for the fun and drama and the nice thing is that you know and I know that we’re actually playing a game with each other. Isn’t that what a good interview is?

Arun Jaitley: Thank you very much, Karan. Be at your best as you always are.

Karan Thapar: Thank you, Arun."

Watch the full interview with this 'Playlist' and here the full text of the interview .

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Playlist::Atalji's 85th B'Day At FICCI::Advaniji's Nostalgia

2009-01-02T15:13:00.010+05:30

Advaniji felicitating Atalji on his Birthday

Added and shall be added in future all relevant videos and audios to Shri Vajpayeeji viz; his poems sung by Jagjit Singh and others; ofcourse talks & speeches as well.

Added Advaniji's nostalgics also.

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