Comments on Usual Suspects: A shift in position (November 13, 2009)

Also, swapan.. you are concerned with BJP being co...

2009-11-25T18:55:41.376+05:30

Also, swapan.. you are concerned with BJP being controlled by RSS.. But you are not concerned with Congress being controlled by a single family, headed by an italian sonia maino..

How far do you feel, is Sonia Gandhi qualified to control the congress?

Sounds eeirly like the Coomi Kapoor article in the...

2009-11-25T18:28:26.184+05:30

Sounds eeirly like the Coomi Kapoor article in the Indian express. Interesting days ahead in this tussle within the BJP that we are getting a convoluted insight into through such posts.

Swapan, While i agree with your views of RSS'...

2009-11-25T13:28:04.936+05:30

Swapan,

While i agree with your views of RSS's inability to lead a political party, i dont know why you had suddenly turned against the RSS and now writing to separate BJP and RSS.

BJP is a party, that was created by RSS, and lakhs of RSS workers formed the initial base of BJP. BJP might have grown out now, but they cannot bite the hand that fed them. Whey cannot whitewash the contribution of lakhs of RSS persons in the past. It is because of RSS's Ram Janma Bhoomi movement, BJP ascended to prominence, otherwise it would have been a marginal party with dozens of MP seats.

Yet now, you are showing utter distaste for the RSS. I would say, its a backstabbing of the son against the father, just because father could not transform to modern times.

I have moved with many RSS swayamsevaks, and you may be true that they may be pacified by a nice home made meals. But its not like what you have projected, as they are cheap fellows. They are innocent, and unexposed persons, who respect fellow humans, that they dont know how to play politics or how to understand conspiracies of the persons they are dealing with.
Its unkind of you to portray them in a wrong way..

I wish, they involve in politics to understand the society more, and to understand some hard realities.

As some one said, either they become good politicians, or a good swayamsevak

"The production of milk in Haryana, it was cl...

2009-11-25T12:18:27.559+05:30

"The production of milk in Haryana, it was claimed, had suffered because cows were disturbed by loud disco music in villages!"

Swapan Da, does the cosmopolitan know anything about cows? If you had heard it from an ICAR official, would you have nodded respectfully? Loud disco music disturbs the cows' bio-rhythms. It is well-known that soft sitar-like music helps cows' milk yield, growth of flowers in trees and so on. Loud and frenetic music harms not only the cows' bio-rhythm and make them insomniac, it also does the same to cosmopolitans! But the cosmopolitan chooses to listen to it, the cows do not. Neither do the cow-herds want it. Its like passive smoking. And we do not milk cosmopolitans, even when they visit villages! So what is wrong in a proposal to ban this noise pollution where it is not welcome? To stop laughing, consider the cow-herds as knowledgeable like scientists, it may help.

If BJP has outgrown the RSS, as Swapan mentioned, ...

2009-11-25T06:07:03.748+05:30

If BJP has outgrown the RSS, as Swapan mentioned, then BJP does not need RSS anymore. And if Swapan dislikes RSS muddling in BJP affairs, why he is not suggesting BJP to break all ties with RSS? What stopping him from doing so?

Socrates said - "By all means marry, you will...

2009-11-24T14:12:44.149+05:30

Socrates said - "By all means marry, you will either become happy, or you will become a philosopher"

Though RSS was generally known to be a back seat driver at BJP, little was known of their responsibilities and accountabilities. The performance of BJP in 04 and 09 gen elections came as a surprise for a lot of supporters despite their performance and better record at governance at center and states, now, a lot of fog is clearing which can only be a good thing. Ironically a lot of supporters including "Arun Shourie" feel that complete control of BJP by RSS is the need of the hour.

IMO, front seat driving is any day preferable to back seat one and a couple of election results under their direct control will show them their rightful place in the political landscape, the sooner they find out thir place the better it is for the party and it's supporters. RSS guys will either become better politicians or better swayamsevaks ;)

Anonymous no 1: "Congress is being run by hig...

2009-11-24T14:11:11.702+05:30

Anonymous no 1: "Congress is being run by high profile supreme court lawyers and foreign educated MBA graduates."

You made my day dude. I haven’t had such heartily laugh in a long time….

And at the same time, you find “from technical perspective” Congress capable of governing?? We are talking about governing here, not ruling. OK.

More seriously, I think, what Swapan da has written is an absolute gem. This can be treated as the final judgment on this whole battle of BJP, RSS, young, old, backward agenda, forward agenda or any such debate. Once we open up our mind, all questions would settle down. The breeze of fresh thoughts would infuse a new life in those organs of BJP/RSS (be it heart or mind) which are dying a slow death due to continuous feeding on a rancid (excuse me for using this word) diet.

Anyone, in any sphere of life be it religious, philosophical or ideological, is destined to doom if one takes a dogmatic view. Our basic ability to adapt, to assimilate change is one virtue of ours that we should never abandon. If RSS espouse Hindu philosophy as its guiding principal, it should desist from jettisoning the same.

Mr Dasgupta, the BJP is the political wing of the ...

2009-11-24T01:10:56.606+05:30

Mr Dasgupta, the BJP is the political wing of the RSS. The BJP exists to server the interests of the RSS. Do you expect the BJP to chart an independent course apart from the RSS? The NDA experiment may have given a temporary illusion of separateness. I would rather prefer the straight forward approch of Mr Bhagawat. Why pretend non-interference etc and decieve people? Let it be clear and out in the open.

Swapanda, you write with feelings. This is a great...

2009-11-24T01:00:20.814+05:30

Swapanda, you write with feelings. This is a great article. We cannot know inner functioning of BJP/RSS as well as you do but one thing stands out. RSS and its leaders must bring in more democracy, more interaction, more brainstorming. Hats off to you. I only hope you are not writing this article to distance yourself from BJP/RSS.

Dear Swapan, Bull's eye! Bull's eye!! Bul...

2009-11-23T22:27:10.495+05:30

Dear Swapan,

Bull's eye! Bull's eye!! Bull's eye!!!

This is what present day India is all about. I wonder why 'the powers that be' in the BJP leadership cannot see this. They are myopic. Perhaps they need a doctor right away. And the 'time' and the 'people of India' are going to be their doctors. They will learn their lesson the hard way.

Why cannot the myopic leadership learn from the State leaders, who are mass leaders and lead their party to power, time and again! There is a lesson here, what does the country demand from a political party.

Perhaps some day the RSS and the myopic leadership of the BJP will get 'enlightenment'.

What you have written is correct. When Congress is...

2009-11-23T21:17:29.601+05:30

What you have written is correct. When Congress is being run by high profile supreme court lawyers and foreign educated MBA graduates, BJP is in hands of RSS folks who are even unfit for school teacher jobs and emit emotional trash most of the time.

Leaving Hindutva and other controversial issues apart, I do not seem to be convinced by the capabilities of BJP to govern and successfully run a diverse country like India. Lets talk from a pure technical perspective.

Additonally, they still do not have presence in many states from North to South and West to East and with no signs of next generation leadership.

Even in BJP rule, there were too many allies. Unless it projects itself a competitor capable enough to win at least half of its seats on its own, it is hard for them to get a respectable electoral result.

The RSS brand is toxic. Out with it asap and the V...

2009-11-23T17:45:13.999+05:30

The RSS brand is toxic. Out with it asap and the VHP and BD. And the joke SJM while we are at it. All these idiots have outlived their usefulness.