Tag: narendra modi

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Big story

‘Help!’ says Maharashtra CM to Modi

Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan wants the Centre to resolve the State’s load-shedding and power crisis, writes to Modi requesting help.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Yesterday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan had roundly criticised PM Narendra Modi and his Government for not fulfilling their ‘achche din aanewale hain’ promise. Today, Chavan wrote to Modi asking his help in involving all States to solve rising load-shedding problems.

In a letter dashed off to the PMO today, Chavan expressed his concerns over private power generators expressing inability to continue with their operations, in lieu of disputes arising out of fuel unavailability. The letter was sent a day after Mumbai, the country’s financial capital, experienced unprecedented hours of near-total blackout in the business and tony residential neighbourhoods for a few hours.

In the letter, Chavan has urged Modi to look for a solution to the problem of load-shedding in at least five affected States, of which Maharashtra is one.

See the letter reproduced below:

‘DGIPR/ CMO

September 3, 2014

Respected Prime Minister,

As you are aware, competitive bids had been invited for supply of power by involving the Private Sector in electricity generation. However, since the bids were finalised, there have arisen very serious issues regarding fuel availability. Legal challenges have emerged due to change in laws that have lead to disputes arising out of the Power Purchase Agreement that were executed. As a result of these disputes, Private Generators have expressed inability to continue with the operation. This has led to large scale load shedding across the State. Due to the ongoing Ganpati Festival in Maharashtra, the problem has become more acute.

The State Government has been engaging with the Private Power Producers for almost two years to find a solution. To resolve this crisis, I have also held a meeting with Shri Piyush Goyal, Hon.MoS (Power), Govt. of India, in the presence of Shri Sharad Pawar, MP on 30th August, 2014 in Mumbai. During the meeting, it was felt that in view of the magnitude of the problem and its national ramification, the matter needs to be resolved at the highest level. The fact that this problem is being faced by at least five States calls for a larger consultation and involvement of the Govt. of India to resolve the issue.

I earnestly request that you may please call a meeting of Chief Ministers of the concerned States so that an early solution could be found.

 

Sd-

Prithviraj Chavan,

Chief Minister, Maharashtra.’

(Picture courtesy www.facenfacts.com)

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Learn

Read: Maha CM’s letter appealing against Bhabha house auction

The letter was sent by Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan to PM Narendra Modi a few days before the auction took place.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

On Wednesday, June 18, 2014, the iconic bungalow belonging to scientist Homi Bhabha was sold for Rs 372 crore by the NCPA, which is a trustee of the property. Even as the auction was announced a few days ago, scientists had been opposing the auction and asking for the bungalow to be preserved as a museum.

CM's Letter to PMThe Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Prithviraj Chavan, had also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, appealing for the Centre to step into the matter and stop the auction, instead declaring the house as a national monument. In this letter, (see it on the left), CM Chavan writes, “Homi Bhabha’s residence should be a national monument as it would be a source of inspiration for the people of India, and especially to the scientific community and the youth of this country.”

The bungalow, Mehrangir, is on Little Gibbs Road and Homi Bhabha was a part owner of it. After his death, the bungalow was in the care of his brother, Jamshed, who in his will, bequeathed it to the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA). The proceeds from the auction will go towards modernisation of theatres and upgradation of equipment.

(Prithviraj Chavan’s letter sourced from CMO, Maharashtra. Featured image courtesy thehindu.com)

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Enough said

Remembering Nehru after all this time

What was the mood of the nation when Jawaharlal Nehru passed away? Humra Quraishi remembers the man in today’s times.

Humra QuraishiI was about eight years old when Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru passed away, but to this day, I remember the gloom and sorrow that spread in and around my home.

My maternal grandmother, Amna Rahman, sobbed and cried as the news was announced on radio. Nehru was not related to our clan in any way, but he was still seen as a ‘protector’ or ‘saviour’ of the minorities of the land. He was truly secular in his views and active about implementing them.

Naturally, his passing away was a blow to all segments of society, more so because he was above religious or regional politics and was determined to save this land from communal outfits.

Today, more than 50 years after Nehru’s demise, the very fabric of secularism he stood for is challenged with the rise of the new Government at the Centre. The outfit that Nehru had then banned – the RSS – will slowly and surely rule this land. The bigger irony is that riot accused have been sworn in as Ministers in the Union Cabinet. It took me a while to digest the news that Muzaffarnagar MP, Dr Sanjeev Kumar Balyan, one of the accused in the area’s riots of 2013, is a Minister today.

Then there is Uma Bharati, one of the accused in the Babri Masjid demolition, also with a Ministerial berth now. The list is long.

And just when you thought there would be some noise from the Opposition, the Congress and the Left have adopted an ‘All quiet’ stance. Why? To add to the situation, there are provocative statements being made – MoS in the PMO, Dr Jitendra Singh statement that this Government could repeal Article 370 can be termed not just mischievous but a means to deflect attention away from the ground realities in the Valley.

It remains to be seen if the new Government would impose any curbs on freedom of expression. The arrests of two young men from Goa and Karnataka for their anti-Modi comments on networking sites, however, do not fill me with optimism on this front.

There is an interesting ‘battle’ raging in the corridors of the New Delhi-situated India Islamic Cultural Centre, where Chairperson Sirajuddin Qureishi (in pic on right, one of the Sirajudding Qureshibiggest meat exporters in North India) is set to host a reception for PM Narendra Modi. Members of the Centre are furious with this move – many have been openly revolting against Qureishi and voicing the opinion that he is doing this just to promote his business interests, and using the Centre as his personal space for the same.

Who will host a reception for the six innocent men who were wrongly implicated in the terror attack on the Akshardham Temple in Gujarat? These men have accused the Gujarat Government and then CM Narendra Modi (who headed the Home Department) and demanded that they be adequately compensated for the long periods of incarceration that they have wrongly suffered. They are consulting lawyers to file cases in the Gujarat courts seeking compensation as well as punishment for all the cops who not only slapped false cases on them, but also tortured them in jail.

More on this as it pans out.

Humra Quraishi is a senior political journalist based in Gurgaon. She is the author of Kashmir: The Untold Story and co-author of Simply Khushwant.

(Pictures courtesy www.livemint.com, aijamiatulquresh.org)

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Overdose

Ab ki baar…kaam kar lo yaar!

A disturbing victory speech notwithstanding, there’s just one small request for PM Narendra Modi – don’t forget us non-Vadodara guys.
Jatin Sharmaby Jatin Sharma | @jatiin_sharma on Twitter

Finally, the elections are over. The world’s biggest democracy has given its verdict and it has not come as a big surprise as we all knew that ‘Ab ki baar Modi sarkar‘ would hold true. The Congress has been beaten out of power, and how! Clearly India was fed up of talking to the hand.

However, there are some pretty interesting observations to make about this general election. According to me, people didn’t vote for the BJP, neither did they vote for Modi. This time, they voted for a leader, for a single name that they could rely on. The Congress was digging its grave all this time with the number of scams, controversies and irresponsible interviews and speeches showered by their PM-hopeful. There was no alternative for people till Modi came and sold his Gujarat success story. Modi, no doubt, is a mastermind when it campaign strategy, and has showed unusual panache when turning foes into friends.

This election has been historical as the country has shooed away all the big and corrupt players. Modi was a clear-cut winner in the backdrop of the chaos that the country was witnessing. I felt that Modi’s campaign was well-planned, and having stayed in Gujarat, I know that he has a great success story to share.

And then I heard his first address to the media post his win, and realised how self-obsessed the man is.

Narendra Modi delivered his victory speech in Vadodara, and he thanked Vadodara for his win. But then he also said that he couldn’t give a lot of time to Varanasi, “Aur unhone Narendra Modi flashes the victory signtoh Modi ke maun par hi mohar laga di.” I declared in my head that my new PM was pompous, that the support of the nation had gone to his head. He is accused of dividing the country and has always been looked upon as a monster. But with his success in Gujarat, people have chosen to forget his past ills and have trusted him with the country, because everyone wants success.

The biggest challenge for Narendra Modi is to realise that although he is the biggest face in India when it comes to leadership, he is there to serve people. He may have turned things around in Gujarat, but he cannot forget that the Gujaratis’ entrepreneurial skills are also at work. While the credit can be given to the CM, let’s not forget that the people have made his vision come true. Now Modi has to widen his vision and think of all of India. He needs to move on to the bigger game now, and for that, he has to stop being a leader obsessed with his own name and talents.

Modi came on stage and delivered a speech that very much looked like a film set, with him playing the hero. He delivered dialogues with punchlines, but very few of his words said anything about India. For the first 10 minutes he couldnt get over Vadodara, while the whole nation was expecting their New PM (who could speak very well, or at least could speak) to address them all. Instead, they got a speech that thanked just one region for his stupendous success. The thousands of speeches he made while campaigning all over the country were set aside, and all one heard from the man were epithets about his own glory.

The new PM will have to grow up fast and recreate his Gujarat success on a much bigger platform. There is no place for complacency at all – people have voted out the Congress in the past too, but have gone back to them because they have realised that all other parties are even bigger jokes than the nation’s oldest party. Narendra Modi now needs to focus more on everyone’s development, not just his own. The time for dialoguebaazi has come to an end.

Instead of harping on the developed roads in Gujarat, the terrible roads of Mumbai need to find a place in his speeches. Instead of talking endlessly about Gujarat’s development, he must come out with a plan to develop all of India. We are seriously tired of windbags, and for now, we have placed our collective faith in Modi. If he does anything to dent that faith, he should be prepared for what will come his way. After all, the country just wants a strong leadership that doesn’t cheat.

Ab ki baar, kaam kar lo yaar!

Jatin Sharma is a media professional who doesn’t want to grow up, because if he grows up, he will be like everybody else. ‘Overdose’ is his weekly take on people’s quirks and quibbles.

(Pictures courtesy indiatoday.intoday.in)

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Uncategorized

Varanasi aims to halt the Modi juggernaut

Academics and mediapersons are gearing up in different ways to try and stop Narendra Modi from being elected in Varanasi.
Humra Quraishiby Humra  Quraishi

Part 3 of the ‘Your Vote’ campaign for Lok Sabha 2014.

“Halt Narendra Modi! Save this country from destruction!” This seems to be a common refrain in Varanasi these days. Just two days ago, the Varanasi- based historian, Dr Mohammad Arif – he taught at the Benaras Hindu University and now heads the All India Secular Forum – told me that Varanasi-based activists and academics is to halt Modi.

He said, “A person like Narendra Modi, who is a permanent source of anxiety and insecurity for very large sections of our society, cannot and should not be allowed to lead India…his infamous role in the massacre of over 3,000 Muslims in his State in 2002 is being brushed aside and he is promoted as morally ‘fit enough’ to lead the nation.

“False statistical claims, full of half-truths, are being used to present Gujarat as Narendra Modia model that all of India should follow to attain high economic growth. The voices of reason critical of Modi within his own party are being ignored and even attacked to silence them…”

There are several who are heading towards Varanasi to take on Modi, as the latter tries his luck from the fabled place. Shifting base from Noida to Varanasi for this stretch is the editor of The Bismillah News, Ahmed Suhail Siddiqui. He claims he is determined to take on Modi as an independent candidate.

To quote Siddiqui, “In Varanasi, candidates of all the parties are fighting a ‘fixed’ battle against Modi, to help him win. I informed them that if these parties were serious of the dangers of Modi becoming the Prime Minister of India, then why did their top leaders like Sonia, Rahul, Priyanka, Mulayam Singh Yadav not ensure Modi’s defeat by contesting against him in Varanasi and Vadodara? Instead , these parties have put up weak candidates.”

He continued, “Kejriwal is helping Modi all over India. Out of 450-odd candidates put up by AAP all over India, some 45 minority people have been put up by AAP. But AAP has not put up minority candidates from seats traditionally having a minority influence. Why? Is this not the other side of the coin of the same policy by which minority-populated seats were reserved for SC/ST to deny minorities natural representation in democracy?”      

In Delhi, there are others who are showing the courage to stand up and openly protest. Ravi Singh, co-publisher of the Aleph Book Company, resigned this week in protest of Rupa’s (Aleph’s publishing partner) decision to publish the English translation of 67 poems of Narendra Modi. The volume is set to hit the market during the ongoing election season.

Humra Quraishi is a senior political journalist based in Gurgaon. ‘Your Vote’ is a column capturing the Lok Sabha 2014 fervour. If you have an interesting insight or trend to be featured here, write to editor@themetrognome.in with the subject line ‘Your vote’.

(Pictures courtesy www.indiatvnews.com)

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Enough said

Election winds

Based on the current level of sloganeering and speeches by political parties, the upcoming elections should go exactly as planned.
Humra Quraishiby Humra Quraishi

The upcoming elections will probably move along expected lines, judging from the preparations for it. The so-called leaders of the country are running all over the place giving speeches, all hoping to convert their words into votes.

Funnily enough, when the SP’s Mulayam Singh tried going towards the Aligarh Muslim University to address a seminar there, he was stopped even before he could set foot on the campus; there were strong protests by students and teachers. The seminar was cancelled and Mulayam beat a hasty retreat.

The BJP’s Narendra Modi comes to the national capital this week, at the Habitat Centre, where he will launch two books and brag about what his State is doing for the welfare of women. Women’s Day comes next week, and Modi is not one to let go of an opportunity to boast of his many achievements.

I wish someone in the audience would quiz Modi on the blatant gender bias and factual blunders in the text books teaching children in his State. These books in the syllabi are published and printed by his State Government. His own knowledge of basic history is pathetic, to say the least, and now he is doing the unpardonable – relaying factually twisted and wrong information to school children of Gujarat.

His Government is also trying to do what the earlier NDA-led Government at the Center had done, with the then HRD Minister Murli Manohar Joshi trying to twist the facts pertaining to minority communities. In this context, the text books in the State of Gujarat are trying to omit some important facts. A recent news report carries this vital input: ‘Apart from gender stereotyping, instances of gender bias abound. The chapter on the Supreme Court in the social science textbook does not mention the first woman SC judge Justice M Fathima Beevi…’ 

Meanwhile, the AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal addressed Muslims at the India Islamic Cultural Centre. He spoke of the disasters that communal politics drags along with it, and focussed on communal politicians.

Humra Quraishi is a senior political journalist based in Gurgaon. She is the author of Kashmir: The Untold Story and co-author of Simply Khushwant.

(Pictures courtesy www.blog.sagmart.com) 

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