Singh is indeed King

It's a sad day for us who believed that BJP would come to power. There were two kinds among the supporters of BJP. One, like me, who did believe in the Exit polls but still had a ray of hope for a miracle. And two, those who thought exit polls were all wrong and BJP would sweep the polls. Both the kinds were proved wrong today.

I was really shocked to see this huge swing in favor of UPA and Congress in particular. A change of +78 seats from 2004 for Congress ! Something definitely went wrong for BJP. Or something went unexpectedly right with Congress. I genuinely want to understand the rationale behind voting for Congress. Why did people give a huge landslide victory to UPA?

1) Is it Rahul Gandhi's charm?
2) Is it the clean image of Manmohan Singh?
3) Is it the wave of sympathy towards Singh who was under bitter attack from BJP? Or because he has to follow orders from the high command?
4) Did people really believe that UPA government did a good job of leading the nation in last five years?
5) Did people forget all the terror attacks including Mumbai massacre?
6) Did Modi repel the voters away from BJP?
7) Did people underestimate UPA's failures in economic policies? (For whatever it is worth now, go through this article on WSJ. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124109098695372847.html
8) Did people forget the row created a few years ago by Arjun Singh for reservation?

Or it's just that people are too infatuated by the Gandhi dynesty to have any discretion. A servile, mindless fascination towards anyone and everyone who enters politics from that family. That family seems to have some sort of invisible grip on the psyche of the people of India.

I can find some comfort in the fact that now the regional parties and their rogue leaders will not hold the central government hostage. A clear majority is always good for democracy. It shows a clear mandate by the people. (God knows what people where thinking when they gave this mandate! But anyway...)

Mr Advani's hopes are dashed. Now the history books will never have his name as one of the Prime Ministers of India. He had come so close so often. And yet destiny deliverd a blow everytime.
Modi is in a very delicate position now. And a very unenviable one for that matter. He could not even gain seats in his own Gujarat. And his campaigning was supposed to be a major factor in BJP's success. The party leaders joined the band wagon and pronounced him as the next PM candiate. Now they are swallowing their words and are feeling like kicking their own butts.
BJP's stratagists must be feeling completely flabbergasted. They failed to see the red signs. If at all there were any! Many people in the party are going to face the heat in near future. They need to do some serious introspection.

The Left too was caught on the wrong side. May be finally the people of West Bengal are realizing that Communism is probably not the best governance system in 21st century.

Rahul Gandhi is 'The Blue Eyed Boy' for Congress and a natural successor of Singh. Mr. Singh himself has given several not-so-suble indications of that. I won't be surprised if he is elevated to the most coveted position in the world's largest democracy soon.

Whatever happens, one thing is for sure. This is going to be a stable government for next five years. And all I can do is hope that they have a little more to offer to the people of India than just stability.

A letter to Mr. Rahul Gandhi

Dear Mr. Gandhi

First of all many congratulations on becoming the general secretary of AICC. I am sure you will do great as the GS of a direction less party like Congress. The party needs youth representation and you are capable of providing that. Though I must say apart from youth, you have nothing much to offer to the party. But I appreciate your efforts.

We came to know, through media reports that you are focusing your energy to revive the flagging Congress party in Gujarat. For that you have taken great effort and pain to learn our language! You are taking crash courses in Gujarati language. We would like to extend our vote of thanks to you for being so generous as to learn our language to speak with us. But Mr. Gandhi, we would like to remind you that speaking someone's language does not make you understand that society or culture.

Can you actually spot Gujarat on the map of India? Can you name 5 biggest cities of Gujarat? Also, do you remember what was the last time you had visited villages of Gujarat? Other than your election rallies which have been flop all over India anyway.

Dear Mr. Gandhi, we do not need your interference in Gujarat. Your party is doing virtually nothing in the state and does not deserve to be in power ever in future. We are all satisfied with the governance that the current government is doing.

Also, just a friendly hint for you. Before you start your campaign and start alleging and maligning Mr. Modi's government, update your facts and knowledge about the progress of Gujarat in last few years. Look at the connectivity of road networks. Read some figures about Gujarat's revenue, export and import. Look at the improvement in situation of water and electricity in villages and towns.

Wishing you Good luck for your campaign. You really need it.

Yours Sincerely
A Proud Indian and a Gujarati