Democracy is good - as long as you vote for me. Anyone who votes for my opponent does not (Choose one)
a) Have faith in democracy b) Is an idiot c) Has been bought d) Is selfish e) Does not understand the benefits of benign neglect and handouts f) All of the above.
This is just a bunch of opinions actually. They are also easy to mock. Here goes- //“At Ahmedabad’s malls, you’ll find that almost one-fourth of the visitors are from the towns and villages,” says Achyut Yagnik, a noted social scientist. “Modi knows just how to rope them in.”// He seems angry that small town and rural folk have increased purchasing power. //Social scientist Ghanshyam Shah says Modi appeals to middle-class youth because what he offers matches their aspirations. They brim with aggressive defiance, self-centredness, chauvinism and a love for fast-paced development.// What is aggressive defiance and where is it directed? Against socialism? Then good on them. Self-centredness, huh? Individualism gets a bum rap for all the wrong reasons. This is not atomism(men are islands). To pursue self-interest I must help others as well. I don't grow in a vacuum. I feel like I need to stay as physically & mentally fit as possible. When it comes to physical conditioning routines, pre workouts I always drink a protein shake. The product is owned by americans, manufactured in different parts of the world and I buy it from an Indian retailer. I start my day with Kellog's products, HQ in the US of A. Perhaps some of you could try more fibre in your diet. You come across as in dire need of a laxative. I have to help others to help myself.Even the most grisly caricature of a selfish capitalist/consumerist would have to admit that she/he could only get rich by trading with others. I still frequent kirana stores and big retailers as well. Our nation is miserably poor. No one needs economic growth and greater affordability than our poor. //Rajeev Bhargava, a professor at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, Delhi, says it’s only those youngsters who see no merit in democracy, who are simplistic or individualistic and see social diversity as an impediment who see relevance in Modi’s policies. // Bollocks!! Democracy, is how they voted him in, in the first place. It is the 'modi is satan' brigade that suddenly has lost their love for democracy. Simplistic is exactly what I would call people who think soaking the rich and a robin hood style government are efficient in helping the poor. Seriously, you have to be slightly demented to not see the change, not just in Gujarat, but in the entire country from 98 to 07. The annual rate of change of poverty was between 93-94 to 09-10 has been -1.5% & -2.5% in rural and urban india resp. Increase in inequality is negligible in rural india and moderate in urban India. You would much rather have the poor stay dependent on your omnipotent god like government than think and act for themselves. Individualism, I have explained earlier.Collectivists are immoral and illogical. It is greedy of you, not me, to expect me to cover up your inadequacy. It is not greedy of me to not trust the government with my hard earned wealth and reserving the right to associate with whoever I wish to. Capitalists are not against charity either. That is another myth. We just don't like a middleman(your much loved state) to do it for us.And certainly not a middleman who does it through the use of force. If there is anything sacred, it is private/personal property. I own myself first & ofcourse the various assets that I have. Every single immoral act is an invasion of and an attack on private/personal property. Murder,Rape,Theft or slavery. Your handou system kept my family poor for decades until the early 90s. I grew up in the mid to late 90s and I have seen the change in the 98-07 period. //The BJP has been in power in the state since 1995. Those who started voting in recent years haven’t seen Gujarat under any other regime. The Modi model is all they know; they say it works.// I lived in Kutch in the late 90s(pre modi). I moved around to south gujarat, north gujarat and central gujarat often. It is a great place to tour as a kid. I won't let this rubbish slide.I have seen the change even in these areas which are supposed to have been 'left behind'. You lefties amuse me. You are the most insecure, humourless lot in this nation & consequently feel this perennial need to convince yourself that 'Aaal eej Well' with your ideas. You love a good placebo effect, don't ya? Delusions of adequacy, is what they are!!
Whatever makes you sleep at night, Outlook!
Rajeev Bhargava, a professor at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, Delhi, says it’s only those youngsters who see no merit in democracy, who are simplistic or individualistic and see social diversity as an impediment who see relevance in Modi’s policies. And Shah points to the deception in building Modi up: ......................He HEE eeeeeeeeeeeeeee can't stop laughing! who the hell is this fellow to believe democracy is his preserve??
But is it possible—and is it right—to forget a horrendous communal riot and focus only on the developmental present? >>>>
Yes - let us start with 1984 riots. Why are Rajiv Gandhi's Congress party buddies, murderers like Jagdish Tytler still occupying positions of power under "secularist" Sonia Gandhi's? How many Congress leaders who organised 1984 anti-Sikh riots have been punished.
We at Outlookindia.com welcome feedback and your comments, including scathing criticism
But:
1. Scathing, passionate, even angry critiques are welcome, but please do not indulge in abuse and invective. Our Primary concern is to keep the debate civil. We urge our users to try and express their disagreements without being disagreeable. Personal attacks are not welcome. No ad hominem please.
2. Please do not post the same message again and again in the same or different threads
3. Please keep your responses confined to the subject matter of the article you are responding to. Please note that our comments section is not a general free-for-all but for feedback to articles/blogs posted on the site
4. Our endeavour is to keep these forums unmoderated and unexpurgated. But if any of the above three conditions are violated, we reserve the right to delete any comment that we deem objectionable and also to withdraw posting privileges from the abuser. Please also note that hate-speech is punishable by law and in extreme circumstances, we may be forced to take legal action by tracing the IP addresses of the poster.
5. If someone is being abusive or personal, or generally being a troll or a flame-baiter, please do not descend to their level. The best response to such posters is to ignore them and send us a message at Mail AT outlookindia DOT com with the subject header COMPLAINT
6. Please do not copy and paste copyrighted material. If you do think that an article elsewhere has relevance to the point you wish to make, please only quote what is considered fair-use and provide a link to the article under question.
7. There is no particular outlookindia.com line on any subject. The views expressed in our opinion section are those of the author concerned and not that of all of outlookindia.com or all its authors.
8. Please also note that you are solely responsible for the comments posted by you on the site. The comments could be deleted or edited entirely at our discretion if we find them objectionable. However, the mere fact of their existence on our site does not mean that we necessarily approve of their contents. In short, the onus of responsibility for the comments remains solely with the authors thereof. Outlookindia.com or any of its group publications, may, however, retains the right to publish any of these comments, with or without editing, in any medium whatsoever. It is therefore in your own interest to be careful before posting.
9.Outlookindia.com is not responsible in any manner whatsoever for how any search engine -- such as Google, Bing etc -- caches or displays these comments. Please note that you are solely responsible for posting these comments and it is a privilege being granted to our registered users which can be withdrawn in case of abuse. To reiterate:
a. Comments once posted can only be deleted at the discretion of outlookindia.com b. The comments reflect the views of the authors and not of outlookindia.com c. outlookindia.com is not responsible in any manner whatsoever for the way search engines cache or display these comments d. Please therefore take due caution before you post any comments as your words could potentially be used against you
10. We have an online thread for our comments policy: http://blog.outlookindia.com/default.aspx?ddm=10&pid=1669&eid=5
You are welcome to post your suggestions here or in case you have a specific issue, to directly email us at Mail AT outlookindia DOT com with the subject header COMPLAINT