GAS WARS - Crony Capitalism and the Ambanis (Book Intro)

GAS WARS - Crony Capitalism and the Ambanis is a new book on the politics surrounding our immense natural resources. Although it is on 'Natural Gas', it draws a picture surrounding natural resources as a business proposition by the well connected rich and the powerful. It is written by Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, Subir Ghosh and Jyotirmoy Chaudhuri.

The book highlights the weaknesses of our system that allowed the Reliance group to blatantly exploit loopholes, which were consciously retained in the system to benefit the powerful. It is an alarming reflection of how big businesses with money and muscle has benefitted from the way Government policies are structured - be it Meghalaya or Coal fields of Sonari, Assam, or the rich natural gas reserves in the Krishna-Godavari basin.

It lays bare the alarming facts of a natural disaster waiting to happen due to the ruthless exploitation of the country's natural resources in order to swell the fortunes of the few. 

I have an opinion that this also funds the super expensive elections of the country, with its thousands of helicopter rides, plane trips and cash to the thousands of volunteers.

All concerned citizens of the country should read this book. This book gives us strength to actively participate in our country's progress by providing the necessary checks and balances.

It is worth mentioning that when Mr. Arvind Kejriwal and Mr. Prashant Bhushan had called for a press conference regarding the same issue, quite a few of media companies were served legal notices by Reliance Group for broadcasting the press conference !! Where is Right to Free Expression?

Later, all the three authors were served legal notices. Even Amazon.in and FlipKart.com who are merely selling the book were served legal notices. One young girl who just helped Mr. Thakurta sent out invites for the book launch was also served a legal notice !!

Please read the book or just glance through it before making an opinion. But please make an opinion for sure.

This is the Facebook page. 

This is the website.

Click here to buy. 

Politics of development is as narrow as the politics of secularism and communalism.

Modi is riding the development wave. He and BJP has successfully created this common perception over the past decade that politics now should be played on development and that BJP has the lone copyright on 'development'. The most common instance given are the roads of Gujarat to prove development, then the Tata Nano plant and then the opinion that most Gujarati (s) are rich.

I was convinced about the need for development, and the need for politics to be based on development and progress. I liked BJP for taking that plank. (However, I never liked Modi read this blog). In offices and in various dinner parties, development was the most discussed topic.

Over a lot of dinner table discussions, media reports and my own research, I realized that nobody has defined the measurement of development. For a Capitalist, development means something completely opposite to what it means to a Socialist, or a Leftist. Development means a certain thing for a salaried employee, and it means something else for a self-employed. Development carries a certain perception for urban population, and means something completely different for the rural population.

Today, Congress in Assam has released a full page advertisement on the most widely circulated Assamese daily - Pratidin. It says, "Reality of Gujarat in comparison to Assam". The ad signs off saying, "Action speaks louder than words". It gives various statistics to prove that indeed Gujarat is much lesser developed than Assam. One of the point says, "For every 100 sq. kms, Assam has 308.26 kms of road whereas Gujarat has 79.68 kms of road only".

This advertisement may fool the people of rest of India, but not the people living and suffering in Assam. This ad has clarified in my mind that 'development' politics is no different from 'secularism' politics. Both are shallow, mis-leading, corrupt in their meanings and mere vote led politics.

Some Statistics shown in the Ad

1. For every 100 sq. kms, Assam has 308.26 kms of road whereas Gujarat has 79.68 kms of roads only.
2. Women in reserved seats: Assam (33.3%) Vs Gujarat (14.7%)
3. Per 100 boys going to school: Assam (100 girls) Vs Gujarat (85 girls)
4. Farmers with loan debt: Assam (18.01%) Vs Gujarat (51.09%)
5. Hunger Index: Assam (4th) Vs Gujarat (13th)
6. Allotment for Rural development: Assam 3.13% vs Gujarat 2.80%
7. Allotment for Health and Medicine: Assam (4.8%) Vs Gujarat (4.6%)
8. Health Development Index: Assam (3rd) Vs Gujarat (13th)
9. Education Development Index: Assam (23.25%) Vs Gujarat (12.7%)
10. Loan NPA: Assam (29200 crs) Vs Gujarat (176500 crs)

Please note that this blog is NOT IN SUPPORT of CONGRESS. This is only to prove that we all can bluff on development. Even the most corrupt Congress Govt. in Assam can. It is primarily because development has no standard definition.

Corruption on the other hand has been given a definition by AAP. It is primarily segmented into two categories: Exploitative corruption and Mutual corruption. Exploitative corruption is the kind where the common public feels exploited, but is helpless to just accept it. So only one of the party benefits. Mutual corruption is the kind where both or all the parties involved are benefitting from the transaction. There is a third party or the country which is getting the hit.

Corruption not only takes away tax money meant for welfare, but also creates inefficiencies all across the economic and social value system. The most critical negative side effect of corruption is the effect it has on the character and morality of a society. It has a lot of indirect effects as well. For instance, the standard of driving and traffic skills is the poorest in the district where the department issuing licenses is most corrupt.

If we can reduce corruption either through fear or through awareness by 50%, Govt. expenditures will become 50% more effective and development will increase by over 50% automatically.

It is time that we understand what each of the political parties are saying in the real sense of the term. We should discuss, read and spread awareness. We have seen enough political promises and we have got cheated enough number of times by the ruling class.

It is time we vote for a party which is created by the Aam Aadmi with a clear focus on the common man. With Swaraj Bill and the Jan Lokpal Bill, it will bring power to the grassroots and thereby reduce mutual corruption in the ruling class. Jan Lokpal Bill will create necessary fear in the bureaucracy and the Govt offices and thereby reduce exploitative corruption.

Support AAP. Join AAP. Donate for a corruption free Assam, and India.

Confession of an AAPtard.

I was sort of a BJP supporter. They seemed like the better option as compared to the corrupt clue-less Congress. I loved Vajpayee Ji. I liked a lot of the BJP spokespersons on TV as well. They seemed smarter than the rest, and were more direct and clear in their interaction.

I was a salaried employee working in an MNC company then.

Yet, I was not very comfortable about my choice. The primary discomfort was because of the fact that I am more of an Assamese, than an Indian. To me, BJP is a very non-Assamese party and it does not understand the sentiments of the Assamese people. It may sound stupid, but that was how I felt. (Later I found out that lot of Assamese in Assam felt that way.)

Secondly, I could not get completely comfortable about Modi. I indeed tried to get comfortable by reading about him and his works, but he was just too much of an enigma. He seemed un-approachable, and far away for my conscience to get comfortable with him. He is an one-man army and his council of ministers in the Gujarat Government were too conspicuous by their absence and silence. This defeated the ethos of democracy.

Aam Aadmi Party in the meanwhile was being formed, and something or the other was happening in New Delhi. I didn't take much notice, perhaps because it was primarily a 'Delhi' thing, and I couldn't gauge the power behind the idea. It was only when AAP won 28 seats in the Delhi Assembly that I took notice and thought of reading about AAP and their anti-corruption drive.

One of the first videos that took my breath away - http://youtu.be/CvQ3_eOLdEA

I started following Arvind Kejriwal and the AAP website for a clearer understanding of the party. I found a strong anti-establishment sentiment primarily based on honesty and anti-corruption. I found a clear shift of focus from 'the ruling class sentiment' of a politician to the 'common man sentiment'. I found a lot of intelligence and ingenuity in the quickly evolving institution called AAP. The website and the various online services it offered were very innovative and user-friendly towards the single goal of forming a powerful institution. I loved the concept of 'Swaraj' where AAP is directing all its efforts and energies. I related to the concept of decentralization of power in terms of political, social and cultural administration of the country and the various varied states.

Two more videos to understand Arvind Kejriwal...

1. Facebook Talks Live Candidates 2014

2. India Today Conclave - Full Session

It was December 2013, when I had packed my bags and left Mumbai for good. Being in Assam for just a few days gave me a clear indication that corruption has entered even deeper in Assam, fueled by un-employment and lack of knowledge and awareness. I was surprised at the happy state of being corrupt, right from the top to the man on the streets. It was anarchy. To me, the wave of honesty and power to honest people seemed more critical for Assam than the rest of India.

BJP in the meantime had played its cards well and had become a formidable anti-incumbency option to the Indian citizens. From the last few elections, Indians were anyway fed up of coalition Governments and the 'concept per compromise' of NDA and UPA. It was not the party or its philosophy that had been creating a polarization of affection towards BJP. It was the univocal public sentiment of the well meaning citizens of the country towards a majority one-party Government, which was acting for the BJP. The in-efficient Congress, Modi effect with his team of spin doctors and the perception of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh being two of the most well-governed states of the country was adding fuel to the BJP fire.

At the same time, AAP, its leaders, its supporters including me were getting more and more confident of the alternative of honest politics, Swaraj and Jan Lok Pal bill. We were in a hurry. With the Delhi victory, we became doubly in hurry. Our objective of a corruption free country, where the power resides with the common people seemed possible. Quite obviously, BJP became our primary obstacle, as Congress ship was sinking on its own. We started attacking BJP and its policies more than those of the Congress. This created a huge confusion, debate and disillusionment among the well meaning citizens of India, who had already selected BJP as their saviour. BJP supporters, in no time labelled AAP as the agent of Congress to divide BJP vote bank for the Congress to win the elections.

We, the volunteers and supporters of AAP had got very upset about this new preposterous development. Labeling us with the Congress was an insult, hard to take. No amount of explanation and logic by the AAP supporters could convince the AAP haters to stop the tirade. The voice of the AAP critics and haters are so fierce that some time you get almost un-certain about the intentions of Arvind Kejriwal. I am confident about the constituency where I work, and the people that I work with. But sometimes I think 'who knows what is in the mind of the central think tank'. Politics is dirty.

Politics is dirty. This perception is the key reason why AAP is not believable for the un-initiated. 'Honesty is the best policy' has long lost its meaning and practicality. Honesty in politics is like a paradox. Honest politician is like a misnomer. AAP may have taken unconditional Congress support with honest intentions to form the Delhi Government, yet it is just not believable in the current context of politics in India. AAP and Congress just became allies for the common man of India. All the reasons and facts that had made people believe that AAP is an alternative to Congress in Delhi before the assembly elections, somehow faded into oblivion. After the elections when AAP took Congress support, all of those reasons and facts were all categorized as gimmicks with double meaning.

It is just unbelievable that AAP is an platform and a collection of honest people with the common intention of removing corruption from the political and administration system of our country. In Assam, there were a lot of people who joined AAP because it was easier to join, thinking that it will be just like any other political party - acceptably corrupt. It becomes very embarrassing for the party, as these people spoil the brand AAP. Although, they will get filtered out sooner than later, yet it is a problem that perhaps every state in the country has faced or is facing as I write.

Politics is also about power. There is a certain power addiction in becoming the ruling class, and remaining as one. AAP refutes that equation. AAP genuinely wants power to come to the masses. AAP genuinely wants the lowest unit of democracy to be the most powerful unit of democracy. This is again unbelievable, for it is a paradigm shift in terms of political thinking. It is about acting local facilitated by thinking global.

I have experienced this philosophy within the party. I was the campaign manager of the Jorhat Lok Sabha candidate - Mr. Manorom Gogoi. During the whole campaign process, there was no high command. Even the manifesto was made by us without any interference from the state committee and the central committee. It was all about the local needs best understood by the local people and by the people directly involved in the campaign process. The basis idea of honesty was omni-present but it got manifested in the most local way possible in our actions and speeches.

I have realized one thing for certain. AAP is not merely a political party. It is a revolution that have touched the length and breath of the country. It has polarized the country against corruption. Good intentions and actions will keep converting people in the fringe into hardcore supporters.  Arvind Kejriwal has started the revolution, and now it is all about what we do that will define this great phenomenon.

Till now, we have shown extreme intelligence, dedication, comradeship and perseverance. Just look at the huge IT infrastructure that the party is able to create in just over a year. It is no mean feat that AAP is fielding the highest number of candidates in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, among all parties. Arvind Kejriwal and Kumar Vishwas have shown extreme courage and commitment by deciding to stand against Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi. It is quite likely that both Arvind Kejriwal and Kumar Vishwas will win their respective elections.

If that happens, we will not be very far from the miracle of really being able to restore honesty in the electoral politics of India.

Nido's Death is a collateral damage. I feel sad.

We tend to respond emotionally to emotions. I know that death does not become easy even if we lose so many young lives accidentally, or suddenly, everyday. I too feel saddened. However, I want to go beyond feeling sad in this case, and try to understand the real cause of such an outburst.

Nido's death is beyond racial discrimination. It is about a social, economic and a political problem.

Human beings like any other animal are territorial by nature. A sense of ownership of a territory happens by virtue of ethnicity, language, place of birth, religion and other such parameters of belongingness. Civilization, education, laws and policing have made us better than animals, and human beings are therefore have become far more tolerant and understanding of territorial concerns.

We have to now understand if there are triggers that can make human beings less tolerant and angry about their perceived territorial rights. In 1998, when I was in Satya Niketan (New Delhi), NE students like me were in almost every 10th house. Today, I am told, we are in every 5th house. Isn't that a little bit of an imbalance?

If you see the number of lonely old parents in the different cities and towns of Assam and the other Northeastern states, you will understand the problem definition that I am expounding here. In my hometown of Duliajan, there are hardly any students studying in local colleges. A rough estimate would be that over 50% students after their 12th standard goes out to Delhi, Bangalore or Pune. Duliajan, being a richer town has these phenomenal proportions, and the proportions are not so high in other towns. But it is quite sizeable and significant.

If this is the level of exodus to supposedly better places outside northeast, and Delhi being the preferred destination for most Northeast students and parents, we may find some triggers that may create instances like Nido, and other similar attacks.

Migration is natural but this level of crazy migration is un-natural and is bound to have collateral damages. The tolerance of the local citizens will be severely tested with such high levels of migration. If the same level of migration had happened towards Assam (or Arunachal Pradesh), armed revolt would have happened killing hundreds. It is common knowledge how Assam had revolutions against outsiders. Even today the climate is tense in Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur etc. Manipur does not allow Hindi cinema exhibition for instance. So I may tend to think that Delhi and Mumbai are far more tolerant places as compared to so many other places of India.

We have to understand why are we sending our youths outside the state in such large proportions. There are social reasons and there are political reasons.

The Government has failed to create the confidence in the available local infrastructure. Although Northeast has education infrastructure which can support a lot more students, the Government has failed to maintain the available infrastructure in the highest standards. Primary education has mushroomed all over the region, but secondary education is where the Government had to put a lot more focus.

Secondly, the Government has not encouraged or facilitated the growth of private sector in terms of small scale, medium scale and large scale industries. This has led to the lack of jobs in the region. Government is the only job-giver in the region. Students therefore flock to Delhi and other places to study with the hope that they will get a job as well after their studies.

There is a social pressure as well to send kids outside the region. It is the talk of pride for parents to tell the neighbors about where their kids are studying, or staying. I had migrated to Delhi after graduation, studied post graduation in Ahmedabad and then worked in Mumbai for 16 years. Today I am back to my hometown where I should have been there in the first place. I don't see a reason why we should encourage kids to go outside, live in a new culture and become something that they are not. There are enough and more ways to create value in our hometowns. The problem here is the negative perception about business and entrepreneurship. It is the salary that we seek, and not the uncertainty of business.

We have to understand however that it is entrepreneurship spirt that builds a nation, a state. Gujarat is developed not because of Modi, but because of the relentless entrepreneurship spirit of the Gujaratis. All the communities in India who have a developed entrepreneurship spirit are the communities that are known across the world and are richer than other communities.

Lot many Nidos will happen if we don't reverse the migration trend, which I also call Brain Drain. The government and the people of the region have to get conscious of this problem of brain drain and try to reduce the same. Nido's death in the capital city of India is a collateral damage, like the death of many 'outsiders' in the Northeast. The reason lies elsewhere, and not on racial discrimination like the media has put forth.