The Great Indian Political Drama - 1 (Oct 2017 - Mar 2018)

[Singha]

Same lack of easy access pathways and xyz for dummies type handholding hinders public appeal of our rich data bank of indian classical music

[Gus]

people have no idea how serious and repeatedly tamils have tried this 'local language education' thing..

2010
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/t ... 371976.ece

Tamil medium of instruction will be introduced in B.E. civil and mechanical courses at engineering colleges in Anna University from the coming academic year as an experimental measure. With this Tamil Nadu has become a pioneer in the country in providing engineering courses in the native language.

it is facing lots of difficulties and lack of interest.

http://www.thehindu.com/features/educat ... 286870.ece

At the end of general academic counselling on Monday, over 51 per cent seats in civil engineering and 63 per cent seats in mechanical engineering in the Tamil medium are lying vacant.

Anna University colleges offer only two courses in Tamil and the intake this year is 659 seats in civil engineering and 718 in mechanical engineering.

More than half of the first generation graduates who had been allotted seats in the first week of counselling had completed their schooling in Tamil medium and opted to study engineering also in the same language, Moorthy Selvakumaran, an Erode-based educational consultant remarked. “Most of them are beneficiaries of the government’s tuition fee waiver scheme.”

Candidates have opted for Tamil medium in the belief that the government would implement an order issued by the DMK government four years ago, reserving 20 per cent of government jobs for engineering candidates from Tamil medium.

Despite vacancies, the cut off marks for Tamil medium are higher this year. This year, the last student admitted to College of Engineering (CEG) had a cut off of 185. Last year, this cut off was 167.

Students of mechanical engineering in Tamil medium have been picked up by private sectors as well. Of the 55 students in the first batch of mechanical engineering in the Tamil stream in CEG, 15 were recruited by L&T, Mumbai, M&M, iNautix Technologies and offshore oil drilling units through campus recruitment.

Mohammed Nadheem, a mechanical engineering student, said: “If the GO is implemented, we will get jobs. There are enough vacancies in government departments.” His classmate D.M. Pragadeesh opted for Tamil despite having passed class XII through English medium for its lower fee structure.

Some like K. Vinoth Kumar, a final year civil engineering student of the University College of Engineering, Ramanathapuram, trust their friends to find them a job. His father is a farmer and cannot afford to spend much on his education. “Language is not a barrier for engineers as it is our knowledge of the subject that matters. All seats in the department have been filled this year too,” he points out.

His classmate N. Pavithra, daughter of a mason, already has a diploma from the Aranthangi government polytechnic college. “The boys of my batch have got jobs and the girls have become teachers. I have watched my father from childhood and I want to become a supervisor,” she says. Not being able to speak in English is not a barrier, she feels.

Mr. Moorthy says lack of engineering books in Tamil is the only hindrance.

[Gus]

I have personally spoken to some students whenever I visited my UG and only few felt they made the right choice and hopeful of future. Most companies don't invite them for campus and even if they did, their questions, group discussions and personal interview are all in english. these are practical issues.

we missed the industrial era and the 'development of literature and industry eco system in local language' thing. it is now counter productive to chase that bus that's left us long ago. just take the next bus and get to where you want to go, instead of running after a bus long gone.

[crams]

Guys, interesting contrast in UndY's coverage Vs TimesNow and Republic coverage of recent events. UndY is obsessed with 2 BJP rustic clowns who called for beheading Deepika Padukone and chopping off anybody's hand who attacks ModiJi (entire Lutyen elite as usual want none other than ModiJi to apologize). While TimesNow and Republic have gone hammer and tongs over Pappu's slaves attacking ModiJi as a chaiwallah. And boy, while BJP or for that matter any Indian should be outraged at the condescending reference to ModiJi's humble origins, is BJP milking the living s!it out Pappu's slaves' gaffe

[Dumal]

TheWire et al are running with allegations about foul play in the death of a cbi court judge in December 2014 and the following quick disposal of the Sohrabudin case against Amit Shah later in the same month. Is this all just Ahmad Patel throwing the spanner in the GJ election race for BJP or anything more substantial?

[shravanp]

TheWire et al are running with allegations about foul play in the death of a cbi court judge in December 2014 and the following quick disposal of the Sohrabudin case against Amit Shah later in the same month. Is this all just Ahmad Patel throwing the spanner in the GJ election race for BJP or anything more substantial?

I don't know how much effect will this have on electoral race for BJP. Its a no-issue as far as Amit Shah is concerned. Most of the Gujarat is well aware of Shorabudin and is a hated personality. Good riddance, may might have said that when he was halaled.

[Sachin]

Looks like there is a major game plan against EVMs. In Meerut voters say that their vote for BSP, went to the BJP. The Chindu says it was a technical snag, where as ToI-let strongly feels it is a tampered EVM.
EVM snags mar U.P. municipal elections
Furore in Meerut after voter presses BSP on EVM, vote goes to BJP
A video of a voter trying unsuccessfully to cast his vote for the candidate of his choice turned up online soon, leaving officials scrambling to solve the problem. In the video, the voter, Tasleem Ahmad, can be seen trying to vote for BSP.
"I voted for the BSP candidate. I am still holding the pressed button. The machine has recorded my vote as having gone to BJP. I have been waiting here for an hour, but no solution has been provided so far," Ahmad can be heard saying in the video
---
The Times of India report does have some gaps. Generally videography is not allowed in any voting booth in India. How did this Ahmad dude manage to record this event? Secondly he also says the vote went for the BJP. How is that confirmed? Because in an EVM's voting unit the light only comes up for a moment (along with a beep) once the button is pressed. And the light next to the button only glows. Then the voting unit stops working till a button is pressed on the ballot unit.

Aside: If BJP is so smart to rig EVMs, would they do it in such a way that when a voter presses a button, a light would glow up next to the BJP candidates name? (and tell the voter that his vote has gone to the BJP)?

[Yagnasri]

The case on AS in very weak. In fact, it is not there. It was created to drag him into the mud. Now, this new drama is initiated. That is all. We do not know that the judge is dead to date and it was not even reported as far as I know.

[MehtaRahulC]

Does anyone know why anti-black-money leaders are NOT stopping "angadia" network in India?
.
("angadia" are couriers in India who move huge amount cash without any reporting done to any govt)
.
Ahmedabad angadia send/receive over Rs 200 crore per day (yes, per day) !! All cash. All cash is moved only to serve unaccounted transactions.
.
Mumbai is order of magnitude bigger than Ahmedabad. Intra-mumbai angadia is also a big business !!!
.
Govt can crack down and stop all angadia within days across India.
.
But why is govt NOT doing it? UPA didnt do because UPS was never sincere about removing black money transactions.
.
So does anyone know why govt is not cracking down on angadia network?

[Trilobite]

^I am also curious to know, what has been done against the Panama papers people? Has anyone been convicted yet? Also I have heard of no action taken against the recently released Paradise papers, may be I missed the news. Has the govt. initiated any action against the Paradise papers people yet? Also what about the swiss bank cases, money which was supposedly to be brought back? It seems there is a lack of follow up on the issues both by the govt. as well as by media whose job is to raise the issue and demand follow up.

[Hari Seldon]

The Congress Might Not Want To Know, But Modi Government Saved Over Rs 12,600 Crore In Rafale Deal (Swarajya)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government saved over Rs 12,600 crore in a deal signed with France for the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets in a flyaway condition, the Times of India has reported. The cost of the jets, compared with terms that were being considered by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, was significantly lower, the report said.

Under the reworked contract for the purchase of the jets in a flyaway condition, the government was able to bring down the cost of the aircraft to around $90 million each. In comparison, each of the first 18 fighters would have cost the UPA government over $100 million. The Modi government also negotiated the purchase of weapons package for the 36 fighters, which added to the cost.

The Modi government was also successful in capping the annual inflation rate of the cost of the jets at 3.5 percent against the 3.9 per cent rate that was on offer during the UPA rule. “This ensures an additional saving of around 200 million while it could add up to around 1 billion euros,” the report read.

The Congress has accused the government of buying the jets at an inflated price and tweaking the agreement to favour a particular business house. However, many have questioned the motives of the Congress as it has levelled these allegations a year after the deal was signed and just before elections in Gujarat.

The government has refuted the claims made by the opposition party. The Indian Air Force has also rebutted the Congress’ charge of overpricing in the deal.

Rahul Gandhi’s hope of stirring up a controversy on the deal in view of the upcoming assembly polls was dashed by Air Chief B S Dhanoa last week. The Air Chief said there was "no overpricing" in the purchase of the fighter jets and that the government had "negotiated a very good deal” for the 36 aircraft.

[Hari Seldon]

India TV‏Verified account @indiatvnews 3m3 minutes ago
Three people died and nine were injured after 13 coaches of #VascoDaGama-Patna Express #train derailed near Uttar Pradesh's #Manikpur. The train was travelling from Goa to Patna.

Lemme guess, fishplate removal must be the cause. There were a string of such 'accidents' some moons ago in UP.

The packee sabotage against indial rail continues apace seems like.

And where better than UP-BH to do it in for max impact? Local collaborators are also probably available aplenty here.

[Hari Seldon]

Heh.

CNBC-TV18 News‏Verified account @CNBCTV18News Follow Follow @CNBCTV18News
'BJP needs to add to its 2014 vote share of 59% in Gujarat to be considered as winners,' says #TMC MP @quizderek #InsideParliament

Check the video too at this link:
https://twitter.com/CNBCTV18News/status ... 0340714496

[Deans]

^I am also curious to know, what has been done against the Panama papers people? Has anyone been convicted yet? Also I have heard of no action taken against the recently released Paradise papers, may be I missed the news. Has the govt. initiated any action against the Paradise papers people yet? Also what about the swiss bank cases, money which was supposedly to be brought back? It seems there is a lack of follow up on the issues both by the govt. as well as by media whose job is to raise the issue and demand follow up.

For the Panama papers, every case was enquired into. A prima facie case of tax evasion is established against 147 out of 426 Indians named.
I hope you understand that being named in a report of uncertain reliability is not enough to establish guilt in court. The investigation into these 426 cases included 395 enquries across 28 countries to establish a paper trail. So far, 12 of these 147 cases are being prosecuted and 792 cr of black money detected. The same process is being conducted for the Paradise papers with all cases being investigated by an inter departmental group.

The Swiss banks are supposed to disclose details of all new Indian account holders starting from 2019 (for 2018 onwards). That was the agreement reached with the Swiss and other tax friendly banking havens, after no effort was made in the previous 65 years. I don't think anyone claimed,
that Swiss bank money was going to be bought back. Similarly, for corporates, capital gains exemption for investments routed through fax havens
like Mauritius have ended from this year.

[Hari Seldon]

Remove it or go to Islamic school: Muslim girl barred from wearing headscarf in UP's Barabanki (India today)

When the student's father objected to this draconian diktat, the principal reportedly in a written reply asked him to get his ward admitted to an Islamic school instead.

Posting the above just to emphasize the sheer force of ironclad autonomy from state interference constitutionally available to religious schools of every denomination under the mainority rubric, to the explicit and discriminatory exception of Hindu run schools, even in states (like J&K, PJ, Meghalaya, Mizoram) where Hindus are de facto minorities.

I would so like Modi sarkar to:

[1] define what a 'Hindu" school means - broad guidelines such as teaching the Gita or samskrit as an additional subject alongside the CBSE syllabus, for instance;

[2] legislate the same rights and privileges currently available to minority schools to *all* religious schools, nationally under the CBSE rubric;

[3] stand firm in the face of a predictable firestorm of fiberal howling, lootyens disgust and 'international' disdain.

[4] Only.

Such a bill will pass the LS. It will get introduced in RS now that we no longer have a closet jihadi presiding the RS. Let it get stuck in RS. Let the sekular parties expose their anti-hindu hand and stand bloody openly only.

But at least take a stand in favor of Hindu edu rights, like you are doing with the Triple Talaq bill for muslim women rights. Be seen to be taking a stand with confidence and sans apologia.

Only.

P.S. Wishlist I know. And Modi sarkar isn't obliged to listen to its voters and supporters, constitutionally. Fair enough. Still, FoE and all that, One should at least let them know what our demands are, whether or not they follow through.

[crams]

Guys, have there been any new opinion polls in Gujarat since the last one a few weeks back that showed a comfortable win in Gujarat?

[crams]

If I were BJP, and I am sure AS and ModiJi don't need my advice, but I would link that scum bag Archbishop's appeal to reject "nationalist forces" (read BJP) with Vatican interfering in Indian elections and go hammer and tongs on the links between Vatican, Archbishop and Queen madam.

[SSundar]

If I were BJP, and I am sure AS and ModiJi don't need my advice, but I would link that scum bag Archbishop's appeal to reject "nationalist forces" (read BJP) with Vatican interfering in Indian elections and go hammer and tongs on the links between Vatican, Archbishop and Queen madam.

And THAT is going to turn off Christian voters as well as countries which are friendly to Modi but are deeply Christian in faith. I think they have done right so far by letting Doorknob and other journos go hammer and tongs against the Padre. The next escalations in the ladder are a possible EC complaint and a PIL at the SC, both of whom will wiggle out with excuses. So, this is how far things will go.

The church tried the same with Goa and was snubbed with BJP coming to power anyway. So, they are damaging themselves amply.

[abhijit]

why I am getting bad feeling about Gujrat... if I am patidar I might temp to vote for cong at the last defining moment.

[Hari Seldon]

^^I'll be mighty happy if the BJP slips past the simple majority mark on its own. Nothing more is needed. or even expected, frankly.

Mean-e-while, in Yogiji's UP...

Slogans, flags in UP city ‘cheer’ Hafiz Saeed’s release in Pakistan; admin orders probe (TOI)

Lakhimpur Kheri: Police were on their toes in Lakhimpur city on Friday morning after members of a {pious} community allegedly celebrated the release of Mumbai terror attack mastermind and co-founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba Hafiz Saeed in Pakistan. Some residents of Begum Bagh colony in Shivpuri area allegedly decorated their houses with green flags and also raised slogans like ‘Hafiz Saeed zindabad’ and ‘Pakistan Zindabad’. The issue was immediately brought to district magistrate Akashdeep’s notice after which police force was rushed to the colony.

Officials said that the administration acted promptly as members of some right wing groups had started gathering in the area. {The shocka! The horror! The audacity!}“We received reports of slogans and flags being raised in support of Hafiz Saeed in the area. I have asked police to deeply investigate into the matter and ensure peace in the city,” Akashdeep told TOI.

On Friday morning, Kotwali police first received information about 20-25 youths from Begum Bagh celebrating the release of Hafiz Saeed. While initially, the cops did not take the issue seriously, they swung into action after the matter was reported to the DM. {MO now on: copy district admin when contacting the police...}“We rushed to the colony and found that some residents had decorated their houses with green flags. We removed all such flags and also assured members of right wing outfits that the matter will be thoroughly investigated,” Kotwali police station in-charge Pradeep Shukla told TOI.

Of course the chutiya and the taqiya are hip-joined, can't be long separated. So here goes...

“We have got video evidence to prove that youngsters from the colony were celebrating the release of Hafiz Saeed. They even waved Pakistani flags and raised slogans such as ‘Hafiz Saeed zindabad’ and ‘Pakistan Zindabad’,” said the leader of a right wing outfit in the area.

When asked about the incident, Ashfaq Qadri, Lakhimpur-based Iman, said, “I am not aware if someone raised anti-national slogans. As far as green flags are concerned, many people started celebrating Juloos-e-Mohammdi, which is on December2, from Friday. It had nothing to do with Hafiz Saeed or Pakistan.”{Must be true. After all, Sri qadri is saying so. Lol.}

[ricky]

As far as Gujarat goes, I know a bjp worker who is convinced of the party getting a 140+ seats. Apparently they had a meeting with AS and the workers are pumped up about the arithmetic. Accordingly, they will do badly in middle Gujarat/mehsana and surrounding districts, east and south will be a sweep, and saurasthra will make up for central Gujarat. Don't know how much is kite flying though.

[Sachin]

And THAT is going to turn off Christian voters as well as countries which are friendly to Modi but are deeply Christian in faith.

X'ian community in India is not a monolithic one. There are various sects & groups there as well. See how the Muslim community considered as a vote bank, now slowly getting marked into Shia & Sunni camps and in fighting slowly starting up.

[sanjayC]

Over 500 missing children reunited with their family via Aadhaar: UIDAI CEO
Once Aadhaar is linked to more government programmes and subsidies, the savings could be $10 bn every year, added UIDAI CEO Ajay Bhushan Pandey

As many as 500 missing children have been traced over the last few months through Aadhaar, the CEO of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), Ajay Bhushan Pandey, said on Friday.

"Over the last few months, more than 500 missing children have been identified through Aadhaar," he said addressing a session at the Global Conference on Cyberspace (GCCS) 2017.

Explaining this, he said this happened in instances where a child found in an orphanage underwent Aadhaar enrolment and it was found that his/her 12-digit biometric identifier had already been made. "...through that we are able to trace," Pandey said.

Speaking at the session on 'Digital Identity for All: Global Best Practices', Pandey further said the total saving so far on account of Aadhaar was over $10 billion as its linkages to various government schemes had helped remove "ghosts and duplicates" from the system.

Once Aadhaar is linked to more government programmes and subsidies, the savings could be $10 billion every year, he said.

The total Aadhaar base currently stands at 1.19 billion, Pandey said, adding that 99 per cent of adults have Aadhaar.

http://www.business-standard.com/articl ... 530_1.html

[crams]

My reading is that BJP will win, but not with 150+ kind of sweep. Not being on the ground myself, but just reading reports, I do not see a complete BJP wave, nor do I see any massive anti-BJP wave, and I certainly don't seen anything much for Pappu and his slaves. There is definitely bound to be the anti incumbency factor. Putting all this together, I will say BJP will win with a small majority: 120+ seats or so. But even that will be spun by Pappu's slaves as a massive 'victory' for Pappu in ModiJi's own den.

[KL Dubey]

Putting all this together, I will say BJP will win with a small majority: 120+ seats or so. But even that will be spun by Pappu's slaves as a massive 'victory' for Pappu in ModiJi's own den.

120+ is not a "small" majority. The majority mark is 92 in a house of 182, and currently BJP has 120 seats which is already a massive majority. I don't see the party falling below 92 seats in any scenario.