Hate me for not riding a bus!

After the start of Odd-Even season-2, I must admit that I have not taken a single bus ride in last 10 days.  Please don’t blame me for this blasphemous act.  One can hate me for not riding a bus.

At least for seven days, I will drive my car, with two Sundays coming in between.  

My office also understands that Odd-Even is an issue and it shall pass. So coming late is taken with a frown.

What worries me like millions of office-goers is unbearable heat.

April is usually hot in Delhi but this year temperature is hovering around 40 degrees plus for most of the week.

What option, I have but to take a taxi, metro, auto or buses.

Off course, buses will be my last option to choose from as travelling in buses is not at all comfortable. I admit I have not taken a single bus ride.  Not because I have become an elite?

Truth is, reaching bus stand is cumbersome.

In the summers, you can’t walk one and a half kilometre in scorching 40-degree temperature.

It is unbearable and risky. I will not advise anybody to walk in this kind of heat.

Connecting to bus stand and metro from working place was and is an issue. Delhi government can’t ignore this for long.

I want to commute in the bus and I mean it. I want comfortable buses. I want premium, AC buses.  For those working in the government office, corporate, Delhi needs to provide them with an alternate way of transportation or they will go for the second-hand car. 

People like me fall in this category.

Delhi government has not thought about how office goers will commute.

Shuttle service could  be a big plus to connect working places like Nehru Place, CP, NOIDA, Okhla, Gurgaon and other hubs. Shuttle APPs are a big hit, of late.

We know for sure that traffic congestions have not reduced, this time, a study by School of Planning and Architecture (SPA) has found that compared to the first round of Odd-Even, number of cars are higher this time.

The number of autos, taxis are higher on roads  with yellow number plates are a common sight.

 AAP ruled Delhi has been able to hog limelight but it has not been able to mitigate the issue of pollution.

I am not sure if car sharing has increased in Delhi among the community.

I booked my taxi under car pooling scheme for three-four days but there was no co-passenger from Modi Mill to Vasundhara Enclave.

Drivers admitted that 80% of the time, people do not prefer car sharing. People of Delhi are clever and they prefer to convert petrol into CNG car.

Central Pollution Control Board in its report submitted that Odd-Even hasn’t had any impact on air quality.

Delhi government and the Centre must devise a long-term plan to enhance and improve mass transport system as Odd-Even has proved to be insufficient to solve Delhi’s massive traffic issue. 

Why AK is a potential dictator?

The devout supporters of Arvind Kejriwal, the aloof voters of Delhi and the critics of the Delhi CM would agree on one count; that Kejri has all the signs of becoming a full-fledged despot.

His transformation from a humble “aam aadmi” to what he has become today, has been rather swift.

Those who expected AK to deliver on his promises are witness to non-stop drama on the issue of appointment of principal secretary and additional chief secretary.

The turf war with LG Jung has become AK’s “meri jung.” Now AK is ready to unleash another round of street fight.

The confrontation over appointments is just the symptom of what is in store for Delhi.

Why media was a friend, media is a foe?

Wasn’t it shocking to see AK favouring to put tight leash on media? What went wrong? Is it because the same devout media, who found a messiah in Arvind Kejriwal, started questioning him?

Media use to massage his ego and make him a great political reformer. Kejriwal, who was keen on bringing swaraj, keen on bringing change in the system, why did he see an enemy in the media?

A large section of biased media writes to please political masters. 

When Kejriwal decided to gag media, it was sure that Kejri would find nobody backing him. His bluff was called by Supreme Court. Kejriwal was exposed.

But still a large section of media was still silent on Kejriwal's talibani circular, who will keep on propping Kejri in order to contain PM Narendra Modi on Delhi’s political turf.

Once an "Anna bhakt", Kejriwal used him, and threw him back to Ralegaon Sidhi, once his political goal was met.

He gained political legitimacy by aligning with legal luminaries like Shanti Bhushan, and Prashant Bhushan, who had exposed misdeeds of UPA regime. Bhushans had in past taken on Gandhis, exposed many scams, ensured arrests of many.

In Delhi circle, Bhushans were revered and feared equally. Kejriwal ditched them and managed to give them lessons of their lives.

For all those in the know, Kejriwal learnt his political lessons from Yogendra Yadav.

For years, Yadav’s political surveys/calculations were taken seriously, YY failed to realise how quickly their positions were made so untenable.

What happened to both Bhushans and Yadav? They were systematically discredited, pushed to the corner and made irrelevant. Kejriwal used his political might to silence his political adversaries. Those who questioned him were thrown out of the party.

KEJRIWAL AND TAIL OF STINGS

Those who live by sting die by sting, is a new political phraseology. Arvind Kejriwal a.k.a AK has been seen preaching people of Delhi to make stings of those who ask for favours, bribes and allurement. Now his former party men, colleagues and well-wishers are returning the favour.
AAP, which first recorded sting of a scribe, to discredit and oust Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan, are bombarded with series of stings.

This time, the big casualty is none but the stinger-in-chief, Arvind Kejriwal, who in conversation with former AAP MLA Rajesh Garg talks about breaking a party.

Arvind Kejriwal tells Garg to prompt Congress MLAS to break the party and form a group. And worse, AK was recorded on phone saying so and he has not denied the allegation so far.
Party which preached, sanctity, probity in public life is in danger of fast denigrating. Critics of AAP are claiming that it has fallen from the high pedestals of morality. The wall of high morals it had erected has crumpled.
After the tectonic shift of power in Delhi, AAP emerged on the capital's horizon as the most shining star. After the Delhi assembly polls, Congress lost the ground and the political capital, while BJP also suffered the severest jolt after a historic win during Lok Sabha poll.
High moral values, which AAP propagated in last two years, have been replaced by logic of "political realignment".
Millions of voters, who voted for him in hordes, have started questioning him.
AAP has been assigned to rule for five years now and they can't runaway. That doesn't expunge them off moral turpitude. That doesn't free them off sins.

Legions of AAP well-wishers are hoping that when AK returns to Delhi after recuperating from cold and cough, he makes every wrong right. He provides healing touch to millions of voters, who voted for AAP and now feeling let down.

Should Modi lose because he is winning

In the profession of journalism, we encounter lot of people, with diverse ideologies, opinions, who expresses their strongest views about governance, PM Narendra Modi, corruption, black money, Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi, Rahul Gandhi and on everything.

In the run up to the #Delhi polls#, we face severest critics, who have reserved their choicest advices about Modi government, and why it has ‘failed’ Indian voters.

Now when we are in the mid of Delhi poll campaign, a “fresh apprehension layered in caution” has surfaced. I will try to summarise it for record, some of them are;

1. Modi has been winning, his juggernaut should be stopped. (मोदी पर लगाम लगनी चाहिए)

2. BJP must lose Delhi, otherwise Modi will become dictator.(दिल्ली जीत गया तो बहुत ख़राब होगा)

3. Why Modi is using ministers in poll campaigns, why is Modi campaigning in Delhi?

4. Modi is over ambitious, he should be reined in. (किसी को कुछ नहीं समझता है)

5. If BJP comes to power social fabric and multi-ethnicity is in danger.( दिल्ली जीत गया तो देश की एकता को खतरा होगा.)

6. Modi is danger to smaller parties.(छोटी पार्टियों को खा जायेगा मोदी)

7. There is no Modi wave, it has waned. He is such a waste.( अब मोदी वेभ नहीं रहा)

8. Whatever kejriwal says is true (na khaata na bahi jo kejriwal kahe wahi sahi)

9. Kiran Bedi, herself, is a dictator, is a failure.(कम बड़ी डिक्टेटर नहीं है किरण)

10. Rahul Gandhi is a gone case now. Congress will win less than 5 seats in Delhi.(राहुल का अब कुछ नहीं हो सकता, इसलिए कांग्रेस को ५ सीट)

Obama came to help Modi win Delhi polls?

Funnier is when US president, Barack Obama, arrived India to attend Republic day celebrations, lot of people started saying that Modi has invited him to win Delhi polls.

As far as I know Obama’s visit must have been planned and cleared much in advance. At least, much before Delhi poll was announced.

 And how, Obama will impact Delhi polls? Is it only because Modi was shown with Obama in various meeting, forums side by side?

Modi was seen with CEOs advocating investment for India. Modi was seen making tea for Obama? It was poll gimmick! Or Obama should have been allowed to make tea for Modi.

Was Modi trying to Lobby for Pakistan?  If these are the allegations, apprehensions, I find them shocking and childish.

Merely one week to go for polls, let the people decide, which party is better to rule Delhi. More than one dozen surveys have already come, fate of the parties are being decided in our Air conditioned studious.  TV channels are declaring results in dime and dozens.

Journalists, media houses, who have been getting unbridled favors during UPA regimes, will not change their perceptions.

On two occasions, Kiran Bedi was shown, not very courteous to journalists.

Admittedly, Kiran Bedi is not as suave, camera friendly and sweet talker as Kejriwal.

So was Narendra Modi couple of months back. It’s altogether another story, which I will talk about later.

   

DEBATE IF IT BRINGS CHANGE

I wish Kiran Bedi accepts Kejriwal’s invite for debate. I also hope Kejriwal also accepts Ajay Makan’s request for a dialogue with him on issues concerning Delhi.

For a metro city like Delhi, debates are inevitable to happen, where there are plenty of issues ranging from corruption, women’s safety, bijli and pani.

We Indians, by nature, are argumentative.  In everyday life, we like to indulge in endless debates even if it doesn’t concerns us.

Our hold on “politics” is phenomenal. Starting from chai shop corner to, innumerable coffee houses, Baristas, CCDs, they are considered to be sacred spaces for dialogues.

A debate among these leaders would be important also because the troika of Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi and Ajay Makan are great combination of intelligence, justness and honesty. Delhi will definitely benefit if all of these get elected for the assembly.

Unlike Arvind Kejriwal and Ajay Makan, Kiran Bedi has not studied or practiced politics to the extent of being called a “qualified” politician. Her experience as an officer and administrator is well recognised by the society. Opposition parties, for the heck of it, would disqualify her as a failure but this is the season of leveling unqualified allegation and nobody takes it seriously.

We always talk about quality of our elected representatives and the value they carry on their shoulders. Delhi does a great favour if it elects go-getters, achievers and performers.

With a burden of over 121 billion population, Delhi faces plethora of problems pertaining to everyday civic issues, traffic snarls, and rising tempers of people and politicians.

Those who get to rule Delhi, find it difficult to perform, fulfill the expectations of millions of people. Arvind Kejriwal, who ruled Delhi briefly, knows that taking along opposition is almost impossible.

Who knew that Shiela Dikshit, thrice CM of Delhi, will be consigned to ignominy? But this is how Delhi treats its own people.

In past one year, incidents of rape have gone up by 30 per cent; incidents of snatching have increased by 25 per cent.

Issues of water scarcity, quality of water and electricity form the core agenda of common citizen in Delhi. Traffic, increasing numbers of vehicles on roads, traffic congestion are the issues which will need to discuss and sort out.

K..K..KIRAN IS HERE

KIRAN BEDI JOINS BJP

Delhi poll battle seems to be heading for an interesting finish. I had predicted in previous write-ups that only Kiran Bedi can take on Kejriwal on equal terms. Finally, here she is in the Capital war.

An IPS officer of imminence, Kiran is a no-nonsense officer. She is a thorough professional, go getter and strictly disciplinarian. Her only minus point is she is too assertive and she doesn’t understand nuances of party politics. Her introductory speech at the Delhi party headquarters was proof enough to suggest that she stood for systematic change, no matter what happens.

When BJP is taking on crusader like Arvind Kejriwal, who is not a traditional politician by training, battle strategy would have to be different.

BJP needed somebody, who had an impeccable career record, who would go out of the way to get things done. Kiran Bedi was the right choice.

Is Kiran a rank outsider?

Questions are being raised that Kiran doesn’t have support of different groups. But if you see, BJP workers have no qualms in accepting a rank outsider, who can take BJP to the wars with the promise that she would wage a war and win it.

 BJP was no getting any headway in the absence of a formidable challenger. Their internal poll surveys were falling short of expectations.

For BJP workers, party is supreme, it is not important what Vijay Goel says, what Dr Harshvardhan Says and how Jagdish Mukhi feels after Kiran Bedi’s induction in the saffron brigade. BJP workers needed a face.

As Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah have trust in Kiran Bedi, opposition from within Delhi BJP leaders won’t matter anymore, murmurs won’t last long.

Is she an opportunist?

After Narendra Modi became PM, Kiran Bedi offered herself to be part of the political system, though she was averse to the idea of joining BJP and running for the post of Delhi CM.

Now it appears that her aversion for politics was only symbolic and momentary as she was waiting for right moment to strike.

She had refused to contest against Kejriwal in last elections.  In no way, it was not sudden change of heart?  Move was premeditated.

She was once part of India Against Corruption (IAC) and after its split she was the one who opposed Kejriwal for setting up a political party.

Is she an opportunist? Who uses whom? Those who know her admit that it is highly unlikely that Kiran Bedi will change beyond a limit. It is not possible that BJP will use and throw her.

Who brought Kiran to BJP?

Lot of fuss is made about who brought her to BJP? Who projected her as CM candidate of the party? RSS is also reported to be peeved at the thought that what was the need to project her as CM so early?

We all know, Kiran Bedi was in touch with PM Modi and Amit Shah. Arun Jaitley was trying to convince her, report is that some Delhi based Akali leader was also pursuing her to join BJP.

Now RSS is also trying to water down the issue saying that Kiran Bedi is a leader of impeccable credential. Sangh is also left with no choice to back her.

 Kiran is brave, Kiran is formidable and Kiran likes to lead from the front.  What is more important is Delhi knows Kiran Bedi more than Kiran Knows Delhi.

ITS MODI-VS-KEJRIWAL ONCE AGAIN

It's clear. It's Modi vs Kejriwal once again. The big ticket political tamasha is back in national capital. With the election commission declaring poll date on 7th, battle is all set to intensify.
Those who are keen political watcher, will not be disappointed, in the high adrenaline drama.
Like last election;Arvind Kejriwal will be the principle challenger to Modi. He will be the catalyst. He will be the one, who will try to unsettle Modi. Make no mistake, Arvind Kejriwal remains favourite of a huge section of people. Kejriwal is trying to make another cameo, another comeback, if he succeeds he will remain big obstacle for Modi in years to come.
Last time Kejriwal frittered away half baked mandate in a haste. Lacking in experience, Kejriwal has already apologised to the voters of Delhi. Will people of Delhi, forget the 49 days anarchy, and vote him back to power? It's unlikely, yes it's unlikely.
Kejriwal's thunder has been stolen by the BJP in many ways. Modi has shown no sympathy for corrupt. BJP has addressed many issues like anti-Sikh riot of 84, doled out Rs 5 lakh compensation for the Sikh families.
Kejriwal is going to contest election sans any evocative issue attached to it.
For BJP, Modi is the face of election campaign. Jagdish Mukhi will not be CM candidate as projected Kejriwal. In fact, BJP will have no CM candidate. Modi will lead the campaign and he will decide the CM candidate, if BJP gets majority.
After Lok sabha wins, Mosi ensured victory in Jharkhand and Haryana. In j&K elections, BJP ensured it's historic performance, though still could not make a mission 44 a reality.
Modi is not relying on pollsters, instead Modi will hold rally inneach and every parliamentary constituency. Modi will not give a chance to Kejriwal.
Now look at the congress, which is literally in a survival mode. Like a dead mobile battery, congress needs a quick recharge.
With a jay Maken agreeing to contest Delhi polls, national capital will see a rejuvenated congress. Yes, congress is battling for survival. Yes, shiela Dikshit is making life uneasy for other congressmen, congress will go to battle and fightback. Congress has lost it's base among Dalits,Muslims backward caste. But with bett showing by congress, AAP will have a difficult time.