Britishers Have Been Long Gone, But the Divide & Rule Goes On...

It's ironical, and sad, that the party which staunchly opposed the British policy of 'divide and rule' has itself embraced the same policy  to rule India.

India before Partition

First, the congress divided the Hindus and Muslims by acceding to the blackmail by Mohammad Ali Jinnah for Pakistan and Bangladesh. ( A must read - Freedom at Midnight by dominique lapierre, Larry Collins) 

Then  they, including Gandhiji himself, who fought for democracy, laid down the foundations of dynasty rule in democratic India by acceding to Jawaharlal Nehru's egoistic desire to become India's PM. ( the congress had almost unanimously voted for Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel to become PM, but Gandhiji asked him to step down!) 

12 out of 15 Congress committees nominated Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel. The remaining three Congress committees did not nominate any body’s name. Obviously, the overwhelming majority was in favour of Sardar Patel.  India TV

Thus, on such shaky foundations began India's "Tryst with destiny". And the results are in front of us :-( 

Nehru, In his almost criminal naivety, made mistakes after mistakes on issues which are still bleeding us! He wanted Kashmir issue to be solved by UN, when Sardar advised to get the occupied Kashmir back on our own- the result? Even after 66 years and several wars, the Kashmir issue remains unsolved, People of Nehru's own caste were driven away from Kashmir, and we continue to spend lakhs of crores on armed forces every year- the money which could have been used to better India's infrastructure.

 (The god that failed: Nehru-Indira socialist model placed India in precipitous decline relative to the world - Times of India)

India lost a war under his rule. 

Then came his daughter indira Gandhi, who imposed emergency from 1975 to 1977 and carried out crimes against humanity which are still unthinkable .. A forced mass-sterilization campaign spearheaded by Sanjay Gandhi, the prime minister's son is just one of the numerous detestable crimes that were carried out during this dark period in India's history! 

Then came his son Rajeev Gandhi, who avenged his mother's death by allowing Anti Sikh riots in 1984 and when asked about it he coolly replied " when a giant tree falls, the earth does shake!"

The Delhi High Court, while pronouncing its verdict on a riots-related case in 2009, stated:^Source

“

Though we boast of being the world's largest democracy and the Delhi being its national capital, the sheer mention of the incidents of 1984 anti-Sikh riots in general and the role played by Delhi Police and state machinery in particular makes our heads hang in shame in the eyes of the world polity.

”

Then, Rajiv Gandhi ( by extending support to V P Singh) divided the Hindus further by promoting caste based reservations to increase from 22% ( only SC/STs) to 50% ( by including OBCs) ... Thanks to the supreme court this reservations have been capped at 50% ( 49.5% to be exact.) however some states have not been so lucky... Reservations in tamil nadu are > 65%!!! 

Instead of diminishing the differences, they have ensured that the so called 'upper caste' continues to hate the so called 'backwards' for taking away half of the seats in educational and professional institutions!

Thanks to the unfair and half-baked policies, the poor 'upper caste ' guy is left empty handed ( and very very angry) when he fails to secure admission at > 80-90% merit, while many rich 'Backwards' secure admission at scores as low as 60-70%!!

And not being satisfied with just undergraduate quotas, Rajeev Gandhi's wife Sonia introduced these unfair practices even in PG institutes and even in promotions in government and public sector!!! Once a guy has got himself into MBBS or engineering college, how come he remains 'backward ' or 'oppressed' or 'scheduled' is questionable! 

Thanks to these dirty vote bank politics, merit and hard work often takes a back seat and it's but human nature that a person becomes complacent and doesn't strive hard for knowledge and excellence when his seat and future is secured!! ( and I have heard guys confessing it!)

It's like a spoon fed child of an overprotective mother, who never learns to stand on his legs.

It's not their fault- it's but natural... Lack of motivation to work hard and spoon feeding makes anyone complacent! we dont need studies to prove that.. 

Now a product of such reservations goes on to become a professor and teacher in govt institutes, teaching the future of this country with less than top knowledge and skills.. No wonder, the quality of education is deteriorating instead of improving. 

To the skeptics, I want to ask u this- why the government has barred reservations in premier institutes like IIM!? let me answer, it is aware of these pitfalls of reservation, that's why!!!!!!

Imagine the future of a country in this era of technology where in majority of ppl have poor skills  ...no doubt India is going to suffer because We obviously can't dream to compete with china with such a manforce! 

BEFORE U DISMISS OR PROTEST PLEASE LOOK AT THE OTHER SCENARIO THAT COULD HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE

The government could have tried investing heavily in ensuring world class schools and amenities for the ECONOMICALLY backward/ handicapped, irrespective of their caste and religion---- like the public schools in USA, where people from all walks of life, even the rich, send their children to study!!

We certainly don't mind government spending 1000s of crores in providing free text books , extra tuitions when required , food, clothes for those who can't afford the same!! 

 the meritorious products of such public schools, based only on their merits, will strive for a place in colleges.... There will remain no discrimination between the upper and lower castes , 

the children of 'upper' castes will gain respect for those less privileged who are equally If not more meritorious, who by their sheer hard work would have gained admissions in premier institutes ! Gradually there will remain no discrimination as they become friends and  esteemed colleagues....

And thanks to such meritorious students  of India , India shall become the leader of the world and the golden age of india ( when India's GDP used to be >30% of world GDP!!) returns......

However to implement these policies, the government would have to do some serious hard work and the results would have taken some time in showing. Hence, such steps are less ' appealing' for vote bank politics and govt shunned this path and chose the path of spoon- feeding people using their own money, making them eternally dependent on government! 

Cut back to the present scenario, the sorry state of govt schools ensure that the real (economically) 'backwards' never can dream of having quality education for their children. And what foes the govt do about it? Instead of improving it's own quality it brings in the half- baked RTE and passes the buck to private schools!!! The US too tried it and horribly failed. If the govt can't think of anything original, it should at least learn from other's mistakes! 

The congress government has and will remain a LAZY and incompetent party for the foreseeable future, whose policies are driven by vote-bank politics and  short term gains in elections. 

In 2011, just before state elections, they tried to appease the Muslims by bringing in 4% quotas, without trying anything significant to improve their quality of life in last 10 years;Justice Sachar, head of the Sachar Committee that was commissioned to prepare a report on the latest social, economic and educational condition of the Muslim community of India, criticized the government decision. His observations are worth mentioning here -

"Such promises will not help the backward section of minorities. It is like befooling them. These people are making tall claims just to win elections". - Sachar Committee. 

He further suggested that instead of promising to give reservations, the government should focus on basic issues of improving administration and governance. 

The UPA even wants reservations in promotions ! ( the Supreme court ruled that they can be introduced only if there is quantifiable proof of injustice to backwards in promotions!)

Now that no more reservations can be legally inroduced to appease the 'backwards' the congress tried to appease the 'upper caste' recently !! Congress's general secretory Janardan Dwivedi recently made a comment in his speech that after more than 20 years of ruining countless carriers, caste based reservations were a mistake!!

"This (reservation on caste lines) should have come to an end. Why it did not happen so far was because vested interests got into the process.Does the real needy person even among the Dalits and backward castes get the benefits of reservation? Those in the upper crust of these communities only avail the benefits.There is a difference between social justice and casteism."The concept of social justice has now turned into casteism...I believe there is a need to dismantle this ..  -India Today

Well what the heck were they doing for the last 10 years!! he conveniently mulls this idea only when the Lok Sabha elections approach and nothing can be done by the current government!

M J Akbar, an astute observer whose articles are printed regularly in TOI has awonderful take on Mr Dwivedi's observation! 

What ails Cong? Dwivedi may have diagnosis - M J Akbar, TOI

It even wants reservations in private sector!!!!!!!! Had it succeeded in implementing it's nefarious intentions, the only sector responsible for whatever growth India is having would have perished! The private sector would also have reeked of blatant incompetence and disregard as the public sector amid government institutions do, causing heavy losses, shut downs .

I know this Is hard to digest for those who are benefiting from govt's policies right now , but for a moment if you think about it with an open mind, isn't all this true ??

 Aren't most of the beneficiaries of reservations middle class people who are no poorer or economically backward than their upper caste neighbors?? 

I personally have seen that many of my colleagues who got admission through reservation, had the latest mobile phones in their hands, latest fashion attire, latest bikes to zoom on! 

I even saw a guy who owns a BMW 5 series car taking benefit of reservation !!!! The guy secured a seat in MBBS and then Radiology in a premier institute through quota and travels in a BMW 5 series car! Need I say any more! 

Thanks to such ridiculously nefarious policies, This country is on its way to bankruptcy - as reflected by the continous fall in India's growth rate during UPA's rule!

And, of course, when quotas don't work, why not divide the states!! The same party which strongly suppressed Telangana movement now has passed the Telangana bill dividing Andhra Pradesh into two. The mother in law ( indira gandhi) opposed the division and the Bahu( Sonia Gandhi) promoted it! 

Reason?? Andhra Pradesh commands more than 30 seats in LS. with congress facing total wipe out in coming elections over there it tries to gain whatever seats it can by acceding to division- after all they are the masters of the Divide and rule game!!

Telangana Bill saves Congress from extinction in Andhra Pradesh - TOI

These guys have been asking for division since last 30 years. Why the sudden unusual interest in passing it, just months before LS elections! The way this law has been passed in LS was a real disgust, and slap in the face of democracy. Even the BJP had it's hands dirtied in this issue by supporting it :-(

Telangana bill cleared amid din, mysterious TV blackout of Lok Sabha - TOI

Wish they were equally impatient in passing a strong Lokpal bill which could indict the kingpins and not just the pawns in corruption.

But I am dreaming, right!  why would a criminal pass a law that would send himself to jail! :-D 

gone are the days of Kalidas.... ;-) who cut the same branch he was sitting on..

The  sworn enemies in LS, unite for preventing laws which correct the system from being passed! 

Jai Hind!

Narendra Modi - the Best Choice for the PM Post?

Vs.

Vs.

To say that Narendrabhai Damodardas Modi is the most charismatic PM candidate at present is beyond dispute, grudgingly acknowledged even by his sworn enemies and haters:-) (that includes me! :-) )

The gift of gab ( oratory ) that he possesses is what sets him apart from other fellow party leaders within BJP as well as the other political parties... 

Even though he may not be as accomplished in his achievements as he claims to be, his oratory literally lights a spark of ardent nationalism and euphoria in the audience , a quality which remains to be Found in any other prominent political leader in India ... And this is the chief reason why he is the favourite in next Lok Sabha  elections...

I and my wife watched Rahul Gandhi's interview with Arnab Goswami of Times Now, then we watched Mr Arvind Kejriwal's Interview with the same fellow and finally watched Mr Modi's interview in Aap ki Adalat...

These three leaders of Congress, AAP, BJP respectively are the leaders of their parties and most probable PM candidates if their respective party wins the Lok Sabha elections of 2014.

These interviews were pretty telling about each candidate's nature, personality, ability to handle pressure and their ideology ....

Let's discuss each individual and how suitable he is as our next PM...

Rahul Gandhi

At the start of his Interview Mr Goswami asks him why he never gave any serious inteview till now... And it  becomes pretty clear in the first five minutes why he didn't! :-D

To say that his was the most stupid  (n that is the mildest word I could come up with )  interview I have ( and indeed the whole nation) has ever witnessed won't be far from truth !

I am sure that once you have seen his Interview u couldn't agree any more.. :-)

Whatever the question that was put to him, Mr Gandhi went on ranting how he cared about empowering women ( without explaining how he was going to make it happen!) from what looked like a script prepared by his staff and which he had mugged up .. I bet a 1000 bucks that  you would have never seen anyone on national television so unprepared or rather so devoid of sufficient intellect to give a logical answer! On being asked -" why do you still blame Narendra Modi for riots when he has been given a clean chit by the SIT?" he just continued his rant on women empowerment, from where he had been interrupted by Arnab!

We watched in utter disbelief, refusing to believe that this is what the proposed PM candidate is from a party which has ruled India since last 10 years!!!

No wonder he was avoiding giving any interviews!!

That's not all, even after more than a decade in politics, he so naively placed his foot in the trap laid by Goswami. When he asked repeatedly and persistently with proofs that congress too like BJP had incited riots against Sikhs in 1984, he said "yes there were some involved in the riots"!  His naivety was deafening !! 

A person who literally behaves like a dumb child in school who can't answer even a single question asked by the teacher, can never run a difficult and diverse country like India... In fact it would hurl India into absolute chaos and lawlessness if he becomes the next PM .... 

Arvind Kejriwal

Mr Kejriwal was a social worker, working in the slums before he joined Anna Hazare's movement for Lokpal bill. When Anna's movement failed to produce results, he decided to enter the muddy arena to clean the muck that has soiled our administrative system. And that's why the symbol of his party is a broom! :-)

He seems to have entered politics, leaving a cushy job as an income tax officer, for the sole purpose of improving the machinary of system - and that is the most commendable motive, which people of Delhi too realised and as a result he broke all records in his debut in politics and became Delhi's CM.

In the interview with Arnab Goswami before he became CM, he was a man who had nothing to hide, an aam admi who had taken up arms against the rampart corruption, inefficiency and cronyism within the government.

Not once did he squirm in his seat, while facing the formidable anchor and gave honest and mature answers to the questions asked, which people too noticed and was reflected by his impressive electoral performance... 

His meteoric rise to prominence after the Delhi elections was such that he had begun to eclipse Narendra Modi's popularity. At one point, it seemed that he could beat Modi to the PM post. 

However, Mr Kejriwal in his hurry to correct the system, seemed to have overlooked the fact that there is a vast difference between protesting against a government and running one!! 

He continued to use tactics of Mahatma Gandhi like Civil Disobedience ( "don't pay electricity bill"),  people's assembly, protest rallies, etc. against a system of which he now is an integral part of! 

The people of India, at least the literate half consisting of professionals and young generation, watched in dismay on national news, how most of the initiatives that he took AFTER he formed the Delhi government failed or ran into troubled waters....

People have realised that , though his intentions are right Mr Kejriwal is still a rookie in political arena. 

Though he is passionate about his work, he has yet to realise that his tactics can't improve the present system.. 

He needs the discipline and administrative skills of an Income Tax Commissioner (his former pursuit) and not the skills of Mahatma Gandhi right now. 

He needs to audit the system, and fix the problems by legal means rather than sit on the road and protest (a skill that Gandhi mastered but brought little change in the government! ) 

Gandhiji worked well outside the politics- he was more a saint that united India than a person who ran or guided India towards progress... He was unmatched in protesting against injustice and the British, but did not and probably could not ( India being a dependent nation) do much to Guide India towards progress. While we were busy protesting, countries round the world were actually fixing the loop holes in the system and riding towards progress. Gandhiji's formula is good for garnering support for a cause, but to materialise a dream or correct the loop holes, we need to get our hands dirty ... We need to ACT rather than PROTEST! 

Mr Kejriwal, by entering into politics, took the first step towards doing something concrete, but once in power, He resorted back to the tactics of an opposition leader / Gandhiji ( while still in power!). Even though he is now the head of the system, probably He still can't identify with his new position. He behaves as if  he is in denial of being a CM!

Contrary to the popular belief, India didn't get it's freedom just by 'protesting' with Gandhiji... As Dominique Lapierre proves in his book, Freedom at Midnight, 

it was more because Second World War had made England a bankrupt empire, and it had lost more than fifty percent of its able population to war! In such a scenario, it was proving quite impossible to rule its own land, let alone occupied countries. So, like a bankrupt company, it sold it's assets ( the countries it ruled over)! This is a fact not highlighted in our history textbooks. :-)

Mr Kejriwal must realise that his tactics are unlikely to bring results and he must improvise... Till then he can't be the PM of this country- something that many (including I) have begun to realise and are now turning their attention back to Modi !

As i am editing this article, news are rolling in about Mr Kejriwal's resignation as Delhi's PM after not being allowed to pass Jan Lokpal bill in state assembly ... Again, a move which will certainly not go well with his ardent supporters... A move of a Gandhian rather than a Chanakya! :-(

MODI 

To say that he is the biggest showman and politician rolled into one , India has witnessed after independence will be a very apt description of Mr Modi.

Few,if any, leaders come to our mind in post independent India , to hear whom, people come in hoards and don't have to be dragged from their homes. He, by his articulate speeches and witty one-liners, sparks passion in his people who after witnessing decades of rudderless leadership,  hang on to each and every word he speaks. Indeed many consider him the 'saviour'. By a carefully crafted marketing campaign (for which he allegedly pays crores of Rs. to a foreign marketing firm!), he is an inspiration not just in his state, Gujarat, but in all the corners of the country! 

Let's have a look at his speeches. His formula to ignite inspiration and passion is simple- He serves to his audience , what it actually wants to hear! And with witty remarks he deftly answers the difficult questions raised against him. ( watch him in action above on a national interview, Aap ki Adalat, and you will know what i am talking about :) )

When addressing Gujarat during 2002 riots ( which, essentially, was his launchpad to popularity) he passionately sympathized with the Hindu majority.

 And today when people are desperate for development, he can't stop boasting about the allegedly unparallel progress in Gujarat under his leadership!

One must have often realised that the thoughts and beliefs majority of people are not based on logic or reason, nor do  they seek proof or truth. They will believe what they want to, without trying to find out whether it's a logical/ humane/ reasonable / truthful thing!

So when he passionately claims that Gujarat has become the best state in India in terms of Human Development, industry and security, we the 'mango people' feel good about ourselves and equally passionately believe his alleged accomplishments and start relating him with Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, without checking out the facts, without keeping an open mind, without listening to those who try to say that most of his claims of progress are just white lies ( to put it simply)!! 

Trying to conform is but human nature. We often believe in something which is not true, because the truth simply is agonising, and brings despair.

We desperately hang on to his claim that we have progressed tremendously under his leadership , because the alternative - we have no leader today of Sardar Vallabh Patel or Shubhas Chandra Bose or Shastriji's calibre- is despairing!

But a more reasonable and unbiased mind would try to ascertain whether he is as good as he claims, whether Gujarat has indeed witnessed an unrivaled development for people from all walks of life..., whether his administration is as corrupt-free as is claimed.

And the facts that surfaces is that Gujarat's picture is not as rosy as is painted by Mr Modi!

Let's refer to the latest development indices to check how true his claims are...

National human development data 2011 

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Indian_states_and_territories_by_Human_Development_Index

Human Development Index - Gujarat Is languishing way back at 11th position amongst all the states!!!

Life expectancy at birth -12th position lagging behind Kerala by almost 7 yrs!!

Literacy rate -13th position (2013 data)

Sex ratio - 24th position

People with low BMI ( undernutrition)- 18th position behind the national average of 26.1% of population

Institutional delivery - 8th position

In spite of the truckloads of Money spent on Narmada canals, after all these years, the Gujarat government has not yet developed the branch canals and distributaries which actually supply the water to the fields.. And so most of the Narmada water still goes into sea!!! 

(ref- South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers & People)

Here are some excerpts from the report, which was later published in The Hindustan Times. 2012 -- 

"In fact there are no areas in Kutch and Saurashtra that are getting water for irrigation from the Narmada project. Irrigation water is reaching to even lesser extent, just 2.5 lakh ha, which is about 13% of the command area. Most of this 13% area is in central Gujarat, which is already water-rich. Modi has failed to provide irrigation to areas for which the project was meant," 

"The situation, in fact, is much worse. Some farmers close to the incomplete main branch canals in Saurashtra tried to take water for low-water consuming groundnut crop this monsoon. But police cases were filed against them and many were arrested. At the same time, water from the Narmada main canal was released in the Sabarmati River for the luxury of Ahmedabad. And there was no allocation in the project for such uses. "

The endless lush green fields of Sarso and Khanak that adorn the richly irrigated areas of N. Rajathan and Punjab, even during Winter

Sarso fields In Ganganagar district, Rajasthan (Jan, 2014)

Friends, just visit the state of Punjab and adjacent areas and witness the power of efficient irrigation canals. Just look at the pictures taken in this January from Ganganagar district of Rajasthan!

 Even in dry months of winter, you will be able to witness acres and acres of green fields of sarso and khanak (wheat) and plantations of juicy kinu! While returning to Gujarat, I saw the dry landscape and fields of Gujarat and that got me thinking. Why Gujarat, in spite of tremendous expenditure on canals, is still one of the driest areas in India , where farmers are driven to suicide out of poverty ( unlike Punjab area where that are the richest )!

Can you imagine these lush green fields in Gujarat? They could have been possible here by now if the government actually had the will to erect a complete distribution network of Narmada water! 

But of course Mr Modi won't mention all these parameters and facts which are the true indicators of inclusive development of a state as a whole...

He will mention the feel good parameters like -

Per capita income in Gujarat- 3rd position behind Maharashtra and Delhi

Power production - 2nd highest.

Per capita income  is quite misleading criteria , because it doesn't indicate the existing physical quality of life in an area, and it is a generalised number ... simply put, A state with 1% filthy rich and 99% paupers can still have high per capita GDP! (ref.- www.economonitor.com, Not All that Glitters is Gold!) And that, probably, what the situation is in Gujarat ..

Under Modi , the industrialists  with political connections, and particularly, in Modi's good books, have prospered like anything. While the aam janta, still fighting against inflation, job scarcity , lack of health services ( Esp. out of major cities), illiteracy--- all of these reflected in poor score of gujarat in several parameters mentioned above like literacy Human development index, literacy , sex ratio, life expectancy.

It is safe to surmise from these parameters that under him 

THE POOR HAVE BECOME MORE POOR , and the RICH HAVE BECOME FILTHY RICH .

Indeed the meteoric rise of Adani during modi's rule has raised many eyebrows! ( for the sceptics- it is common knowledge mr Modi frequently uses Mr Adani's private chartered plane, can it be any more suggestive?!) ( Source- 

Let's visit the Godhra riots

I won't be wrong in saying that these riots were the launchpad which launched Modi into national arena, indeed, the whole world.

Though Modi has been given a clean chit by SIT in Godhra riots, it is an open fact that under his rule, police didn't act against the rioters ( who, again, have no religion- just mob mentality) and many innocent Muslims lost their lives.

To the skeptics, I ask you but one question- what If this were a Muslim state and the rioters were Muslims massacring innocent Hindus- us?? I agree, those who burnt the Hindu sevaks in Godhra must be hanged  - not because they were Muslims- but they again were mobs, which has no religion- just barbaric, animalistic mob mentality. I bet a 1000 bucks , these rioters on both sides, individually were mostly just ordinary citizens incapable of even hitting someone, let alone killing someone!

An able ruler must have only one dharma - and that is RAJ DHARMA! 

What remains clear Is that Modi failed horribly during the riots - whether deliberately or out of pure ineptitude , both are equally disturbing possibilities!

These glaring irregularities and shortcomings during Modi's rule in Gujarat must definitely make one think twice before hailing Modi as a transparent and efficient leader. 

More disturbing points that go against him are his ego, megalomaniac nature and dictatorial attitude. He is surrounded by only his sycophants who dare not speak against his wishes; the rest either 'die' under mysterious circumstances  ( Haren Pandya - Modi's equal if not a better option within BJP who often didn't see eye to eye with Modi) or are removed from prominent posts ...

These are not the qualities which one wishes in a nations pm... ( sadam Hussein , indira Gandhi during emergency, etc are painful examples of the harm such an attitude brings to a nation)

CONCLUSION

Rahul Gandhi - a simple minded ( a euphemistic expression for naive/ dumb) for whom running such a diverse country is just not possible ... If he becomes a PM - CHAOS and lawlessness will be the only headlines for next five years!

Mr Arvind Kejriwal

The leader with best intents, clear ideas and a true people's representative - a true definition of democracy. 

It is safe to say that he is the Modern Gandhiji, who decided to enter politics. However, though a shining beacon of hope before coming to power, he was absolutely clueless how to operate when in the power.
After all, his inspiration, Mahatma Gandhi never wrote much on how to behave or work when inside the political system! 

Mr Kejriwal needs to stop acting like Gandhiji and must become Chanakya. 

If and when he becomes one, he shall be the best PM and leader India ever had!

That leave us with Mr Narendra Modi 

Yes, he is the best alternative in the current scenario ... Let's hope he proves his critics wrong and gives the much needed impetus to India's economy and solves it's many security problems - both internal and external with a firm but able hand.

The entire nations hopes are pinned on the chaiwallah, as reflected by the opinion polls that show that BJP is coming to power with an overwhelming and unprecedented majority! 

Jai Hind!

Ahmedabad BRTS Creates M ore Traffic Snarls Rather Than SMOre olving!

BRTS- Bus Rapid Transport System

I am a resident of Ahmedabad and i was shocked ( to say the least) on watching the slideshow on Economic Times calling Ahmedabad BRTS a success! I understand that wherever this half-baked concept has been introduced, (Delhi, Pune, Mysore...) it had been an utter and undisputed failure. However, the respected Economic Times so naively calls the BRTS in Ahmedabad a runaway success and worth emulating in many more cities!

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/slideshows/infrastructure/brts-lessons-delhi-can-learn-from-ahmedabads-transport-system/ahmedabad-brts-success-has-caught-attention-of-other-cities/slideshow/20147240.cms

Sir, the photos u have shown are only the 10-20% stretches , where the roads are amply wide and were previously 8 lane roads!!

 The rest 80-90% of the roads which were just 6 lane or 4 lane and now  have an additional BRTS corridor are never displayed by the authorities...

This picture rests my case! More a BOTS -Bus Only Transit System!! Pray tell us, where is the space for the rest of the traffic to move ! 

If you see them u will realize that the Gujarat Government has only worsened our traffic woes! Quite literally! The corridors have reduced the road to a mere 1-2 lane for the general traffic!. Add AMTS buses, lakhs of autorickshaws illegally parked on the side of road and other slow vehicles typically seen in India ( laries, cycle carriers) and there is hardly any space for us to move.. So that the average speed is merely 20-30 km / hr!

Look at the picture below... this is but one of the widest roads in Ahmedabad (shivranjani crossroads).
This photo shows all the problems which the AMC is not able to solve.

Gobbled up roads (source - Ahmedabad Mirror )

Thanks to a BRTS stop on one side and lack of minimum parking facilities by
 the shopping complex, the swanky Shivranjani road is now reduced to just
 1 and 1/2 lane each way, instead of  3-4  lane it used to be!!! 

1. The shopping complexes on the left side should have an adequate parking space. But it doesn't have one. ( Reason? The building plan was passed by the corporation... why do they turn a blind eye to such illegal construction?! :-/ ) As a result, the people visiting the building have to park on the road and thus the swanky 3 lane road on one side, it is now reduced to 1 1/2 to 2 lane!! And the government blames the rising number of vehicles!

2. Contrary to what is claimed, the bus stop is quite close to the crossroad and right across a busy shopping complex... further narrowing the road and creating a bottle-neck. And those who designed BRTS (CEPT) are supposed to be the brightest in this field!

Economic times says Ahmedabad BRTS didn't build bus stops at cross roads and hence is a success .. well the above pic proves them wrong...

They must visit the entire corridor and not just the advertised stretches to know the truth!
70-80% stops have been build right at the spots where there is either maximum pedestrian movements ( opp. schools and popular eateries, at crossroads) so that there is an eternal chaos due to the newly created bottlenecks!!!!

 The closed system adds to the woes and not decrease, as you mention -- the BRTS corridors lie empty as the Regular buses fill up the BRTS and cause endless traffic snarls!!

Further testaments to its failure -

"BRTS earns in lakhs, spends in crores 

The civic body is losing Rs 60 lakh every month, Rs 7.2 crore annually, on the ambitious public transport service. "

-Ahmedabad Mirror  "CEPT study reveals that poor have not benefited from Bus Rapid transit system, nor has pollution gone down. " -http://www.unep.org/transport/lowcarbon/Pdf's/DNA_Article.pdf

This Times of India photo of Delhi BRTS highlights the similar problem Ahmedabad is too having because they are more or less mirror images of each other with minor changes...

The reasons 1 & 2, that explain why Delhi BRTS failed also applies to Ahmedabad BRTS 

If Delhi BRTS had failed miserably, then why did the Gujarat Government think that a similar system in Ahmedabad will succeed!? We need an answer!

Need I say more!!?? Because there's plenty more!

If metro was a very expensive option , why does the government want to make it now that the BRTS has covered most of the city at a whopping cost of 1000 crore to the exchequer!!!!! 
Obviously the modi govt after siphoning off tons of money from over inflated BRTS budget (Rs 50-60 lakh for a  single, ugly, small BRTS stop (shown here) in a poor country like India- is it really worth that much? )

Ladies and gentlemen, these minute bus stops along
 the route take a whopping Rs 50 lakhs to make! 

now wants to repeat the same from metro!
  After a delay of 10 years, you should know that a metro will now cost 3 times the original amount - Rs 12000 crore instead of Rs 4000 crore in 2004!!! 
And guys, we are the ones who is paying for this enormous 'mistake' by the town planners who have proved themselves to be one of the most incompetent ones! And that includes the CEPT which has planned the entire Ahmedabad BRTS!

 A Possible Solution - A semi-open BRTS corridor 

 There can be one possible solution to make the best of the situation...  Why not allow all public transport vehicles to go through the BRTS corridor. 

 If one has noticed, the BRTS corridor remains empty 90% of the time, while the AMTS/ST buses use up the rest of the road...

Why not let the AMTS buses too travel through the BRTS routes, which remain empty most of the time!!

AMC can pass a rule making it compulsory for AMTS / ST buses to pass through the BRTS corridor. This will free up a significant amount of space and also increase the speed of traffic in the general corridor.

The BRTS can always charge AMTS a monthly fee for using its corridor.

If this proves to be a success, (and logic says it will) why not allow even auto rickshaws to move through the corridor at a nominal charge.

You can see in the adjoining picture how much space the auto wallas occupy!!

 I bet this will free up more than 50 percent of the general corridor on the sides.

The traffic police should also stop taking 'hupta' from illegally parking rickshaws and shopping complexes and the municipal corporation should severely punish and even demolish illegally constructed buildings on either side of roads which don't have adequate parking facilities.
AMC must also construct multistory parking facilities so that citizens don't have to park on the road!

Such simple steps (though they do require strong will power)
will easily decongest Ahmedabad's roads (as in the peaceful picture above) and we shall become one of the best cities in India, if not the world. :-)


P.S.   One of my acquaintances accused me of "copy, pasting" my ideas from "useless" articles!! He then went on to blame me for the worsening traffic problem... He said that we shouldn't have so many cars in our family!!

 As a nation progresses, the buying capacity of an individual increases... and more and more people shall own cars and two wheelers... In such a scenario, it is a duty of government to
1) widen the roads - but thanks to BRTS, the roads have become narrower!!! Why the idiotic decision? It is based on the wild assumption that majority of the people will shift to BRTS!! Well , Delhi metro is a runaway success. Many have shifted to metro for daily commuting... Yet, it's traffic problems still exist!! IT'S ONLY NAIVE TO MAKE SUCH ASSUMPTIONS!!

2) To provide an alternative  means of transport which is EQUALLY CONVENIENT OR EVEN BETTER - Only then can you hope that the mango people like me and others will stop using our private cars, and shift to public transport....

The BRTS is neither convenient nor efficient for most routes.... ITs probably the best means of travelling on 132 ft ring road... But what about the rest of the ahmedabad, and travelling in Old ahmedabad!!
Except for 132 ft ring road, BRTS has no regular feeder buses, One has to take help of illegal shuttle rickshaws ( packed with 5-6 ppl at one time!!) to get to one's destination after alighting from a BRTS bus... Other than 132 ft ring road, every where else, the waiting time bwn two buses is too large, the buses are slow thanks to the jams BRTS itself has created!

Why the hell in this free country shall i use such an  inferior mode of transport and waste precious time in my busy schedule!!!! I repeat what i said else where, Give me a public transit as efficient as Delhi Metro... and I will sell all my cars and start using it!!!! Till then it is jocular and naive to expect the public to stop using their private vehicles!!

the ugly debate on terrorism & religion

True. The terrorists are just mercenaries and murderers..  poor, illiterate people who have been brain washed, blackmailed, given incentives which actually the state should have provided.... So the terrorists are a mixed races... borne out of the orgy of narrow minded fanatics within certain religions + inept government...

The extremist fractions within the religion, fill up the vacuum created by decades of war and absence of basic facilities like security, education, food. By providing short term incentives (money, food, heaven) and false promises and references, they induce hatred within the minds of illiterate and poor people - who form the majority of the population in failed and war ridden countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan! 

The solution lies in understanding this and providing good education, security and basic amenities to the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan. 

The moment they are educated and provided good governance, they will realize how they have been misled by the fanatics like Taliban - they will stop listening to the fanatic extremist religious heads. 

Think about it ....

We should stop being in denial ...  stop bickering about the religion and start targeting the roots and origin of terrorism... in all religions.. may it be Hindu/ muslim// sikh/ christian etc.

The same issues lie within naxalism... and the solution is also the same!!

 the govt should stop beating around the bush and tackle the problem head on.. grab the bull by its horns and subdue it with strictness on one hand, and providing REAL development and opportunities with other... so that no longer the poor and under developed feel the need of picking up arms.

On a similar note.... movies often help us understand a lot of issues and Lone Survivor is one such movie, based on a true story, which definitely proves that, indeed, it is not right to generalize all the people of

a particular religion to be criminals/ terrorists... 

 the movie tells us about a true incidence in which an American soldier fighting in Afghanistan is first ruthlessly pursued by terrorists/ extremists of a particular religion who even kill people of their own religion in the name of God.... the soldier (Mark Wahlberg) would have been killed had the locals of a village nearby (and belonging to the same religion as the terrorists) had not saved him. And they saved him at the cost of their own lives! Who does such an act of kindness in this world... 
The locals, we come to know, believed in age old law of honor, 'Pashtunwali' under which they protect anyone who seeks asylum, even with their own lives! 

This must make us think again, that it is not wise to write off any particular religion as a whole as an extremist... For every extremist there are ample innocent and liberal minded people like you and me within it, who actually are just caught in the middle of this man-made storm... 

One must also know that the US itself has given birth to the extremist group - Taliban, whose off springs are other extremist gtoups like LeT and Al Queda... It trained the Talibans and provided them with arms and ammunition so in the 1980s  to defeat it's cold war enemy Russia when the latter tried to conquer Afghanistan. Refer - "Osama Bin Laden created by US" -Washington Post

You can also watch the Tom Hank's movie, Charlie Wilson's War,

based on facts, that brilliantly portrays where US went so horribly wrong in it's foreign policy ... In politics, things are often not as black and white as they are made to appear, there are always grey areas... carefully swept under the carpet...

Let's make this world a better place to live in, and tit-for-tat isn't going to solve it... that's for sure.

Lastly, the idea of Islam started very differently than what is protrayed by the extremists! the extremists mislead the people by false interpretations of Quran....

The followers of Islam were ruthlessly persecuted by the then rulers (just as Jesus Christ was!) during it's formative years. And the prophet merely told his people to fight against these unjust rulers - and thus was born the concept of Jihad... an ideology which has been ruthlessly twisted by the extremist groups of Islam to mislead people and justify the act of heinous crimes!

This all has been depicted very clearly in the old classic - The Message ( a movie which incidentally has been filmed by a Christian).

P.S. -
Equally extremist were the Nazis in ruthlessly killing and acting moth barbaric against the Jews !! And they were Christians!! 

After the death of Jesus, the Christian kings regularly attacked Jerusalem and other Jewish settlements in Europe and Middle East, killing thousands over the centuries!!.... 

These atrocities by Christians over the centuries dwarf the Muslim extremism, which is less than 50 years old!!

TO SUMMARIZE

 BLIND FAITH IN PSYCHOTIC AND VILLAINOUS RELIGIOUS/ POLITICAL LEADERS BY THE ILLITERATE MAJORITY OF A POPULATION IS THE ROOT CAUSE OF ALL EXTREMISM...  

THIS CAN BE STEMMED ONLY BY PROVIDING THE FUTURE GENERATION OF THE WORLD AN EDUCATION THAT TRAINS THEM TO THINK LOGICALLY, HUMANELY AND USES REASONING AND COMMON SENSE  FOR MAKING DECISIONS!!!  

THIS SINGLE PARTICULAR STEP, SHALL ERADICATE TERRORISM, WAR,  RIOTS, POVERTY, CORRUPTION, DISEASES AND MAKE HUMAN EXISTENCE MUCH MORE WORTH WHILE!