Three Questions for friends of BJP
Most readers of this blog would be aware of “Friends of BJP” and the dedicated team that conceived this group last year. One of the stated aims of “Friends of BJP” is to get “Middle India” more engaged with politics, public policy and governance – something that resonates strongly with me.
I was therefore very pleased to receive an email from Rajesh a few days ago asking me for my thoughts/views on issues that the group and the party (BJP) must focus on in the coming decade.
As most of you know, this year is critical for the BJP. It has a new President in place. The old guard is moving into the background (or not quite – depending on your point of view), Sh Gadkari has shown some early promise…but there are numerous challenges ahead.
Rajesh’s email was an attempt to unearth some of these challenges and discover opportunities for the revival of the party.
Below are the three key questions he asked – and my response to them.
- What are the 2-3 big issues that will present the most challenges and opportunities for India?
- Which ideas/issues would resonate most with the youth in this decade — those issues which will fire them up to actively work towards their own and India’s development?
- Which matters should we focus on in the next 10 years? These should be achievable and must be important for India’s development.
My responses
1. What are the 2-3 big issues that will present the most challenges and opportunities for India?
- Inclusive growth
- Afghanistan-Pakistan
- Over-loaded and crumbling infrastructure
2. Which ideas/issues would resonate most with the youth in this decade – issues which will fire them up to actively work towards their own and India’s development?
- A fragmenting national identity
- Terrorism
- Urban infrastructure (lack of)
3. Which matters should we focus on in the next 10 years? These should be achievable and must be important for India’s development.
- 100% female literacy
- Free and reasonably fast broadband access for everyone (through libraries, public city-wide wi-fi and educational institutions)
- 4x improvement in infrastructure – especially in sensitive areas like north-east
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I am keen to hear readers’ views on this. Please share your thoughts via the comments section below. I promise to personally email the best ones to Rajesh for his group to consider!
Related Posts:
Reviving BJP – Points to Ponder
Shantanu,
India is a country with the largest number of young people. It has been my long held view that the generation born just around and after 1991 (2nd midnight’s children:)) will be the real change agents. They are not burdened by the baggage of the past (low self-esteem, feudal, dependent on babudom and asked to believe in the assertion that “poverty is my birth right” and that India was doomed to be a 3rd world country forever etc), are confident, aspirational and assertive. They’re also far more socially aware but not yet entirely conscious of the need to be culturally aware. India cannot change unless the needs and aspirations of this young population are addressed. So my responses are tempered by this declaration.
1)2-3 big issue challenges and opportunities:
– Creation of & access to opportunities: education and then jobs
– An unbiased, speedy justice system (from police reforms to judicial reform to the laws themselves)
– Infrastructure
– Administrative reforms right up to the last mile of delivery of goods and services to the remotest corner
2) Ideas that resonate with youth and get them fired up to work for India’s development:
– National identity: aware and proud of being Indian, belief that we can take on the world and win;
– Make a difference Entrepreneurship : social and commercial
– Enlisting them in governance (from zilla parishads to city corporations upwards) and administrative projects
3) Important matters for the next 10 years:
– Education for all; Pay teachers well and check govt teacher absenteeism; Vocational training schools;
– Healthcare: universal insurance scheme and access to quality healthcare like the NHS; Upgrade and revamp PHCs
– Infrastructure incl telecom
– Each state to have at least 5 developed cities from the 1 (the capital) today
– Elected city officials, decentralisation of governance
Sanjay
Shantanu… First of all Friends of BJP was a terrible let down, the organization started very late IMO. Anyways, bygones are bygones.
I will keep it super simple, all India needs is GOVERNANCE and who else then the BJP which offer that.
On question #2, while I agree that issues you have listed are important; the most important issue that I feel will resonate with most with Indian youth is “Education and Career opportunities”.
The single most important issue is the methodical and successful dismantling of Macaulay system. This will stop the production of pseudo intellectuals and will erode the ELM into irrelevance.
Dismantle the education divide by accepting Common Schooling in Primary Schools i.e., native language as the medium of education – Marathi in Maharashtra, Bengali in Bengal and Assamese in Assam. Children are always comfortable in the language the learn at Primary level even if they switch to foreign language later. Once Primary schools are reformed, gradually end usage of English in social studies in higher education.
Don’t start a fresh debate on Rashtra Bhasha or Suddh Hindi. Accept the native language. A Bengali living in Bangalore is considered a linguistic minority but his children growing up there cannot be treated the same as they are natives of the region where they grow up.
Do this with minimal fuss and maximum acceptance. Not like Raj Thackeray. Don’t start an anti-Enlgish or anti-Urdu or anti-Hindi ruckus. I don’t care which side of the political spectrum you come from, as long as you are with me on Common Schooling in Primary schools.
I sent them an email one year ago asking how one can go about joining them. I am yet to recieve a reply! So much for efficiency!
Shantanu,
Your list is very good, really nothing material to add to it. So I’m effectively just rejigging it to highlight 3 important points what I think are most important.
1) Education, education, education! – Demands reforms at all levels – basic literacy, schooling and university to make the process interesting and relevant to the individual.
2) Infrastructure – transportation, telecommunications, power. Do this in an environmentally friendly way.
3) Clean governance – Promote honest individuals to the top and crack down on corruption firmly and visibly in a top-down manner.
All these three are achievable, and will naturally lead to economic growth and job creation and inclusive prosperity.
All three are achievable by the BJP – build specific targets around these three and meet them in the states they do govern rather than bickering about what they lost or can’t get.
Security – Home and defense – but no clear answers here, events shaped by factors out of one’s control, so choose to leave it out.
Jai Hind!
Dear Shantanu,
I think you missed out two most important things – agriculture and education. First of all, what is your opinion on BJP-style rural development programs and to commercialize agriculture so that it becomes monetarily feasible? I am of the opinion that rural development with small scale industries and support price is the best one. And about the education, you say 100% female literacy. Why 100% literacy? Because I think if the first can be achieved, latter will be obvious.
Regards,
Mahesha
Since this is for the BJP, my one and only suggestion is for the party to take a leadership role in promoting clean politics. And what I mean by clean politics is
a. higher standards for giving tickets to people for contesting elections (no criminals, no corrupt people), and
b. higher standards for supporting other political parties/leaders (which would exclude support to people like Shibu Soren).
Of course, ideally, all political parties should have such high standards and it shouldn’t be limited to just BJP.
All: Thanks for some great suggestions and further ideas…will respond in more detail tomorrow.
i second EDUCATION . it has taken my trip enough , and effectively wasted all my life . EDUCATION !!!!
and brand building of the country , make India a more attractive country for tourists !!! if greece can have a couple of million tourists with just a few broken rocks here and there, we ought to have the whole world coming and checking out kheema dosa, dhal makhani and paneer jalfreez !!!!
@ Sanjay: Thanks…Interesting point about the young demographics…I agree that the “Second Midnight’s Children” will be the real change agents…It is so important to get them on our side.
@ Smiling Buddha: Good suggestion about building “specific targets” around the three important factors “and meet them in the states they do govern rather than bickering about what they lost or can’t get.”
@ Mahesha: I said 100% female literacy because that will probably eliminate half of all our problems anyways.
@ Kaffir: Good point re. “the party to take a leadership role in promoting clean politics” – I think this (and what Smiling Buddha said in his comment) is probably crucial to BJP winning back the “hearts and minds” of the new generation that Sanjay mentioned.
@ r: “if greece can have a couple of million tourists with just a few broken rocks here and there, we ought to have the whole world coming and checking out kheema dosa, dhal makhani and paneer jalfreez !!!!” That was funny!
This article by Tavleen Singh sums up my disappointment with narrow minded Hindutva that is fixated on trivial (mostly divisive) issues while ignoring the Bharat-India chasm.
Educating our Education Minister
TAVLEEN SINGH
As someone who believes that the only good thing about Hindutva is its demand that Indian education be Indianised it always shocks me when I see Murli Manohar Joshi waste so much time doing other, quite unnecessary, things instead.
….
It is disgraceful that more than 55 years after the British left, the best schools and colleges in India are still those that teach in English. As our first Hindutva Education Minister, should Mr Joshi not be spending more time promoting excellence in schools and colleges that teach in Indian languages?
Had he not spent the past four years always climbing the wrong hill he might have noticed that the average Indian school child still knows more about Western culture and values than his own. The result is that the average Indian child grows up slightly ashamed of his own culture and more than slightly in awe of anything that comes from the West. So, instead of engaging in the global village as an equal he is inclined to see himself as a slightly inferior creature. This is dangerous even if we now produce the best software engineers in the world which, incidentally, Mr Joshi might put an end to if he continues to interfere with the IIMs and the IITs.
…
Primary education is a state subject, and should remain that way, but if the HRD Ministry has a role to play it is in evolving a policy that could show the way to a better education model. Of this we have so far seen not the faintest sign because to all intents and purposes the HRD Minister has been too busy trying to take control of institutions that have achieved high standards mainly because the state has not interfered.
Meanwhile, on the Hindutva front the HRD ministry could have performed a historical role if it had examined school and college curricula with the idea of introducing an Indian element. It is farcical that Indian children study comparative literatures of the world without being able to read decent translations of modern writing in Indian languages. Farcical that they should discover Yoga only when it comes back via America and really shameful that it is almost impossible these days to find anyone who can read and write Sanskrit. The situation is so bad that to understand our own ancient texts we might eventually need to import scholars from American universities.
Instead of being concerned about these things, what has the HRD ministry been doing when it is not bringing the IIMs to heel? It has been employing semi-literate bigots to erase details of history on the specious grounds that historical details that offend religious sentiments must not be taught. There is much that has been good, even terrific, about the Vajpayee government but its education policy is not on that list.
*** COMMENT EDITED ***
1)What are the 2-3 big issues that will present the most challenges
1)what are the 2-3 big issues that will present the most challenges and opportunities for India?
a)Inclusive growth:-
Core public services
Rapid and inclusive growth
b)overloaded and crumbling infrastructure:-
2. Which ideas/issues would resonate most with the youth in this decade – issues which will fire them up to actively work towards their own and India’s development?
Terrorism how to control?
How to control terrorism.
There should be vigil by people especially the employee of the industries and any suspicion and doubt should be immediately reported to police by people
While renting the premises to the persons who are new, there should be police check up.
All establishments should have the round clock with CCTV; patrolling and CISF persons should be posted major important areas of shopping complexes, theatres, railways & bus stations, malls etc.
Since law and order is subject of state government, the police force should be trained and enough man power should be recruited latest equipments should be procured and there should be cameras and electronic surveillance in different parts of the city and establishments and the central control room should keep vigil, any suspicion and doubt action should be taken immediately.
Companies and other services industries should thoroughly check the antecedents of the people while recruiting.
3) Which matters should we focus on in the next 10 years?
Education plays very vital role in development countries like India.
Stop corruption in every government offices (R&B department, Municipal offices,Polices, etc…, ) especially Politicians.
Proper Healthcare especially in Govt Hospitals.
Increase the tax for all foreign companies to 50%.
Increase the Visa fees for foreigners visiting to India for more funds.
Get the money back from swiss bank i.e.., $1500 Billion pounds if we succeed to get this amount than most of the debt from world bank will be solved.
At last but not least if BJP wants to win the upcoming election then try to choose some educated , energetic &youth leaders in Party but bot illiterate.so plan from now.
Regards,
Churchill Kumar Shah
*** NOTE by MODERATOR ***
Pl keep your comments brief.
If you are referring to some other reference, pl provide a link rather than copying and pasting. Thanks
UNESCO promotes mother tongue-based bilingual or multilingual approaches in education – an important factor for inclusion and qualilty in education.
Girls, Educational Equity and Mother Tongue-based Teaching
(my last comment on this post)
I seem to totally agree with the Sanjat on how the generation born after 91 and we are ones who were born in to the new India. And we are the ones who have learnt to believe in ourselves and not just be pessimistic about the system.
As for BJP, I would like to keep it short and simple.
The least that I can expect from them is clean and efficient governance.
The most I can expect is libertarian free market approach to economy, world leadership and a developing a strong national identity for the new generation. I know this is very dreamy of me but I seriously hope that they can do these
@ Aditya: Well said…”The least that I can expect from them is clean and efficient governance.“
3. Which matters should we focus on in the next 10 years? These should be achievable and must be important for India’s development.
I would like to focus more on future development in india.
Firstly our country doesn’t have NASA inspite of having brilliant engineers from IIT’s,Scientist far better than other countries.Just think India suffers a lot when Engineers from IIT’s , Doctors from AIIMS & Management Student from IIM’s works for a foreign company in abroad.I agree we do need huge amount of funds for the development of NASA.If our country suceed to have NASA then our country would lie No.1 in the field of defence.We Indians have got money but nobody wants to step forward for donations & this is the main drawback with most of the Indians.why most of the people don’t want to donate??main thing is the citizens of India have lost trust on the Government because most of the politicians sucks money from innocent people and their account bank goes high.In next coming decades India need NASA,Olympic Stadium,Commonwealth games,proper underground railway systems must be established in several main cities like Mumbai,Delhi,Bangalore,Kolkata,Hyderabad,Ahmedabad,Gandhinagar so public can save their own time.Railways& Highways plays very crucial role mainly in case of public transportation.In main cities in India most of the people are totally annoyed with public transportation especially roads while they are on work I mean most of the roads are jammed during peak hours & Our Govt must try to adopt London Underground system in main cities as i mentioned above.If Olympic can come to London then why not in India??We all know that our country is lies No.1 especially in Infrastructure development so make the most use of our Engineers in India and we are sure that our engineers will built far better Olympic & Commonwealth stadium than any other country.I have got some brief ideas for collection of funds:-
1)Increase the tax for all foreign companies in India to 50%.
2)Increase the tax for all Indian companies as well to 5% to 10%%.
3)Increase the income tax for employers about 2% to 3%.
4)Increase the Visa fees for foreigners visiting to India for more funds.
5)Try to collect funds from Industrialist, Businessman,Film Industrialist etc.,,.
6)Get the Indian money back from swiss bank i.e.., $1500 Billion pounds if we succeed to get this amount then most of the debt from world bank will be solved.This is the very important issue what the Indian money is doing in swiss bank???our citizens & Govt must pressurise the swiss bank as much we can.
7)Lastly, try to get money from world bank for the development of infrastructure mainly for NASA,Oylmpic Stadium,Proper Underground system.
Try to choose some educated , energetic & youth leaders in Party but not illiterate.so plan from now.
Reading Swapan Dasgupta: “Far more daunting (task for the BJP) is coping with the challenge of Rahul Gandhi” http://bit.ly/dlZ2Zn
Which matters should we focus on in the next 10 years?
Our Govt must cancel holidays such as Gandhi Jayethi, Childrens day , Ambedkar Jayenthi etc..,see we are wasting our time simply by offering unwanted holidays do you know how many people sacrificed during World War II in UK they just gave their life for the sake of country many but British Govt never gave holiday and our Govt even now they offer holidays. so we don’t need holidays.so cancel this sort of holidays.
and Military Training must be made compulsory for Every Citizen of India just like USA.
Mr.Bhagwat,
(1) Alleviation of poverty ( a strong emphasis on the poor irrespective of their region, caste and religious affiliation). Here SC and ST should be given special attention.
(2) Education for all (emphasis on women, Mr.Bhagwat, I agree with you fully). If India has to become a proud nation, it must educate all its women.
(3) Empowerment of the poor and women by all mean. Here the ageing and weak legal system needs to be reformed to deliver justice to the poor and voiceless. By doing that, democracy will be strengthened, and once democratic institutions become strong they’ll solve remaining problems themselves by checks and balances.
[2] – BJP must try to communicate the philosophy of cultural nationalism to the masses (esplly to youth); and try to show how a nation can prosper by respecting and reinventing its own root of “sarva-dharma sambhavaâ€. By the notion of cultural nationalism, they can explain India’s sustainability of democracy and secularism. BJP has been very poor in communicating these ideas. It’ll obliviously resonate with the youth and old both.
– Walking on the same path, they should communicate the message of integral humanism which hardly any one of them talk these days. This philosophy proposes neither violent communism (does not go with Indian mind-set), nor fully materialistic capitalism, it teaches the path of madhymika which is creation of wealth to serve the society (but not to consume all alone) with spiritual mind-set (inspired by the lessons of Bhagwat-Gita)
[3] –Strengthening the democratic institutions and giving more rights to people (esplly poor and women). Let people get aware of their rights and place such institutions which can act according to the needs of its people without any discrimination, it’ll reduce all the problems themselves including corruption.
-Last but not the least which is the engagement of educated young mind with unquestionable integrity into politics
Thanks
Thanks Ajitabh: Very sensible thoughts…I will try and pass this on to folks I know within BJP.