The Congress won a thumping victory in Karnataka to wrest power after a seven year gap, crushing the BJP in a key election ahead of next year's Lok Sabha ballot. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi voiced their satisfaction over the Karnataka result that ended five years of tumultuous rule by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the southern state.

The Congress victory "is a clear result against the ideology of the BJP", Manmohan Singh said in New Delhi. "The people of the country know what's what and they will reject the BJP ideology as the result in Karnataka shows." The BJP, which stormed to power in Karnataka in 2008 with the hope of expanding rapidly in south India, was routed. Officials said it may finish along with the Janata Dal-Secular (J-S) at 39 seats each. At one point, the BJP trailed behind the JD-S at the third spot.

The Congress had ruled Karnataka on its own until April 2004. It later governed the state with JD-S backing till February 2006. The state slipped into JD-S and BJP hands after that.

Congress leaders gloated and said they had expected a victory because of the way the BJP ruled Karnataka in the last five years, with infighting seeing three changes in the chief minister's post.

The BJP government was also mired in corruption charges. Finally, BS Yeddyurappa, who led the BJP to victory in 2008 and become its first chief minister, quit the party and formed the rival Karnataka Janata Party (KJP). Although the KJP is expected to bag only eight seats in a house of 225, it played a major role in splitting the pro-BJP vote.

JD-S leader HD Kumaraswamy, who had hoped perhaps to be kingmaker, said he was happy to win almost 40 seats. "We will be happy to be the main opposition. We will play our role well," the former chief minister said.

The Samajwadi Party opened its account for the first time in Karnataka, winning the Channapatna assembly seat some 60 km from Bangalore. The Karnataka result was a morale booster for the Congress at a time the BJP has refused to let parliament run demanding the resignation of central ministers Ashwani Kumar and Pawan Kumar Bansal for impropriety.

The victory was just what the party needed ahead of the general elections due in 2014 but which some say could be held earlier. Said Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi: "We are winning because people have seen through and rejected the BJP."

The Karnataka rout saw several BJP leaders lose, as the party fared poorly both in urban and rural areas all across the state. Karnataka had recorded the second highest polling of 71.29% in the last 35 years after 71.90% in 1978. The Congress is not in power in the state for about seven years now.

Reactions on Karnataka poll result trends:

Ravi Shankar Prasad: This accidental fluke victory of the Congress (is) because of the split in BJP votes.

Kapil Sibal: It looks like the BJP will meet the same fate in the General Elections. They will remain in third place in the general elections as well.

Manish Tewari said: The people of Karnataka have voted. If you really look back, over the manner in which Parliament has been disrupted in the last fortnight it is very evident that the entire charade was orchestrated for the Karnataka elections.

HD Kumaraswamy, JDS state president: I blame the media for our defeat and Congress is becoming bigger party. Media did propaganda against us and provoked people to go against us. We respect people's mandate and accept their verdict and we would sit in the opposition party.

BJP leaders Rajiv Pratap Rudy: Karnataka is a loss, we are upset about it but we knew it would happen.

He, however, rather indirectly defended BJP leader and Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and his inability to swing votes for the party in the state, saying: "When does any political party say that their leader has a magic wand? What is wrong if a leader has a magic wand?"

K Siddaramaiah is the to be Karnataka's new Chief Minister. The 121 Congress MLAs elected by the people of the state voted via secret ballot to elect him this evening. Mr Siddaramaiah won the backing of a majority 75 MLAs. Governor H Bhardwaj has invited Mr Siddaramaiah to form the government. Addressing the press after his election, Mr Siddaramaiah said that the immediate challenge is to put the state's administration the right track.

Mr Siddaramaiah is a backward caste leader from the Kuruba community with a big support base, especially in the Old Mysore region in the south.

He has been Opposition leader and was among those who scripted the Congress' successful campaign. He is a five-time MLA and represents the Varuna constituency in Mysore district. Once part of the Janata Dal (Secular) and an HD Deve Gowda protege, Mr Siddaramaiah has been a Congressman for only about six years.

Mr Siddaramaiah edged Union minister Mallikarjun Kharge, his closest contender for the post. A Congressman all his political life, Mr Kharge has registered a formidable electoral record - he has won nine straight times from the Gulbarga region in north Karnataka. The Dalit leader has always been in the running for the Chief Minister's job, but like before, lost out this time too.

A central Congress team headed by Defence Minister AK Antony oversaw the election of the new Chief Minister. The team included junior sports minister Jitendra Singh, All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in-charge of Karnataka, Madhusudan Mistry, and AICC general secretary Luizinho Faleiro.

Report by Sub Editor Sachin Naik from Bangalore

Karnataka elections results are along the predictable lines, many opinion polls and exit polls have scored right on seats prediction. Congress has emerged as the winner, BJP has been demolished and Janata Dal (Secular) refuses to be written off. The national parties were eying big in Karnataka primarily to consolidate platform for upcoming Lok Sabha elections, off course Congress won and BJP facilitated the victory. First, there is no sweeping sentiment; Congress has won by a slim margin in the 224-seat house and that is therefore no endorsement of its brave assertion of 'we survive everything'.

Second, national issues had little bearing, and like most states Karnataka voted on the basis of factors that affect the daily lives of the people - things like governance and civic amenities. BJP state leadership and its central leadership has messed up the government right from onset of its formation of its first government in any southern state. Yeddyurappa, Reddy brothers in Bangalore and Anant Kumar and Venkya Naidu in collaboration of their god father's in Delhi has delivered worst BJP government of the many states ruled by BJP in India.

Interestingly, while an indicted Yeddyurappa, who also bears the ignominy of being the first chief minister of India to go to jail, had the ability to dent his former party, the tainted Reddy brothers have received a drubbing in Bellary. Overall, despite the victory, Congress should ideally not be in a celebratory mood and there is no reason for them to gloat about their triumph in the south. What they must accept is that Karnataka elections are neither a positive verdict on the scam soiled government at the Centre nor a defeat of the BJP ideology, as asserted by PM Manmohan Singh.

If anything Karnataka elections are about what factionalism can do to a corruption riddled party, which cares little for governance issues. And if that is the reading, Congress better watch the wall for results in 2014 though with a rider that Congress despite corruption allegations has looked a unit under Sonia Gandhi. But scams has destroyed UPA I clean governance impact as 2G, CWG, Coalgate, Rail-gate plus serious law & order breakdown specially crime on women, handling of China misadventure has firmed up the believe that there is a huge disconnect of government with public. Anna & Baba Ramdev agitations are gradually dying but the spontaneous people participation on every outcry indicates that people by and large are restless.

Karnataka BJP is punished for corruption, non performance and now 2014 general elections would be acid test for UPA II lead by Congress party to face the public ire. Thankfully, UPA II looks a better performing unit than miserable Karnataka BJP unit.

Rampant corruption, inflation, sagging economy, rape, loot & murders!! India comprise of 2.5% landmass of the total land available to humans and 18% of the entire world’s population is living here. The native are completely stressed out by the sheer lack of natural resource availability. The corruption, internal security crisis, rape, inflation are offshoot of the massive population explosion that India has witnessed in the last few years. Post Independence, the planners have failed to visualize this enormous crisis that is potentially more dangerous that a ticking nuclear bomb.

The governance in India is failing rapidly irrespective of party and leadership, people are on roads every time there is slight instigation on anti-corruption rallies, rape protest, religious unrest. Now we need a visionary leadership that thinks for the nation rather than immediate seat of power, else we are doomed. The population time bomb is likely to demolish us in a very near future. The crisis is unprecedented and we have limited solutions, China model of one child is partly successful but it will lead to the ageing problem in next three-decade that country like Japan is facing today.

Surely with the limited options, we are riding a tiger. Yes, the governance is lacking teeth because we have no established pan India leadership. Congress party now under Rahul Gandhi or BJP under Narender Modi have limited influence in certain pockets of the country. The regional parties have no accountability; all of them are largely driven by caste and religious lines wherein the chief of the party acts like landlord with no development agenda in hand. Today we have almost 50% of the state governments that are in clutches of regional strongman hence the universal macro development of the country is a distant dream. To lay uniform laws for entire country is impossible now with conflict of interest amongst regional political parties.

How we can bring national pride to entire India? How we can impart universal governance to all? How to impart instant Justice System? India must adopt uniform civil code with strict implementation to safeguard our macro national interest. We need to solve this puzzle soon or just accept the fact that we may have to live in a system that has failed us and people will be seen more on roads agitating for every small issue that circumstances will throw to them.

Rahul Gandhi may still become the prime minister because there is no one in Congress with a pan-Indian appeal who can be a challenger. But, the chances of him making a dramatic impact on the Indian scene are remote. He has refused to take responsibility in the government to showcase his caliber hence he remains an unknown commodity to the nation. It is noteworthy that after Nehru, the only ideological direction to the polity was given by someone who was not a member of the dynasty. Moreover, Narasimha Rao's achievement was that he turned away from the Nehruvian preoccupation with a 'socialistic pattern of society', as a Congress resolution of 1955 stated. For the last two decades, however, it is Rao's direction that the country has been following, rejecting in the process the other Nehruvian concept of non-alignment.

What is worrying, however, is that Rahul may seek to reinvent the socialistic wheel. But, even more, bothersome is the fact that there is no certainty about his intentions because he has maintained a deafening silence about his ideological convictions. It is odd that although he can become the prime minister in three years, no one knows what he stands for. Is he for the free market era of a controlled economy? Does he support the quota system? What are his views on the banning of books by the Delhi and Mumbai universities? Related to these questions are more troublesome ones. Is his silence due to a disinclination to get into a firefight or is it because he does not have any views at all?

In Sonia's case, it isn't personal ambition because of warnings from her 'inner voice' so much as to permanently install the dynasty on the throne. The objective itself may not be ignoble, but some of the means she seems to prefer undoubtedly are. What is more, they are based on outdated social and economic ideas that can harm the country. Her preference, for instance, for a caste census eight decades after it was abandoned was driven by the desire to mobilise the backward castes in Congress's favofavorich carries the disturbing possibility of perpetuating the quota system with the added danger of extending it to the private sector. This fervor for 'social justice' is not the only route to economic ruin and social discord. Even more unnerving is the possible revival of a controlled economy with its emphasis on welfare measures based on high taxes. Unless Rahul dissociates himself from these regressive ideas, the great Indian middle class may reject him.

But to his credit, he has consumed absolute power with dignity. A bunch lot of small-time politicians with insignificant bases have acted violently in public life to showcase raw strength but Rahul has always remained dignified. He could have grabbed a prominent seat earlier at his selected time but he opted to learn the art of polity. Rahul Gandhi remains an unsolved puzzle for many of us in India and unless he opens up with the media for greater scrutiny, the reality about him will elude the nation.

The dark clouds of the 2G scam and the repeated evidence being given by A. Raja and others accused of his tacit involvement and other acts of omission and commission are menacingly closing in on Chidambaram. Chidambaram's note assumes significance in the light of Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy's petition in the Supreme Court saying that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) should investigate Chidambaram's role in the 2G scam. Swamy alleges that Chidambaram "fixed" spectrum rates along with Raja. The note shows that even if the two didn't collude to fix the prices, Chidambaram wanted to treat it as a "closed chapter".

He is losing his cool, and more importantly, losing his carefully clipped English accent to its more indigenous roots more often. And like his colleague Digvijay Singh, his mind seems to be disintegrating to a stage where he has started talking gibberish. Take this, for example: in reply to the BJP's demand for his resignation for his involvement in the 2G scam, Chidambaram claims that the BJP is targeting him since he initiated a probe by the NIA into Hindu terror Can any rational person see the connection between the two?

Chidambaram's special financial skills have diversified into electoral politics also. He has the distinction of having been declared defeated in the last Lok Sabha election, after which he galvanized his special skills and local machinery, in particular, a data entry operator, and doctored a marginal victory on the recount. That is quite a record of fraud. Sadly, he has to confront with hostile state government led by Amma that won the recent assembly election in his home state. And can one forget how the Indian Bank was cleaned up and left with only non-performing assets thanks to him and his Tamil Maanila buddies?

Celebrity lawyer Ram Jethmalani recently hurdled serious charges in an article stating - Being Finance Minister in the UPA government was his finest hour. He could fiddle around with share markets, capital markets, banks, financial instruments, such as securities, participatory notes, and tax treaties, not to speak of spectrum sale, and use his extraordinary innovative powers of black money magic to plunder our country with complete impunity. He assiduously cultivated the media with his clipped English accent (that led him down, now and then), occasional freebies, and sustained shadows of the Enforcement Directorate that he commanded.

On a positive note, he is unfairly criticized for his handling of home ministry but to his credit, he has performed better than his predecessor Shivraj Patil by far. The terror attacks are drastically reduced, the J&K situation looks under control, Telangana is a political issue hence he should be blamed for the mess, North East is looking fragile though manageable. We must understand that India's internal security is a huge challenge with micro-dynamic changes every hour. We have open borders with many hostile states making the internal issue more complex. But his handling of a public standoff with Pranab Mukherjee, Baba Ramdev midnight assault, Anna Hazare's unexpected arrest prior to his historic fast, booking Subramanium Swamy for an anti-minority article, open support to suspended Gujrat cop Sanjeev Bhat questions his political intelligence.

It’s time Manmohan Singh must understand that silence and inaction can be equally harmful as dishonesty. 

The expression "Caesar's wife must be above suspicion," is used by Dr. Manmohan Singh while addressing the AICC session in New Delhi. Forget Caesar's wife; should the Prime Minister, like Caesar, remain silent when people like A Raja and Suresh Kalmadi run away with aam aadmi's money?

His honesty and integrity have never been on the debating table or questioned. On these grounds he has been well above the watermarks of doubt, but his silence has not been so. Dr. Singh place in Indian history is assured with a sure credit must go to late P V Narsimha Rao who gave him a chance to become the Finance Minister, the image as the 'Deng (Xiaoping) of India' - the reformer who liberated India from the shackles of the command economy and unleashed the entrepreneurial forces that transformed this ancient land.

We, the people of India, know that your integrity is beyond question. In a world and time when ethics and honesty are at a premium, we rest assured that we are led by a person who, in his moral convictions, is pure as the driven snow. This is a given. Nobody needs to tell us how.

Here are some occasions when Manmohan Singh could have acted in time, but never did:

2G SPECTRUM SCAM

It took over a year for the Prime Minister to act; it took over a year for the CBI to wake up. Had it not been for the PIL in the Supreme Court, the scam would have dragged on and on. Why did Singh not act when the then Telecom Minister A Raja refused to listen? Why did the PM not act when Raja ignored Cabinet colleagues and asked them to keep off the Spectrum turf? Why did the government not bring out the facts when the issue was debated in the Rajya Sabha over a year ago? Why did the PM act only after the Supreme Court comments on the tardy progress and questioned the CBI on its monumental silence? Another point: If the PM had nothing to hide, why not agree for a JPC probe? On the point of the demand for a JPC in the 2G scam by the Opposition, PM have castigated the Opposition for disrupting a in the 2G scam by the Opposition, PM have castigated the Opposition for disrupting a whole session of Parliament.

"One wonders what kind of politics the Opposition believes in when they do not have faith even in Parliament," he thundered. While wasting a whole session of Parliament is 'despicable', surely the Joint Parliamentary Committee or the JPC is also a tool in the hands of Parliament. Demanding a JPC is surely not unparliamentary. It has been conceded before, notably in the Bofors and the Securities scams. Why the reticence now? It's not only the Opposition, but even your own allies. Mamata Banerjee for instance, has let it be known that she would not be unhappy if the UPA accepts a JPC probe.

NIIRA RADIA TAPES

How come the Prime Minister was not aware of the fact that private conversations were being secretly taped? Such acts are allowed only for national security. Even if they were taped, who leaked it to the media and why? The conversations were taped by a government agency and the tapes were in the possession of this agency. How come the tapes were leaked and what was the motive?

The PM was visibly upset while addressing the captains of the industry this month. But that shows that he was not under control of things. Even now, he is not able to pinpoint who leaked the tapes to the media and why. Now that the content of the tapes are in public domain, what action plan is prepared by you to hunt down culprits - incidentally, all of them are high and mighty. Sir, this is a historic opportunity for you to act tough to ensure people have faith in democratic values practiced by us.

CWG SCAM

For four long months, all the dirt on Commonwealth Games was out in the open. The stink too was there for everyone to 'smell' and squirm. But for the best part, the PM adopted the three wise monkey strategy with a twist in the tale: see-no- scam, hear-no-scam, tell-no-scam. Why did the PM not step in early and stem the rot? He appointed an overseeing committee only after the mess had spun out of control. Even now, Suresh Kalmadi is talking stupid; the CBI raided his establishments after full three months of uproar in the country. Sir, we are sure that 90 days are enough to put any house in order that we expect Kalmadi must have done to destroy evidences. Surely, he plans to bid for the Olympics.

THE CVC ROW

The Central Vigilance Commissioner is appointed by taking into confidence the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. Three persons were shortlisted for the CVC post but the government ignored the dissenting note of Opposition leader Sushma Swaraj and appointed P J Thomas as the CVC. This despite the fact that he is an accused in the palm oil import scam in Kerala.

Sushma Swaraj had openly said that the Government was free to choose anyone among the two other officers on the list of three, not Thomas. But the PM paid a deaf ear and went ahead. The government knew all along that Thomas, as the CVC, will not be in a position to investigate the 2G spectrum allotment scandal in which his own ministry was involved. An official with such a shadow of x doubt should not have been made the CVC. Now, the matter is before the Supreme Court which has questioned the manner in which Thomas got the job. Why was the PM so keen on Thomas who was under a cloud of controversy? He could have picked up the next good officer on the list.

Well, like Caesar's wife, the PM should be above suspicion. But fact of the matter is that in all the serious corruption cases, it is Supreme Court rather than the government that is controlling the events hence leading to an impression that government has lost credibility and strength to stop the corruption and punish the guilty. The country has lost over Rs 2.5 lakh crore (over $50b) just because PM choose not to act in time.

ON FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION

Dr. Singh has argued that their multiple agencies investigating the various aspects of the 2G scam and therefore a JPC is unwarranted. "We have always strived to eradicate corruption and we will continue to do so. Our approach to corruption also gets clearly reflected in our actions," "These inquiries will be pursued vigorously. And it is my promise to you that no guilty person will be spared - whether he is a political leader or a government official, whichever party he may belong to and howsoever powerful he maybe."

Really, Prime Minister? "No guilty person will be spared"? Sorry to say, Prime Minister, we the citizens are not so sanguine. How many public servants have been prosecuted in Independent India for corruption? We can't think of any. And, it's nothing to do with our collective memory. We are waiting for your action plan to track down the culprits that are mentioned in Radia tapes. Therefore, if as you really say, that your "approach to corruption gets reflected in our actions", what have you done to amend the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 - an Act that should actually be renamed the 'Prevention of Prosecution of Public Servants". Allow me the audacity to suggest four simple amendments to give teeth and substance to the Act and make it a real deterrent for public servants from going to the devil, now that your government has not thought of it

One: Shift onus of proof on to the public servant. If Sukh Ram or Raja or any public servant is caught with assets disproportionate to his known sources of income, make it incumbent on him or her to show that the monies or assets were earned through legitimate means. If he can't, that should be a ground for guilt and prosecution.

Two: Ensure that there will be no stays granted or adjournments in cases involving public servants. They should be ones fast-tracked with continuous hearing. Otherwise, like the case against Sukh Ram, even after a decade and a half, the culprits will have the last laugh to the bank, or wherever they have stashed the cache.

Three: Prime Minister, mere fines aren't enough for public servants who indulge in illegal gratification. Physical incarceration should be the minimum penalty for what amounts to looting the nation.

Just these three amendments to the Prevention of Corruption Act should go a long way in instilling the fear of consequences in the public servants who are tempted to reach into the national exchequer. If you claim to be acting against corruption, I wonder why your government has not even taken the first baby steps. Unfortunately, Prime Minister, the impression we get is that you are hemmed in by the allies on the one side and the moods and whims of your party and its President on the other. To her credit, Sonia Gandhi has made it known publicly that you have her full support. We wonder why the Congress party and the allies don't get the message!

We urge you to stand up and be counted. And believe me, Prime Minister, we get this sense that the people of India will be with you, whatever your party and your allies may say. It's said that the only time you acted out of conviction was on the nuclear deal with the US. The grapevine has it that you even threatened to resign; if the Congress and your UPA allies don't throw weight behind the deal in Parliament. And, Prime Minister, you know what happened. Did the heavens fall or did you get your way? Should not that be a pointer to the way you should go? And, when and if you do go that route, of playing by your convictions, and hounding out the corrupt and those who bring us shame, we have no doubt in our mind that the citizens of India, to the man, will be behind you.

Sir, this is a historic opportunity for you to act tough to ensure people have faith in democratic values practiced by us in India, you are representing aspirations of over a billion people that is one-sixth of the human population hence the responsibility is enormous. God has been kind to you for providing you with a platform to deliver extraordinary service to our nation please act!!

Coalgate investigations, FDI in retail, coordination within UPA with allies, internal security and several key policy matters have seen UPA trebling without any leadership. The highest indicator of the multi-layer power center was exposed in the passing and sudden withdrawal of an ordinance related to keeping criminals out of active politics. The cabinet headed by Dr Manmohan unanimously passed an ordinance extending certain concessions to tainted politicians. It was forwarded to the President of approval though he refused to sign. This is the start of a new story wherein Congress VP Rahul Gandhi steps in and tore apart the credibility of the government by publically stating that this ordinance is useless, and to be thrown in the dustbin, The nation has witnessed tremendous turbulence due to multi-layer power system in the government that lacks accountability with one person. Surely, the PM is the man responsible to the public at large but the world's largest democracy has seen a rare multi-level amalgamation of power to run a complex country.

UPA's multiple dysfunctions created the perfect FDI storm, the government's decision to suspend the opening up of India's retail sector to foreign investors, 12 days after it was announced with much fanfare, marks a new nadir in the fortunes of the second UPA government. Optimists and there are a few, think retail FDI could play out like the nuclear deal, where it was initially put on hold after the Left objected, and later revived.

But the second avatar of the UPA appears to be difficult from the previous one, a number of ministers in the current government said, with key players often working at cross purposes. The ministers, as well as several politicians, both belonging to the Congress and the government's allies, largely spoke on condition of anonymity. The fiasco has highlighted what was till recently only whispered about - infighting in the cabinet and a rapid diminution in the authority of the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh. Barely 24 hours after the cabinet meeting, for instance, senior ministers from the ruling and allied parties were expressing their reservations about the move, some openly. It soon became well known, for instance, that defence minister AK Antony and rural development minister Jairam Ramesh were opposed, though neither have spoken in public.

But the discord, according to the ministers and a number of political leaders, is not restricted to the cabinet. According to a number of people familiar with the matter, equations between Sonia Gandhi, the Congress President, and the man she appointed as Prime Minister more than nine years ago, are no longer what they used to be. "The Congress is like a three-legged animal, with each being pulled in different directions. So, if there is one section that is toeing Mrs Gandhi's line, there is another that appears to have Rahul Gandhi's mandate. And a handful of people supporting the PM," a cabinet minister said.

Sonia Gandhi's illness has been a complicating factor. "Who is in charge here? Sonia Gandhi is distracted with her illness and she is no longer as hands-on as she was during UPA 1. Rahul Gandhi is a landlord in absentia his interventions are few and far between and he keeps himself away from the government mostly. That leaves the Prime Minister whom his own party members don't take too seriously. His authority is constantly challenged ironically not as much by the allies but by Congress cabinet ministers. And it doesn't help when the PMO is perceived to be playing games with various ministers," another senior UPA minister says.

"This term of the UPA has killed the spirit of doing business in India," a top industrialist. "It's not just an activist judiciary, out-of-control law enforcement agencies wherein India's premium business houses were targeted. The recent CBI FIR against Birla group and rollback reflects a poor state of governance in the country. The issues such as inflation, internal law & order situation etc have dampened the spirits of the business world. Who can do business with interest rates at 16%? This government has some outstanding, bright individuals but nobody is willing to do anything," the industrialist says.

The division in the cabinet has not helped. "The FDI in retail is a classic example of how the PM was let down by his own cabinet. Which of the powerful ministers came out in strong support? Not because in principle they didn't support it but because they are upset and disillusioned by the PM," says a minister belonging to a party allied with the Congress.

According to this person, Chidambaram feels let down by the PM as he feels the Prime Minister's Office has not been particularly helpful at a time when he is under relentless attack from Subramaniam Swamy, the maverick politician who has petitioned the courts seeking the resignation of the home minister, who was finance minister in 2008 when a set of controversial telecom licenses were issued by A Raja, the former telecom minister. A controversial note from the finance ministry, which appeared to partly blame Chidambaram for failing to prevent the scam, has not helped matters.

One cabinet minister also points out that Kapil Sibal, the telecom and HRD minister, who till a few months ago did a fair amount of firefighting for the government, kept mostly silent during the FDI debate as he feels he went out on a limb opposing the popular anti-corruption campaigner Anna Hazare with little backing from the party.

Government officials say an attempt was made by the Congress high command to bring order by appointing Pulok Chatterji as the PM's principal secretary. Chatterji comes with the formidable reputation of being a professional, low-profile and no-nonsense bureaucrat. He has an onerous task at hand, say people in the know, with the relationships between some of the most powerful cabinet ministers at an all-time low.

Landmark legislation and reforms initiated by the UPA have had one characteristic. With the important exception of the nuclear deal legislation such as NREGA - which provides 100 days of guaranteed employment - and the Food Security Bill has been personally driven by Sonia Gandhi. The government's role has been to implement the party's wishes.

In the case of multi-brand retail, it was different, with the Prime Minister driving the initiative. The government had to sell this idea to the party once the core committee took a view. Many blame industry minister Anand Sharma for the fiasco. A Congress party member says Sharma was the wrong choice to hard sell the proposal. "First, he didn't even bother to sell the idea to his party men, forget about allies. "This government is being run by Rajya Sabha people some of who haven't even been municipal commissioners," says a Congress leader sarcastically. The criticism would apply to the Prime Minister, who is a Rajya Sabha member.

Several Congress ministers say it was a classic case of a bad presentation. "The policy should have been pitched as a special power that states were going to be given to avail foreign investment in infrastructure and retail if it so desired. As India gradually inches for the General Elections 2014 with massive rallies and election fever already set in the country, the stakes are higher than ever. It is a battle of Narender Modi-led BJP minus NDA to secure 200+ Lok Sabha seats in order to attract allies to form the government. It is true that Narender Modi is the most popular leader of the country today but the limitation of BJP is that it will contest national elections in 2/3 of India wherein it is having absolutely no presence in 1/3 of India hence success ratio required to translate 2/3 seats is extremely high, it makes Narender Modi task very difficult. On the other hand, Rahul Gandhi must have to demonstrate extreme control over the party to settle himself as the undisputed leader. He must deliver goods through words and actions. India loves authoritative leadership so Rahul Gandhi has limited options. He will be fighting against the history of ten years of anti-incumbency of the UPA government. There is a generation shift within Congress leadership so the experience leaders may feel ignored by the young brigade; the balancing may require huge skills for Rahul Gandhi. Finally, he must take control of the party and government decisively to disseminate message to the country that he is in complete control of the entire governance and he is the BOSS. It will give Congress cadre a clear line of control and it will offer the country a clear option to vote or not vote for the Rahul Gandhi-led Congress party for UPA III.

By Prashant Tewari

In 2011 comes a man from a village in Maharashtra who awakens the nation and says that it is our Dharma to eradicate corruption. Tens of thousands of Indian men, women, children, artisans, farmers and students of all age groups have joined Anna Hazare to cleanse the Indian society of corruption. It is a powerful movement that is absolutely apolitical. The movement has support of people of all walks of life who are votaries of all major and minor faiths of the world and they are all non-violent; absolutely peaceful. AHINSA or absence of violent means to achieve the end, is the basic Mantra of this mass movement of Anna Hazare. It is a unique feature of this peaceful protest. The whole world recognises the Rights of free thought and expression. Suppressing this freedom of Expression would amount to violation of Human Rights. It is his innocent and child-like smile that draws strangers close to him. He smiles even in adverse circumstances. He smiles when he fasts. He smiles when the jail authorities denied him water for a bath since he stayed on in the administrative building of the jail even after his official release. Anna Hazare does not raise the pitch of his voice even when the group discussion degenerates into a slanging match. Anna Hazare is as cool as a cucumber, calm as the sea-surface in non-tsunami nights and focused as a camera lens. He knows what to do, when to do and how to do. Indeed the secret of his success in all his projects lies in his planning, preparation and execution from A to Z. Further, Anna chooses his colleagues well and never lets a selfish person take undue advantage of his nearness to Anna Hazare.

Now the world media is taking interest in the Anna generated People's Movement for having a LOKPAL who would oversee the official work of all government departments, all government servants, even the highest of the high and thus leave no room for corruption. When corruption is got rid of, the people of Bharat will heave a sigh of relief. The demon of corruption and thereby generation of black money and consequent of stashing ill gotten wealth in foreign banks made our motherland poorest of the poor. The Indian Parliament unanimously resolved that the Standing Committee would consider Anna's three demands - including the lower bureaucracy in the Lokpal's purview, a central law for creating Lok Ayuktas in states and a citizen's charter for government departments providing public service. He has tapped into a nation's rising frustration and anger against corruption of the most scandalous proportions, and channeled it into a mass movement that has shaken the government to its foundation, and placed the entire political class on notice. With the elimination of the demon of corruption, the common man will improve his standard of living. His lifestyle will be in conformity with the norms laid down by the greatest lawgiver, It is a token victory for people of India but the real battle is just about to start now, Anna Hazare has lit a fire. It's for every one of us to keep the flame of hope alive.

Prashant Tewari

In 2011 comes a man from a village in Maharashtra who awakens the nation and says that it is our Dharma to eradicate corruption. Tens of thousands of Indian men, women, children, artisans, farmers and students of all age groups have joined Anna Hazare to cleanse the Indian society of corruption. It is a powerful movement that is absolutely apolitical. The movement has support of people of all walks of life who are votaries of all major and minor faiths of the world and they are all non-violent; absolutely peaceful.

AHINSA or absence of violent means to achieve the end, is the basic Mantra of this mass movement of Anna Hazare. It is a unique feature of this peaceful protest. The whole world recognises the Rights of free thought and expression. Suppressing this freedom of Expression would amount to violation of Human Rights.

It is his innocent and child-like smile that draws strangers close to him. He smiles even in adverse circumstances. He smiles when he fasts. He smiles when the jail authorities denied him water for a bath since he stayed on in the administrative building of the jail even after his official release. Anna Hazare does not raise the pitch of his voice even when the group discussion degenerates into a slanging match. Anna Hazare is as cool as a cucumber, calm as the sea-surface in non-tsunami nights and focused as a camera lens. He knows what to do, when to do and how to do. Indeed, the secret of his success in all his projects lies in his planning, preparation and execution from A to Z. Further, Anna chooses his colleagues well and never lets a selfish person take undue advantage of his nearness to Anna Hazare.

Now the world media is taking interest in the Anna generated People's Movement for having a LOKPAL who would oversee the official work of all government departments, all government servants, even the highest of the high and thus leave no room for corruption. When corruption is got rid of, the people of Bharat will heave a sigh of relief. The demon of corruption and thereby generation of black money and consequent of stashing ill gotten wealth in foreign banks made our motherland poorest of the poor.

The Indian Parliament unanimously resolved that the Standing Committee would consider Anna's three demands - including the lower bureaucracy in the Lokpal's purview, a central law for creating Lok Ayuktas in states and a citizen's charter for government departments providing public service.

He has tapped into a nation's rising frustration and anger against corruption of the most scandalous proportions, and channeled it into a mass movement that has shaken the government to its foundation, and placed the entire political class on notice. With the elimination of the demon of corruption, the common man will improve his standard of living. His lifestyle will be in conformity with the norms laid down by the greatest lawgiver,

It is a token victory for people of India but the real battle is just about to start now, Anna Hazare has lit a fire. It's for every one of us to keep the flame of hope alive.

India is a huge country, larger than a continent. Hetrogeneity, not homogeneity, has always been the mantra of Social Homogeneity of Indian ethos, which is a must for any progressive society. It boosts and develops adequate debates that ensure proper social and intellectual churning to have the much needed social fermentation for a change, the Vyavasthaa parivartan, as both Baba Ramdev and Anna Hazare say. There is no alternative to free-thinking and frank expression for jettisoning the evil of hypocrisy. True, but that is why the pre- Independence type Common Platform(C.P.) is required, which, like the then Congress or the subsequent JP Movement, may not be bound and integrated forever, it will at least play a very important role in bringing the urgently needed Second Freedom. Corruption remains a restricted agenda for “have “ and certainly for not “have nots” in India hence the Anna movement created huge effect in urban India but it could not penetrate rural India. Secondly, the rural India is driven by caste & religious divide hence an all India movement could not be constructed by Anna & Co. Team Anna targeted ruling Congress party with special focus on Sonia Gandhi, Is not Mrs. Sonia Gandhi a honourable Member of our Parliament, elected by none other than Indians? Ask the electorate if you dare, not the M.P. She was a target for corrupt practices but important members of team Anna foucsed on secular image thus diluting core issue of corruption and the debate was expanded to Baba Ramdev and later Narender Modi type of polity. It ensured that right-wing people associated with RSS & BJP were thrown out of the movement resulting in instant collapse of the entire movement. Let us be free from doubts. Let there be a C.P. and adequate social and political fermentation. The nectar of required awakening will be born automatically. The concept of Hindu votes, though ideal and all-engulfing, is getting a shattering blow by the current I.T. and economic revolutions of modern age. Whether Hindu or Muslim, all vote banks will have to be treated in a common crucible, as for example, done by competent persons like Narendra Modi, Nitish Kumar, and Shivraj Singh Chauhan who interpreted and transformed the Faith to mean developments in their respective states of Gujrat, Bihar and M.P. Ultimately, it is development, not any religious leaning, that will survive the fermentation oriented test of time. It will need various gears.

Look at China. Religion has utterly failed to bring social harmony, daal-roti, medicines, shelter and the sukoon for all, and above all the much needed National Pride and Gold for India, as possessed by a modern German or Japanese, and an old Brittisher. Anna group, not Anna Hazare himself. The confused group will get enlightened or dissolved in the healthy atmosphere created by the apologists of the RASHTRANEETI on a C.P. Then the corruption oriented politics will be transformed/ reformed or ousted. Parishkaar or Bahishkaar. They opposed Congress and Modi simultaneously, that created more confusion than bringing solution to the entire movement against corruption. Nobody should ever now venture to ignore the perenial sufferings of the hapless masses, which Maoists claim to highlight and amplify. It is a stark reality that is impossible to understand by the opulence born well to do ruling the roost in society, market, religion and the politics that intends to frame and tame all. Their representation on the C.P. will have to be there. Hegde seems to be a righteous and comfort-loving gem of society. He must be very happy to bless the C.P. once it is shaped. Let us pray that some apologist of the RASHTRANEETI becomes thread of the ANNA-RAMDEV needle to enter the flower like hearts of honest Indians of consequences from every walk of life to form a coveted garland for Bharat Mata. Is Arvind Kejriwal ready for that?

Classicial error of entering electoral politics is a death nail to the entire movement, Indian are immune to certain way of life when it comes to politics. It is a pure game of give and take, team Anna with extremely limited resources may not be in a position to offer any tangible benefits to hapless Indians, General Elelctions 2014 for team Anna will be a great disaster. What a waste of huge effort and public support!

The nation has witnessed a huge spectacle from a section of visible population with Anna Hazare's fast for getting the Jan Lok Pal bill being drafted and implemented. His fast unto death was an event in which not only we witnessed the 'Tsunami of Sentiments' but was also used by media to create an atmosphere as if it a 'second freedom struggle'. While one can see that the dissatisfaction of the people from the system was overflowing, one also registered that this is a response to the massive corruption scams which have been unearthed during last few years. While Government succumbed to the mass pressure and the media projection, the whole episode also raised many a question about the message which the fasting and Jantar mantar protest gave.

Unfortunately, the criticism of elected leaders and the doubting of the democratic system itself were taken to the cynical extremes. One concedes that there are serious flaws in the electoral system, the money power, muscle power and Corporate influence, but to paint all the leaders in the same brush shows the warped understanding of a section of leadership of Jantar Mantar movement. Surely our electoral system needs serious re-forms but this type of projection also needs to be seriously questioned.

Corruption is the big scourge to the system. We do need to look beyond the leaders and parties to realize that Corruption is primarily due to lack of transparency of the system, lack of accountability of the elected representatives and the very nature of our economic system and injustices inbuilt in the social system. While one lauds the tremendous response to the anti-corruption movement, one can just hope that the sectarianism of Anna Hazare should be totally bypassed and the religious tilt of the imagers should be done away with. One hopes that while working on the Lok Pal Bill, the collective leadership of the movement will take note of these points to ensure that this movement does not meet the fate of two similar earlier one's and that Right-wing divisive forces are kept at bay.

Anna effect has forced government to act tough on corruption, of course the government has sensed the public anger against series of scams hence finally major crackdown is ordered. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested former head of the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee, Suresh Kalmadi, in connection with irregularities in the contract for the Queen's Baton Relay (QBR), The CBI is also probing alleged irregularities in the hiring of Swiss firm Event Knowledge Services (EKS) as CWG's technical consultant. Kanimozhi, the self-effacing journalist-poet is today accused of being a co-conspirator in one of the biggest scams the country has seen. CBI has charge-sheeted Kanimozhi in the 2G scam hence her trouble are about to start in a big way with already jailed former Telecom Minister A Raja and several important political and business leaders.

The road ahead is challenging, the vested interest will try to block the cleanup process with their full might and resources. The key to success for the entire movement shall be the constant public pressure to be backed by honest effort from select upright government agencies and strict monitoring of Apex court.