London: It appears that the attempt to manipulate Lashkare-Toiba operative Ishrat Jehan's death to persuade Narendra Modi to withdraw from India's prime-ministerial race has more sinister roots than immediately apprehended. An insider with intimate knowledge of Anglo-American policy towards India suggested that a virtual resolution of the historic Kashmir issue has already been negotiated discreetly through the intercession of Washington. It seems an understanding has been reached with Manmohan Singh's government that major Indian concessions would be on the table.

Apparently, this entire package would be in jeopardy if Narendra Modi were to become prime minister of India.

Pakistan, whose rapid acquisition of nuclear weapons' capability is considered an urgent problem, including its known proliferation activities, is prepared to reciprocate with suitable steps acceptable to Washington. It is hoped that the lowering of India-Pakistan tensions would also reduce the dangers of a nuclear exchange that would have devastating wider global consequences. Pakistan will also restrain the Taliban and accept a half-way house in its expedition to control Afghanistan's destiny though Hamid Karzai will apparently have to depart.

The grim inference is that the incumbent Indian government is not entirely in dissonance with Pakistani agencies, including the Inter-Services Intelligence and its arms-length proxy, the Lashkar-e-Toiba, to corner Narendra Modi. The evident bonhomie between the two parties is a product of Washington's mediation, which is keen to retrieve something from the mess of its Afghan misadventure. Certainly, the elimination of Narendra Modi, physically if need be, as some observers, including myself, have warned of, would suit some quarters because otherwise he is guaranteed to propel the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead at the 2014 general elections.

Private polling has been showing that in the best-case scenario, the Sonia Gandhi Congress would simply not have the numbers to consider forming a government, even if the BJP itself failed to approach the magic number of 220 seats. An interesting question is the extent of involvement of some senior BJP leaders and their advisers in this colossal conspiracy. Some have enjoyed close ties with United States' agencies since the Cold War period when Nehruvian nonalignment was considered nothing short of support for the Soviet Union. Even closer ties have evolved between some leaders through the intervention of a prominent Indian business family in London who have always been US surrogates.

The so-called solution to the Kashmir dispute would almost certainly be based on the four-point formula suggested by the former Pakistan military president, Parvez Musharraf. It entails softening of Line of Control (LoC), self-governance, phased withdrawal of troops from entire Jammu and Kashmir and joint supervision by India and Pakistan. Pakistan is confident that such a plan would enable it to absorb the entire Kashmir Valley eventually making Indian resistance to such an outcome both politically costly and militarily expensive. Publicly-aired Pakistani misgivings about Musharraf's four-point formula when it was first out-lined were officially sponsored to create the impression that Pakistan would only acquiesce reluctantly. The idea was to make the Indian public believe that it was the gainer from the agreement. However, in private, there was widespread official consensus that the agreement would be a prelude to Pakistan gaining full sovereignty over the Kashmir Valley and possibly even more. The survival of other areas under Indian control would be rendered untenable if Pakistan were to achieve political suzerainty over the Valley and some adjacent areas.

The interim policy, in the aftermath of the agreement being fully implemented, would be to embark on a policy of demographic assault that has already succeeded in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The extensive marital links between PoK Kashmiris and Punjabis, for example, has ensured huge support for the Lashkar-e-Toiba's activities against India. It is reasoned that encouraging marriage between residents of India's Kashmir Valley and those on the Pakistani side with the help of local religious authorities would create a growing constituency within the Kashmir Valley that would be Pakistani in essence.

It is concluded that it would be impossible for the Indian authorities to In a recent interview with BJP leader Narendra Modi By Reuters Staff Ross Colvin and Sruthi Gottipati, Narender Modi was candid in explaning the fall out of Godhra tragedy in his characteristic mode.

Is it frustrating that many people still define you by 2002?

People have a right to be critical. We are a democratic country. Everyone has their own view. I would feel guilty if I did something wrong. Frustration comes when you think "I got caught. I was stealing and I got caught." That's not my case.

Do you regret what happened?

I'll tell you. India's Supreme Court is considered a good court today in the world. The Supreme Court created a special investigative team (SIT) and top-most, very bright officers who overlook oversee the SIT. That report came. In that report, I was given a thoroughly clean chit, a thoroughly clean chit. Another thing, any person if we are driving a car, we are a driver, and someone else is driving a car and we're sitting behind, even then if a puppy comes under the wheel, will it be painful or not? Of course it is. If I'm a chief minister or not, I'm a human being. If something bad happens anywhere, it is natural to be sad.

Should your government have responded differently?

Up till now, we feel that we used our full strength to set out to do the right thing.

But do you think you did the right thing in 2002?

Absolutely. However much brainpower the Supreme Being has given us, however much experience I've got, and whatever I had available in that situation and this is what the SIT had investigated.

Do you believe India should have a secular leader?

We do believe that … But what is the definition of secularism? For me, my secularism is, India first. I say, the philosophy of my party is 'Justice to all. Appeasement to none.' This is our secularism.

Report complied by Prakhar Prakash Mishra Political Editor Opinion Express.

curb this development because there would be an international human rights' outcry. It is also perfectly well-known in Pakistan that India has failed to stop the massive migration of Bangladeshis into India which has grown to startling proportions in many cities far removed from the Indo-Bangladesh border. The result of such demographic changes would also guarantee the election of governments in Kashmir that would favour Anschluss with Pakistan.

Once such an elected government agitated, in the first instance, for closer ties with their Pakistani co-religionists, prior to elevating the demand to formal accession, the Indian government would be left in an unenviable position. It would have to consider intervening militarily from a position of huge political and military weakness. The Indian authorities would have to arrest very large numbers of Kashmiri politicians, stop all electoral processes and embark on a military crackdown that would result in massive casualties. The inter-national and domestic Indian reaction to such a response to adverse developments can easily be anticipated. It appears Pakistan has leveraged its nuclear weapons with extraordinary success. By contrast, India's aspiration to great power status would be in tatters, reduced to a weak, minor player.

In addition, it can be safely predicted that Pakistan will find ways to pre-vent India reaping any sort of peace dividend, by reducing military commitments on the India-Pakistan border once an agreement with Pakistan on Kashmir has been implemented. Such a peace dividend for India would be opposed implacably by Pakistan's all-weather friend, China, itself examining every option for cutting India down to size. Any reductions in military commitments in relation to Pakistan would immediately mitigate India's two-front war threat that alarms its defence planners. China will make sure that Pakistani redeployments in the after-math of any peace deal with India will nevertheless remain a sufficient threat to prevent any significant Indian reduction in commitments against Pakistan. Indeed it may well be hazarded that the loss of Kashmir to Pakistan will create a strategic nightmare for India owing to altered military options on the ground and require even greater attention to the India-Pakistan border. The final denouement will be in the shape of an emboldened Pakistan facing an India militarily and politically weakened by the loss of Kashmir. Nothing that has transpired in the past sixty years suggests that Pakistan will abandon its determined quest to rival India, having emerged victorious over Kashmir.

As the conspiracy unfolds to derail Narendra Modi's pursuit for national power, though he enjoys massive support along the length and breadth of the country, many outwardly innocuous events acquire more significance. The successful campaign that stopped Narendra Modi from even addressing a mere student gathering in the United States is likely to have been officially instigated. The same officials responsible for intervening against Narendra Modi also hold compromising files on the alternative to him, pertaining to his corrupt financial dealings and personal peccadilloes.

Former US spy, Edward Snowden, has highlighted the extraordinary reach and assiduity with which information is collected by Anglo-American intelligence agencies on even their closest allies. He has also confirmed that India enjoys a special place on their intrusive radar. It is they who have been collecting evidence on the murky social life and financial dealings abroad of their preferred candidate for prime minister of India.

Editor's note: Intelligence Bureau officials have sounded the warning that they are under enormous pressure from the ruling Congress party to implicate Narendra Modi in the Ishrat Jehan case. A particularly vocal Congress party general secretary has been meeting and harassing Central Bureau of Investigation and Intelligence Bureau officials to manufacture evidence against the Gujarat chief minister. There is desperation in ruling party circles as Modi nears his goal of becoming prime minister. The Intelligence Bureau is resisting the pressure and there is growing resentment within the institution about this. Worse is expect-ed in the coming days unless Manmohan Singh steps in and ceases the witch-hunt against Narendra Modi.

A report from overseas press. The writer has taught Political Economy at the London School of Economics. (Expressed views are personal opinion of the writer)

A person becomes hope for millions, certainly Narender Modi must be complimented for the extraordinary achievement. India is a continent, it is not a country. Over billion people are living in India hence to be the hope of India is huge responsibility. The elevation of Narendra Modi through popular demand has democratized the Bharatiya Janata Party. From a patriarchal system where the elders of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and of the party decided things, Modi has forcibly brought in elements of an open system where merit and democratic appeal inside the party will determine its direction. Such a takeover of a major political party by an individual purely on his credentials and popularity has no precedent in India.

In the two decades from the formation of the party to the time that it took power in the late 1990s, the BJP was controlled by only two very competent presidents - Atal Bihari Vajpayee and LK Advani (with one short term for Murli Manohar Joshi). When the party formed the government in Delhi and both Vajpayee and Advani held ministerial responsibility, the party presidency was finally let go of by them.

In this period, to communicate the idea of an open democratic system that was unlike the closed dynastic system of the Congress, BJP presidents continued to be elected. But because the rivalry was strong between Vajpayee and Advani, this president was a safe person, meaning someone neutral, and with no base of his own. And so the BJP had presidents like Kushabhau Thakre, Jana Krishnamurthy, Bangaru Laxman and Venkaiah Naidu. They were picked through consensus between the rivals, not through competitive elections, meaning the system was actually closed and not open. The cadre did not have a say in the choice of their leader.

These men did not make any changes or define a new direction for the party, and they were not supposed to. They were placeholders, and held office till the big boys came back to play. The important aspect is that because the system was closed, no new leadership actually emerged in the BJP through the popular route.

The disappearance from public life of Vajpayee after his defeat in 2004 and the eclipse of Advani within the party (about which more later) after his defeat in 2009 exposed this vacuum and opened up the space for someone to take the national leadership. It was assumed that this would be someone from inside the closed system. The BJP had some leaders who were "national", like Sushma Swaraj, Pramod Mahajan and Arun Jaitley, groomed for bigger things, and some who were "regional" like Modi and other state chief ministers.

This division did not indicate true levels of power. Jaitley for instance has never contested an election and has no popular appeal. Advani's visit to Pakistan in 2005 and his concession to Jinnah put off a cadre that craved someone who would take them back to first principles, meaning the muscular Hindutva that had propelled it to power.

This is when Modi emerged as his own man. A confluence of things - first, the killings of 2002 and the proven involvement of his ministers (one of who has been convicted), second, his no-nonsense image and refusal to play by the rules of inclusive secularism, such as wearing skull-caps and hosting iftaars, and third, his competent man-aging of Gujarat's economy and the praise of corporate leaders - has made him a national figure.

He attracted the core BJP worker and voter because of the first two things, and also large parts of the middle class. The media, which is usually wary of communal politics, has been neutralised through the third aspect, corporate endorsement of Modi.

The selection/election of Modi as the head of the party's campaign for 2014 has actually made him more powerful within the party than its president, Rajnath Singh, because it reveals him as the popular choice within the party. Modi gives the lower rungs of the BJP and the RSS what they want, a full-throated and uncompromisingly Hindu nationalist leadership which radiates strength and power. Even if Modi per-forms poorly in the election of 2014, he will retain control of the BJP. This is because his power comes directly from the cadre of both the BJP and the RSS, and the groundswell has opened up the closed system. or Narendra Modi's supporters there is nothing beyond the 2014 elections. So every alliance bro-ken, every leader brushed aside and every political leader who criticises is meant to be set aside as the Gujarat Chief Minister's campaign machinery rolls on towards the 2014 polls. But are the numbers against him?

In an excellent analysis of the 'Modi phenomenon' in India in the Indian Express, Ashutosh Varshney notes that the Gujarat Chief Minister would need to be a trailblazer of sorts rarely seen in India before and maybe his supporters and BJP are being a bit too hopeful of an impending victory in 2014. He points out that the BJP has seen its vote share decline over the last three elections to 18.8 percent, and though the party can hope for 18 to 20 percent of the vote share to get to 180 seats, a more practical assumption would be that Modi needs to raise the party's vote share by 5 to 6 percentage points. What is that in numbers assuming an electorate of 800 million votes in the 2014 polls? 25 to 30 million votes.

It isn't impossible to raise one's vote share by that much, and Varshney points to three instances when it happened: in 1984 for the Congress after Indira Gandhi's assassination, in 1991 for the BJP over the Ayodhya temple issue and in 1998 for the BJP, because of allies who delivered the numbers. There is a strong anti-incumbency wave among the electorate against the Congress and the UPA but would it be one that would result in 25 million votes going in Modi's favour? Varshney, maybe rightly, points out that it is unlikely given the Gujarat Chief Minister's personality cult is one that is still resonates only with urban voters. He says:

First, beyond Gujarat, the rural folk, who still determine India's election results, have not heard of the Gujarat model. And it is virtually impossible to turn rural constituencies around in a matter of months. It is a longer political project. Second, it is also not clear that, beyond Gujarat, the urban poor share the urban middle class passion for Modi. And the numbers of the urban poor are substantial. Third, in southern and eastern India, even in cities, the BJP's presence is minimal.

While Varshney finds fault with the numbers against Modi, in an editorial in the Hindu, Harish Khare finds more wrong with the personality cult of the Gujarat Chief Minister, something he claims the BJP has tried to ride on in the past and failed. Pointing to the sup-port of the cadre in favour of the Gujarat Chief Minister, he says:

Mr. Modi is equally entitled to his personality cult. But make no mistake. Mr. Modi is a different personality, not easily amenable to democratic moderation. We should get used to "Rambo" type yarns, as the polity seeks to rede-fine itself in the next general election.

Khare says that the Gujarat Chief Minister may seek to harness the strong anti-incumbency but warns that the drowning voices of dissent against anything anti-Modi doesn't augur well for the democracy that is India.

The liberal perception and numbers may be against the Gujarat Chief Minister and it may explain why the BJP 2014 campaign chief is urging his party members to find allies quickly to create the numbers the party needs to come to power. The Gujarat Chief Minister may also, in some corner, be willing to play along with alliance politics to forgo the Prime Minister's chair for a later innings in 2019 or after. The question is, will his supporters be able to wait?

Narender Modi is trying to model himself on Syama Prasad Mookerjee, he was both a liberal and a nationalist. While much of his politics and time in Government reflected deep nationalism and a realism free of dogma, at his heart were core liberal principles. Reading through the biography written by Madhok one can trace the roots of his liberal nationalism all the way to his days as the Vice Chancellor of Calcutta University in the 1930s at a very young age of 33.

Recounting a convocation address by Mookerjee on February 12, 1936, Madhok cites the following excerpt from that speech which highlights the Liberal Nationalist that Mookerjee was:

"Our ideal is to provide extensive facilities for education from the lowest grade to the highest to mould our educational purpose and to draw out the best qualities that be hidden in our youth and to train them intellectually physically for service in all spheres of national activitty in towns villages cities. Our ideal is to make the widest provision for sound liberal education… Our ideal is to make our universities and educational institutions the home of liberty, sane progressive thought."

One sees the same spirit of Liberal Nationalism emerge through his tenure as Vice Chancellor as he sought to expand access to the University even to who were not enrolled in a regular college. A focus on youth and grooming of the next generation is a recurrent theme in his liberal nationalism.

"I have abundant faith in the glory of youth … they be given a chance to live, an opportunity to enjoy life and the amplest facilities for the development of their health and character."

One also sees during his tenure as the Vice Chancellor an ethic of minimum government. He did not depend on Government or wait for Government to create opportunities for youth. He proactively introduced many measures like abolishing reserved hostels and messes and expanding the curriculum to include sciences and engineering. He was also opposed to the idea of putting limits on higher education to control the number of graduates on the lookout for employment.

Delhi intellectuals fear coming of no-nonsense Modi Syama Prasad Mookerjee's liberal nationalism is evident through his years with the Hindu Mahasabha during the independence struggle as well. In a speech in December 1943, making the case for the Hindu Mahasabha, Mookerjee explains that he stood for no special favours for Hindus but for welfare and advancement of India as a whole. The cynical politics of wordplay on "secularism/communalism" of the Congress predates India's independence. Even an intellectual of Mookerjee's stature was not spared the game of labeling that we continue to see even today.

Many examples of Mookerjee's liber-al nationalism can be found through Balraj Madhok's book. In a speech in 1943 in Amritsar to the Hindu Mahasabha, Mookerjee spoke of how an Idea of India that transcended both caste and religion and that called for political citizenship to everyone without discrimination. In the years after Independence when he was invited to join Nehru's Cabinet as the Minister for Industries, one sees his economic liberalism grounded in the realities of India come through very clearly. Madhok writes:

"He had very clear ideas on the role of private capital in the industrial development of the country as also on the relationship between capital and labour… He was for giving full scope to private enterprise under suitable Government regulation … He wanted government to concentrate its meagre resources on the defence of the realm … he stood for a rational coordination between private and public capital in light of the actual conditions in the country…"

In Balraj Madhok's eyes, Mookerjee a was realist who was not guided by dogma. Citing two examples of how he believed in private enterprise while being pragmatic about economic realities of India, Madhok explains how Mookerjee was opposed to full nationalisation and that he did not believe India had the skills resources to nationalise and run all kinds of industries. At the same time, he also believed that given the realities of labour in India, that there had to be some kind of profit sharing between capital and labour. While investing in public sector enterprises, he also believed that needed professional management independent of Government to make them viable and keep them efficient.

Over the years, after he resigned from Nehru's Cabinet and quit the Hindu Mahasabha before eventually founding the Jan Sangh the liberal national ethic travelled with him. His inaugural presidential address to the Jan Sangh once again sees the same ethic of economic liberalism:

"we stand for well planned decentralized national economy….. against concentration of economic power in cartels…. sanctity of private property will be observed….private enterprise will be given a fair and adequate play….state ownership and state control only where it is needed in public interest….progressive decontrol…"

The issue that saw him most rile up Nehru in Parliament was the Kashmir issue. On this too his position was a liberal national position.

"Kashmir is an integral part of India and should be treated as any other State"

It is a reflection of the perversity that has afflicted much of the intellectual discourse in India that an issue like the demand for abrogation of Article 370, far from being labelled as the liberal national issue that it ought to be, is dismissed as a 'communal' issue or even worse described as a 'Hindutva' issue.

While Mookerjee's political legacy will be coloured by the leftist historians with all kinds of labels, it would be instructive to point out that he commanded even the respect of the Communists through his defence of civil liberties and his opposition to the Preventive Detention Act.

This comment by Mookerjee in response to Nehru's repeated labelling of him as 'communal' brings out the best in him:

"If we try to recover our lost position in a manner 100 per cent consistent with the dynamic principles of Hinduism for which Swami Vivekanand stood, I am proud to be a communalist."

By marking the soft start to what will be deemed to be the campaign for the next Lok Sabha in Madhopur, Narendra Modi will be laying claim to that political legacy of liberal nationalism that Mookerjee stood for many decades back when he founded the Jan Sangh to challenge the Nehru-led Congress's political monopoly in India. All the contentious issues namely Ayodhya Ram temple, abolishing article 370, uniform civil code are delibretely untouched by team Modi to build up international acceptance but the pressure from the cadre and right wing forces within core group of the party will be just waiting to pounce on Modi to express his opinion in public to polarise votes for BJP.

By Prakhar Prakash Mishra, Political Editor

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

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

Commonwealth Games 2010: Incompetent and Deceptive

An amazing sequence of comedy of errors led to national shame, but the player on the ground are unfazed. Just when you think you have seen the last joker of the Commonwealth Games organizing committee, someone would come forward and prove you wrong. The latest addition to this illustrious list is Lalit Bhanot. From Scam to Sham, from Game to Shame, it seems we have it all in our endeavour to organize the so-called best CWG ever. This is turning out to be a melodrama which could even send all Ekta Kapoor's serials packing. The antiques and our responsibility-ducking attitude have yet again brought a truck full of shit and a whole lot of shame to our nation.

What was initially thought of as a scam (Indians shouldn't complain, as scams are in our blood) has turned out to be a grand-scale deception. I am now sure of their modus operandi - Keep on dragging your feet and don't act till the point someone presses the panic button. Then the last minute the Jugad funda of us Indians would come into play and funds would be released. No questions asked and then it's all about filling our pockets and fooling a billion-plus population. If it was not an attempt at deception, then why was the media was shown only a few selected Games village towers 10 days ago? Why were rosy pictures drawn before all of us? When reality came asking about its legitimacy, 10 days later we have fallen apart like a pack of cards. Suddenly all are critical of the Games, including the two Mikes (Hooper & Fennell). When the same pair were all praised for a brilliant Games village 10 days back, why are they critical now? Why are they running around with threats and giving us 24-hour deadlines to clean our posteriors or forget the Games? Uncomfortable but mandatory questions need to be answered in a hurry.

Let's see how it all started and what Mr. Bhanot has to say when the CWG directors turned psychotic about the hygiene factor in the Games village. Instead of accepting the flaws, he tried to teach all of us the theory of relativity in terms of hygiene. I am not sure how violently Albert Einstein would have turned in his grave. This brilliant attempt of his which might not win him a Nobel Prize left all of us high and dry. His statement was bizarre, ridiculous, disgusting and shameful - all at the same time. Does he have any idea that the whole world would be watching him blabber and would be dropping to the floor laughing at us? What he meant, when he said we have our hygiene standards and they have theirs, is out of my wavelength. Does he want to suggest that we Indians are filthy and living in the dark ages without an idea what hygiene is all about? Does he want foreigners should come to teach us about hygiene? Does he want to say that we are Jaahil and uncultured as a nation? You might be thick-skinned Mr. Bhanot but for all of us, your jingoisms are shameful, to say the least. Forget the scam, forget the incompetence - for this bizarre statement of his, he should be sacked at once.

If you think you are done with all the gimmicks then look at another genius - Maj (Retd) Dalbir Singh (Games village mayor). When hounded with the same hygiene questions, he was clueless and was at sea to say the least. I can't elaborate on what he said about various factors, as nobody can. So I better just list them one by one

1. Dogs sleeping inside athlete rooms - The fault of the MCD. The dog-catching team was asked for but yet to report. So the stray dogs can jump in and take an afternoon nap on the same beds where athletes are supposed to relax. For God's sake run after anyone you like, but don't poison these innocent dogs for your ego.
2. Paan spits on the wall - The workers are all from UP & Bihar and are fond of their Paan and Gutkha. So they might have done this artwork. Ask them instead of me, as I myself don't consume them nor do I have spit all around.
3. Messy and filthy rooms - Even when you occupy your own flat for the first time, it generally is messy. So we citizens shouldn't blow our ass for this small reason. Oh really? Then should we ask all the athletes to come here along with their Jhadu, bucket and pocha lagane ki kapda? That would pretty much settle the case and solve the problem.
4. OC guys pissing all around in the open air - It’s nature's call and one better is disposed to nature directly. It is a matter of the individual's choice. You might like Western toilets but I might prefer visiting the nearest paddy field with a lot in my hand. You know it's all about comfort levels. This is another theory of relativity in terms of shitting. And Albert Einstein turned violently again.
5. Algae in water tanks

It was for sure a bad day and the best was reserved till the last. Out of nowhere a foot overbridge near the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium gave in. This eventuality made the queen of the opera to come to the stage with her polished Miranda house ac-cent. How I can forget her flamboyant cotton Saree? When asked how each day a new bloody thing can happen to the CWG, this is what she has to say - The foot over the bridge was for the aam admi (so shouldn't be attached with CWG), not the players. So? Aam aadmi can die as long as you can save your back from the CWG ghost? Mam, can you imagine what would have happened - if a few athletes were right below and the bridge

crashed on their heads? Don't bother how many of the aam aadmi the bridge might take a long while crashing on the poor athletes' heads. As per her, the builder is blacklisted and some bloody enquiry would be carried out with reports expected in three weeks. So for the next three weeks, we shouldn't bother her by showing our filthy and unhygienic faces. Let me admit - I am still in dilemma, whether to cry or laugh at these stupid statements. To top all this, a section of the roof in the wrestler's arena of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium collapsed, and the Delhi CM, Ms. Sheila Dixit's riposte was that small things keep happening.

The Games are fast turning out to be more irritating than anything. It is only because we have walked (read fooled ourselves) too far, we have no option left but to save our face and restore some respect of our nation, which was badly maligned by a few crooks. M.S. Gill can promptly walk away from the cameras (no single word uttered) without taking any responsibility or even bothering to explain how he allowed so much mess to continue for years altogether. But we are not shameless like Mr. Gill and continue to pray our typical Indian Jugad might just see us save our already blackened face and red ass a little, one more time. I will offer a coconut at the nearest Ganpati temple from my side if we manage to do so. But on second thought - why can't all these rascals go somewhere and hang themselves instead? Skunks!

However, a serious follow-up of the ongoing much-published public loot would be crucial to ensure growing India's international clout. The government of India must take the blame for the mess because the entire responsibility of the mess, Urban Development ministry is the apex body to control the various agencies including Indian Olympic Association headed by legendary Suresh Kalmadi. Indian PM owes a responsibility to explain the inaction despite the media and opposition parties have raised the doubts since last year or so.. UPA chair-person has assured strict action against the guilty but we know how justice is delivered in India hence keep no hopes there.. Very soon we may locate Kalmadi & Co in a seven-star hotel rubbing shoulders with top leadership and media people for the damage control PR exercise to bring calm and sanity, Indian are by and large considered accommodating people hence they will forgive the guilty. But the core question here is who will pay for the dent of India Inc global brand? The CWG mess will affect the India Inc brand, and business environment, it will put Indian diplomacy on the back foot leading to political chaos.

Rs 1 lakh crore CWG scam? Will Manmohan Singh speak up

New Delhi: Upping the ante over the alleged corruption in Commonwealth Games, the Opposition parties claimed that the scam is to the tune of Rs 1 lakh crore. The CWG scam rocked the Parliament, Indian media and people at large.

"The total money involved in CWG scam is Rs 1 lakh crore. I have the documents to prove it," JD-U chief Sharad Yadav said.

"There are so many areas of corruption uncovered," said RJD chief Lalu Yadav amid demands that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh must answer.

Even as the Opposition aims to target the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government in Parliament over the issue of alleged financial irregularities in the Commonwealth Games, fresh allegations have surfaced against Organising Committee Chairman Suresh Kalmadi suggesting he was aware of payments made to controversial UK-based firm AM films and its sister concern AM Car and Van Hire.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Thursday said those found guilty of corruption in the upcoming Commonwealth Games will be punished once the event is over. "The Prime Minister is looking into the corruption charges against the Commonwealth Games " said Gandhi, at a meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP).

"The Commonwealth Games are not related to any political party or individual. It is a national pride and efforts should be made to hold them successfully," she added.

The destructive face of CWG 2010 - Kalmadi

As the soon-to-start Commonwealth Games (CWG) is getting mired in one controversy after another and is being flagged as a national shame, the people of one village in Karnataka are upset more than anybody else. It's Kalmady, the native place of CWG Organising Committee chief Suresh Kalmadi near Udupi.

Suresh Kalmadi's father and grandfather used to live in this village but moved out 50 years ago. As Suresh Kalmadi's name has been popping up in the media in connection to the Games, the locals of Kalmady village feel that the name of their village is getting tarnished. "We are not worried about the conduct of the Games, we are perturbed because the name of our village keeps popping up for the wrong reasons on national media every time Suresh Kalmadi's name is mentioned," said the Kalmady Yuvaka Sangha members.

Former president of the Udupi Town Municipal Council Somashekar Bhat, also a close associate of the new state minister of higher education VS Acharya said, "I feel bad about the controversies surrounding Suresh Kalmadi and CWG. People have been asking me and my party workers about what's been happening." Sudharkar Salian, a political leader in Kalmady told DNA, that he plans to send a letter to the media saying: "We disown the name Kalmady attached to a controversial person like Suresh Kalmadi. However, there is one comforting factor that Suresh Kalmadi's surname is being spelt as 'Kalmadi' and not 'Kalmady', the name of our village."

‘India has itself to blame for the Commonwealth Games 2010 chaos’

India has only itself to blame for the gigantic mess of the Commonwealth Games, says Mike Hooper, the CEO of the Commonwealth Games Federation.

"We have a host city contract that clearly says that the responsibility for the implementation and delivery of all those promises that were made, all the standards, etc were the Government of India, the Delhi Government and the Organising Committee. We don't have the resources to deliver that. That comes down to the host. We pass on all the rights associated with the games to the host. What we try to do is to support and work with the Organising Committee. But ultimately to get the work done and to do it, that is the responsibility of the stakeholders in India, " Hooper told NDTV.

The CEO of the Commonwealth Games Federation added, " The buck stops with all the stakeholders. We now hope that between now and October 14, we see a successful celebration of the games. “

In this last week, the Athletes' village was found in a such filthy condition that a few countries lodged formal complaints with the Organizing Committee. Apartments meant for use by participants and officials were described as "un-liveable." New Zealand has hired its own cleaners to prepare for its contingent's arrival.

Hooper denied stating in the past that the Games Village was better than the one used in Beijing for the Olympics. "we were aware of the filth in the Village on September 15," Hooper said, emphasizing that he went public with details of the unhygienic conditions only after assurances on cleaning up the village were not met. Toilets were found choked with human refuse. One bed had been soiled by a dog.

Hooper also trained his guns on the Indian Sports Minister, MS Gill., describing his "monsoon wedding" re-mark as unacceptable. He said, " There is a reason why the Games are awarded seven years earlier and that is because there is a huge amount of work to do. The Minister of Sport talks about the monsoon wedding approach. That is unacceptable. The reality is, the venues did not start on time. Had they started earlier, we wouldn't be in half the predicament we've seen in recent months." In July, Gill had said, "Commonwealth Games is like an Indian monsoon wedding. Everything is being done at the last minute."

The yawning gap between concept and execution

Now that the commonwealth games are less than a fortnight away and the monsoons showing no signs of abating, the preparations are really going down to the wires. Honestly, I am more than a little confused about whether to support the games or not. At one level, I have started feeling bad for the organisers.

The rains have been so relentless that even those who are well-intentioned and want to do a genuinely good job are frustrated. Also, most of us don't want to be embarrassed. But then, I tell myself that some of these jokers, which basically means the top guys in the organising committee and the civic administration and their political masters, have had 7 years to get things ready, and delayed things deliberately to create panic so that no question asked funds are released. So they deserve no mercy.

And then again, the thought creeps up. Why should the nation be embarrassed for the folly of these individuals, especially when we know that those responsible for the mess are thick-skinned?

The Prime Minister and his boss, Sonia Gandhi, have promised that the guilty will 'not be spared' once the games are over. But do you really believe that one bit? I can almost envision the games being projected as a grand success and in the ensuing euphoria, all would be forgotten, including the fact that what should have cost X has cost us 20 X and that the quality has been shockingly sub-standard, the excessive makeup and magical illumination of games venues notwithstanding. Of course, those responsible would move on and perhaps even bid for the Olympics to build on the hugely successful commonwealth games.

While all such issues, be it quality, games a success or not, who's guilty and who's not, etc will be discussed thread-bare for times to come, I have a few very basic observations, borne mostly out of my walking and cycling trips all around the city these past few days. I am sharing a few of them very briefly with the intention of getting feedback from you all.

If you are in the car, the newly laid stones on the sidewalks around Delhi look beautiful. But looks can be deceptive. Step out of the car to know what the reality is. I wouldn't be exaggerating if I say one can't walk more than 20 steps before encountering some obstacle. It could be in the form of a broken tile, a missing tile, the stump of a discarded light pole, a sudden depression that has been plastered over, or a sudden change in level. If the intention was to provide walkways that care for the pedestrian, it has fallen flat. And the experience is uniform, whether it is VVIP areas or areas around the event venues. Even the tactile tiles, that have ostensibly been put to help the blind, as is done in the developed world, have been done without a thought. You could end up in a bush or in a pile of debris.

Also, in an attempt to make the sidewalks more disabled-friendly, ramps have been built. But like a lot else, it seems to have been done just because they were asked to build a ramp. No thought has gone behind why it needs to be built in a particular way so that it actually helps those in need. There is no uniformity in the gradient or the access points and that is just part of the problem.

Another heartening feature visible, if you are moving around in cars, is the cycle lanes being created at a number of places.

Little excites me as much as this, for I genuinely believe a bicycle is ideal for travelling short distances. But like the sidewalks, their execution leaves a hell of a lot to be desired. The lane's width can switch from a few feet to a few inches, and worse, it can often lead to a dead end or into a tree.

Basically what is happening is that all these are being done just because some worthies thought all this is needed in an international city, without a clue as to how it is to be executed. There is science behind tactile tiles, or the angle at which disabled-friendly ramps are to be built, for example, but it'd be churlish to expect that anyone is even aware of these aspects. It hurts.

It really hurts. How we are being milked can be gauged from the fact that most of those involved in the implementation of these projects have spent a considerable amount of taxpayers' money on overseas study tours to learn the implementation of such projects. In the absence of any feedback or accountability, one just ends up spending a lot of money with almost zero benefits.

Just some training and awareness could have resulted in the creation of civic facilities that Delhi perhaps deserves as the capital of a growing economic power.

But instead, we are creating infrastructure that is neither here nor there. In fact, if one were to sincerely follow the signage put up all over, one could actually get into a spot of bother.

A number of our readers, I am sure, are aware of what is being done and have an opinion on how it should be done. They would have travelled the world too. Would appreciate your feedback and suggestions and put them together to be shared with the authorities. I can only hope this will somehow help in future. It is easy to give up and live with the rot, but then that is taking the easy way out and we don't want that.

(Indian Press reporting on CWG mess, by Rajesh Kalra courtesy TOI)

Thumbs Up For Brand Manmohan, It’s a mandate that has surprised all, including Congress. Result: Manmohan Singh becomes only the second Prime Minister after Jawahar Lal Nehru to be re-elected to the chair

The people of India have delivered a clear verdict, In the highly polarised and seemingly unpredictable general election of 2009 at a historic threshold of coalition politics in the country, the Indian people have given a clear-cut thoughtful verdict by voting for stability, predictability and moderation. Indians have clearly opted for the centrist views in politics, diplomacy, and economy. While taking up the challenge to seek a renewed mandate from the people, Congress projected Dr Manmohan Singh as the persona of predictability and stability in national politics. Sonia Gandhi provided much-needed balance in the Congress's public discourses. The Congress duo has obtained pan-Indian approval. Nobody can doubt that after reading the much-awaited numbers.

India is alive and young, the nation is full of optimism. The world is looking at India with respect and hopes to provide qualitative leadership in science and technology. Every night, young radiologists in Bangalore read CT scans e-mailed to them by emergency-room doctors in the U.S. Few modern Americans are surprised to find that their dentist or lawyer is of Indian origin, or are shocked to hear how vital Indians have been to California's high-tech industry. In ways big and small, Indians are changing the world.

That's possible because India, the second most populous nation in the world, and projected to be the most populous by 2025 is itself being transformed. Writers like to attach catchy tags to nations, which is why you have read plenty about the rise of Asian tigers and the Chinese dragon. Now here comes the elephant. India's economy is growing more than 8% a year, and the country is modernizing so fast that old friends are bewildered by the changes that occurred between visits. The major credit for writing the entire script goes to present Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, though India is fortunate to have successive quality leadership in the late Rajiv Gandhi, late PV Narsimha Rao and Atal Bihari Vajpayee over the last three decades. All the leaders formulated a developmental policy for the nation resulting in a major surge in Indian position globally.

The Congress-led incumbent government has got such a convincing mandate that it is well-placed to provide a stronger government than it provided from 2004 to 2009. People can heave a sigh of relief that a period of political stability lies ahead for five years. The Congress will talk about inclusive growth as it did last time, but in the coming days the stock exchange will have reasons to rejoice as the Left parties are out of New Delhi's power structure.

The Prakash Karat-led era of Left dominance in New Delhi is ending on a highly controversial and humiliating note. No doubt, the Communist Party of India-Marxist is being rocked to its very foundations. A historic turning point is at hand for the Indian Left, comparable in magnitude to the split in 1964. In the conceivable future, the CPI-M will be forced into a mood of introspection and a painful course correction.

In sum, the quintessence of Election 2009 lies in that India still remains what it always has been through millennia -- a centrist country of people who opt for moderation and balance, especially in troubled times in their tumultuous history. The Indian electorate has elected this government headed by Dr Manmohan Singh to fight economic downtrend, hostile border states promoting rouge ideologies and terrorism, growing Naxal trouble challenging internal security and to counter corruption in public life to make government apparatus more transparent.

(Writer is Editor, Opinion Express Group)

It is the NDA Vs UPA agenda; a young leader with a conventional mind versus an experienced leader with h new thought process, India needs a stable and strong government

Setting a new agenda for the Congress party ahead of the forthcoming Lok Sabha election, the young party general secretary Rahul Gandhi called for giving more representation to youth in electoral politics.

Pitching for the need of making "work" as the only criteria for selecting candidates for polls, the Amethi MP said, "Religion, caste, region or economic condition should be the criteria if we want genuine and promising youth leaders to join politics for serving the nation."

Addressing the grass-roots level Congress workers at a national convention in the capital, Rahul also said that though the country has an influential percentage of the young population, youth does not find it convenient to join politics.

"They have that intention and energy to work for the community and for the nation. They feel none raises the voice of people even after getting elected. We need to demolish all walls to make it convenient and reward for youth to join politics," the young leader said.

Taking up the case of block-level and district-level workers and their leaders, Rahul said that though they are responsible for the party's victories and they lead the protest march their cases are overlooked when it comes to the distribution of tickets. I am strongly in favour of these people getting their due share. We should not import someone else and ignore their role," the leader said.

The achievements of the UPA government were all the 52 schemes that were running in the country, but National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), Right To Information (RTI), Nuclear Agreement and debt waiver to the farmers would be the key issues, said Rahul Gandhi adding, ''implementation of acts like NREGA and RTI was a historical step for the country's future.

However, experienced Advani is promising to change the primary focus of the software industry from outsourcing for foreign economies to making it mainly India-centric, BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate L K Advani today said an NDA government "will create a new policy climate" to achieve this aim. "Whereas much of our software industry labours to make foreign economies more competitive, a BJP-led government will create a new policy climate where we use technology mainly for India's - I would add, Bharat's -- sustainable development," Advani stated in the foreword to the party's IT Vision document.

"Whereas much of our software industry labours to make foreign economies more competitive, a BJP-led government will create a new policy climate where we use technology mainly for India's - I would add, Bharat's -- sustainable development," - Advani said.

The comment comes at a time when the US and other western countries have said that they would check outsourcing to India to boost their sagging economies and growing unemployment.

The saffron party leader said his government would bring about a radical shift of emphasis in favour of "agriculture, rural economy, infrastructure development, small and medium enterprises, the informal sector of the economy, affordable healthcare for all, meaningful education for all.

And national security, both internal and external". Promising to make the "internet as ubiquitous as electricity", Advani said an NDA government would create 20 IT-related jobs in every village. This would mean 1.2 crore IT-enabled jobs in the rural hinterland of the country, he said.