Rahul Gandhi's Election Campaign

Re: # 19
The red circles on the map of Blackburn indicate postcodes where, according to Experian, in 2006 over 75% of adults are of Pakistani or Bangladeshi descent. These form the core heartlands of Blackburn`s Muslim community.
Surrounding these areas are yellow circles which indicate other postcodes where Muslims now form the majority population. It is in these areas that the Muslim community is currently purchasing the homes of the minority of white residents who still live there.
By contrast the blue squares, which show postcodes where Muslims represent between a quarter and a half of the adult population, denote streets where the transition from white to Muslim is likely to be accelerating.
The light blue triangles denote parts of Blackburn that are still predominantly white in character and which are likely to remain so over the next ten years.
Traditionally researchers have had to rely on the census to identify the size and location of different minority groups.
Though the census has many benefits, the growth and spread of Blackburn`s Muslim community since the last census in 2001, means that its results are out of date.
Likewise because the smallest geographical pieces for which census statistics are published are so much larger than individual postcodes, census based mapping can not provide the level of detail needed by Panorama to examine what is going on on a street by street basis.
To create and update their statistics Experian first compiled a register of all known UK adults at their home address.
This was created using the electoral register and a number of other public and private data sources. Using a look up table that assigns ``origin`` codes to over one million of the world`s family names and over 450,000 personal names, they were able to impute an ``origins`` code for 99.9% of the names on their file.
It is the summary of this information at the postcode level that provides the information that is shown on the map.
Clearly not every resident can be identified from his or her name with 100% accuracy.
However by using both personal and family name, it is possible to identify whether a person is of Pakistani or Bangladeshi origin with an accuracy in the region of 95%. Once this information is summarised at postcode level these errors tend to be self-cancelling.

The reasom why I chose housing was because once people live in same neighbourhood, hopefully they would interact and form friendships.
Maybe there is need to educate people to breakdown barriers of prejudice.

The following article is from british school textbook, the philosophy was to educate them young, so they don’t become racist monsters.

“the immigrant workers, whether black or white, have met resentment expressed in familiar generalized condemnations: ‘they’ come to take our jobs away from us; they’ll work for less money; they breed like rabbits; they overcrowd their houses; they have dirty personal habits, and so on. But similar accusations have been made in the past by rich English people towards poor English people; if you dislike or resent a particular group to begin with, you will pick upon some characteristics about them to dislike,after your dislike is already present in you,and pretend that these characteristics cause your dislike, or you will invent characteristics for them and then claim these as giving good reason for dislike.

The same kind of behaviour can be seen in relationships between single individuals. A young man in love with a girl may watch her eating an apple and making a loud scrunching noise as she eats it, and remain enchanted. If his great –aunt eats an apple, he wishes she’d make less noise. But two people eating an apple make much the same sound; it is not the noise he finds irritating, but the person responsible for it.”

Re: # 16

Religion, like politics, is based on one common underlying factor : faith.
It is difficult to convince anyone on religion just as in politics.


I rest my case mi`lord!

Re: # 13

Who are the `internationals` that cry `shame` on BJPs communal policies? Bush? Blair? Do you endorse their views and actions on other parts of the world, say Iraq for instance, or is it just their view towards the BJP that you find acceptable?

Whatever did the Congress do for India, that really will help to hold the country in one piece?
Forget the fact that Partition in 1947 could not be prevented.

Do you think with the sort of policies that are being followed , by reinforcing caste and religion in every aspect of daily living and further creating vote-banks based on religion, castes and sub-castes, they are trying to unify the people?

And about India remaining a democracy. It is more by destiny than by design.
If it was left to the design of Mrs Gandhi who designed Sanjay Gandhi to be the heir apparent, do you think Indian democracy would still have been the same?

And even today the congress is trying to make it an apology of a democracy by trying to create a dynasty.
Shame indeed!

Re: # 14

Why is it that you chose to focus only on one issue? Why not take the picture as a whole? Why is it that Muslims in India chose to have a separate set of CIVIL LAWS different from the rest of the people? Why should others welcome with open hands those who chose deliberately to stay apart from the main stream?
Why is that the Christians, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis etc do not feel such sort of discrimination?

The fact is that Hindus feel intimidated by certain minorities and their privileges and chose their methods to survive.
FYI, there are areas in Kerala where Hindus are compelled to sell their property and move out of Muslim dominated areas: where systematic elimination of certain sects of people from certain areas occur and no one gives a damn.
Of course I do not have the credibility that Channel iv provides to authenticate the above.

Re: # 12
nila
let us explore this issue little further, the article i posted was from british tv`s channel 4 an hour long program in it krishnan guru-murthy reported how some sections of india`s population are systematically discriminated and excluded from housing and jobs especially muslims.

let us leave jobs issue alone for moment, but why are muslims not allowed to buy or rent property in the new housing developments, i`d like to understand this is geniune query.

Re: # 10

Religion, like politics, is based on one common underlying factor : faith.
It is difficult to convince anyone on religion just as in politics.

I have always held that Congress rules purely by default. The communal politics of the BJP has put India to shame internationally. Indeed, this is again related to religion - which divides people without outside help anyway. Similarly too, castiest politics of the BSP, AGP, PMK and other `regional` parties.

True, the Congress does not have a manifesto, which is unfortunate. But that is anyday better than a communal or castiest `agenda`. That is assuming that we suppose the BJP is a communal party. Now how a party is judged communal is subjective to an extent. The minorities should be the best judge on that. And the minorities will vow that the BJP is rabidly communal - what the Congress used to be much before independence.

As for `open`, I meant openly communal. No `well done certificate` there.

As for the Gandhi family, they are eminently qualified to lead the country, though the sheer thought of facing a Gandhi may still give communal, castiest and corrupt opposition parties, even some allies, the jitters.

One thing I do agree is that we need better parties, than the congress, BJP, SP, AGP, DMK, or what have you. But political parties are a joke around the world. Be it Bushs or Blairs.
As to India going the way of Africa, it is presumptious, as democracy looks like having taken a firm foothold in India.

Re: # 11
The discrimination and insult certain sects of the society have to face in India is appalling, to say the least. It certainly merits a discussion as to why things never seem to improve inspite of all the provisions made by the constituition.

Salim the business-man from Bombay would like to buy property and intergrate with the rest of the folks. He should certainly be able to do so. But would he be happy to take the process of intergrating a step further ahead and accept a uniform civil code for every one in the country and not alienate himself by following a different set of rules as is being done now?

Likewise will Sathish Kumar be willing to forego the huge reservations that are put before him on a platter because he is of Valmiki- caste and demand that economic backwardness be made the basis of any affirmative action? His kids will still not go hungry.

Did Gurumurthy ever try asking these questions to either of these guys, I wonder.


You cant always have the cake and eat it too.

Underneath the glittering surface of India`s economic boom lie the ugly realties of modern day India: mass suicide by debt-ridden farmers, a rise in Hindu nationalism, discrimination against Muslims and a caste system which condemns millions to a life of servitude.
The Indian Miracle?

The new India has a high-tech, highly-skilled economy. The country`s universities are churning out thousands of highly qualified science and computer graduates working in software, biotechnology and engineering firms in metropolitan India.

But in rural India, where more than three-quarters of the population live, Guru-Murthy discovers the story could not be more different. He meets some of the thousands of widows of farmers who have committed suicide after being driven to despair by debt. More than seven hundred million people depend on farming to make a living but the cost of buying tractors, fertilisers and irrigation pumps for small farmers has left some in debt and with no way out.

``I don`t know what we are going to eat now. When my father was alive - he used to provide for us. Now I don`t know what we will do,`` says the 10-year-old son of a farmer from Punjab. His father killed himself by dousing himself in kerosene and setting himself alight. And as India`s economic boom powers ahead, farmers` land on the edge of the expanding metropolises is being seized to make way for yet more factories. Unskilled farmers are finding themselves without land and without a hope of working in the new factories in what`s becoming a hidden disaster of epic proportions

MS Swaminathan, the founder of India`s original green revolution in the 1960`s fears a different kind of revolution if the problems of rural India are not tackled. ``Any society which transgresses from the principle of social equity beyond a point then you have an explosive situation,`` says Swaminathan. ``If you want a country of 500 million landless labourers - then the country will be completely ruined. It will be social chaos of unimaginable dimensions.``

In Mumbai, India`s financial capital, Guru-Murthy investigates the renewed support for Hindu nationalism which many argue is resulting in widespread discrimination against India`s 150 million-strong Muslim minority. He finds discrimination is excluding Muslims from the new prosperity as they struggle to find employment and buy property. Going undercover in one housing complex in Mumbai, Guru-Murthy is told by security guards that Muslims are not allowed to buy or rent property there. ``I feel insulted. I feel humiliated``, says Muslim businessman Salim who has spent the last four years being refused the opportunity to buy property in the complex.

In Delhi, the country`s capital, Guru-Murthy examines the way in which Indian society also discriminates against huge swathes of the majority Hindu population via the caste system. The Indian government is supposedly trying to tackle this age-old social stratification system which defines the jobs people do through a programme of affirmative action policies in education and employment. The notion of `untouchability` - which defines those at the bottom of the caste system who carry out the most menial jobs and have no physical contact with upper-caste Hindus - was meant to be banned 60 years ago.

But Guru-Murthy discovers that the caste system is still alive and well and forces those at the bottom of the ladder, dalits, to do jobs like clearing up human excrement. Satish Kumar belongs to the low caste Valmiki community, his job is to clean sewers and toilets, he says: ``When my children ask me why I do this and tell me it is dirty, I tell them I do it to feed them. If I don`t they will die of hunger.``

India`s economy is powering ahead, growing at an incredible nine per-cent a year. But Guru-Murthy argues it is merely widening the gap between the rich and the poor. The ultra rich are now able to live behind electrified fences in entire self-contained cities away from the degradation, poverty and despair of the rest of India.

Politics is about choice, but only for the voter.

For the voted, it is largely a matter of manipulation. And the Congress is not bad at it.

The Congress is in power only because of the role the Indian National Congress had in the freedom struggle. So naturally Congresss leaders then were chosen by default.

As the party which played a crucial role in India`s Independence, the Congress has greater responsibility towards the nation than any other party. To preserve the Independence and the intergrity of the nation and to lead it to progress. So the Congress should have been the best choice, and not the choice for want of a lesser evil.

If the BJPis open as you say then it is certainly a better choice. At least its policies are open. Hence prone to criticism and scrutiny. Which is what any democracy needs.

If the BJP is to be banned as per the constituition it should be done so. But then there will be many other parties that will have to be banned even before that. And most of them are Congress allies. Which is why a blanket-ban cannot be made effective.

The worst thing about the congress is that it cannot survive without the `Gandhi` factor. And so it tries to create a dynasty by coaxing. cajoling, maybe even threatening this particular family`s members into becoming dummy rulers.

I have deep sympathy for Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka.

And I believe the other bahu Menaka `Gandhi` will not be as welcome because she might occasionally at least think by herself. Which is certainly not good for Congress `politics`.

India seems to be destined to go the way many African countries have gone. Political strife, anarchy and corruption, with one party trying to out-do the other in creating rift.

We certainly need alternatives.

Folks, Parthaab claims the Congress is better than the BJP because whatever the Congress does, it does so secretly..this is a ridiculous comparison. The BJP is guilty of razing the Babri Masjid down, but the credit for creating the issue goes entirely to Rajiv Gandhi for having opened the locks to the Masjid for prayers. Until then, not many knew there was a structure called the Babri Masjid. Overnight it became a national issue.

As for corruption charges, most Indians would overwhelmingly vote the Congress as the most corrupt party, but Parthaab thinks otherwise. Does Bofors ring a bell, dear Parthaab? Congress ruled states have gone from bad to worse, case in point being Andhra Pradesh from where I come, but it doesn`t matter, does it?

Rahul Gandhi credits his family for splitting Pakistan into two. The fool probably wasn`t even born then, hundreds of valiant soldiers laid down their lives, but didn`t claim credit for creating B`desh.

Indira Gandhi imposed a brutal Emergency on India, and yet her so-called sacrifice (if getting assassinated can be called that) is all there is to remember. Creating the Frankenstein called Bhindrawale is all but forgotten, but her valiant decision to storm the Golden Temple must be eulogized.

No wonder, we as a country are doomed. Our nation is a nation of the sycophants and short-sighted.

Re: # 7

Hi Nila,

In politics, it is all about choice. If I found a political party better than the Congress, I would certainly vote for it. The Congress is in power only because the opposition is worse. By default, if you like, for no `fault` of its own!

As for communal and casteist politics, while no one can claim that the Congress is sinless, there is a difference in the kind of politics. While the congress indulges in such politics secretly, the BJP has been open about it. Many examples are there, including the recently distributed CDs. And the kind of politics engaged in by SP, PMK, AGP, etc. do not augur well for a secular country.

As for caste and religion, the constitution is clear that a political party can be banned for being non-secular. Only that it is not being implemented in spirit, as otherwise BJP would have been banned.

As for Sonia, I am only trying to point out that her family, though it lead the country for a long time from the front, has hardly any monetary gains to show for it. The rank and file of the congress, is no doubt corrupt, as in any other party.

But I m referring to the fact that the `dynasty` has a real desire to lead the country to progress, rather than make money, or to divide the country caste or religion wise.

Re: # 5
The BJP exists because of the congress and will continue to do so.

Communalism as a means of generating vote-banks has always been the monopoly of the congress. The congress party can divide and redivide and form any number of coaliations based on caste, subcastes and religion. That is acceptable. It is only when other political parties resort to the same techniques in their own way that a big issue is made of it.

Caste and religion cannot be wished away in India. Time we faced it and put things in perspective.

If you say that because Sonia is not corrupt and Sonia is Congress, then Congress is also not corrupt, what can I say except that you speak like a true Congress-man?

I find lots of envy against Mr.Gandhi. His good looks, youth, integellience his foreign education and having european cream colored complexion and spirited defence of family and political analytical thinking and aggressive spirit to do something for his country outshines amoung professional and corroupt and professional politicians. He can get for asking any post but he wants make path for his destined succession only by hard work and not taking advantage of family. He has no interest in power when he said prime minister`s post is not big thing for him. Little balding shows maturity to carry great burden imposed by history at same time his boyish youthfulness betrays the burden he is carrying for sake of his great grandfather and father and grandmother. He has brains to make plan and strong wrists to carryout that plan. I do not think he is too much interested in little local election but being member of natational assembly he is more interested in pM post. It seems to be part of well searched familyplanning done. Just to not disturb reactionary indian literate Babus he has not married so his dimwit opposition does not get lever to affect politics. MMS is old and almost nearing 80 after two years so he will retire naturally and young PM can start reconstruction and all troubles and problems made by old politicians.I honestly feel only new generation mr. Gandhi and Bilawal Bhutto who are bread as politicians , warriors and stateman can bring peace to continent. You can see photo of Bilawal also just like mr. Gandhi he is handsome and cream colored complexion and hope in few years he will be also leading light of peace and friendship. I do not think generally middle class generals or uneducated people like Vajpai, or MrsGandhi ( senior) or MMSING (just professor) or banker (S.A.) can bring good peace. I trhink millions of deshis are tired of old faces so 80 years former PM of India lost his seat. Same way general is nice thing but after all he is also getting old , he is getting fat and does not look sharp and youtful to lead youthful nation. This is reason we have young people as heros and heroines and old people. Even beautiful cats cats when old then do not like as good as babies. Now I like my cat he is old 12 years as I have seen his childhood and young cat chasing other males. But now he is old , just sits eats and goes in trans in few minutes. People have right have youthful leadership and so Mr. Gandhi and Mr Bhutto are ideal candidates both being groomed by their mother in serious business ruling millions of people and helping them. All these young people have everything in world but at same time they have refused temptions of wealth and power of wealth and accepted dangerous path of politics and at same time begger and will ask for votes.
I did not like tone of auther he seems to be little controlled by jalousy , envy of young rising leader may be he can not sacrafice as them but appreciate the sacrfice done by these young people for their respective nation.
It is true King is has thorny headgear but he is not happy and worried all time for his subjects and lonely at top.
Its time ask olds to depart gracefully to make seats for young people.

Re: # 4
Nila,

True, the article is not about the BJP. But its just unfortunate that India does not an opposition that is worth its salt. The BJP is bad as a political concept, since it seeks votes primarily on the basis of religion - at least the Congress, for all its mistakes, cannot be accused of that. And the other opposition parties are nt better off either. If we did have a better party in the opposition, we should nt need the Congress anymore. Sycophancy is of course, the bane of the Congress, but to me, is anyday better than casteism, corruption or communalism.

The family accused of sycophancy, is one that has served the nation most, and stayed on even after sacrificing lives for the country. There are hardly any monetary benefits to show for it, unlike the `new` parties and politicos who are out to make a fast buck. And remains an inspiration to many as compared to the opposition.

As for Rahul, I agree that he needs better mentors than his sister, though this one `wrong` act alone does not take away his right to enter politics.

Thanks for your questions.