Author Topic: India - deteriorating?  (Read 62533 times)

Offline west_london_red

  • Knows his stuff - pull the udder one! RAWK's Dairy Queen.
  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 21,922
  • watching me? but whose watching you watching me?
Re: India - deteriorating?
« Reply #960 on: March 29, 2024, 04:51:46 pm »
Thinking is overrated.
The mind is a tool, it's not meant to be used that much.
Rest, love, observe. Laugh.

Online Bullet500

  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 2,363
Re: India - deteriorating?
« Reply #961 on: March 29, 2024, 05:29:47 pm »
"Resist Surveillance Tech, Reject Digi Yatra" - https://internetfreedom.in/reject-digiyatra/

This thing is completely okay as an opt-in. But as you know in India, the government will say something is "voluntary", but in practice, it will be "mandatory".

So, many complaints about travelers being enrolled in this by deceit. The people at the airport gate will click your picture and ask you to press "I agree" and say it's just new protocol. They are doing these shenanigans even when you go to a non-Digi Yatra gate.

> 'Brazen Theft Of Privacy': Passenger At Hyderabad Airport Shares Video, Questions Staff Clicking Pics Of Flyers Without Consent - https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/brazen-theft-of-privacy-passenger-at-hyderabad-airport-shares-video-questions-staff-clicking-pics-of-flyers-without-consent

This tweet sums it up:
Quote
One of the 'successes" of this regime has been its ability/messaging that anyone questioning its policies/governance/ethos is declared "anti-national" with a clear goal to stop people from thinking critically. There's a solid reason why the phrase "andh bhakt" is justified.

Here is the white paper if someone wants to read: https://www.civilaviation.gov.in/sites/default/files/2023-07/Digi%20Yatra%20Policy%20%28DIGI%20YATRA%29.pdf

Offline west_london_red

  • Knows his stuff - pull the udder one! RAWK's Dairy Queen.
  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 21,922
  • watching me? but whose watching you watching me?
Re: India - deteriorating?
« Reply #962 on: March 29, 2024, 07:29:30 pm »
I’d just be happy if the RBI websites links actually worked…
Thinking is overrated.
The mind is a tool, it's not meant to be used that much.
Rest, love, observe. Laugh.

Online Bullet500

  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 2,363
Re: India - deteriorating?
« Reply #963 on: March 31, 2024, 08:16:31 am »
"Congress gets fresh income tax notice, IT dept demands ₹3,567 crore now" - https://www.livemint.com/news/india/congress-gets-fresh-income-tax-notice-it-dept-demands-rs-3-567-crores-now-11711863601950.html

New notices.

Offline west_london_red

  • Knows his stuff - pull the udder one! RAWK's Dairy Queen.
  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 21,922
  • watching me? but whose watching you watching me?
Re: India - deteriorating?
« Reply #964 on: April 1, 2024, 01:11:42 am »
I was bored earlier so decided to see if there was interesting on Netflix and stumbled on a documentary about Indrani Mukerjea… what an absolutely bizarre and fucked up case, the most dysfunctional family you can imagine, the very worst mother there has quite possibly ever been, a media mogul, a cast of other very shady characters including the police. It wasn’t a story I was aware of previously and binge watched all four episodes in one day.

For the non-Indians, it’s 95% in English and well worth watching, like an Indian version of Making A Murderer is the only way I can describe it.
Thinking is overrated.
The mind is a tool, it's not meant to be used that much.
Rest, love, observe. Laugh.

Online Bullet500

  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 2,363
Re: India - deteriorating?
« Reply #965 on: April 1, 2024, 05:17:30 am »
I'd much rather watch a documentary on the 'creative' conversations that happened behind the scenes to spawn this Netflix project. :D

Online itihasas

  • Kemlynite
  • **
  • Posts: 48
  • We all Live in a Red and White Kop
Re: India - deteriorating?
« Reply #966 on: April 2, 2024, 01:19:24 pm »
Kerala - https://prsindia.org/budgets/states/kerala-budget-analysis-2022-23, https://prsindia.org/budgets/states/kerala-budget-analysis-2023-24)
Karnataka - https://prsindia.org/budgets/states/karnataka-budget-analysis-2023-24
I mean, you wrote a wall of text without much substance. The numbers didn't back up any of your claims.

1) It would help if you actually posted the correct numbers for the latest period from your own source. The numbers are not 19% and 15% as you claimed, it is 10.2% for Kerala and 5.1% for Karnataka. The next step is to actually interpret those numbers in a meaningful way. The population of Karnataka is almost twice that of Kerala (64m vs 34m). Calculate their share of remittances against the total remittances for India that year (~87B), normalize for population and you will find that the average person in Kerala gets a boost of ~10% benchmarked against the average per-capita income and the average person in Karnataka gets 3%.

2) I'm not sure why you felt a justified response to the critique of the Kerala economy is to benchmark it to the Karnataka economy. No where in the country do Kannadigas go around exalting their economic model as a "phenomenon". Again, according to your own sources from the PRS, Karnataka grew its GDP by  ~18% compared to ~11% for Kerala with a lower fiscal deficit.

Year on Year Karnataka consistently outperforms Kerala despite the fact that it has one of the most unstable governments in India. It swings continuously between Congress, Janata Dal and BJP and finishing a full-term is considered an achievement. Compare this to dear comrades in Kerala who have ruled for 13 of the last 18 years and Vijayan who has had an uninterrupted reign of 7+ years, the fact that they still can't keep up with Karnataka tells us all we need to know about communist hubris
Let noble thoughts come to me from all directions - Rig Veda

Online itihasas

  • Kemlynite
  • **
  • Posts: 48
  • We all Live in a Red and White Kop
Re: India - deteriorating?
« Reply #967 on: April 2, 2024, 01:20:54 pm »
err, it's the same kind of feudal idiots in BJP and the same kind of feudal idiots in Congress.

The quality of the people at this stage of development is low. We know this - mentally primitive, physically underdeveloped and with other flaws. What we are working with is the fact that we are the heirs of a peerless civilization in all realms and the potential of our people because as time has ambled on we now know the Indian is second to no one or anything when trained. If you wanted to build a political movement with no feudal overlords under your umbrella you wouldn't win a village election but playing up these divisions to gain votes is a step backward.

The visuals of Narendra Modi, a middle-caste tea seller presiding over the most monumental event in the Hindu epic in 500 years performing the rituals reserved for the powerful Seers was not lost in any village or any city across the country. Now anyone can climb to the top of the Hindu political body. Another spectacular own goal by the liberals here was to try and attack Modi for not being a "real "Hindu and deviating from tradition. Imagine that!

The two strands of Hindutva have met : the pious mystics and the materialist modernizers and the long forgotten branch of the Sanātana Dharma - Cārvāka has emerged. No, The BJP/RSS relentlessly chip away at the caste system whilst hurtling towards modernity.

Time I am, the destroyer of worlds - Viṣṇu purāṇa

The truth is, there is not much to Sanatan Dharma or way of life apart from varnashrama and eventual caste segregation.

So said the British imperialists of yesteryear who were inspired by the Nietzschean ethic. The paradox of the Indian Liberal is he/she is a hybrid of the old British and modern American liberal when overseas but almost adjacent to a White imperialist at home. They enjoy the arts, cuisine of course but can't quite get it out of their throats to acknowledge its roots. Being rejected en-masse by the Indian public should have given pause for thought, humility and re-evaluation but for those who have not left, it appears they prefer to die on their sword.

For them, the endless litany of achievements by the Sanātana Dharma do not exist, not the Numerical system which was taken by Al-Khindi to reach the West (Then it became the "Arab system"), not the philosophy, not yoga,  not the reform movements of Aryo-Samhaj, the Brahma-Samhaj which were blocked by the British imperialists to further the divide and rule policy, nothing. For them, the Sanātana Dharma is to be reviled and so apparently the people ate air till the arrival of the Mughals.

The Hindus are one of the highest civilizations of history and maybe even at the head and summit of it all - Keyserling

There is more culture here than all of home [Greece] - Megasthenes
 
The Hindu has seen it all, his holy places desecrated, his leaders joining the ranks of the enemies, his arts and achievements appropriated , his civilization smashed into pieces but the Sanātana always has her soldiers and her dharma is said to be eternal, after her warriors (Sivaji and the Marathas) completed the reconquista and established Hindavī Svarājya by laying waste to the Mughal empire she got kicked again by the boots of Western imperialism. Exhausted, it took her awhile before she summoned soldiers from all across the nation before an ascetic led the way to freedom.

The spirit is beyond destruction, No one can bring an end to the spirit which is everlasting - Bhagavad-gītā

When the purpose of life is forgotten, I manifest myself on Earth, I am born in every age to protect the good, destroy evil and re-establish Dharma - Vyāsa

Hindutva has ridden this tiger to completely remove the strands of insecurity that had infested the Indian psyche. The zenith of de-colonization. Now that the process is almost complete, the civilization comes out of it's slumber and turns her attention to the material world, she realizes there will be no fair hearing and decides to approach the world with hard-nosed realism. Now her soldiers come from all rungs of society : the cobblers, poets, tailors, sweepers who descended on Babri Masjid that fateful day but her success or failure will be determined by the quality of her technocrats

Why are you here ? To bring Ram home
Do you see the guns? We don't fear death
What caste are you from ? All castes - Unamed Kar Sevak


She prioritizes two things above all - material development and revival of her culture. This is the crux of the issue, one ideology can provide both, the other only one and the two ideologies cannot co-exist in the cultural realm. Therefore, one must annihilate the other.

There is no world other than this; There is no heaven and no hell; The realm of Shiva and like regions, are fabricated by stupid imposters.— Samgraha, Cārvāka

Ram now lives in the material world - Modi, Ayodhya, 2024

The Sanātana Dharma is all encompassing, she is after all the mother of democracy but has had her fair share of tyrants, despots and philosopher-kings. She will sway towards the system that can provide her the two things she seeks most at this point in time and if the erosion of democracy provides this then the Indian public may treat its demise with an indifferent shrug and should that provide too much excess then the Indian public will respond. The Sāgara manthana has begun.

The civilization fell apart, to come together, to fall apart, to come together

There is nothing left to say, no more debates to be had. Time will reveal everything
Let noble thoughts come to me from all directions - Rig Veda

Online Bullet500

  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 2,363
Re: India - deteriorating?
« Reply #968 on: April 2, 2024, 06:07:43 pm »
1)The numbers are not 19% and 15% as you claimed, it is 10.2% for Kerala and 5.1% for Karnataka.
err, I specifically mentioned non-COVID year if you can't read. ;D COVID surely changed things (which the article also acknowledges - https://i.imgur.com/cy6fIPd.png) and things would have normalized back again. This is the best data Google finds.

Let's look at Karnataka's remittances for a non-COVID year for example: https://www.livemint.com/news/india/the-pandemic-impact-on-remittances-11658171745218.html (premium article, so here's the screenshot - https://i.imgur.com/j3xiqKB.png)

As % of total inward remittances to India:
Kerala - 19%
Karnatala - 15%

Time I am, the destroyer of worlds - Viṣṇu purāṇa
Something interesting from Padma Purana. These are Vishnu's words to Naarada.



Quite easy to translate.

For them, the endless litany of achievements by the Sanātana Dharma do not exist, not the Numerical system which was taken by Al-Khindi to reach the West (Then it became the "Arab system"), not the philosophy, not yoga,  not the reform movements of Aryo-Samhaj, the Brahma-Samhaj which were blocked by the British imperialists to further the divide and rule policy, nothing. For them, the Sanātana Dharma is to be reviled and so apparently the people ate air till the arrival of the Mughals.
I have always found Indian culture interesting.

Here's a Hindu RW guy saying British blocked Brahmo-Samaj. Then there are Hindu RW people who say Raja Ram Mohan Roy (founder of Brahmo-Samaj) was a British stooge!!!  ;D You write a lot but with very few facts.

Regarding Arya-Samaj, Satyarth Prakash is a book I read in my childhood which wasn't too long ago. It has dedicated chapters that crticise one religion at a time: from Islam to Christianity and from Buddhism to Sikhism. Funny thing is that it doesn't criticise itself. That's one thing I noticed and moved on.

As I am talking about hypocrisy of Indians and Arya Samaj, I also find it funny that there is a large section of Sikhs who claim Bhagat Singh was a Sikh. Funny thing is, his grandfather had started following Arya Samaj and sent him to DAV School, Lahore. Eventually, Bhagat Singh was a staunch atheist and a marxist revolutionary - but he is certainly a figure everyone in India co-opts. We now have 'Bhagat Singh Kranti Sena' who are a group of Hindu nationalist goons.

Later politics of Arya Samajis did create problems with other religious communities, but I will be digressing a lot. Rangeela Rasool is what led to blashpemy laws being introduced in IPC. (Edit: Totally okay with their criticism of religions btw. But they had no gall to take their own criticism. At least, they outrightly rejected every Hindu text :D except Vedas and wanted to get rid of casteism.)
« Last Edit: April 2, 2024, 06:45:23 pm by Bullet500 »

Offline west_london_red

  • Knows his stuff - pull the udder one! RAWK's Dairy Queen.
  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 21,922
  • watching me? but whose watching you watching me?
Re: India - deteriorating?
« Reply #969 on: April 2, 2024, 07:19:38 pm »
Bhagat Singh is always an interesting one. It’s generally accepted he became an Atheist, the belief that he went back to being a Sikh is debatable, the prime and only source is Bhai Randhir Singh who was also involved in the independence struggle and spent a fair bit of time in jail, he was either locked up or visiting Bhagat Singh and is the one who says he became a Sikh again, Bhai Randhir Singh is regarded by Sikhs as a honest and pious man, but you really have to take his word for it because the claim is all based on Bhai Randhir Singh. The only other thing to add is that while Bhagat Singh had previously cut his hair he stopped cutting it as per Sikh tradition while he was waiting his hanging (the picture of him sitting in prison on a manja in chains is actually him and Bhai Randir Singh talking in prison).
« Last Edit: April 2, 2024, 07:24:22 pm by west_london_red »
Thinking is overrated.
The mind is a tool, it's not meant to be used that much.
Rest, love, observe. Laugh.

Online Bullet500

  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 2,363
Re: India - deteriorating?
« Reply #970 on: April 2, 2024, 08:31:18 pm »
Bhagat Singh is always an interesting one. It’s generally accepted he became an Atheist, the belief that he went back to being a Sikh is debatable, the prime and only source is Bhai Randhir Singh who was also involved in the independence struggle and spent a fair bit of time in jail, he was either locked up or visiting Bhagat Singh and is the one who says he became a Sikh again, Bhai Randhir Singh is regarded by Sikhs as a honest and pious man, but you really have to take his word for it because the claim is all based on Bhai Randhir Singh. The only other thing to add is that while Bhagat Singh had previously cut his hair he stopped cutting it as per Sikh tradition while he was waiting his hanging (the picture of him sitting in prison on a manja in chains is actually him and Bhai Randir Singh talking in prison).
Well, I have qualms about his family being Sikh in that era itself. I don't mean in terms of attire or keeping kesh. But the panth they followed.

Quoting Bhagat Singh himself: https://www.marxists.org/archive/bhagat-singh/1930/10/05.htm

Quote
And in those days, I was not a perfect atheist. My grandfather under whose influence I was brought up is an orthodox Arya Samajist. An Arya Samajist is anything but an atheist. After finishing my primary education I joined the D.A.V. School of Lahore and stayed in its Boarding House for full one year. There, apart from morning and evening prayers, I used to recite "Gayatri Mantra" for hours and hours. I was perfect devotee in those days. Later on I began to live with my father. He is a liberal in as much as the orthodoxy of religions is concerned. It was through his teachings that I aspired to devote my life to the cause of freedom. But he is not an atheist. He is a firm believer. He used to encourage me for offering prayers daily.

So, 'back to being Sikh' would be incorrect phrase to use in Bhagat Singh's context. For the family, you can say that they have likely gone back to being Sikh from Arya Samaji, if they have right now.

But again, it is perhaps true that things were fluid at that time in erstwhile Punjab and some would argue they still are if we exclude Himachal. Now if we were to make a clear distinction between Hinduism and Sikhism (which I do btw) and ignore "everything is a part of Hinduism/Sanatana Dharma - the all encompassing greatest thing ever" brigade, we need to make a clear distinction with respect to Bhagat Singh as well and just take the man's word.

Offline west_london_red

  • Knows his stuff - pull the udder one! RAWK's Dairy Queen.
  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 21,922
  • watching me? but whose watching you watching me?
Re: India - deteriorating?
« Reply #971 on: April 3, 2024, 12:16:09 am »
I’m not convinced he was a Sikh at the end of his life myself, but at the same time I am loathed to call a man such as Bhai Randhir Singh a liar either, but it comes down to one or the other, Bhagat Singh was a Sikh or Bhai Randhir was a lying (or I suppose Bhagat Singh said he was a Sikh to Bhai Randhir Singh and was lying!)

As for going to a DAV school, don’t forget the school doesn’t always denote the faith. Plenty of Hindus go to Khalsa College for example, plenty of non-Christians go to Christian schools etc

As for his family, no idea. His family moved to their ancestral village after partition in the now named Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar, my dads sister and cousin sister are both married into the same village, my wife’s family are from about a mile away and my father in law used to see at least his sister when he used to go to school.
Thinking is overrated.
The mind is a tool, it's not meant to be used that much.
Rest, love, observe. Laugh.

Online Bullet500

  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 2,363
Re: India - deteriorating?
« Reply #972 on: April 3, 2024, 03:32:29 am »
I’m not convinced he was a Sikh at the end of his life myself, but at the same time I am loathed to call a man such as Bhai Randhir Singh a liar either, but it comes down to one or the other, Bhagat Singh was a Sikh or Bhai Randhir was a lying (or I suppose Bhagat Singh said he was a Sikh to Bhai Randhir Singh and was lying!)

As for going to a DAV school, don’t forget the school doesn’t always denote the faith. Plenty of Hindus go to Khalsa College for example, plenty of non-Christians go to Christian schools etc

As for his family, no idea. His family moved to their ancestral village after partition in the now named Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar, my dads sister and cousin sister are both married into the same village, my wife’s family are from about a mile away and my father in law used to see at least his sister when he used to go to school.
The evidence isn't in favour of Bhai Randhir Singh, unfortunately. If someone reads Bhagat Singh's writings, they know.

Regarding the sect the family decided to follow at that time, Bhagat Singh clearly says his grandfather was an orthodox Arya Samaji. And, here is what Bhagat Singh's nephew said in 2015: https://www.hindustantimes.com/punjab/now-shaheed-bhagat-singh-s-kin-seek-declassification-of-secret-papers-on-him/story-Jepdu57uaX7LYhxyCagrXO.html

Quote
Sandhu said that Bhagat Singh was deeply influenced by Arya Samaj and not Sikhism. His grandfather Arjun Singh was a staunch follower of Arya Samaj and Bhagat Singh followed that sect.

“In those times it was extremely rare for a Sikh to shun his faith and follow Arya Samaj. Our ancestors did that to fight against social inequalities and Bhagat Singh had great influence of Arya Samaj on his life,” he said.

Offline west_london_red

  • Knows his stuff - pull the udder one! RAWK's Dairy Queen.
  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 21,922
  • watching me? but whose watching you watching me?
Re: India - deteriorating?
« Reply #973 on: April 3, 2024, 06:10:33 am »
As I said, I was always dubious on the claims he was a Sikh, from the few bits I have read from him about his Atheism he seemed pretty staunch, I wasn’t aware of the Arya Samaj connection at all.
Thinking is overrated.
The mind is a tool, it's not meant to be used that much.
Rest, love, observe. Laugh.

Offline masher

  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 1,840
  • hippie at heart
Re: India - deteriorating?
« Reply #974 on: April 5, 2024, 10:27:16 am »
ohh, opposition is doing their best but the media is very partisan now. Openly dehumanises people - something which was never the case in India. That's exactly what people are worried. Of course, then there is a set of half-educated 'uncles' who think "opposition is not doing anything".

On the media, yes, it is far more partisan on both sides of the isle. But this isn't unique to India - this has been a global trend. There are plenty of outlets that are anti Modi - Wire, Caravan, New Laundry, New Minute among others. Then there are also outlets like the Print, Editorji and Mojo.
The congress, Rahul Gandhi & the opposition get plenty of airwaves. AAP gets disproportionate coverage compared to their political footprint. I think you are focusing on national English/Hindi speaking Media but ignoring local media -DMK in Tamil Nadu owns all the local Media, yet Modi and BJP will significantly increase their vote share in this election. Bengal local media is completely pro TMC even then BJP has now become principal opposition party likely to gain more seats and vote share in 2024 elections.
So, in my opinion the problem isn’t media, the problem is that the issues that they target Modi on does not seem to have any resonation with the people. If I was in their place, I would start with these three issues. I see no mention of either of these from any political party.
1-   His nationalistic credentials: - I would point to the meager increase in the defense spending and specifically point to the allocation done for acquisition of military equipment. Last year the increase was a meagre 4.7% when the economy is growing at 12% in nominal terms. You can easily build a narrative that Modi is leaving India’s defense forces unprepared under the looming threat of a two-front war with an increasingly aggressive China. I would also point to the pitiful and depleting strength of our air force compared to the neighbors on the east. Modi & BJP will struggle to defend themselves on these issue as the numbers in the budget are in back and white.

2-   His Hindu Vote Bank: - Almost every State Government in India has enforced special code or laws or Acts by which Hindu religious institutions viz. temples, mutts and charities (endowments) are controlled, if not fully administered, by the respective State Governments – leaving the Hindus and their communities, sects, etc. to have no say in these matters. The government siphons off this money as well as the land belonging to the temples and Modi done nothing to change this. Whereas all other religious institutions have completely autonomy of their places of worship. I would be curios to see how Modi defends this.

3-   Resource guzzling PSU under Modi government control. Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) racked up losses totaling more than Rs 1.5 lakh crore in the last five years, according to data from the Ministry of Finance. The government also bailed out BSNL to a unite of 74K crore in 2019 and Rs 1.5 lakh crore in 2022, I am sure if I dug around, I could find more. That is circa 500 billon dollars that can be spend on education, healthcare, infrastructure, or anything else. I would also attack them on their piss poor record of privatizing government owned business.

Offline west_london_red

  • Knows his stuff - pull the udder one! RAWK's Dairy Queen.
  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 21,922
  • watching me? but whose watching you watching me?
Re: India - deteriorating?
« Reply #975 on: April 5, 2024, 12:16:59 pm »
Privatise HAL, let one of the oligarchs (probably one of the Gujarati ones) buy it… watch government defence spending go up ;)
Thinking is overrated.
The mind is a tool, it's not meant to be used that much.
Rest, love, observe. Laugh.

Offline dirkster

  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 1,420
  • Dirk Kuyt. Working Class hero
Re: India - deteriorating?
« Reply #976 on: April 5, 2024, 05:30:31 pm »
Privatise HAL, let one of the oligarchs (probably one of the Gujarati ones) buy it… watch government defence spending go up ;)
Why one of the Gujarati ones may I ask?

Offline west_london_red

  • Knows his stuff - pull the udder one! RAWK's Dairy Queen.
  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 21,922
  • watching me? but whose watching you watching me?
Re: India - deteriorating?
« Reply #977 on: April 5, 2024, 05:32:28 pm »
Why one of the Gujarati ones may I ask?

Because of their alleged close links with Modi (who is of course Gujarati himself).
Thinking is overrated.
The mind is a tool, it's not meant to be used that much.
Rest, love, observe. Laugh.

Offline masher

  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 1,840
  • hippie at heart
Re: India - deteriorating?
« Reply #978 on: April 6, 2024, 08:59:30 am »
Privatise HAL, let one of the oligarchs (probably one of the Gujarati ones) buy it… watch government defence spending go up ;)

HAL is strategic so no. I am talking about government running hotels, telecom, banks, oil marketing, insurance among others. These sectors the government has no business being in business, that’s not their job and they are shit at it.

Online Bullet500

  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 2,363
Re: India - deteriorating?
« Reply #979 on: April 6, 2024, 09:12:13 am »
On the media, yes, it is far more partisan on both sides of the isle. But this isn't unique to India - this has been a global trend. There are plenty of outlets that are anti Modi - Wire, Caravan, New Laundry, New Minute among others. Then there are also outlets like the Print, Editorji and Mojo.
The congress, Rahul Gandhi & the opposition get plenty of airwaves. AAP gets disproportionate coverage compared to their political footprint. I think you are focusing on national English/Hindi speaking Media but ignoring local media -DMK in Tamil Nadu owns all the local Media, yet Modi and BJP will significantly increase their vote share in this election. Bengal local media is completely pro TMC even then BJP has now become principal opposition party likely to gain more seats and vote share in 2024 elections.
So, in my opinion the problem isn’t media, the problem is that the issues that they target Modi on does not seem to have any resonation with the people. If I was in their place, I would start with these three issues. I see no mention of either of these from any political party.
1-   His nationalistic credentials: - I would point to the meager increase in the defense spending and specifically point to the allocation done for acquisition of military equipment. Last year the increase was a meagre 4.7% when the economy is growing at 12% in nominal terms. You can easily build a narrative that Modi is leaving India’s defense forces unprepared under the looming threat of a two-front war with an increasingly aggressive China. I would also point to the pitiful and depleting strength of our air force compared to the neighbors on the east. Modi & BJP will struggle to defend themselves on these issue as the numbers in the budget are in back and white.

2-   His Hindu Vote Bank: - Almost every State Government in India has enforced special code or laws or Acts by which Hindu religious institutions viz. temples, mutts and charities (endowments) are controlled, if not fully administered, by the respective State Governments – leaving the Hindus and their communities, sects, etc. to have no say in these matters. The government siphons off this money as well as the land belonging to the temples and Modi done nothing to change this. Whereas all other religious institutions have completely autonomy of their places of worship. I would be curios to see how Modi defends this.

3-   Resource guzzling PSU under Modi government control. Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) racked up losses totaling more than Rs 1.5 lakh crore in the last five years, according to data from the Ministry of Finance. The government also bailed out BSNL to a unite of 74K crore in 2019 and Rs 1.5 lakh crore in 2022, I am sure if I dug around, I could find more. That is circa 500 billon dollars that can be spend on education, healthcare, infrastructure, or anything else. I would also attack them on their piss poor record of privatizing government owned business.
I have got more reach than any of The Wire, Caravan, News Laundry, The News Minute etc combined. :D Not to mention that Carvan and News Laundry are paid. TV news is more effective.

1- west_london_red spoke my mind.
2- Yes, more religious stuff is exactly we need in politics.
3- BSNL is probably the easiest of PSUs to turn around but it's not in anybody's interest. First thing that needs to be done is prevent Airtel and now Jio folks from cutting BSNL's last mile cables. It has been a problem since 15+ years now.

I still use BSNL. ;D

Offline dirkster

  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 1,420
  • Dirk Kuyt. Working Class hero
Re: India - deteriorating?
« Reply #980 on: April 6, 2024, 05:52:25 pm »
Because of their alleged close links with Modi (who is of course Gujarati himself).
Oh right I see. I just wondered given there are undoubtedly other races of oligarchs in India such as Kerala, Bengal Rajasthan etc. Was curious why you'd honed in on a particular set of people.
« Last Edit: April 6, 2024, 05:54:46 pm by dirkster »

Online Bullet500

  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 2,363
Re: India - deteriorating?
« Reply #981 on: April 8, 2024, 06:35:35 pm »
I watched Monkey Man - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9214772/

Will they let it release in India though? https://www.thequint.com/explainers/explained-heres-why-dev-patels-monkey-man-release-has-been-postponed-in-india

Oh right I see. I just wondered given there are undoubtedly other races of oligarchs in India such as Kerala, Bengal Rajasthan etc. Was curious why you'd honed in on a particular set of people.
These are mostly regional/linguistic identities, not races.

Offline west_london_red

  • Knows his stuff - pull the udder one! RAWK's Dairy Queen.
  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 21,922
  • watching me? but whose watching you watching me?
Re: India - deteriorating?
« Reply #982 on: April 8, 2024, 10:44:29 pm »
I watched Monkey Man - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9214772/

Will they let it release in India though? https://www.thequint.com/explainers/explained-heres-why-dev-patels-monkey-man-release-has-been-postponed-in-india
These are mostly regional/linguistic identities, not races.

God, I had to endure it yesterday (my wife’s choice!), seriously one of the worst things I have ever had to watch.  Kept thinking there must be a twist somewhere, something clever is going to happen sooner or later but nope, it’s was just predictable, predictable, predictable, the dialogue was slightly amusing at the beginning (I’m being generous) but then the last hour of the film passed with barely a word uttered, just a one man rampage of the kind that’s been done a thousand times in Bollywood and Hollywood. I guess it worked on one level as you can guess who the holy man was a reference to and you can guess who the Soverign party was supposed to be, and I wondering if this has been released in India and I don’t usually agree with censorship but they’d be doing the people of India a favour if they banned this one it was that bad.
Thinking is overrated.
The mind is a tool, it's not meant to be used that much.
Rest, love, observe. Laugh.

Online Bullet500

  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 2,363
Re: India - deteriorating?
« Reply #983 on: April 9, 2024, 02:03:31 am »
God, I had to endure it yesterday (my wife’s choice!), seriously one of the worst things I have ever had to watch.  Kept thinking there must be a twist somewhere, something clever is going to happen sooner or later but nope, it’s was just predictable, predictable, predictable, the dialogue was slightly amusing at the beginning (I’m being generous) but then the last hour of the film passed with barely a word uttered, just a one man rampage of the kind that’s been done a thousand times in Bollywood and Hollywood. I guess it worked on one level as you can guess who the holy man was a reference to and you can guess who the Soverign party was supposed to be, and I wondering if this has been released in India and I don’t usually agree with censorship but they’d be doing the people of India a favour if they banned this one it was that bad.
Miles better than Animal though!

btw, have you watched any of John Wick movies? I think it's similar to them.

Offline west_london_red

  • Knows his stuff - pull the udder one! RAWK's Dairy Queen.
  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 21,922
  • watching me? but whose watching you watching me?
Re: India - deteriorating?
« Reply #984 on: April 9, 2024, 05:58:24 am »
Miles better than Animal though!

btw, have you watched any of John Wick movies? I think it's similar to them.

Disagree, Animal was much better. That at least had a slightly original story and some dialogue.

I have seen the first John Wick film, and yes it similar to that and any other number of revenge films.
Thinking is overrated.
The mind is a tool, it's not meant to be used that much.
Rest, love, observe. Laugh.

Online Bullet500

  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 2,363
Re: India - deteriorating?
« Reply #985 on: April 9, 2024, 07:37:19 pm »
"Dalit sanitation worker dies inhaling poisonous gas in Varanasi. Ghurelal is survived by his wife and three children. He had been working as a sanitation worker for more than 15 years and earned a monthly salary of Rs 12,000." - https://www.siasat.com/dalit-sanitation-worker-dies-inhaling-poisonous-gas-in-varanasi-3004958/

Though India's PM is the MP of Varanasi, there isn't any point in blaming him for this incident. This has been going on since eternity.

Monthly salary was $150 a month. Let's do our favourite PPP comparison here. First Indians design horrible sewers and drainage systems. Then only men of particular castes are employed to clean them.

Online Bullet500

  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 2,363
Re: India - deteriorating?
« Reply #986 on: April 17, 2024, 04:54:16 am »
Straight out of 4chan: https://twitter.com/BJP4Telangana/status/1780216735703949479 (flash warning)

A tweet by an official BJP's state unit.

Offline Yorkykopite

  • Misses Danny Boy with a passion. Phil's Official Biographer, dontcherknow...it's all true. Honestly.
  • RAWK Writer
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 34,533
  • The first five yards........
Re: India - deteriorating?
« Reply #987 on: Yesterday at 01:32:16 pm »
The life for Indian Muslims under Modi and his party:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-68498675
"If you want the world to love you don't discuss Middle Eastern politics" Saul Bellow.

Offline west_london_red

  • Knows his stuff - pull the udder one! RAWK's Dairy Queen.
  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 21,922
  • watching me? but whose watching you watching me?
Re: India - deteriorating?
« Reply #988 on: Yesterday at 03:53:05 pm »
The life for Indian Muslims under Modi and his party:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-68498675

If nothing else the election seems to be shining a light internationally on what’s been happening in India for the last few years, be it the treatment of minorities, corruption of state bodies, and the complicity of the media in it all.

Of course it won’t make the slightest difference to anything in India or internationally, everything will carry on after the election as it is now.
Thinking is overrated.
The mind is a tool, it's not meant to be used that much.
Rest, love, observe. Laugh.

Online Bullet500

  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 2,363
Re: India - deteriorating?
« Reply #989 on: Yesterday at 05:16:07 pm »
The level of discourse. And, of course the election commission doesn't do anything.

Spoiler
[close]

Online Bullet500

  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 2,363
Re: India - deteriorating?
« Reply #990 on: Yesterday at 05:19:17 pm »
The latest trope of Hindu diaspora in the west is "Hinduphobia" when there is barely any. For the western racists, brown skin = Muslims and that's pretty much it.

Sikhs with kesh have it way worse.

Offline west_london_red

  • Knows his stuff - pull the udder one! RAWK's Dairy Queen.
  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 21,922
  • watching me? but whose watching you watching me?
Re: India - deteriorating?
« Reply #991 on: Yesterday at 06:11:48 pm »
The latest trope of Hindu diaspora in the west is "Hinduphobia" when there is barely any. For the western racists, brown skin = Muslims and that's pretty much it.

Sikhs with kesh have it way worse.

Sikhs and Hindus have it a lot easier then Muslims in this country (once people realise they not Muslim).

Who exactly is this Hinduphobia supposed to come from?
Thinking is overrated.
The mind is a tool, it's not meant to be used that much.
Rest, love, observe. Laugh.

Online Bullet500

  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 2,363
Re: India - deteriorating?
« Reply #992 on: Yesterday at 06:38:28 pm »
Sikhs and Hindus have it a lot easier then Muslims in this country (once people realise they not Muslim).

Who exactly is this Hinduphobia supposed to come from?
This article will give an idea. https://theprint.in/opinion/indian-american-parents-have-a-new-task-teach-kids-to-recognise-hinduphobia-fight-it/2040961/

It's not just Indian RW who engage in this btw. Occasionally, you will see liberal folks like Shashi Tharoor being useful idiots.

Online Bullet500

  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 2,363
Re: India - deteriorating?
« Reply #993 on: Yesterday at 11:07:25 pm »
"An assassination plot on American soil reveals a darker side of Modi’s India" - https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/04/29/india-assassination-raw-sikhs-modi/

Identity of the Indian official is out.

Offline west_london_red

  • Knows his stuff - pull the udder one! RAWK's Dairy Queen.
  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 21,922
  • watching me? but whose watching you watching me?
Re: India - deteriorating?
« Reply #994 on: Yesterday at 11:43:25 pm »
"An assassination plot on American soil reveals a darker side of Modi’s India" - https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/04/29/india-assassination-raw-sikhs-modi/

Identity of the Indian official is out.

And nothing will happen about it, absolutely nothing. Gupta will get locked up, but he’s just a lackey in a much bigger story.
Thinking is overrated.
The mind is a tool, it's not meant to be used that much.
Rest, love, observe. Laugh.

Online itihasas

  • Kemlynite
  • **
  • Posts: 48
  • We all Live in a Red and White Kop
Re: India - deteriorating?
« Reply #995 on: Today at 12:59:35 am »
The latest trope of Hindu diaspora in the west is "Hinduphobia" when there is barely any. For the western racists, brown skin = Muslims and that's pretty much it.

Sikhs with kesh have it way worse.

Comically out of touch, par for the course for the Indian "liberal" or communists hiding their colors complete with their hierarchy of oppression. The experience of anyone can be discredited because there is someone who has it worse.

When Reliance democratized internet to take it to the darkness in the villages of India and the arrival of Instagram and Tik-Tok threw Indians and Westerners together for the first time on a mass-scale what unfolded perhaps did more for the nationalist cause than anything else. The American mainstream public has always lacked humanity and respect but the vitriol directed towards Indians and the Sanātana Dharma is perhaps the only acceptable form of racism in the West. Indians are no longer under the yoke of White Imperialism and they learned and learned fast how to talk back. Still a bit primitive but nevertheless they've always had fight in them, it just needs channeling.

The American Liberal has no use for the Sanātana Dharma because they cannot control it, it actively challenges their whole premise of right and wrong and the supremacy of the individual over the collective, the American conservative actively despises it because it is not Christian. Only the American establishment has made peace with it because they know the jungle is returning and they need us as we need them. The BBC is proved beyond doubt to be anti-Hindu

Only the most brainwashed or someone living in a bubble would think there is no Hinduphobia in the West or in the Islamic world


"An assassination plot on American soil reveals a darker side of Modi’s India" - https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/04/29/india-assassination-raw-sikhs-modi/
Identity of the Indian official is out.

Are we supposed to feel bad? The Americans pioneered the use of extra-judicial killing in the name of national security and we are simply following their lead. Now, there is no mountain high enough, no ocean deep enough and no nation strong enough to stop us from reaching enemies of the state and traitors of the civilization. Another promise by Modi fullfilled

Now India has changed, now India won't be silent, this is a new India, we will break into your house and end you - Narendra Modi
« Last Edit: Today at 02:19:11 am by itihasas »
Let noble thoughts come to me from all directions - Rig Veda

Online Bullet500

  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 2,363
Re: India - deteriorating?
« Reply #996 on: Today at 02:12:12 am »
"With India’s election in full swing, Narendra Modi is getting desperate – and dangerous. The Indian PM may still be in a strong position; but incendiary, anti-Muslim rhetoric shows that all may not be going to plan." - https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/apr/29/india-election-narendra-modi-anti-muslim-rhetoric

His speeches are getting hilarious, of late.