Again love to buy consumables from local grocery store

Mega Store Rohini Delhi

After purchasing my monthly foods and other daily consumable items from malls and hyper market format stores for about three and half years I have again turned towards local grocery store. It is true that mega and hyper format stores of mall provide all most all the daily consumable and non consumable items under one roof but the cost for providing facility is enormously huge in comparison to local kirana and grocery store of neighborhood. During three and half year I paid lot of extra money in the form of VAT and other taxes which was never paid to local grocery store by  me in the past. I also spend thousands of rupees on items which were never considered as necessary item by any middle class. Now I am saving these extra rupees to my kitty.

Inside view of  mega store

Economy of mega store is simple. Provide all kind of consumable and lifestyle entities in a big showy place. At the entrance of hall keep some discounted perishable food and routinely used items to attract consumers and then sell all remaining items by reducing just one rupee or 50 paisa on MRP. For selling and convincing customers, management employs battery of sales staff. Renting or owning huge hall and maintenance with salary of staff need a lot of money apart from money to earn profits in books. Quite obviously big stores have to collect all these margins from common customers and that is why these stores never give hefty discounts to their clients. Moreover the kind of gentry which come in big format stores don’t bother for petty discounts for which middle class customers do bother.

Local Grocery Store

I am sharing this as government of the day in Delhi has reversed the decision which had paved the way to open multi brand mega retail stores in Delhi. After winning political battle on multi brand retail stores by UPA,  previous Shila Dixit’s government was first among the Congress ruled state which ordered to implement center’s controversial decision in Delhi. Certainly Chief Minister Arivind Kejriwal must have given a lot of thought before rolling back the much vexed decision of UPA government which was seen by opposition as a decision to please the American lobbies. Already some ministers of UPA have expressed their anguish on the decision of Kejriwal and many more will come forth to criticize. Many critics have also come forward and started comparing AAP with left parties. Big business houses which have a sizeable stakes in multi brand retail will also take dig at AAP but there would be others also who love to give thanks to Delhi Chief Minister.

It is good to see that AAP is forwarding on its agenda step by step. But to take a decision or to reverse a decision is not good always especially when matter pertain to international community. No doubt non Congress governments have not given their green signals to multinational companies to open their stores in their ruled states but even then Kejriwal’s latest decision is bound to create a furor in Congress which is giving oxygen to AAP in assembly. I think controversial decisions like this must be kept pending till it get majority of its own and in the meanwhile take those steps which gives benefits to AAM AADMI.


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Supporter wants them to be a non performer

Congress Head Office 24 Akbar Road

Utter failure in programs implementations and governance by opponents by a party is logical but to think all this by supporting party is ironic. To gain their lost battle ground national parties which have presence in Delhi assembly want fledgling newbie AAP to turn a non performer in governance. Both Congress and BJP want non delivery of poll promises made by Aam Aadmi party (AAP) in just concluded fray. Indeed they have their own reasons and logic behind this thinking.

In the run up of coming general election of 2014 both parties are desperate to get back their walked away voter to come back again to their fold. AAP has managed to break 16 percent of Congress’ traditional votes and 3 percent of hard core BJP votes in the just held assembly election said a leader of Congress on the condition of anonymity. This explains the whole theory behind their wishes. For both the party AAP is a destructive force for their game plans for coming Lokshabha election. It has got more truth in case of BJP than Congress. Possibility of coming back in power at center for successive third time for Congress is virtually impossible.

In democracy voters have every right to switch their loyalties to some other party. Every party tries to do this miracle. In Delhi AAP has done it and made dent in vote bank of both the Congress and BJP.

Now electorates will only be come back if they do not get satisfaction from performances of party toward which they had switched their loyalties said above mentioned leader while explaining the logic behind thinking of party.

India is not being ruled by dictators. It has got a functioning democracy for over 67 years revered by many developed and third front countries. In democracy you can not force any voter to cast one’s vote in favour of any particular party. They could be back only by removing their illusion towards newbie. Considering the situation Congress leadership decided to support AAP to get AAP failed in performance delivery. Seeing the last 15 days performance of AAP national parties have once again ignited their hopes for gaining lost battle fields in the coming general election.

TV editor Ashutosh joining AAP

Strangely leaders of Congress still not believe in the potency of AAP. In private colloquy they site instances of V P Singh and Janta party which had attracted many bigwigs in their fold like AAP is doing presently. Leaders call these elite gentry as disenchanted people who are attracted towards politics by seeing pompous glares associated with political post. They always wanted to join political class but were not able to get positions in traditional hierarchy of parties.

Leaders who have devoted a length to time to achieve political positions boastfully say to wait for some more time to see the fate of AAP and their leaders.

Sudden cancellation of much talked Janta Darbar gives solid reason to them to remain on their line of thinking. Few more fiasco and shibboleth of referendum in Kashmir and Red terror lands will definitely give opponents more ammunition to fire on AAP. 

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Why we hate them?

Is antipathy and bias against particular political party come with genes?

Some time we feel rage against a particular political party and its leader and positive feel for another party. Why this happens to an individual that too when he is not a hard core political activist? Is it is phenomenon which comes genetically or is a result of social process? What makes a man to enemy to some party and friend to other political party?  I have tried to ponder these questions in the past but of no result. When elections are just few months away this bizarre feeling has become again pertinent to discuss in detail. I start this with my own experience.

As a growing boy I used to hear the colloquy usually filled with ire and anger of my father and his friends who used to sit almost daily in the evening in my ancestral house during emergency days. They used to assemble in the evening to discuss the repercussion of MISA and brutal atrocities of police after reading morning news papers. There was no Television at that time in our locality so news papers and hearsay were the only source of information at that time. Black emergency was imposed by late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

HQ of BJP at DELHI

As an independent apolitical man my father never joined any political outfit till the end of emergency. He joined RSS and did his three year certificate course also. Today when he is no more with us, I think joining of RSS and BJP was the result of his frustration and anarchy which prevailed at that time in society. In his time there was no other alternative like our friends have in Aam Aadmi Party today.  

My intention to write all this is not to show my lineage toward RSS and BJP but to tell how this all was responsible for creating an antipathy in me against grand old party of India to some extent. This also show how a growing boy gets influenced by the culture and talks which were hovering in any family and to larger extent in a society in which family lives.

Indeed Sociology and Anthropology tell us the impact of culture, primary relations and pear group on any child. But how society and media evolve the ante feeling against any party and its leaders in adults and mature men are interesting to know and watch?

Politics and its peripheral activities are never liked by a large section of society till the eruption of Lokpal movement. However the situations emerge out after exposition of various scams worth cores and lakhs of rupees made commoners to stand up against the government of the day. This is not a unique phenomenon which has occurred in our country only. Recently many countries have witnessed turbulence in their hoi- polloi owing to bad governance. Good governance is always a need of any society and this has vanished in present regime of Manmohan Singh government. All the necessary ingredients of good governance have got eloped from UPA-2. Corruption and inflation are front runners for the time being and have impacted the household budget of common man.

HQ of AAP in Delhi

This all crated many naysayers who do not believe in traditional politics of cast, creed, religion, regionalism and secularism. These iconoclasts built a movement which ultimately turned into a political force to reckon the bastion of traditional political parties. I know this will fury to believers of traditional political parties who were able to enjoy the fruits of power by associating some how with the leaders of traditional parties.

Brazen leaders: will they ever learn lesson?

After Karnataka now legislatures of Uttar Pradesh are going on foreign tour on taxpayer’s money

 

Azam Khan

Once again another foreign tour is being organized on taxpayer’s hard earned money on the name of study tour. A team of 11 legislatures from Uttar Pradesh under the stewardship of controversial Muslim face of Akhilesh Yadav government is going Turkey. Apart from 6 legislatures this team also consists of 5 Minister from the state. While legislatures from Karnataka have still continued their fun trip despite the lot of critics from across the nation, UP legislatures are going on tour when their own people are suffering cold and hunger in victims camps of Muzzafernager.

Dance in  SAIFAI Festival

First it was first Yadav family of Uttar Pradesh who celebrated the Saifai festival with great enthusiasm by spending crores of rupees on the expense of tax payers. Now it is another lot of legislatures who is being obliged by the state government. On the name of study they will make fun trip to Turkey, Netherlands, United Kingdom and UEA. In between UK and UEA they will also stop in a city which is famous for its picturesque sites.

Shameless UP leaders still seem to have not learned any lesson from Delhi assembly election result. They still don’t believe on the blowing air of change which has swept the whole of Delhi and seems to engulf the other parts of country.

Believers of feudal and age old traditional politics don’t find any reasons to take pain in understanding the changing air. They think electorates as fool who have given them license to make money and fun by making mockery of system. Combination of Caste and religion will give another chance to them to enter assembly and because of this they don’t worry about their image. This surety of winning again makes them arrogant and brazen. Conscious of these people have either worn out or died out for ever.

Their double speak behavior some time frustrate common man of streets who find himself in great difficulty to fend their family in this high food inflation age. He could not be able to save money to save tax and his hard earned money goes to coffer which in turn would be plundered by his representative who proudly thinks himself above the masses.

Indeed to visit foreign or inland countryside for entertainment and other leisure activities is a right for every man. It is legally right as far as it goes on the fund of individual. But if it comes from government which has collected from common man on the name of development of country then it is wrong. Not only wrong but a financial and moral theft also. Being a legislature does not give license to indulge in loot of public money.

Ironically this all is happening in a state which was claimed to be free from shackles of misrule and clutches of Mayawati who used more money to decorate statues and memorial parks than in building road, hospitals and other infrastructure facilities in whole of state. Certainly these leaders are cheats and criminals who do not hesitate in showing their greed.

Akhilesh Yadav

Akhilesh had made tall claims of probity and sacredness in public and political life before assembly election of state. All his big assurance of good governance has gone in vain after formation of government. This all is sending a wrong signal particularly in youths and upright middle class before the coming general election. Example of Delhi has shown a way to electorate to settle score with the politician who ignored feelings of commoners after getting elected to house.

The time has come when we identify those leaders who publicly showed disrespect to voters and to make sure not to send again in any legislative house in future.  

How BJP will face new challenge of AAP?

AAP has giver a new impetus to third front government

Newbie Aam Admi Party has created a new hurdle in the path of BJP in reaching the corridors of power in north and south block of Parliament. A thing which barely a month ago was seemed to almost certain have found new hiccup by political pundits. If pan India dream of representation of AAP in the Lokshabha comes true and if it managed to get 30 to 40 seats in the coming general election of 2014 then possibility of becoming Prime Minister of Narendra Modi will definitely get a blow.

A well chalked plan by backroom team of Gujarat Chief minister was doing well till the election results of Delhi had come. Then the whole government formation process and there after the decisions of Arvind Kejriwal caught the lime light of all the media attention by sidelining the Modi. BJP in the process of repairing the dent, which AAP has created to its dream goes bitter and bitter towards AAP and team. Surprisingly this bitterness has aroused an antipathy against BJP in general public even among those voters who voted AAP in assembly election and have planed to vote Modi in the coming Loksabha election. The best way to deal with AAP for BJP is to avoid the newbie feel some critics.

A new animosity of AAP apart from traditional players of Indian political politics has marred the BJP chances of reaching the zenith of Delhi’s power circle, think some bureaucrats. It was stated by some top minds that run the government from top positions of ministries.

If Arvind kejriwal and his team get some handful seats in the coming election then possibility of third front will indeed become brighter. AAP with 30 to 40 seats will be major player in possible arithmetic of combination. BJP led by Modi will need more than 180 to 200 seats to get reign of power feels some analysis. With more than 180 in hands it could easily attract some regional satraps who are presently reluctant to from any pre poll alliance with Modi led BJP. Fear of losing Muslims votes in the election is the main concerns to regional parties. Satraps of these parties want to share power with any combination which could hold the throne of Delhi. It could be a Modi led NDA or Rahul led UPA.

But possibility of getting opportunity of forming the NDA led alliance will come true only if regional satraps do not get enough seats. The way famous personalities along with members of public getting attracted towards the clean politics drive of AAP the chances of getting good numbers of seats are bright for team Kejriwal. Now BJP has to go back again to drawing board to re chalk its plan says some political analyst who keeps close eye on the new development of politics in the run up of 2014 election.

How BJP and its parent organization RSS will do it in a very little time span has to be seen? AAP has in fact pushed Modi from the front page of major national dailies. It is a miracle that a one and half year old political party has captured all the headlines from a political player who has proved his mettle against grand old party of country. Despite all gimmick and tricks of Congress, Modi and his chariot was seemed to be running with fast pace. BJP has forced to reconsider its strategy against a newbie player ironically to which it had backed and pushed during the initial days of Anna’s tirade against corruption. To me one thing is clear that Kejriwal and team might be a new entrant of politics but they have some bizarre abilities to which every politician wants to copy and paste in his politics. 

VIP culture: Should it be banned?

By not accepting the security Arvind Kejriwal forced many leaders to cut the security half

Many leaders of National and state political parties willingly or reluctantly have reduced their security half. This has happened after Kejriwal, chief minister of Delhi refused to accept security cover provided by Delhi police as well as by Uttar Pradesh administration. He is entitled to get Z plus security cover as Chief Minister of Delhi. He not only refused to accept security but also send back red bacon fitted government car to garage which were deputed for his movements in the state.

Rajesthan’s newly appointed Chief Minister Vasundhra Raje is one of them who followed the path shown by Kejriwal. She has not moved in Chief Minister’s bungalow and also cut the number of security personal and cars in cavalcade that follow her. Similarly deputy chief minister of Punjab also leaved the security personals when yesterday he was going to meet members of general public in a busy market and near a gurudwara.

In reply to four hours long debate on his government’s confidence motion in the Delhi assembly Kejriwal batted very soundly and authoritatively against VIP culture which ultimately has converted a menace for common people and status symbol for leaders. He presented an 18 point doable charter for his government. He asks every member to support his government on 18 points. The second point in the charter was end of VIP culture in the state. His logic to ban this culture, though a little bit philosophical says that if you have blessing of all mighty then no body will harm you and if it is not there then no body could save your life. He goes on further and said this red bacon culture some time create chaos in public and make them unnecessary harassed.

Agreeing with Chief Minister also want this culture to be banned unless and until a person really has threats on life and that too during his tenure as government functionary. I had a horrible experience of coming in en route of Prime Minister. I was new in the city and was going on foot after meeting with some body from bungalow of one of a prominent minister on Akbar road. Suddenly security personal armed with some sophisticated gun asked me to leave the road immediately. Convoay of PM was about to pass through the point where I was present.  Seeing unable to move fast he literally ordered me to enter in another bungalow of some other minister.

At that point of time security person posted at the gate refused to let me in, however permitted me to stop in front of gate. This was not enough as security personal posted on road asked me to face towards the gate and stand till the convoy passed through the Akhbar road Janpath crossing. Tagged with journalist ID card I protested the order and behavior but all was gone in vain.  The lesson given by gentleman was very precious for me. He not only showed me my stature (as a journalist it was a shock for me, I candidly admit) but also showed me how commoners were treated if a VIP comes in question.

I know many used to politician of VIP culture will never accept the dictum happily. It will give enormous pain to leave elite culture. But if Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his team of ministers along with MLAs continue to follow their own set parameters in public life then whole generation of elite politicians of country will have to follow the writing on the wall in coming days. 

Increasing fan following of AAP makes Congress happy

Congress strategists find useful to support AAP.They will not withdraw its support from Kejriwal.

Arun Srivastava

Arun Jaitly accusing the AAP and Congress in a press conference

The Congress would be the happiest party to see increasing influences of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Reasons are simple. Performances and thoughts of clean politics floated by AAP have boggled the mind of commoners and especially to that of middle class. Media has been following team Kejriwal leaving Modi alone with his works and barbs. This gives some solace to Congress leadership which despite all efforts was not able to divert attention of people from Modi.  

Kejriwal and his team have found a new centre stage position in discussions of masses. Men and women have diverted their attention on the deeds of newbie party from Modi who had captured the imagination of youth across the nation in the starts of his campaign. Now every action of AAP, not Modi is under the scanners.  Political opponents as well as media are interestingly paying lot of time and focus on AAP.

Apparently Congress is also conscious of this truth. Party also understands the meaning of routs in the recent assembly election. So more or less it is satisfied with the position and attention which the AAP has been getting from media and public in general. The focus on AAP also diverts the attention of media from Modi who is going more bitter and critical against Congress vice president. The problem of party is that Rahul Gandhi is not able to match the rhetoric of Modi who has got many times more experience of politics of ground.   

Perhaps both the major national parties have understood the dynamics and static of present day politics. Both the parties are now imitating the direct to common people politics. BJP wants a comfortable numbers of seats while Congress needs a respectable defeat in 2014 election.

The BJP, which is the actual looser in Delhi’s battle, has been trying to corner AAP as well as Congress to clinch the lost field back. Arun Jaitly has waged a fierce attack on Congress and AAP to ignite their ego and to break the so called unholy and opportune alliance. In fact this very alliance or outside support has stopped the chariot of BJP to sweep the assembly elections held in five states recently.  But the grand old party of nation is very conscious in not letting its patience out. It seems that the Congress understands the intricacy of taking support back from AAP and the consequence there of.

Shakeel Ahmad

The Congress knows that if some how it able to stop Narendra Modi led BJP to come in power in centre in the next general election then some alternative arrangement will come to hold the power at centre. Off course if the predictions and calculations by pundits come true of not getting the power in third successive term by party.  In such circumstances party would never like to withdraw the support it has lend to AAP in Delhi assembly. This is the only and only reason why party is not showing any sign of annoyance or haughtiness despite being verbally attacked by Kejriwal.  How Congress has taken back its supports from governments in the past is known to every one who has a little knowledge of Indian politics.