It is naive to think that George W. Bush is responsible for the current state of economic affairs in the US. He did not create policy for easy money (Alan Greenspan did) that fostered sub-prime lending.

It is unfair to compare foreign students enrollment numbers between Australia and India. Australia has policy specifically to attract foreign students. The point I am making is that even if India had a comparable education system to that of Australia, its foreign student enrollment would be low.

What you have said it very much correct. Congress knows how to play with the psyche of masses BJP is yet to learn the art. But in the process of learning that art I fear that BJP might just turn out to be a another Congress. What makes BJP different from Congress is people like Arun Shourie and that is precisely I vote for them.

I think the masses deserve Congress, the wishes of the masses (quota, loan wavers etc.) will be met better by Congress any day. After all democracy is about people choosing what type of government they want and may be by that rule congress is the most deserving.

It only turns me more and more cynical about the system to see that forget rationality most of our policies are devoid of basic common sense. We are destroying and ignoring the tremendous potential that we have.

I dont know 50 years hence forth there will be any BJP or there will be any Congress. Who wins a 5 year or for that matter even a 50 year term govern the country is irrelevant for a country that has a history of 40 centuries. But again and again we chose to survive as a decaying society is what really hurts me. When will that change?

I agree with you completely when you say that BJP too is contributing to the suffering, depredation of the people of India. I think the reason behind this is to develop a ideological challenge to Congress which will also appeal to mass. Whenever BJP tried that Congress used abusive terms like Communal and Hindutva to nullify its effect. BJP in reaction is trying hard to prove itself secular again and again. I think people like Arun have the capability to guide BJP ideologically. Let us see how it happens.

For all his brilliance in analysing what’s wrong with India, Arun Shourie cannot analyse what’s wrong with his party. And if he can analyse, he obviously does not have the influence to prevail in a discussion with his colleagues in the party.

How does it matter that the Congress does not have an Arun Shourie in their party??? The Congress is in the business of politics and not in the business of rational policy making or rational decision making to produce the best policies. In real life and even in richer countries, policies are never made rationally.

What matters is that the Congress is in touch with what the masses in India will buy. Which is why, they can sell their brand to so many people; they can play the youth card with Rahul Gandhi & his bunch of youth leaders, they can play the neat and clean PM with MMS, a sacrificing leader with Sonia Gandhi, a charismatic leader with Priyanka and so on. Congress understands very well what business it is in; that is the business of politicking and they know to sell themselves. Unlike Arun Shourie’s party which repeatedly deludes itself into thinking that people are rational and will “see the truth” as regards their ideology. In the process they get repelled and persecuted by self interested entities such as the media, elite that has enjoyed the patronage of the Congress etc.

What good is it to be a party of intellectuals in a country whose people are a mix of self serving, essentially stupid and given to notions of inferiority about their own culture (not to mention being brainwashed into believing it to be true).

You can cry out loud that the Congress is undeserving; but the bitter truth is that Arun Shourie’s party, with all its intellectuals are totally out of sync with what the masses believe that they need. Until they figure that bit out, the country will continue to suffer and by virtue of not doing much, they will have be a contributor to the suffering, depredation of the people in India.

It surprises me that we still have people like Arun Shourie in politics. He is qualified, capable and rational thinking person. How many parties currently have people like Arun Shourie?

I doubt if any Congress ministers think about education, national security and economy as much as he does. Still he is not a minister and people don’t vote for his party.

Many political analysts say that BJP does not have capable leaders and dream teams like Chidambaram and Montek. We are told that BJP did not have any concrete policy to enhance national security. Have this people read Arun Shourie’s “Can an Iron fence save a tree hollowed by termites?”. Have they read Jaswant Singh’s writing on defense?

How much literature does congress has produced after Nehru ?

Writing and executing are two different things but then when I hear thoughts like “terrorism has no religion”, “Hindu fanatics are greater threat to country than Islamic Terror”.. I wonder what fools have we sent to parliament.