1. The question about NREGS is whether it has actually generated any real public good. The consensus is that it has not. Please provide facts and figures rather than blanket statements on the world bank. Even setting the “economic hitmen” aside, there’s plenty of in-house data to show how much of a corrupt venture it is.

2, Dude, please watch the video. The data Arun Shourie actually quotes are from a Morgan Stanley report…so no need for him to personally inspect the NH. The CAG already does that. Please show data. Yes, Shourie is a politician, but he is also an economist and he uses third party facts. I mean for god’s sake, he actually thanked congress babu Pranab Mukherjee for preventing Sonia Gandhi from gifting away Siachen. he may be a bjp’er but he’s a patriot first.

1. Frankly, considering all the attacks in 2008, the continuing Maoist crisis, crumbling infrastructure and military, and a belligerent China, Shourie is correct in swanning around university campuses and town hall meetings in order to raise awareness of india’s dire straits and the UPA’s record

As an aside, given your PhD studies, do you have any good academic data on rural poverty/farmer suicide links from policy institutes? Links? Thank you in advance. Who says we can’t be productive while we debate …

1. Are you having a laugh? From 10 years spent in Africa, all I can say is that the World Bank is an extremely stupid organisation when it comes to development. It has inflicted untold damage by its so-called approach and no country will develop by following its strategy. Yes, I am quite convinced, I spent two years studing the NREGA in UP and am satisfied with my findings that it is a vital programme. Corruption scandals are common to every regime and as for the military that is also something that needs to be changed but it is a policy of the entire political class, the BJP included, that has underfunded and demoted the status of the army and the officer corps in particular. No govt for various reasons has taken any concrete steps to solve this issue; this is a structural problem.

2. Shourie should spend less time swanning around university campuses and more time actually traversing the NH then he could see what progress or lack of is being made. I have for the Delhi-Kolkata route for the past few years, so I don’t need to listen to Mr Shourie to know what the lack of progress under successive govts is like. My figures for the fiscal deficit are somewhat different for Shourie’s of course what he won’t tell you is that the high oil prices in the previous fiscal year acted as a huge drag as it automatically raised the subsidy – independently of govt control. We can talk figures if you like but I always go to the original data, I would not rely on data provided for by an intermediary, especially a politician on this score (which is what Shourie is).

Please read the articles in entirety. Of course YSR cannot openly demolish temples for religious purposes so they are disguised under “Road Development”, but the ISCKON temple, out of the many other roadside religious shrines was the only one scheduled for demolishment. And I think we’ve been over the TTD example enough to establish the agenda. I have tried to restrict myself to the english language media which underreports these activities as the private owners don’t want to antagonize the government. You are more than welcome to do your own research if you really find all this to be that incredulous

1. You still sure about NREGS? How bout now? Now?

The Farm Loan waiver was a completely corrupt operation which wasted money and didn’t help farmers at all (And, the CAG reported 50,000 crores missing). Add that to the growing list of corruption scandals (Satyam and D. Raja Telecom scandal) and underpaid/underarmed and humiliated military.

2&3. Yes, India is better placed economically–hence it should have a more responsible government. Please don’t excuse away this deficit when this deficit was for the previous years’ (before economic collapse)spending

4.Dude, where are your figures on the National Highways? here’re mine:

Arun Shourie on the boiling frog

Please watch the video and challenge his facts. Not saying you don’t do this, but unfortunately other commentators have. Thanks.

That is surprising, I don’t know why all these examples are coming from AP. I just want to add though that all the examples you cite seem at least partly to be driven by urban development – in the 2 cases of roadside temples being demolished to accomodate road-widening. Personally, I find this objectionably since efforts should be made to try and find a compromise which won’t involve demolishing places of worship; I think development is important but should not come at any cost. One example seems to be more in the guise of reconstruction to improve access at Tirupati by the TTB; I have no idea about the details of that case, the only grounds in which I could see it could be criticised is if ancient or historical parts of the temple complex have been damaged since this is part of our heritage and should not be destroyed under any excuse. One case (3) is attributed to unknown vandals, so I don’t see why the state should be blamed for this. There is only one solitary case of temple demolishment in a village, with no explanation given as to why it was done. Maybe further details would be appropriate before one can find out exactly why this was done but I agree that unless there is a good one, there needs to be some accounting of why this was done. In conclusion, I don’t think this fits some sort of anti-Hindu pattern that you seem to be suggesting as the motivations for actions carried out were for other purposes – this doesn’t make them acceptable to me but then our govt demolishes peoples’ houses with minimal compensation in the pursuance of development schemes. This is a governance problem imo not one of discrimination.

Re your other points.

1. The NREGA forms a big part of my research and I have to say, I broadly support it. It is a necessary and vital programme. The Farm loan waiver not so much.
2. That is true of all admins across the world; the global economy is facing the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression and are taking on unprecedented debt to tackle it. We are not different and are actually better placed than many other economies in this regard.
3. The deficit is a problem but under current macroeconmic conditions no country can afford to cut spending or raise taxes too much. India needs to do better in improving its tax coverage and reduce the black economy to fight this shortfall.
4. Oh come on, that project was mired in corruption and problems way before the Congress govt, the NDA had botched it up pretty badly as well.

Temple Demolishment: 1 2 3 4 5

As for the deficit 1.you might recall NREGS and the Farmer Loan Waiver which hit the $20B mark 2.this administration presided over an unprecedented rise in tax revenue but squandered it away 3.india’s bonds are now facing junk rating status thanks to the current administration 4. virually zero progress on the Vajpayee golden quadrilateral project—but i’m sure they’ll still find a way to name it after Indira Gandhi

Whether the CM is a Christian or not isn’t the issue; in fact it is irrelevant to the point I was making. I didn’t realise that he had to violate that many rules for Sonia Gandhi to visit Tirupati; I thought she had already visited the temple before in 1999, without this level of furore.

As a result the Hindu institutions have been weakened dramtically, by various governments, stealing the funds, the lands, ruining the temple administration by distributing the posts ot their todies, limiting various functions etc.

I haven’t seen any evidence of this as a concerted campagin or a widespread pattern. Most temples complexes are relatively well run considering the demands they have to cope with; where mismanagement occurs it is down to poor administration and corruption and this can be corrected by the appropriate public action.

Also because the non-hindu religious institutions are strong, they wield considerable influence over their communities voting habits.

Excuse me but how yould you know exactly? Communities like Christian, Sikhs and Muslims have many internal divisions and come into conflict with each; quite often violently. This just sounds like an over-generalisation without any real evidence.

The CM is a Christian. He is aslo famous for stomping over the religious rules at Tirupati to allow Sonia to visit it.

If it isn’t constitutionally sanctioned

The hindu situation is a bit like the boiling frog scenario.

The consititution offers protection to non-hindu institutions from government interference, while offer no such protection to Hindu Institutions. As a result the Hindu institutions have been weakened dramtically, by various governments, stealing the funds, the lands, ruining the temple administration by distributing the posts ot their todies, limiting various functions etc.

Also because the non-hindu religious institutions are strong, they wield considerable influence over their communities voting habits. So it is highly beneficial for governments to curry favor with the non-hindu religions. This has always occured, right from independance.