Both My Countries are Going to Hell

one much much much faster than the other...its depressing...maybe i should move to some scandinavian country...they seem to be doing ok.

Thought they were doing okay....

congress party is utterly corrupt ...the bjp is hindu extremist...and those are the two choices...

of the recent election results? Does it matter to you that Sonia Ghandi was raised in Italy?

that has been robbing india for the last 50 years or so...she is no better and may even we worse as she has to real ties to the country...for the longest time she did not even pick up hindi etc.

Do you see the results as a rejection of the nationalist party per se or as a rejection of the former administration? Maybe a bit of both?

the rigging of elections of the congress party...who knows!

several witch burnings in india

the dark ages

an education system.

for the Gandhi family, the Nehru family, and with Mahatma Gandhi.

As far as I'm concerned, the election was a huge success in that the BJP, and their unholy allies the RSS have been turned out. The violence in the past few years are a direct result of their religious fanaticism. Sonia Gandhi certainly has her flaws, but you know, its kinda like Kerry or Bush. No contest.

when indira gandhi was president, right?

on edit: this is not in my opinion a BAD election result...its just depressing to see the choices offered.

i think kerry is far far superior to bush...not comparable to the choices in the indian election

and supported by the government is inexcusable. This is exactly what the BJP does and this is exactly what the right wing in the US does.

dont get me wrong i am not a bjp supporter...but i lived under congress rule too,....and its not much better...thats all i am saying/

http://www.thequarterly.net/10-02debate3.htm

Around the same time an election petition filed against Indira by Raj Narian came up for hearing before the Allahabad High Court. Indira was held guilty for a technical violation of the election law. The judgment was challenged in the Supreme Court, which only stayed Indira from participating in the Parliament proceedings, but she could attend the houses. This meant she could not continue as the prime minister. Indira decided that enough was enough and clamped down. On June 26, 1975, with President Ahmed obliging, a state of national Emergency was declared. Democracy was suspended.

The next 22 months witnessed events that defy description. It was anarchy. People were forced out of buses and vasectomy was performed on them against their wishes because Indira Gandhi and her son Sanjay were determined to implement the family planning programme. Other excesses followed. Principal political leaders were jailed, press was censored, the corporate sector was orderd to reduce prices. Innocents bore the brunt. The Defence of India rules and Maintenance of Internal Security Act (the dreaded MISA) were misused against her opponents. Slums were cleared without rehabilitation. Instead of abolition of Garibi, the Garib was being eradicated.


and then there was the Golden Temple massacre. oddly enough, she kept Sikh bodyguards! smart thinking, there. she totally had it coming if you ask me.

it sucks

a HAM radio in return. this was later deemed too expensive, and they wound up offering BUCKETS instead.

BUCKETS, i tell you

I know this is off subject, but my daughter is getting married in Sept., and her maid of honor, or the only friend who's stuck with her all these years (they're 29), is wearing a sari, made in India. At least my daughter grew up in a diversified city, outside of Philly. I'll send you pics, as I'm sure it's going to be a beautiful wedding. Hey, I am the wedding planner, dammit!

plus, her friend will be getting married next spring, and they're trying to keep the guest list down to 1,000! The family is coming out of India, and the community is pulling together for a feast! I'll be there, for sure. I miss the diversity we had in South Jersey, compared to here in Kansas. I'm so proud of my daughter, for keeping her spirit here, and for keeping and making friends from all walks of life. She was president of Amnesty Int'l. at her college back east, and she still has the balls to call out any infraction she sees in her daily life. She keeps life interesting, and keeps me well informed.

I'm not sure if they've come to their senses since then.

I acknowledge they are corrupt, but I prefer corrupt leftists to fundmentalist hindus (or anybodies).

I think that having the BJP as a major party is good for India though, as opposed to when it was Congress as THE major party and minor parties uniting to defeat Congress and then be unable to govern b/c of differing ideologies.

The new two party dynamic will allow for opposite viewpoints and two national agendas, which is a good thing and a step towards a healthier democracy.

they are right of the center just not over religion as much..