Thursday, May 1, 2014

India's Impending Conservative Victory

Via Susan


Few Americans are aware of the potentially earth-shaking events currently unfolding in India.  The left-center Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, which has ruled India for all but eight of its 67 years of national existence, is about to be voted out of power in favor of the conservative opposition under the leadership of Narendra Modi.  As Chief Minister of Gujarat, Modi turned his state into a pro-business economic miracle that accounts for 72 percent of India’s new jobs and has its lowest unemployment rate.

That’s the good news.  The bad news is that we might be shooting ourselves in the foot.

Modi is a free-market capitalist and unapologetic opponent of radical Islam in both its open and surreptitious variants.  He gave a speech recently in the Northeast Indian state of Assam promising immediate and strong action to stop the large scale infiltration of illegal migrants and Bangladesh’s anti-Hindu violence.  “Assam lies next to Bangladesh, and Gujarat lies next to Pakistan,” he said. “People of Assam are troubled because of Bangladesh, and Pakistan is worried because of me.”

4 comments:

  1. I hear there are very nice areas of Indian where Americans and Brits go to retire - they are treated nicely because Indians like old people, and the cost of living and medical care are pretty reasonable compared to the USA. I recommend the movie "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" for showing a side of India we don't see much in the West.

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    1. Thanks and briefly, what is the movie about please?

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  2. Oh oh, I am hardly ever brief ;) Be forewarned that I liked this movie, but a lot of people (movie critics and others) hated it.
    Great cast of British actors you probably know (Judy Dench, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, and the young man from Slum Dog Millionaire) - A group of friends who are suffering financial troubles in expensive London decide to move to India - Enticed by advertisements for the newly restored Marigold Hotel that caters to the Brit retirees, they arrive to find the place a mess. Beautiful scenery, funny and sad story lines; some are transformed by their new lives and others hate every minute of it. Be curious to hear what you think of it if you do watch it.

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  3. :) Thanks and sounds interesting to me!

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