And “eh?” to the Gandhi thingie…
And a “??????” to the “follows his father’s foot step” statement.

Will start at the bottom. Good things first.

If you refer to the “Hindu vote bank” in your last line, I will wholeheartedly agree with you!!! The credit for India’s secular nature indeed goes to the tolerant, welcoming nature of the Hindus of those times. Not just them but actually Indians (all religions included).
It is the hindutva face that we see today that is an anti-national force. Thankfully, by & large humans (& therefore Indians & therefore Hindus?) are still a tolerant race, which is why it isn’t Apocalypse already?

To me, the Congress winning without a poster-boy like Vajpayee is hugely creditable!!!

If it’s about a leader commanding a following, Dr. Singh has a following. His following include the likes of Prannoy Roy & yours truly. Can’t say much (and won’t say) about the kind of following advani commands.

Valid point about how much the common man has benefited. I don’t have the figures at hand, but I do remember Lord Meghnad Desai saying in the Indian Express that Globalisation has brought India’s BPL population down from 40% to 20%. If you are willing to grant that Globalisation was a Rajiv Gandhi-PV Narsimha Rao-Manmohan Singh drive; and if you are willing to admit that the BJP in those days was crying themselves hoarse over Swadeshi, then I shall rest my case here.

By all means don’t agree with my “masterstroke” statement. There’s no obligation to, it’s a free country (no thanks to the hindutva folks, by the way…)!
My point wasn’t about competence. It was about committment. My point also was about how despicable these people are whose only plank was “firangi”!!
My point also was to question advani’s achievements & contribution to the nation.
As for the people who have apparently lost family to the nation, I’d like to know: a) if advani qualifies. b) their names & whether they belonged to the BJP; because in my eyes the sacrifices have been made by the likes of Gandhi, Indira, Rajiv and none from the other side. Lose a few globally respected leaders, then we’ll talk on this particular point.
(Don’t we accord the highest respect to the Army because they put their lives on the line for the nation? Shouldn’t that logic hold true here as well?)

My previous comment wasn’t meant to be a you v/s me debate. It was just meant to point out that the BJP (may have caste & ethnic vote banks but) doesn’t have any credentials to run the nation.

Did the “Common Man” programme of Congress get any relief to anyone more that BJP’s? Most of the people who voted out BJP did not even witness the India Shinning Campaign. I would like to see an open debate between Advani and Manmohan Singh to establish credentials. All said and done, a leader commands a following. Manmohan Singh himself is a “regent” appointed by Sonia Gandhi – he has not won a single election. However much he may belong to the class of educated Indians, he was nowehere in the picture before becoming the compromise PM. Congress won elections in 2004 without a PM candidate!

I’m happy to hear about your point of view about the “Muslim Vote Bank”. Clearly its the most educated “class of decision makers”. Can’t say the same about the “Hindu vote bank”. But remember that its in the strength of this “bank” that India has remained a secular nation.

I’m not so sure about your BJP in 2004 claim. Their India Shining campaign was mostly gas as recent analysis has revealed.

Your impression about the “Muslim vote bank” may need examining. My interaction has unfortunately never been with Muslims of the social & education class you refer to. This despite half of my family being Muslims. Not that I’ve lived in an ivory tower or anything, but for some very strange & unfathomable reason, I’ve never come across the Muslims you speak of specifically in your last comment.

So more than charisma & leadership, it’s caste & ethnic reasons? I thought so! That’s kinda what we’ve been saying all along!

-I’m very disappointed in a nation that considers Advani to be a better Leader than Dr. Manmohan Singh.
-Or shoots down the leadership of a woman who with one masterstroke laid to waste her detractors “firangi” electoral plank. Amazing for a political novice I’d say!
-I’m mortified at how a lady who marches on despite losing 2 family members in service to the nation, is considered less committed than someone who’s only sacrifice has been… has been…
Ah I know! Braving the Sun on his “Rath”!!!

Fact is that Modi did present a strong development agenda, a no-nonsense attitude, a leadership charishma – all that whoch made him fall out with the Sangh Parivaar. Elections are a complicated process of strategy, tactics, organization ability hiding behind ideology. Unfortunately Congress lacks a strong leadership and is too opportunistic. I feel BJP has a stronger chance and you might find this article on Advani interesting….in Dawn..http://www.dawn.com/weekly/jawed/jawed.htm

If elections in India are won on development, then can we safely say that Dr. Manmohan Singh will remain the PM of India for the next 15 years? And that the Congress/UPA will return to power on the basis of the development that the country has seen?

Interesting to see how riled you are. Considering that you had opened up the debate on my blog with a “how pleasant it is to have a conversation without calling each other names”, Very Interesting.

Why are you so riled actually?

As for the RSS person you want me meet, no thanks. I’ve had my fill.

I was talking to you because I gave your intellect some credit. I saw some hope, so I appealed to your reason. Don’t misconstrue this as my attempts at “reforming” you. Not the intention at all. You’re welcome to think the way you like.

I just don’t understand why someone of your obvious education & intelligence would defend the BJP. Why? Why don’t you want to call a spade a spade?