Saturday, March 10, 2012

Congress has lost but BJP hasn't won

It's been generally bad news for Congress in the latest round of assembly elections but hardly time for BJP to call for celebrations.

BJP needs to exert itself more in articulating an alternative vision for India from here on. Expending it's energies on highlighting the negatives of the Congress is fast exhausting its ability to deliver returns.

Maybe the BJP needs to announce a shadow cabinet out its best men who could use the government policy initiatives as a bouncing board to articulate an alternative vision. It might even be a good way to resolve the contest for the Prime-ministerial candidate.

Time is of essence it must act fast. General elections in 2014 are not too far away.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Religion and Government

“Our government rests upon religion. It is from that source that we derive our reverence for truth and justice, for equality and liberality, and for the rights of mankind. Unless the people believe in these principles they cannot believe in our government. There are only two main theories of government in our world. One rests on righteousness and the other on force. One appeals to reason, and the other appeals to the sword. One is exemplified in the republic, the other is represented by despotism.

The government of a country never gets ahead of the religion of a country. There is no way by which we can substitute the authority of law for the virtue of man. Of course we endeavor to restrain the vicious, and furnish a fair degree of security and protection by legislation and police control, but the real reform which society in these days is seeking will come as a result of our religious convictions, or they will not come at all. Peace, justice, humanity, charity—these cannot be legislated into being. They are the result of divine grace.”
Calvin Coolidge