Whispers Forum

The Patna meeting can be considered a good start but real opposition unity is still far away. The real test of opposition unity will be when there will be talk of seat adjustment and claim for the post of prime minister. Real differences between the opposition parties will also come to the fore on these two issues. The Congress is already angry with Mamata Banerjee's statement that the Congress should field candidates only on those seats where it is strong. That is, Congress should keep about 200 seats with it and give the rest to regional parties. The Congress, buoyed by the victory of Himachal and Karnataka, will never agree to contest the Lok Sabha elections on only 200 seats.
Nancy Singh

Let me give here an extract from Ken Follet’s famous novel in the Winter Of The World: “Berlin 1933 The Ancient Egyptians built the pyramids when Germans were living in caves. Arabs ruled the world in the Middle Ages- the Muslims were doing algebra when German princes could not write their own names”. That was where European thinkers, writers, politicians were trapped in their world knowledge in the last century and were engaged in debates on democracy and available options that were to lead to the next world war. Obviously they had no idea of India then, buried under the debris of Socialism of Germany and Fascism of Italy over other problems of backwardness and poverty. They knew India and about India but ignored the fact that the Vedas preceded both the Egyptians and the Arabs, just like our secular brigades do today. Under the cursed belief of a flawed secularism many morons are trying to outdo them daily. They are India’s indigenous tribe of Storm Troopers, Brown Shirts (Red Shirts, White Shirts, Green Shirts, Yellow Shirts and other varieties of 75 years young India added competitively rather fast) who act like policemen as their party gives them the authority of auxiliary police men. Even then, Sarve Bhavantu Sukhino…
M L Gupta

It is high time for Indian government to implement Universal Basic Salary. There should be fixed salary for private professionals, bare minimum for example Rs 20,000 in the times where we witness increasing price of goods and service. A minimum salary for example of Rs 20,000 for private professional would ease their life and raise their living standard and earn them respect in society and at the same time, fulfil their basic minimum needs of food, shelter , education , health and clothing , for a family of four i.e. parents and two children.
Nidhi Jain

With elections approaching in many states to be followed by 2024 general elections, the political parties are doling out freebies to woo voters. Freebies should be discouraged because ultimately people have to pay for them. They will have to pay more taxes, and the price of commodities will rise. Nothing will happen till May 2024. Prices will somehow be kept under control, but after May 2024? Poor public will pay for the generosity of the politicians. One shudders to think how steeply the prices will rise after the 2024 general elections.
Aditya Singh

Yesterday I read in the whispers about the Government appending to convert Chairman post to a political one and today read, the bureaucratic post to the Deputy chairman. This restructuring has been pending for several years, In the name of an autonomous body, it is borrowing, spending and creating debt left, right & the centre which the Government has to repay, not NHAI. Like in Public sector banks, CMD post has been bifurcated into Chairman and MD, which has brought larger transparency, the same is need of the hour for NHAI as the board are working in the most non transparent manner which is costing the lakhs of cr. in public exchequer .. late than never .. this is good move.
Dr Nitin ex-consultant NITI Aayog

This is one of the best master strokes by the Government if approved. Organisation which is having the highest debt burden including Arbitration claim, more than any big state, need to take steps for transparency. At present the organization is at its lowest point full of corruption due to its non transparency structure, weak cadre due to organization -Contractor nexus which need to be fixed in public interest. The whole organization from Chairman to Group B & C staff is being run with whims & fantasy rather than sound principles.
Priyanka
Sealed envelope procedure is a relic
The sealed envelope procedure is a relic of the past and should be terminated. There is no point of extending and delaying the benefits to an individual.
Shubh Chinkan