Like everyone else in Bombay, I too have been wrecking my depreciating grey cells on what must be done to keep us safe, of not visiting a hospital or a pub or a college and returning in 100 mangled pieces.
My biggest concern right now, as they debate the choice of new CM, is being saddled with that buffoon called Sushil Kumar Shinde (or one of his duplicates). I had interviewed the man quite extensively for Mid Day when he was CM, and I left Varsha totally disillusioned. He knew head nor tail of what the city’s problems were (leave alone solutions) and could clearly see he was in that chair ONLY because he’s a nice guy, a dangling puppet for the Delhi leaders. Today, even a bacha will tell you the last thing this city needs is a nice guy. We want a chief who can kick arse bad to get things done. We need a professional manager.
The reason the faltu combine of Deshmukh and RR Patil failed is this: they were incompetent in their jobs. I mean, you need totally different sets of skills to fix dance bar girls and grenades & AK-47 wielding mass killers. And I think Patil in particular knew he was a total loser. Incidentally, just about a month back, soon after the Delhi blasts, I made many requests to Patil for an interview, where the agenda was clearly spelt out: to figure the state home minister’s plans to keep Bombay safe. And repeatedly I was dished out new excuses by his secy. Boss is travelling. Boss is in a meeting. Boss is busy with party work. Etc, etc. Today, I can see why he refused to meet. The fool had zero plans to keep us safe.
Now, when we the aam janta, suggest/request/plead for a CEO type of a leader, we get summarily dismissed. We neither have access nor influence inside the corridors of power. But our business tycoons (whose bucks and goodwill the netas need) do. Can’t the Tatas and the Ambanis and the Ruias and the Birlas come together as one, and demand a professional CM for this state? Someone who’s a known performer, understands politics, is admin savvy, can take tough decisions and can plan with a long term vision. Maybe they can meet Sonia with a candidate’s name. Before she lumps us with another loser. Surely the suits of India’s financial capital should be as worried as the rest of us, and take this initiative. Especially now that the terror agents have reached their boardrooms and party rooms.
On my part, I am sending a link to this post to CEOs in my mailbox. Request you to do the same. Thanks.
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20 comments:
hey,
hmmm,i am still sceptical abt the workability of yr plan as barring very few examples,all these carporate big bosses r in liason with the political big bosses for only their business intersts,and r least least bothered abt the common man.(they supply the money for elections and the netas supply them with the licenses,concessions they demand in turn)Their interests r protected by any Patil,Deshmukh or Pawar,Joshi,Rane so they r unfortunately nt intersted in yr pressure grp plan.
but lets hope they too have learnt some and take initiative,
A!
Exactly what has been going on in my head too!! Why can't the biggies help?? Ofcourse we all know how they are all inter connected and all that but please we hv to hv to keep all that on the side shelf n think. Its not very difficult if we try. They should try..they hv the money, the power, the people n all...when will they put all that in good use. O come on...please please don't give up!Its a fight we all hv to be a part of!!
Hey Anil, check out my views on this whole thing at http://spcbandra.blogspot.com/
Sir.
Wat u r saying is all very well..
But tell me..can u think of a single leader who is capable of doing this job?? Arent they all a bunch of buffoons..stupid nincompoops??!! Can u suggest a single person "qualified" to do the job??!!
actually i do have a name.
we need someone like Montek Singh Ahluwalia.
a no nonsense person who will be able to separate politics from the strategy to be devised to bring the city back on track.
an i am sure the decisions he will make will not only ensure we have an anti-terror plan but will also have a plan to avoid water logging (which we romantically call floods)inn place for the year 2009!
hey,
well i agree but at the same time i too wud be v cynical given that probably with the politicians and the industrialists, its often a "i scratch ur back and u scratch mine' kinda sitn..... so i wonder if the biggies will do anythin like what u have suggested ... perhaps some of their big projects mite receive setback if they displease the govt etc....
and honestly given Ratan Tata's quote in the newspaper yest/day before, i really have my doubts.. when someone of his calibre can admit that they recieved a warning about taj bein a target and still dint do much ..... which is a shame really and whats worse is Mr Ratan Tata justifyin sayin that any kind of security measures from their end wud not have prevented gunmen from entering!!!! i mean what does that mean... firstly i dont agree but on the other hand even if we go by what he has said .. maybe the damage cud have been lesser!
such a 'defeatist attitude' and u expect cooperation from these people.... the man has all the money in the world.. y cant the tata group have the best security installed if they want to! and the cple measures that he said were put in place were eased just prior to 26/11... Y????!!!! if we blame the intel, the politicians etc then sorry but we need to blame these guys too and make them answerable for the security they mete out to their guests! .... sorry am a total loss here... if someone can throw lite on all this i wud be all ears!
so all in all, Anil, great initiative and am sure we all will give u all the support u need but!!!!!....... i guess u know what i mean!
No, as Suchitra said, the tycoons and the politicans prop each other up. You are asking for the moon while laying down the qualities of the leader to head the State. There is NO politician to fit that long bill. We simply need a man like Julio Rebero, KPS Gill etc. who are professional and can take swift and tough dcisions. As for Sonia, she is trying the balancing act, appease Minorities and keep her partymen happy and lapping out of her hand at the same time. Mum,bai has been handed over to builders by the long-handed CM, and tweedledee cannot see above the heads of his bodyguards...Good they have been eased out. But who do you have in mind to replace them? For that matter, look at the larger picture and tell me if we need a non-politico to head the nation or no..? Maybe a professional, desciplined militaryman..?
Hi,
i read your latest & i have been wondering about the same.i am really begining to wonder why Mr PM does not think of these things.Why do we have to appoint newer stupider ppl in place of the existing ones?why are they not put on probation n made to prove themselves or told they will be sacked?& i really am sick of asking why
samreedhi
hi anil,
i totaly agree with your petition for business houses to
come together demand a more promising candidate for CM.
its high time the rich and famous really got down to acting
as a pressure group.....but anil, arent these the same people
who wine and dine with politicians????
i mean they probably have their own agenda for supporting these
idiots.....thats what im worried about.
apart from that.....your sugestion to get international groups
involved......it might work as long as we dont give up our
autonomy......im always skeptical about letting someone else take
charge......
anil im clueless right now
but i really want to do something....be part of people who're working to
make a change.
unfortunately im here in london....and will be back in mumbai only on the 26th
for 2 weeks....but if there's anything i can do i'd be grateful
hope to hear from yous oon
regards
radhika
Absolutely Anil.
Just now I signed an online petition to the PM which had 3 point agenda. This could be the 4th very valid point regarding the choice of successor to VD (no pun indicated)
You should be reaching out to the mass with your view points..Dont know, how would you do that.. but please do...
The tycoons will not help. They are too busy making their next million to be able to concentrate on humanitarian cases such as these.
It is the common people who will have to pool their resources together. Ultimately, it is the commmon man who is the blood and guts of the nation
A known performer in politics? Probably can count on fingertips! Montek Singh is a good choice of a bureaucrat but am wondrous if he will ever want to run our state as CM! I can think of 3 CEO's for Maharashtra whom I would love to see leading ( they will be backed by oue state too) - Anu Aga, Rahul Bajaj, NarayanMurthy.
It would be great if your pieces are published in the local Indian newspapers here in the U.S. We could do with some forthright and "I give a damn" views.
Regards
Madan
Hello Anil,
Keep up the good work.
regards,
Chetan Padival
Hi Anil,
All our corporate biggies are in some way afiliated to the parties and people at the helm. So i dont see them practically favouring a 'particular' politician for the job( btw, do u reaaly feel there is a competent person in the Congress or for that matter in the BJP_sena for the CM's job?? must be kiddin'). Wot's needed is a US Governor kind of concept where an independent CEO is appointed to run the major affairs of the State, espcially security. Let him/her draw up a plan of action and he be given powers to implement it in 3 years time. If that CEO is a foreigner, so be it....
Hi Anil,
How many of you guys ever vote?You want Reibero,Montek singh etc as if they are some super humans and elected by BJP or congress or shiv sena.Then you say Big Business must suggest some names for CM.Is India a democrasy or you guys run it.
Yesterday i got about 20 odd forwards from some saying if you register your protest under 49(0) under indian election law, the whole election can be nullified.My lawyer friend told me it is a hoax to defranchise educated computer savy voters(well you guys never vote anyway!!)who are very angry now.
Again being an ex government servant i like to ask you as you are a journalist whether you have INDEPENDENCE to ask tough questions YOURSELF?eVEN IF YOU ask them your editor will chop it off.But if you still use your intelligence you can still embarass the powers by clever questioning.
Now our Biggest of Big cat Mukesh ambani who tops Indian Forbes list is constructing his personal home for 6 of his family at a cost of 4000 crores where Japanese Overseas development corp is providing funds for removal of Dharavi slum by providing 225 sq feet of living space for each of 10 lakh families.Have you got guts to ask tough questions to our Big cat/ No. But you want them to NOMINATE MONTEK who is a exWorld bank employee and sold to US econimic interests. Infact Chidmabaram is kicked upstairs to pave way for his taking over as Finance minister so that Mauritius PN route can be reactivated.
Hey Anil,
U know, more than anything or anyone else my maximum anger is directed towards our pathetic politicians.
My husband, children n everyone i know feel this strongly against the terrorists.
But this is what i feel..
We as a society create terrorists. We r all ultimately responsible for them whichever way u look at it. So when i see their pics i feel sad for them. They look like the friends of my kids who come to our home often. If today, we were to brainwash our kids from the time they were little, they too would be able to shoot randomly right? So to say something like 'lets hang him by his balls', is anger misdirected.
The real guys behind his training r the ones to catch.
But do our politicians have the guts to do that? Why? Because they all hand in glove with the dreaded D n if he were caught everyone would be exposed and that includes our top actors, builders, etc.
What if, not 1 or 2 or 3 of us but thousands of us get together n file criminal proceedings against the politicians who have failed in their duty? Wouldnt that deter the next lot that come in? Wouldnt they be less corrupt if they know WE r there to expose them n take them to task?
On the topic of the RDX found at CST. Isnt it possible that instead of the RDX being overlooked at a time when the entire city is on high alert, one of the remaining terrorists who has still not been arrested planted it?
Reg
Kamal
hey,
well ur idea of a CEO at the top is in my opinion still unworkable in this parliamentary system of governance we run...the fact is that the CM himself does not enjoy absolute authority even over his own cabinet...there are so many issues to be considered in the age of coalitions...
the solution is to keep the parliamentary system going at the centre...and have US style all powerful governors at the State level....and these governors should not be an RR Patil or a V Deshmukh (or we're back to square one) .... but rather an enterprising, passionate YOUNG indian....maybe even rite out of our top B-schools.....
but thats just where the problem begins...its a point i raised yesterday at the meeting at St. Xaviers as well....we keep asking for accountablity and answers from those in power...but we have to realize that sometimes we must script those answers ourselves....so the real question we must be asking is HOW MANY OF US ABOVE 25 YEARS OF AGE WILL FILE THEIR NOMINATION PAPERS FOR THE 2009 LS OR 2010 STATE ELECTIONS so those answers can be scripted better...?
just a thought...
Jd
hi!
we need to look at the problems at hand both from a macro level as well as micro level.
we have always said EDUCATION is a way to start addressing a lot of issue.
one of the things i lie about the US system is that their education system throws up candidates.
why not pick up some of the good things from successful systems around the world & incorporate it into ours?
we might not have an immediate candidate but would have started a system which the gen next can benefit from!
Hi Anil
read your blog about the CEO CM.... can you really tell me if we have anyone amongst the politicians we have who fits the bill of a CEO. Atleast i havent come across one... I am really glad that after this incident the common man has come out on the streets to voice his displeasure. Also I was pleased to note the difference now in the media reporting as well... now they openly criticise the ministers and actually highlight their faux pas ... (point in case Deshmukh's tour of Taj and RR Patil's statement)... If RGV was to do a film on this incident it should be boycotted (not banned.. the people should be allowed to show their true feelings about this moron).
After watching Deshmukh's sound bytes on TV I nearly went into depression so i feel sorry for you ..if you have to meet such people in person and interview them.... make sense of what they have said (which is gibberish anyways) and print it and then also be ready incase they say that they were misquoted!
I had the honour of meeting a couple of our brave commandos and i was amazed that they were smiling, joking with us, never telling us what a big favour they have done us... when only a few hours back they put their life on line to save us.... these are the bravehearts.... what a difference from our ministers. I thanked them from the bottom of my heart... i also salute their parents who have let these kids join the forces to safeguard the people of India.... while many of the able bodied richie rich kids come in the limelight thru rave parties.
t/c
Anju
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