Re: for the manifesto

[Padmanabha Rao K V <kvprao@igidr.ac.in>]

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Please help make the Manifesto better, or accept it, and propagate it!
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Because it's the political-economy that will ever take any
community/nationstate anywhere; not politics or economics.  You do
remember reading Einstein's opinion on Science and Religion, don't you?
India is a great country (or so we should like to believe for all time to
come, or atleast till such time Passports are eradicated from the face of
this planet) and you would want to keep it from being either lame or
blind, don't we? 

/rao

On Tue, 22 Feb 2000, Ashish Raj wrote:
> Guys, let us not be obsessed by matters which do not figure anywhere in
> the big scheme of things as far as structural reforms go. I ask, how
> does the suggestion below help anything in India that REALLY needs
> attention - education, economy or law and order. To concentrate on sops
> for the minority is missing the woods  for the trees.  There are many
> things wrong with our system; lets worry about getting the main things
> right ffor now.  I see a bit of narrow mindedness here, to be frank. 
> What is a few crore Rupees on Haj when we are wasting Rs 45000 crore on
> defence?  And its far from obvious what good all that defence money is
> doing us (considering the lack of accountability in defence deals)...
> 
> The dominant Hindu community should  remember that the minority needs
> special attention in a democracy, cos their aspirations may not be
> adequately represented in the First-Past-The-Post voting system.  C'mon
> folks, have some heart; if Hajj pilgrimage is important for muslims (and
> it is), we should be willingto spend a bit to this end.  Remember that
> the aspiring Hajjis still have to provide most of the funds for their
> travel.  
> 
> Its like subsidising farmers for urea/rice/kerosene or pampering govt
> workers - not efficient or fair, but serving a socio-economic purpose. 
> Since we are discussing a manifesto, lets be focussed, and concentrate
> on overhauling the features of our system that are most in need of
> repair.  Chasing after "minority appeasement" issues are
> counter-productive.  We will worry about them when the rest of our house
> is in order.  
> 
> Ashish



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