Please Don`t Laugh at the non serious Market oriented Politics.Just come out and dare to change it.You may use NOTA also! Bengal Politics transformed iconic as Mamata bets on popular faces while Left targets youth !

Please Don`t Laugh at the non serious Market oriented Politics.Just come out and dare to change it.You may use NOTA also!

Bengal Politics transformed iconic as Mamata bets on popular faces while Left targets youth !

Palash Biswas

Please Don`t Laugh at the non serious Market oriented Politics.Just come out and dare to change it.You may use NOTA also!

Arvind Kejriwal was arrested in north Gujarat as he did not have any permission for a road show.Unprecedented election scenario in which an Ex Chief minister is stopped by the most potential prime ministerial candidate just because he feels insecure in his home state!You need not be an AAP supporter to condemn this act.

I am not an AAP supporter rather initially I had been warning that Kejriwal might prove to be more dangerous for his world bank project for an Indian spring.But I realised very soon that only those people who stand with Arvind are serious enough for any change and above all,it is an option which may abort the Hindu Rashtra.

Having seen the candidate lists from Bengal, I am quite disappointed with this circus politics which banks on the clowns only.Nay,it is not an affair for laughing exercise.It is complete surrender of Indian politics to extra constitutional corporate forces only committed to US imperialist zionist interest.To save the nation,it is hightime that we must reject this attempt to reduce Indian republic and its democratic set up to just a mockery.

I have been appealing to all sensible people to stand united against corporate religious imperialist zionist agenda.But the sense seems to be missing.

Now I appeal to the young India.

I welcome Arvind Kejriwals quote that only worthy candidate have to be voted in.Arvind should be praised that he has the gutts to call for outright rejection of doubtful candidates even selected by AAP.He has openly called for election of the worthiest candidates across the political lines.

Very very welcome.

I hope ,young India would like it,share it and would make it the tool of the change.

I just picked up the phone and dialed my friends in various spheres of life who missed the political wagon.Most of them are annoyed and threw a question for me why I should not contest election  either from Bengal or Uttarakhand.

Later,as knowing well my apolitical stance some of them said,let us have the privilege to laugh at.

The Political vital statics is exposed to skin on the ramp.But the skin is not supported by anything like flesh,blood or bone.It is only the glittering skin doctored so badly.

It is a naked dance.We should reject to enjoy this.Rather we should do something to stop all this nonsense once for all.

Mind you,Mamata Banerjee aspires to become the next prime minister of India destroying the third front.But she succeeded to eject out politicians from the Parliamentary arena.

Mamata has banked on the glamour quotient  from the beginning for which she did not mind to waste a chief minister`s priceless time on the deathbed of Bengal beauty queen Suchitra Sen. And she has opted for Moon Moon Sen.If little time youngest actor Mamtaz has become a parliamentary candidate,she might field Moonmoon`s beautiful daughter duo Ria and Raima anywhere in the country as she is going national all the way and has no political capital at all.She has to spoil the politics of third front under Sangh Anna direction and has to make it a cake walk for Narendra Modi.It would be rather to vote for serious BJP candidates instead of voting nonserious market elements.

Every popular face,old as well as new finds place in TMC list denying political activists.PC Sarkar is pitted in Barasat by the saffron brigade and Didi picked up his two films old daughter Mamataz as her candidate in the Left citadel Burdwan.

What sort of change Mamata is going to transplant in Indian politics,we must understand.By the way if elected as the Prime Minister of India she would destroy the democratic set up in whimsical manner and would throw every seriuos commtted politician out of her way.

Ironically enough,Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said she will campaign in various states outside Bengal starting with her rally with Anna Hazare in New Delhi on March 12. Mamata said she will visit Bihar, Jharkhand, Lucknow and even Ahmedabad to campaign!

When quizzed about her plans to visit Ahmedabad, Mamata said, even Gujarat was her state and she was free to visit the state just like the Gujarat Chief Minister visited Kolkata recently.

“If the Gujarat Chief Minister (Modi) can come here why can’t we go there? We can always put up candidates there, why not, said Mamata.

However, when asked about whether the Trinamool at all intends to fight in Gujarat as well, Mamata said, “Why can’t we be there? We will contest in Gujarat, it is also our state and our Dinesh Trivedi is also from Gujarat. There is a significant Gujarati community here in Bengal.

No doubt,it has some thing to cheer about.

No,Mamata Banerjee happens not yet another Mrs Indira Gandhi who ruled India quite efficiently despite her absolute dictatorship which caused her fall as well as the fall of democratic Indian Republic,eventually reduced to Amercanized Open Market of ethnic cleansing only.If an Indira Gandhi could break the hell lose around us and we find ourselves imprisoned, hostage  in an infinite killing field,just imagine what India would look like in Mamata regime?

Mind you,Parliamentary elections in India, the world's largest democracy, will commence on 7 April and some analysts expect a stock market rally in the run-up to the month-long elections.

The benchmark S&P BSE Sensex has gained in the month before elections in each of the preceding six general elections, with the biggest gain coming in 2009 when the Congress party-led United Progressive Alliance was elected for a second five-year term.

Uncertainties about election outcomes have not prevented advances in the past.

The gains in the weeks leading to elections can be attributed to a mix of expectations for policy reforms and election spending, according to traders.

Traders expect strong gains this year as solid foreign investment flows and a more stable rupee, against the backdrop of a narrowing current account deficit, are more than offsetting global uncertainties such as the reduction of the US Federal Reserve's monetary stimulus.

The Trinamool Congress on Wednesday announced candidates in all 42 seats in West Bengal. Party chief Mamata Banerjee announced a star studded list which includes football legend Bhaichung Bhutia, reigning Bengali matinee idol Dev, actor Moonmoon Sen and Mamata's own nephew Abhishek Banerjee among other surprises.

Mamata has included 26 new faces while retaining most of the previous candidates who won last time. Former railway minsiter Dinesh Trivedi retains his Barrackpore constituency while senior leaders like Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Sougata Roy, Sudip Bandhopadhyay, Sultan Ahmed, Kalyan Banerjee, Sisir and Suvendu Adhikari have all been re-nominated from their respective seats.

Announcing her party's list of candidates, Mamata said, "Out of the 42 seats we have given 12 to SC/ST candidates, and we are fielding 11 women candidates.it's highest,also we have given tickets to 7 minority candidates!"

Suchitra Sen's daughter Moonmoon Sen has been fielded from Bankura while Harvard professor Sugata Bose, grand nephew of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose will fight the prestigious Jadavpur constituency replacing suspended party MP Kabir Suman.

The Left Front too announced its list of candidates fielding 26 new faces with over ten candidates who are below 40 years of age. Five sitting MPs have been dropped while new faces have been given chance.

CPI(M) politburo member and chairman of West Bengal Left Front Biman Bose said the Left aws given impetus on youth and many new candidates were preferred over the old leadership.

"We have 26 new candidates this year many of whom are below the gae of 40.  We also have six women candidates, 12 muslim candidates and 13 members form the SC/ST community this year," said Bose.

The Ghatal Lok Sabha seat which belonged to veteran CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta, will now have CPI leader Santosh Rana taking on Trinamool candidate and Bengali film megastar Deb.

Another senior CPI(M) leader Mohammed Salim, who had lost to Trinamool's Sudip Bandopadhyay in the last Lok Sabha elections from the Kolkata North seat, will now contest from Raiganj constituency. This seat will see a triangular clash between CPI(M)'s Md Slaim, Congress's Deepa Dasmunshilikely to be announced) and TMC candidate Satya Ranjan Dasmunsi (Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi's brother).

Not enough, heorine of Old Bengali films Sandhya Roy is her choice in Midnapur.

Mind you,Mamata`s rise to power has the background of anti acquiition land movement in Midnapur but neglecting all her political supporters,didi opted for Sndhya Roy, a typical Bishwajeet heroine.Whaereas Bengali superhit commercial heartthrob Deb is also a candidat from Ghatal Midnapur.

Moonmoon Sen gets TMC ticket fromTribal Bankura.

Music band keyman from Bhumi is her man in Congress base Maldah North.Singer Indraneel Sen is pitted against Adhir Chowdhari in Baharam Pur.

Romantic pair Tapas Pal from Krishnanagar and Shatabdi Roy from Birbhum have been retained.While football players Baichng Bhutia and Prason Banerjee are TMC candidates from Darjiling and Howrah respectively.

Drama personality Arpita Ghosh is TMC candidate from Balurghat.Only intellectual Sugata Basu gets Didi`s nod while personality like Shubhprasanna failed to win Didi` favour.

I have some political friends in TMC also.Many of them have no option to get out from the mess who dare to speak off the record and only complain that Didi wants no political rival at any level.

Thus,she ousted and excellent organiser like Somen Mitra.She fielded controversial Subrata Baxi from her South Kolkata constituency so that he may vacate the seat for her if needed.

Didi hates serious politician.This TMC list justifies the assumption while she is talking to get all regional parties headed by most ambitious politicians.

Didi never does allow anyone to pick up the mike even for announcement.She fielded her heir apparent and nephew Abhishek Bandopadhyaya from Dimond harbour.

"A pre-election rally is definitely underway. Flows, positioning, macro are all pointing towards its extension in the coming months," G Chokkalingam, founder of Equinomics, a research and fund advisory company, told Reuters.

Earlier, Wells Fargo Securities said in a note to clients: "A return to the super-charged rates of economic growth á la 2004-07 likely will not occur in the foreseeable future.

"Economic reform in India has stalled over the past few years, and there likely won't be any major policy changes ahead of the general elections in May. Even then, the fractured nature of India's political system may prevent sweeping policy changes."

Capital Economics said in a 28 February note to clients: "Economic growth in India dipped in the final quarter of 2013, having picked up in Q3. Looking ahead, we continue to expect the economic recovery to remain slow and uneven."

Dismal Picture

Shrinking industrial output and slowing investments pulled down India's economic growth to a worse-than-expected 4.7% in the three months to December 2013, government data showed on 28 February.

The latest figures would make it hard for the outgoing government to meet its forecast of 5% growth for the fiscal year ending 31 March, 2014.

South Asia's longest serving prime minister, Manmohan Singh, will lead his coalition government to the polls next month. But weakening economic growth over the years and multiple graft scandals have dented his coalition's image.

India's economic growth hit a decade low of 5% in the 2013 financial year. Scandals rocked parliament where opposition parties have, on several occasions, refused to engage in debate about legislation that could have boosted growth.

Noting that India's growth has slowed markedly and inflationremains stubbornly high, the International Monetary Fund has suggested broader structural reforms to revive growth and raising the long-term growth potential.

"The principal risk facing India is the inward spillover from global financial market volatility," the IMF said in a report released after the annual Article IV Consultation with India to monitor its economic health.

"Protracted economic and financial volatility, triggered by advanced economies' exit from unconventional monetary policies, a lengthy euro area growth slowdown, and higher oil prices are the main external risks," it said.

Slow progress on structural reforms, high inflation, failure to ease supply constraints, and resorting to expansionary fiscal policy are key domestic downside risks, it said.

"On the upside, going beyond announced reforms or faster-than-envisaged legislative progress would lead to higher growth and reduce economic vulnerabilities," IMF said.

Executive directors of the 188-member international institution also "commended the Indian authorities for their ability to maintain macroeconomic and financial stability amid a challenging macroeconomic landscape".

The IMF directors welcomed "ongoing efforts, including recent policy initiatives, to reduce external vulnerabilities, rebuild buffers, and revive investment".

They noted, however, that "growth has slowed markedly and inflation remains persistently high, while spillovers from global financial market volatility continue to pose a significant risk".

Against this backdrop, IMF "underscored the need to rein in inflation, prudently consolidate the fiscal position, and accelerate structural reforms to address supply bottlenecks and promote sustainable and inclusive growth".

IMF also supported the Reserve Bank of India's policies of rupee flexibility and limited foreign exchange intervention.

IMF also welcomed the gradual, cautious move toward further external liberalisation and suggested that measures to facilitate foreign direct investment inflows and deepen domestic capital markets should continue to help reduce external vulnerabilities.

Given entrenched double-digit inflation expectations, IMF recommended that the authorities maintain the monetary policy stance appropriately tight, and stand ready to raise the policy rate further so as to bring down inflation to more sustainable levels.

Commending the Indian government's commitment to fiscal consolidation, IMF emphasised on the need for a comprehensive package of measures, comprising both tax and subsidy reforms, to ensure the quality and sustainability of consolidation.

"Rationalising fuel and fertiliser subsidies and introducing the goods and services tax are essential to create fiscal space, while safeguarding priority capital spending and targeted social programmes, particularly health and education," it said.

IMF stressed that reviving growth and raising the long-term growth potential require broader structural reforms to improve infrastructure, the business climate, and the pricing and allocation of natural resources.

It also saw as key priorities reforms aimed at boosting agricultural productivity and supporting formal job creation, by relaxing labour laws and addressing skills mismatches.

Welcoming recent measures to enhance supervision and increase bank provisioning, IMF said along with improving external conditions, positive policy steps taken by the authorities have improved market sentiment.

"While recent policy initiatives have reduced vulnerabilities, the policy space remains strictly circumscribed because of high deficits and debt, and elevated inflation," it said.

Projecting India's growth at 4.6% for fiscal year 2013-14, IMF said it should pick up to 5.4% in 2014-15 at factor cost.

"Stronger global growth, improving export competitiveness, a favourable monsoon, and a confidence boost from recent policy actions should deliver a modest growth rebound," it said.

However, fiscal restraint and a tighter monetary stance would act as headwinds, slowing the recovery, IMF staff report said.

On the other and,the Left Front on Wednesday announced its candidates for 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal and fielded 26 new faces with over ten candidates who are of less than 40 years of age.

The Left Front, which had faced severe drubbing in all the elections since the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, has dropped winning candidates of five seats out 15 which it had won last time.

“After discussion in the Left Front we are announcing this list of candidates. We hope that Left candidates will win,” Left Front chairman Biman Bose said.

Five sitting MPs were dropped from the list, while the new faces included Subhasini Ali and the youngest being the 25-year-old Sheikh Ibrahim Ali from the Tamluk seat.

The 26 seats which will see new Left Front faces also include candidates who had lost the elections from other Lok Sabha or Assembly segments in 2009 and 2011.

Out of the 15 Lok Sabha segments, Alipurduar, Arambagh, Asansol, Balurghat, Bankura, Bardhaman Purba, Bardhaman-Durgapur, Bishnupur, Bolpur, Ghatal, Jalpaiguri, Kanthi, Medinipur, Purulia and Coochbehar, which the Left had won back in 2009, Coochbehar, Balurghat, Ghatal, Bardhaman Purba and Bardhaman-Durgapur will have new faces.

The Ghatal Lok Sabha segment, which was represented by veteran CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta, will now have CPI leader Santosh Rana taking on Trinamool candidate and actor Dev.

Mr. Dasgupta had opted out of the polls due to old age issues.

It should be kept in mind that Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal was detained in Patan district, north Gujarat for alleged violations of the model code of conduct, which came into force after the Election Commission of India announced the polling dates for the upcoming General Elections on Wednesday.

The former Delhi chief minister, who embarked on a four-day tour of Gujarat today morning, was held for organising a road show without prior notice.

Meanwhile, AAP supporters have staged a 'dharna' outside police station where Kejriwal has been kept.

The AAP chief kick-started his tour of the Gujarat Chief Minister's homeland in order to verify BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi's "development" claims.

"Gujarat government and the media says there is 'Ramrajya' in this state. (They say) Education has developed, health issues have been resolved, corruption has been finished...So we have come here to see that development in Gujarat," PTI quoted Kejriwal as saying after his arrival at the city airport.

Replying to a question if he will contest against Modi, Kejriwal said, "Let us see," and added that to fight an election or not to fight it is not the main issue.

As reports have been doing that rounds that Modi might contest from Varanasi, AAP leader Manish Sisodia in an interview to a leading newspaper had said that Kejriwal will question the Gujarat CM from Varanasi, hinting that the AAP chief may contest against the BJP strongman in the Lok Sabha polls.

AAP also announced that Kejriwal will fight elections against Modi if he contests from anywhere outside Gujarat.

While speaking to the media last week, Kejriwal had said that he will visit Gujarat as people talk a lot about the supposed development of the state.

The activist-turned politician said that he would like to learn from the development model; however, the AAP leader went on to say that he if there is no development, then it should be exposed.

Kejriwal launched a direct attack on Modi and accused him of being silent on Congress president Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Rober Vadra's dubious land dealings in Haryana.

"Have you ever heard of Modiji speak against (Congress president Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law) Robert Vadra? Is there a 'setting' with Vadra?" he asked.

AAP's fund raising gets poor response

If funds donated are any indicator of popularity, then the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) fund-raising drive before Lok Sabha elections has received a poor response in Gujarat.

Compared to funds collected from other states, the Gujarat unit of the AAP ranked eighth and when average donations are taken into account it stands 12th.

Street fighting

(Reuters) - Street clashes erupted in India after an announcement on Wednesday that parliamentary elections will start on April 7 in a race that pits Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi against the unpopular Nehru-Gandhi family's ruling Congress party.

Chief Election Commissioner V.S. Sampath said 814 million people had registered to vote, a number exceeding the population of Europe and a world record. Results are due on May 16.

In Delhi and Lucknow, supporters of a young anti-corruption party battled members of Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The clashes with stones and clubs bloodied several people on both sides. Police used water cannons on protesters.

The violence broke out after police detained the leader of the anti-corruption Aam Aadmi (Common Man) Party (AAP) during a campaign in Modi's Gujarat. Small groups of supporters gathered outside BJP offices to protest his detention.

"We came in a peaceful manner, we stood outside, they shut the gates. We shouted slogans: 'Have shame Narendra Modi'," said AAP activist Shazia Ilmi. "They started throwing stones from inside." The BJP blamed the AAP protesters for the fighting.

The election campaign coincides with growing anger among urban Indians over corruption, as well as a sense that the centre-left government led by the Congress party has frittered away opportunities for rapid growth.

Modi has emerged in opinion polls as the favourite to head the next government, buoyed by his strong economic track record as chief minister of Gujarat.

"I think everyone is looking for strong leadership. This places Modi at an advantage. He's showing that he's a strong leader," said Mohan Guruswamy of the Centre for Policy Alternatives, a Delhi-based think-tank.

SETTING AGENDA

Born of a street movement against graft scandals related to the sale of natural resources over the last decade, the AAP has also gained ground, alleging corruption in both main parties.

It may not win many seats, but is setting the election agenda by harping on high utility prices and crony capitalism.

Exuding self-confidence, Modi has won the support of many middle-class Indians who even a year ago would not have voted for a man accused by critics of failing to stop, or even tacitly encouraging, a spasm of Hindu-Muslim bloodshed in Gujarat in 2002. Modi has denied any wrongdoing and the Supreme Court has said there is not enough evidence to pursue investigations.

However, India's fragmented political landscape and first-past-the-post system in parliamentary polls makes results hard to predict, meaning a BJP victory is by no means assured.

Voting will be held in nine stages staggered between April 7 and May 12 to help security forces keep control. Violence, ballot-rigging and vote-buying have often marred past elections.

"Credible elections conducted at regular, prescribed intervals are the very soul, or hallmark, of any democratic system," election commissioner Sampath said, voicing concern at over-spending by candidates and parties.

The introduction of electronic voting and phased elections over the past decade have greatly decreased fraud on polling days, and India's elections are deemed largely free and fair.

"SCAM AFTER SCAM"

Since the last national election in 2009, about 100 million voters have joined the electoral rolls, in part reflecting India's growing population, half of which is aged under 25.

Many of the record number of first-time voters appear open to Modi's promises of job creation and efficient government.

"There was so much corruption with Congress, scam after scam," said Ravinder, a 19-year-old business administration student at a Modi rally in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday.

"Now we see hope. There is someone talking about development, and he seems sincere."

Polls show the BJP well short of a majority of the 543 lower house seats at stake, but widening its lead over Congress, which has ruled India for more than two-thirds of the 67 years since independence, but which may now face its worst electoral defeat.

A multi-headed group of regional parties is also eyeing power, reflecting the growing clout of state-based leaders.

A "third-front" government made up of such diverse groups could prove unwieldy when it comes to running Asia's third-largest economy, whose growth has faltered due to the slow pace of reform on the Congress party's watch.

Leading the Congress party's campaign is Rahul Gandhi, scion of a dynasty that has given India three prime ministers and its most powerful contemporary politician, his mother, Sonia Gandhi.

But after two consecutive Congress-led governments headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, India seems unlikely to make another Gandhi prime minister.

Economic growth is set to stay below five percent for the second year running, which would be the worst performance since the 1980s for a country that a few years ago was confident of matching China's run of double-digit expansion.

Modi has the backing of big business, which wants him to replicate his Gujarat state model of good roads, uninterrupted electricity and less red tape. Last week, he promised simpler laws and a trade-centred foreign policy, if elected.

As the election approaches, overseas investors have extended a buying streak of Indian shares, with purchases totalling $800 million in a run of 13 sessions until Tuesday.

But businesses have put investment plans on hold, worsening a slowdown that could, however, be reversed after the polls.

"Irrespective of who wins, pent-up demand is set to be released after the elections are over," HSBC said in a research note. "Companies that have shelved expansion plans will at some point start investing and hiring."