UPA's comeuppance but will the new claimants to the throne rise to the challenge?

The drubbing that the Congress is facing is just comeuppance for its hubris, lack of connect with the people, and last but not least, its ineptness. The last few years of UPA rule have been, to put it mildly, disastrous for this country -- in every front. Worse still, the common people had to suffer the humiliation of Congress worthies pontificating about everything under the sun, as if no one else had the wisdom to see things in the "correct" perspective.

Even when onion prices went through the roof, the UPA was unmoved -- because the engineers of that artificial price rise were none other than their own allies, the Nationalist Congress Party in Maharashtra. Its chief and Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar is more focused on getting control of the lucrative cricket board in India. He  actually had the gall to tell journalists, who asked him about onion prices during a cricket-politics function, that it is not the time and place to ask such questions. The underlying contempt and message was clear: the common man can go to hell, who are you to ask?

Now that the common man is finally pulling the rug from under the feet of these racketeers and daylight robbers, the next logical step would be throwing them into jail.

Just like the tough rape laws, we need tough anti-corruption laws. Will the new claimants to the crown be able to rise up to the challenge?

Much vilified, Sonia Gandhi brings hope for India

How can corrupt politicians hang so long to power? That speaks volumes about the state of the value system in Indian politics. 

However, I am heartened by Sonia Gandhi's leadership now, despite my being no Congress supporter.

The lady has been vilified, as inept, corrupt, loyal to foreign masters ... Yet she has been able to blow in change, through her subtle, often behind-the-scenes ways into Indian politics. 

And many Congress leaders who have been under the cloud of corruption in the past have suddenly emerged as 'clean' ones.

We don't have to search far for the answer to that one.

Congressmen have always been lackeys of the supreme leader. Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi never much cared about reining in corruption, for different reasons. Congressmen quickly read the message and went on to make money merrily.

Sonia faced, in many ways, a mostly hostile senior leadership, and had to cut them to size. Also the support she got from the electorate, again for different reasons, worked to her advantage. And Congressmen have been quick to read the signals.

Suddenly corruption is not something brazenly boasted about in the party, though it thrives more healthy than ever.

Thankfully, Rahul Gandhi hasn't let a coterie build around himself; and that gives hope to India.

Yes, because the BJP, Left and the Third Front have effectively demolished themselves in the country's political landscape.

Democracy, my foot! Kick out the jokers

The national political scene is hotting up but, sadly, there seems to be no player in the horizon who can enthuse the masses in the next General Election. There if the BJP-NDA, Congress-UPA, and an assortment of parties that can or cannot coalesce into a Third Front.
But the situation of the ground is that no one is really interested in whether it is the Congress or the BJP or the BSP who will rule India. Because for the common man, all of them are the same.
All of India's political parties bat for the rich and powerful. The policies that are announced for the common man are done so as an afterthought. This kind of government that we eulogize as the magic of democratic rule is actually is a government of exploiters who can put the deeds of the Raj to shame.
Why do we, the taxpayers, tolerate these fools and criminals and exploiters? Beats me.
Is there no way out? Is there no freedom from these jokers?