Take a Bow the Aam Aadmi !

At the outset of this post, I shall state that I have been a supporter of the ruling party partially due to the fact that my family have been traditional supporters of the Gandhi family but over the years I have found my own reasons to support the UPA. But this post is my attempt to objectively analyze the results and lessons for the various parties.

The Left

The biggest losers in this elections has to be the Left Front considering both the bastions of Kerala and West Bengal falling to the Congress. The loss in Kerala was on the cards considering the infighting and corruption charges, but West Bengal was the big surprise. The consistent high pitch attack on Manmohan Singh on the nuclear deal and the threat of not supporting Cong in the post poll scenario cost them big time.

The reasons which cost the Left the elections complacency in taking Mamta Banerjee and Cong lightly, secondly demonstrating rigidity in policy issues e.g. the nuclear deal and other economic reforms. Prakash Karat and company need to evaluate their political relevance and adjustments to their rather rigid political outlook.

Lalu, Jaya, Maya, Paswan, Pawar, Mulayam and all alleged king makers

The glorious dream for the regional parties that a hung parliament was smashed. The members of the third and the fourth front wanted to capitalize on instability and derive maximum power for self. None of these parties had a plan for the nation in terms of strategy or a clarity in addressing the key issues in the area of economy, foreign affairs or handling terrorism.

The nation has rejected these brand of politics, although regional parties retain relevance in the state politics as in Nitesh having a strong presence in Bihar and Naveen Patnaik in Orissa. The regional parties will keep the national parties in check.

BJP

The BJP made several tactical blunders, in an electorate which no long identifies with religion as a factor for determining self worth, condoning Varun Gandhi's hate speech was a big mistake. The second blunder L.K Advani targeting Manmohan Singh who has a clean image and consistently labeling him as a weak PM, ( it is tough to justify that when the PM risked his government and had a face off with the Left for the nuclear deal, a PM who removed the Home Minister post 26/11 ) and thirdly projecting Narendra Modi as the next PM candidate which was political harakiri. He may be the undisputed leader in Gujarat but his actions in the post Godhra riots, his venomous tongue in talking about his political opponents was not appreciated in most circles.

BJP is in great disarray with no fresh agenda to offer to the Indian people, no charismatic leader who can lead the BJP and NDA coalition to present a credible alternative to the Cong led UPA in the coming years. If they fall back on Narendra Modi as the next leader they will only alienate potential allies and the electorate in general.

Congress

The Cong should not fall in the trap of sycophancy of trying to elevate Rahul Gandhi to the top seat yet. The role Manmohan Singh played in builidng the credibility of the UPA is as significant to the victory as Sonia Gandhi's charisma. The Gandhi family taking a back seat, to let Manmohan Singh take the top job showed the maturity with which Congress is having a long term view to restore the party to its former glory. If the party wants to really shut out the competition for the future, they should give youth a chance, put in qualified ministers in place and ensure the connect with the electorate is in place.

Indian Voter

The rural voter is generally derided for being influenced by money/alcohol, or the urban voter is accused of not even exercising his/her franchise. The voter has sent a clear signal that he/she does not believe in hate politics or put his trust on small regional parties. A key note to reflect upon UPA has a mandate which is 10 seats below the majority mark, which is a warning to them that do not be too complacent, the Indian voter is watching you ….

Take a bow aam aadmi you showed the netas who is the boss !!

The Enemy Within

The Warriors of Amesopotia

The warriors of Amesopotia were the most feared in the medieval world, they were known far and wide for their valor and the can do attitude. They had won several wars for their king and were willing to lay down their lives for the empire. The conquests made the king avaricious and he ensured more and more of the young lads in the kingdom were recruited to become warriors. Since the plunder ensured there was enough gold in the treasury, to train and pay salaries for these fine warriors.

One winter, he led the army to an improbable mission to defeat the kingdom of Nardua which was considered a tough nation to beat in ordinary circumstances itself, the winter could have posed a greater risk which was ignored by the advisors and generals. There were optimistic scenarios plotted, songs of glory were sung and a wild frenzy which ensured blinded all people of any rational reasoning.

So the army marched in, the biggest enemies was the environment itself, with food reserves running out , the king doubted if the army could make it to the end of the winter. Some bumbling accountants calculated mere 40% of the standing army could defeat the Narduan forces. The king ordered the execution of the remaining Amespotian warriors for the greater good of the kingdom. The rest waited for the winter to end. The king was expecting the war to end soon. It did but not in his favour. He was routed, his warriors scattered, defeated and most of them retreated.

War is not an arithmetic, people have memories, they carry scars for life. In time of optitism, generals end up raising large armies without looking at the costs involved. In a time of glory, the advisors ignore obvious signs of decay and ruin, and make outrageous plans. Unfortunately when things go wrong, the heads roll not at the top but of the foot soldiers. The decisions which the few make impact a vast majority and when the time comes for the army to perform, it is morale of the soldier on the ground which matters !

Does the above story ring a bell in today's world. Whatever be the odds and the adversity at hand, it is enemy within who undermines the organization.

In this recession hit era, most companies are under the impression that cost cutting and layoffs are the only choices to solve problems, although I agree that it is difficult to come to a quicker solution but there are better strategies in the areas of recruitment, utilization of employees and targeting new markets/segments to overcome economic difficulties. But blind cost cutting is not the answer although it is a very tempting tool which shows immediate results. The test of a organization is not how it treats its employees in the good times but it handles the work force in tougher times.  The recession will end one day, and so will the credit crunch, but the hit on the employee pysche cannot be restored magically over night. 

When the only tool you have is a hammer, then you tend to see every problem as a nail – Abraham Maslow