Machiavelli said, "the ruler's virtuous actions can also bring harm". He cites the example of Pertinax, the Roman emperor who after taking over from his predecessor Commodus, mandated his soldiers to live an honest and Spartan life. These soldiers were accustomed to living licentiously under Commodus. They started hating Pertinax for withdrawing their privileges and he was overthrown and assassinated soon. His army then even auctioned the post of the emperor, bringing the state of affairs to an … [Read more...] about Centre’s move to scrap MP airfare DA draws flak across party lines: Narendra Modi faces side-effects of political reform
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Karnataka fallout: BJP’s fierce pursuit of Congress-free India could hurt its chances in other polls, damage Narendra Modi’s image
Why did Narendra Modi allegedly allow horse-trading overtures in Karnataka though he swears to uproot corruption from public life? Which is part of a bigger question: Why don’t political leaders keep their promises? File image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Getty images This phenomenon is best enunciated by Machiavelli in his seminal work Discourses on Livy, where he compares how the dilettante politician recognises the impracticality of the promises he made in the plaza (public … [Read more...] about Karnataka fallout: BJP’s fierce pursuit of Congress-free India could hurt its chances in other polls, damage Narendra Modi’s image
Five Wishes From The PM This Republic Day
Here is my take on the top five areas PM Narendra Modi could focus on - The last I wrote of my expectations from the PM was for his Independence Day speech. Some of the wishes I put forth must have been on his agenda as well, as I see some spur on these. Thought I must come up with the next set of asks from my PM on 69th Republic Day of India. So, for his consideration, here is my take on the top five areas he could focus on: 1. Avoid drastic interventions in Business - Factor in … [Read more...] about Five Wishes From The PM This Republic Day
Modi: The Much-Needed Antibiotic – Some Side Effects too
Any account of how the Modi government has fared on this front should begin with what the BJP promised in the 2014 election manifesto and whether and to what extent has it been able to keep these promises. Staying within the area of my expertise, I will restrict my argument to the medical technology and hospital sector and assess the government’s performance on some of the most important indices. These two sectors, coincidentally, are those where the government has been most active. The … [Read more...] about Modi: The Much-Needed Antibiotic – Some Side Effects too
Narendra Modi’s Independence Day speech: From making peace to rejecting prejudice, five things PM must say
In his latest 'Mann Ki Baat' broadcast, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked citizens to send him ideas on what he should say in his Independence Day speech. The prime minister did this so that he could set the trend for the next year of governance. So, for his consideration, here are my top five areas he could focus on, both in his speech and administration: #1: Make peace, not war Do not allow the India-China border row to devolve into war. Even though China's propensity to breach … [Read more...] about Narendra Modi’s Independence Day speech: From making peace to rejecting prejudice, five things PM must say
The Modi-Trump Meeting: Kiss After The Hiss
A TV channel asked me, "What did I make of the Modi-Trump meeting?" I gave my take based on what they said, their body language and some back ground information I had, as below. When Modi alighted from the car, his and even Trump’s body language (to some extent) was a language of mending the fences. When Modi cracked a joke, the laughter also seemed a bit forced and a bit overdone. This was expected as the telecons prior to their meet hadn’t gone too well. On the Indian side there … [Read more...] about The Modi-Trump Meeting: Kiss After The Hiss