Ramachandra Guha: The mysterious makeover of Narendra Modi

by Guest Sun Mar 20, 2016 12:58 pm

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160319/jsp/opinion/story_75228.jsp#.Vu7izsdX_wx

Questions of scale and past political experience (or lack thereof) help explain why Narendra Modi, such a strong and assertive head of government in Gujarat, has been so curiously ineffective, even at times inept, as prime minister in Delhi. But there is a third reason, which may in fact be more consequential than the others. This is that Narendra Modi appears to have had a change of personality. His focus has shifted from closely controlling the administration to closely controlling his own image....

The sociologist, M.N. Srinivas, once told this writer that "media attention is the enemy of scholarship". To be sure, politicians need to be far more in the public eye than scholars. The trouble arises when the desire to be always in the news, and always spoken about positively, determines what a politician does. From Narendra Modi's conduct, ever since he moved from Gandhinagar to New Delhi, we can, I think, reasonably conclude that for powerful prime ministers, as much as for mere university professors, a craving for publicity can become the enemy of solid, sustained, work.

by Merlot Daruwala Tue Mar 22, 2016 3:06 am

Good one. All the good news on the economic front is just the good fortune of oil prices crashing (even as petrol prices have gone up in India). So that leaves just the grandiose schemes launched with much fanfare and related photo-ops.

His gullible devotees swoon over how he touched the feet of some 100-year old woman who sold her goats to build a toilet. Nobody in that cretinous set thought it fit to ask: when the govt is collecting a 0.5% cess for Swachch Bharat and has set steep targets for toilet construction across the nation, why did the old woman have to sell her goats for the luxury of having a toilet??

by Guest Tue Mar 22, 2016 7:23 am

Merlot Daruwala wrote:Good one. All the good news on the economic front is just the good fortune of oil prices crashing (even as petrol prices have gone up in India). So that leaves just the grandiose schemes launched with much fanfare and related photo-ops.

His gullible devotees swoon over how he touched the feet of some 100-year old woman who sold her goats to build a toilet. Nobody in that cretinous set thought it fit to ask: when the govt is collecting a 0.5% cess for Swachch Bharat and has set steep targets for toilet construction across the nation, why did the old woman have to sell her goats for the luxury of having a toilet??

this is with respect to the toilets constructed during the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan:

http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2015-11-23/news/68510403_1_national-sample-survey-office-swachh-bharat-abhiyan-toilets

NEW DELHI: India may have constructed over one crore toilets in a year under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pet programme Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, but it does not appear to have brought about speedy behavioural change.

Not even half the toilets built under the cleanliness mission are being used, an all-India survey conducted by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) has revealed. While just 46% of 95 lakh toilets built in rural India are being used, the figure is barely 50% even in urban areas, as per the survey.

In rural areas, surveyors found households using toilets for storing grains or as general storage space and still going to the fields early in the morning to relieve themselves....

The findings of the survey could provide some fodder to the Opposition against the programme for which the Centre appointed brand ambassadors and nudged state governments to provide grants to complete individual and community toilets in time.

The NSSO survey should make clear what should have been common sense: it isn't enough to construct toilets but, perhaps, it is even more important to ensure that there is adequate and proper supply of water in these toilets and that these are properly maintained. Without water supply, there will be only unusable, dirty toilets — hardly an incentive for eschewing open defecation. Effecting behavioural change requires nudges. Water supply in toilets is a good push. Having constructed record number of toilets, the government must focus on ensuring that these can be used, failing which it will remain a construction bonanza.

by southindian Tue Mar 22, 2016 7:35 am

RNI Loin, you can sell your oats and make money, who cares. But no... You wont do any such because you don't have the balls, for oats or for anything that needs courage. There are hundreds of toilets built monthly in India by govt and by private citizens like this old woman.

If you are still defecating in the open by choice like you do here, then write to GoI for a mobile toilet you can use before going online.

by Seva Lamberdar Tue Mar 22, 2016 8:44 am

southindian wrote:RNI Loin, you can sell your oats and make money, who cares. But no... You wont do any such because you don't have the balls, for oats or for anything that needs courage. There are hundreds of toilets built monthly in India by govt and by private citizens like this old woman.

If you are still defecating in the open by choice like you do here, then write to GoI for a mobile toilet you can use before going online.

Whose fault is it anyway if people still continue to defecate in the open ... certainly not Modi's or any one person / leader.

https://such.forumotion.com/t36252-the-lack-of-adequate-and-proper-toilet-facilities-and-washrooms-in-temples

by Guest Tue Mar 22, 2016 10:31 am

Seva Lamberdar wrote:
southindian wrote:RNI Loin, you can sell your oats and make money, who cares. But no... You wont do any such because you don't have the balls, for oats or for anything that needs courage. There are hundreds of toilets built monthly in India by govt and by private citizens like this old woman.

If you are still defecating in the open by choice like you do here, then write to GoI for a mobile toilet you can use before going online.
Whose fault is it anyway if people still continue to defecate in the open ... certainly not Modi's or any one person / leader.

https://such.forumotion.com/t36252-the-lack-of-adequate-and-proper-toilet-facilities-and-washrooms-in-temples

Modi is to blame because he helped build toilets but did not take into account the fact that toilets without water are useless.

by Seva Lamberdar Tue Mar 22, 2016 3:52 pm

Rashmun wrote:
Seva Lamberdar wrote:
southindian wrote:RNI Loin, you can sell your oats and make money, who cares. But no... You wont do any such because you don't have the balls, for oats or for anything that needs courage. There are hundreds of toilets built monthly in India by govt and by private citizens like this old woman.

If you are still defecating in the open by choice like you do here, then write to GoI for a mobile toilet you can use before going online.
Whose fault is it anyway if people still continue to defecate in the open ... certainly not Modi's or any one person / leader.

https://such.forumotion.com/t36252-the-lack-of-adequate-and-proper-toilet-facilities-and-washrooms-in-temples

Modi is to blame because he helped build toilets but did not take into account the fact that toilets without water are useless.

LOL. Are you also going to blame Modi for some people not being able to use the Govt. supplied / subsidized toilets properly? The responsibility for water required for toileting, initially and later, is for the user and toilet owner and not of Govt. or P.M.

by Guest Tue Mar 22, 2016 5:03 pm

Seva Lamberdar wrote:
Rashmun wrote:
Seva Lamberdar wrote:
southindian wrote:RNI Loin, you can sell your oats and make money, who cares. But no... You wont do any such because you don't have the balls, for oats or for anything that needs courage. There are hundreds of toilets built monthly in India by govt and by private citizens like this old woman.

If you are still defecating in the open by choice like you do here, then write to GoI for a mobile toilet you can use before going online.
Whose fault is it anyway if people still continue to defecate in the open ... certainly not Modi's or any one person / leader.

https://such.forumotion.com/t36252-the-lack-of-adequate-and-proper-toilet-facilities-and-washrooms-in-temples

Modi is to blame because he helped build toilets but did not take into account the fact that toilets without water are useless.
LOL. Are you also going to blame Modi for some people not being able to use the Govt. supplied / subsidized toilets properly? The responsibility for water required for toileting, initially and later, is for the user and toilet owner and not of Govt. or P.M.

Wrong. The responsibility for water supply rests with the government. Just ask the residents of Flint, Michigan.

by Seva Lamberdar Wed Mar 23, 2016 8:51 am

Rashmun wrote:
Seva Lamberdar wrote:
Rashmun wrote:
Seva Lamberdar wrote:
southindian wrote:RNI Loin, you can sell your oats and make money, who cares. But no... You wont do any such because you don't have the balls, for oats or for anything that needs courage. There are hundreds of toilets built monthly in India by govt and by private citizens like this old woman.

If you are still defecating in the open by choice like you do here, then write to GoI for a mobile toilet you can use before going online.
Whose fault is it anyway if people still continue to defecate in the open ... certainly not Modi's or any one person / leader.

https://such.forumotion.com/t36252-the-lack-of-adequate-and-proper-toilet-facilities-and-washrooms-in-temples

Modi is to blame because he helped build toilets but did not take into account the fact that toilets without water are useless.
LOL. Are you also going to blame Modi for some people not being able to use the Govt. supplied / subsidized toilets properly? The responsibility for water required for toileting, initially and later, is for the user and toilet owner and not of Govt. or P.M.

Wrong. The responsibility for water supply rests with the government. Just ask the residents of Flint, Michigan.

Good example Rashmun. How many people in Flint are blaming the U.S. President Obama for their water problems? None. But, you and Guha are still blaming Indian P.M. Modi for some people in India not having the water running in their Govt. supplied / subsidized toilets, the problem which basically should be handled by themselves (along with the help from local authorities, like those in Flint / MI) and not by the country's P.M. or President.

by Guest Wed Mar 23, 2016 9:00 am

Seva Lamberdar wrote:
Rashmun wrote:
Seva Lamberdar wrote:
Rashmun wrote:
Seva Lamberdar wrote:
Whose fault is it anyway if people still continue to defecate in the open ... certainly not Modi's or any one person / leader.

https://such.forumotion.com/t36252-the-lack-of-adequate-and-proper-toilet-facilities-and-washrooms-in-temples

Modi is to blame because he helped build toilets but did not take into account the fact that toilets without water are useless.
LOL. Are you also going to blame Modi for some people not being able to use the Govt. supplied / subsidized toilets properly? The responsibility for water required for toileting, initially and later, is for the user and toilet owner and not of Govt. or P.M.

Wrong. The responsibility for water supply rests with the government. Just ask the residents of Flint, Michigan.
Good example Rashmun. How many people in Flint are blaming the U.S. President Obama for their water problems? None. But, you and Guha are still blaming Indian P.M. Modi for some people in India not having the water running in their Govt. supplied / subsidized toilets, the problem which basically should be handled by themselves (along with the help from local authorities, like those in Flint / MI) and not by the country's P.M. or President.

The difference is that the swaccha bharata abhigyan was an initiative of Narendra Modi. So lots of toilets were built without taking into accounts that in India nobody would use those toilets if there is no water supply in those toilets.

by Seva Lamberdar Wed Mar 23, 2016 9:16 am

Rashmun wrote:
Seva Lamberdar wrote:
Rashmun wrote:
Seva Lamberdar wrote:
Rashmun wrote:

Modi is to blame because he helped build toilets but did not take into account the fact that toilets without water are useless.
LOL. Are you also going to blame Modi for some people not being able to use the Govt. supplied / subsidized toilets properly? The responsibility for water required for toileting, initially and later, is for the user and toilet owner and not of Govt. or P.M.

Wrong. The responsibility for water supply rests with the government. Just ask the residents of Flint, Michigan.
Good example Rashmun. How many people in Flint are blaming the U.S. President Obama for their water problems? None. But, you and Guha are still blaming Indian P.M. Modi for some people in India not having the water running in their Govt. supplied / subsidized toilets, the problem which basically should be handled by themselves (along with the help from local authorities, like those in Flint / MI) and not by the country's P.M. or President.

The difference is that the swaccha bharata abhigyan was an initiative of Narendra Modi. So lots of toilets were built without taking into accounts that in India nobody would use those toilets if there is no water supply in those toilets.

You and Guha have no clue about what you are talking. Toilet campaign was a separate one, above and beyond the "swatchh Bharat movement". The ultimate goal of both is same though, to keep / make country clean. As for the Govt. supplied / subsidized toilets, the running water is not a pre-requisite for them. You can use them even by taking a "lota" or bucket of water with you when you go to the washroom, just like you would do behind the trees or in a field or on the railway tracks.

by Guest Wed Mar 23, 2016 11:31 am

Seva Lamberdar wrote:
Rashmun wrote:
Seva Lamberdar wrote:
Rashmun wrote:
Seva Lamberdar wrote:
LOL. Are you also going to blame Modi for some people not being able to use the Govt. supplied / subsidized toilets properly? The responsibility for water required for toileting, initially and later, is for the user and toilet owner and not of Govt. or P.M.

Wrong. The responsibility for water supply rests with the government. Just ask the residents of Flint, Michigan.
Good example Rashmun. How many people in Flint are blaming the U.S. President Obama for their water problems? None. But, you and Guha are still blaming Indian P.M. Modi for some people in India not having the water running in their Govt. supplied / subsidized toilets, the problem which basically should be handled by themselves (along with the help from local authorities, like those in Flint / MI) and not by the country's P.M. or President.

The difference is that the swaccha bharata abhigyan was an initiative of Narendra Modi. So lots of toilets were built without taking into accounts that in India nobody would use those toilets if there is no water supply in those toilets.
You and Guha have no clue about what you are talking. Toilet campaign was a separate one, above and beyond the "swatchh Bharat movement". The ultimate goal of both is same though, to keep / make country clean. As for the Govt. supplied / subsidized toilets, the running water is not a pre-requisite for them. You can use them even by taking a "lota" or bucket of water with you when you go to the washroom, just like you would do behind the trees or in a field or on the railway tracks.

if adequate sanitation equipment, inclusive of water supply, has not been installed then building the toilets is a futile exercise. Pooping in such a toilet would result in a very filty and smelly facility due to the absence of an operative flush to flush the poop away. Since no water supply = no flush.

Building the huge number of toilets with no water supply only ended up enriching the pockets of the contractors who built them.

by Seva Lamberdar Wed Mar 23, 2016 3:10 pm

Rashmun wrote:
Seva Lamberdar wrote:
Rashmun wrote:
Seva Lamberdar wrote:
Rashmun wrote:

Wrong. The responsibility for water supply rests with the government. Just ask the residents of Flint, Michigan.
Good example Rashmun. How many people in Flint are blaming the U.S. President Obama for their water problems? None. But, you and Guha are still blaming Indian P.M. Modi for some people in India not having the water running in their Govt. supplied / subsidized toilets, the problem which basically should be handled by themselves (along with the help from local authorities, like those in Flint / MI) and not by the country's P.M. or President.

The difference is that the swaccha bharata abhigyan was an initiative of Narendra Modi. So lots of toilets were built without taking into accounts that in India nobody would use those toilets if there is no water supply in those toilets.
You and Guha have no clue about what you are talking. Toilet campaign was a separate one, above and beyond the "swatchh Bharat movement". The ultimate goal of both is same though, to keep / make country clean. As for the Govt. supplied / subsidized toilets, the running water is not a pre-requisite for them. You can use them even by taking a "lota" or bucket of water with you when you go to the washroom, just like you would do behind the trees or in a field or on the railway tracks.

if adequate sanitation equipment, inclusive of water supply, has not been installed then building the toilets is a futile exercise. Pooping in such a toilet would result in a very filty and smelly facility due to the absence of an operative flush to flush the poop away. Since no water supply = no flush.

Building the huge number of toilets with no water supply only ended up enriching the pockets of the contractors who built them.

You have no clue about this issue and the Govt. subsidized toilet plan. Given a choice between using a toilet having no flushing system and defecating in the open (in bushes, fields or on the road etc.), which one will you opt for? Naturally, the first one.
Btw, the toilet system also has the option to install a (min.) 500L size water tank which can be filled by the user (home owner) using buckets filled with water if there no water supply. The water tank supplies the necessary water for toilet, when needed.

by Guest Wed Mar 23, 2016 7:52 pm

Seva Lamberdar wrote:
Rashmun wrote:
Seva Lamberdar wrote:
Rashmun wrote:
Seva Lamberdar wrote:
Good example Rashmun. How many people in Flint are blaming the U.S. President Obama for their water problems? None. But, you and Guha are still blaming Indian P.M. Modi for some people in India not having the water running in their Govt. supplied / subsidized toilets, the problem which basically should be handled by themselves (along with the help from local authorities, like those in Flint / MI) and not by the country's P.M. or President.

The difference is that the swaccha bharata abhigyan was an initiative of Narendra Modi. So lots of toilets were built without taking into accounts that in India nobody would use those toilets if there is no water supply in those toilets.
You and Guha have no clue about what you are talking. Toilet campaign was a separate one, above and beyond the "swatchh Bharat movement". The ultimate goal of both is same though, to keep / make country clean. As for the Govt. supplied / subsidized toilets, the running water is not a pre-requisite for them. You can use them even by taking a "lota" or bucket of water with you when you go to the washroom, just like you would do behind the trees or in a field or on the railway tracks.

if adequate sanitation equipment, inclusive of water supply, has not been installed then building the toilets is a futile exercise. Pooping in such a toilet would result in a very filty and smelly facility due to the absence of an operative flush to flush the poop away. Since no water supply = no flush.

Building the huge number of toilets with no water supply only ended up enriching the pockets of the contractors who built them.

You have no clue about this issue and the Govt. subsidized toilet plan. Given a choice between using a toilet having no flushing system and defecating in the open (in bushes, fields or on the road etc.), which one will you opt for? Naturally, the first one.
Btw, the toilet system also has the option to install a (min.) 500L size water tank which can be filled by the user (home owner) using buckets filled with water if there no water supply. The water tank supplies the necessary water for toilet, when needed.

Ramachandra Guha: The mysterious makeover of Narendra Modi Honobachwadi2

Ramachandra Guha: The mysterious makeover of Narendra Modi Article-urn:publicid:ap.org:d3154e3bb7b34d149ce646205eb253a6-6OhVFYI1X-HSK1-163_634x436

by Seva Lamberdar Thu Mar 24, 2016 8:38 am

Rashmun wrote:
Seva Lamberdar wrote:
Rashmun wrote:
Seva Lamberdar wrote:
Rashmun wrote:

The difference is that the swaccha bharata abhigyan was an initiative of Narendra Modi. So lots of toilets were built without taking into accounts that in India nobody would use those toilets if there is no water supply in those toilets.
You and Guha have no clue about what you are talking. Toilet campaign was a separate one, above and beyond the "swatchh Bharat movement". The ultimate goal of both is same though, to keep / make country clean. As for the Govt. supplied / subsidized toilets, the running water is not a pre-requisite for them. You can use them even by taking a "lota" or bucket of water with you when you go to the washroom, just like you would do behind the trees or in a field or on the railway tracks.

if adequate sanitation equipment, inclusive of water supply, has not been installed then building the toilets is a futile exercise. Pooping in such a toilet would result in a very filty and smelly facility due to the absence of an operative flush to flush the poop away. Since no water supply = no flush.

Building the huge number of toilets with no water supply only ended up enriching the pockets of the contractors who built them.

You have no clue about this issue and the Govt. subsidized toilet plan. Given a choice between using a toilet having no flushing system and defecating in the open (in bushes, fields or on the road etc.), which one will you opt for? Naturally, the first one.
Btw, the toilet system also has the option to install a (min.) 500L size water tank which can be filled by the user (home owner) using buckets filled with water if there no water supply. The water tank supplies the necessary water for toilet, when needed.

That is a line of people for drinking water, after they very likely have already been to the toilet using the (non-drinkable) water from a pond or a river. Look how happy and contented they appear and are not in a rush to run to a nearby tree / bush etc. to relieve themselves, after having been to the toilet in their home before going to fetch the drinking water.

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