| harihara puthran:Very Good Morning Sir, First of all I do agree for the term minimum program? Why can't political parties have maximum programs for the benefit of the masses? |
| Rajeev Chandrasekhar: very good sir ji |
| Madhu:Can you please describe, what do you mean by common minimum program? |
| Rajeev Chandrasekhar: Hi |
| D.R.GULATI:Even if a CMP is made mandatory ,who ensures that it is implemented also? |
| Rajeev Chandrasekhar: |
| valsakumar:In this mess of polititians do you find a way to create way for amy amendments of conctitutiomn , so it is only way out to allow all declare an agenda and then eveluate befor next election |
| Rajeev Chandrasekhar: sdfdsfsd |
| Nomita Sikand:Nomita Sikand: Its all very well to talk about a CMP, but how does one measure deliverables from a Government and hold them accountable? |
| Rajeev Chandrasekhar: nomita: this is broader issue of outcomes and objectives. for eg the current government has increased public spending in an unprecedented manner - but has done very little to measure outcomes of this spending and to prevent leakage and corruption - leaving us scratching our heads wondering why all this money is not changing the lives of more people.. recently in parliament a question was asked - how many people go hungry in india today? has this number come down after all these programs? there wasnt a satisfactory or clear answer to what was a straight forward question.. the fact is our approach to addressing problems is flawed! its not outcome and target driven, its spending driven - which suits politicians well - because most of the spending finds its way into the pockets of middlemen and crooks with very little reaching the targetted household or family..as Rajiv Gandhi famously said many years ago "Only 5 paisa of every rupee that the government spends reaches the common man" That remains true even today because politicians and governments have not been pushed to reform public spending. Its not on anyones agenda because it doesnt suit them. We have to insist that it gets on the agenda.! |
| zulfiyasin:Hello Rajeev, Which party do you think will win majority seats in Karnataka? |
| Rajeev Chandrasekhar: i dont do elections forecasting.. ! :) i am more worried about who will win the seats nationally and what kind of government is formed. this is a great country with great diversity and people! we deserve a good government |
| s.vizanta:if third front comes in to power after election ......should we concider it biginning of new chapter in indian politic? |
| Rajeev Chandrasekhar: i am of the view that Elections 2009 could be a significant turning point in Indian democracy - i hope and pray that the change is positive, but i dread that it could bring in uncertainity and volatility! |
| Nitin Krishna Menon:Good Morning Sir. There are a whole lot of questions that I want to ask you, but pertaining to the topic, don't you think forming a Common Minimum Programme is a 'forced' requirement, so that parties can come into power. Just look at the UPA/Third Front/NDA. All of them consist of parties with different ideology, and parties that are bickering on seat sharing. Isn't CMP just a farce, just a means to get into power. Thank you. |
| Rajeev Chandrasekhar: i would be happy to answer as many questions as you have :) i am restricted on time here obviously but feel free to join me on my blog.! i think the CMEGA is a forced requirement yes. but forced by the people on the parties. the reality is political parties and leaders almost never do anything difficult unless pushed to do so by the public! the point is if we are interested in protecting our nation from this kind of political volatility we need this CMEGA! |
| Rohan:I believe the development of the country can only be done if a person who is selected by a party to stand in a general election should be educated enough to serve his/her constituency. I can't see any party is taking that step. To explain that there are many leaders who have not even passed 10th grade, having criminal background etc. are getting tickets to stand in election from many parties. There should be rules passed to minimize the selection of these kind of people from standing in elections. What is your view on this? |
| Rajeev Chandrasekhar: There is a clear groundswell of civil society and public opinion against parties that are trying to criminalize elections. Unfortunately this groundswell hasnt extended into many parts of rural and hinterland india yet and education and literacy are the only solutions to this..So go ahead and lets all shout for mandatory education coverage for all our children in this CMEGA (Common minm economic and governance agenda). |
| Prasad Naik:Sir, I have read that more than 10 thousand crore rupees is being spent during this 15th LS poll. It is doubling every election. Most surprising thing is 85% of the expenditure is spent by the politicians for their campaign. How this can be reduced by the parties itself. |
| Rajeev Chandrasekhar: Elections are getting more and more expensive - thats a fact. its getting more expensive for candidates and parties and its getting more expensive for the Government and taxpayers who are footing this bill! I strongly believe we need less elections in this country - I and a number of us believe two constitional amendments are required - first to make sure state and national elections are simulataneous . secondly, to make sure that there is a fixed term for legislature (ie if government falls in a vote of confidence and no other government is possible, government continues as governors rule/presidents rule for the fixed term). restricting elections to once in 5 years is the most optimal utilization of money - imagine thousands of crores of taxpayer money saved in the five years and how many roads, hospital and schools can be built with that |
| tpod:Has the alarming Judicial Delay and Pending Court Cases to the tune of around 3 crore ever bothered any political party in India and have you as well ever bothered about this ? |
| Rajeev Chandrasekhar: Look this is an example of a clear and present danger ! There is constantly a discussion on Judicial reform. Unfortunately what we are focussing on is the need for Judicial capacity building - given the large number of cases pending and the fact the justice delayed is justice denied in many cases, its important that we expand the judiciary capacity significantly and fast - more courts, more judges , more training - this is only way out of this judicial/legal morass we find ourselves in.! this for example would be a clear priority in my common minm economic and governance agenda! |
| V.S. Narayanan:A common minimum programme for all the parties is neither practical nor desirable in a democracy. A mandatory requirement will only help to kill initiative and innovation. It would promote average performers as against first-rate governments. Assuming that such a mandatory rule is put in force, what, according to you, should be its core components? |
| Rajeev Chandrasekhar: i am not suggesting that this is a mandatory requirement for political parties. i think the point i am trying to make is that given the political instability and volatility that coalitions today have begun to represent, its important that a certain set of issues get implemented regardless of who or what is in government and when! |
| valsakumar:C M P is like final out come or goal of the govmt . Our country is poised for growth , we should know whose idea of growth is acceptable , can we remake Gujarat model or Singur model , We need to know the declared C M P before the poll , Who are in the field without any agenda is only gamblers , will take us to darkness , Wealth creation for the country we have seen and tasted during the last two govmts ( but for the failure during the end of the last regim ), Now we should know who is taking it further |
| Rajeev Chandrasekhar: you make a point thats causing increasing concern to people.. as a nation and people we are used to having some idea about the ideology and direction of the governments that come to power and govern. however, most of the leaders who are sure to play a significant role in the next government formation - are people who we dont know too much about vis a vis, their economic and developmental vision! that does make many people very nervous, including investors and other stakeholders in the development model of our country! |
| Bharath Sadanand:Has a common minimum programm been implemented before in India and if so did it succeed? and if it did not succeed why not? |
| Rajeev Chandrasekhar: I believe in the earlier days when politics was less fragmented, there was a unwritten agreement that political parties would co-operate with the government on issues of National security, International relations and agreements - areas that were perceived to be of National interest. There has been in recent years a significant dilution of this form of co-operation between political leaders and hence the need for a more formal agenda of co-operation.. |
| Bharath Sadanand:What do you think about the new coalition between the CPM and the other parites |
| Rajeev Chandrasekhar: Whatever be the reasoning put out there in public domain, the fact is that the perception of this block of parties is that nothing binds them together - except that they are opposed to BJP and Cong.. A common political opponent isnt a sustainable way to build an ideology or purpose! |
| Anil Kohli:Dear Mr.Chandrasekhar, Common minimum programme has come to signify a compromise between parties to serve their common aspirations and goals, rather than a positive action plan for governance. Commonality of ideology and manifesto, should be the basis on which the coalitions governments should be formed. Post Poll alliances somehow do not carry the conviction, that they serve the interest of the people or the country at large. |
| Rajeev Chandrasekhar: i dont mean Common Minium program like the UPA characterizes their coalition program. I agree that, that phrase suggests a lowest common denominator approach. I am suggesting a minimum agreement between opposing parties - implying that each ruling coalition can expand on that minimum - as long those minimum national interest values and goals are met. |
| lakshminarayanan:Is there any time frame to implement or pass the common minimum programme.. |
| Rajeev Chandrasekhar: i started the discussion on the need for this some months ago..and have written to and met with leaders with most parties. this is absolutely the right time for voters to ask the various parties this question - |
| hari Iyer:Very good Morning to you Sir, Can we have a mechanism to make the political parties accountable for promises made in Manifesto and other programs ? |
| Rajeev Chandrasekhar: this is a good question. and i believe a constitutional amendment to allow for recall elections will make sure parties/candidates stick to their commitments. Recall elections are in place in a number of countries. In India, a Elected representative has a free run for 5 years and can be held accountable only at the next elections. If the constitution is amended to allow recall elections, the people of a constituency can petition to have an election to recall a candidate mid-term - thus showing its dissatisfaction in a real way. This is a good 'incentive' to ensure candidates who get elected on a set of promises and agenda - do deliver on them or risk getting recalled. |
| valsakumar:Dont yo agree that the CMP will create the consensus on core issues and finally a common political alliance will emerge to sort out the crisis |
| Rajeev Chandrasekhar: I belive an common minimum economic and governance agenda will make sure that regardless of who is in power a certain forward progress of our economy and nation will be maintained. Obe book comparing china and India,, desribed india as taking one step forward and then one step sideways.. we should change that and maintain a steady forward progress if we are to eradicate poverty in a given time. Our politics is the stumbling block to our progress and a common minimum agenda will mitiage that! |
| Greenaidforindia:Governance itself is like making government into a buisness of expanding the players who want to rule the country which now includes corporates/ buisness/ commerce/ private sector etc what role is there for trade unions, professional unions workers associations in this |
| Rajeev Chandrasekhar: i respectfully disagreee.. governance is not like making government into business. Governance reforms is about making Government more accountable and transparent in its functioning, decision making and spending. The last 10 years or so as a nation we have focussed on Economic reforms to make the private sector more competitive and efficient.but we have ignored the Government. We need to spend the next 10 years in reforming the government, making it more efficient, making its spending less leaky..in the 1960s India was in the top 20% of the worlds nation in governance and today we are in the bottom 50%. This decline of governance is coming in the way of our progress |
| Senthilkumar:Hi Rajeev, Don't you think its time the two Big National Parties- Cong and BJP should drop of its controversial agenda and come together on a CMP and look to avoid the regional power hungry parties.The national parties have certain common ideals and a few uncommon stuff , which can be buried to keep these regional parties from playing the kingmaker's roles and also in a way giving more stable and growth oriented govt.What is your take on this |
| Rajeev Chandrasekhar: senthil..what u suggest is a good idea..but lets be practical, the odds of congress and bjp politically co-operating are very very low. what is more practical and real and will give us real benefit is these two parties and some of the other larger regional parties like SP, DMK, AIADMK, BSP agree on a common set of values and issues for India. They should think a bit outside their own political agenda and agree on some issues in national interest. |
| Shrinidhi Shetty:Hello Mr Chandrasekhar, How major will be the role of regional parties in the coming elections? Would it be healthy for Indian democracy. Too many cooks spoil the meal.The other question is what is the reason people spend the election day as holiday rather than casting their votes. |
| Rajeev Chandrasekhar: i characterize these elections as being very very important - because there is a real chance that regional parties (or non national parties)will get the majority of the seats.! this implies a fundamental shift in political power away from the national mainstream to regional aspirations. while this initself doesnt represent a problem, the fact that political opportunism could dicate the coalition formation and there will be lack of a common thread binding these coalitions is clearly a problem..as i mentioned earlier i have blogged about this earlier today ..please do read it at rajeevchandrasekhar.blogspot.com |
| pankaj Singh:Don,t you think that India needs a tough leader like Indira/Modi rather than common minimum progm. |
| Rajeev Chandrasekhar: i agree we need decisive leadership and government..given the challenges that we face as a nation- thats an absolute must..but i draw the distinction between decisive and tough..i dont think the issue is about toughness as much as its about decisiveness, clarity and in a clear direction! |
| V.S. Narayanan:In the current scenario of states bickering over natonal resources (e.g. water disputes between TN, Karnataka and Kerala and power sharing disputes in the north) and coalition partners being chieftains with fierce regional interests/loyalties, is it possible to work out a broad consensus on a common minimum programme? |
| Rajeev Chandrasekhar: it may be difficult to create a common ground amongst parties that seem to be always warring and squabbling with each other. but i believe in our national interest, its important that there is a serious effort in developing this consensus agenda.. my interactions with various political parties lead me to believe that there are many who agree with this..its a question of who will bell this cat....the media has a big big role in this along with civil society in shaping this |
| Madhurjya:I really do not feel the need for any common programme. Actually I feel the problem is our regional parties. Its time people realise the difference between a lok sabha election and a asembly election. Its OK voting for regional parties in Assembly but not in Lok Sabha. |
| Rajeev Chandrasekhar: i agree that the increasing fragmentation of our political space into various regional and other types of parties is a big challenge - while regionalism was always viewed as a threat by our founding fathers, the constitution unfortunately hadnt forseen todays situation where small parties essentially drive the agenda.. please check out my blog on rajeevchandrasekhar.blogspot.com where i have written about the challenges of this shift of power to regional parties ! |
| Greenaidforindia:Should the question itself be seen as an attempt by some large parties to develop a consensus agenda? If this is not the case then fulfilment of a rights based constitutional framework is the way forward for development to reach all. Should Right to food, right to water, right to information and many other guaranteed rights and entitlements for all (those who can afford and not afford) must be achieved before the parties take up their own agendas ? |
| Rajeev Chandrasekhar: i think this is more about the people of india defining a minimum set of deliverables for all parties - in a sense setting the expectations of governance regardless of who comes to power... this agenda could include the right to education, food etc..but i am interested in this going deeper than just objectives - to talk about outcomes.. |
| valsakumar:Dont you think that this present crisis of political identity will enentually generate a team of corporate captains to fall in ot save the country to lead the govmt , we have real heros who made the crisis in Singur made an opportunity to create an automobile manufactuting revolution |
| Rajeev Chandrasekhar: Just as there are good politicians and bad ..there are good entepreneurs and crooked ones...so i wouldnt be comfortable handing over governance to corporates ! i think what we need is clearly a new group of political leadership (that could include entepreneurs,professionals, young, old, etc) that are focussed on the real issues and have real solutions for them rather than the plain old rheoteric and slogans ! we need change from the status quo for sure |
| PUNEET GULATI:Is'nt a CMP like the manifesto? |
| Rajeev Chandrasekhar: Let me explain what I mean by a common minimum economic and governance agenda.. It is obvious to all of us that there are two undeniable truths about where we are today as a nation. we have some serious economic, governance and security challenges on one hand and on the other hand an increasingly fragmented political landscape bereft of any one or two ideologies binding the coalitions ! its with this in mind, that i am proposing that political parties (or at least the major ones) agree to a set of issues that will be implemented regardless of who comes to power - ie a common minimum economic and governance agenda that will be implemented in national interest - while they can continue to oppose and squabble on other issues ! so yes its a manifesto - but its a national manifesto! Some of the things that can go into this agenda is - Governance reforms, Building of non-political and professional institutions like Regulators, Reforming Police and Intelligence, Improving public spending and reducing corruption in the public spending etc. |
Chat Master
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Rajeev Chandrasekhar Rajya Sabha MP and ex-FICCI President Rajeev Chandrashekhar is a Rajya Sabha member representing Karnataka state and Bangalore Urban district. He was also the FICCI President for the past year and had an inside view of the rapid decline of the Indian economy. He has actively been involved in various efforts at turning out the vote of the Urban Middle class and youth in these elections. |
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