US Style Politics from a Harvard-educated-Politician:

A master of Bad Economics and Smart Politics:

"If to smoke you turn I shall not cease to fiddle while you burn.' -Nero on Rome Burning": An open letter to our Beloved Finance Minister from an Investor in the Indian Bourses:

Everyone talks of the Educational and Oratorical skills of our Finance Minister from a less known place known as Shivaganga. Many also talk of his election winning skills; but what people forget is that he is from the wealthy "Chettiar" Community of Tamil Nadu, if I am not wrong. These days two MPs are very essential to become an MP--Money Power and Muscle Power. Some say Muscle Power follows Money Power Power. The cocktail becomes deadly if it two MPs get a direction from a shrewd and educated brain. Like many budgets placed by this leader from South India, who has an assortment of degrees, each differing with the other by miles. He is a BSC, a Bachelor in Law, an MBA and at the end a "Lawyer turned Politician or a Politician turned Lawyer". Thus he is a hoch-poch of ideas and is bound to confuse people.

It is the media who have given too importance to his self and his degrees rather than the person himself. I have seen him fumble in the media when some odd questions are asked. Once Dr.Prannoy Roy, asked him a tricky question and he diverted that by saying, "U are an economist yourself...." He is very good at hiding his pitfalls behind the large "Vacuum Walls" and is out an out a Politician or a Political Hoch-Poch. His political journey is also not smooth, having formed his own party due to a struggle of power in his present party at that time and then tamely surrendering to the "dirt" which he earlier belonged to. We do not need to give him and his ideas too much importance--according to me they are pedestial and most of the ideas which he passes as his own are the hard works of a team of Taxmen and Economics who burn the mid-night oil throughout the year to present a "Politically Correct Budget"; year after year for him.

He last budget had "Horrific smell". This time it is all full of his "one and only desire to seee his party win the next general elections". He does not care to spend the hard-earned tax-payers money to the benefit of some (un)successful farmers who may be deliberately showing losses on the books to avoid the payment of loans. So we can say that Chidambaram could be siding with some of the "Habitual Evaders of loans". I do not deny that some cases could be genuine, but then who will bell the cat??? This year's budgetary provisions for a handful of "(Un)successful farmers, are also more a political gimmick than the Real Reform on the table. His Rs.60, 000 Cr loan waver to the farmers is an example of his Harvard leanings and his "Greed towards the Vote Bank Politics".

What will deceive eveyone behind the facade of those innocent smiles and impromptu replies, is his shrewd brain and ability to strike chord with the media. He is a master in media management and his Harvard upbringing and lawyer's profession has made him a legend in this sphere.

As mentioned earlier, Mr. P Chidambaram sets a bad precedence by following US Style Politics while giving Waver to the Farmers. In the US unemployed youths have social security schemes. But do we have such social security schemes in India. Some poor senior citizens get some pensions every month, which is less than Rs.100 per month. So one can calculate what is the value of Pension per day. Even in this case also false names are being planted to make an inflated list---the "Loot Money" going mostly to local political mafia or their goons.

It is due to the absence of these social security schemes for the Unemployed that 1000s of unemployed, took up arms either in North East. His heart does not melt for those unemployeds who are roaming in the Streets of Kolkata, Bombay etc, in search of jobs. What social security measures he has provided for them??? Some of the educated unemployed who is running a family out of the meagre income from Short term trading in the Bourses or are studying from the hard earned money got butchered due to Mr.Chidambaram's sudden love towards the farmers and his "Love to Bring Long term traders articifially". It seems he took good lessons to "Milk" this "Kaamdhenu" called Equity Markets. He and Mr. Paswan has some strange ideas---"U cannot increase the price of your produce even if you are bleeding due to increase in the price of raw materials". Cement Manufacturers have been at the receiving end for a long time and this time it is the Steel Companies. Even if the Oil Companies are making losses year after year, they are not allowed to increase the price of their products. Is this governance or "Jungle Raj".

Communist parties are known to create "savage laws" to remain in power. Stalin and Mao were both been ruthless dictators, who did all the mischeives in the name of helping the poor. They wanted to create a "Class-less" society but created a "Spine-less" society, where their leaders can go any length to win the votes.

Anyway, I know at least 100 traders who are doing short term trading and at the same time studying either CA or an MBA or BCOM. I got at least 10 mails from such a traders who said this time they will have to think of alternative methods of earning now as their profits will get smaller from FY09. These innocent educated youths instead of becoming a burden to the ever growing population of unemployed, trained themselves to earn and learn, but then it seems Mr.P Chidambaram is after them.

What is surprising that Mr.D Pareekh who is known to be a sycophant and belong to the same cotorie, brushes aside all the ills of the increase in short term capital gains tax to 15% by saying, "We need long term traders". Help me someone!! If a person of his stature says this kind of nonsense what will the common people say. Those who are doing short term trading will they suddenly stop this by seeing a 5% rise in their expense??? Never!! This will bring more volatile to the system as the Traders will now go for more risky traders in order to maximise their returns. Will Mr.P Chidambarm compensate those who will lose their belongings due to this sudden shift like he did for the Farm Community who are already enjoying so much benefits from the governmement.

This is a very bad "Jaundiced" attitude of a Harvard degree holder politician. and we shiver to think, how can he stoop so low as to snatch out money from the Pockets of Unemployed or Self Employed youths, many of whom are running a family out of the income from the markets using his brain and techniques. So how can Mr.P Chidambaram be called a reformer if he "sucks the blood" out of one community to be delivered to the other. In one hand he increases the IT limits and on the other hand he takes it--this is the shrewdness of his brain and bad economics but good Politics.

What he should understand is that these farmers took loan fully knowing the fact of their paying abilities but defaulted. Hence this is a crime according to Indian Penal Code (IPC) and they should be penalised in normal situations, which will discourage such wide scale "Loan Melas" to garner votes. Instead of strengthening the agricultural sector by giving subsidies for target oriented people, Mr.Chidambaram chose the easier one of "Doling out Prizes for gross inefficiencies". What a Fianance Minister we have!!! Voila!! The farmers of all hues are getting so much facility already. They are getting tax concessions on their produce, transportation concession in some states, Fertiliser at subsidised rates, etc. If they still cannot deliver then who is to blame???

It seems Mr.Chidambaram is totally a selfish fellow who thinks only for his well-being, his party and some 3-4 Cr farmers out of 100 Cr plus Indian population. He is wasting the hard earned money of Indian Tax Payers by setting a very bad example for the successive governments. The next time many such ruling parties will do the same, may be even in a bigger scale to fool the electorates.

I had the experience of visiting Silk Farms in Assam (Endi and Muga Firms) & Bengal (Tasser Firms) with the officials as I was thinking of gong for Silk Farming or Tea Plantation, in my early days. What I found during my research on those areas were utterly deplorable. In the name of damage by the floods (which is common phenomenon in Assam, Bengal and Bihar), they claim hefty amounts from the governments (read Assam Government) every year. One of my friends' wife who works in a high position in the Assam Sericulture Department, said, "This is happening every year under the nose of top officials", but most of the subordinate staffs are helpless and has to carry on the orders of the bosses.

Though this budget will bring more money in the hands of common man, but will invariably bring inflation and induce "US Style Consumerism". But then a few months back Mr.Chidambaram was trying just the opposite, taming inflation and slowing growth. Even the fools will understand now, that all those exercises somewhat was to make a low base in FY08, so that next year's (FY 09) figures become rosy, just before the elections. Though the budget provisions are good for most of the sectors as the elections are due, but he should have thought of the traders of the stock markets--as all the traders are not Rajasthanis or Gujaratis, where there are BJP Governments..LOl.....But then did I vote for Mr.Chidambarma's Party?? Is Congress, through Mr.Chidambaram trying to scrore a point against the highly successful Gujarati's who voted his party out of power this time also? Stock Market as we all know is mainly the domain of the Gujaratis and Rajasthanis and to certain extent Sindhi's---needless to say both Gujarat and Rajasthan do not have "his" government.

After all short term traders are also citizens of this country and at a time when the global markets are so jittery, it was just unwise of him to increase the Short term Capital Gains tax and bring about large scale selling in the Indian Bourses. Is Mr.P Chidambaram hearing????!! When the Rome (Excuse me the Indian Stock Markets) was buring Nero (Pardon me Sir, our beloved Finance Minister) was Fiddling!!! The following is an "Ode" to our beloved "Fiddler"

"chingaaree koee bhadake, to saawan use buzaaye

saawan jo agan lagaaye, use kaun buzaaye?

patazad jo baag ujaade, wo baag bahaar khilaaye

jo baag bahaar mein ujade, use kaun khilaaye?

hum se mat poochho kaise, mandir tootaa sapanon kaa

logon kee baat naheen hai, ye kissaa hain apanon kaa

koee dushman thhens lagaaye, to meet jiyaa bahalaaye

manameet jo ghaanw lagaaye, use kaun mitaye?

naa jaane kyaa ho jaataa, jaane hum kyaa kar jaate

peete hain to jindaa hai, naa pite to mar jaate

duniyaa jo pyaasaa rakhe, to madiraa pyaas buzaaye

madiraa jo pyaas lagaaye, use kaun buzaaye?

maanaa toofaan ke aage, naheen chalataa jor kisee kaamaujon kaa

dosh naheen hai, ye dosh hain aaur kisee kaa

mazadhaar mein naiyyaa dole, to maanzee paar lagaaye

maanzee jo naaw dooboye use kaun bachaaye?"