It is election time in India. Since India has a parliamentary system, it is a little different than the US system. As such, I have had to learn a bit about the way things run here. Since we have a bi-polar (perhaps in more ways than one) system of government with three independent and equally influential branches (in theory) - you get used to a certain degree of simplicity. But in India, there are coalitions, an inherent need in the parliamentary system. They can be confusing.
A few things I have learned about Indian politics, written in a free-flowing manner:
It is centered in Delhi at the federal level. The states have certain responsibilities that the central government does not interfere with.
The parliament is called the lok sabha. Or maybe that is the name of one of the two houses of parliament. I think there are two house.
One major party is the Congress Party. Most of the esteemed names of recent Indian history are associated with it - Nehru, Gandhi, etc. They have coalitions with the left.
Another major party is the BJP - Bharatiya Janata Party. They stoke the flames of the religious majority and have unsavory connections with groups like the RSS and Bajrang Dal, which use violence against religious minorities. They are the guys which burn churches in Karnataka and Orrisa, among other things.
The head of the BJP is named Advani. When he was a child, he and his family were expelled from their home in what is now Pakistan.
There is an authentic threat in India from radical Islam and these guys are the only ones who speak strongly about it.
Some friends do support the BJP and it's best to keep your Western opinions to yourself during friendly meals.
West Bengal and Kerala are two states which are communist-run. Because of this, they are an anachronism and most other Indians describe them as lazy. That has not been my experience.
The parliamentary seat once occupied by J. Nehru is now filled by a gangster who has been charged with extortion, murder and tax evasion. Unfortunately, in India such a pedigree sometimes offers one more power instead of more consequences.
Sonia Gandhi is from Italy, the widow of Rajiv Gandhi. She has lived here most of her adult life. She is an interesting woman and yields great power in the Congress Party. Her son, Rahul, will almost certainly be prime minister some day. A member of the BJP, Mohdi, says that she and the pope are involved in a conspiracy to Christianize the Indian nation. He blames her for the crosses on the back of the 2 rupee coin.
Muslims have no clear home politically, as they are a huge voting block but are not entirely welcomed anywhere. They are not even wanted in the BJP.
Varun Gandhi, cousin of Rahul, nephew of Sonia and great grandson of J. Nehru recently gave a speech (it is reported) where he said that he wanted to create an Indian were a Muslim could not lift his head and a variety of other ugly comments.
During recent weeks and months our power has been going out. Including at the facility where I work. Some say this is a cynical attempt on the part of the political parties to cast the incumbents in a bad light and stoke anger in the population.
Our power did not blink off this much six months back.
In a recent survey by an interest group, India was rated as the third most corrupt country, after Nigeria and Russia.
A few guys that are involved in politics live on our street. They are not in Whisper Valley because they are humble public servants. They have armed guards in front of their homes.
One wonders if the India conceived of by Gandhi and Nehru is all that evident in the modern political system. I think this is a very different India than they dreamed of.
