While the "I vote, I count" exercise on PRAJA lists a whole lot of issues to be placed before candidates contesting the Lok Sabha elections, I thought, I'll prepare my own list, many issues in which may or may not figure in the list included in the survey running here. My list is as below:
1) Empowerment of Regulatory bodies with simultaneous re-definition of the role the concerned ministry as policy maker and growth facilitator - elaborated more at http://praja.in/bangalore/blog/murali772/2008/07/30/just-how-regulate-wisely-remains-question-today
2) Down-sizing of government by closing down ministries like Iron & Steel, Coal, etc, and the many defunct departments - check: http://praja.in/blog/murali772/2007/12/29/less-government
3) Empowerment of Railway Board to take decisions based on professional inputs, rather than on the directions of the Ministers concerned.
4) Revision of Labour Laws, with a view to increase direct job creation, and obviate the need for contract labour (and exploitation thereof).
5) Scrapping of all Acts that have no current relevance, and updating the remaining to make them relevant to current needs - the exercise started by Sri Arun Shourie in the Vajpayee government.
6) Suitable amendment of Motor Vehicles Act to enforce deployment of encrypted number plates across the country, particularly in view of the grave security scenario - check: http://praja.in/discuss/2008/04/kannada-license-plate-numbers-increase
7) Acceptance of National Knowledge Commission recommendations.
8) Speeding up of issue of Unique ID for all Indian citizens - check: http://bangalore.praja.in/blog/murali772/2009/01/18/unique-id-citizens-voters-list-and-german-registration-system
9) Professionalisation of preparation and maintenance of electoral rolls across the country - check: http://praja.in/blog/murali772/2007/12/12/secs-muddle
10) Making public secret Swiss bank account details of all Indian nationals - check:
http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOI&BaseHref=TOIBG/2009/02/20&PageLabel=3&EntityId=Ar00311&ViewMode=HTML&GZ=T
11) Withdraw quota for creamy layer, and even for the remaining (SC/ST and other under-privileged classes) lot, have quota only at the entry level. Check:
http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOI&BaseHref=TOIBG/2009/02/20&PageLabel=3&EntityId=Ar00302&ViewMode=HTML&GZ=T.
This is a hot potato, and no debates on the subject are likely to be entertained on PRAJA
12) Amend IPC to provide for more stringent punishment for white collar crime - check: http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?title=Corporate%20criminals%20have%20it%20easy&artid=/Ub3OtVMiac=&type=
This is for now. I may add more as time goes.
Muralidhar Rao
My list before the Lok Sabha candidates
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TV9 debate
The following are the questions I had sent upfront as those I would like to raise with the Bangalore candidates at the TV9 debate co-ordinated by smartVote on 2nd April
BJP: Mangalore/ Bangalore moral policing incidents - govt responses totally unsatisfactory; handling of Varun Gandhi also giving us the jitters - comments please! Check:
http://elections.praja.in/blog/murali772/2009/03/31/why-i-dont-want-vote-bjp-time
Congress:
1) Even as Sri L K Advani has promised that, if elected to power, his party will do everything to return the money in Switzerland and other tax havens back to the country, your party is totally silent in the matter, giving the clear impression that many of your partymen as well those connected with your party are holding these accounts. Comments please! Check:
http://elections.praja.in/blog/murali772/2009/03/31/why-i-may-want-vote-bjp-time
2) Even as you accuse BJP of being communal, it's difficult for the common man to see you as not guilty of the charge of minority appeasement and minority vote bank politics, specifically seen in the increasing largesse being doled out to Haj pilgrims (as compared to pilgrims to Hindu religious places), non-eviction (rather tacit import) of Bangla-deshi's, non-containment of madrassa activities, etc.
JD(S): On the one hand you talk about the need for good infrastructure. On the other, you do everything to scuttle PPPs like BMIC (NICE). Every single court order connected with it has gone against you. The public impression plainly is that you are not satisfied with just your pound of flesh; you are greedy for more. Comments, please!
Capt Gopinath: You gave wings to the common man. But, how come his plight at the hands of the monopoly BMTC and KSRTC has not ever bothered you? As such, instead of getting into providing air cargo services, where there are enough efficient players already and entry of another is just going to create unhealthy competition, shouldn't you be getting into bus services after pushing the government to open up the sector? Check:
http://praja.in/blog/murali772/2007/12/12/better-bussing-green-bangalore
Muralidhar Rao