Lalchand Kishinchand Advani wants a debate, and he is getting one. Not from the man he wants to take on, but from the woman who is taking him on in Gandhinagar: Mallika Sarabhai. And, given how busy the BJP’s prime minister hopeful is, at a place and time of his choice.
Mallika, who has declared she will fight a model election without the name-calling, dirt-throwing that has become emblematic of our democracy, has thrown down an extra gauntlet: a set of five questions which she says she will ask every Monday, like Ram Jethmalani used to ask of Rajiv Gandhi during the Bofors row.
1) How many and what kind of questions has Advani raised in the Lok Sabha about Gandhinagar in the past five years?
2) Why did he not speak against the violence and atrocities against women in Gujarat and specifically in Gandhinagar?
3) What did he do towards creating educational and livelihood opportunities in rural areas of the Gandhinagar constituency?
4) Why did he not show any concern towards local issues as well as Gujarat despite being an MP from here for the last 20 years?
5) How much funds did he use under MPLADS scheme to benefit the deprived and underprivileged in his constituency?
Advani should take up these questions and respond. He need not limit himself to his constituency and also ask Mallika some questions for her to answer.
This should be fun.
LK Advani will meet his Waterloo in Gandhinagar
Debates take between equals, right ?
By the way, Rajiv Gandhi had called Ram Jethmalani a barking dog..hope this time around the response, if any, is civil.
What locus standi Mallika Sarabhai has in this?
Let her contest elections and walk the talk.
We all know what effect her campaign against Modi had during Assembly elections, which is none, null, nada.
But yeah, we need Sarabhais and Arundathi Roys of the world for our entertainment.
No doubt, LKA will shy away from any sort of response. That is his style, pretend to be the Lohpurush but evade arguments and discussion. He spoke of being tough on Pakistan 10 years ago and ended up releasing terrorists in Kandahar. He spoke of a mandir and atma-sammaan 20 years ago and has got nowhere with it. If the NDA fails to form the next government, it will not be because the UPA or Mayawati/TF are better (neither is). It will be because the BJP insists on LKA as PM.His age and non-performance as Home Minister are issues that overshadow his party.
@Chandran
As a citizen of Gujarat and as a resident of Gandhinagar, Mallika Sarabhai has got every right to ask thos questions to a person who represented her constituency for the last 20 years.
If you come out of you baised mind and see the questions, those questions talk about the development and concerns of the people like you and me in the constituency.
Those questions are not for ur entertainment Mr.Chandran, those are concerned with lives of the people in the constituency.
I want to know How many questions has Sonia asked in Parliament?
Mallika’s initiative must be lauded but whoever actually drafted those questions needs to do better. As they are, the questions are presumptuous; their wording reveals an intellectual dishonesty.
Advanji,
Answer to Mallika’s questions first. Let people know about your “development” agendas more!
Mallika’s double standards stand exposed. She is using outsider card against LKA. She has become Raj Thackeray of Gujarat when she says “I know gujrati and LKA doesnt even know” :)
As one of my friend felt here, Mallika Sarabhai’s contest might not make a big difference and another friend wanted to know How many questions Sonia Gandhi asked in the parliament. What this attituded show us? Some people do not want things raised as it is. A healthy discussion, most important foundation stone of democracy is ridiculed here by some. Advani’s canvas might be much much bigger spreadign India than a negligible dancer Mallika. But we should not forget that whatever he might be, first he is an MP from Gandhinagar and without the support of people of the constituency he is no way bigger than Mallika. As an aspirant, Advani owes the answers to the people. let him clear the basic debate in Gandhinagar and then demand a debate with Manmohan.
Surely Advani has to answer.
But do ask this question from other high-profile politicians too.
Herd mentality! All commentators nodding to the questions raised by the danseus turned amateur politician. Chrurumuri need not fall all over the place about these questions.
Mallika Sarabhai does not even know where to raise what issues. Local issues concerning Gandhi Nagar cannot be solved by the Parliament. That has to be done by the municipal corporation of Gandhi Nagar. It is paradoxical that though we pay highest tax to the Central Government, it does least work that touches our day to day life. Whereas, we pay least tax to Municipal corporations, who do most work that touches our day to day life. As a person entering public life, she ought to know this.
About women’s issues, one must ask Mallika Sarabhai whether Gandhi Nagar area was particularly prone to violence towards women? If the answer is negative, the issue is a common issue, not something peculiar to Advani’s constituency.
As regards MPLAD, she should exercise her right under the RTI Act, instead of creating electoral rhetoric.
I want to know How many questions has Sonia asked in Parliament?
ANSWER:
She only reads what is written.
No body had written any question. She shall put her 1st question after 2009 ellection.
neheru gandhi family ki jai ho
– we fool indians
I think such debates should happen and should happen publicly.. I feel in most of the debates that we watch over TV usually happens in this way, X asks Y, why did you do this… and in reply Y says you too did it…I feel the men in power should be asked questions regarding Development, Poverty etc.. by the people. We should say that “boss you havent done this, may i know the reason”… these debates must not happen only to one or two leaders instead these sort of debates should happen in every state.. We elect leaders on behalf of us to ask these questions(in parliament) but again as i said in X-Y example that same thing will repeat. INDIA is our mother and lets not give her any more pain…Mother smiles only when her children are happy similarly INDIA smiles only when we Indians are happy :)
Actually if a debate can be arranged among the candidates it will be nice. These debates can be telecast live to let the public know what the candidates’ agenda. To limit the participants, the candidates must be restricted to 3 parties–congress, bjp and a regional party depending on the state.
The local TV channels can make a start by sponsoring these debates. In turn, they get the telecast rights. The newspapers can mimic the debate by posing a set of common questions to the candidates and publishing their responses.
Chandran & Yadhu,
Mallika Sarabhai is contesting the election from Gandhinagar against LK Advani.
She should be commended because she is willing to debate(unlike Manmohan Singh) publicly without ready-to-spit speeches(unlike Sonia Gandhi & her kid) and more importantly because she is at least fighting elections, which our erudite Prime Minister is unable to do!
It is wrong on the part of Mallika to expect a leader of the stature of Advani to debate with her. Mallika being a politically insignificant Independent Candidate should not get an oppurtunity from the leader of opposition for a debate. We cannot expect Advani to debate with any and every one and waste his precious time with these fashionable but useless people. Her only credentials are she is Vikram Sarabhai’s daughter and a bad dancer who gains a lot of press through the right socialite connections and the usual politically right (or rather left) leaning.
Mallika should hope that at least she will get back her deposit amount in the election. Not that it matters to her as she has declared 10 crores as her assets and she also got a free ride of publicity from the media. As usual she will go back to her Page 3 society and dance tours after elections. Remember the Visa scandal she was involved in.
My name is not in the voters list
And I don’t belong to your constituency
Lal Krishna Advani is in the chariot to take on you
Let us not bother about those factors
If you get support in favour of secularism
Keep it up in order to shine our democracy
A dedicated Indian, then you will win many hearts
Supporters are aplenty, young to senior citizens:
Advocates & Judges from apex court, social activists
Rationalists, citizens for peace, PUCL, intellectuals
And above all, the progressive people from all walks of life;
Bapuji’s Gujarat was a symbol of non-violence & peace.
How can then Advani properly answer to your 5 questions
Asked on every Monday about Gandhi Nagar?
Indian parliament needs you to address those concerns.
(First letters of each line make ” MALLIKA SARABHAI “)
Best regards
Prem Nizar Hameed
Mallika Mallika….She’s lovable Gal,
Drive even and make opposition Dull,
She can understand what she for in…
Just keep on spreading that Sparkling Grin..
PM in Waiting Sat on Wall
NAMO wanting He will Fall
He Play Politics on IPL,
And Roaming Like BPL ..( Bija na Paise Lehar )
Mallika will unfold all the “Fold”
Cuz people saying her “ Amdavad’s Doll “
She will do , what she will SAY,
Being a Dancer, Advani is now “ Child’s Play “
She is fighting for the local issues, issues from grass root level, issues of Local people , issues of Women, issues for education, issues for AAM AADmi, issues for Rights, issues which were not tackle by PM in WAITING since last 20 years cuz he never look in to gandhinagar and gandhinagar people excpet 1991, 1994, 1998, 2004 and now 2009…
She is from Amongst Us..
My all support to her…….
//Regarding releasing terrorists in Kandahar//
I have a question. If there was your mother, father, husband, wife, son or daughter in that plane that was hijacked to Kandahar… would you have said the same thing?
People have short memories. At that time, the safety of several passengers inside the flight was uppermost in people’s mind. I remember a newly married honeymoon couple part of the hostage crisis and the husband killed by the terrorists. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Airlines_Flight_814).
Releasing terrorists for people kept as hostages is better than releasing terrorists for getting back these bloody politicians own family members. (Read it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mufti_Mohammad_Sayeed).
It’s heartening to see that (at least in this comments forum), there is much greater support for Ms. Sarabhai than advani.
And shikhandi…
… that still doesn’t take the focus away from the fact that advani has to answer the questions being asked of him.
I’m loving what is happening to advani… how the walls are closing in on him from every corner… how his own baiting is backfiring on him. “Vinaash kaale, vipreet buddhi” I think… :-D
Heckler – Keep thinking. It’s good for you. Btw, I see you’ve stuck to condemning Shikhandi. Ha ha!
Well said, Heckler. Sarabhai has the right to question Advani’s commitment towards Gandhinagar. By not answering Sarabhai’s queries, Advani is proving time and again that he is a hypocrite and an escapist. And he calls MMS weak. Wow… Good debators may not be good PM. We need a PM who takes strong decisions. MMS is a strong pm.
Sarabhai being an independent may lose, but the impact will remain for a long time.
Dr. Mallika Sarabhai represents the IDEA of India., its ethos, its diverse culture, its music, its dance… its finest attributes, i.e. In short she represents the Positive Energy !
Mr. Advani represents Negative Energy. Yatras spreading hatred., Riots / Genocide / Pogroms / Blood / Tears / Sorrow and destruction.
Advani is fighting for power – Mallika is fighting for Societal Justice. Therein lies the difference.
***
May i dare suggest to Dr. Mallika Sarabhai., her campaign slogan :
“N A F R A T H A T A O”. She must end her speeches with “Nafrat Hatao”, and her voice must resonate thru-out the length and breadth of India.
Palahalli,
I’ll address the pets once I’ve finished with the others. So speak when you’re spoken to. Got it? :-)
Dandapinda,
“Hypocrite”. You’ve hit the nail on the head! That is advani’s calling card.
You want more? Go to saynotoadvani.blogspot.com. You’ll find hazaar exposes of this fast melting iron man…! :-D
And you know what… I have a feeling that Ms. Sarabhai may actually win. advani’s days seem terribly numbered to me. It happens to everyone. Why will he be an exception? I think he’s a goner. And may he take his ship down with him!
Let me watch you “think” Heckler. It’s fun to watch a thing think.
***
Dear Commenters, please do go through the website cited by Heckler. Please read the posts and don’t miss the comments.
You’ll enjoy the barbeque!
Heckler
Advani will win in Gandhinagar. But his party will lose the rest of India.
Even Vajpayee could not help NDA win in 2004. How can Advani , a man who is less acceptable to most Indians, help NDA win?
Harshad,
Well said & WONDERFUL Slogan Idea!
Simple,
What if I’m right on the first one & you on the second??? :-D
Advani has been serving the nation past independence.Its wrong on our part to blame him.IN a political career as long as his ,one is bound to have pitfalls.
But that doesnt take away his credits.As far as Mallika Sarabhai is concerned,hers is a bold step and one should come up and standup for his/her constituency that one wishes to serve.In a way it will ensure that Advani work hard to prove his crediblity and that he shall be taken to task if he doesnt pay heed to his constituency..
Instead of favouring anyone blindly let us all be logical and practical.
Harshad,
Come to think of it, I think she’s on the right track. Her strategy is better than our slogan. She talks of Inclusive Growth. Check out her website.