Mr. Rahul Gandhi, let's face it, is your usual average, run-of-the-mill spoiled brat, rich kid, etc.
The kind of guy who typically tend to spend their lives splurging their father's money, like, Sidhartha Mallaya.
They usually are to be found in bars everywhere from Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore to London, Madrid, New York City, and elsewhere.
When they get unlucky, they crash their Ferraris or BMWs or Lamborghinis -- and make it to the papers.
It's the tragedy of India that we should be debating whether he deserves to be the PM.
The alternative: Narendra Modi.
He is apparently running a non-corrupt administration in Gujarat and with the help of the entrepreneurial people of the state, he is leading it and helping its people prosper.
Whatever media profiles there are of him, show him to be a bit of an autocrat -- not given to liking criticism.
The problem arises when people develop a liking for Hitler.
Why is it the tragic fate of India to have to choose between these two men?
Why do we think we need a strong man at the top to run a country?
Aren't systems more important?
Didn't Narayana Murthy say we need good people in business, in politics, in administration?
Are the senior bureaucrats running the day-to-day stuff such unruly kids that they are wont to go berserk if they don't have a non-corrupt and strict boss like Modi?
Is Modi going to run Government of India all by himself? Or will he need ministers too? Manmohan Singh surely is not in to make money though he has proved that he is more unsuited to the job than Aishwarya Rai.
I can think of other chief ministers in less developed states of India who also have a record of non-corrupt governance.
I have in mind Nitish Kumar in Bihar or Naveen Patnaik in Odisha.
But you could always point to the past of Nitish Kumar as a former close lieutenant of Laloo Yadav. And Mr. Patnaik is the CM because he is the son of Biju Patnaik.
I think the people of Gujarat deserve more recognition for the hard work they've ALWAYS done. The Patels apparently run 70% of the motels in America.
But we do not need India to be run by Gujaratis.
People of India will swim or sink depending on their choices. We need not depend and cannot afford to depend on individual personalities.
We have to stop hoping for miracles of the type shown in the movie Nayak. We have to put in place better systems where everyone gets a fair shot.
Let's hope people will wise up about the charlatans who claim about how rich India is.
India has been poor for a long time. People are lazy. People get applauded in our society for having three kids instead of being excoriated.
People of India want to get a degree, then a job and then get on to the important task of having three kids. Americans and Europeans and the Japanese think of conquering the world or changing the world.
Indians have to have bigger dreams, larger appetites -- and not just in terms of food.
Twitter: @sachi_bbsr