It comes as true joy to me – and I suspect all Indians who love their country – that our Left parties have finally shed their political cowardice, and relieved the UPA government of their uninspiring, obtuse, regressive and deeply duplicitous presence. I for one truly hope, for the sake of our country, that the Left parties have had their first and final taste of political power at the Centre – and are ejected by their scruffs when the General Elections come. India has seen audacious and deeply vindictive dispensations, but never once has it seen a political collective so wilfully hypocritical, so hopelessly outdated in its world view, and so untrusting of the fabric of Indian foreign policy, as that motley bunch we call the Left.
But let’s not for a minute here assume that I believe that the UPA government is any the better without the Commies. The Congress is woefully corrupt, weak and indecisive. But we’re talking hopefully about the end of the Left here.
When I was at The Indian Express, a senior colleague whose opinion on political matters I respected and continue to respect very much told me that for all the criticism that was heaped upon the Left, they still held a good deal of respect for doing whatever they were doing for the “right” reasons. That opinion was for a long time a part of how I viewed the Left – a bunch of crabby old fogies with good intentions. But not for a long time now. The audacious double standards that the Left perpetuates with smug impunity are plain for anyone to see, not least in matters of defence.
Not once – not once – have the Left parties criticised Russia, even mildly, for the preposterous record of reneging on military contracts, a bold new trend manifested most intensely in the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier episode. Joint exercises with the United States Air Force in Kalaikunda are enough to rally thousands of jobless (literally too, probably) Left party workers to throng the perimeter of the base, but they’ll remain arrogantly without opinion when Russia, in violation of agreements with India, agrees to let China sell proprietary Russian military hardware to Pakistan.
The Left only have ignorant rants against the Indian security establishment, calling the latter’s threat perceptions against the Chinese, “far-fetched” or “rooted in paranoid belligerence”.
Which is really why men and women in uniform, almost unanimously hate the Communists. The Communists offer no compassion or empathy for the hard work our security forces do, but have the temerity to question military policy. They sit on Parliamentary Committees and ask ludicrous questions of the defence establishment. It’s easy to wear patriotism on your sleeve when hard questions are never asked, but the Commies haven’t once made known that they are on India’s side even on critical issues like the disputed territories of India and China.
An Army major with the Korea Brigade at Tawang (Arunachal Pradesh) in 2006 said to me, “If the Chinese invade India, I think our Karats and Yechuries would be the happiest. They will just take a plane, land in Beijing and take new citizenship. They do not care one bit about this country, only about their so-called ideology.”
The Commies can shroud themselves in sanctimonious, smug rhetoric – the kind that says, we know what’s good, and you’re all villains – will hopefully die now, and be but a stain on India’s parliamentary history. I’ve spent a week in Nandigram, and have seen the carnage, rhetoric and insincerity straight-up. No disguises. I hope today begins the process of purging of the red. For our country’s sake.
Hear hear Shiv, you are spot on. The choice of words in my mind for the Left parties would get me in trouble for posting it here. I say good riddance, let them not get single vote let alone a single seat in the Parliament in the next elections. They are done nothing but ruin this country with their politics and their open love for their brothers in China. I say ship them out, each one of them. And before anyone comments in support of the Left on this blog or any other place, Up Yours .l.
well said shiv. and teews, that’s a fine idea. send all the blasted commies to china and russia. let’s see how they like that. bloody turds.
I agree with the article. Our communists are totally out of touch with what motivates human beings to give their best. The Communist philosphy is the finest one theoretically only – because human beings are not motivated by higher values any more. Even our communists are on the side of organised labour and have done nothing for the unorganised labour… these people need all the help they can get… the communists have done nothing for them. They go for organised labour in government, big industries.. easy to capture votes this way. I do wish they had actually participated in governance, rather that in finding faults with every thing that the government did. They just wanted the power to hold the government to ransom without any responsibility on their own shoulders. Take credit whenever due, and blame the government when things don’t go right. I must congratulate our speaker though for an exemplary conduct in trying to uphold the dignity of our parliament. Some of the spokespersons of the Left are absolutely ridiculous and make a fool of themselves everytime.
Well said Shiv. The WB Commies are a complete disgrace. Good riddance! And inshallah, may it be for a long long time…
Well said, Shiv!
The communists, their fucked-up ideology, and the despicable ways they use to thrust that ideology on an unwilling populace are the bane of India (and the world). They made a joke of themselves by condemning the 1998 Shakti tests and then opposing the nuclear deal by citing “strategic independence” as a reason. Good riddance to them!
BTW, you and you friend Ajai Shukla are acquiring a bigger fan following with each passing day 🙂
One more incident that highlights the shameless hypocrisy of the Commies, and the lengths of brutality they are willing to go to in order to browbeat a populace into submitting to them.
http://www.indianexpress.com/printerFriendly/239674.html
West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee says that what CPM cadres did in Nandigram is “morally and legally justifiable.” His comrades in New Delhi today argued that Nandigram is a “state subject” unlike the Gujarat rapes and murders of 2002 and, therefore, could not be discussed in Parliament.
Perhaps, the comrades should listen to Sabina Begum. For, hers is the first officially confirmed case of gangrape allegedly by armed CPM cadres on November 6, during their “Operation Recapture” in Nandigram.
Her two daughters went missing soon after the gangrape that night. In chilling testimony to The Indian Express, Sabina has said that after she was raped, she saw her daughters, Fatima, 16, and Nasreen, 14, raped as well and then abducted by CPM cadres. All the three names have been changed to protect their identities.
There are reports that the CPI(M) ensured that the area was sealed off while the genocide/pogorm/holocaust took place and there were no witnesses or news coverage! Yet, the Commies have the cheek to accuse the governor of “overstepping his jurisdiction” when he commented on the situation.
So rude you guys are
Do what their chinki counterparts do their traitors. Hang them publicly. If I was given a free hand I’ll skin them alive in full public view
Indian constitution must change to block any party bearing thoughts of communism from nominating in the General Elections. There cannot be a communistic ideology within a democracy. This is called Psuedo-democracy.
The way “democracy” has been undermined in West Bengal (systematic rigging assembly elections with fake/bogus voters at the grass root level, votes being cast in your name, general strikes, militant trade unionism etc) is a perfect text book non-example waiting to be emulated in countries like Zimbabwe. It has almost made them invincible after 30 years of misrule, most pathetically the state is tottering way behind their western and southern counterparts. Heck, they don’t even know the spirit of “Amraa Bangali” that they claim to espouse. Progressive thinking in the land of Tagore and Netaji has given way to decadency and dogmatism in the name of ideology.
Added to above: I can be beaten black and blue for saying this in Kolkata and I can also be beaten up by the local goons aka Party workers (sentinels of “CPM democracy” in West Bengal) for not contributing to the local Durga Puja. Its almost like extortion. With a spirit like this I’m sure goddess Durga has left us to our affairs long back. I have no hope for my home state at all till the commies are gotten rid of from there as well. They are such a huge liability to the people of West Bengal.
Shiv, I couldn’t agree more with you. These so called comrades with outdated thoughts must be shipped out and forcibly drowned in the Bay-of-Bengal. HG from CA
Shiv, I couldn’t agree more with you. These so called comrades with outdated thoughts must be shipped out and forcibly drowned in the Bay-of-Bengal. HG from CA
Can’t put it better! Well done!
Cheers all! Now the left scum is a passe..they should now sell some PSUs off and cut the flab. In an overheated economy we can’t afford pampering. The Left have always condemned Israel when it attacks terrorists throwing mortars and rockets at civilians, But when Hamas blow up innocent jews and roll tractor over them its “freedom struggle”. Fucking hypocrites. Tipzi Livni even said that they won’t consider people who attack their soldiers as terrorists,only people who attack innocent people are considered terrorists. How can they blame Israelis with such strong moral fibre! Jai Hind!
Wonderfully eloquent! Our thoughts in your words…
Communism may be a great concept. But these traitors and a$$h0les use it against the country’s interests.
They never acknowledged the Chinese aggression of ’62, dont say a damn about present day intrusions… should’nt there be laws against people so openly anti-indian?
There should be 100s of POTA like acts against these people – no warrant, no court proceedings – suspicions, direct arrests and shooting order for those eloping..
Hi Shiv
I always thought you just care about air force, and do not think in terms of politics. But if you hate these lefties so much, I see the reasoning in it. You must have read a survey two days ago that the people in West Bengal and Tripura do not wash their hands after defecating and my mind goes back to the 30 years of misrule of these *bandhbudhi* commies to justify their habit. Only this kind of people can elect commies to misrule in their state.
I mate Mr. Karat, two months ago and asked him why he is opposing Nuke deal while other defense agreements and purchases with USA are being finalized without any cap. The deal which they are offering in return is being stopped by you, and Americans must thank you more than the Chines for this stupidity. He just laughed. And even I laughed coz he was having no ans. for his misplace opposition of the Nuke deal. Thank you Mr Karat for withdrawing the support, though its very delayed decision but, better late than never. Shiv I would love to translate your article, for the Hindi readers so that a larger section of Indian should know the real face of these commies, who can aptly, be called CHOOTIYA in Hindi. I do not know what word you have for this in English. Please translate this word for the benefit of English reader—Mukesh Kaushik
Mukeshji, very well said…..chootiya in English is asshole (Ass=choot) and I really love your comments here…they are so honest, innocent and from the heart….Even Shiv agrees with me.
But one thing people, the defence deals, which you think the Left kept quiet about or even raked up, doesnt matter nonetheless, isnt the UPA (read Congress), also bending by allowing EUM in every deal…the draft is being finalised and will hold for every deal henceforth.
As far as defence deals are concerned, they are all the same-corrupt, that is !
mukesh: you say it best, my friend! and the translation offered by the last anon should suit your requirements, though i would refrain from using that particular word in a blogpost! well i guess this is something folks feel really passionate about — i know i did when i heard the news. nice to see so many people agree.
I sciencerly hope, the commies get routed in the forthcoming elections. The situation in states that they govern has alway been based on outdated views! Karat is is a numbnut !
shiv i have been reading your blog almost daily since the last 4 or 5 months , and i would like to say that you have been able to present the facts without getting muddled into the data.But i would like to sincerely disagree with what you have said about the communists on the nuclear deal .I do totally agree with your view about the communists regarding their parental love towards china and russia .
i would suggest you read the articles in the website
http://www.indiareacts.com before deciding on giving judgements in the nuclear deal case
best regards
vsp456
vsp456: thanks for your comment. but i invite you to take a look at my piece once again. nowhere have i even mentioned the nuclear deal. my piece is not about the left’s stand on the nuclear deal at all. it is about the left’s attitude in general. specically about the nuclear deal, i personally find a lot of arguments against it quite compelling (though i am, overall, a supporter of the deal). but i strongly and vehemently denounce the reasons that the Left puts forward as its opposition to the deal. suggesting that india stand imperiled of becoming a satellite state of the US, or a stooge to the NATO, is to be criminally cynical and downright stupid about the fabric of india’s integrity and foreign policy. the nuclear deal itself is still up for debate. so if you’re suggesting i’m slamming the left for their opposition to the deal, you’re very wrong. i just think their reasons are outdated, uninformed, hypocritical and self-serving.
In a long time, I haven’t come across such a group of so many ignorant fools debating, without any amount of facts, and agreeing to nail Communists. You could do better on facts, guys. Not that I am fan of the Indian communists, whose lobbying power is far better than that of Ambani brothers, on most occasions. But that is besides the point. The point here is that you are nailing the last surviving voices of morality in Indian politics, so that a PM, who is lost in the Washington Consensus days of 80s, can suck up to neoconservatives. The deal, in the way it has been excuted, has reduced the gap with the next armed conflict with China by at least a decade. I don’t expect many here to understand my argument. As Vajpayee said, you can choose your friends but not your neighbours. Guys, please try and understand the security dilemmas of the region, and world, before nailing communists, praising the PM and pimp Amar Singh, and hailing Bush. And Shiv, for all the good English you write, it is a shame that you are taking such a harsh line on Russia, China etc, after repeatedly availaing junkets from American arms firms. I would have expected better professional conduct from you.
I have been reading yiour blog for quite a few monthsand this time I am compeelled to comment..to whom do we owe this complete misfortune of traitors been thrust on our beautiful country..who have nothing good in life except to oppose every step ahead india takes..these are the very people who sided with china..who denounced the 1998 nuclear tests..who call themselves as champions of poor but have disclosed assets of crores(somnath chatterjee net assets 5crs. 2004 elections)..the very people who live in democracy but decry it too..these are the very vermin who are leading causes of much sorrow to this land..the very vermin who cannot thrive outside WB and Kerala(thank god for that).So a humble requests to all good people of those states please get rid of all these karat and yechury vermin in next elections..and make sure they rot in their LAL BHAVANS..
FINALLY THE ASSHOLES OUT .
[email protected]: last surviving voice of morality in indian politics? dude, you’re either just in denial or been living under a rock. there is no morality about basing opposition to an indo-american deal on distrust of the dexterity of indian foreign policy. secondly, i’m no fan of the congress and have made that amply clear in my piece. third, i’ve availed of visits to the US, Sweden and Russia by arms firms in all three countries. and all visits have been above board and for journalistic purposes. thankfully my politics and worldview are not persuaded by junkets to countries (is that true for you or someone you know though? enlighten me). and nobody here’s pimping amar singh. you’ve brought that in from the outside, i’m afraid! but seriously, if you think the commies are doing what they’re doing because of some moral fibre, well hats off to the wonderful state of denial. never underestimate the power of denial, they always say!
Shiv your hypocrisy is commendable…firstly you use ‘choot’ so often in life that its part of your vocabulary now and you want to refrain from it here…ironical well, and secondly the junkets maybe for journalistic purposes but then why not get them sponsored by your organization in that case?
I dont favour the Left and least of all those who have spread muck in defence deals, including all of the ruling/ruled parties/alliances, but dude, Russia is an old ally and a junket in Russia is an indirect endorsement of thier ideology, which perpetuates more of defence business and deals leading to underhand transactions, in which Russia is a champion. How they do it is a different story, which I wouldn’t disclose here.
And please refrain from junkets if your so idealist , as the stories you do from these countries also dont speak of your journalistic competence….all you do is fly fighters and pimp for them on your channel ….how much money has each company paid you for MMRCA propaganda?
Do some good stories, the real defence ones and then come and talk here, as its only your eloquent English that is visible here and nothing else.
Mukeshji, the word “chootiya” is generally used to describe an idiot or a bumbling fool. Hardly an apt description for the Commies. “Haraam khor” would be far more appropriate.
Commies are the jammed disk brakes on the F1 car called India. They will always slow you down, they cannot be removed/repaired, they make a hell of a noise – no matter who the driver is, they claim to be ensuring safety of the car while speed is more(or at least equally) important..
If the country needs to improve fast, bring in a bi-party system and abolish all other parties. Even a GOOD concerned dictator is better than this garam masala coalition.
[email protected]: ooooh, your sense of irony, analytical prowess and simplicity are acutely disarming. so i’m gonna let you live in your beautiful little trinket world! 😛
beautiful piece. i agree in toto. shameless reds should be frogmarched fown rajpath and then executed by firing squad at amar jawan jyoti. teach them a thing or two about sacrifice. all they can do is talk. an anyone who has a word of sympathy for the reds deserved the same fate. and one of the anons, from where does shiv aroor’s junkets connect to the matter at hand??? i fail to understand the connection, so kindly try better if you are attempting to build an argument here,, -jc.
They are all chootiyas and haraam khors, Mukeshji…everyone is as bad as one another
If a connection between F1 cars and commies and Rajpath and firing squad can be established then why not between this matter and Shiv Aroor’s junkets?
And Shiv, you’ve mis-spelt ‘junket’ as ‘trinket’ and also one more thing, Shiv, you please disarm and disrobe yourself of all that excess baggage of your pseudo-erudite and half-baked connecting prowess of defence and politics, as you need to understand history and political science first, to comment on matters like this.
If you were so savvy then why would your channel call experts for political discussions from outside.
Don’t forget that China has shoved up our bravery up our asses and Russia is well onto modern Imperialism. Listen kid, this is your grandfather talking, even today our academies have in their syllabus China’s ‘Art of War’ in its course, as we have nothing of our own worthwhile…this is a very small example, but nonetheless.
And the US that you keep harping about so much, and you must’ve gone on junkets to US many times, I don’t know, let me tell you, its just a game in which we are being squeezed. If the Red ideology bothers us so much, then why Russians as allies…History is witness to the fact …
And guys don’t forget Nepal…maybe Communism is the future
[email protected]: i’m going to have to repeat what i said in my first comment in this section. “i invite you to take a look at my piece once again. nowhere have i even mentioned the nuclear deal. my piece is not about the left’s stand on the nuclear deal at all. it is about the left’s attitude in general.” why is there this sense that this piece is about the nuclear deal. i haven’t even talked of the nuke deal in it! it’s about the way the left deals with stuff. sure, i certainly don’t have a sense of political history that stretches as far as yours, grandpa. and incidentally, like i said before, i find some of the arguments against the nuke deal to be compelling. and thirdly, if you think i’m pro-american (for whatever reason), then you obviously have a yourself a half-baked opinion based on your own grits. my position on america is not monolothic and outdated, which is not to say that i don’t disagree with much of the country’s foreign policy. but that’s way too much complexity in an argument for you to handle huh? i’m sure it’s all just anti-american and pro-american to you. how different are you from the left in that case?
beep beep beep hijack alert!! debate getting deflected to the personal!! folks keep the debate real please. let’s not have another bharat rakshak type intolerance here.
i am of the opinion that the communists have some good qualities too, but they have just not had the chance to show those qualities because they have been forced to be nasty because of the crooked ways of the upa govt. they have been forced to act like an opposition. which is why the bjp has just laughed to itself these four odd years. otherwise i do agree that there is a certain political morality about the left which is absent in every other party in the country. but i must admit the nandigram issue severely eroded their credibility and national reputation for transparency and more importantly, intentions of power to the people. that will be very hard to recover.
No its not about pro or anti US, let me correct you, Shiv. I am myself anti-Left, but aren’t we or should I say our foreign policy tilted towards the US? More so after Congress coming to power…analyse those supporting the Congress in gaining the numbers, like the SP and Ajit Singh’s party (whatever its called)…they are all those who either have properties in the US or were themselves educated there or have thier children studying there now.
Doesn’t that as much speak of them as to why the support…well the big daddy infuses fear, I guess..but leave all that as its nothing but pure politics.
It may not be about the deal, and just the politics of the matter, but dude the matter remains that all future deals now depend on this one decision. Lets leave the Left out, as the numbers can still be gained without them, and Manmohan may not have a single anti-India bone in his body, and Karat who has never ever won an election in his life is deciding the fate of 1 billion Indians, but the Center does need to show pragmatism, as to why the BJP who initiated the deal is opposing it so vehemently now.
Is politics just about winning elections and proving numbers. China who has engulfed us from everywhere, what would be our fate after the deal..US, 1000s of miles away, would it come to our aid and the cmmon man walking on the road, does he understand the deal and its finer points and is it benefitting him? Even if you dont talk about the deal, does it not exist in our sub concious when we think or talk of the Left…would they be in the limelight , but for this deal.
And one more advice, son, when you go on a junket to China, please do a negative story from there…actually thats a challenge…well you couldn’t do one even from the Sino-Indian border, after exclusively haven spoken to the Chinese Commander, as was evident from your copy, so don’t talk of journalistic pursuits when you talk of junkets.
They are with a purpose and quite successfully being achieved.
anon$11.14pm: now you’re just being obtuse. debate about the deal itself is another matter altogether. this is not about the deal! that’s a whole separate argument — you’re being dense about that, gramps. i respect your, uh, wonderous sense of indian politics, but that’s not what my post was about. it’s not about the SP or ajit singh or any of those things. thirdly, the person i spoke to on the sino-indian border was an indian commander, in case you haven’t read the quote. and thirdly, not that i seek to rebut your puerile argument about my junkets and post-junket persuasions, on the completion of my two US junkets (both being by aircraft manufacturers participating in the MMRCA tender), i did a special report about the corruption histories of both lockheed martin and boeing — a 15 minute special report. and on my return from russia, apart from the MiG-35 fighter flight special that everyone saw, i did a half-hour special report two days later on the risks of spending yet more money on Russian fighters when the IAF has already had such an awful experience. I mention these only to give you an idea. so don’t through immature challenges around. get out of your armchair, see the world, and try and get an opinion that isn’t culled from press club chatter.
you both are having a silly argument. the point is the left are a bunch of old-fashioned imbeciles who will be shown their place in the elections. end of discussion.
Shiv, You are playing into the old commie game of indulging in useless, mindless, good for nothing arguments. They argue just for the heck of it. It’s what they excel in.Don’t fall for it. Cut the crap with your silence and if it that doesn’t work you always have the delete comment button.
silence? uh, ok!
Red out rhymes with Bug Out !!! Seems reds are out but the bugs are still in your system. Good time to take a break ! See you afresh next week.
Commies are nothing but smut on the face of India. Lets wipe the face clean. long live democracy.
To one of the anonymous commentators I may say that he too is being off-topic while discussing the ancient Chinese work ‘Art of War’ in a discussion involving modern Communist parties in India. Besides, he must remember that India has an equally ancient equivalent treatise i.e. Chanakya’s Arthashastra.
Communist parties may be described as a “scourge” on India. They did not protest when the then Chinese ambassador, Sun Yuxi claimed that Arunachal Pradesh was a part of China. While their silence on the issue may be legally defended on the grounds of free speech, but morally, nationalistically, and politically their silence is not only indefensible, but is tantamount to treason of the highest order.
Left leader Mr. Bardhan on a TV talk-show reasoned that India needn’t “interfere” with Tibet as it is China’s “internal matter”. However, the same reasoning was not applied when communist parties did not protest China objection to the PM’s visit to AP.
Hence, from the above it may be clear that reason why it is apparently hard to argue with Communist parties is because they indeed give technically or legally valid arguments. Thus, if they do not protest China’s claims over AP by claiming that it is indeed disputed territory and the matter is sub-judice between the 2 nations, it is technically valid — though morally and nationalistically its an exhibit of treachery towards India.
Hence, in order to defeat the Communist arguments, one must not argue over the technicality of their arguments/ ideology, but focus on nationalistic interests. In my view, the Communist parties themselves are aware that their ideology and reasoning (in whatever matter) cannot stand scrutiny in the moral plane.
In my view, ideologically the single biggest opponent of Communism in India is not democracy (left leaders are themselves elected) but Hinduism, which has a following of 84% of Indian population. Though Communism may “profess” itself to be agnostic, one of it’s goals is to erase the majority religion in whichever nation it tries to root itself. Thus, Buddhism in Tibet and Hinduism in India were targeted.
Thank you.
Though Communism may “profess” itself to be agnostic, one of it’s goals is to erase the majority religion in whichever nation it tries to root itself. Thus, Buddhism in Tibet and Hinduism in India were targeted
Spot on Abhiman! Every time commie calls his ideology “atheist”, I make it a point to ask him why his people worship the body of their “God” which is embalmed and preserved at Tiananmen Square
Mihir, yesterday on NDTV’s show named “Big-Fight”, Mr. Nilotpal Basu of CPI(M) made a remark, that and I quote (roughly), “You see Dr. Kalam is not a nuclear scientist. He is…you know… that aeronautics person. So he does not have much knowledge about the deal“, end quote.
Mr. Basu conveniently forgot that Dr. Kalam supervised the Pokhran-II tests in his capacity as Scientific Advisor to the Govt. of India. This supervision due to his post was possible because knowledge about nuclear science is well within his purview of scientific knowledge, even though his speciality may be missile technology.
It may be noted once again here, that Mr. Basu took the help of a technicality to further his argument, that Dr. Kalam’s expertise is “aeronautics”, and so his word on the nuclear deal is irrelevant. As the scientist who supervised Pokhran-II, Dr. Kalam’s opinion on the nuclear deal carries far more weightage than the opinion of the collective Left front in India. It is unlikely that Mr. Basu or any Left politician understands the basics about uranium enrichment or India’s 3-stage program.
Thank you.
This piece is awesome and it reverberates with notions that so many of our patriots convene. What a misplaced lot these commies are, I hail from Kerala but live out of Bangalore and I carry this morbid fear of visiting my native place. I have confronted these commies several times during my brief visits there, Gee; these guys are the stygian depths to say the least. They stoop to degrading levels that even our Indian dogs look better behaved. This myopic coterie laughed off China’s bold invasion in 1962 and clandestinely opposed our nuclear testing during Vajpayee’s rule. They are fuming all the more since our foreign policy is tilting decidedly towards the US. Understood that US is not an epitome of morality when it comes to behavior or implementation of its foreign policy, however misplaced it may be to the outside world, the US first takes its national interest into consideration above anything and they always target communist/socialist regimes. In the same vein we would also expect the commies being a national party to consider our national interest above parochial or self servicing interests.