Though the report of the Public Accounts Committee on 2G scam was subdued in the ruckus created by the parliamentarians on accepting the clear cut findings because they indict clean-image Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the message has been delivered.
Interestingly, the Bharatiya Janata Party member MM Joshi, who was on the receiving end by the Congress MPs assisted by its allies and foes-turned-allies like the BSP and SP, appeared to have had the last laugh.
Joshi was perhaps aware that the PAC report would be short-lived. The Congress party would in any case have turned it down had it been fully accepted. The party had been raising the questions of continuing with the PAC after the JPC had been constituted. But Joshi went ahead with his probe.
The PAC gained a lot of brownie points by summoning the likes of Ratan Tata and Anil Ambani. The PAC members went along with Joshi for sometime, only protesting in murmurs but as he become bold and daring enough to reach, what the Congress wants to protect - the Prime Minister, they had enough. As PMO officials were about to be called for giving their statements, Soz and his team of eight went on the rampage, forcing Joshi to shelve his plans of calling the PM for examination, which Singh himself had offered earlier.
And before the PAC term could end on April 30, the (draft) report hit the headlines.
The report is unlikely to be accepted. But the damage has been done.
The veteran leader was more or less successful in hinting who are the protagonists of the Rs 1.76 crore scam besides those already in jail, including former Telecom Minister A Raja. The name of PM had been dragged in the 2G scam.
The most vital question is what has been Manmohan Singh’s contribution in perpetuating the scam? How did he benefit from the mega scam?
Caesar wife should be above suspicion. So if there are fingers being pointed out, should it not be proper for the highest executive officer holder to come out clean, if he so desires to remain spotlessly taint-free.
Leaving aside the fact that Raja mislead the PM on more than a few occasions, the PMO too showed files to Singh after the scam had taken place. The PM with the RAW, IB at his command and so also all the senior babus who are supposed to keep him informed on important matters of the state, should have briefed Singh at some point about the scam taking place.
Given that the scam managers were able to hoodwink the PM, PMO, IB, ED… and Raja was able to “deliberately and dismindly mislead the PM in order to fulfill his nefarious design leading to a staggering loss of revenue which also tarnished the image of the country”, was the PM so self-contained or occupied or powerless that he could not spare time and stop what was happening right in front of his face. A newspaper was regularly writing about the scam since 2008, much before the 2009 general elections. Should not the PM have taken cognizance?
The questions being raised are:
Why did the Prime Minister give “indirect green signal” to former Telecom Minister A Raja?
“The PM’s “desire to keep the PMO at arm’s length indirectly helped the Communications Minister to go ahead and execute his unfair, arbitrary and dubious designs.” Why did the PM keep the PMO at arm’s length? How long was the arm?
Manmohan has recently said that revenue generation has never been a primary consideration. This contradicts his India Telecom 2007 statement that revenue generation must not be lost sight of. Why is the PM flip flopping on such important matters?
The PMO is “required to reconcile the two divergent views of the PM”.
Will Singh present himself to the Central Bureau of Investigation, like he offered to the PAC?
The onus is on the PM and not on the agency to come forward. The fact of the matter is CBI cannot move against the PM. Can a sleuth, no matter how gutsy or fool-hardy, question the man who inaugurates their swanky building? Can any file noting be ever made against the PM?
In any case, the CBI and other investigating agencies have to seek permission from the sanctioning authority, which sounds a very difficult proposition.
The CBI after filing the second chargesheet in the court indicated that it was as far as it could go, barring a supplementary. In fact the role of the premier agency has been that of a passive one, acting at the behest of the Supreme Court.
But Singh should take the lead and come forward and present what circumstances led to the scam, was he never aware of the scam taking place, why no officer briefed him and plethora of other questions. The chair of the PM has to be above board. Singh is King, and it should show.
Friday, May 6, 2011
India lacks precision for surgical attack
While the US commando troops swooped down the luxurious bungalow in military hill station Abbottabad in Pakistan, the Indian establishment does not have the wherewithal to lead such a precision attack inside the dangerous neighbourhood.
Though Army chief General V K Singh and Air Chief Marshal P V Naik say armed forces are "competent" to carry out an operation similar to the one conducted by the US in Pakistan against al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, Indian intelligence inputs required for such precision operation would be wanting, according to sources.
Though the elite commando troops of Army’s parachute units are highly trained and are armed with latest weaponry and communication gadgetry, the intelligence paraphernalia, including the Research and Analysis Wing has never been able to provide the military planners with precision data regarding hi-profile targets.
“Indian army special elite troops can operate in all theatres of war, including striking deep in enemy territory. But we never have high quality, actionable info even after 26/11,” says a senior military officer on condition of anonymity.
Military Intelligence lists over four dozen of mobile launch pads used by terrorists to enter Jammu and Kashmir besides nearly two dozen permanent terror training camps run by the Pakistan establishment including the notorious Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Incidentally Abbottabad is listed as a permanent terror base camp run by the ISI but the army never crossed the Line of Control, even in Kargil war.
According to highly reliable sources, the Indian intelligence agencies have rarely given pinpointed inputs to security forces, due to which causality figure of specialised forces in anti-terror operations have been high.
At the launch of Operation Pawan, the codename assigned for Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) to take control of Jaffna from the LTTE in late 1987, was a disaster primarily due to lack of intelligence available to the elite commando troops that swooped down Jaffna University, the then headquarters of Prabhakaran.
According to officials, three platoons of elite 10 Para Commandos were to spread in the the football field of Jaffna University, give covering fire for the subsequent group of commandos, barge the hostel and link up to main troops. The intel inputs given was that there could some minor resistance as LTTE cadre could be armed with a few assault rifles.
However, after the first helicopter had landed on ground, the commandos came under heavy semi-automatic and automatic fire from the hostel. The troops in the second helicopter barely managed to slither down. LTTE was armed with even rocket launchers and motors, which wasn’t part of the intelligence brief, which resulted in killing of nearly two dozen commandos and army officials.
The commandos were caught unaware inside enemy territory with heavy firing. They were fighting with limited ammunition for nearly 36 hours till an armoured regiment was ordered to blow and link up with the commandos. The Oct 12, 1987 operation had gone totally wrong due to poor intelligence inputs by the RAW and other agencies, according to sources.
Similarly intelligence inputs for even routine operations in Jammu and Kashmir are sketchy often endangering the lives of security forces.
The files maintained by the Intelligence Bureau, RAW and MI are generally of routine nature. Though each formation and branches maintain their own records, most intelligence is non-actionable.
An intelligence unit had a secret file on former President Pravez Musharraf, the intel was of routine nature include what liquor he drank or how he liked to socialise. The vital points including how he operated the Pakistan army or controlled the ISI were not listed, according to sources.
Interestingly, while India never has had the policy of hot pursuit, though it has actively been debated in war rooms South and North Block and intelligence headquarters in New Delhi, the troops are ready if ordered to conduct any operation in all war theatres.
However, post 26/11 after which a lot of emphasis has been stressed on rejuvenating the intelligence agencies are yet to bear fruits.
Though Army chief General V K Singh and Air Chief Marshal P V Naik say armed forces are "competent" to carry out an operation similar to the one conducted by the US in Pakistan against al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, Indian intelligence inputs required for such precision operation would be wanting, according to sources.
Though the elite commando troops of Army’s parachute units are highly trained and are armed with latest weaponry and communication gadgetry, the intelligence paraphernalia, including the Research and Analysis Wing has never been able to provide the military planners with precision data regarding hi-profile targets.
“Indian army special elite troops can operate in all theatres of war, including striking deep in enemy territory. But we never have high quality, actionable info even after 26/11,” says a senior military officer on condition of anonymity.
Military Intelligence lists over four dozen of mobile launch pads used by terrorists to enter Jammu and Kashmir besides nearly two dozen permanent terror training camps run by the Pakistan establishment including the notorious Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Incidentally Abbottabad is listed as a permanent terror base camp run by the ISI but the army never crossed the Line of Control, even in Kargil war.
According to highly reliable sources, the Indian intelligence agencies have rarely given pinpointed inputs to security forces, due to which causality figure of specialised forces in anti-terror operations have been high.
At the launch of Operation Pawan, the codename assigned for Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) to take control of Jaffna from the LTTE in late 1987, was a disaster primarily due to lack of intelligence available to the elite commando troops that swooped down Jaffna University, the then headquarters of Prabhakaran.
According to officials, three platoons of elite 10 Para Commandos were to spread in the the football field of Jaffna University, give covering fire for the subsequent group of commandos, barge the hostel and link up to main troops. The intel inputs given was that there could some minor resistance as LTTE cadre could be armed with a few assault rifles.
However, after the first helicopter had landed on ground, the commandos came under heavy semi-automatic and automatic fire from the hostel. The troops in the second helicopter barely managed to slither down. LTTE was armed with even rocket launchers and motors, which wasn’t part of the intelligence brief, which resulted in killing of nearly two dozen commandos and army officials.
The commandos were caught unaware inside enemy territory with heavy firing. They were fighting with limited ammunition for nearly 36 hours till an armoured regiment was ordered to blow and link up with the commandos. The Oct 12, 1987 operation had gone totally wrong due to poor intelligence inputs by the RAW and other agencies, according to sources.
Similarly intelligence inputs for even routine operations in Jammu and Kashmir are sketchy often endangering the lives of security forces.
The files maintained by the Intelligence Bureau, RAW and MI are generally of routine nature. Though each formation and branches maintain their own records, most intelligence is non-actionable.
An intelligence unit had a secret file on former President Pravez Musharraf, the intel was of routine nature include what liquor he drank or how he liked to socialise. The vital points including how he operated the Pakistan army or controlled the ISI were not listed, according to sources.
Interestingly, while India never has had the policy of hot pursuit, though it has actively been debated in war rooms South and North Block and intelligence headquarters in New Delhi, the troops are ready if ordered to conduct any operation in all war theatres.
However, post 26/11 after which a lot of emphasis has been stressed on rejuvenating the intelligence agencies are yet to bear fruits.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
CBI plays soft ball
Indian Olympic Association chief and former head of the CWG Organising Committee Suresh Kalmadi has finally been arrested by the CBI for awarding Commonwealth Games contract to a Swiss company at an inflated rate of `141 crore and causing `95 crore loss to the exchequer.Kalmadi is allegedly accused of not only signing the contract as the head of the executive board of the OC, from which he was removed after the loot was widely reported in the media, but because of his pre-mediated and planned role much before the contract was awarded to Swiss Timekeeping.Kalmadi was instrumental in changing the specification for awarding the contract to the Swiss company and appointing personnel who toed his line. Kalmadi also removed officials who objected to the selection of the company on a single tender basis while ignoring MSL of Spain. For the Timing-Scoring-Result (TSR) System, MSL had quoted `45 crore but Kalmadi awarded contract to Swiss Timekeeping thus causing `95 crore loss to the exchequer. Out of this loss, `23 crore was paid for non-execution of any service.“Kalmadi was arrested for awarding the contract in a planned and pre-mediated manner to the Swiss company,” a CBI official said after formally arresting the Pune MP at 3.30 pm on Monday."Kalmadi threatened and coerced tender evaluation committee members to disqualify other bidders," the CBI said. Agency spokesperson Dharini Mishra said further investigations are on.The CBI has so far registered 10 cases in the scam related to the organisation of the event.
Five of these are against the OC, three against NDMC and one against SIS Live.More than six months after the sports extravaganza and a month after arresting two officials, the agency has finally pounced on the big cat.The same slow pace and over-cautious approach of the agency is visible in the 2G scam probe. Though the agency has named DMK chief M Karunanidhi’s daughter M Kanimozhi in the second chargesheet filed today, it has left out his wife Dayaluammal. After receiving Rs 100 crore on splitting with Sun TV, Dayaluammal along with daughter Kanimozhi and Sharad Kumar formed Kalaignar TV. This television company got unsecured loan which is seen as an alleged ‘bribe’ of Rs 200 crore from Shahid Balwa’s DB Realty for getting spectrum licence. After it was discovered and reported in the media, the money was given back to Balwa’s company.The CBI says it did not make her an accused because “she does not know English”. The agency ignored the fact Dayaluammal has 60 per cent stake in Kalaignar TV and being a majority partner, she is legally responsible for all the actions that her company takes.“We did not name her as an accused because she did not know English. Even her statement was recorded with the help of a translator. She had no active role and her signatures are not on any company document,” the CBI official investigating the case said. Kanimozhi was made an accused because “she was an active stakeholder, effectively dealing with (former Telecom minister A) Raja, Radia tapes and she was pushing Kalaignar TV in Delhi,” an official said.By filing the second chargesheet, the CBI has effectively concluded the 2G scam probe except the Loop Telecom, where some senior officials have stakes in Etisalat DB Telecom Pvt Ltd (formerly Swan Telecom Pvt Ltd) and Loop Telecom through Mauritius-based companies. However, the agency would find it difficult to move against ADAG chief Anil Ambani and Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata as Swan and Unitech involved in the 2G scam are alleged fronts of both the groups respectively. CBI officials admit that was as far as it could go but left little room depending on the circumstances. “We have to move according to each layer. If a layer leads to second layer we proceed. If we find no evidence leading to third level, we cannot proceed on the basis of presumed evidence,” a senior official handling investigation said. However, the CBI may file an additional chargesheet in the Loop case. The agency is moving slowly as it getting sanction against senior officials in a phased manner, according to sources. The high and mighty involved in both the 2G scam and CWG loot are actively involved in removing evidence. “This is what they are doing. What can we do about it,” admitted a CBI official.
Five of these are against the OC, three against NDMC and one against SIS Live.More than six months after the sports extravaganza and a month after arresting two officials, the agency has finally pounced on the big cat.The same slow pace and over-cautious approach of the agency is visible in the 2G scam probe. Though the agency has named DMK chief M Karunanidhi’s daughter M Kanimozhi in the second chargesheet filed today, it has left out his wife Dayaluammal. After receiving Rs 100 crore on splitting with Sun TV, Dayaluammal along with daughter Kanimozhi and Sharad Kumar formed Kalaignar TV. This television company got unsecured loan which is seen as an alleged ‘bribe’ of Rs 200 crore from Shahid Balwa’s DB Realty for getting spectrum licence. After it was discovered and reported in the media, the money was given back to Balwa’s company.The CBI says it did not make her an accused because “she does not know English”. The agency ignored the fact Dayaluammal has 60 per cent stake in Kalaignar TV and being a majority partner, she is legally responsible for all the actions that her company takes.“We did not name her as an accused because she did not know English. Even her statement was recorded with the help of a translator. She had no active role and her signatures are not on any company document,” the CBI official investigating the case said. Kanimozhi was made an accused because “she was an active stakeholder, effectively dealing with (former Telecom minister A) Raja, Radia tapes and she was pushing Kalaignar TV in Delhi,” an official said.By filing the second chargesheet, the CBI has effectively concluded the 2G scam probe except the Loop Telecom, where some senior officials have stakes in Etisalat DB Telecom Pvt Ltd (formerly Swan Telecom Pvt Ltd) and Loop Telecom through Mauritius-based companies. However, the agency would find it difficult to move against ADAG chief Anil Ambani and Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata as Swan and Unitech involved in the 2G scam are alleged fronts of both the groups respectively. CBI officials admit that was as far as it could go but left little room depending on the circumstances. “We have to move according to each layer. If a layer leads to second layer we proceed. If we find no evidence leading to third level, we cannot proceed on the basis of presumed evidence,” a senior official handling investigation said. However, the CBI may file an additional chargesheet in the Loop case. The agency is moving slowly as it getting sanction against senior officials in a phased manner, according to sources. The high and mighty involved in both the 2G scam and CWG loot are actively involved in removing evidence. “This is what they are doing. What can we do about it,” admitted a CBI official.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Vedanta in a great rush to get Cairn deal through!
No one should be surprised why Vedanta Resources Plc is in a tearing hurry to take over Cairn India despite the issue being stuck in the Prime Minister's Office? The answer is simple: the LSE-listed firm of Anil Agarwal is eyeing mind-boggling profits by clocking an estimated revenue of $650 billion on an investment of mere $9.6 billion, where as the government should have the right of first option of purchase.
The oil discovered so far in the Barmer and Jalore districts, including Mangala region, is estimated to be over one billion barrels and further significant discoveries are expected to cross over 6.5 billion barrels in the entire state of Rajasthan. The value of the oil is over $650 billion given the average price of $100 per barrel that the company expects to make in a period of 30 years of the lease agreement.
A Bangalore-based lawyer Arun Agarwal has lodged a complaint with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other ministers besides the CBI and the CVC alleging large-scale bungling in the whole deal.
On Tuesday, Vedanta bought 10 percent of Cairn India from Malaysian company Petronas which made a cool profit of $1.16 billion in four years. Vedanta paid a total of $2.1 billion for 14.94 percent of Cairn India.
“This clearly shows the profits Vedanta will make after it gets full control of the oil fields,” says Agarwal.
The direct cost of producing a barrel of oil, according to the website of Cairn India, is $5 and after meeting the financial charges etc it is $10 dollars per barrel. Cairn India owns 70 per cent of the oil producing fields while the state-owned ONGC owns 30 per cent. Cairn does not pay any royalty to ONGC.
There are pending disputes relating to payment of royalty and cess presently paid by ONGC and neither paid nor recovered as cost from Cairn. The excess liability (to be paid by Cairn) of ONGC on royalty alone is about Rs 12,000 crore. The deal also becomes cheaper to the extent that ONGC has to pay excess royalty.
“It therefore does not stand to reason as to why the oil reserves should be allowed by the government to be transferred for around seven billion dollars to Vedanta when it has the right of first option of purchase,” says Agarwal.
The matter of royalty is now with the CCEA headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Law Minister M Veerappa Moily and the Solicitor General of India say that the royalty ONGC pays on entire output from Cairn India's oifields is cost recoverable.
“Somehow the original deal got structured in a manner by which the entire liability of royalty and cess devolved on ONGC and not on Cairn. The matter needs to be investigated and responsibility fixed,” the lawyer said in the complaint to the PM.
The oil ministry in the Cabinet note has admitted that Cairn could later play difficult. The Cabinet note says that Cairn has alleged that the non-inclusion of cess in the production sharing contract was “either a mutual or a unilateral mistake by the Government by playing fraud by diverting (original operator) Shell's attention away from cess during the contract negotiations.”
Vedanta is buying 51 per cent of shares of Cairn India at a price of around Rs 400 per share which amounts to approximately Rs 43,600 crore or $9.6 billion. Hence, by investing $9.6 billion, Vedanta is looking at profits of $600 billion, if $50 billion are subtracted as operational costs and other expenditures, according to the complainant, who terms the deal as "national loot".
“Under the circumstances, it is the collective responsibility of all the Ministers… including the CVC and the CBI that there is complete pre deal signing transparency so that allegations of crony capitalism/ bribery,/sell out / economic blunder are not leveled later on after the government approves the deal,” the complainant alleges.
The oil discovered so far in the Barmer and Jalore districts, including Mangala region, is estimated to be over one billion barrels and further significant discoveries are expected to cross over 6.5 billion barrels in the entire state of Rajasthan. The value of the oil is over $650 billion given the average price of $100 per barrel that the company expects to make in a period of 30 years of the lease agreement.
A Bangalore-based lawyer Arun Agarwal has lodged a complaint with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other ministers besides the CBI and the CVC alleging large-scale bungling in the whole deal.
On Tuesday, Vedanta bought 10 percent of Cairn India from Malaysian company Petronas which made a cool profit of $1.16 billion in four years. Vedanta paid a total of $2.1 billion for 14.94 percent of Cairn India.
“This clearly shows the profits Vedanta will make after it gets full control of the oil fields,” says Agarwal.
The direct cost of producing a barrel of oil, according to the website of Cairn India, is $5 and after meeting the financial charges etc it is $10 dollars per barrel. Cairn India owns 70 per cent of the oil producing fields while the state-owned ONGC owns 30 per cent. Cairn does not pay any royalty to ONGC.
There are pending disputes relating to payment of royalty and cess presently paid by ONGC and neither paid nor recovered as cost from Cairn. The excess liability (to be paid by Cairn) of ONGC on royalty alone is about Rs 12,000 crore. The deal also becomes cheaper to the extent that ONGC has to pay excess royalty.
“It therefore does not stand to reason as to why the oil reserves should be allowed by the government to be transferred for around seven billion dollars to Vedanta when it has the right of first option of purchase,” says Agarwal.
The matter of royalty is now with the CCEA headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Law Minister M Veerappa Moily and the Solicitor General of India say that the royalty ONGC pays on entire output from Cairn India's oifields is cost recoverable.
“Somehow the original deal got structured in a manner by which the entire liability of royalty and cess devolved on ONGC and not on Cairn. The matter needs to be investigated and responsibility fixed,” the lawyer said in the complaint to the PM.
The oil ministry in the Cabinet note has admitted that Cairn could later play difficult. The Cabinet note says that Cairn has alleged that the non-inclusion of cess in the production sharing contract was “either a mutual or a unilateral mistake by the Government by playing fraud by diverting (original operator) Shell's attention away from cess during the contract negotiations.”
Vedanta is buying 51 per cent of shares of Cairn India at a price of around Rs 400 per share which amounts to approximately Rs 43,600 crore or $9.6 billion. Hence, by investing $9.6 billion, Vedanta is looking at profits of $600 billion, if $50 billion are subtracted as operational costs and other expenditures, according to the complainant, who terms the deal as "national loot".
“Under the circumstances, it is the collective responsibility of all the Ministers… including the CVC and the CBI that there is complete pre deal signing transparency so that allegations of crony capitalism/ bribery,/sell out / economic blunder are not leveled later on after the government approves the deal,” the complainant alleges.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
‘Corrupt’ panel: Where is it headed?
The whole issue of dealing with corruption is getting tangled in unsavoury controversies. The fight against corruption will be so badly mutilated that is perpetuators wouldn’t know from which side they were hit. Riding high on the Jantar Mantar success, the civil activists will realise their folly after they will be forced to leave the battle ground by forces that are all-powerful and mean.
Given the political inclinations and the fierce opposition it has from the Congress party and the ministers, the committee will just end up becoming a place of drinking tea, exchanging pleasantries and getting good coverage on national television, if subsequent meetings are held.
And the manner in which the activists went around declaring war against the establishment and then sneaking in a weak draft, it appears that we are poised to lose the war on corruption.
The first sign of split emerged from within the dharna members. They started picking holes over naming the committee members. Baba Ramdev wanted Kiran Bedi, who herself didn’t want to be a part of the draft committee. But the more serious damage was because of the inclusion of father-son - Shanti Bhushan and Prashant – in the draft committee to frame Lokpall Bill.
Barely had Baba backed off that allegations against Anna started creeping up. One Hemant Patil from Pune went on the stage raking old charges against corruption. It was alleged that he was a crony of Maratha strongman and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar. Not many paid credence to Patil’s charges cause he couldn’t defend himself on being a crony of Pawar. The less said about Pawar, the better.
Since the daft notification, one thing has been consistent – people mistrust against the Bhushans. They are said to be taking up causes of public interest. Nevertheless the father-son is facing intense heat.
And all this is partly because Samajwadi Party of Mulayam Singh couldn’t see that a very good organized campaign could surpass the socialist’s fancy.
Then to add substance to the charges of their intention, Shanti Bhushan’s conversations with ‘dalal’ Amar Singh (Congress MP Raj Babbar has termed Amar Singh as a dalal) and Mulayam Singh were the centre of attraction once again. The timing of the repeated leak was purportedly to embarrass Hazare and company and even the Bhushans. Anna Hazare is unnecessarily batted for lawyer Shanti Bhushan. Anna should have realised that Shanti Bhushan has been the law minister and knows the tricks of the trade.
In the tapped conversations, Amar Singh is fixing deals with industrialists, transferring judges and bureaucrats and even talking about the legs of Jaya Prada and actresses like Bipasha Basu expressing their desire to meet up with Singh after having met him only once.
Why should the taped conversations become a topic alongwith corruption? Is Amar Singh looking at getting ban on the explicit conversations? The point is that Amar Singh will always allege that the taped conversations are doctored. The point is that the 2006 phone calls of Amar Singh present a birds eye view on the way the corruption happens in the country.
Given the laws in the country, Amar Singh and Shanti Bhushan, if the tapes are found to be genuine, have never had to explain how they could fix postings of judges. Perhaps, given the legal power they enjoy, it is likely that the taped conversations are buried in court cases for a very long time.
In the end, the society members who launched the anti-corruption agitation between cricketing break, may end the stir and walk out with a dignified face. At present, the civil society committee members are on the backfoot.
They presented a diluted draft to the ministers. WHY? Will Anna managers explain why they cheated the nation by presented a different draft to the ministers? After circulating a draft of the Bill, they went to Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and gave a changed version. Arvind Kejriwal claims that he is updating the versions on the internet after incorporating suggestions from the people. Is that how they are going to make laws in the country and fight corruption? Is he going to make laws for the people?
Given this kind of drafting and changing of law points, some very angry people are not going to appreciate personal ideas of this civil society group.
In all probability, many people are already moving the courts against the selection of committee members and choices before the Supreme Court could be limited. So even before June 30, we could have the courts intervening and staying the drafting, because the left out group of civil society members are going to argue on the manner of the selection of the five members.
Certainly this raises questions why are we going in for another government-appointed body or law when those implementing it will be the same class of people. Given the fierce opposition, the Hazare campaign has faced it doesn’t look that the committee will be able to see the June 30 deadline. Anna himself has come to realise that he may not be able to push for the Bill dateline of August 15. Will this exercise come to a naught?
Given the political inclinations and the fierce opposition it has from the Congress party and the ministers, the committee will just end up becoming a place of drinking tea, exchanging pleasantries and getting good coverage on national television, if subsequent meetings are held.
And the manner in which the activists went around declaring war against the establishment and then sneaking in a weak draft, it appears that we are poised to lose the war on corruption.
The first sign of split emerged from within the dharna members. They started picking holes over naming the committee members. Baba Ramdev wanted Kiran Bedi, who herself didn’t want to be a part of the draft committee. But the more serious damage was because of the inclusion of father-son - Shanti Bhushan and Prashant – in the draft committee to frame Lokpall Bill.
Barely had Baba backed off that allegations against Anna started creeping up. One Hemant Patil from Pune went on the stage raking old charges against corruption. It was alleged that he was a crony of Maratha strongman and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar. Not many paid credence to Patil’s charges cause he couldn’t defend himself on being a crony of Pawar. The less said about Pawar, the better.
Since the daft notification, one thing has been consistent – people mistrust against the Bhushans. They are said to be taking up causes of public interest. Nevertheless the father-son is facing intense heat.
And all this is partly because Samajwadi Party of Mulayam Singh couldn’t see that a very good organized campaign could surpass the socialist’s fancy.
Then to add substance to the charges of their intention, Shanti Bhushan’s conversations with ‘dalal’ Amar Singh (Congress MP Raj Babbar has termed Amar Singh as a dalal) and Mulayam Singh were the centre of attraction once again. The timing of the repeated leak was purportedly to embarrass Hazare and company and even the Bhushans. Anna Hazare is unnecessarily batted for lawyer Shanti Bhushan. Anna should have realised that Shanti Bhushan has been the law minister and knows the tricks of the trade.
In the tapped conversations, Amar Singh is fixing deals with industrialists, transferring judges and bureaucrats and even talking about the legs of Jaya Prada and actresses like Bipasha Basu expressing their desire to meet up with Singh after having met him only once.
Why should the taped conversations become a topic alongwith corruption? Is Amar Singh looking at getting ban on the explicit conversations? The point is that Amar Singh will always allege that the taped conversations are doctored. The point is that the 2006 phone calls of Amar Singh present a birds eye view on the way the corruption happens in the country.
Given the laws in the country, Amar Singh and Shanti Bhushan, if the tapes are found to be genuine, have never had to explain how they could fix postings of judges. Perhaps, given the legal power they enjoy, it is likely that the taped conversations are buried in court cases for a very long time.
In the end, the society members who launched the anti-corruption agitation between cricketing break, may end the stir and walk out with a dignified face. At present, the civil society committee members are on the backfoot.
They presented a diluted draft to the ministers. WHY? Will Anna managers explain why they cheated the nation by presented a different draft to the ministers? After circulating a draft of the Bill, they went to Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and gave a changed version. Arvind Kejriwal claims that he is updating the versions on the internet after incorporating suggestions from the people. Is that how they are going to make laws in the country and fight corruption? Is he going to make laws for the people?
Given this kind of drafting and changing of law points, some very angry people are not going to appreciate personal ideas of this civil society group.
In all probability, many people are already moving the courts against the selection of committee members and choices before the Supreme Court could be limited. So even before June 30, we could have the courts intervening and staying the drafting, because the left out group of civil society members are going to argue on the manner of the selection of the five members.
Certainly this raises questions why are we going in for another government-appointed body or law when those implementing it will be the same class of people. Given the fierce opposition, the Hazare campaign has faced it doesn’t look that the committee will be able to see the June 30 deadline. Anna himself has come to realise that he may not be able to push for the Bill dateline of August 15. Will this exercise come to a naught?
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Anna campaign cost Rs 31 lakh
Moved by Anna Hazare’s campaign against corruption, corporate houses, various social and religious organisations and individuals liberally donated the organization, India Against Corruption (IAC), to the tune of around Rs 1 core out of which it spent Rs 31 lakh.
IAC got a total of Rs 85 lakh (Rs 85,75,469) through cheques, cash and funds transfer from various organizations, corporate houses and individuals for launching the campaign to move the Lokpal Bill. And donations are still floating in, say officials.
And out of this, the IAC spent Rs 9,61,578 on tentage and public address system at the Jantar Mantar, the venue for the campaign that caught world-wide attention from April 5 to 9.
Transporting volunteers and worker for the agitation in taxis and private cars, cost the IAC nearly Rs 4,61,588.
One of the biggest support, the IAC got for the campaign was through the internet. Nearly 50,000 people had expressed support through the Internet and the IAC website was the hub of online activity. The website and internet cost Rs 8,93,938. For the entire printing material including pamphlets and banners, the campaigners have paid Rs 7,32,624.
Interestingly, the lowest expenditure for the campaign was towards food and beverages, as the agitation was a hunger strike. It just worked to Rs 81,751.
The costing admits Ashwati Muralidharan, spokesperson of the IAC which has its head office in Kaushambi in Ghaziabad, is not only for the five-day agitation at Jantar Mantar but from a period from January to March.
However, former IPS Kiran Bedi said the four main movers – Arvind Kejriwal, Agnivesh besides Bedi and Hazare had extensively toured India for five months preceding the New Delhi fast unto death. “We have traveled throughout the country for five months and attended hundreds of seminars to explain our viewpoints. It is because of the extensive touring that we have got such support.”
The expenditure however, does not include three-month expenditure of the tours of the four activists.
According to sources, the money involved could be much more as few corporate houses and even politicians had funded many activists and actors to stand up for the cause. Many Bollywood personalities had flown from Mumbai to Delhi to express their solidarity for the campaign.
IAC got a total of Rs 85 lakh (Rs 85,75,469) through cheques, cash and funds transfer from various organizations, corporate houses and individuals for launching the campaign to move the Lokpal Bill. And donations are still floating in, say officials.
And out of this, the IAC spent Rs 9,61,578 on tentage and public address system at the Jantar Mantar, the venue for the campaign that caught world-wide attention from April 5 to 9.
Transporting volunteers and worker for the agitation in taxis and private cars, cost the IAC nearly Rs 4,61,588.
One of the biggest support, the IAC got for the campaign was through the internet. Nearly 50,000 people had expressed support through the Internet and the IAC website was the hub of online activity. The website and internet cost Rs 8,93,938. For the entire printing material including pamphlets and banners, the campaigners have paid Rs 7,32,624.
Interestingly, the lowest expenditure for the campaign was towards food and beverages, as the agitation was a hunger strike. It just worked to Rs 81,751.
The costing admits Ashwati Muralidharan, spokesperson of the IAC which has its head office in Kaushambi in Ghaziabad, is not only for the five-day agitation at Jantar Mantar but from a period from January to March.
However, former IPS Kiran Bedi said the four main movers – Arvind Kejriwal, Agnivesh besides Bedi and Hazare had extensively toured India for five months preceding the New Delhi fast unto death. “We have traveled throughout the country for five months and attended hundreds of seminars to explain our viewpoints. It is because of the extensive touring that we have got such support.”
The expenditure however, does not include three-month expenditure of the tours of the four activists.
According to sources, the money involved could be much more as few corporate houses and even politicians had funded many activists and actors to stand up for the cause. Many Bollywood personalities had flown from Mumbai to Delhi to express their solidarity for the campaign.
Freedom fighter’s family gets help, too late, too little
Families of the martyrs who laid their life for the country are leading uncared and poor lives, ignored by the State and even the people.
Grand son of the national hero, Shaheed-e-Azam Udham Singh, who assassinated Michael O Dwyer, Governor of Punjab when the Jallianwalla Bagh massacre was ordered in 1919, is living the life of a labourer earning meager amounts for his daily bread.
Till this day, Jeet Singh, grand son of Udham Singh, alonwith his family, is surviving on wages that he earns working at private construction sites in Sangrur district, carrying bricks on his head.
Promised help by former President Gaini Zail Singh besides a host of politicians and chief ministers of Punjab, Jeet had not found his fortune change. He was living a life in utter poverty and neglect.
But for writer, Shivnath Jha, who has written an explosive yet simple book, ‘Forgotten Indian Heroes and Martyrs: Their Neglected Descendants’, it was a sordid tale that brought tears to his eyes.
“I was really moved seeing Jeet Singh working as a labourer. When I set out in search for the families of our freedom fighters, I had never imagined that I would see this. As an Indian I felt ashamed that the families of the martyrs were so neglected,” says Jha at the launch of his untiring effort.
“I traveled from Mumbai to Punjab like a beggar. I had no money and yet I carried on. My life was like that of a dog. Have we stopped caring? Today, when I look back, I feel that India has really not cared about the families of the martyrs,” Jha said with tears rolling down. From a newspaper boy to a writer, Jha has come a long way as he penned his book.
However, Rajya Sabha member Vijay Darda, moved by the plight of the families donated Rs 11 lakh to Jeet Singh.
Senior journalist Ajay Jha, who wrote the preface of the book says, “I hope people of the country and the government of India wake up to help the families of the martyrs and heroes.”
Jeet Singh, accepting the cheque from Darda, said, “I am thankful to all and specially Jha and Darda for helping us out. I have hope and will not have to work as a labourer to make my ends meet.”
Grand son of the national hero, Shaheed-e-Azam Udham Singh, who assassinated Michael O Dwyer, Governor of Punjab when the Jallianwalla Bagh massacre was ordered in 1919, is living the life of a labourer earning meager amounts for his daily bread.
Till this day, Jeet Singh, grand son of Udham Singh, alonwith his family, is surviving on wages that he earns working at private construction sites in Sangrur district, carrying bricks on his head.
Promised help by former President Gaini Zail Singh besides a host of politicians and chief ministers of Punjab, Jeet had not found his fortune change. He was living a life in utter poverty and neglect.
But for writer, Shivnath Jha, who has written an explosive yet simple book, ‘Forgotten Indian Heroes and Martyrs: Their Neglected Descendants’, it was a sordid tale that brought tears to his eyes.
“I was really moved seeing Jeet Singh working as a labourer. When I set out in search for the families of our freedom fighters, I had never imagined that I would see this. As an Indian I felt ashamed that the families of the martyrs were so neglected,” says Jha at the launch of his untiring effort.
“I traveled from Mumbai to Punjab like a beggar. I had no money and yet I carried on. My life was like that of a dog. Have we stopped caring? Today, when I look back, I feel that India has really not cared about the families of the martyrs,” Jha said with tears rolling down. From a newspaper boy to a writer, Jha has come a long way as he penned his book.
However, Rajya Sabha member Vijay Darda, moved by the plight of the families donated Rs 11 lakh to Jeet Singh.
Senior journalist Ajay Jha, who wrote the preface of the book says, “I hope people of the country and the government of India wake up to help the families of the martyrs and heroes.”
Jeet Singh, accepting the cheque from Darda, said, “I am thankful to all and specially Jha and Darda for helping us out. I have hope and will not have to work as a labourer to make my ends meet.”
Monday, April 11, 2011
Corruption: A long battle
Corruption is omnipresent in the country and Anna Hazare and even thousands of his likes cannot eliminate it. At best they just can stymie it, if ever they are more than successful. But if you start believing that it will be wiped out in one go, you could be sadly mistaken. Given the rot in our life, where corruption has become part of the system, it will take ages and a long fight, a very long fight indeed, to be free of the menace.
India is perhaps one of the most corrupt countries in the world. And we don’t need Transparency International to tell us so.
From getting a driving license to space spectrum, everything is up for grabs. Money is no more given and taken under the table but it is now the ‘system’. Clerks claim bribe money as their birth right. The passport verification officer who comes to verify, rightfully demands his share of doing you a favour by coming to your house and give you good marks that would enable you to get the document to travel out of the country.
Who will fix the beat constable, local clerk or even safai karmchari who comes to seek Diwali gifts?
And then we have prime ministers, ministers, bureaucrats, judges taking huge amounts as bribes at the higher levels.
Will the Lokpal be able to stop that?
Corruption has grown in size and intensity despite the number of agencies floating around. Today, the anti-corruption and policing paraphernalia floating around in abundance is unable to eliminate corruption. India has the Central Vigilance Commission, the Central Bureau of Investigation, and several other watchdogs and policing organizations.
Each state police has an anti-corruption branch and each public organisation maintains vigilance group and department. In addition, India is burdened with Economic Intelligence Council with RAW, IB, CEIB (Central Economic Intelligence Bureau), DRI, DE, DGAE, CBEC, CBDT, customs… phew! These acronyms and abbreviations have even stopped making sense.
On top of it, the Income Tax Department maintains its own corruption wing and is scanning tax records and tapping phones. (Radia tapes are a boon because of this snooping around.) In the infamous 2G scam, the country knew the scam was happening. A newspaper was crying hoarse but the perpetrator, A Raja, was crowned telecom minister again in the UPA II. Only when the Supreme Court was critical of Raja did the shameless government wake up and asked him to go. Look at the way the 2G scam is being probed. Besides CBI, Income Tax, IB etc, it is being investigated by PAC and JPC of the Parliament. And even if Raja is nailed, is his boss who got the Rs 214 crore bribe amount even bothered that it could possibly put him in prison. The 2G spectrum loot is now an open secret.
Nevertheless the scams continue to grow. Today we are concerned with Commonwealth Games loot, Adarsh scam, money laundering, black money, Antrix scam...
Despite the plethora of agencies looking at these scams, people are still walking through the system, like in the case of Commonwealth Games. Suresh Kalmadi, Sheila Dikshit, Tajender Khanna. Manmohan Singh, no matter how innocent he may claim to be, has not owned up to the Antrix deal. The case of Singh is different. He claims to be innocent but various scams have taken under his guidance and chairmanship of leading the club. Ignoring or looking the other way or even outright inefficiency is also corruption.
The corrupt netas are still zipping around in beacon cars with impunity.
The moot question is will another anti-graft body with another fancy name, the Lokpal, be able to make the difference. It’s just not going to happen even if Lokpal Bill with tremendous powers becomes a functional authority.
What we require is ‘honest’ people not organisations and more rules and laws. It’s anyway complicated out there. What we need is better implementation of existing laws. And if it comes to that, certain modifications in a few rules will help. Like for instance, the powers of the CBI to go after administrators above the rank of joint secretaries. The agency is impotent when it comes to probing ministers and secretaries and needs nod of higher ups.
Even if the Lokpal comes into existence, from where will the people come to change the system?
The top bosses of investigating agencies will still be appointed by corrupt political leaders who become ministers. We need resilience of the people against corruption. Let us promise to ourselves that we are not going to bribe our ways through even if means waiting for licences or delayed Government clearances.
We, the people of India, need to change to stand up to corruption – at every level. Let us take a pledge today that no matter what, we are not going to pay the babus and netas. Can we stop seeking favours? Can we start waiting in long queues?
To weed out corruption, we need concerted effort. While we support Anna Hazare in getting a Lokpal, let us change ourselves.
India is perhaps one of the most corrupt countries in the world. And we don’t need Transparency International to tell us so.
From getting a driving license to space spectrum, everything is up for grabs. Money is no more given and taken under the table but it is now the ‘system’. Clerks claim bribe money as their birth right. The passport verification officer who comes to verify, rightfully demands his share of doing you a favour by coming to your house and give you good marks that would enable you to get the document to travel out of the country.
Who will fix the beat constable, local clerk or even safai karmchari who comes to seek Diwali gifts?
And then we have prime ministers, ministers, bureaucrats, judges taking huge amounts as bribes at the higher levels.
Will the Lokpal be able to stop that?
Corruption has grown in size and intensity despite the number of agencies floating around. Today, the anti-corruption and policing paraphernalia floating around in abundance is unable to eliminate corruption. India has the Central Vigilance Commission, the Central Bureau of Investigation, and several other watchdogs and policing organizations.
Each state police has an anti-corruption branch and each public organisation maintains vigilance group and department. In addition, India is burdened with Economic Intelligence Council with RAW, IB, CEIB (Central Economic Intelligence Bureau), DRI, DE, DGAE, CBEC, CBDT, customs… phew! These acronyms and abbreviations have even stopped making sense.
On top of it, the Income Tax Department maintains its own corruption wing and is scanning tax records and tapping phones. (Radia tapes are a boon because of this snooping around.) In the infamous 2G scam, the country knew the scam was happening. A newspaper was crying hoarse but the perpetrator, A Raja, was crowned telecom minister again in the UPA II. Only when the Supreme Court was critical of Raja did the shameless government wake up and asked him to go. Look at the way the 2G scam is being probed. Besides CBI, Income Tax, IB etc, it is being investigated by PAC and JPC of the Parliament. And even if Raja is nailed, is his boss who got the Rs 214 crore bribe amount even bothered that it could possibly put him in prison. The 2G spectrum loot is now an open secret.
Nevertheless the scams continue to grow. Today we are concerned with Commonwealth Games loot, Adarsh scam, money laundering, black money, Antrix scam...
Despite the plethora of agencies looking at these scams, people are still walking through the system, like in the case of Commonwealth Games. Suresh Kalmadi, Sheila Dikshit, Tajender Khanna. Manmohan Singh, no matter how innocent he may claim to be, has not owned up to the Antrix deal. The case of Singh is different. He claims to be innocent but various scams have taken under his guidance and chairmanship of leading the club. Ignoring or looking the other way or even outright inefficiency is also corruption.
The corrupt netas are still zipping around in beacon cars with impunity.
The moot question is will another anti-graft body with another fancy name, the Lokpal, be able to make the difference. It’s just not going to happen even if Lokpal Bill with tremendous powers becomes a functional authority.
What we require is ‘honest’ people not organisations and more rules and laws. It’s anyway complicated out there. What we need is better implementation of existing laws. And if it comes to that, certain modifications in a few rules will help. Like for instance, the powers of the CBI to go after administrators above the rank of joint secretaries. The agency is impotent when it comes to probing ministers and secretaries and needs nod of higher ups.
Even if the Lokpal comes into existence, from where will the people come to change the system?
The top bosses of investigating agencies will still be appointed by corrupt political leaders who become ministers. We need resilience of the people against corruption. Let us promise to ourselves that we are not going to bribe our ways through even if means waiting for licences or delayed Government clearances.
We, the people of India, need to change to stand up to corruption – at every level. Let us take a pledge today that no matter what, we are not going to pay the babus and netas. Can we stop seeking favours? Can we start waiting in long queues?
To weed out corruption, we need concerted effort. While we support Anna Hazare in getting a Lokpal, let us change ourselves.
Poll reforms next in line
Taking the war against corruption to the second level, crusader Anna Hazare said citizens must have the right to reject candidates during elections as part of electoral reforms after completing the Lokpall fight.
A victorious Anna, after successfully making the UPA Government bend down to set up a committee to draft the Lokpall Bill, asserted that it was the right time in the country to bring in the required changes and weed out corruption.
"If we talk of removing 100 percent corruption, we can achieve 90 percent by the Lokpal. Rest 10 percent would be achieved when we are able to change the way elections are fought in the country. We should be able to reject undesirable candidates. The election system needs a change," Anna said at a press conference at the Press Club of India on April 10, 2011.
Ruling out contesting elections himself, Anna said elections in the country had become a very expensive affair. "It takes Rs 6-7 crore to fight elections these days. Votes are bought for Rs 100 or a bottle of liquor or giving a saree. I cannot even think of doing that," he said and added that he would indeed float an organisation that would work for public awareness.
As for the composition of the draft committee on Lokpal Bill which had raised several heckles, Anna sought to clear the air saying the members were selected after much deliberation.
The committee has lawyer father-son duo, Shanti and Prashant Bhushan, besides Anna's think-tank, former IPS officer Kiren Bedi and RTI activist Arvind Kejriwal.
The Baba had wanted inclusion of former IPS officer Kiran Bedi on the panel while voicing concerns over nepotism.
Anna, who still stays in a temple in his village in Maharashtra, said that Bhushans were included as the committee needed some legal bend also as each clause of the present legal system had to be dealt in detail. "I talked to Baba Ramdev and told him that Bedi herself did not want to be on the committee. All the minor differences will be sorted out," Anna said. He ruled out any change in the membership of the committee.
Meanwhile, Kejriwal and Bedi did all the explaining at the much-awaited press conference. While agreeing to declare their assets, the draft committee member said that views of other members would be sought before the committing but added, "That should not be an issue. We will declare all our assets," Kejriwal said.
Bedi urged the media not "to smell a rat in everything" while Kejriwal said the media should not see "conspiracy in everything".
The committee is expected to meet on April 16 and the draft would be prepared in full public glare.
The hard copies ought to be sent to each Gram Sabha so that everybody's suggestions are incorporated, Anna, a former Indian army soldier, said.
The Bill would be presented in the Monsoon session of the Parliament and if the political leaders fail to pass it by August 15, "we will again resort to this blackmail, if it is being termed so," Anna added.
While Chief Ministers Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar got a pat from Anna for their efforts on rural development, Modi fell short of getting 100 percent marks from the Pune crusader. "The way the Chief Ministers of Gujarat and Bihar have worked in their states, this should be adopted by other chief ministers. The chief ministers of other states should also work like this. I will accept Modi as 100 per cent ideal when he brings Lokpall in the state," he said.
A victorious Anna, after successfully making the UPA Government bend down to set up a committee to draft the Lokpall Bill, asserted that it was the right time in the country to bring in the required changes and weed out corruption.
"If we talk of removing 100 percent corruption, we can achieve 90 percent by the Lokpal. Rest 10 percent would be achieved when we are able to change the way elections are fought in the country. We should be able to reject undesirable candidates. The election system needs a change," Anna said at a press conference at the Press Club of India on April 10, 2011.
Ruling out contesting elections himself, Anna said elections in the country had become a very expensive affair. "It takes Rs 6-7 crore to fight elections these days. Votes are bought for Rs 100 or a bottle of liquor or giving a saree. I cannot even think of doing that," he said and added that he would indeed float an organisation that would work for public awareness.
As for the composition of the draft committee on Lokpal Bill which had raised several heckles, Anna sought to clear the air saying the members were selected after much deliberation.
The committee has lawyer father-son duo, Shanti and Prashant Bhushan, besides Anna's think-tank, former IPS officer Kiren Bedi and RTI activist Arvind Kejriwal.
The Baba had wanted inclusion of former IPS officer Kiran Bedi on the panel while voicing concerns over nepotism.
Anna, who still stays in a temple in his village in Maharashtra, said that Bhushans were included as the committee needed some legal bend also as each clause of the present legal system had to be dealt in detail. "I talked to Baba Ramdev and told him that Bedi herself did not want to be on the committee. All the minor differences will be sorted out," Anna said. He ruled out any change in the membership of the committee.
Meanwhile, Kejriwal and Bedi did all the explaining at the much-awaited press conference. While agreeing to declare their assets, the draft committee member said that views of other members would be sought before the committing but added, "That should not be an issue. We will declare all our assets," Kejriwal said.
Bedi urged the media not "to smell a rat in everything" while Kejriwal said the media should not see "conspiracy in everything".
The committee is expected to meet on April 16 and the draft would be prepared in full public glare.
The hard copies ought to be sent to each Gram Sabha so that everybody's suggestions are incorporated, Anna, a former Indian army soldier, said.
The Bill would be presented in the Monsoon session of the Parliament and if the political leaders fail to pass it by August 15, "we will again resort to this blackmail, if it is being termed so," Anna added.
While Chief Ministers Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar got a pat from Anna for their efforts on rural development, Modi fell short of getting 100 percent marks from the Pune crusader. "The way the Chief Ministers of Gujarat and Bihar have worked in their states, this should be adopted by other chief ministers. The chief ministers of other states should also work like this. I will accept Modi as 100 per cent ideal when he brings Lokpall in the state," he said.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Fight corruption
This is no time to celebrate as it is no real victory. At present we
are just ensuring that the committee that drafts a ‘Lokpal Bill’ will
have voices like that of Shanti Bhushan and Prashant Bhushan besides
that of Anna Hazare.
Even if we get the Lokpal Bill passed in the Assembly till August 15,
are we ready to boot corruption from the country.
Unless we can get rid of corruption and uproot the corrupt elements
from politics and bureaucracy (including not only top babus but to the
last chaprasi or traffic cop), we should not sit back.
We should continue to resorting to the Boot it campaign.
I urge you to stop paying bribes. Unless we come forward and take
initiative, we will not get a foothold.
I urge my brothers and sisters to join Bharat Rakshak, a organisation
that fights corruption and works for the country.
are just ensuring that the committee that drafts a ‘Lokpal Bill’ will
have voices like that of Shanti Bhushan and Prashant Bhushan besides
that of Anna Hazare.
Even if we get the Lokpal Bill passed in the Assembly till August 15,
are we ready to boot corruption from the country.
Unless we can get rid of corruption and uproot the corrupt elements
from politics and bureaucracy (including not only top babus but to the
last chaprasi or traffic cop), we should not sit back.
We should continue to resorting to the Boot it campaign.
I urge you to stop paying bribes. Unless we come forward and take
initiative, we will not get a foothold.
I urge my brothers and sisters to join Bharat Rakshak, a organisation
that fights corruption and works for the country.
Friday, April 8, 2011
SC issues notice to Rahul, others in 'rape case'
New Delhi, April 6
Congress Member of Parliament Rahul Gandhi will perhaps face the toughest question of his political career as the Supreme Court today issued notice to Rahul Gandhi and five others on a petition filed by former MLA Kishor Samrite challenging Allahabad High Court order in an alleged gang rape case.
Apex court Bench of justices V S Sirpurkar and T S Thakur while staying the HC order of Rs 50 lakh fine and a CBI probe against Samrite, gave Rahul, Uttar Pradesh government and others four weeks to file their replies.
Hailing from Madhya Pradesh, Samrite, had sought to find out victim Sukanya and her family, which he alleged have been missing since the infamous rape incident, as was reported in website www.indybay.org and other portals.
According to reports, on December 3, 2006, Rahul Gandhi along with seven friends including four foreigners (two each from Italy and Britain) had “gang raped Sukanya Devi” in a VIP guest house in Amethi. Sukanya later with her mother went to the Amethi police station and even approached the National Human Rights Commission and the National Commission for Women to seek justice but to no avail. However, the victim and her parents were untraceable from January 4, 2007.
Samrite had alleged that Sukanaya and her parents were held captive by Rahul and sought directions to the police for producing them in court. Videographer Dhrupad and a cameraman from a news channel, who later recorded statement of Sukanya are also reported missing.
In the High Court, a girl did present herself in the court and said her actual name was Kirti Singh and that Balram Singh and (Sumitra alias Mohini Devi) Sushila are her parents and their identification was done by Amethi police station in-charge.
Kirti told the court that neither she nor her parents were under illegal detention of any person nor has she any information regarding the news item being displayed by the
website.
However, Samrite maintains that the girl and her parents were “implants”. UP director general of police Karam Veer Singh in an affidavit in the High Court “admits that particulars of the girl produced in the Court only partially matches with Sukanya”.
“No documentary evidence was provided by Kirti and her parents in the High Court to prove their identity,” says Samrite.
On the basis of deposition made by girl, the high court imposed Rs 50 lakh fine on Samrite and ordered a CBI probe. Samrite moved the apex court.
However, after the Supreme Court issued notice on Wednesday, Samrite was called to the CBI headquarters by DIG Rajiv Sharma. The former MLA, in the apex court, has alleged that the agency is “hounding him” and “trying to arrest him by exercising harassing tactics upon the old and aged parents”.
Lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi, a Congress leader, had sent a legal notice to the website, Hinduunity.org. Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said he would “check the facts”.
Congress Member of Parliament Rahul Gandhi will perhaps face the toughest question of his political career as the Supreme Court today issued notice to Rahul Gandhi and five others on a petition filed by former MLA Kishor Samrite challenging Allahabad High Court order in an alleged gang rape case.
Apex court Bench of justices V S Sirpurkar and T S Thakur while staying the HC order of Rs 50 lakh fine and a CBI probe against Samrite, gave Rahul, Uttar Pradesh government and others four weeks to file their replies.
Hailing from Madhya Pradesh, Samrite, had sought to find out victim Sukanya and her family, which he alleged have been missing since the infamous rape incident, as was reported in website www.indybay.org and other portals.
According to reports, on December 3, 2006, Rahul Gandhi along with seven friends including four foreigners (two each from Italy and Britain) had “gang raped Sukanya Devi” in a VIP guest house in Amethi. Sukanya later with her mother went to the Amethi police station and even approached the National Human Rights Commission and the National Commission for Women to seek justice but to no avail. However, the victim and her parents were untraceable from January 4, 2007.
Samrite had alleged that Sukanaya and her parents were held captive by Rahul and sought directions to the police for producing them in court. Videographer Dhrupad and a cameraman from a news channel, who later recorded statement of Sukanya are also reported missing.
In the High Court, a girl did present herself in the court and said her actual name was Kirti Singh and that Balram Singh and (Sumitra alias Mohini Devi) Sushila are her parents and their identification was done by Amethi police station in-charge.
Kirti told the court that neither she nor her parents were under illegal detention of any person nor has she any information regarding the news item being displayed by the
website.
However, Samrite maintains that the girl and her parents were “implants”. UP director general of police Karam Veer Singh in an affidavit in the High Court “admits that particulars of the girl produced in the Court only partially matches with Sukanya”.
“No documentary evidence was provided by Kirti and her parents in the High Court to prove their identity,” says Samrite.
On the basis of deposition made by girl, the high court imposed Rs 50 lakh fine on Samrite and ordered a CBI probe. Samrite moved the apex court.
However, after the Supreme Court issued notice on Wednesday, Samrite was called to the CBI headquarters by DIG Rajiv Sharma. The former MLA, in the apex court, has alleged that the agency is “hounding him” and “trying to arrest him by exercising harassing tactics upon the old and aged parents”.
Lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi, a Congress leader, had sent a legal notice to the website, Hinduunity.org. Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said he would “check the facts”.
Not just off-season masala
Immediately after cricket frenzy, social activist Anna Hazare has helped in cementing the bonds between the people in a lean season.
Anna by going on a fast unto death has given a little to everybody, from 'somebodys’ to nobodys’.
He has given TV channels and media enough corruption masala to keep the TRPs high and viewers glued to a cause which is the topic of platitudes after two large Patialas.
Social activists, civil right citizens and nukkad and small time organizations have got a platform to express their presence. Have you heard of a group Unemployed Computer Teachers Association with a membership of 3,000? This group exists and was present in full strength of motley two dozen shouting slogans in front of rolling TV cameras.
And this has happened across the country – from Pune to Patna from Lucknow to Ladoo Sarai.
Then Anna got support from actors, doctors, engineers, scientists, students, teachers, employed or otherwise, political and non-political, non-criminals… to even criminals. Pappu Yadav, in Patna’s Beur jail facing a life term in CPI-M MLA Ajit Sarkar murder case, is also on a fast unto death against corruption.
Netizens and mobilites have been flooded with SMS and e-mails seeking support for the cause of the Pune crusader. An example – Candle march by Trans-Hindon Residents Welfare Association in Vaishali and Indrapuram in Ghaziabad, UP or Life Care Foundation, Varanasi, is taking out a candle march for a corrupt-free Bharat in support of Anna Hazare. Wont you like to join in and become a concerned citizen?
Anna is demanding a 50:50 representation for civil society activists and government
representatives on a joint committee for drafting an anti-graft bill. The government is more than ready to accept the demands, but only at an informal level.
In an election season - Tamil Nadu, Assam, Puducherry, Kerala and even Assam - where the Congress party is eying to win at least 4 out 5 elections, Sonia Gandhi and her managers would be highly disturbed with the developments kicking off from Jantar Mantar. No wonder she said she was disturbed and backed up cause of the aam admi.
One wonders why that the activists Agnivesh and Arvind Kajriwal are in talks with minister Kapil Sibal, who has on record publicly defended his predecessor, A Raja, who is now in jail for the 2G scam that is anything between Rs 30,000 crore to Rs 1.76 lakh crore. They are in talks with the wrong minister for a right demand, which the government was ready to accept. The minister said the present committee would be an informal one to which the activists were not sure how to react.
Bring a law or setting up a Lokpal immediately is not feasible, even if the Prime Minister or President of India personally promise to do so today. Laws are made and for that the Parliament has be in session.
There are hundreds of dharnas that take place at Jantar Mantar, but no group gets so much hype. We need to think positive ways of encashing this before it becomes too late or it goes into the wrong hands. But the big question is – will corruption ever stop.
One thing is important, we are united against corruption. Let us be frank… Anna Hazare will stop someday but corruption will go on and on. But the fight must go on.
Anna by going on a fast unto death has given a little to everybody, from 'somebodys’ to nobodys’.
He has given TV channels and media enough corruption masala to keep the TRPs high and viewers glued to a cause which is the topic of platitudes after two large Patialas.
Social activists, civil right citizens and nukkad and small time organizations have got a platform to express their presence. Have you heard of a group Unemployed Computer Teachers Association with a membership of 3,000? This group exists and was present in full strength of motley two dozen shouting slogans in front of rolling TV cameras.
And this has happened across the country – from Pune to Patna from Lucknow to Ladoo Sarai.
Then Anna got support from actors, doctors, engineers, scientists, students, teachers, employed or otherwise, political and non-political, non-criminals… to even criminals. Pappu Yadav, in Patna’s Beur jail facing a life term in CPI-M MLA Ajit Sarkar murder case, is also on a fast unto death against corruption.
Netizens and mobilites have been flooded with SMS and e-mails seeking support for the cause of the Pune crusader. An example – Candle march by Trans-Hindon Residents Welfare Association in Vaishali and Indrapuram in Ghaziabad, UP or Life Care Foundation, Varanasi, is taking out a candle march for a corrupt-free Bharat in support of Anna Hazare. Wont you like to join in and become a concerned citizen?
Anna is demanding a 50:50 representation for civil society activists and government
representatives on a joint committee for drafting an anti-graft bill. The government is more than ready to accept the demands, but only at an informal level.
In an election season - Tamil Nadu, Assam, Puducherry, Kerala and even Assam - where the Congress party is eying to win at least 4 out 5 elections, Sonia Gandhi and her managers would be highly disturbed with the developments kicking off from Jantar Mantar. No wonder she said she was disturbed and backed up cause of the aam admi.
One wonders why that the activists Agnivesh and Arvind Kajriwal are in talks with minister Kapil Sibal, who has on record publicly defended his predecessor, A Raja, who is now in jail for the 2G scam that is anything between Rs 30,000 crore to Rs 1.76 lakh crore. They are in talks with the wrong minister for a right demand, which the government was ready to accept. The minister said the present committee would be an informal one to which the activists were not sure how to react.
Bring a law or setting up a Lokpal immediately is not feasible, even if the Prime Minister or President of India personally promise to do so today. Laws are made and for that the Parliament has be in session.
There are hundreds of dharnas that take place at Jantar Mantar, but no group gets so much hype. We need to think positive ways of encashing this before it becomes too late or it goes into the wrong hands. But the big question is – will corruption ever stop.
One thing is important, we are united against corruption. Let us be frank… Anna Hazare will stop someday but corruption will go on and on. But the fight must go on.
Monday, April 4, 2011
The magic of being Mr Sharad Pawar
Did you enjoy the game? Well in all the hulla buloo and glory of the balls, it seems we have forgotten the man behind the greatest cricket show on earth. Sharad Chandra Govindrao Pawar. We have forgotten to honour Mr Sharad Pawar.
And it’s not for cricket alone that he deserves the distinction of being given a standing ovation. He is one of the few politicians who has seen it all, been there and done that without getting involved in any scam or any corruption case.
Man of many seasons, he has walked across various tides without a scratch. The wind blows in his face and he couldn’t care less much like a camel walking the Thar desert facing sand dunes.
Like him nor not, but you cannot ignore Mr Sharad Pawar, agriculture minister of the country and chairman of International Cricket Council and ‘National’ Congress Party president.
Latest doing the round is that Pawar flew with Shahid Balwa to Dubai. Does it matter that he flew with the 2G scam accused (Yes Balwa and Pawar flew together to Dubai - on a date...). Hardly! Of course, Mr Pawar couldn’t have remembered the 37-year-old budding business honcho. Balwa’s company got Rs 1.32 crore from the NCP for flying him around during 2008 elections. This was the time Balwa was trying to get the 2G spectrum from A Raja. Eventually, Balwa is alleged to have paid Rs 214 crore bribe through a net of three companies that landed at Mr M Karunanidhi’s doorstep.
But what is the connection with Pawar. Nothing, if you believe Maharashtra Home Minister RR Patil. However, there is an interesting twist to the Pawar-Balwa link apart from aircraft usage by the NCP strongman.
Lawyer Prashant Bhushan has sought to link Swan Telecom promoter Balwa to a Central Minister (Pawar). Interestingly, CBI joint director YP Singh, who was handling the 2G scam case, took voluntary retirement from the primer investigating agency to join the ICC. There is a possibility that Singh could have given all the good tips to ICC to benefit the cricketing body. Mr Pawar still is out of focus. When NCP boss says that he is not friends with Balwa, who is just too young, it fails logic why no one is ready to buy the argument.
Is there just too much coincidence!
In fact people have always let Pawar beep off the radar and who has never really got bowled.
Abdul Karim Telgi, accused for making printing and selling fake stamp papers, landed in police net for stealing government stamps worth Rs 23,000 crore from railway wagons between 1997-2003. In a narco test, Telgi specically named Mr Sharad Pawar, as the man who was involved in the racket.
The Telgi clip was repeatedly aired by the news channels without any impact on Pawar. An accuse in a case can name his conspirators but if the law allows him to escape scrutiny, it doesn’t augur well for a prudent and balance legal system like ours.
And even social activist’s Anna Hazare’s campaign against Pawar didn’t pay any dividends. Hazare and other Maharashtra leaders have to the extent of pointing fingers at Pawar for his close releationship with underworld don cum terrorist Dawood Ibrahim. Not much has come out on that score though people would like to believe otherwise.
Pawar, a Sagittarius born on December 12, 1940, is considered to be one of the richest politicians of India, though on paper he hardly worth a couple of crores. Pawar has deep-rooted sweet interest in sugar industry in Maharashtra. No wonder that sugar prices in the UPA regime under his excellent guidance had reached a record-high. Ditto for all the commodity items like wheat, onion…
He now has ventured into education and real estate, albeit through the back door. Lavasa is just a case in point, which is being linked to the agriculture minister.
Off the record, people in Baramati are ready to explain what all Pawar owns, runs or has interests in. The figures can be astounding.
There are no permanent friends or foes in politics and no one knows it better than Pawar.
Ambitious Pawar branched out from the Congress party as he could not digest the idea of Italy-born Sonia Gandhi leading the nation. He formed the NCP, which is now an ally of the UPA.
And politics alone could not have captured the fancy of the Maratha strong-man. His foray into cricket should not be surprising. He became the chief of the cricketing organization, the BCCI, the richest sporting body in the country. After three-years, Pawar had enough of national cricket and ventured into the big league, the ICC. And since then its been smooth sailing, despite the fact the Indian Premier League fiasco also happened during this phase. Lalit Modi, the man who the IPL muck has been unloaded, is refusing to come to India. Is it the Pawar-factor at work?
Now Balwa has come out and openly told a court and CBI officials that nothing will happen in the 2G case or the aircraft linking to NCP. Pawar has always been controversial and yet managed a thriving political career sprinkled with scams taints. The beauty is that sahib, as he is fondly called by his admirers, has had a fairly good track record.
Pawar’s power, reach and craftsmanship are unimaginable. And what Balwa says is not without reason. There is a strong underlined message and the script is being rewritten as it tends to spoil the cricketing party. Is the underlining by Balwa being taken too seriously?
And it’s not for cricket alone that he deserves the distinction of being given a standing ovation. He is one of the few politicians who has seen it all, been there and done that without getting involved in any scam or any corruption case.
Man of many seasons, he has walked across various tides without a scratch. The wind blows in his face and he couldn’t care less much like a camel walking the Thar desert facing sand dunes.
Like him nor not, but you cannot ignore Mr Sharad Pawar, agriculture minister of the country and chairman of International Cricket Council and ‘National’ Congress Party president.
Latest doing the round is that Pawar flew with Shahid Balwa to Dubai. Does it matter that he flew with the 2G scam accused (Yes Balwa and Pawar flew together to Dubai - on a date...). Hardly! Of course, Mr Pawar couldn’t have remembered the 37-year-old budding business honcho. Balwa’s company got Rs 1.32 crore from the NCP for flying him around during 2008 elections. This was the time Balwa was trying to get the 2G spectrum from A Raja. Eventually, Balwa is alleged to have paid Rs 214 crore bribe through a net of three companies that landed at Mr M Karunanidhi’s doorstep.
But what is the connection with Pawar. Nothing, if you believe Maharashtra Home Minister RR Patil. However, there is an interesting twist to the Pawar-Balwa link apart from aircraft usage by the NCP strongman.
Lawyer Prashant Bhushan has sought to link Swan Telecom promoter Balwa to a Central Minister (Pawar). Interestingly, CBI joint director YP Singh, who was handling the 2G scam case, took voluntary retirement from the primer investigating agency to join the ICC. There is a possibility that Singh could have given all the good tips to ICC to benefit the cricketing body. Mr Pawar still is out of focus. When NCP boss says that he is not friends with Balwa, who is just too young, it fails logic why no one is ready to buy the argument.
Is there just too much coincidence!
In fact people have always let Pawar beep off the radar and who has never really got bowled.
Abdul Karim Telgi, accused for making printing and selling fake stamp papers, landed in police net for stealing government stamps worth Rs 23,000 crore from railway wagons between 1997-2003. In a narco test, Telgi specically named Mr Sharad Pawar, as the man who was involved in the racket.
The Telgi clip was repeatedly aired by the news channels without any impact on Pawar. An accuse in a case can name his conspirators but if the law allows him to escape scrutiny, it doesn’t augur well for a prudent and balance legal system like ours.
And even social activist’s Anna Hazare’s campaign against Pawar didn’t pay any dividends. Hazare and other Maharashtra leaders have to the extent of pointing fingers at Pawar for his close releationship with underworld don cum terrorist Dawood Ibrahim. Not much has come out on that score though people would like to believe otherwise.
Pawar, a Sagittarius born on December 12, 1940, is considered to be one of the richest politicians of India, though on paper he hardly worth a couple of crores. Pawar has deep-rooted sweet interest in sugar industry in Maharashtra. No wonder that sugar prices in the UPA regime under his excellent guidance had reached a record-high. Ditto for all the commodity items like wheat, onion…
He now has ventured into education and real estate, albeit through the back door. Lavasa is just a case in point, which is being linked to the agriculture minister.
Off the record, people in Baramati are ready to explain what all Pawar owns, runs or has interests in. The figures can be astounding.
There are no permanent friends or foes in politics and no one knows it better than Pawar.
Ambitious Pawar branched out from the Congress party as he could not digest the idea of Italy-born Sonia Gandhi leading the nation. He formed the NCP, which is now an ally of the UPA.
And politics alone could not have captured the fancy of the Maratha strong-man. His foray into cricket should not be surprising. He became the chief of the cricketing organization, the BCCI, the richest sporting body in the country. After three-years, Pawar had enough of national cricket and ventured into the big league, the ICC. And since then its been smooth sailing, despite the fact the Indian Premier League fiasco also happened during this phase. Lalit Modi, the man who the IPL muck has been unloaded, is refusing to come to India. Is it the Pawar-factor at work?
Now Balwa has come out and openly told a court and CBI officials that nothing will happen in the 2G case or the aircraft linking to NCP. Pawar has always been controversial and yet managed a thriving political career sprinkled with scams taints. The beauty is that sahib, as he is fondly called by his admirers, has had a fairly good track record.
Pawar’s power, reach and craftsmanship are unimaginable. And what Balwa says is not without reason. There is a strong underlined message and the script is being rewritten as it tends to spoil the cricketing party. Is the underlining by Balwa being taken too seriously?
Netas big Tikaits of reservation
After the courts cracked the whip, the Jat after blocking trains and traffic in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh for nearly a month squirmed. However, the indomitable community, which is filled with colours of nationalistic fervour was swayed by small time Tikaits, who are bound to bounce back ...
Picture of a village in Western Uttar Pradesh is that of prosperity and wealth. Jats have slogged it out, bargaining hard for the sugarcane crops and making it big. Today a tractor in a house in Chaprauli or Kasana village in Uttar Pradesh does not sound out of place. In fact, it fits in the rural environ in the cow belt but not in a village in Andhra Pradesh or Assam. Normally, a Jat farmer is affluent and also powerful in his village.
Would he require reservation in a Central Government job? The bigger question is should we be doing away with this whole bogey of reservation, which is dividing the society rather than bridging the gap? Has reservation outlived its purpose? Has the Constitution overdone it? We need honest answers to these questions, not poodle faking responses.
President Pratibha Patil says the Constitution has served its purpose and fulfilled the aspirations of the people as desired by the founding fathers. With no offence meant to the first lady, I beg to state here that Patil's assertions are far from reality. And it's not without reason. The truth is that the Constitution has served the purpose of politicians and ruling elite and certainly not fulfilled the aspirations of the people in general as the President wants us believe. The founding fathers had themselves made it a point that certain provisions need a time-bound honest review. Perhaps, the statute book did the trick for the first ten years or so.
But an honest review has never happened. Reservation is one of the sore point that has been allowed to fester for far too long. It’s time we take worthwhile steps and resolve the vexed issue which is aggravating by the day and instilling resentment and bitterness among different communities.
Dalits, Backwards, (scheduled) castes and tribes… all have got some sort of surety with reservation in place. Education, jobs and even legislature, reservation breeds differences between communities. The other day, Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh sought reservation for Muslims in Parliament and state assemblies. Quota is here to stay from 27 percent in education to 50 percent in jobs. The so-called suppressed people have now become privileged class as they are reserved for some reason or the other. Even though the Supreme Court has capped the upper limit at 50 percent, states like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are under litigation where caste-based reservation fraction stands at 69 percent.
So a Dalit, who has been suppressed for hundreds and hundreds of years, after Independence, got a job in the Central services. Fine, so far. Then he or she got promotion after promotion, and retired from the top-level of government service. The same Dalit's son or daughter now gets the same treatment. The system continues and spreads out. From 5 to 7.5 percent reservation, successive governments instead of reviewing the policy judiciously, saw the vote-bank advantage of extending and increasing the percentages.
Instead of extending reservation benefits to economically backward or geographically disadvantaged people, politicos of various shades have mindlessly been pushing for caste-based reservation.
Naturally, there are many communities which have been left out of the race of getting plum government jobs or seats in educational institutes. More importantly, a few wannabe netas of these communities find a short-cut to success by raking up 'reservation' bogey and whipping up passions. Tikaitism is gripping Bainsalas and the likes of Yash Pal Malik, the latest neta on the block.
Malik extensively toured northern states in the last couple of months to garner support for the agitation and then launched it on one fine sunny March morning. The march was slow. Trains were the easy target. Hundreds of train services disrupted. Initially, authorities ignored the plight of lakhs of people caught in cross fire due to the unwarranted agitation. They woke up to the problem only when the newspapers started highlighting the problem.
The Jats had arrived. A handful of them had done in days what Gujjars managed to achieve in months.
The news became a talking point. Uttar Pradesh chief minister behen Mayawati saw a god sent opportunity in the agitation and tried tow exploit the situation to her advantage by wooing the Jats away from her arch rival Chaudhary Ajit Singh and his Rashtriya Lok Dal party. However, the Uttar Pradesh Government lent a passive support to the agitation, while Haryana CM bhai Bhupinder Singh Hooda activelty backed the Jat stir. Train routes from Delhi to Lucknow, Jaipur and Hisar were blocked. By doing so they might have scored a point but lost the argument. Later, the Allahabad High Court had to step in directing the Government to restore train services. Yet the agitation went on unstinted. What is more, the agitators even went on to threaten to choke Delhi. Now the Supreme Court has stepped in pulling up both the CMs for their unprincipled support to the agitation.
Nevertheless, the Jats are losing ground. Not many are falling for the reservation demands of the community. In the Army, the Jats have a whole regiment dedicated to their community. The regiment has got all the recognition due to it for its valour and sincerity. In the agricultural fields, they toil like none else and make the moola. The 1857 Mutiny against the British had started from Meerut and so did the agitation for reservation. But both are poles apart. Today, the Jats are on a sticky wicket that can be bowled or even stumped if they try and score too many points with this one.
Picture of a village in Western Uttar Pradesh is that of prosperity and wealth. Jats have slogged it out, bargaining hard for the sugarcane crops and making it big. Today a tractor in a house in Chaprauli or Kasana village in Uttar Pradesh does not sound out of place. In fact, it fits in the rural environ in the cow belt but not in a village in Andhra Pradesh or Assam. Normally, a Jat farmer is affluent and also powerful in his village.
Would he require reservation in a Central Government job? The bigger question is should we be doing away with this whole bogey of reservation, which is dividing the society rather than bridging the gap? Has reservation outlived its purpose? Has the Constitution overdone it? We need honest answers to these questions, not poodle faking responses.
President Pratibha Patil says the Constitution has served its purpose and fulfilled the aspirations of the people as desired by the founding fathers. With no offence meant to the first lady, I beg to state here that Patil's assertions are far from reality. And it's not without reason. The truth is that the Constitution has served the purpose of politicians and ruling elite and certainly not fulfilled the aspirations of the people in general as the President wants us believe. The founding fathers had themselves made it a point that certain provisions need a time-bound honest review. Perhaps, the statute book did the trick for the first ten years or so.
But an honest review has never happened. Reservation is one of the sore point that has been allowed to fester for far too long. It’s time we take worthwhile steps and resolve the vexed issue which is aggravating by the day and instilling resentment and bitterness among different communities.
Dalits, Backwards, (scheduled) castes and tribes… all have got some sort of surety with reservation in place. Education, jobs and even legislature, reservation breeds differences between communities. The other day, Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh sought reservation for Muslims in Parliament and state assemblies. Quota is here to stay from 27 percent in education to 50 percent in jobs. The so-called suppressed people have now become privileged class as they are reserved for some reason or the other. Even though the Supreme Court has capped the upper limit at 50 percent, states like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are under litigation where caste-based reservation fraction stands at 69 percent.
So a Dalit, who has been suppressed for hundreds and hundreds of years, after Independence, got a job in the Central services. Fine, so far. Then he or she got promotion after promotion, and retired from the top-level of government service. The same Dalit's son or daughter now gets the same treatment. The system continues and spreads out. From 5 to 7.5 percent reservation, successive governments instead of reviewing the policy judiciously, saw the vote-bank advantage of extending and increasing the percentages.
Instead of extending reservation benefits to economically backward or geographically disadvantaged people, politicos of various shades have mindlessly been pushing for caste-based reservation.
Naturally, there are many communities which have been left out of the race of getting plum government jobs or seats in educational institutes. More importantly, a few wannabe netas of these communities find a short-cut to success by raking up 'reservation' bogey and whipping up passions. Tikaitism is gripping Bainsalas and the likes of Yash Pal Malik, the latest neta on the block.
Malik extensively toured northern states in the last couple of months to garner support for the agitation and then launched it on one fine sunny March morning. The march was slow. Trains were the easy target. Hundreds of train services disrupted. Initially, authorities ignored the plight of lakhs of people caught in cross fire due to the unwarranted agitation. They woke up to the problem only when the newspapers started highlighting the problem.
The Jats had arrived. A handful of them had done in days what Gujjars managed to achieve in months.
The news became a talking point. Uttar Pradesh chief minister behen Mayawati saw a god sent opportunity in the agitation and tried tow exploit the situation to her advantage by wooing the Jats away from her arch rival Chaudhary Ajit Singh and his Rashtriya Lok Dal party. However, the Uttar Pradesh Government lent a passive support to the agitation, while Haryana CM bhai Bhupinder Singh Hooda activelty backed the Jat stir. Train routes from Delhi to Lucknow, Jaipur and Hisar were blocked. By doing so they might have scored a point but lost the argument. Later, the Allahabad High Court had to step in directing the Government to restore train services. Yet the agitation went on unstinted. What is more, the agitators even went on to threaten to choke Delhi. Now the Supreme Court has stepped in pulling up both the CMs for their unprincipled support to the agitation.
Nevertheless, the Jats are losing ground. Not many are falling for the reservation demands of the community. In the Army, the Jats have a whole regiment dedicated to their community. The regiment has got all the recognition due to it for its valour and sincerity. In the agricultural fields, they toil like none else and make the moola. The 1857 Mutiny against the British had started from Meerut and so did the agitation for reservation. But both are poles apart. Today, the Jats are on a sticky wicket that can be bowled or even stumped if they try and score too many points with this one.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Congress picks up babu's 'Sandesh'
The Congress party spares no opportunity to tom-tom its achievements. And for it even gets public servants to do its bidding and that too in its official mouthpiece.
Pushing the Mahatma Gandhi NREGA (National Rural Employee Guarantee Act) in the Congress party mouth piece, Congress Sandesh, Rural Development secretary B K Sinha wrote extensively hard selling the UPA government’s flagship scheme.
In the article, ‘Enhancing the Bargaining Power of Rural Poor: Mahatma Gandhi NREGA’, Sinha wrote, “The premier flagship program of the UPA government has raised productivity, increased the purchasing power, reduced distress migration and helped in creation of durable assets in rural India.”
Congress Sandesh is the official mouth piece of the Congress party. It is published by Congress treasurer Motilal Vohra on behalf of Sandesh Trust, All India Congress Committee. The trust of the office is on 25 Akbar Road, the head office of the AICC. Among its editorial board, Minister of Water Resources and Minority Affairs Salman Khurshid and other AICC officials.
Apart from Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s messages, letters, photographs, the magazine write-ups include articles on history and historical personalities. It also pushes government schemes.
Sonia Gandhi has expressed her displeasure at the Congress Sandesh for carrying dull, unimaginative content. Since then there has been a consistent effort to improve the quality of the magazine and push its sales up. Every Congress worker has to officially buy the magazine, priced at Rs 10. However, not many end up purchasing it.
Sandesh Editor Anil Shastri admitted the lapse. “We picked up the article from the PIB website. There is nothing wrong. I will write to them (my staff).”
An IAS officer of 1975 batch, Sinha praises the scheme no end. Under the government rules, an officer working his official capacity cannot favour any particular publication. According to rules, it’s the job of Press Information Bureau under the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.
”Officials and specially secretaries should avoid writing in publications of political parties. The officer is writing as secretary to the government of India and not in his personal capacity. As per rules, this is not allowed,” remarked an Indian Information Service officer posted in the PIB.
However, even after more than a month’s publication, the Congress party nor the Congress Sandesh had corrected the mistake.
The Secretary refused to comment after his staff was briefed about his comments on MGNREGA.
Pushing the Mahatma Gandhi NREGA (National Rural Employee Guarantee Act) in the Congress party mouth piece, Congress Sandesh, Rural Development secretary B K Sinha wrote extensively hard selling the UPA government’s flagship scheme.
In the article, ‘Enhancing the Bargaining Power of Rural Poor: Mahatma Gandhi NREGA’, Sinha wrote, “The premier flagship program of the UPA government has raised productivity, increased the purchasing power, reduced distress migration and helped in creation of durable assets in rural India.”
Congress Sandesh is the official mouth piece of the Congress party. It is published by Congress treasurer Motilal Vohra on behalf of Sandesh Trust, All India Congress Committee. The trust of the office is on 25 Akbar Road, the head office of the AICC. Among its editorial board, Minister of Water Resources and Minority Affairs Salman Khurshid and other AICC officials.
Apart from Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s messages, letters, photographs, the magazine write-ups include articles on history and historical personalities. It also pushes government schemes.
Sonia Gandhi has expressed her displeasure at the Congress Sandesh for carrying dull, unimaginative content. Since then there has been a consistent effort to improve the quality of the magazine and push its sales up. Every Congress worker has to officially buy the magazine, priced at Rs 10. However, not many end up purchasing it.
Sandesh Editor Anil Shastri admitted the lapse. “We picked up the article from the PIB website. There is nothing wrong. I will write to them (my staff).”
An IAS officer of 1975 batch, Sinha praises the scheme no end. Under the government rules, an officer working his official capacity cannot favour any particular publication. According to rules, it’s the job of Press Information Bureau under the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.
”Officials and specially secretaries should avoid writing in publications of political parties. The officer is writing as secretary to the government of India and not in his personal capacity. As per rules, this is not allowed,” remarked an Indian Information Service officer posted in the PIB.
However, even after more than a month’s publication, the Congress party nor the Congress Sandesh had corrected the mistake.
The Secretary refused to comment after his staff was briefed about his comments on MGNREGA.
Ajit Singh slams WikiLeaks, calls it utterly rubbish
Vehemently trashing the reports of allegedly favouring the UPA over the Indo-US nuke deal and voting for the Manmohan Singh government, the Rashtriya Lok
Dal has termed cables as “a bunch of lies” and utterly baseless” while demanding a through probe into the entire issue.
RLD leader and Member of Parliament Chaudhary Ajit Singh told PBD, “It is utterly rubbish. The RLD voted against the UPA Government in 2008.”
According to the Wikileaks, US Embassy political counselor, after a visit to MP Satish Sharma’s house, reported that Sharma’s aide Nachiketa Kapur showed him two bags of currency and told him that Rs 10 crore had been paid to four RLD members to seek their votes in favour of the Congress party.
The RLD on July 20, 2008 has issued a Whip against the UPA Government, a copy of which was also sent to the then Lok Sabha Speaker. The three MPs included Anuradha Chaudhary and Munshi Ram voted against the UPA-1.
“The party had three Members of Parliament whereas the cables mention that we had four members. They are spreading lies. Our stand was clear and we had made it known even before the voting was about to take place,” Singh said.
However, Samajwadi Party former MP Brij Bhushan Singh, trying to gain political mileage, claimed that the RLD MPs abstained from voting on nuclear deal trust vote. Ajit Singh refused to elaborate on the personal comments of a rival MP. “It is a matter of record. The Lok Sabha records will reveal the details,” he said. The Congress got 275 for and 265 against the motion. The RLD voted against the motion.
“I had issued a Whip to RLD party MPs that they were to be present in the House and openly voted against the Manmohan Singh government,” he said at his residence on Tuglak Road.
According to press reports in 2008, the RLD had pressed for a vote against the government and even was in touch with TDP, BSP and other parties.
“On July 20, 2008, I issued a public letter, a copy of which was sent to the Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee. Ultimately we voted against the UPA government,” Singh, former union minister, said.
The world over, Wikileaks has come under fire for publishing unverified reports.
A source of Wikileaks is presently in US prison and even its editor Julian Assange is facing sexual charges in Sweden.
“We voted against the Congress party. "We had opposed the (Indo-US) nuclear deal and after talking to MPs from Opposition parties we had decided to vote
against the government," Singh said.
Singh said he was open to any probe. “I have been a MP for the sixth-term and have been a minister. But till date, I have not taken a single favour from the government nor have taken any land from the Government. I am open for any probe,” Singh added.
The RLD has five LS members and one Rajya Sabha member at present. The party has a strong base in Uttar Pradesh, particularly Western part of the state. Singh is an IIT graduate and a computer scientist before picking up the legacy of his father and former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh.
Dal has termed cables as “a bunch of lies” and utterly baseless” while demanding a through probe into the entire issue.
RLD leader and Member of Parliament Chaudhary Ajit Singh told PBD, “It is utterly rubbish. The RLD voted against the UPA Government in 2008.”
According to the Wikileaks, US Embassy political counselor, after a visit to MP Satish Sharma’s house, reported that Sharma’s aide Nachiketa Kapur showed him two bags of currency and told him that Rs 10 crore had been paid to four RLD members to seek their votes in favour of the Congress party.
The RLD on July 20, 2008 has issued a Whip against the UPA Government, a copy of which was also sent to the then Lok Sabha Speaker. The three MPs included Anuradha Chaudhary and Munshi Ram voted against the UPA-1.
“The party had three Members of Parliament whereas the cables mention that we had four members. They are spreading lies. Our stand was clear and we had made it known even before the voting was about to take place,” Singh said.
However, Samajwadi Party former MP Brij Bhushan Singh, trying to gain political mileage, claimed that the RLD MPs abstained from voting on nuclear deal trust vote. Ajit Singh refused to elaborate on the personal comments of a rival MP. “It is a matter of record. The Lok Sabha records will reveal the details,” he said. The Congress got 275 for and 265 against the motion. The RLD voted against the motion.
“I had issued a Whip to RLD party MPs that they were to be present in the House and openly voted against the Manmohan Singh government,” he said at his residence on Tuglak Road.
According to press reports in 2008, the RLD had pressed for a vote against the government and even was in touch with TDP, BSP and other parties.
“On July 20, 2008, I issued a public letter, a copy of which was sent to the Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee. Ultimately we voted against the UPA government,” Singh, former union minister, said.
The world over, Wikileaks has come under fire for publishing unverified reports.
A source of Wikileaks is presently in US prison and even its editor Julian Assange is facing sexual charges in Sweden.
“We voted against the Congress party. "We had opposed the (Indo-US) nuclear deal and after talking to MPs from Opposition parties we had decided to vote
against the government," Singh said.
Singh said he was open to any probe. “I have been a MP for the sixth-term and have been a minister. But till date, I have not taken a single favour from the government nor have taken any land from the Government. I am open for any probe,” Singh added.
The RLD has five LS members and one Rajya Sabha member at present. The party has a strong base in Uttar Pradesh, particularly Western part of the state. Singh is an IIT graduate and a computer scientist before picking up the legacy of his father and former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Destroy India
A new film in the making
javascript:void(0)
Name of Film: Destroy India
Producer: Mr. Corruption
Director: Middle man ,Fixers and Greed
Hero : Manmohan Singh
Heroine : Sonia Gandhi
Villain : A Raja and other top politicians
Script : Karunanidhi
Character Actor : Omar Abdullah
Friendly Appearance : Rahul Gandhi
Comedy : Sharad and Party Spokespersons
Shameless Actor : Kalmadi and Sheila ki jawani
Dancers : Sheila & Jayanti Natrajan
Action : Mamata Banerjee
Music : Nira Radia
Publicity : Diggvijay Singh
Sound : Manish Tiwari & AM Singhvi
Camera: Kapil Sibal
Art Direction: Ahmed patel
Choreography: T K A Nair
Financed By: People of India
javascript:void(0)
Name of Film: Destroy India
Producer: Mr. Corruption
Director: Middle man ,Fixers and Greed
Hero : Manmohan Singh
Heroine : Sonia Gandhi
Villain : A Raja and other top politicians
Script : Karunanidhi
Character Actor : Omar Abdullah
Friendly Appearance : Rahul Gandhi
Comedy : Sharad and Party Spokespersons
Shameless Actor : Kalmadi and Sheila ki jawani
Dancers : Sheila & Jayanti Natrajan
Action : Mamata Banerjee
Music : Nira Radia
Publicity : Diggvijay Singh
Sound : Manish Tiwari & AM Singhvi
Camera: Kapil Sibal
Art Direction: Ahmed patel
Choreography: T K A Nair
Financed By: People of India
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Buying and selling NEWS for a few bucks
Newspapers are not what they used to be. Once a written word carried weight, was sacrosanct, and largely unchallenged. But today, it takes a few thousand bucks to get ‘news’ printed. The phenomenon of Paid News is spreading like cancer and spreading like plague. What is shocking is that the biggest and the best of ‘brands’ in the media industry are leading the race. M K Tayal brings you what it means for you as a reader…
I was sitting in a newspaper office, when a small time courier-cum office boy of a political party walked in with a press release and a photograph. He kept it on the bureau chief’s desk. The worker then took out six Rs 1,000 crisp notes, put the money on the news item, folded his hand and said, “Double column with picture”. The bureau chief nodded and pocketed the money. The worker left. The newspaper claims to be one of the largest circulated in the country. Next day, I read the news in that paper with a shinning headline praising the candidate who was contesting elections. The same news I read in two-three newspapers and then gave up. “What are the readers getting?”
These days much of the ‘news’ in newspapers and television channel is paid by the people who are being mentioned in that particular news. The malaise of the Paid News has gripped almost the entire industry, with big brands of English, Hindi or vernacular press in the forefront. Virtues of honesty and truthfulness have just become words to be delivered in seminars by those who bend and break every rule in the book.
So, be it election related coverage of newspapers or a party in downtown pub, chances are that the candidates or the party organizers would have put some cash above the press release to get their news through to you, the reader-the viewer. The question that arises is that aren’t newspapers and TV channels taking advertisements. The answer is yes, but paid news comes as an editorial package, where readers and viewers are made to believe that the newspaper or that particular channel has got a story running by one of its staffers. Thus the credibility of the news article is much more had it slipped in as an advertisement.
It is alleged that many media houses in the country, irrespective of their volume of business, sell news space to politicians and corporates without admitting that it is those items as advertisements.
Interestingly, while many newspapers offices function without any formal structure to bring out paid news, newspapers like The Times of India have corporatised their paid news structure. It operated a company, Media Net, which later became Optimal Media Solutions. OMS has recently merged with the Times Business Solutions Ltd, a times company. Here you can get pay and get news printed in the prestigious newspaper. Ironically, the Times is not alone. From Daink Jagran to Punjab Kesri or CNN-IBN, all are into paid news.
Newspaper and TV editors are aware of this concept of selling editorial space and content, and have always been cautious of not breaching the thin line. But often, editors and editorial space is marginalized by the owners and entrepreneurs who run the show.
Money is an important factor and whoever has been willing to spend gets his say in editorial matters.
In the good old days of advertising, no publisher would speak or write against big advertisers. That is why corporates resorted to buying advertisement space to influence editorial heads and space. There was still the liberty of journalists slipping in facts in their writings. But even that charade was given up with the advent of paid news.
Then corporate started working on another method to get the ‘news’ across to the readers. They would take editors on freebees and the rest would be palatable crap. This happens with airlines, hotels and big companies that can afford the tantrums of the journalists. Vir Sanghvi’s article on the Taj hotel – Falkunama Palace in the Hindustan Times Brunch was one such superb piece. Of course, neither Singhvi, a food writer, nor Taj would admit that it was a part of the exercise that the industry resorts to.
The practice of paying for editorial content, particularly by political candidates, has been a gnawing issue in India for many years. Lately, a number of influential media organizations have shown their concern with this ill practice. India it seems, has finally woken up to the menace of the ‘paid news’ culture in mainstream media.
At the South Asia Free Media Association (SAFMA) India discussed the issue with concern. Even the Editors’ Guild of India expressed anguish at the growing tendency of a section of media groups (both print and visual) receiving money for some “non-advertorial” items in their media space.
The guild sent a letter to each of its member-editors throughout the country to ask for a pledge that his/her “publication/TV channel will not carry any paid news as the practice violates and undermines the principles of free and fair journalism.”
The letter, signed by Rajdeep Sardesai and Coomi Kapoor, president and secretary-general of the guild respectively, expressed hope that “the journalist fraternity would come together on this issue and would stand up to defend their credibility, and make public declarations on the subject in order to restore the reading and viewing public’s faith in the media by undoing the damage that has already been done.”
Today, India supports nearly 70,000 registered newspapers and over 450 television channels.
Though, the media, as a whole, often plays a constructive role, concerns of paid news comes as a cropper.
“Paid news being published as news is not acceptable to anyone, the readers or polity. Star News is using their air space for LG mobile, using word advertisement is good enough, after all now these days media is not a mission it’s a business,” says Shishir Soni a journalist with a Hindi daily.
Many distinguished editor-journalists of India including, K K Katyal, Satich Jacob, Kumar Ketkar (editor of Loksatta), Om Thanvi (editor of Jansatta), Vinod Sharma (political editor of Hindustan Times), Sevanti Ninan and more, have expressed serious concern at the growing trend of selling news space.
Meanwhile, the Press Council of India, decided to investigate the issue and it has already set up a committee to examine violations of the journalistic code of fair and objective reporting by having paid news.
Dr Madhav Kinhalkar of Maharashtra has filed a case against former chief minister Ashok Chavan relating to paid news and subsequently sought his disqualification under Section 77 of the People’s Representation Act in the Election Commission of India.
Lawyers Uday Lalit and Dilip Annasaheb Taur submitted a compilation of 700 pages which includes major newspaper cutting which have published full pull out color supplements in the form of news, 32 advertisements published in major local newspapers which have not been accounted by Chavan in his election expenditure. Meanwhile, Chavan got the boot for the Adarsh scam. The arguments are inconclusive in the ECI and the case goes on.
“But the fact remains, will the ECI count the ‘news items’ as paid news or not, is the question,” Dr Kinhalkar tells The Dayafter at Maharashtra Sadan in New Delhi after a hearing at the ECI.
Till the newspaper and TV channels owners decide to put a stop on this, it is unlikely that editors can have a say in such matters. You cannot skip this phenomenon and get good old news as it was unless you give up on the daily dose of TV and newspaper. Till then keep reading, paid stuff.
I was sitting in a newspaper office, when a small time courier-cum office boy of a political party walked in with a press release and a photograph. He kept it on the bureau chief’s desk. The worker then took out six Rs 1,000 crisp notes, put the money on the news item, folded his hand and said, “Double column with picture”. The bureau chief nodded and pocketed the money. The worker left. The newspaper claims to be one of the largest circulated in the country. Next day, I read the news in that paper with a shinning headline praising the candidate who was contesting elections. The same news I read in two-three newspapers and then gave up. “What are the readers getting?”
These days much of the ‘news’ in newspapers and television channel is paid by the people who are being mentioned in that particular news. The malaise of the Paid News has gripped almost the entire industry, with big brands of English, Hindi or vernacular press in the forefront. Virtues of honesty and truthfulness have just become words to be delivered in seminars by those who bend and break every rule in the book.
So, be it election related coverage of newspapers or a party in downtown pub, chances are that the candidates or the party organizers would have put some cash above the press release to get their news through to you, the reader-the viewer. The question that arises is that aren’t newspapers and TV channels taking advertisements. The answer is yes, but paid news comes as an editorial package, where readers and viewers are made to believe that the newspaper or that particular channel has got a story running by one of its staffers. Thus the credibility of the news article is much more had it slipped in as an advertisement.
It is alleged that many media houses in the country, irrespective of their volume of business, sell news space to politicians and corporates without admitting that it is those items as advertisements.
Interestingly, while many newspapers offices function without any formal structure to bring out paid news, newspapers like The Times of India have corporatised their paid news structure. It operated a company, Media Net, which later became Optimal Media Solutions. OMS has recently merged with the Times Business Solutions Ltd, a times company. Here you can get pay and get news printed in the prestigious newspaper. Ironically, the Times is not alone. From Daink Jagran to Punjab Kesri or CNN-IBN, all are into paid news.
Newspaper and TV editors are aware of this concept of selling editorial space and content, and have always been cautious of not breaching the thin line. But often, editors and editorial space is marginalized by the owners and entrepreneurs who run the show.
Money is an important factor and whoever has been willing to spend gets his say in editorial matters.
In the good old days of advertising, no publisher would speak or write against big advertisers. That is why corporates resorted to buying advertisement space to influence editorial heads and space. There was still the liberty of journalists slipping in facts in their writings. But even that charade was given up with the advent of paid news.
Then corporate started working on another method to get the ‘news’ across to the readers. They would take editors on freebees and the rest would be palatable crap. This happens with airlines, hotels and big companies that can afford the tantrums of the journalists. Vir Sanghvi’s article on the Taj hotel – Falkunama Palace in the Hindustan Times Brunch was one such superb piece. Of course, neither Singhvi, a food writer, nor Taj would admit that it was a part of the exercise that the industry resorts to.
The practice of paying for editorial content, particularly by political candidates, has been a gnawing issue in India for many years. Lately, a number of influential media organizations have shown their concern with this ill practice. India it seems, has finally woken up to the menace of the ‘paid news’ culture in mainstream media.
At the South Asia Free Media Association (SAFMA) India discussed the issue with concern. Even the Editors’ Guild of India expressed anguish at the growing tendency of a section of media groups (both print and visual) receiving money for some “non-advertorial” items in their media space.
The guild sent a letter to each of its member-editors throughout the country to ask for a pledge that his/her “publication/TV channel will not carry any paid news as the practice violates and undermines the principles of free and fair journalism.”
The letter, signed by Rajdeep Sardesai and Coomi Kapoor, president and secretary-general of the guild respectively, expressed hope that “the journalist fraternity would come together on this issue and would stand up to defend their credibility, and make public declarations on the subject in order to restore the reading and viewing public’s faith in the media by undoing the damage that has already been done.”
Today, India supports nearly 70,000 registered newspapers and over 450 television channels.
Though, the media, as a whole, often plays a constructive role, concerns of paid news comes as a cropper.
“Paid news being published as news is not acceptable to anyone, the readers or polity. Star News is using their air space for LG mobile, using word advertisement is good enough, after all now these days media is not a mission it’s a business,” says Shishir Soni a journalist with a Hindi daily.
Many distinguished editor-journalists of India including, K K Katyal, Satich Jacob, Kumar Ketkar (editor of Loksatta), Om Thanvi (editor of Jansatta), Vinod Sharma (political editor of Hindustan Times), Sevanti Ninan and more, have expressed serious concern at the growing trend of selling news space.
Meanwhile, the Press Council of India, decided to investigate the issue and it has already set up a committee to examine violations of the journalistic code of fair and objective reporting by having paid news.
Dr Madhav Kinhalkar of Maharashtra has filed a case against former chief minister Ashok Chavan relating to paid news and subsequently sought his disqualification under Section 77 of the People’s Representation Act in the Election Commission of India.
Lawyers Uday Lalit and Dilip Annasaheb Taur submitted a compilation of 700 pages which includes major newspaper cutting which have published full pull out color supplements in the form of news, 32 advertisements published in major local newspapers which have not been accounted by Chavan in his election expenditure. Meanwhile, Chavan got the boot for the Adarsh scam. The arguments are inconclusive in the ECI and the case goes on.
“But the fact remains, will the ECI count the ‘news items’ as paid news or not, is the question,” Dr Kinhalkar tells The Dayafter at Maharashtra Sadan in New Delhi after a hearing at the ECI.
Till the newspaper and TV channels owners decide to put a stop on this, it is unlikely that editors can have a say in such matters. You cannot skip this phenomenon and get good old news as it was unless you give up on the daily dose of TV and newspaper. Till then keep reading, paid stuff.
Monday, January 31, 2011
You too should get Padma Shri
The Padma Awards, the country’s highest civilian awards, are conferred in three categories: Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. The Awards are given in all disciplines - art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, etc. Phew!
‘Padma Vibhushan’ is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service; ‘Padma Bhushan’ for distinguished service of high order and ‘Padma Shri’ for distinguished service in any field. Is honesty, dedication, nationalism, self-less service counted? Interestingly, Padma Shri are given to any member in any discipline for distinguished service but not of high order. There are reports that the 128 odd awards are given away in a matter of few sitting by officials.
Over the years, our national awards have lost meaning. There is enough scope for meddling with the system to get a national award. Our national awards are dictated by media frenzy, politicians and middlemen - all not in that order.
This year, it is said the Prime Minister’s office got its say in giving awards.
ICICI Bank’s Chanda Kochhar, Max India founder Analjit Singh, Infosys CEO Kris Gopalkrishnan, Dr Reddy’s founder Dr K Anji Reddy, GVK honcho Gunapati Venkata Reddy, NIIT founder Rajendra Singh Pawar, ITC’s Yogi Deveshwar have been awarded the Padma Bhushan while Ajim Premji of Wipro got Padma Vibhushan.
What explains awards to industrialists or bureaucrats and what are their specific achievements? What are the criteria to give away national honours to people who are in the business of making money or supposed to do their job?
The list of awardees this year includes names of Brajesh Mishra, Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Shyam Sharn. Brajesh Mishra was a part of the government that dropped off three terrorists to Kandahar and also killed over 500 own soldiers for wrongly deploying the army after the Parliament attack.
Public servants are paid by the government for the job they are expected to do, so where is the question of them getting awarded by the nation for distinguished service.
If doing a job is the basis, then every soldier deserves a national honour. The point is to do your job in rare conditions, ready to give your life for the sake of the country.
What are the achievements of Tabu, Kajol or Irfan Khan who have bagged Padma Shri? Objections should not be only to give awards to actors or singers but even others. Interestingly, awards are given to people staying outside the country and working for the country they are living in.
Prof Martha Chen and Dr Azad Moopen of USA and UAE, respectively, have been given for social work in their respective nations. Prof Upendra Baxi gets Padma Shri for legal services in United Kingdom. Is it time for the parameters of giving awards to NRIs or PIOs to be reevaluated.
Hired lobbyists and news TV channels ran an aggressive campaign before the R-Day openly lobbying Bharat Ratan for cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, an IPL player who has been playing the game for over two decades and features in several ads of various products. Eventually VVS Laxam settled with a Padma Shri for cricket, which is not even an Olympic sport. Ideally, the entire cricketing team should be given Bharat Ratan for engaging and uniting the country. We should give away over around 10 crore awards in a year so that this controversy of giving awards dies in a decade or two.
‘Padma Vibhushan’ is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service; ‘Padma Bhushan’ for distinguished service of high order and ‘Padma Shri’ for distinguished service in any field. Is honesty, dedication, nationalism, self-less service counted? Interestingly, Padma Shri are given to any member in any discipline for distinguished service but not of high order. There are reports that the 128 odd awards are given away in a matter of few sitting by officials.
Over the years, our national awards have lost meaning. There is enough scope for meddling with the system to get a national award. Our national awards are dictated by media frenzy, politicians and middlemen - all not in that order.
This year, it is said the Prime Minister’s office got its say in giving awards.
ICICI Bank’s Chanda Kochhar, Max India founder Analjit Singh, Infosys CEO Kris Gopalkrishnan, Dr Reddy’s founder Dr K Anji Reddy, GVK honcho Gunapati Venkata Reddy, NIIT founder Rajendra Singh Pawar, ITC’s Yogi Deveshwar have been awarded the Padma Bhushan while Ajim Premji of Wipro got Padma Vibhushan.
What explains awards to industrialists or bureaucrats and what are their specific achievements? What are the criteria to give away national honours to people who are in the business of making money or supposed to do their job?
The list of awardees this year includes names of Brajesh Mishra, Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Shyam Sharn. Brajesh Mishra was a part of the government that dropped off three terrorists to Kandahar and also killed over 500 own soldiers for wrongly deploying the army after the Parliament attack.
Public servants are paid by the government for the job they are expected to do, so where is the question of them getting awarded by the nation for distinguished service.
If doing a job is the basis, then every soldier deserves a national honour. The point is to do your job in rare conditions, ready to give your life for the sake of the country.
What are the achievements of Tabu, Kajol or Irfan Khan who have bagged Padma Shri? Objections should not be only to give awards to actors or singers but even others. Interestingly, awards are given to people staying outside the country and working for the country they are living in.
Prof Martha Chen and Dr Azad Moopen of USA and UAE, respectively, have been given for social work in their respective nations. Prof Upendra Baxi gets Padma Shri for legal services in United Kingdom. Is it time for the parameters of giving awards to NRIs or PIOs to be reevaluated.
Hired lobbyists and news TV channels ran an aggressive campaign before the R-Day openly lobbying Bharat Ratan for cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, an IPL player who has been playing the game for over two decades and features in several ads of various products. Eventually VVS Laxam settled with a Padma Shri for cricket, which is not even an Olympic sport. Ideally, the entire cricketing team should be given Bharat Ratan for engaging and uniting the country. We should give away over around 10 crore awards in a year so that this controversy of giving awards dies in a decade or two.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Who is Bharat Ratan?
Its amazing how our national awards (padam shris, Bharat ratans etc) are dictated by media frenzy, lobbying and political middlemen. The awards are questionable, in the first place. What is the criteria? Honesty, dedication, nationalism, self-less service of the people – Hardly. In any case, if these awards are to be given why to actors, singers or cricket (which is not even an Olympic discipline) players. Why not to soldiers or teachers and doctors working in rural areas, scientists, engineers etc.
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