Gujarat Has Moved On

In spite of the Judge P R Patel ruling confirming the conspiracy behind the burning of the Sabarmati Express the secularist like Jayanthi Natarajan and the biased media continued to play the blame game holding Bhai Narendra responsible for the post Godhra riots. Let us analyze this game being played here. We now know that the lynching of the kar sevaks was pre-planned and thus as cold blooded as massacres get. What happened in the aftermath can only be supported by a homicidal sociopath. However, in the realm of human follies, riots ensued which killed about 2000 people. Of the dead, more than one third were Hindus. Media and everyone with a grudge against Bhai Narendra and the BJP went on a demonization blitz. A very sad picture of Qutbuddin Ansari morning the loss of his family became the lightening rod in the hands of these leftist media mavens and assortment of agenda driven NGO’s. This is a blot which will remain on the conservative Indian psyche. No conservative Hindu can derive any satisfaction from those riots.

Now let us consider another riot. Mrs. Gandhi was assassinated by her body guards. These guys killed her for Operation Bluestar which was a culmination of dirty politics that Congress played in Punjab when they midwifed this monster Bhindranwale who turned on his master. You know what I am trying to say here. But what happened in the aftermath of that assassination was many folds worse than what happened in Godhra. In Godhra Hindus died as well. In 1984, Sikhs were systematically slaughtered by Congress mobs. Over 3000 died. I do not remember the media and the leftists taking on the Congress with the same zeal as they did BJP. However, the worst thing we heard was the famous statement about the tree falling and the ground shaking. No one from the BJP uttered any such cold blooded platitude. The media did not have any pictures to show the world. In fact, the Congress and the media did their best to move on. Who would have thought that within a few years of that massacre, a Sikh would agree to work in the Congress as the Finance Minister? The same Congress which moved on with such dexterity is ensuring that the issue of the Godhra riots is kept alive by hook or crook. As I have said, Bhai Narendra has passed all the agni-pareekshas. The proverbial last nail in the coffin was hammered by the last judgment where the blame for the Kar Sevak massacre and the eventual riots has been placed at the feet of Muslim miscreants.

Since the riots, Gujarat has gone from strength to strength under the leadership of Bhai Narendra. The benefit of the progress has been reaped by people of all religions. That is the view of a man with an impeccable reputation (from a Muslim point of View), Maulana Vastanvi. Yet when this guy speaks the truth, all kinds of non Gujarati Muslim demagogues jumped all over this man. There was an article by Raheel Dhattiwala who is a PhD student in England in the same vein. As I had said in an earlier blog that more often than not, minority leadership descends into demagoguery. It seems that Dhattiwala saw the same phenomenon in the Black leadership in the west. With an outsiders perspective he has written what seems to be a really honest article. He also quotes people who have gone to the other end where they have taken the Muslims symbolism to the other extreme. We sympathize with those people. In the incessant cacophony of the leftist media and the demagogic Mullahs, what prayer does an insecure person have?

That said, I still thank Dhattiwala for this article and hope that more honest Muslims come out of the wood work and encourage the rest of the community to move on.

The Muslim as BJP supporter in Gujarat
Qutbuddin Ansari, who became the “face of the Gujarat riots,” his pleading picture making news in national and international media in 2002, refused an interview with this writer in 2007. His request: privacy. “I've moved on. Please let me be.”

Ahmadbhai Shaikh is a muezzin in a mosque in the Behrampura area of Ahmedabad. If not reciting the ‘azaan,' he is busy helping Bharatiya Janata Party workers in his ward to campaign among members of his community. His reason for shifting from the Congress to the BJP is “the hope that our drainage problems will be solved, after all these years.” As one who was lucky to escape the arson and looting in the city in 2002, he merely calls that a “period of misfortune.”
The article can be read at:http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/article1483991.ece?homepage=true

Those Who Live In Glass Houses…

Seems like Jayanthi Natarajan didn’t want to be left behind. Akin to her party’s coalition partner DMK, she has started her own “get rich” program. This is the face of Congress and she along with Digvijay Singh have the job to berate and run down anyone who pose a threat to their party. No blow is too low or trick too cheap for these two. This pseudo-secular corrupt Congress mouthpiece has the audacity to point out blots on Narendra Modi’s record when Gujarat had moved on and even Muslim leaders like Vastanvi, the new Deobandi Chief believes and says that "all communities" are prospering in Narendra Modi's Gujarat and there was "no discrimination against the minorities in the state as far as development was concerned." While she was on this holier than thou rampage, what we did not know was that she has her own scam. It is only a Rs. 300 Crore scam but not bad for one person. Meanwhile the Lok Ayukta has registered a case against that other moral champion Digvijay Singh. No money estimates on it has been released yet.
A deep rot has set in the Congress where everyone has their own private and collective scams. Everyone is out looting the country. Everyone of them has sold his or her soul for wealth. This kind of greed is inhuman, only seen in African dictators.

It’s time for the loud mouth congress spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan to shut up and focus on saving her behind. This is what Jayanthi had to say after the recent Godhra judgment, “It is still a blot upon the record of Modi for which he will always have to answer the people of the nation.”
People in Gujarat are fed and employed. So the more important question is when are you and your Congress brethren going to stop looting the country?

Bhai Narendra has passed every “agni-pareeksha” and has been absolved of any wrongdoings buy all kinds of courts and panels. let us see what answer Madam Jayanthi has for the people of the nation and how is she going to clear this BLOT on her record.

Notice to Congress spokesperson in Rs 300 crore scam
February 25, 2011 20:50 IST
The Chennai high court on Friday issued a notice to Congress party spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan, acting on an affidavit seeking direction to probe a Rs 300 crore scam involving her. Natarajan is a Congress Member of Parliament from Tamil Nadu.
The rest of the article can be read at:http://www.rediff.com/news/report/notice-to-congress-spokesperson-in-rs-300-crore-scam/20110225.htm

Lok Ayukta case against Digvijay in land scam
BHOPAL, FEB. 11. The Special Police Establishment of the Madhya Pradesh Lok Ayukta has registered a case in connection with a land scam in Indore under the Prevention of Corruption Act and will probe allegations of criminal conspiracy and corruption against the former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Digvijay Singh, and four others. The rest of the article can be read at: http://www.hindu.com/2004/02/12/stories/2004021205351100.htm

Baba Ramdev: Kalyug Ka Abhimanyu

Businessweek claims the following about the status of Italian banks: “The outlook for Italian banks is expected to remain negative “through most if not all” of 2011 because of deteriorating asset quality, modest capital adequacy and weak profitability, according to Moody's Investors Service.”
The Italian economy is in deep trouble and the banks have deteriorating asset quality and a number of them need a capital infusion. That is why we see only one Italian bank in the top twenty banks in the world. A list of the Top 20 World Banks of 2010 based on Tier 1 Capital published by The Bankers Magazine is here for you to see as to how many Italian Banks figure in this list. Therefore, if you were to invite foreign banks to come to India and set up shop, you would stay away from Italian banks. However, if the intrepid Baba Ramdev while clearing his name against the allegations levied by Congress General Secretary, Digvijay Singh questions the invitation extended to eight (8) Italian Banks to setup business in India. He goes on to ask questions like, who is from Italy in India, why invite Italian Banks, what is the Italian connection etc?
You do not have to be a crack sleuth to figure out the Italian connection here. The invitation to Italian banks, at best shows lack of due diligence and at worst shows capitulation to non Indian interests. Are the decision makers looking out for the best deal for India or Italy? Are we giving contracts out without an open bidding like this UPA government is wont to?
If claims by Dr. Subramanian Swamy are to be believed then a lot of Indian money has already gone to Italy. Is this move to make the flight of capital even more easy?
Dr. Swamy and now Baba Ramdev seem to be waging solo wars against anti Indian interests. We at Aam Aadmi salute them and thank them from the bottom of our hearts. Babaji seems to have taken upon himself to make up for the inaction and apathy of the Indian populace. We need to answer his call and join forces with him. His approach is already paying off dividends. Congress MPs have started to call him abusive names. That is a sure sign that he is hitting the nail on the head.

We will pray that this modern day Abhimanyu can break through all of the Chakravyuh of Corruption.

Here is a list of the Top 20 World Banks of 2010 based on Tier 1 Capital published by The Bankers Magazine for you to see as to how many Italian Banks figure in this list.


Italian Banks' Outlook to Remain Negative in 2011, Moody's Says
Feb. 7 (Bloomberg) -- The outlook for Italian banks is expected to remain negative “through most if not all” of 2011 because of deteriorating asset quality, modest capital adequacy and weak profitability, according to Moody's Investors Service. The asset quality and capital adequacy of Italian lenders are below the European average, Carlo Gori, a senior financial analyst at Moody's, said in a phone interview. Italy's biggest banks, including UniCredit SpA, Intesa Sanpaolo SpA, Banco Popolare SC and Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena SpA, are cutting costs and shedding non-strategic assets to strengthen finances and boost capital after the country's worst recession since the Second World War. Read the complete article at:http://news.businessweek.com/article.asp?documentKey=1376-LG3JB10D9L3501-0MRBT7VD9L5E8TQQI4PT2KH49E

Digvijay-Ramdev row: BJP, Congress lock horns
New Delhi: The BJP and the Congress locked horns over Baba Ramdev, with Digvijay Singh attacking the yoga guru for "targeting" his party on the black money issue and questioning the source of funding for his activities.
Defending Ramdev, BJP leader M Venkaiah accused the Congress of levelling "absurd" allegations against the Yoga Guru. Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh asked Ramdev to verify the trail of funds received by him through donations.
Read more at:http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/NAT-POL-digvijay-ramdev-row-bjp-cong-lock-horns-1881217.html

Penny Wise and Pound Foolish UPA Govt.

This is clearly the height of incompetency of this UPA Government. The Food & Consumer Affairs Minister Mr. KV Thomas is thinking of bringing in a new legislation to curb wastage of food in weddings and social gatherings. The Minister said “There is huge wastage of food at weddings and other social functions. It is a criminal wastage. We are finding out mechanism to bring down such wastage of food,". It is being proposed that vigilance officers are going to be at these weddings to count the number of guests and to charge wealth Tax if guests exceed the 100 count. We all know how this is going to turn out. The bride’s father will now have to pay two dowries – one to the groom and one to the vigilance officer. The food shortage and wastage is a huge gaping wound on the nation and Thomas is proposing putting a band aid on it. Such a proposal is tantamount to dereliction of duty!

But if we do decide to give him some leeway and let Thomas call this Criminal then what would he call the annual wastage of millions of tons of food grain and agricultural produce worth US $ 12.2 billion allowed to rot due to inadequate government-owned facilities? The situation has not changed much since 2008, when Subodh Kant Sahai, minister for food processing, made the startling disclosure of $12 billion in losses of agricultural produce owing to the absence or shortage of post-harvesting infrastructure, such as cold storage chains, transportation and storage facilities.

The Minister KV Thomas further noted that the need of the hour is to stop such kind of wastage in weddings because there are still some percentages of population who get only one time meal. Is the minister not aware that over 63% of children in India go to bed hungry? As per the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), one in three of the world's malnourished children live in India, a number more than in sub-Saharan Africa. This avoidable misery continues, year after year, even though India is the world's second-largest producer of food, after China.

The Minister is in consultation with NGOs, and says; the government is mulling setting up a national advisory committee to look into this issue of food wastage in weddings.

While the Indian newspapers are busy covering IPL and trying to find another way to railroad Bhai Narendra Modi, the BBC has published an article which says: Officials say massive quantities of food grains and fuel, meant to be distributed through the public distribution system or to be given to the poor under welfare schemes like food-for-work and school meals for poor children, have been stolen over the years and sold on the open market.

All this is happening in the state ruled by the richest CM in India Mayawati. It is estimated that over a period of ten years, food worth $43 billion has be pilfered (that is in dollars not rupees!). It is clear that the nefarious neta-babu-greedy businessman nexus has stolen food from people who are, in some cases, eating clay to alleviate hunger. I have read that the jails in the US have a hierarchy of respect where robbers are considered to be on the top and the child molesters and other sexual criminals are at the bottom. If molesting a child is a heinous crime even to the worst of the society, then where do you think stealing food from them stands? That is what this neta-babu-greedy businessman nexus stands.

We are supposed to be a civil society where the weaker sections are supposed to be looked after by the system. Clearly, that is not the case in India. In our case we rob the weak of morsels of food. What does it say about us?

Govt mulls over law to curb food wastage at weddings
Terming the food wastage at weddings and social gatherings as "criminal", food and consumer affairs Minister KV Thomas today said the government could bring a new law in this regard and also launch an awareness campaign to curb this.
The minister said although the government has not conducted any study to determine the level of wastage of food at such functions like marriage events, there are reports that wastage is to the extent of 15-20%.
The complete article can be read at:http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_govt-mulls-over-law-to-curb-food-wastage-at-weddings_1511519

India's immense 'food theft' scandal
21 February 2011
The poorest of the poor in India's most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, are at the heart of a major food scandal. The Indian media has described it as "the mother of all scams". A senior official in the food cell says even today 40% to 70% of supplies from the public distribution system are stolen.
"The rot is very deep," a CBI official told the BBC. "In the districts of Sitapur, Balia and Lakhimpur Kheri, our investigation found very clear-cut proof of diversion of grains."
It appears to show elements of the state bureaucracy diverting food from citizens who are right at the bottom of the economic ladder.
The complete article can be read at:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12502431

Muslim Leadership: Demagoguery and Dubious Devotion

Minority leaders often descend into demagoguery. The votes of the people they represent, gives them a certain power and often makes them into kingmakers. That means negotiations and thus largesse in return. Once they get a taste of all that, they do not want to let go of the power, the people they represent be damned! In fact, it is in their interest to see that their constituents remain in the mire of ignorance and victimhood. We see this syndrome in the Indian Muslim leadership. They have the Muslim votes and that bank gives them a lot of power. They can make people do strange things (Digvijay Singh, Mulayam Yadav and other pseudo-secular leaders are exapmples of that).

On the face of it, the Deobandi madarsah is a powerful religious outfit. They have the attention of the majority of Muslims. Since the 1980’s, one family has ruled this outfit. As per Mr. Sikand’s article, they even split the organization with the help of Congress to retain power. The Madani family is the Congress conduit into the Deobandi Muslim community. I suppose that Congress must have been distressed when the Madanis were forced out of the leadership position and Ghulam Mohammad Vastanvi was elected as the head of the madarsah. The new sheriff made the cardinal mistake of speaking the truth. He credited Bhai Narendra Modi’s administration for the prosperity of the Gujarati Muslims. No surprise there because when a state prospers, everyone benefits. Vastanvi’s statements have riled up every enemy of Bhai Narendra. A movement is afoot to unite all the enemies of Vastanvi, especially the two members of the Madani family. For conflict resolution, the warring factions always call someone who the both sides trust. Now instead of a senior Indian Muslim, these guys invited a hardline anti Indian, pro Taliban Maulana Fazlur Rahman. Now this is very distressing to see the kind of trust the Indian Muslims are putting in an avowed enemy of the country. Our foremost expert on these matter, Mr. Bahukutumbi Raman says the following:

Five Pakistani jihadi organizations are members of bin Laden's International Islamic Front -- HUM, HUJI, the Lashkar-e-Tayiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. Of these, HUM, HUJI, JEM and LEJ are close to the Maulana. The Lashkar, despite its strong Wahabbi orientation, is not. The Maulana's perceived hobnobbing with India could act as a red rag to the bull and provoke an intensification of terrorist strikes in Indian territory.

Now it is one thing to not sing “Vande Mataram” but it is quite different to hobnob with a person of Rahman’s character. To bring him to adjudicate a family squabble shows the kind of trust they must place in this man. The implications are that one can question the allegiance of Muslim leadership who invited this guy (and not for the first time either). One has to wonder what would they do if the visiting Maulana starts to instigate them against one or more Indian leaders or dare I say, the country itself?

Deoband and the machinations of the mullahs
Needless to say, in this symbiotic nexus, the common Muslims, sacrificial victims of the machinations of political parties and the mullahs, have everything to lose, even the faint glimmer of hope for educational empowerment that Vastanvi's appointment had appeared to promise.
The article can be read at:http://www.rediff.com/news/column/column-yoginder-sikand-deoband-and-the-machinations-of-the-mullahs/20110217.htm

Maulana Fazl in India to broker peace
Fazlur Rahman, is believed to be opposed to Vastanvi, and his association with Arshad Madni goes back almost four decades, Times of India opined.
“Fazlur Rahman, who had tried to unite the Madnis back in March 2007 as well, did his best to bring about a rapprochement during his two-day camp in the seminary. The results have been satisfactory,” Times of India quoted its source as saying. Ghulam Mohammed Vastanvi who has recently been elected as rector of Darul uloom Deoband invited trouble when he reportedly praised Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in a press statement.
The article can be read at:http://nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Politics/18-Feb-2011/Maulana-Fazl-in-India-to-broker-peace

Maulana Fazlur Rehman's mysterious visit to India

by B. Raman
" The two-day India visit by Islamic hardliner and Pakistan's Jamiat-ul-Islami chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman is believed to be aimed at reinforcing the anti-Vastanvi forces at the Darul-Uloom Deoband seminary in Uttar Pradesh , where the recently appointed vice chancellor Ghulam Mohammad Vastanvi had drawn much flak for praising Narendra Modi's governance in Gujarat.
"Ostensibly, Rehman was in Deoband and New Delhi earlier this week to broker peace between the two warring factions of Indian Jamiat-Ulema-e-Hind led by rival Madnis -- uncle Arshad Madni and nephew Mahmood. "However, informed sources at Deoband suspect that the Pakistani cleric's 'real intent behind bringing the Madnis together was to strengthen the anti-Vastanvi lobby.'

The complete article can be read at:http://www.indiandefence.com/forums/f5/maulana-fazlur-rehmans-mysterious-visit-india-4544/

Beware the Maulana!

By B. Raman
Controversial Jamiat-ul-Ulema Islam leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman's high-profile visit to India and the attention accorded to him in governmental and non-governmental circles in New Delhi are being viewed by many India-watchers in the US with bewilderment and concern.
Read more at: http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/jul/23raman.htm

The picture is from: http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/apr/23look.htm

Mr. PM, Where does the Buck Stop?

U.S. president Harry S. Truman had a sign on his desk with an inscription “The Buck Stops Here” on his desk. That was meant to indicate that he didn't 'pass the buck' to anyone else and accepted personal responsibility for the way the country was governed. Since then, this simple statement has become the tenet (which is indicative of “Courage” and “Integrity”) by which all the US presidents have tried to lead. Now that is the stuff leaders are made of. Compared to a giant like Truman, our PM, Manmohan Singh, came up really short. In the last interview with handpicked TV reporters, Singh blamed every problem facing his administration on everyone else but himself. He was seen by the entire nation, giving out excuses and mouthing platitudes while blaming the media for exposing the scams. Blaming the messenger for the message, Mr. PM? How very un-Truman like can you get?
That performance has left everyone seething with anger. They saw a man for who he really is rather than the image that has been carefully cultivated by expert Congress media mavens. Since then, better people than I, have written a lot on the topic but I would still like to raise a couple of points.
On Raja’s reappointment in 2009 as the Telecom Minister in spite of all the allegations against him, he conveniently passed the buck on DMK. He said, ”In a coalition government, you can suggest your preferences but you have to go by what the leader of that particular coalition party ultimately insists”.

There are two points here. Firstly, he is not the only PM to have led a coalition government. Atalji led a very successful government of that kind. Secondly, who will he blame for the CWG and the Adarsh Society scams which were headed by his own Congress party ministers? What about the appointment of P.J. Thomas as the Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) that had his direct involvement and the S-Band, ISRO deal involving a department directly under his office? What about the recent 50,000 crore plus scam in the NE India, which is entirely led by Congress leaders (one those leaders has used abusive language for the anti corruption, non-political Hindu leader, Baba Ramdev). What coalition Dharma was he following?

Not only does all this raise strong doubts about his Mr. Clean, but also his image as this brilliant economist PM (as exposed by his non-answers to the two questions raised by Aaj Tak editor, Arun Purie and CNN IBN, Editor Rajdeep Sardesai)
Even a layman would smell a rat and know that Raja arranged the sale of the 2G spectrum licenses below their market value when Swan Telecom and Unitech Group (a real estate company) sold 45% and 60% of their stake at huge profits immediately after buying the licenses.
But when Aaj Tak Editor, Arun Purie commented that the “sale of spectrum 2 companies even before roll out, a scam was staring everybody in the face?” here is what a Cambridge and Oxford educated economist said “Now subsequent events have shown that companies sold their equity but I was told that they had not sold it to shareholders. They have sold it in a manner to dilute the equity of the promoters. Now if they have to roll out they require money, and that money can be raised either by way of borrowings, or by way of diluting equity by getting in more people. Therefore at that stage I did not think that I should intervene in that affair”.
Mr. PM’s response to CNN IBN, Rajdeep Sardesai’s question “where do you stand on telecom Minister Kapil Sibal’s statement of zero revenue loss on 2G spectrum scam was even more pathetic when he compared the CAG estimated loss to food and fertilizer subsidies and said: “There are various estimates, but you have to assess what is the right magnitude after asking yourself what was the right price. Now, I have explained to you that the then existing policy of the Government was that auctions should not take place.
And if auctions are not taking place then what is the basis for you to calculate a loss. I am not in a position to say that there is a foolproof method in which one can determine the extent of the loss. It is very much a function of what is your starting point. And also depends upon our opinion we have a budget which gives subsidy for food, 80,000 crores per annum, some people may say these food grains should be sold at market place.
Will we say then because they are not sold at market prices, because you are giving them a subsidy, it is a loss of 80,000 crores. We give subsidy to fertilizers which cost about 60,000 crores every year people can say that these fertilizers should be priced at the market rate, would you then say that there is a loss of revenue of 60,000 crores in fertilizers sale. We subsidize the price of kerosene to an extent which is greater than many other subsidies, that imposes burden on our oil marketing companies, should we say then that because we give subsidy for kerosene sales under public distribution, that there is loss of revenue. “
Mr. PM, this is the first time we had the opportunity to hear you speak on these mega scams and other problems facing the nation. What we got to hear were excuses, which made your inability to effectively govern and prevent corruption, evident. It is too much to expect someone like Harry Truman as our PM. However we will still settle for someone who can steer this unfortunate nation of ours in the right direction or at least tries to do so even if it is in vain.

'India isn't a scam-driven country'
Rediff.com presents the preliminary transcript of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's interaction with editors of the electronic media held in New Delhi on Wednesday, where he discussed a number of burning issues.
The article can be read at: http://www.rediff.com/news/slide-show/slide-show-1-what-pm-told-editors-india-isnt-a-scam-driven-country/20110216.htm

Scams, not the media, have damaged India's image, Mr Prime Minister
No, Mr. Prime Minister, that is not on. Your exhorting the media to dwell on positives and shun negative stories is good only on paper. In reality, it is only a free licence for the looters to plunder us even more. And if the media had indeed not exposed these scams, the country would never have known the reality behind the Commonwealth Games, 2G spectrum, Adarsh Society, the appointment of the CVC, or the latest, the deal between the department of space and a tainted company for satellite bandwidth.
The article can be read at: http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/randomaccess/entry/scams-not-the-media-have-damaged-india-s-image-mr-prime-minister

O! What A Fall Was There, My Countrymen
These stories—whether correct wholly or only partly— have brought out one thing loud and clear— the ineptitude and incompetence of your Government, the poor supervision which seems to prevail in many Ministries and offices, including the Prime Minister's Office, and the insensitivity of many senior members of your Cabinet to public concerns over these alleged scams.
Corruption is nothing new, but the magnitude of it as seen since you came to power has been highly disturbing. What is new is the ineptitude, the incompetence and the lack of supervision which seem to prevail since you came to power— the like of which one had not seen under any other Prime Minister of India since we became independent in 1947. B. RAMAN
The article can be read at: http://outlookindia.com/article.aspx?270523

Advani: A Liability For The BJP

First it was the Jinnah episode which put the BJP in an untenable position. A typical Hindu nationalist can never support a man like Jinnah who was nothing more than an opportunist and exploited the Congress’ weak policy to carve out a piece of land for Muslims without taking all of them along. India now has lesser land and more Muslims. A losing proposition from any account. So Advani hurt us all in a big way. His assistant Sudheendra Kulkarni was busy doing even more damage to the party in a crucial election. That campaign with him lifting weights to the tune “abhi toh main jawan hoon” was nothing short of a pathetic disaster. The BJP under the Advani leadership ran such a lousy campaign that the UPA with no achievements and multiple failures on the terror front came back with more seats. Advani should have shouldered the blame for an abysmal performance and retired. Instead he is still hanging on to a seat in the loksabha instead of developing a good younger leader.

Now we find out that he is apologizing the Sonia Gandhi without consulting the senior party members who are now in-charge. All this when scams are tumbling out of closet everyday and even the most liberal Congress apologizers are suspecting complicity to the highest levels of Congress leadership. He has again put the BJP on the back foot. No one can fathom the reason behind this latest flub by a man whose only accomplishment was the rath yatra which was a couple of decades ago. His tenure was a home minister was not a very good one either. It took him a very long time to ban the SIMI whose culpability in various anti national activities was well known.

We all know that the BJP is the only viable option to the Congress. Right now under the leadership of the younger members, the party seems to be making all the right moves. They do now want some irresponsible person coming along and tossing a monkey wrench in this otherwise well tuned machine.

Advaniji has to realize that his time is well past. If he does not retire soon and stops all this inexplicable activities then his legacy, whatever it is, will be tarnished forever.

BJP shocked by Advani's apology to Sonia
February 18, 2011 19:59 IST
Meanwhile, Congress spokesman Shakeel Ahmed welcomed Advani's apology, but there came a tongue-in-cheek attack from Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni that she had thought Advani had "retired" leaving space for younger people like Swaraj and Jaitley who are now the Opposition leaders of the two Houses of Parliament.
http://www.rediff.com/news/report/bjp-stunned-over-advanis-apology-letter-to-sonia-gandhi/20110218.htm

PM and The Biased Media

After watching the PM’s performance in front of the handpicked TV reporters, the BJP leaders must be saying the following:

“Hum aah bhee bharte hain toh ho jaate hain badnaam,
Who qatl bhee karte hain toh charcha nahin hota”

This was the kind of performance, which is known as a career killer in western democracies. But not in India. Here the PM was still getting support from the media. Instead of pointing out the indecisiveness and the non-answers, we got to hear platitudes like “PM was sincere but not convincing” and "Singh shines but PM so-so". The reporters and we must have watched different interviews because the one we saw, he was neither shining nor sincere. Convincing was not even a consideration. All we got to hear was various versions of “it’s not my fault” statement. He blamed the media (which is his biggest friend), his own party people, coalition partners and of course his favorite whipping boys, the BJP and Gujarat CM (of course the attack was a snide reference). Even after all that, the media is willing to give this man a pass. If this were a BJP PM who was heading the most corrupt government in the history and cut such a sorry picture, they would have skewered him. How do I know this? Well, look at the way they are still targeting the only functional and the most successful state government in India and its CM (Gujarat). If you are a Hindu nationalist and you find a cure for cancer, bring peace in the world and eradicate hunger in one day and yet you will be faulted for something or the other. On the other hand, if you fit their warped definition of a secular person (read pro-religious minority and anti Hindu) they will go all out for you as we are seeing here.
The Indian media is one of the most biased in the civilized world. It is their duty to tell the public the unvarnished truth and not their opinion. What we get in the Indian papers is an almost amnesic coverage of news. The worst by the Congress and other pseudo-secular parties gets a pass while conservative cannot do anything right. Barring a couple of news outlets, none of them tell the real truth. They tell you what they want you to hear. Major media houses are owned by people with their own political agendas. Between them and reporters like Barkha Dutt and Vir Sanghvi, what chance do we have of getting to know the truth?
We need to reject these corrupt politicos and their media supporters with extreme prejudice if we want to have a healthy and a forward-looking democracy.

Singh shines but PM so-so
If Manmohan Singh the man came across as sincere, unafraid, well-meaning, the Prime Minister of India, some of his answers indicated, was often helpless and hemmed in — buffeted by forces that were beyond his ken, outside his grasp.
The article can be read at: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110217/jsp/frontpage/story_13594886.jsp

Criteria For Ministership

Back in the day, when President Clinton selected a 68 year old Christopher Warren for the post of Foreign Secretary, a common grouse was that the man is too old for a job like that. The naysayers had a point. Foreign Minister is the face of the nation in other countries. You want someone with a dynamic personality and a glib diplomatic tongue. People who followed Christopher were just that. Madeline Albright was not too bad but then came General Colin Powell, Condoleeza Rice and Hillary Clinton. All of them very bright articulate, dynamic and energetic. They are the kind of people who you would want representing you. You do not want someone who would read the wrong speech at the UN, go on for three minutes and even then not realize that it was the wrong speech.
What are the criteria for selecting ministers in India? It, almost NEVER is qualification. It always is proximity to the power center, loyalty to a family, money / vote generating ability and of course the number of MP’s in your pocket if there is a coalition government. The list of people representing some of these departments is real howlers. People who know less than an average well read aam aadmi become the ministers of sensitive departments. People who have no sense of history or belonging are privy to secrets of the state.
If you look at the way they select people to represent various departments in the US, you will realize that our method is detrimental to the progress of the nation. Even after selection by the US president, the person has to go through a grueling confirmation process. In our country, whims and self-interests of a person or a family decide all that.
These are all signs of an immature democracy. We are a young democracy and are liable to make mistakes. However, we need to start installing procedures, which will save us the kind of embarrassment that we faced at the UN recently. If we start now, maybe those practices will start taking roots and we will find our country led by able people. But we do not see any signs of that. None of this will really happen unless we start marginalizing the regional parties and dynastic politics. Until then, keep a hat nearby to hide your face.

India's foreign minister inadvertently reads Portuguese statement at the U.N.
Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna's visit last week to the United Nations was supposed to provide New Delhi with an opportunity to shine on the world stage, to show that India is a serious emerging power that deserves to sit with other world powers. It didn’t quite turn out that way. Krishna, in his first appearance before the U.N. Security Council since his country began a two-year stint in January as a temporary member of the U.N. security body, read the wrong speech. For three minutes, Krishna read from the official statement of the foreign minister of Portugal, Luis Amado, noting with a gracious smile his "satisfaction regarding the happy coincidence of having two members of the Portuguese speaking countries" addressing the 15-nation council."
The article can be read at: http://turtlebay.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/02/14/indias_foreign_minister_inadvertently_reads_portuguese_statement_at_the_un

Rocking The World Now and Cradle Later

On this blog we scour the web for positive news in India especially empowerment of poor. When the news is about empowerment of poor girls, that makes our day. The reason for that is simple. In this day and age khap, honor killings and female feticide are the only topics that mention poverty stricken girls. In a culture that worships, female deities in various avatars of strength and knowledge, girls should have a special place in the society. Not for nothing is it said that the hands that rock the cradle rule the world. Women are equal to men in all respects in all the developed countries while the hellholes rape and exploit them. If family is the primary unit upon which a nation is built then the mother in the family is the most important subunit. Without enlightened and responsible mothers, we can never expect a upwardly mobile society.
The news discussed in this article will prove that sometimes small initiatives have far reaching implications. Gifting bicycles to poor girls sounds like a trivial thing but it is paying huge dividends. Under the leadership of a true son of Mother India, Santosh Sarang poor and dalit girls between the age of 14 and 21 have become journalists. The news they collect and collate is shown in a public forum and seems to well received. None of the girls are getting paid till now but an initiative like this seems to be paying huge dividends. The story of one of those girls proves that. A 14 year old dalit girl Ashwani who would have been married off, is now a bicycle riding reporter which she did against her parents’ wish. She has rejoined her school and is educating herself and is a full time reporter for the news organization. This girl who would have been yet another poor under-educated mother is now going to be a responsible member of the society and the kind of mother who will educate the next generation as well.

All I want to say is BRAVO and GOD BLESS!!!!

Revolution in a Bihar Village
February 14, 2011By Sanjay Kumar

The girls typically head off on bikes with cameras and microphones in their front baskets to start reporting for the day. A small office is located in the centre of the village where weekly bazaars take place. After the stories are edited, the programme is shown during the weekly bazaar or market on a projector. The villagers seem to immediately connect with the stories, which have frequently prompted pressure on the local administration to make changes. These small successes have given the girls a real confidence boost and galvanized the village. The girls aren’t paid, but they seem to see the freedom and opportunity of change as reward enough.
The article can be read at : http://the-diplomat.com/indian-decade/2011/02/14/revolution-in-a-bihar-village/http://

More on the subject: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7147796.stm

Love Jihad: The Next Level

It is a known fact that governments in southern Indian states have made a Faustian pact with subversive Islamist forces for votes. It seems that the weaker and the vulnerable Hindus are caught in the aggressively spreading dar-ul-Islam and the status quo looks more and more like Dante Alighieri's vision of hell. Muslims, empowered with their political clout and gulf money are changing the landscape of Kerala with mosques everywhere, one bigger than the other. The communists who are supposed top consider religion as an anathema, are turning a blind eye to all of the Islamist machinations while keeping the Hindus pliant with platitudes and cheap booze.
It seems that Muslims have taken the love jihad to the next level. In a move, which clearly shows their contempt for women, they have offered reward to the Muslim men who marry and convert Hindu women. If that were not loathsome enough, the prize seems to depend upon the caste and the background of the Hindu girl. This would seem like something that would happen in Saudi Arabia or some other backward hellhole. However when this happens in the only country we can call home, then it does feel like we are under attack by a loathsome version of a religion which is struggling with it’s own identity. While the Muslims are welcome to decide which version of Islam they want to follow, it is the duty of the duly elected state governments to stand up for the weak and the vulnerable despite of their religion. I know that it is too much to ask fairness from Communists and other pseudo-secular parties but one can hope that they would take pity on hapless Hindus and do something right for once in their lives. As you can clearly seen in the poster that these thugs are based in Bangalore, which is currently, ruled by the BJP. Unfortunately the BJP are struggling to keep their flock together in Karnataka and thus atrocities like this are going unnoticed. The Hindu organizations seem more pre-occupied in moral policing and attacking girls in the pubs and target unmarried couples celebrating Valentine’s Day rather than engaging/confronting the Islamic organizations with malicious jihadi intent and protect our sisters from such Islamic Love Jihad trap.

Poster of Love Jihad by Muslim Youth Forum O Hindus, have a look at the poster published by the Muslim Youth Forum regarding Love Jihad. It was found by Hindu helpline coordinator in Kerala. The poster announces various cash awards for different categories of Hindu, Christian, and Sikh girls. A lot of the phone numbers given in the poster are numbers of organisations and individuals in Pakistan. The poster also provides the addresses of Popular Front of India and National Democratic Front (Kerala) offices in South India thus proving that they are directly involved in this. The article can be read at: http://www.hindujagruti.org/news/11336.html

Robbing The Country Blind

Is it really news or just another day when we read about a multiple thousand crore-rupee scandal under the UPA or a Congress ruled state? The BJP has established a committee of people with impeccable reputation and knowledge to look into cases of financial malfeasance. One of those people is a man we admire a lot. Prof. Vaidyanathan has written on the subject with crusader’s zeal. It seems the latest scam comes from the NE India, which is all ruled by Congress. This cam is estimated at Rs. 50,000 Crore, which seems to have been misappropriated from the hydroelectric power projects.
Recently Rediff carried out an online opinion poll / suggestion campaign. We can safely say that redif readers represent a vast cross section of the society. The overwhelming sentiment is that India needs to be saved from the UPA.
Prof. Vaidyanathan has opined that India needs to use its power to shake down the unscrupulous Swiss banks and take concrete steps to bring the money back. His suggestions are as follows:

1.Let both houses of Parliament in a joint sitting pass a resolution that all illegal wealth stashed abroad belongs to the Sovereign Republic of India (similar to the resolution adopted about Pakistan Occupied Kashmir in the nineties).
2.When Indian leaders die without informing their kith and kin about these illegal funds, the banks abroad swallow it after 7/10 years declaring that it is inoperative without any legal claims. We should declare that even those funds are ours.
3.Let our elected representatives and appointed authorities like CVC, CBI director, etc., clearly indicate at the time of oath-taking or appointment, by an affidavit, that they do not have accounts abroad. Of course, many are not going to declare their ill-gotten wealth, but the column may come in handy in future to formulate charges of submission of false affidavits.
4.The prime minister should provide information about the travels of his cabinet ministers, particularly to tax havens, since these travels are documented by either reports to him or by stamps on passports.
5.Let the government of India reveal the names of the illegal wealth hoarders in Liechtenstein banks about whom information has been passed on by the German government
6.Fully investigate the cases of Hasan Ali and Bofors — both of which are in the public domain.
7.India as a responsible member of world forums can and should demand transparency from these tax heavens to provide information regarding illicit wealth and its source. Therefore, India should raise the issue at the G-20, WTO, IMF, and the UN and also as a member of the Egmont Group, which is an international body to stimulate cooperation amongst Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) across the globe. More than 100 countries are its members.

One look at the suggestions and you will realize that most of these steps are easy to take and will yield positive results for the exchequer.
Corruption has become a cottage industry in India, which is controlled by the babu-neta-corrupt businessman nexus. Babus after retiring have no way of protecting their money. Business houses marry their children in other business houses so that money remains not only protected but it also grows. But the netas have found a better way. Dynastic politics is their way to protect their ill-gotten empires. A recent study by Patrick French says that two thirds of under 40 MPs are related to established political families. The netas are using political power, which remains in the family via Loksabha seats and ministerships. Again, Prof. Vaidyanathan writes: But if you or your children opt out of politics, then you cannot be a “dacoit capitalist” anymore since your ability to formulate policies is gone and there could even be vendetta by the current rulers. So make sure your son/daughter/wives/sambandhis (children’s in-laws) are in some business unit or the other. Will this business model meet its nemesis? Not for some years yet. One reason it will flourish is the increasing importance of land as a factor of production. In the 60s, capital was scare and land was easily allotted. Now capital is available, even from global sources, but land is scarce and that is the strength of these families. Control of land and its allotment is the primary sonrise (pun intended!) industry.
So we can see that corruption has become institutionalized. I hate to say it but we may have to take a few pages out of the Tunisian handbook that threw out their corrupt dictator in a reasonable peaceful way. It is time that the Indian aam aadmi did the same.

Prof. Vaidyanathan's articles can be read at:http://www.dnaindia.com/opinion/comment_dynasty-politics-is-about-protecting-ill-gotten-wealth_1496695

http://www.dnaindia.com/opinion/comment_time-to-shake-down-the-swiss-banks_1497976

Rs 50k-cr power scam in N-E: BJP’s fact-finding team exposes Cong Govt in AP
Seeking to queer the pitch further for the Congress-led UPA, already on the back foot over issues of corruption, the BJP on Saturday unveiled a report by its fact-finding team to claim blowing the lid off scams — worth several thousand crore — related to Rs 4 lakh crore hydropower projects in Arunachal Pradesh, and numerous others across the North-Eastern States, mostly ruled by the Congress.
The article can be read at: http://dailypioneer.com/317455/Rs-50k-cr-power-scam-in-N-E.html

Suggestion: Actually, Indians need to be saved from Dr Singh's government
The article can be read at: http://www.rediff.com/news/slide-show/slide-show-1-modi-is-the-only-leader-all-others-are-looters/20110211.htm

Muslim Atrocity on Dalit Hindus

Muslims in Pakistan have been inflicting the hapless Hindus with their worst since 1947. The 12% Hindu population is now down to less than 5%. This is how Muslims behave when their population percentage and their monetary and political power grows. We would have expected cruelty like that in Pakistan but why are such things happening in India? After all Hindus have nowhere else to go now since the only Hindu nation in the world, Nepal has become a Chinese controlled Maoist / Communist nation. So far only the upper caste Hindus used to commit atrocities on the hapless Hindu dalits but now the Muslims have joined in the “Dalit Hunt”. Unfortunately, the problem with poor Hindu dalits is that they are poor and Hindus. The national pseudo-secular brigade has no tears for them. Their tears are reserved for people from religious minorities. One would love to ask the Where are the self-proclaimed secular and samajwadi leaders of Congress, BSP, SP and the left parties? Is this silence because the perpetrators are Muslims? If the Hindus had committed this crime on the Muslim community, the entire media would be camping in Alwar district of Jaipur by now. All the secular leaders’ right from Digvijay Singh to Mulayam Singh would be calling press conferences and raising the specter of Saffron terror. The congress run central government would have set up enquiry commissions or CBI enquires. Then would have gone out of the way by undertaking home re-construction activities and announced huge ex-gratia payments.
But on the other hand why would the secular bandwagon bother when the victims are Dalit Hindus. They don’t want to be branded as being communal like the BJP. Also most of the media in India beyond doubt is either communally biased or get benefits from some source for not projecting violence against Hindus. Why else would a crook like Teesta Setalvad and her NGO Citizens for Justice and Peace responsible for filing false cases and fabricated affidavits, get all the positive publicity and support?
Hindu dalits are undergoing such atrocities in villages all over India. The media chooses not to publicize such issues and conveniently takes cover under the excuse of calling it communally sensitive issue. Dr. Subramanian Swamy should be admired for his crusade in saving many such Hindu dalit villages from the Muslim atrocities in Tamil Nadu.
Such minority appeasement for vote bank politics backed by a biased media not reporting the crimes committed by the Muslim community is a blatant cover-up of the hypocrisy that exist in the torch bearers of secularism and that religion. A community that perpetually cries foul play and victimhood is actually the one silently committing inhumane crimes.
India is secular because of the Hindus and Hinduism and stretching the secular social fabric of the nation beyond a tipping point will be unwise.

Communal violence in Rajasthan village forces dalit exodus
Feb 11, 2011, 06.28am IST
HUSHEYPUR (RAJASTHAN): A mournful silence welcomes visitors to Husheypur village in Alwar district, 265 km from Jaipur. For more than 20 days, men of the 40Dalit households are missing and their women live in fear of attacks by the village's Muslim community. On January 19, a minor scuffle between the two communities turned violent.
The article can be read at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Communal-violence-in-Rajasthan-village-forces-dalit-exodus/articleshow/7472831.cms

Consider Kilvisharam Panchayat De-Merger: SC
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Tamil Nadu government to consider within three months the representations filed by Kilvisharam villagers for the de-merger of their panchayat from the Melvisharam panchayat of Vellore district and forward the same to the Governor to act upon. A Bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justice P Sathasivam also directed the State to communicate the same to Dr Subramanian Swamy, respondent in the case.
The article can be read at: http://expressbuzz.com/nation/consider-kilvisharam-panchayat-de-merger-sc/119863.html

Melvisharam: “Darul Islam” of Tamil Nadu
Melvisharam being a predominantly Muslim town, the Urdu-speaking community was quite wealthy with an economy largely based on Tanneries, while the SCs and MBCs of Keelvisharam were dependent solely on agriculture in the water-starved region. The merger of Keelvisharam with Melvisharam has brought immense difficulties to its people, who were forced to approach the courts due to the total indifference and arrogance of successive governments, Dravidian parties and self-styled Dalit and Vanniyar leaders. Dr. Subramaniam Swamy took up their cause, and there is now hope for permanent relief to the hapless Hindus of Keelvisharam.
The article can be read at: http://www.hindujagruti.org/news/8302.html

The picture is from: http://www.combatlaw.org/?p=146

Is the PM, Really Mr. Clean?

Even after this startling disclosure from Arun Shourie that the PM knew about the 2G Spectrum scam in 2009 and the facts of the other mega S-Band scam unfolding, can we still call the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh Mr. Clean? The magnitude of these spectrum scams are mind boggling and even the Supreme Court is considering special court to try the case expeditiously.
A lot of has been made of this moniker for the PM. After all, what does it mean by a person being clean? I suppose a "clean" person has to epitomize honesty and integrity. Definition of honesty is clear cut and by that definition, the PM may be honest although I can neither the prove it nor disapprove it. After all, there are too many ways a person can hide his or her money. However, the definition of integrity is more diffused and this is where the apparent behaviour of our PM betrays him. If so many people around him are corrupt how can he remain untouched by it? Either he cannot tell and honest person from a dishonest one (in which case we are all in deep trouble) or he is willfully ignoring their corrupt ways to keep his "kursi". Now that is not a sign of integrity.
When Mr. Lal Bahadur Shastri was the railways minister and a train accident happened, he resigned. His resignation was rejected. Then another accident happened. This time Mr. Shastri insisted that he has no moral authority to continue. He resigned again. That is called integrity. It is a pity that men of such integrity are no longer around. These days in Congress meetings, when they show the pictures of their leaders from the past, the only one who is hardly ever shown is Lal Bahadur Shastri. The current leaders neither have integrity nor do they seem to need need it.

PM knew about Raja's role in 2G scam: Arun Shourie
New Delhi: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arun Shourie has claimed that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was informed about former telecom minister A Raja's involvement in the 2G spectrum scam in 2009. Shourie, who was the telecom minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, said that Singh took no action against Raja even after getting the information about the scam.
The article can be read at: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/pm-knew-about-rajas-role-in-2g-scam-shourie/143053-37-64.html

Consider special court for 2G trial, says court
Taking into account the magnitude of the 2G spectrum scam and the involvement of higher-ups, the Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Centre to consider setting up a special court to try the case expeditiously.
The article can be read at: http://www.hindu.com/2011/02/11/stories/2011021164030300.htm

PM Living in La-La Land

Is our PM, Manmohan Singh really living in India when he says that; "the government is committed to the pursuit of inclusive economic growth" at the 17th Commonwealth Law Conference in Hyderabad. He further stated to a gathering of over 800 judges, lawyers and other legal practitioners from 54 countries that "The welfare of the poor and the common man is the centerpiece of our policies," and claimed that India's economic growth remains firmly anchored in the Nehruvian vision of an egalitarian society.

As a highly educated economist PM, acclaimed and credited for turning the sluggish socialist Indian economy into a developing economy is ignoring the fact that India has added 100 million more people below the poverty line since he has been at the helm of UPA/Congress government since 2004. During his tenure the poverty rate has risen to 37.2 percent of the population from 27.5 percent in 2004, as per the UN estimate.

Mr. PM how can you only take pride at the positive indicators of the Indian economy and lead an ostrich like existence ignoring the 800 pound gorilla in the room when you say "We have remained steadfast in our commitment to implement constitutional directives to ensure that our policies and laws uphold human dignity. While opening up our economy and freeing it from the shackles of bureaucratic controls over the years we have endeavored to pursue distributive justice as mandative in our magnificent constitution,"

How can you ignore the growing chasm between the haves and the have-nots and not understand that the negatives in India are hurting more people that the positives are helping? How can you ignore that the people in India with money and resources are looting the nation and amassing/stacking more wealth in tax heavens abroad. How can you not take any action to bring back the black money and shamelessly inaugurate a conference on "Emerging economies and rule of law".

How can you ignore the fact that inflation on the food prices are making it impossible for a poor person to get the staples like daal-roti or onion? How can you ignore the rampant corruption and record number of mega billion crore scams happening right under your watch and still call yourself Mr.Clean.

You said in the conference that; "It is my firm belief that meaningful and effective solutions to the problems of mass poverty that prevails in many developing countries can be found only in the framework of a rapidly expanding economy. Rapid economic growth is a prime necessity. It is necessary to create a macro economic environment that is conducive to the promotion of savings, investment, entrepreneurship, innovation and management of rapid technological changes."

To only focus on the positives and call it inclusive economic progress is myopic at best. It is foolish to lecture and preach to the world on something that you have not followed.

PM calls for legal system supporting development
Hyderabad, Feb 6 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Sunday said that developing countries need a legal system conducive to both rapid economic development and promoting equitable distribution of the fruits of development.
"The developing countries need a legal system which is conducive both to rapid economic development and which also has built-in mechanism to promote the equitable distribution of the fruits and gains of development," he said while inaugurating the 17th Commonwealth Law Conference here.
The article can be read at: http://www.indianewspost.com/india/45349pm_calls_for_legal_system_supporting_development.html

As India Thrives, Its People Remain Hungry
Western investors may take eager note of India’s economic growth rate of nearly 9 percent a year. But that statistic rings hollow in its vast rural areas. Agriculture employs more than half the population, but it accounts for only 15 percent of the economy — and it has grown an average of only about 3 percent annually in recent years. Critics say Indian policy makers have failed to follow up on the country’s investments in agricultural technology of the 1960s and ’70s; they have focused on more glamorous, urban industries like information technology, financial services and construction.
The article can be read at: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/12/business/global/12food.html?hp

Industrial growth plunges to 1.6% in December
NEW DELHI: Industrial growth slowed even further to a dismal 1.6 per cent in December, 2010, from 18 per cent in the same period a year ago due to the poor performance of the manufacturing sector.
The article can be read at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/Industrial-growth-plunges-to-16-in-December/articleshow/7474050.cms

The picture is from: http://seeingwithc.org/jsblog/?cat=14

Beneficiaries of 2G Scam

Indian elections cost a lot of money even if you do not promise cheap rice or free TVs. If you promise free TVs, the price goes up astronomically. What the voters who fall for those gimmicks, fail to realize is that someone has GOT TO PAY for all that. That is why, each party has it’s money man. It is clear that A Raja was that man in DMK. If you look at it from his point of view, he did a bang up job. He generated money for the party and himself. People who are wise in the ways of the real world know that money, unlike water flows both up and down. The question pondered here is to whom did the money flow UP to? Popular Tamil TV channels showed common man complaining that people came in their cars to collect the free TV sets distributed by DMK. The Rs.2 per Kg rice meant for the poor was totally inedible as the government allotted rice for the public distribution system (PDS) was hoarded and sold in the open market by the traders. The other famous freebee two-acre free land scheme for landless labourers in Tamil Nadu launched by CM. Karunanidhi was allotted to government officials relatives of DMK functionaries. On the contrary poor farmers in Tamil Nadu have been cheated and their land illegally grabbed. As per the India Today article posted below Thangam Periyakaruppan, a 46-year-old agricultural labourer in Melmanagalam village in Theni district, said: "The Government had promised two acres of free land or patta for the agricultural lands which we have been cultivating for over five decades. Our family had four acres of agriculture land. Government officials took all my documents in 2007 with the promise that it would be registered in my name and pattas would be issued. But half of my land has been sold to someone from Kerala and I cannot claim any right on it."

All of you who have heard the Nira Radia tapes, in particular the conversation with popular NDTV anchor Barkha Dutt, will understand to what extent Nira was lobbying for Raja to be appointed as the Telecom Minister in the UPA government. She was trying hard to convince Barkha Dutt that the Congress folks should be talking to none other than Kanimozhi the daughter of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karunanidhi for allocation of ministerial portfolios and that they would not settle for anything less than Telecom for Raja.

Could it be possible that the brain behind orchestrating such a deal is the veteran Karunanidhi himself? After all, it would seem that every member of his family seemed to have either gained from all these machinations or were well positioned to do so. Furthermore, allotments of 50 acres of land in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu to the former CJI, K. G. Balakrishnan's younger brother KG Bhaskaran is also under investigation. The highest levels of judicial authority was also influenced for reasons obvious to all but most naïve.

The former CJI, K. G. Balakrishnan, in order to protect the corrupt Minister A. Raja, has tried his best to conceal the letter sent to him on 5th July 2009 by the Chief Justice Gokhale of Madras High Court. Justice Reghupati, in his letter sent to the Chief Justice of Madras High Court Gokhale, had mentioned that Telecom Minister Raja’s Advocate K Chandramohan, had tried to influence him by saying that the applicants, in a bail case, Dr C. Krishnamurthi and his son were family friends of a Union Minister by name A Raja.

These are just the beneficiaries at TN level. The list at the national level will be much longer.

CBI wants to extend Raja’s remand to untie Nira knot
The CBI is all set to seek extension of police remand of former Telecom Minister A Raja and two of his close associates as the agency plans to confront them with several key suspects of the multi-crore 2G spectrum allocation scam, including corporate lobbyist Nira Radia.
Balwa remains a key suspect in the scam and an ongoing Enforcement Directorate (ED) probe has shown that his flagship company, DB Realty, provided an unsecured loan of `214 crore to DMK’s channel Kalaignar TV. The ED is probing if the money was linked to the 2G scam and quid pro quo for favours to Swan Telecom by Raja.
Read the complete article at:http://www.dailypioneer.com/316282/CBI-wants-to-extend-Raja%E2%80%99s-remand-to-untie-Nira-knot.html

DMK in free fall
India today is in possession of documents that show land meant for landless labourers in Tamil Nadu was alloted to government officials. The documents reveal that in August 2007, land was allotted to Kanmani Kamaraj, wife of Kamaraj, the headmaster of Devaram High School in Raasingapuram village in Theni district: Land "allotted" to landless agricultural families is being used by relatives of DMK functionaries.
Thangam Periyakaruppan, a 46-year-old agricultural labourer in Melmanagalam village in Theni district, told india today: "The Government had promised two acres of free land or patta for the agricultural lands which we have been cultivating for over five decades. Our family had four acres of agriculture land. Government officials took all my documents in 2007 with the promise that it would be registered in my name and pattas would be issued. But half of my land has been sold to someone from Kerala and I cannot claim any right on it."
Read the complete article at:http://www.indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/124489/Nation/dmk+in+free+fall.html

For DMK’s war dance, TV is the weapon
The DMK is promising colour TVs to 53 lakh families at a cost of Rs 1,060 crore. With a budget of Rs 30,000 crore, can the state afford it? The DMK chief promised free colour televisions and ‘quality rice’ at Rs 2 per kilo if his party won. These are the DMK trump cards for the May 8 Assembly elections. It’s not the first time the party has resorted to such ‘populist’ measures. In 1967, the DMK seized power with a promise of ‘roobaiku moonu padi arisi’ (about 4 kilos of rice for one rupee).
Read the complete article at: http://www.tehelka.com/story_main17.asp?filename=Ne042906for_dmks.asp

Ho Hum, Yet Another Big Scam

Just when you thought that you had seen the mother of all scams (2G), the UPA brings you a bigger one.-The S-band scam. In this one, the agreement relates to ISRO's launching of two satellites for Devas but automatically bestows on the latter a large hidden benefit: unbridled use of 70 MHz of the scarce S-band spectrum over a 20-year period. The preliminary estimated cost to the exchequer Rs. 2.0 Lakh crores. Breathtaking, isn’t it?

The points to note here are as follows:

a. The recipient of this largesse is Devas Multimedia Private Ltd. Devas Multimedia is a company in which Deutsche Telekom is a minority equity stakeholder. Dr. M.G. Chandrasekhar, Devas Multimedia Chairman, is a former Scientific Secretary at ISRO.

b. S-band spectrum was allocated without inviting competitive bids. Organizational control systems were not followed. The Prime Minister’s Office, the Cabinet, and the Space Commission have not been properly informed about the contract details, including the underestimation of ISRO’s costs. Public resources were diverted to build two customer-specific satellites. Devas Multimedia’s terms deviate from those in past commercial contracts of ISRO/Antrix

c. ISRO is under the Department of Space (DoS), which is directly in the Prime Minister's charge.

If such a scam went unnoticed in a department which is directly under the MP Manmohan Singh’s charge, what can we expect from other departments. If we cannot call the PM dirty, at the very least we can accuse him of burying his head in the sand like an ostrich. Since the owner of Devas used to head the ISRO, we can safely assume that he is a very well connected man in the politician-babu circles.

The BJP have taken it upon themselves to bring this one out in the open. I certainly hope that they would be relentless about it and force the culprits out in the open. We cannot have the aam aadmi dying of hunger and cold when politicians and babus are becoming richer and richer. The status quo is completely unacceptable. I hope the Indian voters are paying attention.

CAG goes after another spectrum deal
Under the deal, Devas Multimedia is to get access to 70 Mhz of broadband spectrum in the 2500 Mhz band. This was once used by Doordarshan to deliver programmes by satellite to all parts of the country but is now considered to be of enormous commercial value for high-speed, terrestrial mobile communications. In 2010, the Union government got nearly Rs. 67,719 crore from the auction of just 15 Mhz of similar airwaves for 3G mobile services.
The article can be read at:http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article1162730.ece

Congress: A House Divided

I thought that there were three camps in Congress which is clearly a house divided. It was the Rahul camp, the Sonia camp and the old-timers. I thought that because the way the Rahul and Sonia camps were often at loggerheads even thought the end game was the same for both of them. However, the insightful NV Subramanian writes that the three camps are as follows: the Rahul / Sonia camp, Manmohan / Chidambaran camp and Pranab Mukherjee / Digvijay camp. There is an overlap though. Digvijay is still working for Rahul. The faultlines came to fore after a senior Congress stalwart from Andhra, Mr. G. Venkataswamy "demanded resignation of Sonia Gandhi as party president, blaming her for the mushrooming corruption scandals and poll reverses of the party in several states."
The Congress party operation is not democratic like the BJP. It is more of a monarchy where no one dares raise his or her voice. Such dissension is looked upon as treason. However, once a voice like that is raised, the fault lines get exposed and hitherto unchallenged leadership starts to look shaky. Case in point is Egypt and Hosni Mubarak. Mr. Madhav Nalapat writes that in the recent times, many people really close to her have fallen from grace because of corruption charges. Some of those names are Barkha Dutt, Vir Sanghvi, Suresh Kalmadi and Hassan Ali Khan. In words of Mr. Nalapat,: "Sonia Gandhi has so far ensured that the story of her life gets told the way she wants it to be. Despite its boast of being free, the Indian media has so far declined to reveal details of Sonia's immediate family: her two sisters and her mother. No facts have come out about their education or income level, nor have any of their visits to India been reported on properly. A similar fog surrounds Sonia's time in Britain and her family in Italy. Indeed, a fairytale quality suffuses the reporting and the books written about her that seems at variance with her ruthlessness and familiarity with the greasy world of Indian politics."

But recently, the Teflon has started to chip away. A Congressman with little to lose has cast the first stone. Even so, it betrays an anxiety within the party. Manmohan Singh is more interested in keeping his legacy intact and leave his seat to Chidambaran. Mukherjee does not want this opportunity lost. Digvijay Singh hates Chidambaran. Why are these minions jockeying for the top post when Rahul is still around? Well, the debacle in Bihar seems to have taken the sheen of the forty-year young leader who just does not get it. Anonymous senior Congressmen have used really uncomplimentary words for him. You will have to read Mr. NV Subramanian’s article for those adjectives. But the realization seems to be sinking that Rahul is not ready and may not be ever ready for the top post. That is what is causing the struggle for the top post if and when it becomes available.
With the next election over three years away, where does all this leave the aam aadmi? Can we ask these leaders to once think of the nation? Congress may not be a democracy but India is. They were elected to serve India and not the house of Gandhi. They need to resolve all their internal problems fast. As I have said in the past, three years may not be much for these leaders who are all sixty plus years old but for millions of our youngsters, that time is a large percentage of their lives and this very precious. We cannot afford to whither it away while Congress makes up its mind about who will adorn the throne.

Teflon Chips From Sonia Gandhi
By Madhav Nalapat
While the print media are as usual silent (with a handful of honourable exceptions) the internet has been buzzing with reports about the travels to Dubai, London, the Maldives, Geneva and other locations of the Maino clan, who seem to be a perfect example of the Hindu Undivided Family. And in a departure from the previous 43 years of silence, broadcast media is carrying news on allegations made about Sonia and her sisters, including reports that they are far wealthier than the meagre income reported by the all-powerful CP in her election filings suggests.
The article can be read at: http://the-diplomat.com/indian-decade/2011/01/28/teflon-chips-from-sonia-gandhi/

Ulcers & the Congress
The ruling party is in worse shape than is readily apparent, reports N.V.Subramanian
The article can be read at: http://newsinsight.net/archivedebates/nat2.asp?recno=2099

CWC member Venkat Swamy wants Sonia out
In his attack on the party chief, which came as a surprise for political observers, the veteran Andhra leader said Sonia Gandhi should step down and give chance to a new leader. Raising the issue of her foreign origin, he said the party needs a leader born in India.

The article can be read at: http://expressbuzz.com/nation/cwc-member-venkat-swamy-wants-sonia-out/244230.html

The picture is from: http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20031208/nation.htm