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

Pakistani Lies and How We Embolden Them.

Many Hindus have been arrested for Mecca Masjid blast and Swami Aseemanand has allegedly confessed for Samjhauta blasts. Pakistan has said that India lacks will to fight Hindu terror. As Mr. Puri writes in his article, UPA government and the Pakistani military dictatorship are going to jointly fight all kinds of terror in the sub-continent. One almost gets goose bumps thinking about such warmth and camaraderie. Only a government such as the UPA with solid secular credentials could have achieved that. The Home Minister coined the term – saffron terror. Thank you sir! The Congress bigwig Digvijay Singh is leading a solo fight against all the Hindu terrorists swarming the country. Thank you for your selfless bravery sir!


There are a couple of very small problems however. Swami Aseemanand’s lawyer claims that his confession was obtained under duress. Of course like all Hindus, this guy could be a liar too and lying is small potatoes compared to terrorism. But what about UNSC (an organization we aspire to) or the US Dept. of Treasury? What reasons would two such disparate organizations have to lie? The Chinese on the UNSC always look out for the Pakis and their interests. As Mr. Puri writes: : “On June 29, the 1267 committee of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), which mandated sanctions on the Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, froze assets, banned travel and imposed an arms embargo on Arif Qasmani, a Karachi businessman who it described as the ‘chief coordinator’ for Lashkar’s links with outside groups… In its press release the 1267 committee stated: ‘Qasmani has worked with LeT to facilitate terrorist attacks, to include the July 2006 train bombing in Mumbai, India, and the February 2007 Samjhauta Express bombing in Panipat, India…Arif Qasmani has also provided financial and other support to Al Qaeda…Al Qaeda provided Qasmani with operatives to support… the February 2007 Samjhauta Express bombing in Panipat, India’.”
We wrote about this on our blog back in August last year. We had quoted an article by Mr. Bahukutumbi Raman who is one of our foremost experts on counterterrorism. He wrote in his article: Reporting on these notifications, Mr.Peter Fowler, an American journalist, says as follows: "HUJI has carried out a number of terrorist attacks. In March 2006, HUJI was responsible for the suicide bombing of the U.S. Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan, which killed four people and injured 48 others. HUJI is also responsible for terrorist attacks in India including the May 2007 Hyderabad mosque attack, which killed 16 and injured 40, and the March 2007 Varanasi attack, which killed 25 and injured 100."
While the UNSC, US dept. of Treasury both accuse LeT, Al Qaeda and HUJI for the Samjhauta as well as the Mecca Masjid blast, the Indian investigators keep blaming some outfit called Abhinav Bharat for these blasts. Both cannot be right. US have much better intelligence when it comes to Pakistan. When they accuse Pakistani outfits for these blasts we have to pay attention. On the other hand, the record of Indian investigators is not very good since we have never caught anyone for various terror attacks in India.

Now I cannot say that Hindus are not capable of barbarity. Just ask any dalit and you will know. So the question is: why are we raising the bogey of Hindu terror and giving the Pakis a stick to beat us with? It cannot be Muslim vote. Muslims have stopped voting for Congress en masse. Case in point is the Bihar elections. Muslims even voted for the BJP in Gujarat. So if the Congress is doing this for vote, they are deluding themselves. The only other reason could be that they want implicate all Hindu nationalists indirectly. They cannot accuse the BJP or the RSS or even Bajrang Dal for anything that would scare the voters. So they accuse some Hindus and start harping on the Saffron terror issue hoping that if they hurl enough accusations, the truth will get buried under it and some of it will stick. That way they can scare all the minorities and the secular middle class voters into the Congress fold. I am hoping against hope that the Congress leaders would see beyond winning elections and not divide the country any further. By adopting this path, they embolden our enemies in their lies. Not that the Pakistanis need any help. For example, they celebrated Kashmir Solidarity day on 5th February. If that is not a cruel joke, then I don’t know what is? This is a country where the Punjabis rule the roost and run a roughshod over everyone else. They would be well advised to express solidarity with the Balochis, Sindhis and other non Punjabi Pakistanis.

As far as India is concerned, I certainly hope that the Indian voters can see through these shameless charades and do the right thing in the next elections.

The Puri article can be read at: http://cms.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Content&sd=Articles&ArticleID=10516

The Raman article can be read at: http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/papers40/paper3971.html

The article on the Kashmir Solidarity Day can be read at: http://www.rediff.com/news/slide-show/slide-show-1-column-kashmir-solidarity-day-it-is-all-about-propaganda/20110205.htm

The image is from: http://www.twocircles.net/2010aug24/saffron_groups_behind_many_terror_blasts_chidambaram.html

Indian Black Money In Europe: The List Is A Sham!!

A Raja was arrested after much deliberation and political machinations. He has been hung out to dry like Kalmadi was for the CWG scam. The decision makers would have you believe that A Raja stole all of the 1.6 lakh crores all by himself and has it buried in his backyard. By doing this, they want to divert the attention of angry voters (who have now realized their mistake). But this move has got to backfire for a multitude of reasons, least of which is their assumption that the Indian voter is a gullible fool.
Having “accomplished” that, they decided to deal with the other 1000 pound gorilla in the room – “the trillion dollar black money in Europe” scam (for lack of a better and a catchier phrase). Anyone who has read beyond the headlines, knows that the Congress being the oldest party, has almost all of the Indian news media in their pocket. Some of those so called media mavens are nothing more that Congress spokespersons. Tarun Tejpal of Tehelka fame is on the top of the list. This man’s loyalty to the Congress is admirable. His entire rag is dedicated to bringing down anyone who dares to stand in the way of the Congress. So when I read the news that tehelka has revealed the names of some of those black market account holders, my interest was piqued. Even though I would not even use that paper for ablutions, I decided to read it. Two things stand out. All the names are of Gujarati business people. Second thing is the total amount held by these names is Rs. 52 Crores. 52 crores out of 1 trillion dollars is a joke! The CM of UP has Rs 85 Crores in DECLARED wealth. So obviously this list has been declared a la wikileaks to divert the attention and make it look like the government is moving mountains to get the money back. Amazingly, the tehelka report does not mention the amount of money. That comes from another source. I guess tehelka realizes that by mentioning the amount, anyone can see through their charade.
What we know of these banks, is that they take the whole secrecy thing very seriously. Their entire livelihood depends on it. Even the US state department had to use threats to get the names of their tax evaders. Are we to believe that a journalist from an internet rag managed to do what takes the might of the US state department? The implication is, and it is only an implication that Tehelka got this list from official sources which in turn implies a deliberate leak. What would they leak a partial list of what would tantamount to micro players in this scam. The answer is simple. It is the same as to the question- Why A Raja is the only one getting arrested for the theft of 1.6 lakh crores?

Congress is in serious trouble. The coronation of the Rajkumar is looking less possible than it did when UPA II took oaths (not on the Holy Geeta either). They have gone into damage control. They are pulling all stops. No trick is going to be deemed too low. We hope that the Indian voter will not get hoodwinked by these cheap ploys and do the right thing come next elections.

Indian Black Money: The Swindler’s List
TEHELKA has accessed 16 of the 18 names, of which we are putting out 15 right now. These names include individuals as well as trusts. At this point, we are putting out 15 names without disclosing details like their addresses, the businesses they are involved in and the total money they have stored away in Liechtenstein. Abiding by the basic journalistic principle of proving the accused an opportunity to present their side of story, TEHELKA has approached each of these individuals involved and is awaiting their response.The article can be read at:http://tehelka.com/story_main48.asp?filename=Ne120211TheList.asp


LGT a/c Holders Revealed: List a Red Herring?
New Delhi: CNN-IBN has accessed the list of Indians who hold accounts with Bank of Lichtenstein.
The list which was officially handed over to the Indian Government on March 18, 2009 includes 12 trusts and 26 beneficiaries. But the money in the trust accounts totals to just Rs 52 crore - is this a black money whitewash?
The article can be read at: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/black-money-list-out-mystery-accounts-revealed/142436-3.html

A New Generation of Patriots and Leaders

Chandrakant Singh is the new face of a patriot and a leader. With fire in his belly and a world class education, this man saw a crying need for education in his village and he did something about it. He has set up a school where kids get hands on as well as remote instruction via internet. The computers are run by generators as the village has no electricity and the internet must be wireless. Thanks to the drive and technical knowhow, the kids in the village are getting something they could not have otherwise.

We at Aam Aadmi, salute Chandrakant and his friends. Mother India needs true leaders like him and the kind who are born in the right families.

An interesting point in the article is that Chandrakant’s professor at IIT Mumbai, told him to “make a plan for revenue-generating, self-sustaining model instead of taking the charity route.” I find this suggestion very interesting. So while charity MUST not and SHOULD not be put aside, the suggested model by Prof. Surya Narayan has a great deal of merit. Charity does tend to breed complacency and instills a sense of superiority in the mind of the donor while instilling a sense of victimhood in the mind of the recipient. As it has been set up, the parents and the students can take pride in the school as something they have actually earned rather than received.

Ex-IITian starts world-class school in Bihar village
Madhuri Kumar,
PATNA: In a remote corner of the state, at Chamanpura village of Gopalganj district, a story is unfolding of unique enterprise and innovative methods in school education. Situated about 30 km from Gopalganj, this school, known as Chaitanya Gurukul Public School, was founded in 2009 by an ex-IITian, Chandrakant Singh, now based in Bangalore. Bereft of electricity till date, about 450 children, both boys and girls, are imparted lessons in physics, chemistry, mathematics and computer through Skype, video conferencing and Internet. Eight of Singh's associates, sitting in various corners of the world, have joined hands to teach children right from Class I to Class VII, through video-conferencing. Apart from distance learning, 16 teachers, who reside on the campus, are helping the students in their studies. Here, teachers mark their attendance using a biometric finger-printer and students too log their attendance in computers.
The article can be read at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/Ex-IITian-starts-world-class-school-in-Bihar-village/articleshow/7419365.cms

Cup of Corruption Runneth Over!!

Without having too much information on the matter, I can assume that it is equally challenging to maintain the loot as it is to loot. You have ensure that the people who are in the know, are happy and fed. You have to ensure that none of those pesky law enforcement officials get to know about your loot. You have to make sure that you are protected in case you get caught which means more palms to be greased. Which means more money to be stolen. That is how the vicious cycle perpetuates.
Our politicians and babus are experts at all this. They had better be good because they have been looting the country blind since our independence and never been arrested. Of course you have people like Raja and Laloo in hot water temporarily but that is the part of the game of hoodwinking the voter. Let us examine this in greater detail.

1.Stealing: This seems to be a piece of cake. Everyone in power from peon to the top guy are stealing with impunity. There has never been an attempt to stop them. Neither in the Congress rule or for that matter the BJP rule. Why upset the apple cart which benefits everyone except the aam aadmi.

2.Maintaining and retaining the loot. The trick for small amounts of money (crores to tens of crores) is benami property. This is why the mothers in law and other relatives of all politicians and babus own large amounts of landed property. I have been told that diamonds are the way to store loot as well.

3.What about the really large sums of cash? You really have to get it out to the Swiss or similar banks and other tax havens. Over a trillion dollars of Indian money is stored in similar accounts as world notorious embezzlers, drug dealers, arm merchants, human traffickers, dictators. Yes our politicians, babus and corrupt businessmen are rubbing shoulders with the worst of the world in that respect.

4.How do you transfer the money out without being noticed? It’s not like you can load it in a suitcase and fly it out yourself. You need fellow criminals whose expertise is in that arena. You will need money launderers who can clean the cash and invest it in legitimate enterprise. Another way is hawala. Yes. The same technique as the one used by Islamic terrorists. Hassan Ali khan, about whom we have written in the past, is a famous name. He is supposed to be a stud farm owner who is probably one of the richest men in India. Why, you ask? It seems that According to the government's statement he owed Rs 50,345 crore to the tax department as on 31 March 2009. If that is the tax, then what is his income? If that amount of income is seen by the tax department then how much he must own in black? Stud farm owners cannot own that kind of money. The obvious implication is that this guy knows how to and must manage black money for others. He may be the biggest of his kind so there must be many of his smaller kin. In his article (ref. below), Mr. Rajinder Puri, claims that : On April 13th a CD showing Hassan Ali was laid on the table of the House by BJP MLA Devendra Phadnavis. The CD contained Ali's statement to police in which he mentioned names of former Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, Maharashtra Home Minister RR Patil and Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s political secretary, Ahmed Patel. In the CD Ali claimed a meeting involving RR Patil and Ahmed Patel at Juhu Centaur Hotel on 11 August 2008 to approve Hasan Gafoor’s name as Mumbai’s police commissioner. Home Minister Patil vehemently denied any association with Ali. "I have never met Ahmed Patel and never spoken to him face to face. The CID will probe if the motive of the CD was to harm Gafoor, me, Ahmed Patel or anybody else", Patil told the assembly.

It is obvious that this fellow is very well connected. Political secretary to the Congress President is as high as connections go because politicians never directly deal with men like Khan. The trillion dollars belong to a vast swathe of bigwigs. DO you think that they would like to have all that information come out in the open. Not in our lifetimes. Not even if Bhagwan Ram himself enforced a Ramrajya. The pseudo secular politicians will call Ramji a communal man and get him implicated in never-ending cases. This is why, even though some of the banks are willing to share the names and other information about Indian black money, we are not pursuing that offer with any degree of sincerity.

5.Now the UPA bigwigs will claim that a blow against corruption has been made. A Raja has been arrested along with two of his minions. Now if he were the only beneficiary of the 1.6 lakh crores, then we would have reasons to rejoice. However, a lot of people have benefitted from the loot and that is why, this whole thing smells. Raja is just a patsy and is being sacrificed to take the heat of the bumbling UPA. The question is that why has Raja gone to jail without naming the actual beneficiaries? DMK must have some leverage on Raja. Congress has a huge leverage over DMK. It must be a combination of leverages, mutual benefits and the knowledge that going to jail or charges of corruption are not career killers in India (for example Laloo) which must have made Raja acquiesce to this sham arrest.

I hope that the Indian voters can see how they and the country is being taken to the cleaners by these crooks. If we do not vote them out, then we can kiss the futures of our children good bye. Maybe we can take lessons from the Tunisians. Their leaders robber Tunisia of less than $20 billion and they have been kicked out. Our leaders have collectively stolen hundreds of times more money and have no fear of any kind. What kind of country do we have? What kind of people are we? We really need to take a hard look at the status quo.

Swiss 'waiting' for Indian info to act against 'black money kingpin'
Amid a raging controversy over black money allegedly stashed by stud farm owner Hasan Ali in Swiss banks, Switzerland has said it is awaiting a "complete" request from India for help in this case since 2007. Switzerland's Federal Office of Justice (FoJ) had last told Indian authorities in August related stories
Govt must plug this black hole 2010 to complete their request and the request has not been completed so far, an FoJ spokesperson told PTI
Read the complete article at:http://www.hindustantimes.com/rssfeed/NewDelhi/Swiss-waiting-for-Indian-info-to-act-against-black-money-kingpin/Article1-656703.aspx?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=HT+RSS+Homepage+-+Top+Stories#

Hassan Ali Plus Congress!
by Rajinder Puri

Finance Minister (FM) Pranab Mukherjee does not utter lies. He speaks half truths. Regarding black money stashed in foreign banks he told media that secrecy had to be maintained in accordance with the provisions of the Double Taxation Treaty signed by the Indian government with 23 other countries. The FM told media: “Let us understand the issue. No information can be made available unless there is a legal framework.” What he did not say was that much of the money parked in foreign banks was not related to tax evasion but to crime.

The article and a similar article can be read at: http://cms.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Content&sd=Articles&ArticleID=10468

http://www.boloji.com/myword/mw184.html

http://thenethindu.blogspot.com/2010/09/big-scam-involving-congress-bigwigs.html