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

Mr. PM, Lead or Leave!!

Good players do not always make good captains. The chances of their becoming good managers is even less. It takes a different kind of personality to make a leader, a person who can take charge of it all and effectively deal with it.
Manmohan Singh was a good Finance Minister under PV Narsimha Rao. He did well because he was only taking care of the economy and PVN was dealing with the mundane problems. That worked well. Player: Manmohan Singh; Captain: PVN. However, we have all seen from the disastrous UPA-I and II, that Manmohan Singh the player, cannot captain the team. It is mostly because the captain has to be a fighter and a survivor. He has to be able to tackle many problems at the same time. Singh has never won an election and he is sitting at the top of the political hierarchy. Strange stuff! All his upward career moves fell into his lap. He was not even the first choice for FM under PVN Rao government. But that was all in the past. He has the position that he cannot use and a huge responsibility and he cannot shoulder. The next elections are over three years away and the business of governance cannot stop.
In an ideal world I would have liked a BJP government led by someone but Advaniji. But that was not to happen and due to a divided Indian votes, we were punished with an encore performance of the UPA. It is clear that the status quo in untenable. If there is not going to be another election then the UPA has to choose a better PM. The Rajkumar is never going to be ready. So the Gandhi family needs to take pity on the nation and anoint one of the more capable leaders in the Congress. I would love to see for once, someone do the right thing.
The author of the following article seems to be beholden to Nehru and the adjectives used for him could not be farther from the truth. However, the article does raise good points about the current PM.

Will Singh's Understatement Be His Undoing?
Singh has long been praised for his personal integrity, but leading by reputation alone hasn't been enough to change India's notoriously lax culture of public accountability. In the Prime Minister's New Year address to the nation, he promised to turn a new leaf toward better governance. But Singh has failed to push through any decisive action, like canceling the questionable telecom licenses, and the opposition has halted the functioning of Parliament until he does. "It's extremely serious," says Mahesh Rangarajan, a political analyst and professor at Delhi University. Next month's budget session hangs in the balance, as does Singh's image as a leader. "There is a fear that the sheen will wear off," Rangarajan says.
The article can be read at: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2044241,00.html

Tit For Tat Time

This is the state of affairs in J&K in the UPA raj. The Congress ally Omar Abdullah’s security forces are encouraging and giving morale boost to separatist forces in the Kashmir Valley while suppressing the voice of nationalistic forces. It’s time for a "tit for tat" response and reciprocate in the same way to Mohammad Yasin Malik, Gilani and other J&K terrorists when they tour other parts of India.

J&K cops ‘offered urine for water’ to Ekta yatris

When separatist leader Yasin Malik and others marched to Lal Chowk with black flags, the police offered them hot tea and cigarettes. But we were arrested for trying to hoist the National Flag… When we asked for water, the police offered us urine.”

“J&K Police personnel were carrying posters — ‘Indian dogs, go back’. The arrested BJP activists were forced to take off their clothes in sub-zero temperatures. Third degree torture was meted out. Does Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have any explanation for this kind of an action? He should apologise to the nation,” Anurag Thakur told The Pioneer on Friday.
Read the complete article at:http://www.dailypioneer.com/313950/JK-cops-%E2%80%98offered-urine-for-water%E2%80%99-to-Ekta-yatris.html

Less Credit & More Blame In Modi's Name

Many undeserving people and people with connections are being awarded with National medals of honor. Those people exemplify the old adage - "those who can, do. Those who can't, manage". Montek Ahluwalia has been given a lot of credit for the Indian economic turnaround. He definitely was there at the right place at the right time. However, by the same token, he must shoulder a lot of the blame for the current mess that we find ourselves in. Ignoring the second aspect, this close friend of Manmohan Singh has been given the second highest honor.

On the other extreme, we have another man who has been sincerely doing his Karma and working tirelessly towards the progress and betterment of his state and its people. He does not even try to hog the national limelight. While his achievements are too many to mention, the one thing that stands out is his initiative in finding alternative sources of energy. He is not doing it because it is "cool" these days to talk about environment. Bhai Narendra Modi is walking the talk with a firm foot. After leading the way in Solar Power, Gujarat will be the first in Asia to harness the tidal power. This by no means a mean feat. He does not get any help from the Central Government. In fact if anything, they try to scuttle his efforts by various dodgy methods. And it is not just the UPA. When the new Deobandi Chief, Maulana Ghulam Mohammed Vastanvi came out with a statement that "all communities" are prospering in Narendra Modi's Gujarat and that there was "no discrimination against the minorities in the state as far as development was concerned", the pseudo-secular politicians of all parties, were quick to rake up the Godhra riots as a black spot on Modi. Even the Muslims want to talk about achievements, prosperity and looking towards the future. While the demagogues of the secular kind are unwilling to let go of the only stick with which they can beat Bhai Narendra. This shows the sickness in their minds that does not accept that, time and genuine inclusive development have healed the past wounds. It's such a shame that a country which has been the original source of Hinduism, the only religion that extols excellence as divine (Gita Ch. 10,41) is encouraging and promoting mediocrity and victimhood to project itself as a vibrant democracy to the world.

India plans Asian tidal power first
The Indian state of Gujarat is planning to host Asia's first commercial-scale tidal power station. The company Atlantis Resources is to install a 50MW tidal farm in the Gulf of Kutch on India's west coast, with construction starting early in 2012. The facility could be expanded to deliver more than 200MW. The biggest operating tidal station in the world, La Rance in France, generates 240MW, while South Korea is planning several large facilities
Read the complete article at:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12215065

Gujarat takes the lead among states in solar power
A few years ago, the Gujarat chief minister was at an international summit. When a session on energy crisis cast light on solar power , Modi thought of the Rann of Kutch in his home state, where the land was endless and the sun’s heat relentless. He wondered: could countries blessed with sunlight form a solar alliance, led by India, to mainstream this promising source of power?
He wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, with a broad concept of such an entity. He called it ‘Sun-Son’ — offspring of the sun. The Prime Minister’s Office acknowledged the proposal, but left it at that. So, Modi turned inwards. He asked his trusted lieutenants, energy minister Saurabh Patel and principal secretary S Jagdeesan, for a plan to turn the state into a hub in solar power.
Read the complete article at:http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/features/sunday-et/special-feature/gujarat-takes-the-lead-among-states-in-solar-power/articleshow/6855821.cms

Taliban: Pakistani Monsters

Gen. Naseerullah Babar

Back in 1972, when it was obvious that the Pakistanis were going to lose once again, they moved all their fighter planes to the safe havens in Iran than lose them all to the might of the IAF. They then realized that they could not always depend on a Shia Iran. They needed a “strategic depth”. Of course this was all a result of the diseased imagination of Pakistani Army guys. These guys long with the ISI gave birth to the monster we now know as Taliban. The talibs were supposed to take over Afghanistan, giving the Pakistanis a pliable “ruler” there. They were also supposed to act as Pakistani proxies into killing India by a thousand cuts.
Of course as the Jews say: Mann traoch, Gott Lauch (man plans, God laughs), we all know how the Taliban experiment is working out for the Pakistanis. Serves them right, don’t you think?
Brig. Amir Sultan who was one of the key figures in this Frankensteinian experiment, was recently killed by his own creation. Ironic, isn’t it? Of course the other big name in this experiment, Gen Nasirullah Babar unfortunately died a natural death (like the butcher of Bangladesh, Gen Tikka Khan) recently.
It is the arrogance of man which leads him to ignore the lessons of history. Many inhistory have created monster but never could control it. That has never stopped anyone from taking that foolhardy step. Maybe that is why vanity is considered to be one of the deadly sins. Pakis are paying for theirs.

Onetime Taliban Handler Dies in Their Hands
A founding patron of the Taliban in Afghanistan died in the hands of a younger generation of militants in the tribal badlands of Pakistan in the last few days, a victim of the vicious forces he helped create, Pakistani officials said Monday.
The article can be read at: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/25/world/asia/25pakistan.html?_r=3

National awards: Who Do They Really Represent?

What do you feel when you go through the list of all these “Padma Series” award winners? Do you feel pride? Do you feel happy for the winners? Do you feel that the winners are mostly party loyalists who have put in their time? Do you think that these people are getting these awards for the same reason they have everything else in their lives - connections? Or do you feel at a loss when you look at the names of the winners? Who are these people? Why have we not heard their names save a few? What has Kajol done other than work in cheesy tearjerkers? What is Brajesh Mishra known for other than the Kandahar Hijacking? What about Montek Ahluwalia who had his couple of days in the early 1990s but has not done anything in the last decade. Are these people getting felicitated for the sake of filling in some quota of winners?
Then we come to a report where a DIG from UP who was given President’s Police Medal. As it says in the following report: The officer was recently transferred from the city for showing laxity in supervising the investigation into September 27 rape and murder case of 11-year-old Kanpur student. Do these awards really mean anything to anyone except the winners?

R-Day award for UP cop who shielded minor's rapist draws ire
"DIG Prem Prakash was squarely responsible for shielding the owners of Gyansthali School, where the 11-year-old girl was raped and sodomised following which died," said Sonu Singh, the vicitm's mother.
The article can be read at: http://www.rediff.com/news/report/r-day-award-for-up-cop-who-shielded-minors-rapist-draws-ire/20110126.htm

Religious Coversion and Our Responsibility.

I have always considered Gandhi to be a left wing liberal. But he was not one in the sense of the current day anti Hindu, anti Indian leftist. He was, it seems, a Hindu to the core. Here are some of his quotes:

“If I had power and could legislate, the first thing I would ban is conversions”

“Surely conversion is a matter between man and his Maker who alone knows his creatures' hearts. A conversion without a clean heart is, in my opinion, a denial of God and Religion. Conversion without cleanliness of heart can only be a matter of sorrow, not joy, to a godly person.”

Gandhi was equally wary of the Church and its missionaries. Writing in Harijan (March 13, 1937) he said: "My fear is that, though Christian friends nowadays do not say or admit it that Hindu religion is untrue, they must harbour in their breast that Hinduism is an error and that Christianity, as they believe it, is the only true religion.

Mahatma Gandhi called religious conversions a fraud on humanity. He wrote: "If I had power and could legislate, I should certainly stop all proselytizing". "I resent the overtures made to Harijans." "Stop all conversion, it is the deadliest poison that ever sapped the fountain of
truth." Poverty doesn't justify conversion. (source: The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi Volume 46. p.110 and Volume 61, p. 46-47 volume 64, p. 37 and 400 New Delhi 1968).

He also considered Christian missionaries as "a clear libel on Indian humanity." (source: "A Repudiation," Young India, 4 March 1926, in Collected Works, vol. 30 (1968), 70).

It was Mahatma Gandhi who characterized religious conversions as "pure commerce".

Swami Vivekananda said the following about conversions:

Swami Vivekananda speaking about what damage Christian missionaries have done to India, he says in a lecture reported in the Detroit Free Press (February 21, 1894): "They come to my country and abuse my forefathers, my religion, and everything; they walk near a temple and say 'you idolators, you will go to hell', but they dare not do this to the Mohammedans of India, for the sword will be out but the Hindu is too mild."

He termed religious conversion as "religious perversion"

We therefore have two very different kinds of Indian leaders agreeing on the subject of conversion. To put in mildly, they were against it. My own feeling is that if the missionaries or the Islamic scholars present their case without threat, lies or enticements, then it is fine for them to try to convert Hindus. There are a lot of dalits in India who get brutally discriminated against. Their leaders badger them with quotes from Manu. Their detractors do nothing to keep them into the fold. The dalits should have the right to convert, if Hindus cannot help them. It will be our loss. That is what is known as freedom of choice.
However, in almost all the conversion cases, intimidation, lies and money are part of the process. I read that missionaries in either Orissa or Andhra, told the villagers that let us see whose god is stronger. They threw a stone idol of Hanuman ji and a wooden cross into water. They then told the villagers that the stronger god will float.
They are often on cahoots with local politicians. In Orissa, they were involved in murder of a Hindu leader who was involved with anti conversion movement. When attacked legally, they started to cry wolf and got the Indian government (UPA) and some international bodies involved. In the times of the Tsunami, some missionaries were telling the victims that they will get help only when they convert.
Of course Muslim leaders use money and threat for conversions. They often get creative and use concepts like “love Jihad” for this nefarious purpose.
Muslims and Christians are told that it is their religious duty to try to convert as many people or at least try. I have never met a Muslim or a Christian who has not tried that with me. At the very least they spend time extolling their religions. In that regard, if followers of the ancient religions like Hinduism or Judaism are responsible adults then the followers of Islam and Christianity are like insecure teenagers.
In my view, by converting, a person denies his heritage and essentially accepts that their forefathers were living a lie. It is like the suicide of the soul.
However, extreme conditions make people do extreme things. Mothers sell their children in poverty. If people can go against their animal instincts then what chance does religion have? It is the duty of all the Hindus in India to ensure that all their brother and sisters are treated equally irrespective of their caste or origins. We need to have a law like the American Civil Rights bill where any discrimination is a crime punishable by law. If we cannot ensure equitable treatment to our dalit brothers and sisters, we have not right to complain.
Disgusted by the lax attitude of our pseudo secular government, the Indian Supreme Court has taken it upon themselves to call the practice an “interference in someone’s belief” and have decried the forceful conversion.
Everyone in India needs to get on the same page on the matter. Remember, India is the only home for Hindus. We cannot let that disappear in the sea of pseudo-secularism.

SC decries forceful religious conversions
The bench of justices P Sathasivam and BS Chauhan observed that there cannot be any justification for interference in someone's belief while decrying forceful conversions. While delivering the verdict in the murder case on Friday the court observed that investigations reveal that Staines was involved in conversions and there are materials to suggest that the missionaries were indulging in forceful conversion in the area.
The article can be read at: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/sc-decries-forceful-religious-conversions/141078-3.html
An excellent article which was the source of many of the quotes is: http://www.cincinnatitemple.com/articles/SocialPoliticsofConversion.pdf

The image and a similar article: http://www.hinduyuva.org/tattva-blog/2008/03/orissa-clash-conversion/

Article 356: Law or a Stick?

Wikipedia says: President's rule is the term used in India when a state legislature is dissolved or suspended and the state is placed under direct federal rule. President's rule is enabled by article 356 of the Constitution of India, which gives the central government the authority to impose president's rule in any state if there has been failure of the constitutional machinery in the state. It is called President's rule as the President of India governs the state instead of a Council of Ministers who are answerable to the elected legislature. State governor is delegated executive authority on behalf of the central (federal) government. The governor normally appoints advisor(s), who are retired civil servants, to help in administration. Since governor is appointed by the President of India on the advice of the central government, in practice policies are controlled by the ruling party at the Centre.
Laws like article 356 are supposed to help maintain law and order. However in India, as we all know, laws often become a stick in the hands of the man in the seat to enforce his will. It becomes a tool to undermine Democracy rather than enforcing it. When a government assumes power, then appoint pliable babus and ex-politicos as governors of the state. These men are supposed to help the elected state government run the state. Mrs. Indira Gandhi became a master at this trick. Article 356 was used to topple non-Congress state governments.
The tradition seems to be continuing today. B S Yeddyurappa who is not the most competent BJP CM and seems to have been elected out of caste politics pressures, has been targeted by the Governor H R Bhardwaj. To give you a background, Wikipedia says the following about him:
A media shy minister, the old Gandhi family loyalist handled the most sensitive and controversial cases in the Manmohan Singh cabinet between 2004 and 2009. From Bofors to office of profit and the failed attempt to remove Navin Chawla as election commissioner, were all deftly handled by the Congress veteran to the satisfaction of the Prime Minister and party leadership. In March 2009, H R Bharadwaj was criticized for taking the initiative to de-freeze two bank accounts of Ottavio Quattrocchi, an accused in the Bofors Scam case, who is seen as a close friend of Congress president Sonia Gandhi. In particular, it appears he did not consult the investigating agency CBI which had gotten the accounts frozen.
This Gandhi family loyalist (seems like the only qualification he has), has done everything in his power to bring down the Yeddy government. He is still trying to make a case for his recommendation for enforcement of article 356. I hope that various branches of judiciary get involved and thwart this brazen attempt to undermine the voters / aam aadmi of Karnataka.

Bhardwaj wants a Congress govt in Karnataka: Yeddy

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa on Sunday took on Governor H R Bhardwaj alleging that he was trying to throw the Bharatiya Janata Party out of power and install a Congress government in the state.
The article can be read at: http://www.rediff.com/news/slide-show/slide-show-1-bhardwaj-wants-a-congress-govt-in-karnataka-yeddy/20110123.htm

Domestic Violence And Future Of Indian Society

In any marriage, there are going to be differences in opinion. Some of them may precipitate arguments. Some of those arguments may become heated. Some of those heated arguments may become fights. But that is where it SHOULD end. Violence in a household erodes the very foundation on which it stands.
Indian society has a very serious dichotomy in its psychology towards women. On one hand, we worship various goddesses. We take long treks without any footwear to go and bow to Vaishno Devi. We sing paeans in honor of Rani Jhansi. Our economic center is named after Mumba Devi. But then, we negotiate dowry for our daughters like they are cattle. We burn someone else’s daughter if she was not financially beneficial. We kill our own daughters in the name of honor. Our national capital has so many cases of rape that citizens have become numb to it. But all that is somewhat extreme. In most households, the daughters are discriminated with subtlety. They are taught to be docile and obedient. In essence they are told that they have lesser rights than boys. Most women in India live and die under those parameters. However, the disturbing aspect of it all is the following stat: Around two-third of married women in India were victims of domestic violence and one incident of violence translates into women losing seven working days in the country, a United Nations report said.

Now, this report cannot be completely true because if you read the report, it says that a lot of the cases are not reported. So the number of two-thirds sounds like a generated stat rather than a real one. However, in a culture such as ours, even one case is a case too many. Hinduism has no room for this kind of behavior (Manuwadi scriptures notwithstanding).
As women in India are become financially independent, it is only expected that they will not put up with abuse and that is contributing to increased divorce rates. A real abusive marriage must end but ego driven difference is the worst reason for a divorce. A strong family unit is India’s greatest advantage over other democratic nations. If we lose it, then we are going to be in a worse shape because the society does not have an in built system to care for broken homes. It is responsibility of all Indians, men and women, to realize the strengths of our society and take steps to nurture it for the future of our children and our country.
Domestic violence should not be condoned by anyone. It takes two to fight but violence has no room at home.
This post has been precipitated by the latest case of an Indian IAS officer beating his wife. While violence cannot be condoned, domestic disturbance is a grey area. That is why I am rambling. A man beating a woman is something that makes me angry but it is hard for me take portray these events in a black and white oeuvre. Having said that, I think it is the man's responsibility to ensure that violence is kept out of any domestic dispute. That is a Hindu thing to do.

Two-third married Indian women victims of domestic violence: UN
As many as 70 per cent of married women in India between the age of 15 and 49 are victims of beating, rape or coerced sex, the United Nation Population Fund report said.
The article can be read at: http://www.expressindia.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=56501

Why are we immune to wife beating?
According to the National Family Health Survey- III, over 40 per cent of the women surveyed reported being beaten by their husbands at some point of time. Over 51 per cent men didn’t find anything wrong with assaulting their wives. More shockingly, around 54 per cent of women and men surveyed thought that such violence was justified on some ground or the other.
The article can be read at: http://in.news.yahoo.com/why-are-we-immune-to-wife-beating-.html

The picture is from : http://www.sahayogindia.org/pages/programmes/violence-against-women/campaigns.php

Kashmiri Hindus: God's Own People

The tears of the literati, liberals and pseudo-secular crowds are reserved for religious minorities. If you happen to be a Hindu, no matter how down trodden, you are shit out of luck. If you are on fire and if you are lucky then someone may spit on you. That is the status of Hindus in the only land they can call their own. If you are a Hindu in most of India, you can still live peacefully to some extent. But if you are Hindu living in a state like Kerala where your population percentage is low, you are a target for mockery (as seen in the recent Sabrimala tragedy), ridicule and conversion. However, if you are a Hindu in J&K, then you are lowest priority of all the citizens of India.
What has happened to Kashmiri Hindus is a crying shame. I had such hopes from the BJP government with regards to the Kashmiri Hindus. They did not do anything for them. They probably did not want to upset the uneasy peace in J&K. Of course there is no hope from the current government. The J&K CM is not even amenable to the Indian flag in his state. What a mockery of all that our nation stands for!
Kashmiri Hindus are truly God’s own people. God IS looking out for them because no one else is.

Kashmir Hindus: Forsaken, forgotten for 21 years
Lalit Koul
January 19 is an insignificant day for most of the people around the world. It comes and goes and nobody notices. But for the last 21 years, for one community, it is the day that brings back frightening and dreadful memories. It is the day when 21 years ago final nail in the coffin of forsaken community of Kashmiri Hindus was hammered. It was the day when Islamic terrorists and their sympathisers gave 24 hours eviction notice to Kashmiri Hindus. It was the day when the threats of Raliv, Galiv Ya Chaliv (Convert, die or escape) replaced the sounds of evening Azaan (prayers) from majority of mosques in the valley of Kashmir.
The article can be read at: http://www.rediff.com/news/column/kashmir-hindus-forsaken-forgotten-for-21-years/20110119.htm

The picture is from: http://www.hindujagruti.org/activities/campaigns/national/hindu-genocide/gallery.php?level=picture&id=151

India Is Not Shining

Mayawati is the richest CM in India. Some of the richest government officials are from UP. There is not shortage of wealth in UP. In a celebration for SP in Mulayam Yadav’s village, they had dancers from Ukraine! UP has so much money that they can erect statues after statues of Mayawati and Elephants. What they do not have is way to feed their people or even keeping them warm for a couple of weeks. We all know that intense winters in India are no longer more than two weeks. If the government could somehow build shelters for people where they could be protected from the elements then a lot of these cold related deaths can be avoided. In the enclosed area, people's body heat itself will keep them safe if not warm. Out in the open, an already malnourished body has no prayer.
Dr. Gopal Singh has written the following article in a gut wrenching way which would make you very angry. And it should! As long as people are dying of cold and hunger, what good is it to host games and double-digit growth? The current day India is beginning to look more and more like the Czarist Russia. We know what happened to them.

India Shining!
by Dr. Gopal Singh
“I was cold and very tired” - Jaan had finally started answering my question. “I sat besides my mother (mother’s body) for a long time and then I fell asleep against the wall. When I got up it was dark inside. My mother was still lying next to me. I tried to wake her up and then realized that she was already dead (she started sobbing). I took off my Chaadar (a worn out cotton shawl) and tried to cover her body but it was too small for her”. She became quiet again but at least her eyes blinked. I stared back at her not knowing what to say.

"Kis abhaage ghar ki hum chaadar huye,
Tan dhakaa to haath muh baahar huye."

The article can be read at: http://cms.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Content&sd=Articles&ArticleID=10423

Cabinet Reshuffle" Much Ado About Nothing.

Everyone who as looking forward to the cabinet reshuffle as the panacea of all our national problems is going to walk away with a familiar feeling of nothingness. The only major change is that A Raja is out. But in his case, one can say that the barn door was closed after the horse had already escaped. The damage had already been done. Removing his was symbolic. Even more symbolic was this much-touted reshuffle. None of the portfolios, which were held by the important people, was touched. How can we expect any real change? All we are seeing is the Congress insiders flexing their muscles. It is being said that the Rahul Gandhi camp prevailed in this exercise. We may even see Pranab Mukherjee become the deputy PM. But to what end?
This government was a mistake that all voters would like to rectify but can’t for another three years. What we can do is to make our voices heard in the forthcoming state elections. People of Bengal need to vote the Communists out. They also need to realize that the other option, which involves the Maoists, is no better than the communists. They really need to elect the BJP. In fact all the incumbents who are non-performing (i.e. everyone) need to be shown the door.

Reshuffle shows weakness of Congress leadership
"As a result, the government continues to show its lack of purpose to improve its credibility. There are not enough political moves that promise to tackle corruption and incompetence within the government. The Congress, it seems, doesn't have any fresh ideas for a holistic approach to solve the scores of problems it is facing in administration, in the Supreme Court and in Parliament. As expected, the imprint of Sonia Gandhi and fierce internal politics of the Congress was on display in the reshuffle."
The article can be read at: http://www.rediff.com/news/special/reshuffle-shows-weakness-of-congress-leadership/20110119.htm