Indian Holocaust My Father`s Life and Time - SIX HUNDRED SIXTEEN
Palash Biswas
http://indianholocaustmyfatherslifeandtime.blogspot.com/
http://basantipurtimes.blogspot.com/
The Principle of EQUALITY before Law is Violated with Compromise on JAN LOKPAL BILL Panel as Brahmin Pranab Mukherjee heads the ANNA Panel of US Sponsered Pro Democracy Movement of Market Dominating Brahaminical Civil Society in a COMIC COUP. JP Movement History has to be remebered. RSS and Hindutva, Marxists and Naxalite, NGO and MNCS and Media supported Plastic Revolution has just JUMPED out of Starting Block!What a GOT UP Game Finished by Super Manipulators like AGNIVESH and Baba Ramdev, Kapil Sibal and Shantibhushan, Sonia Gandhi and Dr Manmohan Singh to Write off all the Charges of Corruption and Scams!Hectic parleys between the Centre and the emissaries of Anna Hazare finally paid off late on Friday night, with the anti-corruption crusader announcing that he would end his fast on Saturday morning.
The IMAGE of Bharat Mata is also associated with Hindu Rashtra Concept and RSS!The Hindutva and RSS, BABA Ramdev and Ruling Brahaminical Class and the Media blacking out every Mass Movement and Demonising Excluded communities and their Resistance against Ethnic Cleansing, Justifying and Showcasing ECONOMIC Reforms BEGOT Shining India Destroing Agrarian Rural India, Making ANOTHER Gandhi supported by the Brahaminical CIVIL SOCIETY associated with ZIONIST Corpoarte Imperialism and Global Hindutva- shuold not be UNNOTICED to analyse the COMIC, Plastic Revolution!
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Giving in to demands from anti-corruption activists, the government on Saturday issued a gazette notification on formation of a joint committee headed by senior minister Pranab Mukherjee to draft an effective Lokpal Bill.Gandhian Anna Hazare on Saturday called off his hunger strike bringing to an end his 98-hour protest after government issued a gazette notification constituting a 10-member Joint Committee of ministers and civil society activists, including him, to draft an effective Lok Pal Bill.
Terming the joining of hands of civil society and government on the Lokpal Bill issue as a step that augurs well for democracy, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the government intends to introduce the "historic legislation" in the Monsoon Session of Parliament.
"I am happy that the government and representatives of civil society have reached an agreement in our mutual resolve to combat corruption. I am pleased that Anna Hazare has agreed to give up his fast," he said in a statement here.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee will be the Chairman of the committee that will also include Law Minister Veerappa Moily, Telecom Minister Sibal, Home Minister P. Chidambaram and Water Resources Minister Salman Khurshid as members.
Social activist Anna Hazare has defended his protest against corruption and has said it was never his intention to blackmail the government. Speaking to journalists, Hazare justified his decision to sit on fast.
Hunger strike is one of the most democratic ways of protest, he said.
Hazare said that he was forced to go on fast as the government did not responded to any of his letters on the issue of Lokpal Bill.
He said when the government does not work the voice of protest has to be raised.
The veteran social activist said the people of the country were tired of corruption and the joint draft committee will play a crucial role in the fight to weed it out of the system.
Earlier after breaking his fast in the morning, Hazare has said he would tour the entire country to campaign against corruption.
He also had a word of thanks for the youth.
"I have broken the fast today (Saturday) because the government has fulfilled our demand by issuing this order," he said, triumphantly flashing the gazette notifying the formation of a 10-member panel to draft a stringent Lokpal (ombudsman) Bill to combat corruption in high places.
"I will go to various states and meet people everywhere," he said in a 15-minute address in Hindi to thousands of men and women from the dias near Jantar Mantar where he sat on hunger strike since Tuesday.
The notification on the joint committee was issued by the government in the morning.
"I thank everyone for spreading this movement all over, forgetting all divides of religion, caste and race," he said.
He, however, said this is not the end of struggle and it will continue as long as the bill is not finally passed.
"The struggle has not finished, this is the first stage of protest," Hazare told cheering supporters at Jantar Mantar, ground zero of the protest that mobilised thousands of people across the country.
"I want to assure everyone that if the bill is not passed, on Aug 15 we will hoist the tricolour at Lal Qila for the second freedom struggle; and if it is passed, we will welcome the prime minister (Manmohan Singh) on Aug 15," he said.
"We have a long way to go," he warned. "We will have to struggle whenever it is necessary. We will have to put pressure on the government to make governance transparent."
"This is the start of another independence struggle, there is a very long way ahead."
He thanked the youth for their overflowing participation and called it a "ray of hope".
"The youth support is a symbol of hope, they have to take the movement forward. The fact that youth of the whole nation stood with us is a ray of hope," Hazare said.
He said the struggle will continue till the bill is finally passed in the Lok Sabha.
"Our responsibility has increased, the path is long. Now we have to prepare the draft; then, if the draft faces hurdles in the cabinet, we will fight to get it passed," he said.
"Then when it comes to the Lok Sabha, it should be passed unanimously. If it faces hurdles there, I will take the tricolour on my shoulder and we will go to Lok Sabha," the social activist said.
He said struggle was also needed on a series of matters pertaining to empowerment of people.
"We need reforms in education, in labour rights, in the election system," he said, adding that "decentralisation of power is very important to ensure corruption is defeated. As long as the voters don't get power in their hands, corruption will remain".
Hazare also raised concerns about the electronic voting machines being used at present and pitched for an added option of "reject" in the ballot allowing people to vote for none of the candidates.
He said people should also have the right to recall corrupt representatives. "We will have to think of this if we have to stop corruption... The election system has to change."
Although most people in the crowd compared him to Mahatma Gandhi, Hazare himself did not take the Mahatma's name.
Instead he referred to revolutionaries Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru, who were hanged by the British. He said the country was indebted to them.
Besides Mr. Hazare, those representing the civil society in the joint committee will be eminent lawyers Shanti Bhushan, Prasant Bhushan, retired Supreme Court Judge Santosh Hegde and RTI activist Arvind Kejriwal. Shanti Bhushan will be the co-Chairman.
Dear Neshat, Friends,
Thank you for raising this important point, to which I would like to add a few more. You say that 'the central banner on the stage displays Bharat Mata - Durga like image – on the map of India...'. I think you understate the issue when doing so. The image is not just that of Bharat Mata, it is the EXACT posture, face, and design of the RSS image of their Bharath Mata, right down to the flaring pallu/ anchal of the saree toward the North East. All that is missing is the lion she leans on, but that is a small detail that is irrelevant, since the point has been made.
Allow me to now address why this issue has not been raised by Shuddhabrata; he is Hindu. He does not see it in quite the same manner as you and I do. Now let me rush to say that I am not suggesting that Shuddhabrata is not 'secular' or that he does not see the danger of the Saffron Right. Ofcourse he does, and he is also engaged with the problem. And yet, there are certain limitations that the Hindu intellectual faces. I remember for example, an instance in Goa, when Shuddhabrata spoke of challenging the Hindu right wing (the exact theme and title escapes me now). The solution he offered however blew me away. He was suggesting a re-reading of the same brahmanical texts that are the problem, in so far as they have come to define India. My question to the Hindu 'secular' intellectual is, why do you not seek to expand the oeuvre that constitutes Indian-ness. When I heard Shuddhabrata speak at that time, I expected that he would speak of the Persian, Urdu texts that are by and large ignored (Dalrymple, as much as I loathe him, was right to critique the Indian establishment on its forgetting of the Persian literary heritage). I would expect that Indian scholars engage with a world outside that of the Anglo-American (and those Europeans they have adopted). This however does not happen too often.
Having said this, let me also insist that I am not attributing a biological inability of 'the Hindu' to sympathise, neither am I creating the figure of the perfect 'Muslim' or 'Christian'. As Khalid, who initiated this thread, also points, the Muslim is a figure that hides the fractures of class, caste and ethnicity. All I am saying is that we should recognise that merely because you (the secular Hindu) feel for the 'Muslim', and that you recognise the danger that the saffron right wing poses, it does not mean that you will see the problem with the same intensity as others do. Indeed, very often you make miss the main point altogether. I am sure that Shuddhabrata will amiably agree to this point. He will also perhaps be troubled that he missed this sign. There are others however, who need to hear this argument, and acknowledge their gap. All too often, for the upper caste Hindu, being 'secular' is enough....they are then perfect...
I scribbled some ideas on this point some time ago, rather than impell you to read it here, I am merely providing you with the link
http://dervishnotes.blogspot.com/2011/03/breaking-secularisms-caste-curious-case.html
regards,
Jason
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Read my thoughts at
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For a successful revolution it is not enough that there is discontent. What is required is a profound and thorough conviction of the justice, necessity and importance of political and social rights.
(B R Ambedkar)
We will support Lokpal Bill in Parliament: BJP
Promising support for the Lokpal Billin the Monsoon session of Parliament, BJP chief Nitin Gadkari said the party welcomed the campaign against corruption by social activist Anna Hazare.
"We will support that (Lokpal) Bill... BJP wants a corruption-free India and we welcome the efforts by him (Anna Hazare)," Gadkari told a CII seminar here.
Asked whether Hazare had taken the sheen away from the BJP, he said, "I don't feel so. I don't look at it with a political view point. Our party's policy is to appreciate the good work done by any one."
About allegations against Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa that he had favored his relatives in land allotment in the state, Gadkari said plots were given by him as permitted by the law passed by the state Assembly.
On BJP's decision to continue supporting Yeddyurappa as the chief minister, he said, "It is all a matter of perception versus reality. There is a problem of perception against the chief minister due to a campaign in the media against him."
He said the denotification of land and discretionary allotments done by Yeddyurappa were as per existing laws.
"The same discretionary powers were exercised by previous chief ministers HD Kumaraswamy,Dharam Singh and SM Krishna as well. Facts were not properly presented by people in this case," he claimed.
Replying to a question by industrialist Rahul Bajaj regarding the chief minister, Gadkari said the BJP had raised the 2G spectrum and CWG scams on the basis of the reports by CAG and the Supreme Court.
"But there is no such indictment of Yeddyurappa," he said.
The BJP chief said that accusing Yeddyurappa on the basis of political perception and campaign was not correct. "If there is any report from CAG or CVC or courts (against Yeddyurappa), then we will see what action needs to be taken. Otherwise the performance of the BJP government in Karnataka is very good," he said.
Standing by his decision to let Yeddyurappa continue, Gadkari said, "You may or may not agree, it may or may not be correct. It is my decision and I take full responsibility for this."
Terming the joining of hands of civil society and government on the Lokpal Bill issue as a step that augurs well for democracy, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the government intends to introduce the "historic legislation" in the Monsoon Session of Parliament.
"I am happy that the government and representatives of civil society have reached an agreement in our mutual resolve to combat corruption. I am pleased that Anna Hazare has agreed to give up his fast," he said in a statement here.
Describing corruption a a scourge that confronts all of us, the Prime Minister said, "The fact that the civil society and the government have joined hands to evolve a consensus to move this historic legislation augurs well for our democracy."
He said the interaction between the government and the representatives of Mr. Hazare were productive.
"I hope that process to prepare this legislation will move forward in a constructive mode so that after consultation with a wide spectrum of stake holders, this legislation is placed before the Cabinet for introduction during the Monsoon Session," the Prime Minister said.
Government had last night agreed to issue a formal order to set up a 10-member joint committee for drafting a strong Lokpal Bill.
The announcement of an agreement came from both sides after four days of Mr. Hazare's fast-unto-death that evoked a nationwide support cutting across the society.
"Government has accepted all our demands and I will end my fast tomorrow at 10:30 A.M. This is a victory for the entire nation," Mr. Hazare had said on Friday night.
Former Law Minister and co-chairman of the committee to draft the Lokpal Bill Shanti Bhushan on Saturday voiced hope that the proposed legislation would be passed "unanimously" by Parliament, insisting that any party opposing it would be seen as "not interested in removing corruption."
"I expect the Bill to be passed unanimously.... If it is a good bill and people can see it as an independent organisation against corruption, then it will get endorsement. Anybody who opposes such a fine bill would be seen as a person not interested in removing corruption," he told reporters here.
Appreciating the government for responding to the call of the people to bring a law against corruption, Mr. Bhushan said the proposed body should be "totally independent, which can't be pressurised by any political or judiciary people. It should be strong and should have teeth to cut corruption at all levels."
Mr. Bhushan's son and eminent lawyer Prashant Bhushan expressed the hope that the Ministers in the Joint Drafting Committee of the Bill would be able to devote time to finalise the draft by June 30.
"As the notification states, we have to complete our task by June 30 and we hope to do that by June 30. We hope that provided the Ministers in the committee devote adequate time to it and I expect they would after this commitment," he said.
Mr. Prashant Bhushan said the members of the movement including Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejariwal did not expect such an "overwhelming" response from the common people but the mass participation shows that "the public is fedup of corruption in the country".
The notification, one of the key demands of the anti-corruption campaign launched by Gandhian Anna Hazare, has been signed by V.K. Bhasin, Secretary, Legislative Department of the Law Ministry.
The notification was proudly displayed at the site of Hazare's fast at Jantar Mantar by Kiran Bedi to the loud cheering of the assembled gathering there.
Apart from the terms of what the committee would do, the notification contains the names of those on the 10-member panel headed by Finance Minister.
The committee will also include Law Minister Veerappa Moily, Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal, Home Minister P Chidambaram and Water Resources Minister Salman Khurshid as members.
Besides Mr. Hazare himself, those representing the civil society in the joint committee will be eminent lawyers Shanti Bhushan, Prasant Bhushan, retired Supreme Court Judge Santosh Hegde and RTI activist Arvind Kejriwal. Shanti Bhushan will be the co-Chairman.
"We had demanded a government order (GO) in this regard. The government went a step ahead and issued a notification," said social activist Swami Agnivesh.
Mind you, Stepping up his anti-corruption campaign, social activist Anna Hazare on Thursday night brushed aside Sonia Gandhi's appeal to him that he withdraw his hunger strike.
"I thank Sonia Gandhi for her statement [appealing to him to end the fast]. Soniaji, tell the government to get the Lokpal Bill enacted at the earliest," Mr. Hazare said in a terse reaction to Congress President Sonia Gandhi's appeal.
As his hunger-strike entered the third day, Ms. Gandhi had appealed to the 71-year-old Gandhian to give up his fast, assuring him that his views would receive the government's full attention.
Social activist Anna Hazare has defended his protest against corruption and has said it was never his intention to blackmail the government!On the other hand,Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh on Saturday asserted that India would not succumb to international pressure to agree to any legally binding commitments to reduce carbon emission.Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh on Saturday said he has not abandoned the 'Go, No-Go' policy of classifying forest areas but suggested a "compromise" that could allow coal mining on more land to meet the country's needs.
It took several rounds of talks within the government on issues relating to a joint draft committee for the Lokpal Bill before it agreed to the demands of Mr. Hazare.
"The government has accepted all our demands… this is a victory for the entire nation. I will end my hunger strike on Saturday morning," Mr. Hazare told scores of supporters at the Jantar Mantar here. Since he launched his fast on Tuesday there has been a groundswell of support for his movement from across the country as well as abroad.
In his revised draft sent to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday morning, Mr. Hazare demanded that 50 per cent of the members of the committee be from civil society, and that it be headed by a non-political member.
This led to several rounds of discussions within the government. UPA chairperson and Congress president Sonia Gandhi met the Prime Minister in the presence of some senior Ministers.
In the evening, Communications Minister Kapil Sibal, along with his Cabinet colleagues M. Veerappa Moily and Salman Khurshid, met Mr. Hazare's emissaries — social worker Swami Agnivesh, RTI campaigner Arvind Kejriwal and the former IPS officer, Kiran Bedi.
They reached an agreement that the committee will have five Cabinet Ministers, with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee as chairman. Of the five members from civil society, one will be co-chairman. It was also decided that the committee would prepare a draft law in time for it to be presented in the monsoon session of Parliament.
Soon Mr. Sibal made this announcement and thanked Mr. Hazare for deciding to end his protest. "This is a victory for democracy… It is for the government now to issue an appropriate order constituting the committee that will include representatives of civil society and government," the Minister said. He denied that the government had succumbed to pressure.
10-member drafting committee
From the government side, the 10-member joint drafting committee will have Mr. Mukherjee, Mr. Moily, Mr. Sibal, Home Minister P. Chidambaram and Mr. Khurshid.
Besides Mr. Hazare, civic society will be represented by the retired Supreme Court Judge, Justice Santosh Hedge; lawyer Prashant Bhushan, Mr. Kejriwal and the former Union Minister, Shanti Bhushan, who will also be co-chairman of the committee.
Mr. Ramesh said he had made a few suggestions at the meeting of the Group of Ministers, chaired by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday, and it was up to the GoM to take a final view on the issue.
"I have given some suggestion for bringing about a compromise. Let us see. It is up to the GoM to take a final view," he told reporters on the sidelines of a CII function here.
At the same time he added, "I have not called for an abandonment of the 'Go, No-Go' concept, but I have said within the 'Go, No-Go' areas, how best to accommodate the needs of the country for coal production."
Mr. Ramesh said with nuclear power becoming an area of concern and hydel projects facing opposition from public because of displacement issues, the focus was shifting more to thermal power to meet the energy requirements of the country.
The Minister said suggestions made by him would not be retrospective and would lead to more coal production.
The environment ministry had in 2009 classified the country's heavily forested regions into 'Go' and 'No-Go' regions and a ban was imposed on mining in No-Go zones through an indicative categorisation on environmental grounds.
The move had sparked off an intense inter-ministerial debate with the Coal, Power and Steel ministries pitching against Mr. Ramesh.
The 'No-Go' classification by the Ministry had disallowed mining in 203 coal blocks, having a potential of 660 million tonnes of production a year.
Interacting with the industry players who raised the issue of stalled projects on environmental grounds, Mr. Ramesh made it clear that as long as laws are there it is his duty to enforce them.
"If any project is in trouble, it is because that project has wilfully or unconsciously broken a law of the land whether, it is environment law, forest law or coastal protection law.
"As long as laws are there, my duty is to enforce them. If I am enforcing it selectively, arbitrarily, haul me up. But don't haul me up for enforcing the law," he said.
Mr. Ramesh agreed with the industry that there must be clarity and consistency in environmental laws. "If clarity and consistency are there, nobody would mind observing the law," he said.
He also said if the green laws have outlived their utility, they could be changed like it was done in the case of the Coastal Regulation Zone notification of 1991.
"Laws enacted should always be subject to review every 15-20 years," Mr. Ramesh said.
Speaking at the National Conference and Annual Session of Confederation of India Industry (CII) here, Mr. Jairam said the government will only act in national interest on the issue. "I can assure you we are not taking on any legally binding commitments under international duress. We should take on commitments only because it is in our interest," he remarked.
"What may reflect internationally will be dependent on what other countries are prepared to give as far as their commitments are concerned," he added.
Stating that India should negotiate from its position of strength and take a leadership role, Mr. Ramesh said the international community should rather focus on its own carbon emission levels instead ofpointing to a country like India, which is moving along a low-carbon growth path. "When India goes for negotiations, I have three objectives in mind. The first is to maintain the autonomy of the economic growth trajectory, to enhance our own environmental agenda like green growth, less pollutions and lastly re-position India diplomatically as a constructive problem solver," he told India Inc.
Talking to reporters after his speech, Mr. Ramesh said he regretted that funds pledged to the Fast Start Finance Fund to the tune of $25 billion to combat carbon emission have only remained on paper. "The fund was meant for Africa and other least developed countries and the island nations with countries like India voluntarily giving up their claim to it. The long term green fund of $100 billion also proved to be a non-starter. We are back to square one. I don't know where the climate talks are headed right now," he said.
He asked the corporate India to take on environmental issue far more seriously than it has in the past as it is related to public health and climate change. The issue has to be embedded into the thinking process and intrinsic to business and growth process, he said.
Curtains were drawn on the anti-corruption campaign that drew instant nationwide support with a little girl giving the 73-year-old activist a glass of water at 10.45 am at Jantar Mantar, the nerve-centre of the agitation for a strong legislation to combat political and administrative graft.
Earlier, Mr. Hazare offered water to some women, among the over 300 activists who had joined the fast.
Social activists Swami Agnivesh, Medha Patkar and Kiran Bedi hailed Hazare's campaign as the Gandhian said he would to continue the fight for the "second struggle for independence".
PM issues statement
In the morning, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh issued a statement saying the government intends to introduce the "historic legislation" in the Monsoon session of Parliament.
He described the coming together of civil society and government on the Lok Pal Bill issue as a step that augurs well for democracy, saying it signifies the mutual resolve to combat corruption.
"I am pleased that Anna Hazare has agreed to give up his fast," he said after his ministers worked out a deal with Hazare's emissaries last night to bring to end the protest at Jantar Mantar.
Shouts of 'Vande Mataram' and 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' rent the air as Mr. Hazare's followers and admirers gathered in hundreds, just a stone's throw from Parliament, celebrated the notification that was proudly displayed at the fast site.
Making a brief speech after he broke his fast, the veteran Gandhian said it was just the beginning of a long struggle ahead and he would not rest content with the Lok Pal Bill but also fight for reforms of the electoral system, including the 'right to recall' from gram panchayat level.
The notification by the Ministry of Law and Justice said the Joint Drafting Committee to prepare a draft of the Lok Pal Bill will have five ministers from the government and five nominees of Hazare, including himself.
Members of joint committee
The five ministers are Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Chairperson, Home Minister P Chidamabaram, Law Minister Veerappa Moily (Convenor), HRD Minister Kapil Sibal and Water Resources Minister Salman Khurshid.
The civil society will be represented by Hazare, former Supreme Court judge N Santosh Hegde, former Law Minister Shanti Bhushan (Co-Chairperson), lawyer Prashant Bhushan and RTI activist Arvind Kejriwal.
The notification said the Joint Drafting Committee will commence work forthwith evolving its own procedure to prepare the proposed legislation. The committee shall complete its work latest by June 30, it said.
Mr. Kejriwal told reporters that by Monday it would be known as to when the committee would hold its first meeting.
Mr. Hazare said, "Our fight against corruption does not end here. We will continue the fight. This is only the beginning.
If the government does not pass Lok Pal Bill, I will come back to fight again."
Deadline Aug. 15
He set August 15 as the deadline for passage of the proposed bill. "If the government does not get the legislation passed, I will hold the national flag and join you people here for another agitation.
"There are more struggles ahead -- getting the bill passed by the Cabinet and by Lok Sabha," he said.
The Gandhian activist maintained that his next fight would be for a right to recall public servants like Sarpanch, corporator and so on if they failed in their duty.
He also sent a message to the Election Commission asking it to change the present Electronic Voting Machines as they were "faulty".
He batted for a "none of the above" provision in the ballot or EVMs and for provisions to check use of money power in elections.
"This will set their (candidates using money power) mind right," Mr. Hazare said.
He insisted that this agitation had given him great strength and urged that "people with a clean image" should join the movement.
Mr. Hazare told the gathering, which had been swelling by the day ever since he began the fast on April five, that with the formation of the drafting committee their responsibilities have increased.
"I am ending the fast because the government has accepted our demands. What is of utmost importance is that in the last few days, people have shown to the world that we are one on an issue which relates to the country. People stood united here, irrespective of caste, religion and community," Mr. Hazare said.
Mr. Hazare said Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev had through their sacrifice thrown out the British and "now this people's revolution has disturbed the peace of the present-day rulers".
Hailing the role of the media in publicising the protest world over, he said this has proved what the fourth estate of democracy can achieve.
Mr. Hazare also said the way the "youth power" has come out to support the movement has offered a "new ray of hope for the future". He thanked various civil society organisations and individuals for their support to the camapaign against corruption.
"We have to be cautious about wrong people getting into similar committees at the state level. We will keep an eye to prevent this," he said.
The end to the protest, which evoked a nationwide support cutting across the society, was in sight last night after the government wilted under a sustained anti-corruption campaign and agreed to issue a government order to set up a 10-member joint committee for drafting a strong Lokpal Bill.
The deal came after three rounds of negotiations between Hazare's emissaries and union minister Kapil Sibal.
Protestors and supporters of the campaign erupted into cries of 'Vande Mataram', 'Bharat Mata ki Jai', 'Inquilab Zindabad' as Hazare announced that he was ending his fast as the government has agreed to their demands.
Lokpal Bill: Text of Gazette notification
Following is the text of the Gazettee Notification issued by the government constituting the Joint Drafting Committee comprising ministers and civil society activists to prepare the draft Lok Pal Bill.
"The Joint Drafting Committee shall consist of five nominee ministers of the Government of India and five nominees of Shri Anna Hazare (including himself).
The five nominee Ministers of the Government of India are as under:
Pranab Mukherjee, Union Minister of Finance, P Chidambaram, Union Minister of Home Affairs, M Veerappa Moily, Union Minister of Law and Justice, Kapil Sibal, Union Minister of Human Resource and Development and Minister of Communication and Information Technology and Salman Khursheed, Union Minister of Water Resources and Minister of Minority Affairs.
The five nominees of Anna Hazare (including himself) are as under:
Anna Hazare, Justice N Santosh Hegde, Shanti Bhushan, Senior Advocate, Prashan Bhushan, Advocate and Arvind Kejriwal.
The Chairperson of the Joint Drafting Committee shall be Pranab Mukherjee.
The Co-Chairperson of the Joint Drafting Committee shall be Shanti Bhushan.
The Convenor of the Join Drafting Committee shall be M Veerappa Moily.
The Joint Drafting Committee shall commence its work forthwith and evolve its own procedure to prepare the proposed legislation.
The Joint Drafting Committee shall complete its work latest by 30th June, 2011."
'Power-hungry' politicians will not let bill pass easily: Hazare
After successfully leading the agitation on Lokpal Bill, social activist Anna Hazare has struck a note of caution.
Expressing apprehension over parliamentarians' readiness to pass a strong anti-corruption legislation he has asked his supporters to be prepared for a "bigger battle".
Addressing the media, the 73-year-old social activist said "power-hungry" politicians will not easily accept any bill having stringent provisions against corruption or "shed" the power they enjoy.
"But on this issue, people will get together," he said adding, MPs and MLAs were being elected to serve the people and not to be their masters. "But they (elected representatives) have forgotten this."
Hazare, who has set August 15 as the deadline for passage of the bill, said, "I feel there will be need for a bigger agitation in future (to get the bill passed in Parliament)."
"I don't think they (MPs) will easily accede to the passage of the bill as they feel it will cut down their powers."
He said there is no fear among those who indulge in corruption. The proposed Lok Pal will act a deterrent for the corrupt and put a "big break" on the menace, Hazare felt.
Agencies like the CBI, the CVC and others are under government control and so they cannot fight corruption effectively, he said adding, when the Lok Pal Bill comes into effect, the authority will have autonomy and no one will be able to put a spoke in its functioning.
Replying to a question, he dismissed the possibility of misuse of the proposed law for political purposes.
Admitting that he did not expect the groundswell of support for his campaign witnessed in the last five days, he said people joined him in such large numbers as they were fed up with corruption. "They have had enough of it."
Asked if he has come out as a "national hero" to the youth like Mahatma Gandhi, Hazare said, "I am not worthy of even sitting at Gandhiji's feet. But he has influenced my thought process."
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Jantar Mantar turns into carnival site as Hazare breaks fast
Waving tricolour and singing and dancing to the tunes of drums, people on Saturday made Jantar Mantar a carnival site as Gandhian Anna Hazare broke his fast after the government gave into activists' demands on Lokpal Bill.
Youth and old, men and women, poor and rich -- all stood shoulder to shoulder at the nerve-centre of the anti-corruption protest shouting 'Vande Mataram', 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' and 'Inquilab Zindabad' as Hazare sipped juice offered by a girl to end his fast which lasted 98 hours.
A group of tribals from Maharashtra erupted into a folk dance at the venue as soon as Hazare ended his fast, while some priests performed a havan at the site. Strangers hugged each other and shouted slogans hailing Hazare.
As Mahatma Gandhi's favourite hymn 'Raghupati Raghava Rajaram' played in the background, Mr. Hazare appeared on the dais at 10:25 am to loud cheers from the people who were jostling for space to have a glimpse of the 73-year-old Gandhian who ignited a nationwide protest for a strong anti-graft law.
Mr. Hazare saluted the fellow satyagrahis, offered juice to a group of fasting women and spoke about his next course of action. Every word he spoke, he was cheered by people.
"The revolution has come. Now it is only a matter of time for it to spread it like a wild fire across the country," quipped a beaming Arvind, a professional based in neighbouring Gurgaon said. "Thank you A Raja, thank you Suresh Kalmadi for bringing us together" read a banner at the protest site.
Carrying a tricolour, 73-year-old Srinath from Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh was roaming around the protest site saying this is a decisive victory for people. "We have to get rid of corruption. This is a good beginning," he said.
A loud cheer was heard as Bedi showed the assembled the gazetteer notification about the constitution of a committee to draft the Lokpal Bill.
However, there were murmurs of protest also. A young businessman from Punjab, Tejinder Pal Bagga, was seen carrying a poster 'We want Kiran Bedi in the ten-member panel" to draft the Lokpal Bill. He objected to the presence of Prashant Bhushan in the panel alleging he has insulted the Army.
Some senior citizens fought with media personnel for space as they could not watch what was happening at the dais.
For their two minutes of fame on national television, some people resorted to sloganeering whenever a camera crew passed through them and spoke about how angry they were about corruption and how they could not stand politicians anymore.
In between came the advice from a doctor Sudhir Sharma attending to Hazare to the fasting men and women. "When you go home, you may feel some discomfort. Have food which has less oil. You may have dysentery and headache. So take care."
Swami Agnivesh also made the protest site to issue and appeal to Maoists. "Shun violence and adopt Gandhian methods to fight injustice," he said.
Volunteers had tough time in convincing some "activist-leaders" from leaving the stage as it was carrying more people than it could.
Announcement through microphones were made to them to leave the stage and the "activist-leaders" reluctantly left the stage, dejected as they could not be part of the limelight.
Soon after Hazare's fast was broken, people were seen congratulating activist Arvind Kejriwal and others for not succumbing during the negotiations.
Many people were seen clicking pictures with activists.
The stand-off over corruption
Few could have anticipated that Anna Hazare's movement for a stronger Lokpal bill would generate such an extraordinary groundswell of public support, particularly among the urban middle class. By the fourth day of his indefinite fast, the nationwide protests led by 71-year-old social activist have forced the Centre to drop the anti-corruption bill it had drafted, to agree to prepare a new and stronger draft in consultation with civil society activists, and to desperately seek an agreement to end the crisis. It is imperative that the Manmohan Singh government seeks to resolve the remaining differences — on whether the committee must be formally notified and whether a civil society nominee should head it — by forsaking obstinate stances and respecting the popular mood. With the Centre rejecting the positions staked out by Mr. Hazare on these two issues, he has called for a nationwide jail bharo on April 13. It is not certain how long the deadlock will continue. But in the welter of protests and the general anger about corruption, the key details about what this specific crusade is really about must not be lost.
Essentially, the battle is to formulate a Lokpal bill that will allow for impartial and effective inquiries into complaints against public officials. The civil activist camp is correct in pointing out that the official draft is weak and ineffectual. For instance, rather than allow the Lokpal (or ombudsman) to probe all corruption-related complaints against public officials received from the general public, it restricts such inquires to those forwarded by the Lok Sabha Speaker or the Rajya Sabha Chairman. The reluctance of the Centre to draft a tough Lokpal bill has been coupled with a longstanding reluctance to enact it; one or another version of the bill has been introduced in the Lok Sabha eight times since 1968 only to find the House being dissolved before it could be passed. Mr. Hazare and his supporters have demanded that the Jan Lokpal bill drafted by civil society activists be adopted instead. But this piece of legislation, although having much more teeth, is not without its share of serious flaws. For instance, it stipulates that the selection committee for the Lokpal must include Nobel laureates of Indian origin and recent Magsaysay award winners. It also makes drastic changes in the existing criminal justice system by envisaging the Lokpal as something of a supercop, under whose jurisdiction a good portion of the Central Bureau of Investigation will be subsumed. The challenge is to formulate a Lokpal bill that has the teeth lacking in the government draft and is free from the angularities of the civil society version.
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/article1628437.ece
Anna fast not the right way: NCP
NCP, a component of UPA, on Saturday said the Government has committed a "mistake" by accepting anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare's demands.
"Corruption is undoubtedly a burning issue facing the country... but I differ with Anna Hazare as the way adopted by the Gandhian leader has not been the right way," NCP General Secretary Tariq Anwar said.
"The way Anna Hazare got his demand conceded I want to be clear is not correct... and the government has committed a mistake by accepting his demands," he added.
NCP chief and Union Minister Sharad Pawar had resigned from the Group of Ministers on corruption after Mr. Hazare had launched the fast at the Jantar Mantar in Delhi.
The Centre, Mr. Anwar said, has taken steps at all levels to weed out corruption and talks should have been held with it.
"Every citizen of the country has the democratic right to exert pressure on the Centre for conceding one's demand... But not the kind of pressure Hazare thrust upon the Centre."
He said "there was a constitution and law in the country... There are several other methods through which corruption can be fought effectively" and if such kind of pressure was allowed to continue, people would take to immolation if their respective demands are not met.
Mr. Hazare, Mr. Anwar alleged, has sent a message to the world through his movement that there is rampant corruption in India, "though the picture is different. The country is marching ahead and has emerged as the second largest country in the world after China in economic uplift."
"We all want that the Lokpal Bill should be introduced and passed... It should infact have come much before," he said adding the JP movement (headed by freedom fighter Jayaprakash Narayan) in the 1970s was also against corruption.
The movement had led to the installation of a Janata Party government but no Lokpal Bill was brought or framed at that time. Several other coalition governments came to power after the JP movement but none of them had succeeded in introducing or getting the Lokpal Bill passed, Mr. Anwar said.
Don't compare Hazare with Gandhi
Mr. Hazare should not be compared with Mahatma Gandhi who had never fought for inclusion of his name in a committee.
Mr. Hazare, on the other hand, was 'restless' to become the chairman of the drafting committee the gazette notification for which was issued by the Centre this morning, he added.
Corruption in Bihar
Referring to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's support to Mr. Hazare on the anti-corruption issue, Mr. Anwar said it was 'eyewash and ridiculous.'
"The reason behind my comment is that the latest CAG report highlighting embezzlement, misappropriation, theft and loss of Rs 407.97 crore in Bihar tells a different story," he told newsmen here.
The CAG report was a subject of major cause of concern and only a CBI inquiry would unravel the mystery behind the irregularities and fix responsibilities, he said.
"It is unfortunate that the state government has not taken any step in favour of the inquiry," he said and alleged it had proved beyond doubt that Mr. Kumar was using the issue of corruption as a 'political mask' and there were "apparent contradictions in what he says and how he acts."
The CAG had alleged corruption in execution of central schemes worth over Rs 11,500 crore and held the state government guilty of non-submission of detailed contingent bills against the abstract contingent bills through which Rs 11,854 crore had been drawn by the drawing and disbursing officers in Bihar upto July 2010.
"It is now a proven fact that the NDA government in Bihar is just doing politics over corruption and is not at all interested to weed out corruption. Otherwise, it should have acted against the guilty officials ... It is also now a fact that the state government is overlooking the CAG report and want to protect and patronise corruption," Mr. Anwar charged.
He also alleged financial indiscipline, irregularities and mismanagement in the state and said the matter had also been raised by the CAG.
BJP happy that Govt has agreed to draft effective Lokpal Bill
BJP on Saturday said the support for social activist Anna Hazare's fast and movement across the country showed people's disgust with corruption and it was happy that the government has agreed to draft an effective Lokpal bill.
"...And those who have patronised corruption need to learn hard lessons. BJP is happy that the government has agreed to draft an effective Lokpal bill," BJP spokesperson Ravishankar Prasad told reporters here.
Mr. Prasad said the support for Anna Hazare's campaign demanding a Jan Lokpal Bill was an "indication of the agony of the people" who wants action.
"This movement is an indication of the agony of the people of the country, their pain, their frustration. They want action," he said, adding, it points to the fact that people want relief from the "cancer of corruption."
Mr. Prasad also said some of the worst instances of corruption in India after independence have clear Tamil Nadu linkage, adding, "obviously" he meant 2G spectrum allocation scam in which DMK leader and former Telecom Minister A Raja has been named as an accused.
M C Raj to shamsul, Neshat, Khalid, Anis, arshad, Arshad, Ashok, ashrafk497, arkitectindia, Aditya, Shaheen, Anil, alianwar3, amkindia, Akmal, Aleem, Mohd, aloysj, anoop, akhaliq, Amritanshu, alinaqavi, Aadil, birendra, cdawud, caveservices
I've been saying and writing repeatedly not to trust this fake godman Agnivesh. He has appropriated the protest of Anna Hazare into a Hindutva event. He is a master in this game as he has a camouflaging radical image. Indians are very blind with their caste and untouchability. Mental corruption is steeped in their blood because of caste. Agnivesh is spreading agni with his vesh. We need to wake up soon.
Raj
- Show quoted text -
--
M C Raj
REDS, REDS Road
Shanthinagar
Tumkur 572102
Karnataka, India
Phone: ++91-816-2277026
Fax: ++91-816-2272515
Mobile: ++9845144893
Email for electoral reforms:
ceri.reds@gmail.com
Email for REDS: jyothi.dalitreds@gmail.com
shamsul islam to Neshat, Khalid, Anis, arshad, Arshad, Ashok, ashrafk497, arkitectindia, Aditya, Shaheen, Anil, alianwar3, amkindia, Akmal, Aleem, Mohd, aloysj, anoop, akhaliq, Amritanshu, alinaqavi, Aadil, birendra, cdawud, caveservices, Shivam
show details 7:11 PM (59 minutes ago)
In fact this image of Bharat Mata has been picked up from RSS shakha with the only difference that instead of saffron flag it holds tricolour. Moreover, pix of Vivekananda appears with pixs of Gandhi & Bhagat Singh. Vivekananda held the opinion that any increase in the numbers of Muslims or Christians is the increase in the numbers of enemies. To quote him 'everyman going out of Hindu pale is not only a man less, but an enemy the more'. [Collecte Works of Vivekananda, volume 3, page 233, Calcutta, Advait Ashram, 1997.]
Shamsul Islam
Anna awakens one and all
TNN | Apr 9, 2011, 01.12am ISTCHANDIGARH: With every passing day, Anna Hazare's following across the city is growing. Realizing their responsibility, students of Panjab University have joined Hazare's crusade against corruption by starting a chain hunger strike along with a signature campaign. Students held a two-hour silent protest at Gandhi Bhawan in support of the anti-corruption movement. Student Human Rights Network, an NGO of PU students, started at the student centre a fast to support Anna Hazare and his demand for a major correction in Jan Lokpal Bill. Students have decided to sit on a chain hunger strike from 10 am to 7 pm till the day the demands are met.
The fast began with singing of the national anthem and raising of slogans like 'Vande Mataram'. A signature campaign to endorse corrections in Jan Lokpal Bill was also flagged off on the occasion.
To support the cause, a blood donation camp was held at department of laws, Panjab University. A small group of students, teaching and non-teaching staff of the university came forward to donate blood.
In the evening, over 100 students from PU and various other educational institutions held a candle-light march on the campus.
Lokpal Bill joint panel likely to meet next week
New Delhi: The newly-constituted joint drafting committee comprising ministers and civil society activists to prepare the draft Lok Pal Bill is likely to meet next week.
A boy poses as he offers sweets to a portrait of social activist Anna Hazare in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad April 9, 2011. Hazare called off his hunger strike on Saturday after most of his demands were met by the government, which said it intends to introduce the Lokpal bill during the monsoon session of Parliament, local media reported. REUTERS
"The first meeting is slated for April 16. Of course it is a tentative schedule as we will have to ensure the availability of members," Law Minister M. Veerappa Moily, who is also the Convenor of the panel, told PTI here today.
When asked whether the government has blinked by issuing a gazette notification, he said the formation of the joint committee should not be seen as a victory for one party and defeat of the other.
"We need to work together for a national cause...there are no differences between the the government and the civil society. The common cause is to bring the Lok Pal Bill," Moily said.
The Minister also maintained that the Congress party was never averse to mass movements as "after all Congress too is a result of mass movement." He said Congress president Sonia Gandhi has already given a "clarion call" to fight corruption during the Congress Plenary recently.
"After she spoke against corruption, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had set up a Group of Ministers to deal with the issue of corruption...it was a quick response...nobody can suspect the intention of either the party or the government in dealing with the menace of corruption," he said.
Lokpal Bill: Text of Gazette notification
Following is the text of the Gazettee Notification issued by the government constituting the Joint Drafting Committee comprising ministers and civil society activists to prepare the draft Lok Pal Bill.
Social activist Anna Hazare displays a note from the Indian government to his supporters as former Indian police officer and social worker Kiran Bedi watches after he called off his hunger strike during a campaign against corruption in New Delhi April 9, 2011. Hazare called off his hunger strike on Saturday after most of his demands were met by the government, which said it intends to introduce the Lokpal bill during the monsoon session of Parliament, local media reported. REUTERS
"The Joint Drafting Committee shall consist of five nominee ministers of the Government of India and five nominees of Shri Anna Hazare (including himself).
The five nominee Ministers of the Government of India are as under:
Pranab Mukherjee, Union Minister of Finance, P Chidambaram, Union Minister of Home Affairs, M Veerappa Moily, Union Minister of Law and Justice, Kapil Sibal, Union Minister of Human Resource and Development and Minister of Communication and Information Technology and Salman Khursheed, Union Minister of Water Resources and Minister of Minority Affairs.
The five nominees of Anna Hazare (including himself) are as under:
Anna Hazare, Justice N Santosh Hegde, Shanti Bhushan, Senior Advocate, Prashan Bhushan, Advocate and Arvind Kejriwal.
The Chairperson of the Joint Drafting Committee shall be Pranab Mukherjee.
The Co-Chairperson of the Joint Drafting Committee shall be Shanti Bhushan.
The Convenor of the Join Drafting Committee shall be M Veerappa Moily.
The Joint Drafting Committee shall commence its work forthwith and evolve its own procedure to prepare the proposed legislation.
The Joint Drafting Committee shall complete its work latest by 30th June, 2011."
Source: PTI
Six issues that shamed India the most
This story was published on the eve of Independence Day last year. But it has become relevent today against the backdrop in Anna Hazare's crusade against corruption. Some things never change in India. Will Anna buck this trend? Here is a list of six things/issues that we Indians should be shameful about:
Corruption: As old as the country
India's date with corruption seems to be as old as the country itself. Starting with the British bribing the Maharajas to gain control of the unconquered lands, it is a long trait that has been a boon and a bane to many. You must be thinking how is it a boon? I'll come to that later.
Licence Raj: Corruption Raj since Independence, India's economy has been driven by socialist-inspired policies for practically three to four decades. When Indira Gandhi came to power in 1966, she went on a socialist spree --- Nationalising banks, Garibi hatao campaign and Licence Raj. Licence Raj became synonymous with corruption as red tape was inevitable while the companies scouted for licences to set up businesses in India.
Imagine this: Up to 80 government agencies had to be satisfied before private companies could set up shop, and if they did manage to do it, the government would regulate the production. Probably that is not what Jawaharlal Nehru, the architect of the system of Licence Raj, had in mind.
Spectrum Raja: Billions vanish into air
That licence raj is still prevailing today, albeit in a different manner, thanks to Spectrum Raja, is disturbing. A Raja, who is the Union Minister for Telecommunications, seems to have literally thrown spectrum to the winds. There were major irregularities in allotting wireless radio spectrum and licences by the telecom ministry to nine private telcos in 2007(second generation).
The Rs 60,000 crore-scam began when the government allocated scarce 2G spectrum at throwaway prices that too to a string of companies without any experience in the telecom sector. The allegation is that the government gave away scarce spectrum to nine companies, clubbed with licences, on a first-come-first-serve basis, rather than through an auction process. That is, an operator got start-up spectrum by paying pan-India licence fee of Rs 1,650 crore. This price was not taken on the basis of the 2007 market value but on the basis of an auction held in 2001.
Also, many new players roped in foreign investors soon after acquiring the licences, thereby making a neat sum. The value of the licence and spectrum in 2007 could not be the same as in 2001 as the telecom market has grown phenomenally during this period. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh refused to accept the allegations surrounding Spectrum Raja.
Raja has continually maintained that the government has simply following its earlier practice of allotting 2G start-up spectrum along with licences on a first-come-first-serve basis. The 2G spectrum allocation issue came under the scrutiny of various bodies, including the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Despite these investigations during the UPA-1 regime, Raja returned as the IT and communications minister in UPA-2. Raja is an MP of UPA ally DMK.
The government policy of 2G spectrum is facing fire as the ongoing auction of 3G (third generation) spectrum has resulted in exceedingly high bids. Against the pan-India reserve price of Rs 3,500 crore, the 3G auction has yielded close to Rs9,000 crore in 16 days of bidding. The 3G bidding is nowhere near the closing line yet.
Commonwealth Games: Muck yet to stop flying
Imagine buying a 100 litre fridge for Rs 42,202 (which can be bought for a mere Rs 14,000-15,000), a toilet tissue paper roll for Rs 4,132 (Original price: Rs 30-40) and a 2 tonne AC for Rs 1,87,957 and wait..... an umbrella for Rs 6,000 and more!!!!
This is probably a Guinness record and the neatest way in which Suresh Kalmadi, the chairman of the Games Organising Committee, could make pots of money... after all price is a matter of perception. The rot starts right at the top. The probe of Comptroller Auditor General of India (CAG) revealed that undue favour had been showed to London-based Fast Track Sales solely on the recommendation of Commonwealth Games Federation Mike Fennell and Chairman Suresh Kalmadi.
Jubilee Sports Technology, a relatively unknown company, had bagged many Games contracts and was a key supplier. It appears as if the company's headquarters and other shareholders have simply vanished into thin air as most of the addresses have turned out to be a fake. There too much more muck....At this rate, Mani Shankar Aiyar's dreams of the Delhi Games flopping might come true.
Among the other famous scams that have rocked India for several years are the Bofors scandal (which is yet to see the light of the day), fodder scam and Mayawati's Taj Corridor Scam. A quick look at history to find out why they are still rocking the Parliament.
Bofors: The Indian government signed a $1.4 billion contract with Swedish arms company AB Bofors on March 24, 1986, for the supply of over 400 155mm howitzers. It is alleged that Bofors paid kickbacks to top Indian politicians and key defence officials to secure the deal. Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, who was close to Rajiv Gandhi, was the middle man.
Former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's name figured in the first CBI chargesheet in the case as "an accused not sent for trial" as he was killed in 1991. The Hinduja brothers also have been charged in this case --- with cheating, criminal conspiracy and corruption. Both were later cleared of any involvement by the Delhi High Court. The latest --- CBI has applied for a closure of the case against Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi.
Taj Corridor Scam: In 2002-03, the then chief minister of Uttar Pradesh decided to upgrade tourist facilities near the Taj Mahal. The BJP government at the Centre gave her the environmental clearance for the project, but later backed out. It is alleged that Mayawati embezzled money set aside for the Rs 175-crore project. The case is still under investigation by the CBI.
Fodder Scam: The Rs 950-crore scam kept Lalu Prasad Yadav in the limelight long enough. It involved the alleged embezzlement of about Rs 950 crore from the treasury of Bihar. This was done over many years and through various officials who even fabricated vast herds of fictitious livestock for which fodder, medicines and animal husbandry equipment were supposedly procured.
Now back to why it is a boon for people like us. It is because our officials are corrupt that we know that a bribe here and there will get our work done, without breaking our heads too much about being law-abiding citizens. We evade taxes, pay off cops for traffic violations, register properties under false names, play for the country even if we are not eligible all because corruption has become so intrinsic in our system.
Public Etiquette and hygiene
We are habitual offenders when it comes to public hygiene. Go to any part of India, be it the cosmopolitan Mumbai or the suave Delhi, no one is spared the horror of watching people opening urinating and defecating in the public - even if there are public toilets or restaurants around. Imagine going to the Worli Sea Face, or sitting near Bandstand in Bandra, when you should be enjoying the cool breeze and have the misfortune of seeing someone's backside instead.
Secondly, another stinking habit of ours: Spitting in public. You must have seen paan-stained walls at least once in your life... If not that you would have come across people spitting on the roads irrespective of whether they are rich or poor. I don't have anything against paan or tobacco mind you... it is just that paan-stained walls stink like crazy.
Throwing garbage on the road, in the canals, anywhere and everywhere except the dustbin is another shameful deed that we Indians do. We litter whereever we go, be it cinema halls, playgrounds, parks, zoos, offices and even our homes. The least we can do is to keep a plastic bag in our bags to keep the waste with us until we find a way to dispose of it.
Punctuality
There is a joke that most Indians report on Indian Standard Time. You might be thinking jerk! we do work on IST... but of course that is not what I meant.. did I?
Indian Standard Time refers to how usually we report late...... for everything.....appointments, going to work, school or college, you name it. I mean it has become so ingrained in us to report late that we expect everything around us to be like that. There is always talk of how trains are late all the time and why the Indian Railways never improves. Or how you have to factor in at least half an hour into your travel time because either the cab guy will be late, or the flight will take off late.
In a country where going late has become a fashion, even a company like IndiGo has come out with an ad saying being on time makes a whole lot of sense. And how do we react to punctual people? We are in awe!!!
Judiciary: Nearly 30 million cases pending
In India, if you file a case, your case might come up for hearing 10 years later. Well, with a population of 1 billion and counting what would you expect? India could take some lessons from the US on litigation -- a country where people get sued if their dog poops on the road, or they show cruelty towards their cat.
Over three million cases are pending in India's 21 high courts, and an astounding 26.3 million cases are pending in subordinate courts across the country. At the same time, there are almost a quarter million under-trials languishing in jails across the country. Of these, some 2,069 have been in jail for more than five years, even as their guilt or innocence is yet to be ascertained.
The only thing that works in India is money and muscle power -- even in the judiciary. Not true? Tell me one case of where a politician or an actor or a businessman who is accused of some really serious crimes (mostly they do turn out to be true even though we have to give everyone the benefit of the doubt) actually punished?
Take the case of the Anti-Sikh riots. Despite 16 years of courts and cases and more cases, not one accused has been brought to book. Congress MPs Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler have been charged with murder in the case. Yet, both of them roam freely.
The ex-chief executive officer of Satyam, now Mahindra Satyam, Ramalinga Raju is now "recuperating in a hospital" when he should be serving time in a jail for embezzling thousands of crores of rupees from his company. That is another fad: Feigning illness to escape going to jail.
Actors too are not far behind. Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt have been in the limelight mostly for all the wrong things they have done rather than their acting. Sanjay Dutt, who is one of the six accused in the 1993 Mumbai riots case, was sentenced to six years in jail under the Arms Act but was exonerated for terror offences under the stringent TADA (Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act). Sanjay Dutt has moved on... He got married and is going to be a father.
In September 2002, Salman Khan ran his Land Cruiser over some pavement dwellers killing one and seriously injuring three people. At the time of the accident, Salman was returning from the J W Mariott Hotel in Juhu and heading for his home in Bandra. The actor was booked for rash driving and causing death due to negligence under sections 304, 279 and 388 of the Indian Penal Code. He is currently making movies....
Honour Killings: Partition horror act continues
The funny thing is there is nothing honourable about them. "Honour killings" is the murder of a family or a clan member by one or more family members in which the perpetrators believe that the victim is bringing dishonour upon the family, clan or community.
The rate at which honour killings are reported in India, it is a miracle that people still find the courage to fall in love outside their community. Widespread in most circles, conservatives or otherwise, in India or abroad, it shows up in different ways. Women and young girls are especially at the receiving end of such heinous crimes. Funny, people don't seem to think parading women naked and molesting them in public are not "dishonourable".
This "tradition" has its roots in the gory Partition saga, where many women were forcibly killed to save family honour. During those troubled times, there were a lot of forced marriages where Indians and Pakistanis would marry each other. This, in turn, led to them being declared social outcastes. But, it did not stop there. It became a bloodbath, which got sucked into the melee of all the things that came to define Partition.
This is not a practice relevant to India alone. It is practised in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Africa, the Middle East and many other countries. This is a genocide that needs to be addressed soon... before it gets any worse.
FCI: Nation starves, food grains rot
What is with the Food Corporation of India? They are supposed to be feeding millions of people and instead are doing everything in their power to make sure the food grains don't reach the masses. The FCI is responsible for procurement and storage of food grains.
Even as thousands and lakhs of people starve everyday, food grains rot in FCI godowns. In one of the latest exposes, the government has admitted that 61,000 metric tonnes of food grains, which could have fed about 8.4 lakh people for one year, was unfit for consumption. And the best part is, the FCI wants to export the unfit grains to our neighbours - Bangladesh and Nepal.
Now, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar is of the opinion that all reports on rotting of food grains are not "correct and quite exaggerated. "There are only certain cases of damage and we have suspended some officials," he added.
The remark came two days after the Minister conceded in the House that rotting of foodgrains was a "shameful" fact. He had said that over 11,700 tonnes of foodgrains worth Rs. 6.86 crore were found "damaged" in government godowns. We give food to rats, but don't have enough for our people.
Source: India Syndicate
No holiday from corruption
Opinion: To end corruption, there is a need to professionalise the CBI and make it report to SC
Opinion & Viewpoint: The Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) submission of its first charge sheet in the 2G spectrum case, a complex case with strong political overtones, makes me wonder whether it is time to transform the CBI into a wholly professional outfit that would make all of us proud. At present, unfortunately, the CBI has the image of being a handmaiden to the Union government.
I do not think we are going to have a holiday from scams, which makes it necessary to build a first-class investigating agency that is insular from political manipulation and comprises ace investigators who are skilled, honest and content.
To go about this task, first, we need to free the CBI from executive caprice. As the law stands today, 'superintendence' of the CBI is vested in the Central Vigilance Commission. We now know how the apex court recently frustrated the government's design to impose on the commission a chief who was under a cloud. A salutary provision of an assigned role for the leader of the opposition in choosing a CVC was unabashedly flouted. It was by an accident or design that the whole process got vitiated because the relevant material regarding the government's favourite nominee was not placed before the selection committee.
There is no guarantee that the sinister exercise will not be repeated in some other form when making the next appointment. There is no point in depending on the CVC to protect the CBI from political directions. The only alternative is to make the CBI accountable solely to the Supreme Court.
I am sure many sceptics will shoot this down as impractical and undemocratic. It is an experiment that is worth attempting to make our anti-graft investigations, especially against those in high places, more credible and acceptable to the public. In such a dispensation, the CBI will derive its logistic support -- manpower and equipment -- with the help of the department of personnel, which works under the prime minister. But in respect of its investigative function, it would report to the Supreme Court. The chief justice of India could possibly earmark a bench of three or four judges to oversee the CBI's prosecution work. This would not involve too much of labour or effort on the part of this bench, which could summon the CBI director and his chosen deputies for a periodic review.
Moreover, the Union government must withdraw its infamous single directive. The latter order is an abomination, requiring the CBI to obtain the permission of ministries to launch a preliminary enquiry (PE) or a regular case (RC) against a civil servant of and above the rank of joint secretary. This constitutional validity of this directive is now being examined by the apex court. This had originally been struck down by the court in the 'hawala' judgment of 1997, but was revived by the NDA government and later unconscionably incorporated in the CVC Act 2003.
This provision, meant to safeguard senior civil servants from any tendentious investigation, gives an opportunity to a Union minister to protect an unscrupulous favourite civil servant. It further tips off a dishonest civil servant when the CBI seeks permission from a ministry in which he is working, giving him/her enough time to destroy material evidence.
Another important reform could be to involve the leader of the opposition in choosing the CBI director. Under the present procedure, after an initial scrutiny of the department of personnel in conjunction with the ministry of home affairs, a shortlist of IPS officers is made by the CVC on the basis of three criteria, viz., seniority, length of experience in anti-corruption work, and integrity. The list is forwarded to the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), comprising the home minister and prime minister, which finalises the appointment. The selection process can be fortified by getting the concurrence of the leader of the opposition as well so that the choice is absolutely on professional grounds and there is no complaint later that the favourite among the three candidates in the list was preferred over the other two.
This is transparency at its best. I am confident that this will enhance the stature of the director, who handles the most sensitive investigations. An added embargo that the director will not be eligible for a further spell of employment with the Union government for at least another five years after demitting office will ensure his total independence and objectivity.
(The writer is a former CBI director)
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Manmohan launches blistering attack on Left parties
Kottayam: Launching a blistering attack on Left parties, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday said West Bengal and Kerala have suffered under their rule as they refused to change with time and remained on the "wrong side of history".
File photo of Dr Manmohan Singh. PTI
The Left had not only failed to help the states which they ruled to march ahead but "they also try to give garb of ideology to political opportunism", Dr. Singh said, taking on the communist parties in the LDF-ruled Kerala at an election meeting here.
"It is unfortunate that the Left Front refuses to change with time. The result is that they pursue policies and programmes that are not relevant to time", Dr. Singh said.
"When I came during the Lok Sabha polls I had said that our Left friends are on the wrong side of history. I reiterate that", he said in his first campaign meeting for the April 13 Kerala Assembly polls.
Dr. Singh said everybody was aware of the "damage" done to West Bengal by the Left Front by their more than three decades rule and they also failed to take Kerala forward.
"Under the LDF rule your state (Kerala) has not progressed as much as it could have and should have." While the interests of the common man were neglected under the Left rule, CPI(M) party workers gained at the cost of ordinary people, Dr. Singh said.
CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat (3rd L) with other Left leaders waves to the crowd during an election rally in Kozhikode on Friday night. Kerala CPI Secretary CK Chandrappan is also seen. PTI
He said due to the "wrong" policies of the LDF, the state had failed to attract any private projects as the entrepreneurship had been discouraged and failed to create a climate conducive for investment.
Dr. Singh also attacked the LDF rule for failing to take proper advantage of the central schemes despite the UPA at the Centre extending all support for Kerala in every sector.
Appealing to voters to bring UDF to power, Dr. Singh said what Kerala needed for rapid growth was a government that would work hand in hand with the UPA government at the Centre.
"LDF lives in the past. On the other hand UDF stands for future of Kerala. We need to reverse the present state of affairs. We need to build a climate that attracts investment and creates more jobs, especially for youth", he said.
Outlining the achievements of the UPA government in the last seven years, Dr. Singh said it was committed to rooting out corruption in public life.
The main objective of the Right to Information Act was to ensure transparency in governance and corruption-free public life, he said.
The policy of the UPA was to ensure inclusive growth by giving emphasis to interests of all sections while expediting economic progress, he said.
The Prime Minister said there was no basis to the LDF's allegation that the Centre had been neglecting the state and cited welfare schemes like rural and urban generation programmes, to highlight the support extended to Kerala.
Source: PTI
Indian People's League triumphs
In a week dominated by Anna Hazare and his crusade, practically everything else paled in comparison. India has woken up to the fact that the corrupt need to be punished and not just brushed aside. In other news, Assam went to polls, which were by and large peaceful, and recorded 73% polling. SC has decided to do a day-to-day trial in the 2G scam, while CBI took over Batcha suicide case. Kashmiri moderate leader was killed in a blast outside a mosque.
Govt blinks, Hazare wins
Gandhian Anna Hazare on Saturday called off his hunger strike bringing to an end his 98-hour protest after government issued a gazette notification constituting a 10-member Joint Committee of ministers and civil society activists, including him, to draft an effective Lok Pal Bill.
Curtains were drawn on the anti-corruption campaign that drew instant nationwide support with a little girl giving the 73-year-old activist a glass of water at 10.45 am at Jantar Mantar, the nerve-centre of the agitation for a strong legislation to combat political and administrative graft.
Earlier, Hazare offered water to some women, among the over 300 activists who had joined the fast. Social activists Swami Agnivesh, Medha Patkar and Kiran Bedi hailed Hazare's campaign as the Gandhian said he would to continue the fight for the "second struggle for independence".
The Prime Minister issued a statement in the morning saying that the government intends to introduce "the historic legislation" in the Monsoon Session of parliament.
Making a brief speech after he broke his fast, the veteran Gandhian said it was just the beginning of a long struggle ahead and he would not rest content with the Lokpal Bill but also fight for reforms of the electoral system, including the 'right to recall' from gram panchayat level.
The announcement lead to scenes of jubiliation in Jantar Mantar, the site of country's struggle against corruption. Waving tricolour and singing and dancing to the tunes of drums, people on Saturday made Jantar Mantar a carnival site.
Youth and old, men and women, poor and rich -- all stood shoulder to shoulder at the nerve-centre of the anti-corruption protest shouting 'Vande Mataram', 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' and 'Inquilab Zindabad' as Hazare sipped juice offered by a girl to end his fast which lasted 98 hours.
This would indeed mark the beginning of a long struggle to get an anti-corruption law some teeth. The current legislations in the country are not fool-proof enough to nail the corrupt. More than often not, loopholes in the law allow them to get away. In fact, there are just six Lokayuktas in the whole country. And even the Lokayuktas don't have punitive powers.
If the Lokpal Bill has to be effective, then the government has to make sure that the MPs actually pass it as a law first! Given the fact that many of the MLAs and MPs have criminal backgrounds or are into nefarious activities (read Raja, Lalu etc), don't be surprised if the Bill never becomes a law.
The first mention of Lokpal (also known as an anti-corruption ombudsman) was made in the early 1960s. In 1968, a Lokpal Bill was presented for the first time in the Lok Sabha. It was revived in 1971, 1977, 1985, 1989, 1996, 1998 and 2001, but each time was referred to some committee of Parliament. It was again revived in 2008.
Our legislators have always found time to put the Bill away. Let's hope June 30 will be different this time.
2G: More muck on the way?
Seems like the Supreme Court of India is rolling up its sleeves to make sure that the muck created by the 2G scam gets cleaned up. In a move that will definitely get the case being looked at an urgent basis, the apex court on Friday said it will direct the special court, set up exclusively for trying various 2G spectrum scam accused, including former Telecom Minister A Raja, to hold day-to-day trial without any adjournment.
The court also decided to appoint senior advocate U U Lalit as a special public prosecutor to assist the court in holding the trial in the 2G spectrum case. The court adjourned the matter to April 11 to pass the order after the Centre failed to propose any name for the appointment of the SPP.
The bench also said it will restrain all other courts from entertaining any application or petition linked to the case and all such pleas will have to be filed in the apex court only.
The bench also directed the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate to brief it about their second stage of probe into the scam after the filing of the CBI chargesheet in the case on April 2 in the special court.
Senior advocate K K Venugopal, appearing for CBI and ED, submitted that the second charge sheet regarding bribery angle in the scam will be filed before April 24. The bench also said that it will pass order giving liberty to the SPP in the case to suggest names of other prosecutors to assist him in the trial.
Government has been at loggerheads with the CBI in the apex court over the agency's decision to appoint Lalit as special public prosecutor, saying he did not meet the eligibility criteria for the task.
It has raised technical objections to Lalit's appointment saying that he should have worked under the state or the Union government for at least seven years to be eligible as the case has been filed under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
The CBI has registered cases against former Telecom Minister A Raja and others under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
The agency in its first charge sheet alleged that Raja, former Telecom Secretary Siddharth Behura, Raja's personal secretary R K Chandolia, Shahid Usman Balwa and Sanjay Chandra entered into a conspiracy for manipulating the procedure for allocation of spectrum with the aim of favouring companies like Swan Telecom and Unitech Group.
Others named in the charge sheet include Vinod Goenka, a Director of Mumbai-based DB Realty, which was also the promoter of Etisalat DB, Sanjay Chandra, Managing Director of Gurgaon-based real estate company Unitech and Unitech Wireless(Tamil Nadu) Pvt Ltd and Gautam Doshi, Hari Nair and Surendra Pipara, Group Managing Director and two Senior Vice Presidents of Mumbai-based Reliance Telecom Company.
On Saturday, the Enforcement Directorate filed a chargesheet naming some top telecom companies and accusing them of FEMA violations to the tune of Rs 4,300 crore. The ED has named Swan telecom, Loop Mobile, Loop Telecom and S-tel in its chargesheet filed in a Delhi court today.
"Investigation under FEMA has revealed 'large scale' contraventions by telecom companies and their associates in the 2G spectrum allocation case," said the ED. Analysing pricing issue of shares between Unitech and Telenor, ED suspected FEMA contravention by Virgin Mobile, a Tata joint venture.
With day-to-day monitoring and under apex court supervision, the CBI and ED can hope to nail the 2G case. If they do, then probably for the first time in India's history, we will have a minister, sorry an ex-minister, will be indicted. It would also pave the way for a cleaner Executive at the parliament. It would also set benchmarks for India Inc with regards to ethics and corporate governance.
It is time we cleaned up...
Assam Elections: First phase saw 73% polling
The first phase sealed the fate of 485 candidates with an estimated 73 percent polling recorded in 62 assembly seats. The second phase, set to take place on April 11, will be held in 64 of its 126 constituencies.
During the first phase, more than 40,000 police and paramilitary troopers were deployed in various places, with authorities not taking any chance despite a general lull on the insurgency front. Polling was brisk and peaceful. There are 85,09,011 voters in the first phase of polling while the second phase of election for the rest 64 constituencies will be held on April 11.
Ulfa Vice-chairman Pradip Gogoi told PTI that the outfit had already announced that it would boycott the polls but not disturb the poll process.
Even though Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh did their bit of campaigning, the voters in rural areas of Assam were more keen to see their helicopters! It seems even though people attend the rallies of the political parties, they do not generally vote for them.
As many as 496 candidates are in the fray for the second phase of polling spread over 14 Assam districts. The AGP and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are fighting the polls alone and both harp on the theme of corruption and lack of development.
Among the prominent candidates whose fate would be sealed on April 11 are Chandra Mohan Patowary, president of the main opposition Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), two time former chief minister and AGP senior Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, Congress ministers Himanta Biswa Sarma and Rockybul Hussain, besides at least 41 women candidates.
Activist Akhil Gogoi is on a single mission -- to travel from village to village and ask people not to vote for the Congress. "The Congress is working for the capitalists, it's a representative of the landlords. That's why Assamese people want middle class representatives in parties," said Gogoi.
Gogoi clearly has become a king-sized headache for the Congress. He has filed numerous RTI applications, opposed the construction of dams and focused on corruption.
Congress' decade-long rule in Assam might run into rough weather. With the anti-corruption winds being blown across the country by Anna Hazare, the average Assamese may just throw in the gauntlet.
Kashmiri moderate killed in blast
Prominent religious leader Moulvi Showkat Ahmad Shah, who denounced the violent protests that killed more than 115 people in Jammu and Kashmir last year and who was engaged in talks with the Centre's interlocutors, was killed in a bomb blast near a mosque in Srinagar on Friday.
He was seriously injured as an improvised explosive device kept on a cycle outside the mosque exploded ahead of the Friday prayers at Maisuma adjacent to the Lal Chowk. He was declared brought dead in a hospital, the police said. Maulana Showkat Ahmad Shah was entering the mosque in Srinagar to lead Friday prayers when an improvised explosive device detonated.
Shah (55), chief of the Jamiat-e-Ahlihadith, had survived two attempts on his life. Militants fired at his car in 2006 and hurled a grenade at his house at Lal Bazar on the outskirts of the city in 2008.
He had met one of the interlocutors and discussed a possible road map for restoring peace. Shah was among the first to demand a fresh inquiry into the killings of separatist leaders Mirwaiz Farooq, Abdul Gani Lone and Qazi Nissar.
Shah, who was criticised by the hardliners backing the stone-throwing protests, had challenged the perpetrators to cite even one sermon from the Islamic religious texts which supports such acts.
Known for advocating puritanical Islam, he had issued a fatwa against violent protests. Hardliner Syed Ahmed Shah Geelani had criticised him for issuing the fatwa.
He was tech-savvy, having a public figure page on Facebook, where many threatening messages were posted by his opponents. He was a close associate of the Yasin Malik, the president of the moderate pro-independence Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF). No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.
CBI begins probe into Batcha suicide
More than a fortnight after the alleged suicide of former telecom minister A Raja's close aide, A M Sadhick Batcha, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has begun a probe into his mysterious death.
The 38-year-old Batcha, who was the managing director of Green House Promoters, was found hanging from the ceiling of his bedroom in his South Chennai residence on March 16.
According to the agency, the investigations into Batcha's alleged suicide is being done under Section 174 of the CrPC. This section allows a probe agency to investigate cases where death has been caused by unnatural reasons.
The agency registered a case after the Supreme Court's direction to the government on Monday to issue within three days a notification for handing over the investigations to the CBI after it was alleged that the Centre was "sitting over" the request for the last fortnight.
According to CBI officials, Batcha was the key link in the entire scam and was aware about investment made on Raja's behalf. He was summoned by the CBI on three occasion, but did not reveal much.
Investigators believe that Batcha's company Greenhouse Promoters was used as a front by former Telecom Minister A Raja, who is the key accused in the 2G spectrum scam.
The CBI in its chargesheet filed on April 2 had alleged that the money connected with the 2G spectrum scam had travelled through Batcha's company to Kalaignar TV in which Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's wife Dayaluammal was one of the owners.
The agency had said that Rs 200 crore connected with 2G scam travelled from a partnership firm of Shahid Usman Balwa, an accused in the case, to Kalaignar TV.
IPS officer Hitesh Chandra Awasthi has been cleared to head the probe into the 2G spectrum scam after Y P Singh took voluntary retirement to join an International Cricket Council assignment.
Awasthi, a 1985-batch IPS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre, has on April 1 rejoined work after a year-long study leave and is tipped to head the Delhi unit, which is overlooking the 2G spectrum and CWG probes, as the Joint Director.
Source: India Syndicate & Agencies
Why Gandhi is still relevant today
Gandhian principles still work in India; Hazare uses satyagraha in its most purest form to get the govt to act against corruption
Does it take a Gandhian to bring the government to its knees? Well, looking at the response thatAnna Hazare has got from the nation for his fight against corruption, it seems so. Hazare, the anti-graft crusader, has been fasting for three days now demanding that the government put its money where its mouth is.
Consider this: A man decides to go on a fast to get the government to acknowledge that it needs to fight now against now. About 24 hours later, people wake up to his clarion call. Now, 48 hours later, cities across the country are taking the non-violent way of protesting, unlike that of our political parties, to tell the government that they have decided enough is enough! No violence, no bloodshed, no broken cars or burnt buses, shattered shops. Nothing, except the strong resolve of the people is shining through. And what a statement the silence is making!
A brief overview
On April 5, Anna Hazare decided to take on the government and demand that it act against corruption. He also wanted the Jan Lokpal Bill to be amended to give it enough teeth to be effective. He lashed out against Sharad Pawar for being part of the Group of Ministers on corruption. Initially, a shocked Pawar said in jibe, "Please remove me from all the GoMs." However, the constant criticism from Hazare made Pawar resign from the GoM on corruption.
Later, the Gandhian shot off a letter to the Prime Minister slamming the government for not taking his protest too seriously.
Responding to Congress' criticism that his protest was "premature", the 72-year-old said authorities resort to "malicious slandering" whenever cornered and asserted that he was not a kind of person who could be "instigated" into going on an indefinite fast. He alleged that "their spokespersons are misleading the nation".
Referring to criticism of his protest, Hazare said in the letter, "Dear Manmohan Singhji, this is an insult to my sense of wisdom and intelligence... I take advice from many friends and critics but do what my conscience directs me to do.
Hazare, who launched his fast-unto-death on Tuesday in New Delhi, told reporters that he was willing to join a committee on the Bill issue only if Congress chief Sonia Gandhi was a member of it, maintaining that any other such body would lack powers. The talks, as you know, are still going on. The government has not given in to Hazare's demand of making him the chairman of the committee on Lokpal Bill. However, it did agree to introduce the Bill in the Monsoon Session of the parliament.
They want Sonia Gandhi to be on the Lokpal Bill panel. That itself speaks a lot of Mrs Gandhi. Probably, now is the time for Mrs Gandhi and Dr Singh to show that the UPA is very serious about tackling corruption. They have shown steel when they thought the government was going to collapse. Now, more than ever, the dynamic duo need to wake up to the country's most urgent need.
Gandhi's principles in the 21st century
Much has been written about what Hazare said. But, what has largely gone unnoticed is that the spirit of Gandhi is still alive in most Indians. I mean, how else would you explain that a fast by a 71-year-old man garnering nation-wide support in like 48 hours for what is agreed to be one of the most contentious issues that the emerging India is facing.
People from across the nation are now pitching in whatever way they can. Be it raising their voices on social networking media, or joining candlelight marches across cities. Random strangers are joining protestors and fasting. People perform street plays, protests are carried out in Kolkata, Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi. Anna Hazare quips that it is a "do or die moment" for him. Maybe for India too.
One does not have to be at Jantar Mantar to show support to Hazare and his team of Gandhians. All we have to do is to stop turning a blind eye to corruption when we see it.
Corruption is as old as history in India. Alas, it is one lesson we are yet to learn. Gandhiji fought against the British and used Satyagraha as a weapon. A Dandi march shook the British empire, now a fast is shaking the very foundations of the UPA government.
Scam-ridden country needs cleaning up
The country has been facing many a scam in recent times, most noticeably in the last year. 2010 would probably go down in history as the Year of Scams what with the number of scams -- 2G scam, Commonwealth Games scam, Adarsh Housing Society scam, Karnataka land scandal and more.
What makes it more depressing is that in none of the above mentioned scams or in any that rocked the country earlier, not one person has been held guilty. Let's take a reality check:
Kalmadi, the principal man behind the whole CWG mess, is still free. They are yet to chargesheet him.
Adarsh Housing Society: Many former army chiefs and politicians took houses in the society. The only casualty was the then Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh. But, they did make it up to him. Instead of being a CM, they made him the Heavy Industries Minister. Wow, a promotion for being part of a scam? Maybe I should become a politician now!
Karnataka land scams: Yeddyurappa and his family still enjoy cult power in the state. If anything, BJP central leadership have come to understand that they can't do without him in case they don't want to lose out on the crucial lingayat votes.
Slow trials, insufficient evidence, political pressure on the investigating teams (on CBI and the police) -- all this has led to just one thing. Not one person has been held guilty. Conviction rate in our country: ABSOLUTELY ZERO.
Why Gandhi was right
Gandhi was right about one thing: You have to be the change you want to see in the world. For, it starts with you.
If this had been a violent protest, then the government would have dismissed this war cry. Violence does beget violence. It was amazing to see little children, college kids, workers from different walks of life -- all walking in Gandhi's footsteps. This crusade is growing and it has glued India like none other. Perhaps after cricket, this is the only time the nation has been together as one.
School teachers, kids, farmers, doctors, lawyers -- you name it! I had heard of Hazare's crusades earlier.
If we wish to break free from this, if we wish to be truly free from the iron clad chains of corruption, then we must join hands together to erase out this social evil, which has already permeated into the Indian way of living. Being corrupt is not a way of life. Stop legitimising it. It is not just enough that we cry hoarse that politicians are wrong. We should be clean ourselves. If not, at least let us begin now.
Stop paying the constable Rs 50 so that you don't have to pay a Rs 100 fine. Stop greasing the palms of babus to get your work done faster. Stop fudging papers to pay less income tax. STOP!
Power corrupts, but absolute power corrupts absolutely. If Anna Hazare has unwittingly become the mascot of anti-corruption campaign, then so be it. Help Hazare to help the government to help you.
Source: India Syndicate
BJP supports GST Act: Gadkari
New Delhi, Apr 8 (PTI) BJP today said the party favoured the proposed Goods and Services Tax (GST) Act, but accused the Centre of using it as a political weapon against some state governments.
"We are in favor of this Act...The problem is when the central government receives any type of tax from people, for years, they don''t want to transfer it (state''s share) to state governments. It is obvious the share of state government should be immediately passed to it," BJP President Nitin Gadkari said at a CII seminar here.
He said Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states had made a suggestion to the central government that out of the total tax collected by it, the share of the states should be immediately deposited in the "state kitty".
"In many cases, the central government''s approach is politically vindictive and with favor to some states. In many legitimate and genuine cases, like Gujarat, the central government does want to transfer fund, which is right of these states, while using it (the funds) as a political weapons," Gadkari said.
He further alleged that the central government was not ready to listen to the suggestions made by the state governments, "but is making a propaganda that BJP is against this law. We are principally supporter of this act." PTI AD
Full Coverage: Anna Hazare Lokpal Bill
Social activist Anna Hazare's fast unto death for an anti corruption law has stirred people's imaginations, igniting one of the India's biggest mass protests in recent times. Watch this space to catch up with the latest on the Lokpal Bill - this page will feature a selection of stories on Anna Hazare, protests all over the country and the government's response to the public movement.
'Power-hungry' politicians will not let bill pass easily: Hazare Asked if he has come out as a "national hero" to the youth like Mahatma Gandhi, Hazare said, "I am not worthy of even sitting at Gandhiji's feet."  Struggle will continue: Anna HazareThe struggle for a stronger anti-graft law would continue till parliament finally passed the Lokpal (ombdusman) bill, socialreformer Anna Hazare said Saturday, ending his 97-hour hunger strike.  Anna Hazare calls off five-day fastAnti-corruption crusaders end 96-hr fast after PM promised to introduce a more stringent Lokpal bill in the monsoon session.  Lokpal Bill will be passed unanimously: Shanti BhushanShanti Bhushan, former law minister and co-chairman of the joint committee to draft a stringent anti-graft law, Saturday said that he expected the proposed Lokpal Bill to be passed unanimously by both houses of parliament.  Anna to tour India, warns of more strugglesGandhian leader Anna Hazare said on Saturday after breaking his 97-hour hunger strike that he would tour the entire country to campaign against corruption and warned of more struggles ahead.  Anna Hazare: 4.4 million tweets in 3 days in support of his crusadeThat is just a sample of Indian sentiments online for Anna Hazare and his crusade against corruption.  Celebrations begin at Jantar Mantar to mark Hazare's victoryIt was a carnival like atmosphere at Jantar Mantar where hundreds of people danced to drumbeats, shouted slogans and hugged each other to celebrate victory of Anna Hazare who has been sitting on a hunger strike since April 5.  Corruption denting India's image, says Infosys' Narayana MurthyInfosys Technologies chairman and chief mentor N R Narayana Murthy came out strongly in support of Anna Hazare.  Govt blinks on Lokpal bill, Hazare to end fast on SaturdayBesides Hazare, eminent lawyers Shanti Bhushan, Prasant Bhushan, Arvind Kejriwal & Santosh Hege will represent civil society in the 10-member joint committee.  You will be happy with Anna Hazare's decision: Swami AgniveshCivil society leaders indicated on Friday that an agreement may have been reached with the government over formation of a panel.  Don't vote for material benefits: Anna HazareVeteran social reformer Anna Hazare Friday urged India's voters not to cast their ballots for material benefits.  Government's nod to joint panel not end of struggle: KejriwalThe central govt's acceptance of a joint committee to frame a strong anti-graft legislation is not the end of the struggle.  Won't bow before the government: Anna HazareThe govt will soon accept our demands and we will not bow before it, said Hazare after some breakthrough in talks with the govt.  Hazare demands co-chairman for the committee on LokpalAnna Hazare demanded appointment of a chairman and a co-chairman for the proposed joint committee to draft an effective Lokpal Bill.  Anupam Kher urges Sachin, Big B, SRK to support HazareAnupam Kher, who is supporting Anna Hazare, has appealed to Sachin Tendulkar, Amitabh Bachchan and SRK to support the movement against corruption.  Big B supports Hazare's crusade against corruptionMegastar Amitabh Bachchan said he would always back issues that benefit the country and also called upon the media to commit themselves to the cause.  India Inc extends support to Hazare, says sick of corruptionIndia Inc today extended support to social activist Anna Hazare in his fight against corruption, stating it is "sick" of the menace.  Govt rejects Hazare's proposals on anti-graft billAttempts to break the impasse with anti-corruption crusaders failed again on Friday with the government rejecting two of their major demands.  Govt talks tough on Hazare's demandsSibal said only government officials will be members of the joint drafting committee on Lokpal Bill and that no minister will be part of it.  Anna Hazare apologises to Uma BharatiA day after his supporters rudely turned away politicians, social activist Anna Hazare on Thursday apologised to former BJP leader Uma Bharati, saying everybody has the right to join the anti-corruption campaign. |
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