Saturday, 30 July 2011
Friday, 29 July 2011
Monday, 25 July 2011
Thursday, 21 July 2011
Sonia Gandhi has a Vision
Yesterday it was VP Singh , today it's Arun Shourie tomorrow it might be Subramaniam Swamy. VP Singh in his last days openly accepted that he was doing 'Prayaschit' for all he had done against Rajiv Gandhi and his family. Arun Shourie has recently realised how strongly Sonia Gandhi feels for the handicapped. Swami might take time but will realise his foolishness.
Whatever their leanings are, all the three politicians are extremely sharp.
But sometimes it so happens that one is too self obsessed that he fails to read the writing on the wall.
A common man understands the power of Right to Information. As it's growing older the level of transparency is improving in our corruption ridden society. RTI is working as a deterrant , even if the Babus might say that it has diminished their' efficiency'. One needs to appreciate the fact that even ministers in UPA 1 didn't shy reminding Sonia Gandhi about the fallouts of RTI. She intended to bring in transparency and accountability and it became a law.
This shows the clarity of thought, purity of her intentions and commitment towards the poorest of the poor.
The Right to Food bill is about to come. If the Agriculture ministry had worked with all the transparency and departments like NAFED would have been corruption free, the need wouldn't have arisen. Jawaharlal Nehru knew that our farmers were always happy if the basic requirements were met. Through NAFED he facilitated good price, at the door step and in-time for the farmers. He wanted to get rid of the middlemen who have been the real culprit. Todday NAFED is lending money procured at lesser rate of interest for farmers to businessmen. The politician bureaucrat businessman nexus robbed the farmers and took away NAFED.
This is what Rahul Gandhi has been saying 'Let's share the fruits of growth with our brothers in the villages'. They are less demanding and humble so why not 30kg of grains for them from our GDP. Somia Gandhi is fighting their battle with our 'enlightened' economists in planning commission and Babus in the ministry.
Who is getting strengthened. The man who represents India in every village. The day of the Government is supposed to see the larger picture. Sonia Gandhi is trying her best to get that implemented.
Whatever their leanings are, all the three politicians are extremely sharp.
But sometimes it so happens that one is too self obsessed that he fails to read the writing on the wall.
A common man understands the power of Right to Information. As it's growing older the level of transparency is improving in our corruption ridden society. RTI is working as a deterrant , even if the Babus might say that it has diminished their' efficiency'. One needs to appreciate the fact that even ministers in UPA 1 didn't shy reminding Sonia Gandhi about the fallouts of RTI. She intended to bring in transparency and accountability and it became a law.
This shows the clarity of thought, purity of her intentions and commitment towards the poorest of the poor.
The Right to Food bill is about to come. If the Agriculture ministry had worked with all the transparency and departments like NAFED would have been corruption free, the need wouldn't have arisen. Jawaharlal Nehru knew that our farmers were always happy if the basic requirements were met. Through NAFED he facilitated good price, at the door step and in-time for the farmers. He wanted to get rid of the middlemen who have been the real culprit. Todday NAFED is lending money procured at lesser rate of interest for farmers to businessmen. The politician bureaucrat businessman nexus robbed the farmers and took away NAFED.
This is what Rahul Gandhi has been saying 'Let's share the fruits of growth with our brothers in the villages'. They are less demanding and humble so why not 30kg of grains for them from our GDP. Somia Gandhi is fighting their battle with our 'enlightened' economists in planning commission and Babus in the ministry.
Who is getting strengthened. The man who represents India in every village. The day of the Government is supposed to see the larger picture. Sonia Gandhi is trying her best to get that implemented.
BJP activist indulged in hooliganism
Recently a professor in Madhya Pradesh was dragged out of his classroom and attacked by members of the BJP's student wing, the ABVP.
The teacher was in the midst of a class at the Government College Khandhwa, Madhya Pradesh,
when a large mob of ABVP supporters stormed in and forced him outside. They smeared black ink on his face. Then they beat him up relentlessly. The helpless Professor ran to the Principal's office for help. But a woman from the ABVP barged in there, and hit the professor with her sandals.
Similarly in 2006, Professor H S Sabharwal was assaulted at his campus in Ujjain, allegedly by ABVP workers, who were upset with his attempt to check cheating in student union elections. He fainted due to assault and died in hospital. ABVP members were tried for his murder but were acquitted in 2009 because the BJP government managed the police to withhold clinching evidence against the ABVP activists.
The teacher was in the midst of a class at the Government College Khandhwa, Madhya Pradesh,
when a large mob of ABVP supporters stormed in and forced him outside. They smeared black ink on his face. Then they beat him up relentlessly. The helpless Professor ran to the Principal's office for help. But a woman from the ABVP barged in there, and hit the professor with her sandals.
Similarly in 2006, Professor H S Sabharwal was assaulted at his campus in Ujjain, allegedly by ABVP workers, who were upset with his attempt to check cheating in student union elections. He fainted due to assault and died in hospital. ABVP members were tried for his murder but were acquitted in 2009 because the BJP government managed the police to withhold clinching evidence against the ABVP activists.
Tuesday, 19 July 2011
The biggest fraud of Indian politics
Janta Party President Subramaniam Swamy has definitely made a case for a Hindu Rashtra that would have surpassed the dreams even of the most rabid Hindu fanatic. He of course argues vehemently in favour of removal of Article 370 and resettlement of retired army personnel in J&K. Perhaps what learned Dr Swamy seems to forget is that this was one of the planks in which the BJP rode to power at the height of it's Ram Mandir campaign in the nineties. All of us know what happened to the noisy pro Hindutva agenda during the NDA regime. None of these issues were taken up, instead hard core terrorists were released who are still killing innocents in India from across the border. Preponing general elections once again showed how the NDA failed to feel the pulse of the people and their India Shining Campaign was a reflection of why the UPA came to power in 2004.
Well this would make one wonder as to why am I equating the NDA's fortunes with Dr Swamy. The purpose is to just reiterate that the people of India have consistently rejected such ideas which are too extreme in nature. Mr Swamy is right when he says that despite 800 years of Mughal rule, India still remained 75% Hindu. That is because if the inherent nature of our country, we reject anything that is forced upon us. The NDA lasted for 6 years not because it pursued an aggressive pro Hindu agenda, but because Atal Bihari Vajpayee gave it a moderate and practical look to the Govt.In the first Election manifesto (1977), the Janata Party, had declared: "The Janata Party is dedicated to the values and ideals of Gandhiji. It is dedicated to the task of building a democratic state in India, drawing inspiration from our rich heritage, and the noble traditions of our struggle for independence". In other words, the Janata Party's ideology is to foster democracy in all its dimensions, economic, political, social and cultural. This has to be done by learning from our ancient history and the Freedom struggle; within the Gandhian framework."
Now the President of the same Janta Party says Article 370 should be scrapped. And if that was not enough to wake up Gandhiji in his heavenly abode, Dr Swamy wants to remove the Masjid from Kashi and another 300 Masjids from India. It was the same Mahatma Gandhi who was against the creation of Pakistan and was even ridiculed for calling Pakistanis his brothers and sisters. His frustration was obvious in one of his last speeches. On the eve of his last fast on 12th January, 1948 Mahatma said " I yearn for heart friendship between the Hindus, the Sikhs and the Muslims. It subsisted between them the other day. Today it is non existent. It is a state no India patriot worthy of the name can contemplate with equanimity".
Janata Party also wants to create a society with a political government powerful in its legitimate domain and minimal elsewhere, a government that governs but does not dabble in business, arts, media, justice, religion and piety. Now how would one justify the ideals of a political party with the suggestions made by Dr Swamy. Is not removal of Masjids dabbling in religion, and creating a Hindu Rashtra against the very ideals his party is striving for. Let me quote the Mahatma again to drive home the point. He said "A votary of Ahimsa cannot subscribe to the utilitarian formula (of the greatest good of the greatest number). He will strive for the greatest good of all and die in the attempt to realise the ideal".
Of course illegal migrants from Bangladesh remains a sticky issue and both Govt's of India and Bangladesh are trying to sort the issue. But the whole talk of annexing parts of Bangladesh is a bit far fetched. Will we not have the same problems that the Bangladesh Govt is facing. Then who will provide security and funds to keep those lands under our control. Will that not give rise to more extremism and tension in the region. Is it really worth it ? Mahatma said "Hindus, if they want unity among different races, must have the courage to trust the minorities".
And one can't help but remember he famous quote "practice what you preach". If Dr Swamy couldn't help but bring home a "Muslim" son in law, then he sure has a long way to go to convince others. It is not aimed at bringing disrespect to anyone including Dr Swamy, but with his flights of fancy, he sure has forced some to think of Indians as Hindus and Muslims and of course Sikhs. I would like to end with another small line from Mahatma again. He said " I cannot picture to myself a time when all mankind will have one religion". Maybe Dr Swamy needs to give more attention to the Mahatma's teachings.
Well this would make one wonder as to why am I equating the NDA's fortunes with Dr Swamy. The purpose is to just reiterate that the people of India have consistently rejected such ideas which are too extreme in nature. Mr Swamy is right when he says that despite 800 years of Mughal rule, India still remained 75% Hindu. That is because if the inherent nature of our country, we reject anything that is forced upon us. The NDA lasted for 6 years not because it pursued an aggressive pro Hindu agenda, but because Atal Bihari Vajpayee gave it a moderate and practical look to the Govt.In the first Election manifesto (1977), the Janata Party, had declared: "The Janata Party is dedicated to the values and ideals of Gandhiji. It is dedicated to the task of building a democratic state in India, drawing inspiration from our rich heritage, and the noble traditions of our struggle for independence". In other words, the Janata Party's ideology is to foster democracy in all its dimensions, economic, political, social and cultural. This has to be done by learning from our ancient history and the Freedom struggle; within the Gandhian framework."
Now the President of the same Janta Party says Article 370 should be scrapped. And if that was not enough to wake up Gandhiji in his heavenly abode, Dr Swamy wants to remove the Masjid from Kashi and another 300 Masjids from India. It was the same Mahatma Gandhi who was against the creation of Pakistan and was even ridiculed for calling Pakistanis his brothers and sisters. His frustration was obvious in one of his last speeches. On the eve of his last fast on 12th January, 1948 Mahatma said " I yearn for heart friendship between the Hindus, the Sikhs and the Muslims. It subsisted between them the other day. Today it is non existent. It is a state no India patriot worthy of the name can contemplate with equanimity".
Janata Party also wants to create a society with a political government powerful in its legitimate domain and minimal elsewhere, a government that governs but does not dabble in business, arts, media, justice, religion and piety. Now how would one justify the ideals of a political party with the suggestions made by Dr Swamy. Is not removal of Masjids dabbling in religion, and creating a Hindu Rashtra against the very ideals his party is striving for. Let me quote the Mahatma again to drive home the point. He said "A votary of Ahimsa cannot subscribe to the utilitarian formula (of the greatest good of the greatest number). He will strive for the greatest good of all and die in the attempt to realise the ideal".
Of course illegal migrants from Bangladesh remains a sticky issue and both Govt's of India and Bangladesh are trying to sort the issue. But the whole talk of annexing parts of Bangladesh is a bit far fetched. Will we not have the same problems that the Bangladesh Govt is facing. Then who will provide security and funds to keep those lands under our control. Will that not give rise to more extremism and tension in the region. Is it really worth it ? Mahatma said "Hindus, if they want unity among different races, must have the courage to trust the minorities".
And one can't help but remember he famous quote "practice what you preach". If Dr Swamy couldn't help but bring home a "Muslim" son in law, then he sure has a long way to go to convince others. It is not aimed at bringing disrespect to anyone including Dr Swamy, but with his flights of fancy, he sure has forced some to think of Indians as Hindus and Muslims and of course Sikhs. I would like to end with another small line from Mahatma again. He said " I cannot picture to myself a time when all mankind will have one religion". Maybe Dr Swamy needs to give more attention to the Mahatma's teachings.
Swamy and the Mahatma:
Janta Party President Subramaniam Swamy has definitely made a case for a Hindu Rashtra that would have surpassed the dreams even of the most rabid Hindu fanatic. He of course argues vehemently in favour of removal of Article 370 and resettlement of retired army personnel in J&K. Perhaps what learned Dr Swamy seems to forget is that this was one of the planks in which the BJP rode to power at the height of it's Ram Mandir campaign in the nineties. All of us know what happened to the noisy pro Hindutva agenda during the NDA regime. None of these issues were taken up, instead hard core terrorists were released who are still killing innocents in India from across the border. Preponing general elections once again showed how the NDA failed to feel the pulse of the people and their India Shining Campaign was a reflection of why the UPA came to power in 2004.
Well this would make one wonder as to why am I equating the NDA's fortunes with Dr Swamy. The purpose is to just reiterate that the people of India have consistently rejected such ideas which are too extreme in nature. Mr Swamy is right when he says that despite 800 years of Mughal rule, India still remained 75% Hindu. That is because if the inherent nature of our country, we reject anything that is forced upon us. The NDA lasted for 6 years not because it pursued an aggressive pro Hindu agenda, but because Atal Bihari Vajpayee gave it a moderate and practical look to the Govt.In the first Election manifesto (1977), the Janata Party, had declared: "The Janata Party is dedicated to the values and ideals of Gandhiji. It is dedicated to the task of building a democratic state in India, drawing inspiration from our rich heritage, and the noble traditions of our struggle for independence". In other words, the Janata Party's ideology is to foster democracy in all its dimensions, economic, political, social and cultural. This has to be done by learning from our ancient history and the Freedom struggle; within the Gandhian framework."
Now the President of the same Janta Party says Article 370 should be scrapped. And if that was not enough to wake up Gandhiji in his heavenly abode, Dr Swamy wants to remove the Masjid from Kashi and another 300 Masjids from India. It was the same Mahatma Gandhi who was against the creation of Pakistan and was even ridiculed for calling Pakistanis his brothers and sisters. His frustration was obvious in one of his last speeches. On the eve of his last fast on 12th January, 1948 Mahatma said " I yearn for heart friendship between the Hindus, the Sikhs and the Muslims. It subsisted between them the other day. Today it is non existent. It is a state no India patriot worthy of the name can contemplate with equanimity".
Janata Party also wants to create a society with a political government powerful in its legitimate domain and minimal elsewhere, a government that governs but does not dabble in business, arts, media, justice, religion and piety. Now how would one justify the ideals of a political party with the suggestions made by Dr Swamy. Is not removal of Masjids dabbling in religion, and creating a Hindu Rashtra against the very ideals his party is striving for. Let me quote the Mahatma again to drive home the point. He said "A votary of Ahimsa cannot subscribe to the utilitarian formula (of the greatest good of the greatest number). He will strive for the greatest good of all and die in the attempt to realise the ideal".
Of course illegal migrants from Bangladesh remains a sticky issue and both Govt's of India and Bangladesh are trying to sort the issue. But the whole talk of annexing parts of Bangladesh is a bit far fetched. Will we not have the same problems that the Bangladesh Govt is facing. Then who will provide security and funds to keep those lands under our control. Will that not give rise to more extremism and tension in the region. Is it really worth it ? Mahatma said "Hindus, if they want unity among different races, must have the courage to trust the minorities".
And one can't help but remember he famous quote "practice what you preach". If Dr Swamy couldn't help but bring home a "Muslim" son in law, then he sure has a long way to go to convince others. It is not aimed at bringing disrespect to anyone including Dr Swamy, but with his flights of fancy, he sure has forced some to think of Indians as Hindus and Muslims and of course Sikhs. I would like to end with another small line from Mahatma again. He said " I cannot picture to myself a time when all mankind will have one religion". Maybe Dr Swamy needs to give more attention to the Mahatma's teachings.
Well this would make one wonder as to why am I equating the NDA's fortunes with Dr Swamy. The purpose is to just reiterate that the people of India have consistently rejected such ideas which are too extreme in nature. Mr Swamy is right when he says that despite 800 years of Mughal rule, India still remained 75% Hindu. That is because if the inherent nature of our country, we reject anything that is forced upon us. The NDA lasted for 6 years not because it pursued an aggressive pro Hindu agenda, but because Atal Bihari Vajpayee gave it a moderate and practical look to the Govt.In the first Election manifesto (1977), the Janata Party, had declared: "The Janata Party is dedicated to the values and ideals of Gandhiji. It is dedicated to the task of building a democratic state in India, drawing inspiration from our rich heritage, and the noble traditions of our struggle for independence". In other words, the Janata Party's ideology is to foster democracy in all its dimensions, economic, political, social and cultural. This has to be done by learning from our ancient history and the Freedom struggle; within the Gandhian framework."
Now the President of the same Janta Party says Article 370 should be scrapped. And if that was not enough to wake up Gandhiji in his heavenly abode, Dr Swamy wants to remove the Masjid from Kashi and another 300 Masjids from India. It was the same Mahatma Gandhi who was against the creation of Pakistan and was even ridiculed for calling Pakistanis his brothers and sisters. His frustration was obvious in one of his last speeches. On the eve of his last fast on 12th January, 1948 Mahatma said " I yearn for heart friendship between the Hindus, the Sikhs and the Muslims. It subsisted between them the other day. Today it is non existent. It is a state no India patriot worthy of the name can contemplate with equanimity".
Janata Party also wants to create a society with a political government powerful in its legitimate domain and minimal elsewhere, a government that governs but does not dabble in business, arts, media, justice, religion and piety. Now how would one justify the ideals of a political party with the suggestions made by Dr Swamy. Is not removal of Masjids dabbling in religion, and creating a Hindu Rashtra against the very ideals his party is striving for. Let me quote the Mahatma again to drive home the point. He said "A votary of Ahimsa cannot subscribe to the utilitarian formula (of the greatest good of the greatest number). He will strive for the greatest good of all and die in the attempt to realise the ideal".
Of course illegal migrants from Bangladesh remains a sticky issue and both Govt's of India and Bangladesh are trying to sort the issue. But the whole talk of annexing parts of Bangladesh is a bit far fetched. Will we not have the same problems that the Bangladesh Govt is facing. Then who will provide security and funds to keep those lands under our control. Will that not give rise to more extremism and tension in the region. Is it really worth it ? Mahatma said "Hindus, if they want unity among different races, must have the courage to trust the minorities".
And one can't help but remember he famous quote "practice what you preach". If Dr Swamy couldn't help but bring home a "Muslim" son in law, then he sure has a long way to go to convince others. It is not aimed at bringing disrespect to anyone including Dr Swamy, but with his flights of fancy, he sure has forced some to think of Indians as Hindus and Muslims and of course Sikhs. I would like to end with another small line from Mahatma again. He said " I cannot picture to myself a time when all mankind will have one religion". Maybe Dr Swamy needs to give more attention to the Mahatma's teachings.
Corruption is an issue that is still rocking our nation
Corruption is an issue that is still rocking our nation. We have seen stormy scenes in Parliament and a lot of public money wasted as virtually no business could be done in the previous session of Parliament due to the Opposition's insistence for a JPC into the 2G Spectrum scam. But wasn't this the same party that had seen it's party president caught accepting bribe on camera and finally on national news networks. A that time, the same BJP had requested the Opposition (Congress) not to stall Parliament with their insistence for a JPC. The Congress had agreed keeping in mind the loss of public money due to Parliament not running.
But of course it's foolhardy to expect the same courtesy from the BJP as they conveniently forgot the recent past and ensured that despite a PAC headed b their own senior leader, they arm twisted the Govt into a JPC which is headed by a senior member of the Congress ! But what's important to note that this 2G Spectrum case in not just a UPA phenomena, but it has it's roots way back in 1998 when the NDA was in power. Allegations have been made against senior BJP leader and then Telecom Minister, the late Pramod Mahajan for getting shares of the bidding telecom companies at Re1 which are now worth in thousands per share !
Take the case of Karnataka where the ruling BJP has been embarrassed no end, yet they keep silent on BS Yeddyurappa's resignation. Allegations have been made that illegal mining of iron ore during his tenure alone is worth Rs 5000 crores. While they hold Parliament to ransom on the 2G Spectrum issue, yet they remain mute spectators to corruption in Karnataka. Lokayukta Santosh Hegde is soon going to bring out is second report on illegal mining and then we shall know how clean the BJP and it's leaders are. The BJP is already jittery as Justice Hegde revealed that three top BJP leaders approached him six months ago to drop Yeddyurappa's name from his report. What more proof is required of his complicity.
Let's move to BJP's favourite state, Gujarat. We have heard rumours of how figures have been inflated during the MoU's signed in Vibrant Gujarat. Then comes the CAG's report of 2008 in which it has slammed the state Govt for irregularities in planning and execution of the controversial Sujalam Sufalam project. State PSU, GSPC had to suffer a loss of Rs 106 crores due to short recovering of liquidated damages from it's contractor, Essar Oil Lmited. Also the spending of almost Rs 10 crores for consultancy by Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd which remained unfruitful. The list is endless, with farmers protesting against their lands being acquired forcefully to panchayat officials taking bribes. Gujarat remains just another state with corruption rampant. What puts the Gujarat Govt in the dock is the fact that there has been no Lokayukta for the past six years !
Here's an interesting fact about corruption in Chhattisgarh also. Dring the last assembly elections in 2008, Congress had declared a bonus of Rs 250 per quintal on paddy in it's election manifesto. The BJP made a promise of Rs 270 per quintal on paddy and to provide rice at Rs 3 per kg. But what followed next after the BJP won was the great paddy scam. 2008-09 saw a drought in at least 50 tehsils of the state, but paddy procurement from these drought affected tehsils was at an all time high ! Paddy was bought from neighbouring states like Orissa, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh and sold to the Chhattisgarh Govt at a bonus of Rs 270 per quintal resulting in a loss of Rs 1400 crores to the state. Land records showed productivity figures of 100 to 200 quintals from just 1 to 2 acres of land in some areas during this period.
Move over to Mumbai where the Shiv Sena BJP combine is ruling the BMC. Congress has just attacked them on 12 points, mostly on corruption. Allegations of handing over contracts of major car parking projects to firms associated with Sena or BJP leaders is already in the public domain. Water distribution remains the same poor self despite Rs 700 crores being sanctioned and 100 percent cost escalations in the much delayed Mithi redevelopment project just goes to prove that all their claims of being better than others on corruption is just a myth.
No wonder former BJP ideologue Govindacharya said about the party " It should find out in it's own ruled states that now many note counting machines have been purchased by which minister. Six BJP ministers have Lokayukta reports against them in one of the states ruled by the party". He also took a dig at them being a responsible Opposition saying "Civil societies are in a proactive role because there is a failed Opposition. The Opposition is more responsible than the ruling party for the civil societies' uprising".
One can't help but feel for the people of Uttarakhand after reading what Mr. Himmat Singh had to say for the ruling party. A former serviceman, Mr Singh has been associated with the BJP for the past 25 years and had this to say " The local media would not show anything against the CM no matter how strong the evidence is of wrongdoing. I was pleasantly delighted when two national news channels exposed two cases of corruption but unfortunately they did not pursue them to their logical conclusion. Was it because Uttarakhand is too small to be shown on National TV or is it because of what the people close to the CM are saying that they managed the national media also".
Madhya Pradesh's Shivraj Singh Chouhan too is under fire just now for his Govt's wheat procurement scam to the tune of Rs 500 crores. So all BJP CM's ranging from Yeddyurappa to Chouhan have some taint or allegation to deal with. But there is no action being taken against any of them. Congress led UPA asked Telecom Minister A Raja to resign, apart from him in jail is Congress MP Suresh Kalmadi for alleged corruption in Commonwealth Games. Ashok Chavan was asked to step down as Maharashtra CM when his name cropped up in the Adarsh Housing Society controversy. Corruption is a sad reality of our times and no one is denying it. But one has to take swift action to ensure that credibility remains in public offices. We have seen the Congress take some at action against offenders, high time the BJP did something about it.
But of course it's foolhardy to expect the same courtesy from the BJP as they conveniently forgot the recent past and ensured that despite a PAC headed b their own senior leader, they arm twisted the Govt into a JPC which is headed by a senior member of the Congress ! But what's important to note that this 2G Spectrum case in not just a UPA phenomena, but it has it's roots way back in 1998 when the NDA was in power. Allegations have been made against senior BJP leader and then Telecom Minister, the late Pramod Mahajan for getting shares of the bidding telecom companies at Re1 which are now worth in thousands per share !
Take the case of Karnataka where the ruling BJP has been embarrassed no end, yet they keep silent on BS Yeddyurappa's resignation. Allegations have been made that illegal mining of iron ore during his tenure alone is worth Rs 5000 crores. While they hold Parliament to ransom on the 2G Spectrum issue, yet they remain mute spectators to corruption in Karnataka. Lokayukta Santosh Hegde is soon going to bring out is second report on illegal mining and then we shall know how clean the BJP and it's leaders are. The BJP is already jittery as Justice Hegde revealed that three top BJP leaders approached him six months ago to drop Yeddyurappa's name from his report. What more proof is required of his complicity.
Let's move to BJP's favourite state, Gujarat. We have heard rumours of how figures have been inflated during the MoU's signed in Vibrant Gujarat. Then comes the CAG's report of 2008 in which it has slammed the state Govt for irregularities in planning and execution of the controversial Sujalam Sufalam project. State PSU, GSPC had to suffer a loss of Rs 106 crores due to short recovering of liquidated damages from it's contractor, Essar Oil Lmited. Also the spending of almost Rs 10 crores for consultancy by Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd which remained unfruitful. The list is endless, with farmers protesting against their lands being acquired forcefully to panchayat officials taking bribes. Gujarat remains just another state with corruption rampant. What puts the Gujarat Govt in the dock is the fact that there has been no Lokayukta for the past six years !
Here's an interesting fact about corruption in Chhattisgarh also. Dring the last assembly elections in 2008, Congress had declared a bonus of Rs 250 per quintal on paddy in it's election manifesto. The BJP made a promise of Rs 270 per quintal on paddy and to provide rice at Rs 3 per kg. But what followed next after the BJP won was the great paddy scam. 2008-09 saw a drought in at least 50 tehsils of the state, but paddy procurement from these drought affected tehsils was at an all time high ! Paddy was bought from neighbouring states like Orissa, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh and sold to the Chhattisgarh Govt at a bonus of Rs 270 per quintal resulting in a loss of Rs 1400 crores to the state. Land records showed productivity figures of 100 to 200 quintals from just 1 to 2 acres of land in some areas during this period.
Move over to Mumbai where the Shiv Sena BJP combine is ruling the BMC. Congress has just attacked them on 12 points, mostly on corruption. Allegations of handing over contracts of major car parking projects to firms associated with Sena or BJP leaders is already in the public domain. Water distribution remains the same poor self despite Rs 700 crores being sanctioned and 100 percent cost escalations in the much delayed Mithi redevelopment project just goes to prove that all their claims of being better than others on corruption is just a myth.
No wonder former BJP ideologue Govindacharya said about the party " It should find out in it's own ruled states that now many note counting machines have been purchased by which minister. Six BJP ministers have Lokayukta reports against them in one of the states ruled by the party". He also took a dig at them being a responsible Opposition saying "Civil societies are in a proactive role because there is a failed Opposition. The Opposition is more responsible than the ruling party for the civil societies' uprising".
One can't help but feel for the people of Uttarakhand after reading what Mr. Himmat Singh had to say for the ruling party. A former serviceman, Mr Singh has been associated with the BJP for the past 25 years and had this to say " The local media would not show anything against the CM no matter how strong the evidence is of wrongdoing. I was pleasantly delighted when two national news channels exposed two cases of corruption but unfortunately they did not pursue them to their logical conclusion. Was it because Uttarakhand is too small to be shown on National TV or is it because of what the people close to the CM are saying that they managed the national media also".
Madhya Pradesh's Shivraj Singh Chouhan too is under fire just now for his Govt's wheat procurement scam to the tune of Rs 500 crores. So all BJP CM's ranging from Yeddyurappa to Chouhan have some taint or allegation to deal with. But there is no action being taken against any of them. Congress led UPA asked Telecom Minister A Raja to resign, apart from him in jail is Congress MP Suresh Kalmadi for alleged corruption in Commonwealth Games. Ashok Chavan was asked to step down as Maharashtra CM when his name cropped up in the Adarsh Housing Society controversy. Corruption is a sad reality of our times and no one is denying it. But one has to take swift action to ensure that credibility remains in public offices. We have seen the Congress take some at action against offenders, high time the BJP did something about it.
BJP Has No Right To Yell
The principal opposition party, the BJP seems to be in a good mood these days as it is going hammer and tongs on the corruption in the UPA 2 government at the Centre. Its spokespersons are coming up with bizarre statements on a daily basis advising the central government how to tackle corruption.
But it’s a classic case of the kettle calling the pot black. Let’s see how the BJP reacted to the corruption scandals in its own back yard?
a) Swami Nigamananda, who was on fast for nearly four months demanding a halt to quarrying in Ganga, died due to coma, septicemia and degenerative brain disorder. The 36-year-old seer of the Haridwar-based Matri Sadan Ashram was on indefinite fast since February 19. Swami Nigmananda was in coma while BJP leaders made a beeline to visit Baba Ramdev (in the next room in the same hospital in Dehradun) who was looking for an opportunity to break his fast. Ramdev broke his vow midway, while the true Swami died fighting for Ma Ganga. So much for the religion and Hindutva of the BJP.
b) The Himachal scandal on private universities. BJP MP Rajan Sushant has launched a blistering attack on the HP government led by Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal for indiscriminately sanctioning 18 private universities and called it the biggest scandal and an attempt to commercialize education with dubious business motives.
c) The Karnataka mining and land scams.
d) Kargil Coffin scam, Ketan Parikh securities scam, Sukhram Telecom scam, hawala scandal, petrol pump scam, telecom scam, Barak Missile scandal -- are among the host of scams which hit the NDA government when it was in power for six years till 2004.
Yes, some scams have hit the UPA 2 government – but it has taken remedial measures to ensure that corruption is fought systemically. Former union minister A Raja is in jail in the 2G spectrum scam so are the corporate honchos. Another minister had to quit his post and daughter of the DMK boss is in jail. Suresh Kalmadi, the chief architect in the Commonwealth Games scam is cooling heels in Tihar. So are his compatriots. Chief minister Ashok Chavan had to resign after the Adarsh scandal broke.
Congress chief Sonia Gandhi PM Manmohan Singh and party general secretary Rahul Gandhi have adopted a “zero tolerance” policy towards corruption. The message is loud and clear – no refuge for corrupt people in the party as well the government.
The BJP needs to take a lesson or two from the Congress and first set its own house in order before attacking the ruling coalition.
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