The subject was "Kaise Kaaboo mein aayega Kaale Dhan ka Jinn"?
Please find attached the link here
http://epaper.patrika.com/67637/Rajasthan-Patrika-Jaipur/10-11-2012#page/20/2
Saturday, November 10, 2012
How to Curb Black Money Menace?
Rajasthan Patrika published a News Article, in its daily on 10-11-12.
The subject was "Kaise Kaaboo mein aayega Kaale Dhan ka Jinn"?
Please find attached the link here
http://epaper.patrika.com/67637/Rajasthan-Patrika-Jaipur/10-11-2012#page/20/2
The subject was "Kaise Kaaboo mein aayega Kaale Dhan ka Jinn"?
Please find attached the link here
http://epaper.patrika.com/67637/Rajasthan-Patrika-Jaipur/10-11-2012#page/20/2
Watch Arvind Kejriwal's answers to TEN questions on ABP News Channel
Watch Very Interesting video of 10 question & answers session posed to Arvind Kejriwal on ABP News yesterday night.
Arvind Kejriwal's sharp and witty answers to ABP News Anchor left him speechless at times.
The only solace is that Arvind Kejriwal's promised ABP News to be back on the News Channel for an interview to answer Digvijay's posse of questions.
Watch out this blog for more.
Arvind Kejriwal's sharp and witty answers to ABP News Anchor left him speechless at times.
The only solace is that Arvind Kejriwal's promised ABP News to be back on the News Channel for an interview to answer Digvijay's posse of questions.
Watch out this blog for more.
Courtesy: ABP News
Arvind Kejriwal: The Emerging Fourth Front?
He has announced a new political party, which promises to change the way politics happens in India. But are Indians ready for a systemic change and is Kejriwal the right man for the job?
Friday, November 9, 2012
Govt dismisses Kejriwal's black money claims, IAC activists to protest
The government has dismissed India Against Corruption activist-turned-politician Arvind Kejriwal's allegations of black money against big corporate houses, saying there is nothing new in it. "Nothing new in the allegations. This has already been discussed in Parliament. Government may issue a statement if required," the government said.
Meanwhile, Kejriwal has defended his allegations of black money against big corporate houses. "The government is not able to force the banks to give details of account holders. Are we a banana republic," Kejriwal asked. "Set up a Jan Lokpal and an independent agency to investigate the cases or else there will never be an honest investigation against high and mighty," he added.
Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said investigations will begin only if there's a formal complaint is made. "Let me turn to Kejriwal. He's welcome to make these allegations. If he has material, it will be taken into account. There's no doubt. Nobody is belittling him. If he's made allegations against anyone, of course not everyone has the same freedom as he does, but if they are disclosing something in the nature of what he said, you can be rest assured investigation will start. That's about it. What else should we do? We can't go to cameras. If there is credible information, if I have information about you, will I go only to the cameras? Will I have only a press conference? You can have a press conference because you like publicity. But thereafter, send the information as a complaint or an FIR to the appropriate authority.
Taking their fight further, India Against Corruption activists will gherao the Mumbai residences of RIL chairman Mukesh Ambani and Reliance ADAG Anil Ambani later on saturday. They will also hold protests outside Reliance outlets and HSBC branches in Chennai, Allahabad, Jodhpur, Raipur, Jabalpur and Gwalior.
Corporate houses deny allegations
Reliance Industries Limited, the HSBC bank, the Dabur group have all denied the charges levelled against them by India Against Corruption activist-turned-politician Arvind Kejriwal who accused their chiefs of having crores of cash deposits in Swiss bank accounts where money, he alleged, was transferred through hawala.
Reliance Industries denied that chief Mukesh Ambani had stashed Rs 100 crore in black money in the HSBC Bank in Geneva. It issued a press release, rubbishing Kejriwal's allegations. The company said that neither Reliance Industries Limited nor Mukesh Ambani had any accounts with HSBC in Geneva. The company added that vested interests seemed to be behind such baseless allegations.
HSBC Bank, however, came out with a more cautious reaction saying that it took compliance with the law very seriously. "HSBC Bank in India notes certain allegations made today. The bank cannot comment on the specific details of the allegations that have been made, which relate to issues in the past," it said in its statement. "HSBC takes compliance with the law, wherever it operates, very seriously. With a new senior global leadership team and a new strategy in place since last year, HSBC continues to take concrete steps to strengthen compliance, risk management and culture," the bank added.
Dabur India, on the other hand, regretted the allegations against the Burman brothers, saying, "It was unfortunate that every person having a foreign bank account is being painted with the same brush." Kejriwal had accused the Burman brothers of having accounts at the HSBC bank in Geneva. "We wish to state that these accounts were opened by the Burman family members when they were NRIs, and were legally allowed to open such accounts," the Dabur India statement said.
Claiming that the monies have been sent out of the declared and tax-assessed incomes received in India, the statement said the amounts have been officially remitted from India through official banking channels and as per applicable FEMA guidelines. "The complete details regarding the remittances have been voluntarily, and as per law, filed with the Income Tax Department, and appropriate taxes paid as applicable," the statement said.
Kejriwal's allegations
India Against Corruption activist-turned-politician Arvind Kejriwal on Friday targeted several top Indian business groups and a Congress MP, alleging that they had stashed black money worth several hundred crores in the HSBC Bank in Geneva, Switzerland. He claimed that a senior Congress leader gave him the details about the black money. "The black money from Swiss banks can come but the government doesn't wish to bring it back," Kejriwal said.
Targeting the Ambani brothers, Kejriwal claimed that Reliance ADAG Chairman Anil Ambani and Reliance Industries Limited Chairman Mukesh Ambani had Rs 100 crore each in banks in Switzerland. "Anil Ambani has Rs 100 crore in HSBC Bank in Geneva. Mukesh Ambani also has Rs 100 crore in HSBC Bank in Geneva," Kejriwal said, claiming he has got a few names from the list of Swiss account holders from sources. However, the HSBC Bank had in a statement in January 2012 apologised to Mukesh Ambani for putting his name on a list of alleged Swiss bank account holders.
Kejriwal also targeted Congress MP Annu Tandon, alleging she had Rs 125 crore in Swiss accounts. He alleged that a total of Rs 6,000 crore was stashed abroad. Annu Tandon reacted saying Kejriwal's allegations were baseless.
The activist-turned-politician also alleged that three family members of Dabur group and Naresh Goyal of Jet Airways have crores stashed in Swiss banks.
He also said that the process of opening an account in the Geneva branch of HSBC Bank was easier than opening an account in the SBI account. "Documents show how easy it is to operate the Swiss accounts sitting here in India. Documents show how money gets deposited and transferred through hawala. Opening an account is just a matter of a phone call," Kejriwal said.
Kejriwal claimed that only 100 people of those in the list of 700 people having Swiss bank accounts have been raided. "Why did the government not raid the Ambanis and the Daburs? Small fish were raided by the ED, I-T Department, but the big guys were let off," Kejriwal said.
Following are the links to the details released by Arvind Kejriwal on Friday. The documents are hosted on the website of India Against Corruption:
Is Government encouraging hawala, asks IAC
Annexure 1_Statement of Parminder Singh Kalra
Annexure 2_Statement of Vikram Dhirani
Annexure 3_Statement of Praveen Sawhney
Annexure 4_Media release - What did US do in similar situation
Question in Parliament
Related Media Reports
Source: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/govt-says-nothing-new-in-kejriwals-black-money-claims-iac-to-protest/304871-37-64.html
Meanwhile, Kejriwal has defended his allegations of black money against big corporate houses. "The government is not able to force the banks to give details of account holders. Are we a banana republic," Kejriwal asked. "Set up a Jan Lokpal and an independent agency to investigate the cases or else there will never be an honest investigation against high and mighty," he added.
Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said investigations will begin only if there's a formal complaint is made. "Let me turn to Kejriwal. He's welcome to make these allegations. If he has material, it will be taken into account. There's no doubt. Nobody is belittling him. If he's made allegations against anyone, of course not everyone has the same freedom as he does, but if they are disclosing something in the nature of what he said, you can be rest assured investigation will start. That's about it. What else should we do? We can't go to cameras. If there is credible information, if I have information about you, will I go only to the cameras? Will I have only a press conference? You can have a press conference because you like publicity. But thereafter, send the information as a complaint or an FIR to the appropriate authority.
Taking their fight further, India Against Corruption activists will gherao the Mumbai residences of RIL chairman Mukesh Ambani and Reliance ADAG Anil Ambani later on saturday. They will also hold protests outside Reliance outlets and HSBC branches in Chennai, Allahabad, Jodhpur, Raipur, Jabalpur and Gwalior.
Corporate houses deny allegations
Reliance Industries Limited, the HSBC bank, the Dabur group have all denied the charges levelled against them by India Against Corruption activist-turned-politician Arvind Kejriwal who accused their chiefs of having crores of cash deposits in Swiss bank accounts where money, he alleged, was transferred through hawala.
Reliance Industries denied that chief Mukesh Ambani had stashed Rs 100 crore in black money in the HSBC Bank in Geneva. It issued a press release, rubbishing Kejriwal's allegations. The company said that neither Reliance Industries Limited nor Mukesh Ambani had any accounts with HSBC in Geneva. The company added that vested interests seemed to be behind such baseless allegations.
HSBC Bank, however, came out with a more cautious reaction saying that it took compliance with the law very seriously. "HSBC Bank in India notes certain allegations made today. The bank cannot comment on the specific details of the allegations that have been made, which relate to issues in the past," it said in its statement. "HSBC takes compliance with the law, wherever it operates, very seriously. With a new senior global leadership team and a new strategy in place since last year, HSBC continues to take concrete steps to strengthen compliance, risk management and culture," the bank added.
Dabur India, on the other hand, regretted the allegations against the Burman brothers, saying, "It was unfortunate that every person having a foreign bank account is being painted with the same brush." Kejriwal had accused the Burman brothers of having accounts at the HSBC bank in Geneva. "We wish to state that these accounts were opened by the Burman family members when they were NRIs, and were legally allowed to open such accounts," the Dabur India statement said.
Claiming that the monies have been sent out of the declared and tax-assessed incomes received in India, the statement said the amounts have been officially remitted from India through official banking channels and as per applicable FEMA guidelines. "The complete details regarding the remittances have been voluntarily, and as per law, filed with the Income Tax Department, and appropriate taxes paid as applicable," the statement said.
Kejriwal's allegations
India Against Corruption activist-turned-politician Arvind Kejriwal on Friday targeted several top Indian business groups and a Congress MP, alleging that they had stashed black money worth several hundred crores in the HSBC Bank in Geneva, Switzerland. He claimed that a senior Congress leader gave him the details about the black money. "The black money from Swiss banks can come but the government doesn't wish to bring it back," Kejriwal said.
Targeting the Ambani brothers, Kejriwal claimed that Reliance ADAG Chairman Anil Ambani and Reliance Industries Limited Chairman Mukesh Ambani had Rs 100 crore each in banks in Switzerland. "Anil Ambani has Rs 100 crore in HSBC Bank in Geneva. Mukesh Ambani also has Rs 100 crore in HSBC Bank in Geneva," Kejriwal said, claiming he has got a few names from the list of Swiss account holders from sources. However, the HSBC Bank had in a statement in January 2012 apologised to Mukesh Ambani for putting his name on a list of alleged Swiss bank account holders.
Kejriwal also targeted Congress MP Annu Tandon, alleging she had Rs 125 crore in Swiss accounts. He alleged that a total of Rs 6,000 crore was stashed abroad. Annu Tandon reacted saying Kejriwal's allegations were baseless.
The activist-turned-politician also alleged that three family members of Dabur group and Naresh Goyal of Jet Airways have crores stashed in Swiss banks.
He also said that the process of opening an account in the Geneva branch of HSBC Bank was easier than opening an account in the SBI account. "Documents show how easy it is to operate the Swiss accounts sitting here in India. Documents show how money gets deposited and transferred through hawala. Opening an account is just a matter of a phone call," Kejriwal said.
Kejriwal claimed that only 100 people of those in the list of 700 people having Swiss bank accounts have been raided. "Why did the government not raid the Ambanis and the Daburs? Small fish were raided by the ED, I-T Department, but the big guys were let off," Kejriwal said.
Following are the links to the details released by Arvind Kejriwal on Friday. The documents are hosted on the website of India Against Corruption:
Is Government encouraging hawala, asks IAC
Annexure 1_Statement of Parminder Singh Kalra
Annexure 2_Statement of Vikram Dhirani
Annexure 3_Statement of Praveen Sawhney
Annexure 4_Media release - What did US do in similar situation
Question in Parliament
Related Media Reports
Source: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/govt-says-nothing-new-in-kejriwals-black-money-claims-iac-to-protest/304871-37-64.html
Is Indian Media Scared of Ambani's? Not Hamish McDonald
Why does Indian media refrain to talk about controversies related around big corporates, especially Ambani Brothers. Is Media really free or they are just private clones of DD? It takes the guts of the likes of Hamish McDonald to dig deep into Ambani's Empire and write about them. The following link is an extract from an article published in Hindustan Times, some time back.
Black money flowing out of India is more than fiscal deficit
In the period 2000-2009 the illicit capital flows from India stood at a whopping $104 billion. Currently one dollar is worth around Rs 55. Hence in rupee terms this amounts to a huge Rs 5,70,00 crore. To give the reader a sense of comparison, the fiscal deficit of the government of India for the financial year 2012-2013 ( i.e. the period between April 1, 2012 and March 31, 2013) was initially estimated to be at Rs 5,13,590 crore.
for full article click the link below
Senior Congress Leader provided Information to Arvind Kejriwal !!
Today afternoon Arvind Kejriwal came with yet another hard hitting expose to enlighten the Nation about the issue of Black Money and how the government had the details in July 2011 itself. The government received a list of roughly 700 people having bank accounts in HSBC, Geneva.
Kejriwal claimed that the information for the 'expose' had been provided to IAC by a senior Congress leader.
To read the full article click here.
Complete coverage: Arvind Kejriwal's latest revelation
Stating that the information on black money was sourced from government records, Kejriwal said, "What we cannot understand why India, unlike the USA, is not able to act against banks like HSBC and UBS, which openly operate in the most brazen fashion in both India and the US."
Friday, Nov 9, 2012 14:15 IST
Raid the Ambanis, Dabur's Burman, Jet's Goyal and Yash Birla for black money: Kejriwal
Friday, Nov 9, 2012 14:13 IST
The three whose premises were raided had promised to pay their taxes on the black money they have deposited in HSBC, Geneva. "But the big question is why only a few of the 700-odd names in the list were searched," asked Kejriwal.
Accusing the Indian government of dragging its feet on the issue of getting the black money stashed away in Swiss banks back to the country, Kejriwal said, "Every company or individual named in the list of HSBC account holders should be probed. Then honest officials should be put deployed to explain every suspect entry in their books."
Accusing the Indian government of dragging its feet on the issue of getting the black money stashed away in Swiss banks back to the country, Kejriwal said, "Every company or individual named in the list of HSBC account holders should be probed. Then honest officials should be put deployed to explain every suspect entry in their books."
Friday, Nov 9, 2012 14:03 IST
Here is the list of people Arvind Kejriwal named:
Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani – Rs 100 crores
Anil Dhirubhai Ambani – Rs 100 crores
Motech Software Private Ltd (Reliance Group company) – Rs 2,100 crores
Reliance Industries Ltd – Rs 500 crores
Sandeep Tandon – Rs 125 crores
Anu Tandon – Rs 125 crores
Kokila Dhirubhai Ambani – She has an account but there was no balance on that date
Naresh Kumar Goyal – Rs 80 crores Burmans (3 family members) – Rs 25 crores
Yashovardhan Birla – No balance
Friday, Nov 9, 2012 14:00 IST
The activist also provided a detailed questionnaire answered by three account holders, including one Parminder Kalra, whose premises were raided earlier in the year.
Kejriwal said, "The money transfer would be done by an agent in Delhi. Similarly, if one wants to withdraw the money, all one had to do was call the HSBC in Geneva and the amount would be delivered to you."
Friday, Nov 9, 2012 13:54 IST
Stating that the total amount of black money in HSBC branch is Rs 6000 crore, Kejriwal said, "Naresh Goyal has Rs 100 crore in his Swiss bank account."
As for the modus operandi used to deposit black money in their accounts, Kejriwal said, "There is no need to go to a teller machine in the State Bank of India. Rather, a person comes to your house only after a phone call. One phone call to the HSBC Geneva would trigger the delivery process, all telephonically.
As for the modus operandi used to deposit black money in their accounts, Kejriwal said, "There is no need to go to a teller machine in the State Bank of India. Rather, a person comes to your house only after a phone call. One phone call to the HSBC Geneva would trigger the delivery process, all telephonically.
Friday, Nov 9, 2012 13:51 IST
One name that keeps cropping along side the Ambanis is that of Sandeep Tandon. An official in the Enforcement Directorate, who had quit to join the Reliance industries, Sandeep Tandon became close to the Reliance group. In fact, his two sons are office-bearers in Reliance.
Incidentally, his wife Anu Tandon also has stashed Rs125 crore in her HSBC branch.
She is also a member of Rahul Gandhi's core group.
Friday, Nov 9, 2012 13:43 IST
According to a CD provided by the French government earlier in the year, there are 700-odd account holders of hawala or black money accounts in HSBC Bank on December 2006. While Mukesh and Anil Ambani both had Rs100 crore stashed in the HSBC bank back in December 2006.
Friday, Nov 9, 2012 13:41 IST
Also, many have come forward to suggest the names of scamsters. "Today's expose relates to the return of all the black money from Swiss banks. According to the statement of a former CBI official, there is 25,000 lakh crores in black money stashed away in Swiss banks," said Kejriwal.
Friday, Nov 9, 2012 13:38 IST
After our last expose, the BJP had said that we hold a weekly bazaar of scams. "I would like to state at the start that there are so many scams that we need to hold a daily bazaar," said India Against Corruption activist Arvind Kejriwal at a press conference in the national capital on Friday.
Friday, Nov 9, 2012 13:36 IST
Kejriwal targets Swiss bank account holders in next expose
Continuing their agenda of demolishing "holy cows" in politics and corporate world, India Against Corruption(IAC) activist Arvind Kejriwal is addressing another press conference. This time his expose is on the black money in Swiss banks.
Kejriwal gave details of Swiss bank account holders. The IAC activist said the government had details of 700 Swiss bank account holders in the HSBC Bank in Geneva.
"We got a CD - HSBC's Geneva branch has 700 accounts of Indian nationals. That list is available with the government with the amounts in the accounts in December 2006," Kejriwal said. He claimed the government was involved in the cover-up.
Mukesh and Anil Ambani, Naresh Goyal along with other leading industrialists in the Daburand Birla group were some of the account holders, he said.
Anu Tandon and Sandeep Tandon - former IRS, ED official - who raided Reliance has 125 crores were other names Kejriwal discloses.
"In July 2011, Indian Government received a list of roughly 700 people having bank accounts in HSBC, Geneva. The list contains bank balances of these people in 2006," Kejriwal said.
Kejriwal said they could not access all the names but the following names appeared in that list:
Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambai - Rs 100 crores
Anil Dhirubhai Ambani - Rs 100 crores
Motech Software Private Ltd (Reliance Group company) - Rs 2,100 crores
Reliance Industries Ltd - Rs 500 crores
Sandeep Tandon - Rs 125 crores
Anu Tandon - Rs 125 crores
Kokila Dhirubhai Ambani - She has an account but there was no balance on that date
Naresh Kumar Goyal - Rs 80 crores
Burmans (3 family members) - Rs 25 crores
Yashovardhan Birla - no balance
Arvind Kejriwal said the CBI had said there was Rs 25 lakh crore black money in Swiss banks. These 700 names account for only Rs 6000 crore, he said.
Kejriwal also accused HSBC Bank of helping route illgotten money.
The expose-press conference — that has now become an almost weekly affair — has already served judgment on two political figures, Robert Vadra and Nitin Gadkari, and a corporate czar, Mukesh Ambani.
IAC headed by activists Arvind Kejriwal and Prashant Bhushan has created a profile for the till now unnamed political party on the perception that leading ruling parties Congress and BJP are corrupt and hand-in-glove with big business.
While speculation was rife on Thursday night on the probable targets, IAC members were tight-lipped learning from the Gadkari fiasco that gave the main Opposition a few days' time to prepare their case against the allegations of corruption raised against them.
Kejriwal gave details of Swiss bank account holders. The IAC activist said the government had details of 700 Swiss bank account holders in the HSBC Bank in Geneva.
"We got a CD - HSBC's Geneva branch has 700 accounts of Indian nationals. That list is available with the government with the amounts in the accounts in December 2006," Kejriwal said. He claimed the government was involved in the cover-up.
Mukesh and Anil Ambani, Naresh Goyal along with other leading industrialists in the Daburand Birla group were some of the account holders, he said.
Anu Tandon and Sandeep Tandon - former IRS, ED official - who raided Reliance has 125 crores were other names Kejriwal discloses.
"In July 2011, Indian Government received a list of roughly 700 people having bank accounts in HSBC, Geneva. The list contains bank balances of these people in 2006," Kejriwal said.
Kejriwal said they could not access all the names but the following names appeared in that list:
Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambai - Rs 100 crores
Anil Dhirubhai Ambani - Rs 100 crores
Motech Software Private Ltd (Reliance Group company) - Rs 2,100 crores
Reliance Industries Ltd - Rs 500 crores
Sandeep Tandon - Rs 125 crores
Anu Tandon - Rs 125 crores
Kokila Dhirubhai Ambani - She has an account but there was no balance on that date
Naresh Kumar Goyal - Rs 80 crores
Burmans (3 family members) - Rs 25 crores
Yashovardhan Birla - no balance
Arvind Kejriwal said the CBI had said there was Rs 25 lakh crore black money in Swiss banks. These 700 names account for only Rs 6000 crore, he said.
Kejriwal also accused HSBC Bank of helping route illgotten money.
The expose-press conference — that has now become an almost weekly affair — has already served judgment on two political figures, Robert Vadra and Nitin Gadkari, and a corporate czar, Mukesh Ambani.
IAC headed by activists Arvind Kejriwal and Prashant Bhushan has created a profile for the till now unnamed political party on the perception that leading ruling parties Congress and BJP are corrupt and hand-in-glove with big business.
While speculation was rife on Thursday night on the probable targets, IAC members were tight-lipped learning from the Gadkari fiasco that gave the main Opposition a few days' time to prepare their case against the allegations of corruption raised against them.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Mr. Vinod Rai at World Economic Forum - 2012
Here are some of the links to articles in media, which has extensively covered
Mr. Vinod Rai's attack on government functioning.
Times of India
Government's brazenness in decision making appalling: CAG Vinod Rai
The Hindu
CBI, CVC not independent, says CAG
Firstpost
CAG Vinod Rai wants CBI, CVC given full autonomy
Outlook India
'The Brazenness With Which Decisions Were Being Taken Is Absolutely Appalling'
Business Today
Corporate entities need to bring in transparency: CAG Vinod Rai
World Economic Forum
Corruption Reaching Turning Point in India
The Warrior within the Government
Kudos to Mr. Vinod Rai Comptroller & Auditor General of India, for his frank opinion made public on World Economic Forum 2012 meeting here in India.
As Comptroller and Auditor General of India, Vinod Rai has come out with audit reports which have nailed government departments like, the one on the 2G spectrum scam, which led to the telecom minister losing his job and the most recent one being the audit report on Coalgate.
Mr. Vinod Rai said, "India should provide for more autonomous functioning of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC).
It may be noted that Mr. Vinod Rai enjoys complete autonomy for a fixed six year term. He was appointed as Comptroller & Auditor General of India on 7th January 2008.
Mr. Vinod Rai was born on 23rd May 1948, has a Masters Degree in Economics from Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi, and Masters Degree in Public Administration from Harvard University, USA. He is a 1972 batch Kerala Cadre Officer of Indian Administrative Services (IAS).
He is a keen player of Tennis.
India needs more people like Mr. Vinod Rai, who can take up the government authorities and catch them of their acts which cause a great loss to public exchequer.
Our salutations to the great Warrior.
Click here to know what Vinod Rai said in World Economic Forum - 2012
BJP puts Nation to Shame!!
There are no words to shape up this article, the anger, the frustration and the agony of not being able to do anything as a commoner has left many of us deeply bruised and shaken up the faith in these political parties and the very system – The Democracy.
How far these people are going to stoop their levels has become a BIG question now.
Yesterday after lot of high level drama within BJP party cadres came out a statement clearing Nitin Gadkari of all charges that has been leveled related to his company Purti Group.
The clean chit was given by none other than a Chartered Accountant S. Gurumurthy an RSS man and a close aide of Gadkari. It’s a dangerous precedent before the whole Nation, where allegations of corruption are probed internally and later given a clean chit. If anyone has to go by this then we can all witness a plethora of cases of corruption being probed internally and the definite outcome of the verdict. Who has the audacity to go against the party, and who so ever does either resigned on moral grounds (Mahesh Jethmalani) or grounded by the party itself.
It’s the very party “the BJP” who has always termed CBI as Congress own investigative agency, now what about them? Are they not doing the same? Gone are the days when a politician use to resign amid controversy on moral grounds, but today the morality has taken a backseat, the morality exists, but for others not for them.
If BJP had so much trust in their internal enquiry then why did former president of BJP Bangaru Laxman, got a raw deal from the party then in 2001? The BJP has no answers to it.
It’s time for all of us to see how these political parties behave on a case to case basis. At least there was one solace to see some members of the BJP opposing Gadkari’s continuation as president of the party. Before wrapping up, the damage is already done, however hard they may try to justify their so called internal clean chit, but the message is already written on the wall. Internal squabbling within the party shall cost them their prospects in the coming elections.
So where do the people of this country go from here now? On one hand there is a party which is deep rooted down in scams and corruption. Just dig deep down into your faded memories and look for scams like CWG 2010, 2G Spectrum, Coalgate, DLF – Vadra nexus, Salman Khurshid’s Handicap Scam and on the other side there is an impotent opposition mired amidst their party President’s role in his company Purti Group, other political parties are just showpieces best suited for their own living rooms. Isn't it?
How far these people are going to stoop their levels has become a BIG question now.
Yesterday after lot of high level drama within BJP party cadres came out a statement clearing Nitin Gadkari of all charges that has been leveled related to his company Purti Group.
The clean chit was given by none other than a Chartered Accountant S. Gurumurthy an RSS man and a close aide of Gadkari. It’s a dangerous precedent before the whole Nation, where allegations of corruption are probed internally and later given a clean chit. If anyone has to go by this then we can all witness a plethora of cases of corruption being probed internally and the definite outcome of the verdict. Who has the audacity to go against the party, and who so ever does either resigned on moral grounds (Mahesh Jethmalani) or grounded by the party itself.
It’s the very party “the BJP” who has always termed CBI as Congress own investigative agency, now what about them? Are they not doing the same? Gone are the days when a politician use to resign amid controversy on moral grounds, but today the morality has taken a backseat, the morality exists, but for others not for them.
If BJP had so much trust in their internal enquiry then why did former president of BJP Bangaru Laxman, got a raw deal from the party then in 2001? The BJP has no answers to it.
It’s time for all of us to see how these political parties behave on a case to case basis. At least there was one solace to see some members of the BJP opposing Gadkari’s continuation as president of the party. Before wrapping up, the damage is already done, however hard they may try to justify their so called internal clean chit, but the message is already written on the wall. Internal squabbling within the party shall cost them their prospects in the coming elections.
So where do the people of this country go from here now? On one hand there is a party which is deep rooted down in scams and corruption. Just dig deep down into your faded memories and look for scams like CWG 2010, 2G Spectrum, Coalgate, DLF – Vadra nexus, Salman Khurshid’s Handicap Scam and on the other side there is an impotent opposition mired amidst their party President’s role in his company Purti Group, other political parties are just showpieces best suited for their own living rooms. Isn't it?
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Who is afraid of RTI ? (Hindi Version)
This is an extract published in Rajasthan Patrika.
http://epaper.patrika.com/66461/Rajasthan-Patrika-Jaipur/04-11-2012#page/20/1
http://epaper.patrika.com/66461/Rajasthan-Patrika-Jaipur/04-11-2012#page/20/1
Arvind Kejriwal: Can he make an impact in politics? (Comment)
No individual has dominated the Indian political space more than Arvind Kejriwal in recent weeks. The reason is that he has done the unthinkable: levelled corruption charges against the family of Sonia Gandhi, the most powerful woman in India, and Nitin Gadkari, the Bharatiya Janata Party president. Next in line was Reliance Industries Ltd of Mukesh Ambani, the richest Indian. The allegations may or may not stand legal scrutiny but there is no mistaking their rattling effect.
A Magsaysay award winner and a former Indian Revenue Service officer, Kejriwal shot into prominence last year when he joined social activist Anna Hazare. Their agitation attracted unexpected and massive public support, forcing the UPA government to bring out a Lokpal (ombudsman) bill to tackle corruption at the political and bureaucratic level with an added sense of urgency. That bill, rejected by India Against Corruption (IAC), is now with a Parliamentary Standing Committee but is no longer a pressing issue now.
The anti-corruption movement began to lose its momentum. Kejriwal realized there was no shying away from the political process. As Hazare was reluctant to enter electoral politics, Kejriwal decided to set out on his own with some IAC members and has finalized plans to launch a new political party. Launching a party may not be difficult but making it count can be challenging, more so when it seeks to be driven by a single-point agenda of rooting out corruption.
The truth is that issues like fight against corruption can appeal to urban middle class and occasionally succeed in mobilizing flash mobs but are unlikely to serve as foundation for a political party. For instance, Communists in India are for the most part untainted by corruption but they never go to town about it. Their support base has more to do with ideology than perceived probity.
In a space crowded by seven national parties, 30-odd state level parties and a multitude of unrecognized parties, it is no mean a task for a new party to carve out its own constituency. Further, election strategies in India are based on the composition of the electorate in terms of religion and caste and promises of sops and caste-based job reservations. Fighting elections is an increasingly expensive proposition.
If Kejriwal's new party wishes to stick to its high morals and is content just to make a formal entry into the political arena, such a foray is not going to make any difference for several years to come, if ever. However, given his unmistakable ambition, Kejriwal is more likely to come to terms gradually with the realities of electoral politics and forge pre-election alliances with select parties without being unduly concerned with their source of funding or type of candidates they field. Since he has chosen to jolt both the Congress and BJP, it is evident he will try to position his party in the Third Front space.
It is in this context Kejriwal's ideology and views on important matters merit attention. His opposition to market mechanism and profit motivation, unqualified faith in the wisdom and integrity of village committees to decide how to spend development funds and outrageous statements attributed to him like "If you want to change the system, you have to break laws", and such other pointers are cause for concern. It is possible his views are still at a formative stage and amenable to change through constructive interaction. Since the basic intent of the crusader is laudable, every effort should be made to draw him out through persistent engagement so that his views on issues like inclusive growth and empowerment are not divorced from reality and he commits to respect democratic institutions and the rule of law.
A Magsaysay award winner and a former Indian Revenue Service officer, Kejriwal shot into prominence last year when he joined social activist Anna Hazare. Their agitation attracted unexpected and massive public support, forcing the UPA government to bring out a Lokpal (ombudsman) bill to tackle corruption at the political and bureaucratic level with an added sense of urgency. That bill, rejected by India Against Corruption (IAC), is now with a Parliamentary Standing Committee but is no longer a pressing issue now.
The anti-corruption movement began to lose its momentum. Kejriwal realized there was no shying away from the political process. As Hazare was reluctant to enter electoral politics, Kejriwal decided to set out on his own with some IAC members and has finalized plans to launch a new political party. Launching a party may not be difficult but making it count can be challenging, more so when it seeks to be driven by a single-point agenda of rooting out corruption.
The truth is that issues like fight against corruption can appeal to urban middle class and occasionally succeed in mobilizing flash mobs but are unlikely to serve as foundation for a political party. For instance, Communists in India are for the most part untainted by corruption but they never go to town about it. Their support base has more to do with ideology than perceived probity.
In a space crowded by seven national parties, 30-odd state level parties and a multitude of unrecognized parties, it is no mean a task for a new party to carve out its own constituency. Further, election strategies in India are based on the composition of the electorate in terms of religion and caste and promises of sops and caste-based job reservations. Fighting elections is an increasingly expensive proposition.
If Kejriwal's new party wishes to stick to its high morals and is content just to make a formal entry into the political arena, such a foray is not going to make any difference for several years to come, if ever. However, given his unmistakable ambition, Kejriwal is more likely to come to terms gradually with the realities of electoral politics and forge pre-election alliances with select parties without being unduly concerned with their source of funding or type of candidates they field. Since he has chosen to jolt both the Congress and BJP, it is evident he will try to position his party in the Third Front space.
It is in this context Kejriwal's ideology and views on important matters merit attention. His opposition to market mechanism and profit motivation, unqualified faith in the wisdom and integrity of village committees to decide how to spend development funds and outrageous statements attributed to him like "If you want to change the system, you have to break laws", and such other pointers are cause for concern. It is possible his views are still at a formative stage and amenable to change through constructive interaction. Since the basic intent of the crusader is laudable, every effort should be made to draw him out through persistent engagement so that his views on issues like inclusive growth and empowerment are not divorced from reality and he commits to respect democratic institutions and the rule of law.
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"Like America, we should enact a law that makes it mandatory for foreign banks operating in the country to furnish a list of all account holders to the income tax department," the activist said.