IAC granted permission to hold rally in farrukhabad

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The Betrayal of a Nation - 1

Polity has taken a massive beating in the current political system in India. The very purpose of multi party system is defeated by its own people. This great democratic nation once stood as an example to many other countries of the world, only to take the beating so much so that India  have become a laughing stock not only to the citizens of this country but for many others. 

The mockery that these so called politicians have made of this country is unpardonable. Just watch out for their comments on any news channels, they put us to shame. How much thick skinned these politicians have become is quite evident with their misdeeds. Behind every wrong doing there is a politician or their cronies involved, for sure. I wonder how many of us have the courage or the willpower to do such scams, leaving alone the morality.

Scam and scam after scam, I remember the days when I was 1^st introduced to a scam in the year 1982, when I was hardly 10 years old, that was the famous Churhat Lottery Scam, the accused the then Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Arjun Singh. Imagine in those days it was 10 yrs of age before you came to know what a scam is, but today the child knows about it when She / He is still in mothers womb.

Since then I have come across scams day after day, year after year let’s take a look.

It’s interesting that this political outfit has committed or people associated have done so many scams yet this outfit gets back to power. What else this naïve citizens could do also, the opposition also the same. Two sides of the same coin.

Well let’s look into these scams under UPA:


Insurance Scam

Telecom scam (Sukh Ram)

HDW Submarine

Bitumen Scam

Tansi land deal

Securities Scam

JMM Bribery Scandal 1998

St Kitts Case 1989

Urea Scam 1995

CRB Scam 1996

Anantnag Transport Scam

1971 Nagarwala Scandal

Fodder Scam

Churhat lottery scam 1982

Bofors (1990)

Animal Husbandry Case (1990)

Bombay Stock Exchange Fraud

Hawala (1993)

Bangalore - Mysore Corridor (1995)

Fodder Scam in Bihar (1996)

Kerala SNC Lavalin Power Scandal(97)

Home Trade

Ketan Parekh Scandal,

Barak Missile Deal Scandal,

Tehelka Scandal (2001)

UTI Scam

Taj Corridor Case (2002–2003)

Telgi Scandal (2003)

DSQ Software

IPO Scam- karvy

Oil - for - Food Programme Scam (Natwar Singh) (05)

Human Trafficking Scam (Babubhai Katara)

Cash - for - Votes Scandal

Satyam Scandal

2G Spectrum - 2008

Madhu Koda, laundering money Rs. 4000 Cr -

NREGA Scam

CWG Scam - 2010

Adarsh Cooperative Housing Scam - 2010

Coal Block Allocation Scam - 2012

Vadra DLF Gate  - 2012

Handicap Scam - Salman Khursheed - 2012

Nitin Gadkari - Purti Group - 2012  (This scam is shown on UPA's a/c as Nitin Gadkari allegedly received favours from the Cong - NCP led Government.)


To be cont'd 

Arvind Kejriwal's Interview to Times Now

IAC Chief Arvind Kejriwal speaks to TIMES NOW's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami. 

On the Newshour Direct, Arvind Kejriwal takes direct questions from Arnab Goswami on whether his political strategy is going awry. 

As Arvind Kejriwal moves from media blitzkriegs to introspection he must now pause and ask: is something possibly going a little wrong, in Anna's absence, and as a politician, is the group's moral authority the same.

Kindly find the links here

Before Changing the World, Lets Change Our Selves

Tale of a battered Nation

Our Motherland is going through some of the worst times in the last 20 to 30 yrs. There is a social commotion everywhere around. India has never been battered so much so when compared to the times of British Rule. The irony is that, this time it’s our own people with vested interests. Politicians, Bureaucrats, Law enforcement agencies, all seem to be hand in glove. We can all blame this on our selves for this hara-kiri.     

Time to Introspect

To bring about the change in the country, first we have to seriously analyze within our own self, whether or not we have succumbed to pressures? This is real nerve testing as its easy to blame someone, but to undergo a self lie-detector test is really painful. But on the other side we also do realize that we had no choice. Paying the bribe to get birth certificates to death certificates is a usual phenomenon across the length and breadth of our country, and no one protests yet pays up and unknowingly becomes the part of this ugly rotten system.

The Web

However you may want to regret your decision but you are caught on within the system. It sucks you in and what follows behind you is a series of highs of corruption you get involved in. Traffic violations, you pay bribe or call up influential people to save u from discomfort, you go ahead with a civil construction against the laid norms and, you are seen greasing the palms of officials, want to secure a particular tender or deal in your favor, the kickbacks are the order of the day. By the passing of each day you cross one limit of morality and the day comes when there is none left who can least, compete with you on any moral grounds whether legitimately or illegitimately.

How do you come out of it?

It’s still not too late to comeback in the mainstream and breathe free, full of freshness and without fear. Imagine the moment when everything around you functions in a way the morality demands, in a way your Country needs it, above all the courage to stand up and face your children eye to eye.

A one time discomfort of a non – approval of a building plan or tender or deal may not come through, but a lifetime comfort of a feeling shall always linger on etched in your memories. If every one among us live with this thought, then let me assure you we don’t need to change anyone. Everything falls in its own place and once a battered country and its citizens – Shall rise up again in full glory as it has always done in the past. 

Right to Information - RTI - The Brahmastra

What is an RTI?

We all have been hearing about RTI … RTI …. RTI … RTI …. What is this RTI? Many of us are aware what an RTI is and how to use it, but this post is for the people who are curious to know what actually an RTI is and how we can make use of it.

RTI stands for Right to Information and has been given the status of a fundamental right under Article 19(1) of the Constitution. Article 19 (1) under which every citizen has freedom of speech and expression and have the right to know how the government works, what role does it play, what are its functions and so on. This Act may be called the Right to Information Act, 2005

The Act confers right to the citizens to know as to how the taxpayer’s money is being spent by the Government.

Right to Information Act empowers every citizen to seek any information, take notes, extracts or certified copies of documents or records, and take certified samples of material.

The RTI Act extends to the whole of India (except the State of Jammu and Kashmir), all bodies, which come under Government notification including NGOs, which are owned, controlled or are substantially financed by the Government.

RTI Act confers right to access to information held by a Public Authority. In case, you have been denied the access to information you may file Appeal / Complaint before the Central Information Commission (CIC) using the CIC Online.

  

The Power Within

This act, has given the people, the power to CHANGE the country. The RTI act has made the inner working of the Govt. transparent!

If YOU, the average citizen learns to use this act, YOU can change the country.

In this post, we shall tell you how you can use it, how it affects you!

Even if you are naïve about the political scenarios or not aware of the fundamental laws do not worry, this post shall clear all doubts as it’s just simple and easy to understand.

What RTI? I am not affected by it

I am really sorry for this kind of response. If you think that the RTI Act does not affect you, "YOU ARE WRONG!" If you are a citizen of India, and feel for the betterment of your Motherland then this act is for you, the RTI Act has given us lot of power that one should exercise it for one’s own benefit.  

To still clear the doubt about how RTI is of no use to you let me give you an example.

Supposing you want to get a “phone line” or a “water connection”, and incase you don't get the above in stipulated time, then you can opt for the RTI Act, and your work will be done in fair time. You will not have to make 15 trips to the Govt. offices and bribe and beg the officials to get your work done. RTI has changed all that.

Are the roads outside your house in terrible conditions, RTI will help you solve the problem, Is there a problem of un-hygiene in your area, RTI will help you solve your problem.

So do you now realize the power of RTI?

If you are keen to explore RTI, then I would suggest, please enroll for a course on RTI. It’s FREE, and if you end up doing a 15 day course, you shall end up with a certificate from the GOI.

For more details for a 7 Day or 15 Day course please log on:

  http://rtiocc.cgg.gov.in/home.do;jsessionid=D077C43EF4A88209DDDACE89AC3C586B    

Seven Similarities between Arvind Kejriwal and Ashok Khemka

Coincidence number 1:

India Against Corruption activist Arvind Kejriwal and Haryana IAS officer Ashok Khemka have several things in common, the first being, they both studied at IIT Kharagpur and passed out in 1989, says a media report. While Kejriwal studied mechanical engineering, Khemka studied computer engineering in IIT. The report says, it is unclear if the two knew each other but the two shared four years of their formative years at the IIT Kharagpur campus.

Coincidence number 2: 

While both opted for the civil services, Khemka is a 1991 batch IAS officer while Arvind Kejriwal is a 1992 batch Indian Revenue Service officer.

Coincidence number 3:

Both Ashok Khemka and Arvind Kejriwal had a stormy relationship with the establishment.

Coincidence number 4:

Both Ashok Khemka and Arvind Kejriwal have the same initials, AK, and have a Haryana connection. Khemka is from the Haryana cadre while Arvind Kejriwal was born in Hisar.

Coincidence number 5:

Arvind Kejriwal resigned from income tax department but was forced to fight a battle over his alleged "dues" that he owed the government, while Khemka was shunted around no less than 43 times in his 19 years of service.

Coincidence number 6:

The immediate link is of course Congress president Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra. Arvind Kejriwal, along with Prashant Bhushan, hads alleged that Vadra's companies received favours from Haryana government and realty major DLF through land deals in the last four years. Khemka, in the last few days, initiated a probe and cancelled Vadra's Manesar land deal and hours later he was transferred.

Coincidence number 7:

While Arvind Kejriwal is eyeing to contest Delhi Assembly elections, Khemka is interested in getting a posting in Delhi, as, he says, he feels himself uncomfortable in Haryana.

Source: http://www.indiatvnews.com/politics/national/seven-similarities-between-kejriwal-and-ashok-khemka--6512.html

Top 10 Unwritten Laws of Indian Politics

1) Law of "BIG" Money 

Most politicians in power and their kith and kin make "BIG" money by
exercising their power and influence to the fullest. Common areas of
involvement include Land deals, Educational Institutions, Power projects,
Coal mining, Cricket associations, etc. Where there is "BIG" money to be
made, expect the involvement of one or more politicians. If you find none,
you can be rest assured that there is an invisible hand. Recently Beni
Prasad Verma of the UPA, rightly pointed this out when he said, " I believe
that Salman Khurshid would never get involved in a scam of Rs 71 lakhs,
because it's a very small amount. Had it been Rs 71 Crores, it would have
been more plausible."

2) Law of Families and Personal Lives 

Families of politicians are off limits when it comes to exposing scams. In other words, the ruling party will not go after the immediate family members of opposition leaders and vice-versa -- a well understood and accepted quid pro quo. Digvijay Singh sincerely refers to this as “political ethics.” Gadkari captures it brilliantly when he says, “Char kaam hum unke karte hain, char kaam woh hamara karte hain.” Personal lives of politicians are also off limits. Multiple wives, extra marital affairs, sexual favors are all ignored. If exposed for some reason, rehabilitation is often just around the corner.

3) Law of Legal Process

Investigations and court cases almost never produce anything of significance because they simply take so long that they become irrelevant. e.g., the Sukh Ram telecom scandal which took over a decade, Lalu Yadav’s fodder scam, Mulayam’s DA scam, the all important Bofors deal, to name a few. Most importantly, people involved in the process of investigations and cases can be bribed, eliminated, or if nothing else, transferred (a la Ashok Khemka). Also, politicians almost never go to jail. The more visible they are , the less likely they are to go to jail, no matter what the case against them might be. " I am open to any investigation, if found guilty, I will quit politics." Not surprisingly, starting with our erstwhile PM, this is the Mantra of INDIAN POLITICS.

4) Law of Enforced Silence

People in power, especially politicians, prefer that you take them to court rather than spew allegations at them in the media. When there are allegations, the standard counter is to say, “If you have enough evidence, why not go to court? Why indulge in a trial by media?” The reality is that if you go to court, then the matter becomes “ sub judice.” A convenient shield that virtually buries the issue for eternity.

5) Law of Counter Allegations

If you have allegations against the ruling party, you are branded as an agent of the Opposition. If you have allegations against the Opposition, you become an agent of the ruling party. If you have allegations against both and you hit the streets because you are frustrated by law 3 and 4 above, you are undermining democracy and promoting mobocracy.

6) Law of Independent Investigation

The concept of an independent investigative agency does not exist. The CBI is a weapon of the ruling party to harass its opponents (a la Jagan Reddy, one of the present-day enemies of the UPA). If your party is in power, enjoy it while it lasts because once you are out of power, the same agency could be after you.

7) Law of Time Limit

Most people get into politics to rake in the moolah rather than to serve the nation. You “loot and scoot” because you never know when you are going to be out of power. Arun Jaitley sympathetically pointed out, “Politicians aren't very well paid. They have to earn a living.”

8) Law of Scam Control

This law involves multiple steps. When caught in a scam: - 

The 1st step is to deny all the charges. 

Step 2 is to question the credibility of the accusers. 

Step 3 is to get your colleagues and well-wishers to defend you. 

Step 4 is to try and split the accusers by finding someone on their team who  will counter-accuse the accusers (a la Y.P Singh, Annie Kohli). 

In Step 5, you agree to a TV interview and chant the mantra outlined in law 3. If the matter does not die down.

Step 6 is to start calling your accusers names, “Megalomaniac, Hitler etc.”

9) Law of the Middle - Class

The middle-class is a fickle, harmless nuisance. They make a lot of noise from time to time and soon they forget about it. Most importantly, they don’t bother to vote or organize themselves into a voting block of significance. As an example, they raised a hue and cry over reservations but eventually, it ran out of steam. 

10) Law of “Aam Aadmi” 

Don't worry about the “aam admi” as long as you coin a nice pro-people slogan once every five years. In the interim, be sure to come up with creative schemes from time to time to dole out some taxpayer money to them in order to secure their votes. The NREGS is a fine example. 

Source: http://blogs.economictimes.indiatimes.com/outsideedge/entry/top-ten-unwritten-laws-of-indian-politics  by Pran Kurup

Know Your Neta

I found this very interesting site http://myneta.info/

This has the updated information of our politicians, which throws light on their Criminal, Financial and Educational Background.

The people behind this site are the professors from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad. They formed this group called as
"The Association for Democratic Reforms" (ADR) which was established in the year 1999.

So, if you are looking for your local neta information then click on the following site:-

http://myneta.info/search_myneta.php?q=

http://myneta.info/search_myneta.php?q=

Happy Dussehra

Raavan Dahan at Shastri Nagar