India is presently ranked very high in the list of the most corrupt counties in the world. Only Nigeria and Burkina Faso rank a few places below. With such a d distinguished ranking, may I add that the leadership of that corrupt government headed by Sonia and ManMohan Singh even want a place at the high table of diplomacy and statecraft. I have said so several times on this blog and else where that India does not deserve a security council seat given its track record of governance. Having said that let me get back to the question at hand.
A very powerful civil society movement against corruption has begun in India: this movement is partly inspired by the example of the Arab Resistance against corrupt and tyrannical regimes and partly by the disclosures made by WikiLeaks. Those who rail against WikiLeaks are unaware of the positive role played by this organisation in inspiring people across the world. All corrupt and criminal regimes such as the one in power in India, have learned to fear WikiLeaks. A Yoga Guru from the north India state of Uttar Pradesh has become the unlikely leader of the anti corruption movement and the Government of India unleashed the most barbaric acts of repression against him on the midnight of June 4th 2011.
Baba ramdev, a well respected Yoga Guru, gathered a crowd of nearly 100,000 men women and children in the Ramlila Grounds of New Delhi after getting permission from the Government. The regime was so rattled by the movement started by Baba ramdev that it deputed 4 senior Government ministers to negotiate with him. It appears that the Government of India put up a presence of negotiations in order to prepare the ground for an all out attack. Like the Night of the LOng Knives, the Congress regime unleashed its police against the followers of Baba Ramdev who were badly beaten up by the police. It must be stated very categorically that the demonstration against corruption was both peaceful and disciplined. The regime had absolutely no justification for the brutal mid night attack. The Baba himself was arrested and sent out of Delhi. The Supreme Court of India is likely to rule that this action on the part of the Sonia-ManMohan Regime was both unconstitutional and illegal.
The real reason for the panic reaction on the part of the dynastic regime in power is because for the past few years a series of scams have dented the image of the government and corruption has become a huge political issue in India. The Political Party the DMK, a South Indian regional party and a partner in the coalition in power lost the elections in Tamil Nadu solely to the public perception that the present government was irredeemably corrupt. The daughter of the former Chief Minister, Mr Karunanidhi is presently in prison awaiting trial as she was exposed as a recipient of kickbacks from the 2G Spectrum scandal in which telecom mobile licenses were issued to favored few without going through due process. It has been estimated that nearly 5.5 billion dollars were taken as kickbacks in this scandal alone and much of this ill gotten wealth is invested in tax havens like Virgin Islands, St Kitts, Swiss banks and the most favored destination of Tamil politicians, Mauritius. The corrupt Government of India refuses to take any step to get back the money on the spurious argument that going after ill gotten, illegal wealth stashed abroad is against the double taxation agreements. A totally false and baseless justification for complicity in crime. I must say that the US Treasury was able to get the notorious Swiss bankers to reveal the names of American holders of Swiss accounts and Baba ramdev wants the Indian Government to make a serious effort to retrieve India's wealth in foreign bank accounts.
The Congress Party has been in power for most of the time since Independence and one dynasty, the Nehru dynasty has controlled the party. It is believed that the Congress in neck deep in political corruption and hence will both unwilling and unable to act against political corruption. Even so the savagery of the attack against baba Ramdev has shocked the entire nation and the Congress and its alliance partners will pay a very heavy price in the next elections. As I have said right at the very beginning of this blog, Indians are used to corruption and bad governance, unlike the Chinese who expect a degree of honesty and patriotism from their Government. Yet the attack on a spiritual leader with a huge following has resulted in a sea change in the mood of the people.
The peaceful protestors were beaten up and nearly 75 of them very seriously injured. TheMahatma, Baba Ramdev himself was pushed from the dais and barely escaped with his life.A corrupt and criminal government has shown that it will use force against its own people who protest against corruption.
Showing posts with label Telecom Scandal A Raja Political Corruption in India. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Telecom Scandal A Raja Political Corruption in India. Show all posts
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
MONEY POWER IN INDIAN POLITICS AND THE WIKILEAKS EXPOSE
It is a truth universally acknowledged that Indian Dynastic Democracy is criminal, corrupt and runs on the fuel of ill gotten wealth. The likes of Laloo and Mulayam, the Yadava duo have ensured that crime and political power walk hand in hand, step by step. The recent revelations by Julian Assange in his US diplomatic cables expose is only symptomatic of a political system is which the most cynical manipulation of the electorate by the distribution of cash has been instutionalised.
I have often written that the main cause for political corruption in India is the dynastic fascism that seems to be inherent in the very psyche of the people. I remember that when Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister the famous scandal called the Nagarwala Affair took place on the eve of the 1971 election. That scandal involved only 60 lakhs, but what is really sinister aboput the whole affair was the fact that all those connceted with the scandal including the Judge and Migistrate who tried the case in court died in rather mysterious circumstances. I have written elsewhere that Ramachandra Guha in his India Since Gandhi ignored the scandal and I expected him as an honest historian to draw attention to the event that marks the first signs of the corruption and crime in the Indian political life.
In South India under the great Dravidian dispensation bribing the electorate has become a part and parcel of the electoral process. Jayalalitha may scream against Karunanidhi, but the fact remains that her party too indulges in this shameless practice of bribing the electorate with nose rings, mixies, saris and cash. Wikileaks has exposed the fact that in Tirumangalam election M K Alagiri ensured victory by bribing the electorate. T R Baalu who won from Sriperumbadur in the last elections is said to have distributed Rs 5000 for each vote. Where does all this money come from? The Indian electorate by participating in this charade called Indian Democracy is an accomplice in its own victimisation. The electorate will rail against corruption but is an active accomplice in the creeping criminalisation of Indian political life. Afterall Laaloo Prasad Yadava, D P Yadava, Mulayam Singh Yadava, and sundry other criminal-politicians have all been elected to the Lok Sabha. In Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry liquor, money and sarees are distributed by party workers on the eve of the elections. In fact political parties are finding inventive ways of subverting democracy in India.
The other revelation that made headlines is the fact that MPs were bribed on the eve of the trust vote during UPA I a trust vote that was held after the so-called Left withdrew support after the Indo-US nuclear deal. Steven White, a US Embassy official recorded seeing chests opf money in the house of a Gandhi family courtier called Satish Sharma. A sum of 50 to 60 crores is estimated and Ajit Singh's party the RLD may have received bribes. What is surprising is that none of the mainstream media brought out the fact that Narashima Rao's government survived its full term in office due to the bribes paid out to the JMM and Shibu Soren was even procecuted for the crime of taking bribes and then arranging the murder of Jha, his private secretary who was a witness to the whole affair. Crime and Corruption go hand in hand.
The dynastic fascist party the Congress and its criminal acolytes who call themselves the "secular parties" are primarily responsible for the corruption and criminalisation of Indian political life. I wish Baba Ram Dev all success in his noble venture.
Predictably all political parties involved in the corruption are crying foul. However the diplomatic cables were not meant to be made public and hence the Embassy staffers had no motive for making up allegations. As far as Tamil nadu is concerned I know from personal experience how corrupt the place is. Even Vice Chancellorships of Tamil Nadu universities go for a price of 5 to 10 crores.
I have often written that the main cause for political corruption in India is the dynastic fascism that seems to be inherent in the very psyche of the people. I remember that when Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister the famous scandal called the Nagarwala Affair took place on the eve of the 1971 election. That scandal involved only 60 lakhs, but what is really sinister aboput the whole affair was the fact that all those connceted with the scandal including the Judge and Migistrate who tried the case in court died in rather mysterious circumstances. I have written elsewhere that Ramachandra Guha in his India Since Gandhi ignored the scandal and I expected him as an honest historian to draw attention to the event that marks the first signs of the corruption and crime in the Indian political life.
In South India under the great Dravidian dispensation bribing the electorate has become a part and parcel of the electoral process. Jayalalitha may scream against Karunanidhi, but the fact remains that her party too indulges in this shameless practice of bribing the electorate with nose rings, mixies, saris and cash. Wikileaks has exposed the fact that in Tirumangalam election M K Alagiri ensured victory by bribing the electorate. T R Baalu who won from Sriperumbadur in the last elections is said to have distributed Rs 5000 for each vote. Where does all this money come from? The Indian electorate by participating in this charade called Indian Democracy is an accomplice in its own victimisation. The electorate will rail against corruption but is an active accomplice in the creeping criminalisation of Indian political life. Afterall Laaloo Prasad Yadava, D P Yadava, Mulayam Singh Yadava, and sundry other criminal-politicians have all been elected to the Lok Sabha. In Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry liquor, money and sarees are distributed by party workers on the eve of the elections. In fact political parties are finding inventive ways of subverting democracy in India.
The other revelation that made headlines is the fact that MPs were bribed on the eve of the trust vote during UPA I a trust vote that was held after the so-called Left withdrew support after the Indo-US nuclear deal. Steven White, a US Embassy official recorded seeing chests opf money in the house of a Gandhi family courtier called Satish Sharma. A sum of 50 to 60 crores is estimated and Ajit Singh's party the RLD may have received bribes. What is surprising is that none of the mainstream media brought out the fact that Narashima Rao's government survived its full term in office due to the bribes paid out to the JMM and Shibu Soren was even procecuted for the crime of taking bribes and then arranging the murder of Jha, his private secretary who was a witness to the whole affair. Crime and Corruption go hand in hand.
The dynastic fascist party the Congress and its criminal acolytes who call themselves the "secular parties" are primarily responsible for the corruption and criminalisation of Indian political life. I wish Baba Ram Dev all success in his noble venture.
Predictably all political parties involved in the corruption are crying foul. However the diplomatic cables were not meant to be made public and hence the Embassy staffers had no motive for making up allegations. As far as Tamil nadu is concerned I know from personal experience how corrupt the place is. Even Vice Chancellorships of Tamil Nadu universities go for a price of 5 to 10 crores.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
A Raja, the Telecom Scandal and Political Corruption in India
Today A Raja, the former Telecom Minister is languishing in jail and both his own so-called Backward class dominated DMK and the Congress had absolutely no hesitation in making an example out of him. A few months back the former Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Madhu Koda was arrested and thrown into prison. In my blogs I have dealt extensively with both issues. It seems that the law has arms long enough only for dalits and tribal. Not a single backward class politician who in this madalised polity of ours have captured political power have been arrested and punished. My point is simple: Raja may be corrupt but so are 99% of the political personalities in India. The NDA Government headed by Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee was certainly a dedicated and fairly honest Government, but the people voted for the criminals who are now ruling India. Only Gujarat has shown native wisdom and had repeatedly voted for good governance in spite of sustained and motivated campaigns against the Hon'ble Chief Minister, Narendar Modi.
It is impossible to imagine a scandal of this magnitude without the active connivance of the higher ups in the UPA government and yet we have a Prime Minister who like Gandhi's monkeys believes that he saw no evil, spoke no evil and heard no evil. In short he was a silent spectator or worse an active abettor in the crime. It is high time the people of this dynasty obsessed country realise that as long as they vote for political parties that promote family and dynastic rule they are promoting corruption and nepotism. In a recent book on India Patrick French has shown that 100% of the younger members of Parliament are scions of political families and the woman's reservation bill in this situation will only enable daughters and daughters in law to enter the political fray.
Corruption is endemic in India and the system has failed to even identify the corrupt let alone punish them. The vast sums of money stashed away in foreign accounts only goes to prove that Indian politicians have systematically looted the country. In the 200 years of British loot the amount taken out of India was only a small fraction of the 1.3 trillion dollars which the politicians have looted from the Indian people. However, I will venture to add that the Indian Electorate will forget all this and will raise its hooves silently in favor of the criminals who govern India. In this context effort must be made to eliminate the criminals who masquerade as elected representatives of the people.
In MP the IAS couple the Joshis were found with 330 crores of ill gotten wealth. Sukh Ram was found with 3 crores in his puja room. Khetan Deasi, the Chairman of the Medical Council of India was found with 1 tonne of gold. My question is what action was taken. All these criminals are roaming free, while a dalit politician is in jail. It appears that the backward mandalised political groups have made a mockery of both democracy as well as rule of law. Who can forget the criminal misdeed of the Yadava chieftains, Mulayam, Pappu, Laloo etc.
It is impossible to imagine a scandal of this magnitude without the active connivance of the higher ups in the UPA government and yet we have a Prime Minister who like Gandhi's monkeys believes that he saw no evil, spoke no evil and heard no evil. In short he was a silent spectator or worse an active abettor in the crime. It is high time the people of this dynasty obsessed country realise that as long as they vote for political parties that promote family and dynastic rule they are promoting corruption and nepotism. In a recent book on India Patrick French has shown that 100% of the younger members of Parliament are scions of political families and the woman's reservation bill in this situation will only enable daughters and daughters in law to enter the political fray.
Corruption is endemic in India and the system has failed to even identify the corrupt let alone punish them. The vast sums of money stashed away in foreign accounts only goes to prove that Indian politicians have systematically looted the country. In the 200 years of British loot the amount taken out of India was only a small fraction of the 1.3 trillion dollars which the politicians have looted from the Indian people. However, I will venture to add that the Indian Electorate will forget all this and will raise its hooves silently in favor of the criminals who govern India. In this context effort must be made to eliminate the criminals who masquerade as elected representatives of the people.
In MP the IAS couple the Joshis were found with 330 crores of ill gotten wealth. Sukh Ram was found with 3 crores in his puja room. Khetan Deasi, the Chairman of the Medical Council of India was found with 1 tonne of gold. My question is what action was taken. All these criminals are roaming free, while a dalit politician is in jail. It appears that the backward mandalised political groups have made a mockery of both democracy as well as rule of law. Who can forget the criminal misdeed of the Yadava chieftains, Mulayam, Pappu, Laloo etc.
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