Delhi Assembly Elections 2015: AAP Scripts History, Gives Big Jolt to BJP, Wipes Out Congress

Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) scored a landslide victory in the Delhi Assembly elections on February 10 by winning 67 of the 70 seats leaving Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with only three and completely wiping out Congress which failed to win even a single seat – a first. On a vertical slide since May 2014, the Congress hit the rock bottom in the Capital with all its 70 candidates losing the elections. Remember that Congress, which had ruled Delhi for 15 years until December 2013.

A record 67.14 per cent turnout was recorded in the elections on February 7 in which a total of 673 candidates participated. The number of candidates from recognized national and state parties were 296 while 183 candidates belonged to registered parties. There were 194 Independent nominees.

Thought to be a close competitor, the BJP could not garner a double-digit tally, failing miserably to read the signs that were evident from the buzzing AAP poll booths on election day itself. The BJP, which has been out of power in Delhi for the past 16 years, made a gamble by bringing in former IPS officer Kiran Bedi into the party and made her their chief ministerial candidate which is said to have triggered discontent among the party leaders and ranks.

To call the emphatic Delhi win of the AAP merely “historic” is to underestimate the contextual significance of the moment, arguably whose clearest meaning is the contemptuous rejection of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s urgent appeals to the Delhi electorate to vote his party in so that his hands may be strengthened.

Positive Aspect

The surprising part of the result is not the victory of the AAP but the huge margin. This clearly indicates that this is not a negative vote. There are two important reasons for the AAP victory. The first is that a great majority of Delhi – especially the deprived – found the 49-day government to be one which had yielded positive results: petty exactions by police and government personnel had disappeared, electricity and water bills were favorably impacted for the consumer. Retrospectively this seems to have produced a sense that AAP provided a representative party of governance and was not just a party of Opposition.

The second important feature is that AAP not only managed to survive the Lok Sabha verdict but actually consolidated their organization. Elected councilors implemented schemes with their allotted money and the conviction of volunteers was energized again by the Delhi Dialogues which brought them into close contact with local needs of especially the underprivileged and produced local manifestos. All of this brought back the involvement with practical activity and the belief in using the political machinery to serve the nation, which is the real core of the conviction that propels the AAP volunteers.

Political Earthquake

International media have described AAP's stunning electoral triumph over the BJP in Delhi as a "political earthquake," taking a jibe at Prime Minister Modi's meteoric rise to the helm by saying -- "After all, what goes up must come down."

The New York Times dubbed BJP's defeat, less than a year after the party's victory in the polls at the centre, as a "smaller political earthquake." "Less than a year after Modi won a historic victory to become India's new prime minister, a smaller political earthquake struck the capital, as partial results indicated that Modi's governing party had been crushed in local elections by a young political organization led by an anti-corruption campaigner (Kejriwal)," the daily highlighted.

The Washington Post termed it as "stunning defeat" at the hands of the "upstart anti-corruption Common Man Party." "The contest was widely viewed as a measure of Modi's political clout here. The bitterly fought election for control of the legislative assembly mark the first political setback to Modi's BJP since he became prime minister in May 2014," the paper stated.

Advantage Women Candidates

Six women leaders have managed to secure a place in the 70-member House, a meager eight percent even as fairer sex accounts for almost 45 percent of the population in the national capital. There were 63 women candidates in this election as against 71 in 2013.

While as many as 66 women candidates were in fray, all the six winners, who have made it to the Assembly, belong to the AAP. They are Rakhi Birla, Bandna Kumari, Saritha Singh, Alka Lambha, Pramila Tokas and Bhavna Gaur.

Interestingly, the three women candidates elected to the Delhi Assembly in 2013 polls were also from AAP -Birla, Bandana Kumari and Veena Anand.

Birla, who was the Cabinet minister for Women and Child, Social Welfare and Languages in Delhi during AAP's 49-day regime, contested from Mangol Puri constituency in West Delhi and defeated Congress' Raj Kumar Chauhan by 22,699 votes.

Elected as an MLA from the Shalimar Bagh constituency in the 2013 Assembly polls, Bandana Kumari emerged victorious by defeating another woman candidate, BJP's Rekha Gupta.

Alka Lamba, a former leader of Congress-affiliated National Students Union of India (NSUI) who had joined AAP in 2013, won from Chandni Chowk constituency, defeating yet another women candidate of BJP, Suman Kumar Gupta, by more than 18,000 votes.

Another women who emerged victorious was Parmila Tokas, an independent municipal councilor. She was fielded from RK Puram constituency, where the party had pitted Shazia Ilmi in the last elections. Ilmi left AAP in 2014 and ultimately joined hands with BJP just before the Delhi elections. AAP's student wing president Sarita Singh won from the Rohtash Nagar Assembly constituency with a margin of 7,874 votes.

While women safety, which is a key concern in the national capital, featured widely in various parties' poll manifestos, when it came to fielding women candidates, the they did not opt for them. A total of 19 women candidates were fielded by three major political parties in the contest – AAP, BJP, and Congress.

BJP had given tickets to maximum number of seven women candidates including its chief ministerial nominee Kiran Bedi, former Congress leader Krishna Tirath and youth face Nupur Sharma.

All the six women candidates of AAP emerged victorious. The least number of women candidates was fielded by the Congress which had given tickets to just five.

Assessment

Undoubtedly, people have given a historic mandate to the AAP this time, carrying it on its shoulders to an absolute majority in the Assembly. This is a sign that people do not want pomp and show, and show of power, but results.

It is a vote not just in favor of Kejriwal but also against the arrogant Modi-Amit Shah duo. The Shah strategy of winning elections has failed. In fact, BJP-Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) workers were annoyed by top-down decision making. An outsider, Bedi's choice as a chief ministerial candidate was a mistake the leadership still does not accept.

Coming on top of a massive hype, the one thing BJP has delivered is a disturbing communal atmosphere in the country and little else that might be tangible. Judging from the kind of people who voted AAP, this factor may just have been decisive, with the middle class intelligentsia making the difference on the margin. The disaster the BJP has encountered would place it on the back foot in the coming state election over the next two years.

Growing Corruption in Defense: Army Chief in New Controversy

Indian Army Chief General VK Singh has blown the lid off defense corruption in India by suggesting in an interview to The Hindu. The General Singh had claimed in media interviews that a lobbyist, who had "just" retired, offered him a bribe of Rs 14 crore for clearing a file relating to purchase of a tranche of 600 "sub-standard" vehicles of a particular make and he had immediately informed Defense Minister A K Antony about the same.
In his explanation through the media he has said that by not addressing the main issue of his date of birth, the Supreme Court has created more confusion. It is clear he did not accept the court verdict in the spirit it was delivered. Instead, after the verdict he has dragged in former Army Chief General JJ Singh, calling him the main architect of the date of birth controversy.
Undoubtedly, the Army chief has committed a few improprieties — not taking up his age issue as upfront as he did when he became the Chief of Army Staff (COAS); making a patently erroneous distinction between his personal case and the office of the COAS; filing a statutory complaint against the government and setting an unhealthy trend among the rank-and-file of questioning lawful authority; and, on rejection of his statutory complaint, taking the government to court. To cap it all, he did not put in is papers even after he lost his case in court.
The Czech-origin Tatra multi-wheeled vehicles, manufactured by a public sector unit under license, were being supplied to the Army for the past 25 years. If the quality of the vehicle was indeed unsatisfactory, why did the Army never complain in writing? What is more, it is said that only one vendor has supplied the vehicle to the Army since 1986 and enjoyed a virtual monopoly. Why was then a bribe needed to be paid to General Singh? While General Singh’s insinuation that at least some of his predecessors might have been bribed to keep quiet about the quality of the vehicle has stirred the hornet’s nest, the retired officer named by the Army chief has denied the allegation and any interest in the vehicle, claiming that he has been engaged in only real estate and mining since his retirement.
Defense Ministry’s Response
The defense minister has corroborated the Army chief’s allegation of a Rs 14-crore bribe offered to him by Lieutenant General (retired) Tejinder Singh, but blamed Gen VK Singh of “inaction” in the matter.
Making a statement in the Rajya Sabha (upper house of the Parliament), Antony mentioned Lieutenant General (retired) Tejinder Singh by name and said he had asked the General to act, but he did not want to pursue the matter for unknown reasons. This, and the assertion that he himself could not act as there was no written complaint from the chief were the explanations that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) refused to buy.
Cases Against Army Chief and Others
Lt Gen (retd) Tejinder Singh has filed a criminal defamation case against General Singh and others in a Delhi court, rejecting allegations that he had offered Rs 14 crore as bribe to the General to strike a defense deal.
Tejinder Singh asked the court to summon and initiate proceedings against General Singh for making the "libelous" statement in media.
In his complaint, the retired Lt General has also named Vice Chief of Army staff SK Singh, Lt Gen B S Thakur (D G MI), Major General S L Narshiman (Additional Director General of Public Information and Lt Col Hitten Sawhney accusing them of misusing their official position, power and authority to level false charges against him.
Alarming Questions
The important aspect of this present controversy is that people fail to understand why did not General Singh, who enjoys a just reputation for integrity — exactly like defense minister— not have his dubious interlocutor arrested on the spot? Asked about this in a television interview, General Singh said he was too shocked as the vile suggestion was made by an officer just recently retired and was couched in indirect terms. General Singh said he went up to the defense minister right away and informed him of the distasteful episode.
What action did Antony choose to take apart from “holding his head” and instructing the chief not to let shady characters into our defense trade. Knowing our Parliament, it will probably get fixated on this issue (it must certainly investigate it though), and not pay attention to the wider (and pressing) question of corruption in defense purchases that could have the effect of selling our soldiers down the river in a military crisis.
Earlier in March 2012, the Defense Ministry banned six foreign and two Indian companies for 10 years for allegedly being involved in the payment of hefty sums to the director-general of the ordnance board to secure the contract for setting up factories to produce specialized materials for artillery shells. The firms included the Israeli government company that manages much of that country’s defense exports to India, and Israel is now India’s second largest defense exporter.
General Singh has used the bribery revelations to illustrate that he is being targeted by the establishment for ferreting out the corrupt within the system which had corroded the internal health of the Army. In graphic detail he has explained how corruption has burrowed into the innards of the Army. He has claimed that a retired unnamed officer offered him Rs 14 crore as bribe if he would clear a file. He asked him to leave and reported the matter to the defense minister.
However, the question lies: when the General B K Singh had informed the defense minister; why Antony kept mum in all these months, he should have ordered enquiry into the matter! Moreover, why the Army chief himself not lodged FIR against the person, who had offered bribe in his chamber; who prevented him how the general also kept mum? Only after the age controversy of General Singh, and the judgment going against him and now he is on verge of retirement, Singh is making public all these things? General Singh should have lodged FIR against the responsible person, who came to him personally to offer bribe! Undoubtedly, the Army chief is of impeccable character but his Defense Minister Antony is also known for honest and integrity.
Wrong Timing of Charges
Moreover, why did General Singh choose to go public with the bribery charge now and not earlier? The question is pertinent because as early as March 6, 2012, the Army put out a press release accusing a retired lieutenant. General of offering a bribe on behalf of a company that supplies trucks. Inexplicably, while the press release did not fight shy of naming the person who allegedly offered the bribe, it was silent on who he tried to induce.
General Singh should have started his crusade against bribe-givers more robustly much earlier and not at the fag end of a flagging career. It is true that he pushed the Adarsh Housing Society scandal and the Sukna land scam. But the timing of the latest revelations in The Hindu and The Economic Times is suspect. The immediate fallout from his interview and allegations is a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry in which the Army chief, the unnamed General, the defense minister and officials of the Ministry will be quizzed. The Defense acquisition procedure in which the Army is worst hit will slow down even further, with more defense companies being blacklisted. Even more worrying will be the worsening state of civil-military relations, especially between the Army Headquarters and the Defense Ministry.
Positive Aspect
An officer of impeccable integrity, General Singh's attempts to crack down on corruption in the Army, particularly the Sukna land and Adarsh Housing Society scams, shows he has what it takes to be a tough reform-oriented leader. Which is what makes the seemingly casual handling of an alleged attempt to bribe him somewhat puzzling. If the defense minister did not take his complaint seriously, the Army chief could have pursued the matter in a variety of ways.
Whatever the reason for this reluctance, it is clear that the controversy over his age — a matter strictly between himself and the defense establishment — has caused collateral damage in other areas and spawned unrelated disputes that have the potential of causing divisions in the Army, particularly in the top echelons, and in the Defense Ministry between uniformed men and political leaders.
Assessment
It is abhorrent on the part of General Singh in making sweeping statements and accusations in public to sensationalize the issue rather than making appropriate moves to get the bribe inducer booked and tried with valid proof. It is high time that he stops sullying the image of the army with his politician like demeanor and brings disrepute to the exalted post he holds until he remits office.
It is really surprising why General Singh who is known for his firm stand against corruption kept mum on following up with this issue and what prompted him to open the can of worms at this point of time? He could have got this monkey off his back as soon as this issue surfaced and why waited for over an year and that too when it is time for retirement?
No investigation would change the systems which have been fine-tuned to corruption. Only a grass roots education of citizens of evils of corruption would help reduce corruption. Hope this takes place. We do not need heroes like Anna to address corruption; we need awareness programs to make a common man aware of evils of corruption. Hope we can initiate these awareness without involvement of political parties.

Human Rights Violation in Kashmir

The entire world is observing World Human Rights Day on December 10 at a time when 64 years have passed and neither the Palestinians have got their right of liberation and nor the United Nations has granted the right of self-determination to the Kashmiris in accordance with resolutions adopted by the same. Women, children, and men are plunged into darkness in both parts of the Islamic world. The world is enjoying a sound sleep by depriving them the oppressed of comfort and ease, or observes World Human Rights Day once a year to cover up their long-forgotten duty and then again go into a deep slumber.
Horrendous Facts and Figures
When we analyze Kashmir from the point of view of human rights violations, such horrendous facts and figures emerge that they move our hearts. These are the latest figures and it can be guessed that how horrific atrocities the Indian forces are perpetrating on oppressed and wronged Kashmiris. These facts and figures are of the period from 1989 to 30 November.
Hold your heart and have a look at them. Killed (men) 90,178; killed (women) 4,255; missing (men) 8,979; missing (women) 1,335; injured (men) 554,937; injured women (24,011); detained (men) 222,300; detained (women) 4,149; incidents of molestation of women, 9,908; widowed women, more than 25,000; orphan children more than 60,000; graves of unknown people, 2,700; killed people's graveyards more than 5,500; and 1,04,801 ruined homes.
Withdrawal of Indian Forces
The general situation in Occupied Kashmir (India-Administered Kashmir) is such that 800,000 Indian troops have been given open license to massacre unarmed Kashmiris, rape women, and destroy properties under the protection of savage and black laws like Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act (TADA), Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA), and PSA.
The entire state has been turned into a military camp and all the cities, towns, villages, and streets appear to be under curfew, baton charge, reckless use of teargas, and echoes of bullets. Gatherings of hundreds of thousands of people appear to be demanding the full withdrawal of the Indian forces from Kashmir, and an end to coercive occupation.
Even some conscientious Indian intellectuals like Arundhati Roy, Gotam Naulakha, Justice Sachar, and the Indian negotiators, who came to Kashmir, have expressed their final opinion that the Kashmiris do not want to live with India at any cost, now. During his recent visit to India, US President Barack Obama termed Kashmir disputed and a resolvable issue, contrary to the Indian desire. Linking mediation with the willingness of the two countries, the United States urged the immediate resolution to the issue through bilateral talks. The decisive power of South Asia: China, has also termed Kashmir disputed territory and has refused to grant visa to Kashmiris on the Indian passport. Even, it refused to grant visa to the Indian General Jaswal on the ground that he assumed command in disputed Kashmir. The supreme head of Iran, Ayatullah Ali Khamene'i termed Kashmir and Palestine resolvable issues and urged for the support of Islamic world. Former Libyan President Qadhafi urged the resolution to the Kashmir issue from the UN forum. The EU and its parliament has time and again stressed on honorable resolution to the Kashmir issue. Thus, international pressure is mounting on India for an immediate solution of the Kashmir issue, but the human rights violations see no decrease.
On one hand, India tries to crush the peaceful struggle of the Kashmiri people in the backdrop of international pressure, and on the other, it is expanding its military occupation and plundering Kashmir's resources. Approximately 800,000 troops are stationing on 2800,000 Kanal of land, whereas gardens, picnic spots, and forests are being forcibly taken into custody for more land. Only in Shopian District, 5,200 Kanal of forest land was occupied and 300,000 to 400,000 trees were cut. The local people are not allowed to install wood cutting or grazing machines while the troops are busy in getting furniture prepared from precious timber and are sending it to their native homes. Timber worth billions of rupees has been sent to interior India to date and the process continues.
Struggle of Kashmiri People
Similarly, power worth billions of rupees is being generated through power projects on water resources of Kashmir and 88 percent of it is being sold to Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, and Delhi whereas only 12 percent is being provided to the people of the state. India is also pursuing a strategy under a preconceived plan to change the Muslim majority of the state by a full scale cultural invasion along with political and military domination. The forces have set up a network of schools in the name of "Sadhwana" where an attempt is being made to mold innocent students and girl students into the Indian color through the Hindu education system and training.
Jammu Province of the state, where Muslims and Hindus are living in mixed population, the local administration and police force are playing a shameful and gruesome role to harass and terrify Muslims in collaboration with local sectarian organizations like the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevek Sangh), Shiv Sena, Bajrang Dal, and BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), and they are practically being forced to migrate while attempt is being made to settle Sharnartheon (as published) in their place to change the Muslim majority identity of the state. Such demographic changes can have adverse effect on possible plebiscite. However, the international community is also mum on this.
We believe that being the main party to the issue, Pakistani Government should stand firm in its 64-year-old principled stand and should provide all its support to the liberation struggle of Kashmiri people. The historic struggle of Kashmiri people should be highlighted through full-scale diplomatic campaign and by activating media besides exposing the Indian atrocities and highhandedness on every forum of the world. How horrible is that the United Nations did not make any reference to Kashmir in the list of disputed territories its published this year because this issue has not cropped up for discussion for three years in a row, i.e., from January 2007 to 2010. It is a grave criminal negligence by Pakistan on diplomatic-level. We believe that the Kashmir issue should be the nucleus of Pakistan-India relationship like in the past. Talks should not be held with India until it gives up its traditional obstinacy and unrealistic approach and accepts the disputed and central status and tripartite status of the Kashmir issue. More than 150 rounds of talks have been held during the past 64 years, but these remained futile. Whenever the talks are held, then these should be Kashmir-centric and tripartite. This is not a border dispute that can be resolved through talks between the two countries. It is the issue of political future of 135 million Kashmiris and they are the prime and the most important party to this issue. Their direct participation in talks is inevitable.
Demand of Situation
The people of state have made this reality clear time and again that nothing, except full independence, is acceptable to them. Internal autonomy, division of state, or cross-border trade of potatoes or onions is not the resolution to the issue. The Kashmiris do not want any thing except full independence and this is the cause for which 125,000 sons of the soil have laid down their lives so far.
This should be noted that Kashmiris are not willing to budge an inch from their stance. They appeal to the entire world today, on the occasion of World Human Rights Day, to play its role in stopping the human rights violations in Kashmir and exert pressure on India for the resolution to the issue. If not, the international community should stop observing Human Rights Day because such violations are not stopped by seminars and walks but by something practical will have to be done for this. The world is negligent of its role to a great extent.

Change of Reign in Uttarakhand: Khanduri Sworn in as Chief Minister

Major General Bhuvan Chander Khanduri (retired) has been sworn in as the sixth Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, replacing Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, who was dumped by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) high command, which is desperately looking to refurbish the party’s image for the forthcoming Assembly elections in the state.
Reason Behind Exit of Nishank
The departure of Nishank as the state’s chief minister of poll-bound Uttarakhand is a reminder that in politics, timing is everything, as is perception. It was primarily because of timing that the writer-turned-politician was shown the door so swiftly by the BJP. With Assembly elections just months away, the party thought a last-minute image makeover could turn the tide in its favor. Also, at a time when it is planning an all-out offensive against the UPA over corruption, the BJP felt Nishank could become a baggage, burdened as he is with an image of inefficiency amid allegations about corruption in his government.
Possibility of Midterm Polls
Senior BJP leader L K Advani is set to roll out his rath to take on the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) over corruption. The party hopes to build a nationwide movement amid a perception, right or wrong, that a midterm general election cannot be ruled out, and as such it cannot afford skeletons in its closet.
In the Uttarakhand BJP, known for infighting, many battles were fought between B C Khanduri and Bhagat Singh Koshiyari before Nishank took over -- ironically from Khanduri who has succeeded him now -- following the rout in the Lok Sabha elections. The two stalwarts have since buried the hatchet and joined hands in getting Nishank out of the way.
The 53-year-old debutant chief minister's style of functioning had led to many complaints. As for the allegations of corruption around his government, these range from irregularities in the award of hydroelectric power projects -- 56 of them had to scrapped after an uproar and resulted in a huge loss -- to a controversy over the change of the pattern of land use by a pharmaceutical company. There are, however, no allegations of corruption against Nishank specifically.
In the award of hydel projects, the allegation was that those who secured the contracts were not technically qualified and did not meet the terms and conditions. There were instances of some of them having allegedly furnished false addresses. Allegations of corruption also flew over Citurgia Biochemicals allegedly changing a land use pattern to facilitate a housing project.
"It is not just the issue of irregularities in award of hydro-electric projects. We have been alleging that there was misuse of funds allocated for organizing the Kumbh Mela and provided for disaster relief. Everybody knows about the land scam too," said T P S Rawat, who last month resigned from the BJP to float a regional outfit. Rawat said he had written to BJP chief Nitin Gadkari and Advani a year ago drawing their attention to corruption.
Nishank was called to Delhi several times and asked to work overtime to change the perceptions around him and the negative mood against the government. One complaint was that he had cornered most of the key portfolios. Nishank was directed to give up most of those and mend fences with Khanduri and Koshiyari, who wanted a person with an unblemished record at the helm.
The winds started blowing harder against Nishank about two months ago after Gadkari asked Rajnath Singh, aided by general secretary Dharmendra Pradhan, was sent to oversee election preparations in Uttarakhand. The feedback the two got was followed by a detailed survey. Sources said the findings were disappointing. The survey predicted "we would not fare well in the elections", a leader said.
The image of the BJP and the Nishank government had hit a low. He was inefficient, a Central leader said. Then there was the perception of corruption at all levels of government. "The common man had to pay a bribe at every walk of life. This is a reality," a party leader admitted.
Antyodaya Vikas Yatra
Yet Nishank, who has found support from Rajnath Singh and senior leader Arun Jaitley, as well as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, was confident. He had begun his campaign, launching his Antyodaya Vikas Yatra -- the third phase of which had begun just days ago. Amid all this came the exit of Rawat, an ex-servicemen who started attracting a large number of his supporters to his newly formed party.
When this was accompanied by speculation that Khanduri could follow suit, it forced the party to sit up and take notice. The party, which had already shown B S Yeddyurappa the door, acted at a time when Advani was set to start his yatra and Congress leaders were referring to Uttarakhand whenever the BJP attacked the UPA over corruption.
It is said that a change of guard would work in the party's favor, both at the national and at the state level.

Government, Opposition Parties Lack Willpower To Curb Corruption

Corruption has been a powerful focus for movements in the past, and battling it is a global idea. In our neighborhood, "corruption" has been used by army generals in Pakistan, Bangladesh and even Myanmar to do away with elected governments. Latin America was assaulted by corporates from the United States, for centuries, arguing that the "corruption" of the local elites in mismanaging the boundless possibilities of resources justified annexations and invasions, generating the fascinating term "banana republic."
Fixing the generically "corrupt" is a win-win at the moment. It is heretical to question it. Yet, there is a deep tussle over the central idea that is at the heart of what "corruption" is.
In the late 19th and early 20th century, there were ideas of freedom from corruption and the tyranny of the state, as economists like Friedrich von Hayek and even David Ricardo understood the phrase. Adam Smithian ideas rested on the freedom of entrepreneurship, under a benign law-and-order minimalism. The Depression of the 1930s and the economics and politics of the World Wars brutally reconfigured these ideas. Keynesian notions were on the necessity of broadening the ambit of the state; and, over the years, freedom from the tyranny and "corruption" of private profit, as opposed to social good, was in currency. The anti-milawat and anti-mehangaai agitations in India, for example, in the late sixties, found a focus at the doors of traders, as seen in several of the popular movies of the time that villainised the shopkeeper.
However, as the world changed once again, with the collapse of the Soviet Union and its empire, caused by "corrupt" and bureaucratic insensitivities and the negation of personal freedoms there, free enterprise was once again a winner. But now, the mood in Europe and elsewhere, particularly its annoyance at corruption and malfeasance, is also demanding freedom from unregulated, self-serving business interests. After Lehman and Madoff, the West is introspecting not only on the role of corporations but also that of NGOs, and the need for accountability and transparency in the causes they front and the shows they put up. Scrutiny is not simply limited to the state.
In India, after two decades of economic reforms, there is a flourishing private sector. But this agitation is not quite clear about what and whose corruption it is so doggedly opposed to? CII, FICCI, big industries and several corporations, in a fabulous PR move, were the first to get off the block and ride the Anna annoyance wave. It has been a smart move to pre-empt the identification of other sources of corruption.
Fight Against Growing Menace
While Anna Hazare is fighting nonviolently against corruption with strong willpower with the support from the people of the country, the manner in which people's representatives sitting in the country's Parliament are fighting against corruption, neither is there honesty in it, nor will power.
The manner in which both sides put their points across on corruption issue on 24 August in both houses of Parliament; there were more things against each other than against corruption. Both sides tried their best to humiliate each other, which is utterly shameful. You can never fight decisively against corruption with such attitude.
Role of Congress
The Congress has, since 2004, argued for a redefinition of the role of the state in India, and seen it as a crucial vehicle for the uplift of those below the breadline. Their understanding of rural poverty programmes; their social vision; even their understanding of the Maoist problem stem from a concept that there is too little of a "good and effective" state.
The Two Indias idea -- one India desperately needing redress and programs, food security, employment guarantees, a right to information and freedom even from private contractors, with a dutiful state being refashioned to allow aspirations to take flight -- is the bedrock of this idea and its politics. The fact that these two ideas were interwoven (either cleverly or by chance) before the 2009 elections, and that they clicked, should have provided the regime an impetus to push ahead and aggressively question whether the narrow focus on a particular sort of corruption of this movement was at all fair.
Rigid Stance
There is lack of willpower in the ruling parties and opposition parties both. The elected representatives have made the biggest contribution in encouraging corruption. During the debate, MPs admitted partially that corruption is growing under the present system. The institutes that are established to prevent corruption are themselves encouraging it. Therefore, change in the system is essential, otherwise, in the coming days, people of the country would never forgive political parties and elected representatives.
Hazare's Proposal
The question now is: How to rein in corruption? Had the government taken such concrete steps, there would have been no need for Anna Hazare to agitate. Hazare's proposal of the Jan Lokpal bill is a step in the direction of preventing corruption, which is unacceptable to the government. The task of enacting the law is of the Parliament. It is supreme, but one would also have to think about the kind of mentality and character those sitting in Parliament have.
Had the MPs and ministers been honest, there would not have been such big scams in the country today. That is why they are also talking about bringing the behavior of MPs inside Parliament also under the ambit of the Lokpal. Political parties would have to clarify their policy on the corruption issue. Political parties themselves are unclear. The offer of resignation by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)MPs Yashwant Sinha and Shatrughna Sinha is an example of the party's dual character. Not only the BJP, but all other parties also have such dual character. They would have to correct this character.

Deepening International Economic Crisis

The crisis of capitalist system is rapidly increasing. The US economy is the backbone of the capitalist system. The United States is feeling it difficult to maintain this system. The economic rating of the United States has declined for the first time in the history. I will not try to make difficult my point of view through statistics and terminology. It is a simple thing that now the United States as state has nothing. The national growth and state loans have become equal. The annual national growth of the United States was $14.8 trillion and loan was $14.6 trillion. It means that the United States as leader of the capitalist system of the world has become debtor. The state has nothing to provide to its masses.
Obama’s Efforts
US President Barack Obama has struck a deal with Republican Party and decided to increase volume of state loans but the growth could not protect to the extra state loans. Although China has gathered lots of dollars yet the internal differences in the Chinese economy and like capitalist countries, Chinese development benefits are limited only to the upper class.
During the past three years, there were a large numbers of strikes in the history of China. A major part of Chinese foreign exchange income has been due to trade with the United States. However, now, the United States may not be able to purchase a large number of items which put direct impact on Chinese exports.
State of Allied Countries
The condition of the allied countries of the United States, which have capitalist system, is not good. The western media has always tried to hide the demerits and weakness of the capitalist system but now it has become impossible to conceal news in this regard as the disease has worsened. The economic condition of Greece has also become worst. There is shortage of resources with allied countries to steer Greece out of this economic crisis. This situation would also affect United States to a greater extent since it is not a welfare state.
The so-called reliefs to the common people which was being provided has become just nominal after the 80s decade. The welfare states of the Europe are facing problems to provide facilities to their people. For the first time, the demonstrations were held against economic problems in the United Kingdom. The capacity of the people to pay loan of the banks is declining day by day. The source was found to boost the industries through banks loans and plastic money, which now has put greater burden on the people and now they are unable to pay it. So, the demand is increasing in Britain that the banks should share the burden of the loans as they get so much income and the people have little capacity to pay it. Italy is sinking in the economic problems and it will be the next European country to become target of the economic crisis after Greece.
Impact on India
India which was being considered a fast growing developed country has failed to introduce practicable capital distribution system although the middle class achieved opportunities of growth in capital productions which helped in the running of trade and industries there. However, the majority of Indian population is quickly going down the line of poverty and more than 800 million people are living in a very miserable condition. The ruling circles of India are involved in corruption. At the moment, not only the governments are under pressure but all the political parties are also facing crisis.
The opposition pressure is mounting on the government of Congress in India. No one could object to the honesty and character of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh but now he too is facing demands of resignations on account of allegations of corruption. The opposition is not leveling any allegation against his personality and they are saying that he is responsible for the corruption committed by his cabinet ministers and thus he should resign. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has forced one of its chief ministers to step down to increase pressure on the Congress government as he was involved in a big corruption scandal. The BJP is also not different from others with regard to corruption. The BJP ministers were involved in corruption, which was unearthed after the Kargil war. But then the pressure of the masses was not so strong against the corruption.
However, now, keeping in view the pressure of the people, the BJP has sacrificed one of its chief ministers to justify launching of campaign against corruption and making preparations to put Congress under pressure. The chief ministers of Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh belong to regional parties and their governments were badly involved in the corruption whereas the situation of other states is also not different.
Declining Pakistan’s Economic Resources
The Pakistani economy is depending on capitalist system and the United States, its allies and their controlled financial institutions are providing most of our economic resources. However, the United States and its allies which themselves are facing crises could not provide any more help to Pakistan. Britain itself is failing to satisfy its people and its top priority would be its own people and it is not in a position to provide loans and aid to Pakistan. The United States already is avoiding to provide two-third of the assistance allocated for Pakistan. Similarly, it would be wastage of time to expect more aid from the United States. The International Monetary Fund, World Bank and Asian Development Bank can provide loans on strict conditions and their strictness would increase for the return of the loans. The war on terror has been imposed on us. No other power of the world is ready to share with us the burden of the expenditures of the war against the terrorism. The resources would not allow if any government will want to help Pakistan in this regard. The foreign reserves which are being maintained through loans have become doubtful now after the declining rate of the dollar and this fund of reserves could not go along with us for a long time.
Moreover, there is very little chance to increase income through exports. The Pakistani staying aboard could not save more in this present circumstances as their expenditures would increase to reduce the amount which they are sending to their kith and kin in Pakistan. Recently, a delegation of Pakistani traders had warned the government to avoid holding of foreign exchange in the shape of dollars and transfer the foreign exchange in other currencies, if it is possible, as the crisis of dollars would not be affordable for Pakistan.

Government Action Against Baba Ramdev

The treatment that was meted out to Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev in New Delhi, who was on a hunger strike over the issue of black money and corruption, is not good. First, he was accorded very high status, but when things went wrong, the police swooped down at midnight when the Yoga Guru and his supporters were resting and took him into custody. The Delhi police cancelled the permission given for the Yoga camp and started taking action against his followers by barging into the tent. The police have also registered a complaint against unknown persons for rioting and obstructing government employees from carrying out their work. A ban has been imposed on Yoga Guru on his entry into Delhi for 15 days.
Violation of Terms of Permission
The government says that he was given permission to conduct a Yoga camp, but he violated the terms of the permission. It is very painful that several supporters and workers of Ramdev have been injured in this incident and many of which have been admitted to hospitals. How did things come to this pass when the government and the Yoga Guru had reached an agreement on 3 June?

The government accepted all the demands of the Yoga Guru and had given it in writing to him. It was expected that Ramdev would announce to end his hunger strike by 4 June evening, but that did not happen. It seems that some misunderstanding between the two spoilt the things.
Adding Fuel to Fire
Ramdev announced to continue his fast-unto-death and called upon his followers to march to Delhi. The government also could not exercise restraint. It made the Yoga Guru's letter regarding agreement public. This added fuel to the fire. The round of allegations and counter-allegations that began between the two further vitiated the atmosphere, which ultimately resulted in the strict police action.
The main opposition party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has reacted strongly over the incident and has condemned the police brutality. The Delhi Police says that the Yoga Guru was neither arrested nor taken into custody, but the action was taken in view of his security. He is in his Patanjali Ashram at Haridwar, where he has said that his fast-unto-death still continues and will continue until his demands are met. When the Yoga Guru was on hunger strike in a peaceful manner, the government should have refrained from taking such action.

Hike in Petrol Prices

A whispering campaign was on for the last several months that immediately after the declaration of election results for five state assemblies that went to elections, the prices of petrol and diesel would be hiked. After the declaration of the results, the process of formation of governments in these states is still on. Now that the government has hiked the petrol price by rupees give a liter, the whispers have come true.
Unexpected Steep Rise
Both Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Petroleum Minister Murli Deora had hinted about price hike on several occasions, but no one expected a steep rise of Rs. 5 per liter in price of petrol. It may be recalled that the prices of petrol has been hiked eight times during the past nine months, the present hike being the highest ever. It has been noticed often that whenever there is a hike in the prices of petrol and diesel, the price of food articles also go up. Freight and fares also go up.
The issue was discussed threat bare at the meeting of the Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by Pranab Mukherji. The GoM also discussed ways and means to keep price rise of essential commodities in check, but to ignore the hike in prices of crude oil at the international level, was well nigh impossible for the government. The finance minister maintains that going by the current scenario, the government was left with no option because, despite having raised the price of petrol by Rs.5 per liter, the oil companies still continue to suffer a loss of Rs. 5.5 a liter on petrol.
Prices of Crude Oil
Despite that the prices of crude oil had reached the highest level in the international marked in the last two-and-half years, the oil companies had refrained from raising the price of petrol since January, though the companies continued to exert pressure on the government to hike the price. The government continued to delay the announcement because while it did its best to save the people from the price rise is essential commodities and to bring inflation under control, it also had the elections in five states before it.
The oil crisis started in the international market in wake of the Iraq war. It had its impact on the entire world. The situation became all the more serious after the relations between the United State and Libya sourced. Further, the imposition of sanctions on Iran by the United Nations also aggravated the situation. It is not mean to discuss here as to which country imports oil from where or does not import at all. The truth, however, cannot be ignored that the rise in crude oil prices does have an impact on the oil industry in all countries.
The government had decontrolled the petrol prices in June 2010 and since then the prices of the commodity have been hiked for the eighth time. It was the compulsion of the government as well. The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has termed the hike in petrol prices as anti-people saying that the government was awaiting the results of the elections held in five states. The accusation by the BJP loses its strength because both the finance minister and the petroleum minister had already hinted a couple of months ago that the raising the petrol prices was the compulsion of the government.
Despite the price rise of Rs. 5 a liter in petrol, the oil companies continue to suffer a loss, which makes it clear that another hike in petrol price may be announced soon. The BJP has linked the current hike with politics but, should there be a further rise in the petrol price in the future, with which the BJP would link that? It would be futile to believe that the opposition is not aware or ignorant of the rise in crude oil prices in the international market. A government when takes such a hard decision, discusses the issue threadbare but under unavoidable circumstances the price rise becomes its compulsion.
Burden of Price Rise on People
One can not deny that with the rise in petrol prices, the burden of the price rise on people would further, increase and that it would also have its impact on inflation. Even the prices of the LPG and kerosene and diesel may be affected. Yet the situation that the government faces is unavoidable. No government wants to see its people falling in the grip of miseries. The government has taken the decision after the GoM report. It can be safely claimed that the decision of the government hints at some kind of a concrete strategy as Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has admitted that the government was left with no other option.
It is always easy to criticize the government. Protests, demonstrations and sit-ins are held against decisions of the government. Yet, no opposition has ever come out with an alternative solution to any problem. Nor does it ever suggest how a particular issue can be solved.
The government decided to hike the price of petrol in view of the situation that it confronted but now it would have to think how it should provide relief to people. The meeting of the GoM is scheduled during the current month itself to take a decision on the prices of LPG, diesel and kerosene. The government needs to be abundantly cautious while making a decision on it. At the same time, it needs to think on the subsidies too, so that some kind of relief is given to the people and opposition may not find an opportunity to criticize and take on the government.

Assembly Elections 2011: Five States Vote Against Corruption, Bad Governance

The results of elections held in five states could not be unexpected; yet the results provide an opportunity to introspect to those political parties, which, once in power, disregarded people's welfare and interests. They easily forget that in a democracy, they have to be accountable of their performance to people after every five years.
The results of Assembly elections declared on 13 May signal a vote for change and a vote against corruption and poor governance. The spectacular rout of the Left in West Bengal and of the DMK in Tamil Nadu, however, overshadowed an equally spectacular vote for continuity in Assam.
Four of the five governments seeking renewed mandate in the states were tossed out by the electorate, with only the Congress government in Assam returning to power for the third consecutive term. And barring a photo-finish in Kerala, where the Congress-led United Democratic Front barely secured a majority, the voters dished out clear and decisive mandates in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam and Puducherry.
Of the five states where elections were held, only in Assam and Puducherry the ruling party, the Congress, secured enough seats to form government yet again. In Assam, the Congress is in better position than after the election held in 2006, and now it can form government on its own. During the last election, it had to seek the help of other groups to form government. In Puducherry, the Congress is in a position to form government yet again. It is, however, a different issue that the Congress had to lose several seats from its earlier tally. In addition to these states, people have discarded the ruling groups and dethroned them from power in West Bengal, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. Voters, thereby, conveyed a clear and sound message that they have the power and the authority to punish those who, in a democracy, strive to do whatever they want and indulge in corruption.
West Bengal
In West Bengal, Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Bannerjee juggernaut steamrolled the Left Front in West Bengal, dislodging the longest communist government in a democratic country after 34 long years. With her call for ‘Poribartan’ (change), Mamata (56) swept everything before her. Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee became the first Chief Minister since 1967 to lose his seat in the Assembly.
Barring Tamil Nadu, the Congress has benefited in two assemblies by way of returning to power. In two other assemblies, West Bengal and Kerala, its ally the Trinamool Congress and the party itself have made the ruling clans to bite dust. In West Bengal, election results are more than expected, but even better. Mamata Bannerjee has succeeded in dismantling the strong bastion of the Left in West Bengal. The Left has lost power in the state after several decades. The way the firebrand Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Bannerjee carried her electoral campaign in the state and the huge support she received during electioneering, made even the Left to accept indirectly that it is almost difficult to retain power.
The election results make it clear that people want a change. They want that the state should come out of the grip of politics of bandhs (strikes), and implement the development agenda. They want that new industries be set up in the state, and the state economy stabilized. Going by this people's mandate, Mamata Bannerjee faces a formidable challenge. This is because despite having been vanquished, the Left is not without strength. By the percentage of votes the Left has secured, they are in a strong position to pose serious challenges to Mamata Bannerjee. Also, she would have to maintain more cordial relationship with its ally, the Congress, so that she may take the state to the path of progress and development with the full support and assistance from the central government. This would make her task easier.
Tamil Nadu
The defeat of the alliance headed by Karunanidhi in Tamil Nadu is not entirely unexpected. Cash and caste also took a tumble in Tamil Nadu, where J. Jayalalithaa and AIADMK proved poll predictions of a hung house wrong. So comprehensive has been the victory of the Puratchi Thalaivi (Revolutionary Sister) that the AIADMK ended up winning as many as 151 of the 160 seats it contested. While Chief Minister M Karunanidhi won his seat, most of his cabinet ministers including son and chosen successor Stalin lost. The revelations being made almost every day in the 2G Spectrum scam makes one understand how some people indulge in plunder of national wealth. It, certainly, did cast its shadows on the results in the states. Moreover, the ever-increasing influence of members of his family in government affairs because of Karunanidhi's old age added fuel to fire in deteriorating the situation in the state. Traditionally, Tamil Nadu never returns the same ruling clan for a second term, and people handover power to the opposition every five years. The same has happened now. Almost the same, generally, takes place in Kerala. Yet, the Congress' victory this time assumes significance in that the party that was floated by Karunakaran could have played spoilsport for the Congress.
Assam
In Assam, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi reaped the rewards for a slew of populist welfare measures. The Congress government in Assam had offered computer laptops to each student who passed the class X examination in the first division. It had announced cash incentives for girls born in government hospitals and offered working capital to widows to start their own small enterprises. “Good governance” and peace initiatives aimed at reconciling insurgents seem to have helped Gogoi reap the harvest.
Though the Congress has succeeded in returning to power, the most pertinent aspect of the election outcome is the remarkable performance of the All India United Democratic Front. The Front led by Badruddin Ajmal has not increased its earlier tally of 11 seats, but in other constituencies it fought neck-to-neck with its rivals, including the Congress. In sever al constituencies, it secured the second place. This situation rings alarm bells for the Congress that Muslims in Assam are distancing themselves from the Congress, and their confidence in the party headed by Badruddin Ajmal is on the rise.
Andhra Pradesh
In Andhra Pradesh, another breakaway group of the Congress, the YSR Congress formed by Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, has jolted the ruling party by the enormous margins of its victory in the by-elections to the Kadapa Lok Sabha and Pulivendula Assembly constituencies. The rise of the YSR Congress threatens to destabilise the demoralised Congress regime in South India's largest State, as many YSR loyalists might see political advantage in switching sides early.
Kerala
In the closest electoral battle Kerala has seen in recent decades, the Congress-led United Democratic Front has scraped past the Left Democratic Front in the 2011 Assembly elections. In the House of 140, the UDF bagged 72 seats, four more than the LDF led by the Communist Party if India (Marxist).
The UDF had scored massive wins in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls and the 2010 local body elections, but has now had to satisfy itself with a modest win.
In the nine-party UDF, the Congress has won 38 seats, the Indian Union Muslim League 20, the Kerala Congress (M) nine, the Socialist Janata (Democratic) two, and the Kerala Congress (B), the Kerala Congress (Jacob) and the RSP (Bolshevik) one each.
The CPI(M), heading the seven-party LDF, is the single largest party with 45 seats in the House. The CPI has won 13 seats, the Janata Dal (Secular) four and the RSP, the Nationalist Congress Party and LDF-backed independents two each. In the outgoing House, the LDF had 98 seats to the UDF's 42.
Setback for BJP
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has nothing to cheer about the outcome of the five Assembly elections. The only consolation for the party is the victory of its nominees in the by-election to the three Assembly segments in Karnataka and the Bastar Lok Sabha constituency in Chhattisgarh.
The biggest disappointment for the party is in Assam where it had hoped to improve on its tally of 10 seats in the last Assembly poll. The party's strength in the State is down to four and the BJP attributed it to ‘disunity' in the Opposition ranks.
AssessmentOn the whole, people in three out of five states have given their verdict for a change. It is also clear that those indulging in corruption and ignoring people's interests would not be spared. It is a matter of conjecture how political parties take the message conveyed by people in their verdict.

Threat to Modi's Fort in Gujarat

Democracy is such a field in which even a tallest person has his limits. People are wise enough to decide. Rulers are changed as per the people's aspirations. By spending huge amounts, leaders enhance their heights. One such person is Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi who tries to become an icon by using the media, though his greatest achievement is the carnage of Muslims in 2002, killing 2,000 people. Even today, Gujarat's land is not permissible for Muslims but Modi erected his palace on their corpses.
Right from day one, Modi had decided to annihilate Muslims, divide them from Hindus, and by creating aversions, rule the state. He got the success through their game plan and in every election he plays this trick. Since aversions is not in the DNA of the Indian people, this formula will, therefore, not work for long.
Communalism Trick Failed
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Sangh Parivar had used the pretext of the Babri Mosque to come to power for once but subsequently people got sensible to understand their play and thus showed them the door. Since Modi knows that this trick of communalism is not longer lasting, he is now shifting toward development. To achieve this aim, Modi has been organizing conclaves by inviting nonresident Indians (Gujaratis) to invest in Gujarat. Whereas the truth is truth and it prevails.
People have now recognized Modi's real face and have hatred toward him. The proof is Modi's defeat in the recent Gandhinagar municipality elections, in which the BJP got 15 seats against 18 of the Congress party. This is a sensitive and worrisome matter for Modi as this area is of BJP leader L.K. Advani, from where he has been winning for the past 18 years. To capture the Gandhinagar municipality, Modi left no stone unturned.
Fight for Secularism
On 13 April, Modi and Advani organized a big congregation at the Town Hall. After capturing this, the Congress party has occupied two out of eight municipalities of the state. On this defeat, Modi and his henchmen are experiencing the fits of anxiety and are amazed to what happened and how? This puzzle was solved by a former officer, Prem Shankar Bhatt, member of Nagrik Parishad. He says that most of the voters in Gandhinagar are government servants, who implement government schemes. As Modi lied to a great extent about false schemes and these voters being in government knew the truth, hence they voted against him.
Modi could not have continued for long had the Congress party been firm on its ideology. He played a communal card and the Congress party became the 'B' team of the BJP. Modi is a transgressor. If the Congress party resolved to fight for secularism, equality, fraternity, and human values, then this flame will one day become a storm and will demolish the fort of Modi and Advani.

People's Sentiments Over Jaitapur Issue

It seems a strange state of affairs that a Federal Minister Jairam Ramesh says, "To make a reality of the Jaitapur power plant we will have to take into confidence the people of that area." Meanwhile, the police firing, as is their wont, is giving a blow to that confidence. The question that arises is, why do police go berserk at the slightest provocation? Is there just one chapter in the police manual that teaches crowd management?

People's Sentiments

The Maharashtra Government is ordering a probe into the firing of that incident at Jaitapur, but does not consider a probe into the police firing. Is it not strange that Maharashtra Home Minister R.R. Patil always favors police incident and does not take into consideration people's sentiments?

There is no denying the fact that the Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) try and make as much political capital from these incidents as possible. But the state government is no less than them in such matters. Why is it giving these parties to take advantage of such issues and play it up as far as possible in its own inimitable style by jumping into the fray so that it is gasping for breath and gets one more chance to revive and get a life? Just what is the reason that a democratic government is sitting immobilized and instead of giving the problem in hand some cool thinking and look for a solution to it, it resorts to police firing, fanning the flames?

Studying Plant

What should have been done is that the government, keeping people's feelings in mind, should have stopped the Jaitapur plant and in this duration made a new feasibility report of the plant's validity. But it is a pity that this did not take place. Ramesh has definitely spoken about studying the plant from the very beginning again, but along with it he talked about many other progressive projects for the country. This goes to show that he is adamant to go ahead with the plant, which he has mentioned to the public at many occasions.

The biggest reason for the people against the Jaitapur nuclear plant is the disaster that has taken place in Japan's Fukishama plant and its aftermath, which has got the whole world worried and not only people in India. If all problems of the world are looked at from human viewpoint, the first issue that should be studied is people's sentiments.

India Must Remain Alert in Maintaining Relations With China

Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna has told Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and member of the Rajya Sabha (upper house of Parliament), Tarun Vijai, that the government is keeping a watchful eye on the Chinese activities in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), and in this connection has established contact with the Chinese Government. Krishna said: 'We fully realise our responsibilities.'

The Chinese Government has claimed that their activities in Gilgit-Baltistan are in connection with projects that their experts have taken up from the Pakistani Government. Addressing an army seminar, the Commander in Chief of the Indian Army said, on the Line of Actual Control is a worrying development from the army's viewpoint. He said that it would be very easy to mobilize the Army for the enemy on this road. Also it will be easy for them to keep an eye on Indian activities.

The US media have also expressed their apprehensions that the Chinese Army has established its bases over there. In a distance of less than a mile, the Chinese have put up spy cameras, so that they can keep an eye on the Indian border. China has made claims to the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, and at the same time extends apparent friendship. Despite it, China does not hesitate with its highhandedness.

Trade Ties and Border Dispute

India has based its foreign policy on friendly relations with all its neighbors. This is very important for peace and domestic progress. For India's good relations with China, this is doubly important, for China has become a tremendous world power in economic and military terms. This can also be seen from the fact that the Chinese currency yen is at par with the US dollar, and in the near future, if the yen overtakes the dollar it will not be a big surprise in the world markets.

India also has made a place for itself in the world markets. Setting aside political differences, India has given emphasis to trade relations and extended help to China. Trade relations continue to grow between the countries. Along with this, the India-China border and PoK, Chinese activities are a cause for worry. The Indian Government will have to take a serious view of the matter.

Along with attempts at improving relations with China, India will have to remain vigilant on the border with China. Because of negligence the incidents of 1962 should not be repeated. Incidents of the past are sufficient proof of the fact that under the influence of "Panchsheel" (five principles of peaceful coexistence) the slogan of Hindi-Chini Bhai-Bhai (Indians and Chinese are brothers), the Chinese stabbed Indians in the back, which left India helpless and all alone in the India-China war. Because of India's support for socialism, all Western powers had not extended their support for India. Without going into the details of this humiliating incident, one can say that the country had to pay a big price for its negligence.

Protective Infrastructure War

Despite India's efforts to restore cordial relations, China attitude remains the same. China started giving separate visas to Kashmiris who wanted to visit China. Despite India's insistent protests that Kashmir is an inseparable part of India, the separate visa can only be termed mischievous. On one hand, China is interested in increasing trade relations with India, and on the other, it has made it easy to access the border between the countries and is busy building roads for that purpose.

India is also sending a message to China that it is not negligent toward the border as it were during the 1962 India-China. This is the reason India will have to pay a protective infrastructure war. India also is a nuclear power.

Demand of Situation

What is the demand of the situation is that India should strive for complete self-reliance. It should be fully armed with tanks and warplanes, regardless from where they have to be got. At the same time its foreign policy should be planned in such a way that it supports its defence preparedness. Its foreign policy should be planned in such a way that it supports defence preparedness. Instead of its foreign policy being anti-China, it should be in harmony with it.

With a neighbor like China, which has usurped a large portion of India's border region, it should not be ignored for the purpose of trade. To be careful in relations with China is the most important and needed move.

WikiLeaks Revelations and BJP

The same Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which targeted the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government and demanded the prime minister's resignation, on revelations made by WikiLeaks relating to the cash-for-vote issue finds itself in a great quandary over the latest WikiLeaks revelations. While this provided great solace to the Congress, the BJP was forced to look the other way and to cut a sorry figure.

India-US Civil Nuclear Deal
In its latest expose, WikiLeaks has brought the BJP to stand trial. It can be safely assessed from the latest expose how greatly pro-United States the BJP is, which castigated the Congress and the UPA government toeing the US line. The fresh expose by WikiLeaks reveals that the BJP opposition to the India-US civil nuclear deal during 2008 was a mere ploy aimed at gaining political mileage out of the situation. According to WikiLeaks, BJP leaders had assured US officials that the BJP's opposition to the deal in public was only a political move, and the BJP was doing so to gain an upper hand over the UPA. The BJP leadership further assured the United States that should it come to power, it would do no harm to the India-US nuclear deal.

According to the expose, a member of the BJP executive committee and a prominent RSS leader Sheshadari, had told a US official in 2005 that the United States should not attempt to read between the lines to draw conclusion from the party's political resolution on foreign affairs. It is pertinent to note that the BJP in its above-cited resolution had accused the former UPA government of succumbing to US pressure, and following US dictates. While clarifying the BJP stand, Sheshadri told the US official that whatever was said in that resolution was merely to gain political mileage.

Deriving Political Mileage
One wonders that if the BJP was opposing the nuclear deal just for the sake of opposition, and to derive political mileage, was the BJP not misleading the country? True that after the Left withdrew support from the UPA on the issue of the nuclear deal with the United States, speculations on midterm election were rife, and the BJP was desirous of utilizing the opportunity to return to power at the central level. This attempt was clearly aimed at creating instability in the country, and forcing the nation to bear the huge expenditure of midterm election unnecessarily. At the same time, the BJP and the Sangh Parivar (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and its allies) continued to assure the United States clandestinely of their loyalty to the United States and support to the nuclear deal.

WikiLeaks has further revealed in the same vein that during 2009, the in charge of the US Embassy Peter Burleigh, after his meeting with L.K. Advani, informed Washington that the BJP leadership did not intend to pay greater attention to opposition to the nuclear deal yet again. The situation, emerging later, stands witness that though the BJP did not change its stance (of opposing the deal) in public, yet it never opposed it either.

This makes it clear that the same BJP, which goes all out against the UPA by accusing the government of being pro-United States, does not leg behind in US worship. The situation is a great solace for both the Congress and the UPA that it got an opportunity to beat the BJP with the same stick with which the BJP was beating it. It is, perhaps, because of it that the party (Congress) said, while reacting to the fresh expose, that it was the BJP's turn to be targeted. Congress spokesman Manish Tiwari sarcastically said that the BJP had taken the WikiLeaks expose as holy political scriptures, but the Congress attached no more importance to it than being mere speculation.

Matter of Grave Concern
It is, however, of no importance who won or who lost on this particular issue. The basic issue, however, is the WikiLeaks revelations, despite having several loopholes and contradictions. Some of the expose, despite having the possibility of being incorrect, is not entirely untrue.

If even an iota of the expose is based on fact or truth, it goes to prove that the BJP that cheated people on the nuclear deal, or the Congress may oppose each other, but both of them stand on the same plank in the matter of worshipping the United States. This kind of a situation is a matter of grave concern for the entire country indeed.

Terrorism: Need To Move Against Perpetrators

The Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) says that the government referring to Hindu organizations as terrorists is a very dangerous trend. In the inaugural session of the Akhil Bhartiya Pratinidhi Sabha (All India--Organisation), its general secretary Joshi, while addressing the media persons, said that for political compulsions Hindu organizations were being referred to as communal and blamed for terrorism. This is a very dangerous trend.

It may be noted that the Akhil Bhartiya is considered the foremost organization of the RSS for formulating policy. A shocking revelation that has been made is that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is not the political arm of the RSS. In the same breath, the BJP has been instructed to clean up its corruption act. The RSS has announced that it is struggling against corruption.

Terrorism Factor
As far as terrorism is concerned, if the RSS can produce concrete proof that it is free from corruption, then it should be welcomed. But nothing of the sort has happened. Bomb explosions and acts of terrorism to instill fear have been spreading without doubt. The investigating agency has reached the conclusion that ultimately it is the Muslims and Muslims alone who are responsible for terror. Their minds had been made up regarding this before fully investigating the matter. Therefore, as soon as explosions took place Muslims are rounded up and put in prison without a second thought.

Responsible officers were worried that if this was true that Muslims alone were responsible for the evil acts, then with the indiscriminate arrests of Muslims, the explosions would have stopped long ago. This line of thinking was suggested by former Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad chief Hemant Karkare. He changed the direction of the thinking and pointed it to the right direction and in a state of panic the investigations were handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). This was followed by the arrest of Swami Aseemanand and his subsequent confession that it was revealed that Hindus and Hindus alone were involved in terrorist activities attached to various organizations.

Malegaon Attacks
The CBI has informed that one of the accused was still in prison at the time of the Malegaon attacks, while another was many kilometers away when the attacks took place and was in the mosque, in the village, saying his Friday prayers. The CBI also told the court that these two accused were locked up without investigating the charges. Now the question is will someone tell or should we. The investigations are still under way. Now there is no doubt that Hindu organizations are involved in these acts of terror.

Soon after independence, it was claimed that Hindu organizations only have been creating communal riots, with the help of the police and the administration. These acts have been blamed on the defeated Muslims. The thousands of riots that have taken place after independence are sufficient proof of this. All prove that the canard against Muslims began when George W. Bush was the US president. It was then that Indian Muslims were labeled as terrorists. Now that Hindu organizations have been exposed, all are trying to brainwash innocent citizens that this lie is indeed the truth.

Demand of Situation
What is important is that our leaders should understand that by pushing innocent Muslims and putting them in prison is not going to solve anything. Muslims also are honorable citizens of this country. Punishment to all those who bring false charges against Muslims, knowing well that they are innocent, is the foremost demand of the situation. Protecting life, honor, and property is the foremost duty of the state. This is extremely important.

WikiLeaks Expose Creates Trouble for UPA Government, BJP

The WikiLeaks expose has proved a headache to several countries in the world, including the United States. It has now come out with some fresh expose, which have added to the woes of the Manmohan Singh government. Although these expose are self-contradictory, which make their veracity doubtful, yet they have created a new problem for the government, which already was under constant attacks by the opposition.

The fresh expose by the WikiLeaks relate to the first term of the United Progressive Alliance government. When the Left Front withdrew support to the then Manmohan Singh government in 2008 on the issue of the India-US civilian nuclear deal, the government, alleges the WikiLeaks, paid bribes to several MPs to get their votes in favor of the confidence motion, and to prove its majority on the floor of the house. The relations between the Manmohan Singh government and the Left Front had soured over the India-US civilian nuclear deal.

The strong objection and opposition to the deal by the Left and withdrawal of its support, led to the apprehension of a midterm election. The government had to work hard to win the majority to its side in the Lok Sabha (lower house of Parliament). In the end, the government was saved. During a trust vote, it usually happens that parties accuse one another of getting vote by paying money. The same happened in this case too. The opposition including the Left accused the government of buying votes to save itself. During 2008, opposition parties had flashed wades of currency notes in Parliament claiming that they have been paid by the government to buy votes in favor of the trust motion.

Constitution of Joint Parliamentary Committee
A Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) was then constituted to probe the issue, which, in its report, brought the issue to an end. The WikiLeaks information has yet again resurrected the dead issue. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) even went so far as to demand the resignation of the prime minister. The most important aspect of the issue is that the government has refused either to confirm or to deny the latest revelation by WikiLeaks.

According to WikiLeaks, the then US Charge’D Affairs in India Peter Burleigh conveyed to Washington that the BJP’s opposition to the nuclear deal was merely 'public posturing' and its leaders, including L.K. Advani, were 'assuring American officials privately that they were fine with it.'

Double Standard of BJP
Interestingly, Advani, in his blog, attacked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for maintaining that his government and the Congress stood vindicated against the allegations about 'cash for votes' by the 2009 General Election verdict.

The BJP leader also commended fellow party leader and former External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh for attacking India’s foreign policy tilt towards the US. But not a word is there about the latest WikiLeaks cables.

Meanwhile, the Congress, which had borne the brunt of Opposition attacks because of WikiLeaks cables, appeared clearly pleased with the latest expose. The party wasted no time in scoring brownie points over arch rival BJP, asking the saffron party to apply to itself the same standards it had adopted for the government when it was disrupting Parliament over the past few days.

The government maintains that since the issue relates to the last Parliament and it mentions the correspondence of a sovereign country, the United States and its mission in Delhi, it cannot be discussed. It says the mission enjoys immunity under diplomatic rules and the messages referred to by WikiLeaks can neither be confirmed nor denied. Clearly, the opposition is not satisfied with the clarification made by the government. These parties claim that since the crime has been committed within the borders of the country and Indians were involved in the crime, the government should come out clean on it.

Matter of Conjecture
It is a matter of conjecture, which way the wind will blow, consequent on the confrontation between the opposition and the government on the WikiLeaks expose. The statement made by Ajit Singh in this connection could be a matter of great solace to the government. Ajit Singh has refuted the charge of vote for money against his party in the Parliament. He said he had categorically announced to vote against the government, which his party men did.

Howver, former Union minister and a Congress party leader, Satish Sharma claims that Nachiketa Kapoor, mentioned in the expose by WikiLeaks, as his personal secretary, had never been his personal secretary. Clearly, there are several contradictions in the WikiLeaks expose. It, however, proves how greatly the United States is interested in the internal affairs of India and what kind of relations are there between the United Progressive Alliance government and the United States. For the opposition, this facet of the expose is no less important indeed. It appears that until the elections for the five state assemblies are over, the government would have to continue to face strong attacks from the opposition.

Will There Also Be Voice for Change in India?

After Tunisia and Egypt, in many Western-styled democratic countries questions are being raised whether the people of these so-called democratic countries should voice against wayward leaders. According to Bhaskar Ghosh (Frontline 28 February), in India itself all those agonies and problems are faced by people that are faced by the people in Egypt. Prices of essential commodities are skyrocketing, unemployment is on its peak and the scams and black deeds of corrupt leaders are getting exposed.

Existing Problem
The problem in India is that there are very few honest people in the seat of power. The ruling party and the opposition, both are alike in respect of wealth accumulating and nepotism. Interestingly these corrupt people are lawmakers themselves. They increase their salaries whenever they like and can throw any rule or regulation pertaining to the qualifications and morale standards fixed for contestants of the election. They can purchase the will of people by showing the magic of the wealth. There is no restriction on them of any kind.

RSS Venom Against Muslims
How can a revolution come to India, when the country is unfortunately divided on religion, region, caste, creed, and color? In addition to the above, Muslims here are in minority and there is a large majority of communal class who spews the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) venom against Muslims and wants to crush them in all walks of life. This majority class, forgetting values and humanity, has engaged itself in plunder of wealth. Rejecting the pious traditions of Mahatma Gandhi's truthfulness and non-violence, they have adopted the morbid theories of Vir Savarkar and Nathu Ram Godse. Under these circumstances, they cannot be united to raise voice against any ailing system.

During the period of Jai Prakash Narayan, the entire nation had stood up against Indira Gandhi but after sometime, she again came to power and in the name of democracy, the same family rule came into existence. In this country, efforts were desperately made to introduce a third power but in vain. Hence, the minorities to avoid the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), were unwillingly forced to vote for the Congress party, which is itself is a party of transgressors and ambidextrous politicians.

Voice for Proper Representation
Now the question arises who should streamline the procedures of public representation, as characterless and criminal persons are sitting as public representatives. Why should they be ready for election reforms, as the voice for proper representation was raised, but they did not agree to it? A large section of people are themselves involved in corruption, hence they do not mind seeing their leaders corrupt as well.

There exists no organization or leadership for bringing amelioration or revolution. All of them content on rallies and congregations. Not one of them has the capability like Egyptians to bring revolution in just 18 days.

Popular Mind-Set on Corruption

After the complete washout of the winter session of Parliament, its budget session commenced on Monday. During the last session, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other opposition parties had created a ruckus on their demand for a probe in the 2G Spectrum scandal by a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC). The opposition did not let the two Houses of Parliament function. The entire session fell victim to chaotic din and uproar.

2G Spectrum Case
The government was endeavoring to ensure smooth functioning of the current session. It appeared almost certain that the government might concede the demand of a JPC to probe the 2G Spectrum case. With this in mind, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha convened an all-party meeting two days before the commencement of the session where, the prime minister, reportedly, accepted the demand of the opposition in principle. It is expected that on the very first day of the motion of thanks to the address by the president, the formation of the JPC may be announced and the budget session would be saved. If this takes place, it would certainly be a huge jolt to the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), because the opposition may take it as its victory.

It is common knowledge that the opposition merely wanted to manifest its political strength and it succeeded in blackmailing the UPA in the name of the budget session. Further, it is clear that even if the JPC probes the 2G Spectrum case, it may not be able to give any major direction or make any startling revelation. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has already arrested former Communication Minister A. Raja in this case. Beside him, there are several other persons of high stature behind the bar. The Supreme Court, too, is rather active on the case. In this scenario, should a JPC be formed and commenced its probe, it would have an adverse impact on the corrupt and dishonest section in the country. Nor it would be able to prevent corruption in the future.

Preventing Malpractices
In a country where the society does not look down upon thieves and dishonest persons, such kind of malpractices cannot be prevented. In our society, people do not take a theft as a theft. One can see everywhere that power is being stolen as if the theft of water and power supply is no crime. Likewise, if traveling in buses and trains were considered, if there is no checking on a day, seventy percent people would travel without ticket. If there were a one Rupee coin lying on the road, dozens of persons would bend to pick that coin up. None would even think that the coin does not belong to him. In this country, things have come to such a pass that encroachment on public land is considered no crime; instead it shows one's muscle power. What one can expect then from public servants and officers? Even those considered to be honest use official phone for making personal calls free. They do not consider it a sin to take up private work during office hours and taking official stationery home for children. Coming late to office and sitting idle through the day, bureaucrats and the public servants take it as their birth right. In such a scenario, even if A. Raja were put behind bars for a few years, would it change the country?

The very same BJP, which is crying hoarse over corruption, is not clean itself either. One of its presidents was caught on camera while taking bribe. When the BJP was in power, taking commission in the purchase of arms and equipment had attracted limelight. The BJP appeared in its true color when it imprisoned journalists who had blown the lid off scandals. Recently, the Karnataka chief minister indulged in several malpractices. Yet, the BJP could not muster the least courage to take any action against him.

Only the future would decide whether the opposition members who stood up on their chairs during the last session of Parliament to raise slogans, were sincerely pained by corruption or they had demanded the JPC only to corner the government. There are no hopes that the country would be saved and no such scandal s would take place.

President's Address to Joint Session of Parliament
Addressing a joint session of the two Houses on the opening day of the budget session, President Pratibha Patil pointed out that a Group of Ministers (GOM) was considering the issue of tackling corruption, increasing transparency and using legal, administrative and other measures for the purpose. The GOM would submit its report soon. Referring to the black money stashed in foreign banks, the president stressed that the government would leave no stone unturned to bring that money back and to punish the guilty. She added that the government was fully aware of the bad effect the black money has on the economy. Such money relates to either avoidance of tax on money earned honestly or earned through illegal means. She said that to combat the menace, state governments and its agencies and the other agencies responsible for implementation of laws, would have to strive seriously and concertedly.

The president said that steps have been taken to facilitate exchange of information for tax purposes with countries where Indian nationals may have stashed their ill-gotten wealth. Yet, we all know it well that unless the deep-rooted dishonesty in the country is brought to an end, the government may not be able to combat such irregularities. There is the need to launch a concerted campaign against dishonesty in the country. There is need to inculcate a sense of honesty among the people. Unless this is done, we cannot get rid of corruption.