There is a small town called HuNasuru (translated as the town of tamarind), or Hunsur as pronounced, near Mysuru (Mysore) in southern Karnataka. This town popped into state level news off late due to a kidnapping of a local merchant's son along with his friend, on the day they were going to take exams. Many kidnappings for ransom happen across India, but something was special with these two 20 ish year olds' case.
Needless to keep you in suspense.. that's POLITICS! Precisely, Crime, Terror and Political links. Read on to get a bigger picture of why a small town near Mysore is today becoming a national news material.
In 2006, a BJP leader Sukananda Shetty was murdered in Mangaluru (Mangalore) in coastal Karnataka. Since murder of right wing politicians in India could lead to Jihadi-criminal nexus, police went in the right direction. The accused, the underworld operative Madoor Isubbu, started spilling beans and the two names that popped up were Popular Front of India (PFI) and Karnataka Forum for Dignity (KFD).
After four years, in early 2010, KM Shareef of PFI said in a public meet: 'Muslims have been denied their constitutional rights'. It would have been a routine meet demanding reservation for minorities, unless one had a vague recollection of this gentleman. Wasn't he the same KM Shareef who lashed out at Bhajrang Dal,as the leader of KFD three years back, at the town hall in Mangaluru? So, essentially, KFD is not that different from PFI. But wait a minute.. it gets interesting as they had other avatars too in the neighbouring Kerala.
In July 2010, a bizarre hand chopping happened in Kerala. A Christian professor, lost his right hand as a punishment for his 'blasphemy' by setting a 'wrong' question in his college.
Lo behold... the same PFI was linked for this merciless incident, and the accused arrested by Kerala police. This incident caused an outrage on social networks as well as in Kerala politics. Everyone from right to left condemned the undemocratic 'sharia' punishment in a democratic country. However, what most mainstream media outlets didn't tell Indians is that the very same PFI had launched a political outlet called Social Democratic Party of India or SDPI, that had supported Congress-led UDF coalition in Kerala, in the past several elections! Check this very alarming quote from the above link of 'The Daily Pioneer', a reputed national newspaper.
(Kerala) Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan faces allegations that PFI activists had campaigned for him in Thalassery in the 2006 Assembly election.
Needless to elaborate, most big name media outlets, shamefully, hid the link between PFI being an election supporter of Congress party in Kerala, during the professor hand chop incident. You can draw your own conclusion as to why :)
Moving ahead; before the Kerala elections of 2011, police chargesheeted 27 PFI guys. One more opportunity for the 'mainstream' media of India to tell the people, which political party had the support of these guys.. But no hype at all!
Now to this month's shameful incident. The same Congress/UDF supporters in politics, KFD kidnaps a rich student near Mysore in June 2011, with his friend. It's known now that one of the key accused had known knew the father of Sudheendra (21) and planned to extract Rs.5,00,00,000 ransom after calculating the business cash flow. The other student Vignesh (20) was also abducted to remove the trace of evidence.
When ransom discussions, even after many calls (30-40 SIMs used it seems) failed, KFD murdered the students. They had tried to hide them in Tamil Nadu too, but had failed. Yesterday, police arrested 6 murderers belonging to KFD (supposedly merged with PFI alias SDPI).
Alleging that the outfit might have links with terrorist organisations, Ashoka said he would discuss the matter with Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa and top police officers on whether the KFD could be banned. “I took personal interest in the case as it was a prestige issue for the government and the police department. The government will set up a special court, request for a special public prosecutor for speedy trail,” Ashoka said.
While providing details about the KFD, police sources said the six arrested are active members of the outfit and operated from its Mysore and Hunsur branches. The KFD, a senior police officer said, works on issues related to minorities and backward communities and several of its activists were allegedly involved in communal riots in Mangalore and Udupi.
On August 15, 2010, some KFD cadres made an attempt to hoist the flag of a neighbouring country. Adil and Ataulla Khan were involved in nearly four cases each of murder and attempt-to-murder. They were in Gulbarga prison for three months and later managed to obtain bail, Ashoka said.
Sum up the murder of a Mangaluru BJP member, the hand chopping of a Kerala prof and the current murder of two Mysore students. Do you also wonder by now, why the 'secular' media is not hyping these, particularly the political connections that are apparent to a routine follower of news? If you scratch your head and recall, a far more trivial pub incident from Mangaluru was hyped 24*7 on national networks for months, as the accused were by pro-Hindu groups :)
For years its known at the local level, that the banned terror outfit SIMI has reincarnated as KFD and PFI - There were open calls for their ban too. But no ban happened resulting in this tragic loss of lives of students :(
There are two take aways:
Either the Mysore killers are not belonging to Congress political allies PFI, if we have to believe PFI's statements. In this case, the Karnataka BJP home minister has a lot to explain why he is considering the ban on KFD.
OR
These killers are from the same KFD/PFI/SDPI/Congress political ideology. In that case, will 'RSS more dangerous than SIMI' Rahul Gandhi spend time visiting the Mysore grieving families?
Let's wait and see how things unfold.. If you know more intricacies of this tangle, which media doesn't talk much, share in the comments for others' benefits.
First an honest confession. I have not been a big Baba Ramdev fan. I did watch a couple of Kapalbhati and related Pranayama videos in 2008.
Tried to practice a bit of Yoga (Pic credit: yoga-by-ramdevbaba of Blogspot) in 2009, but stopped as my passion is mostly into running & other types of exercises. There ended my following of Baba Ramdev.
But in 2011, a few events unfolded which can be linked as follows. Mind you, this is a lengthy blog, but I believe it's worth the time and effort, as there is a whole new perspective you will get when you get to the end of this blog entry:
A. March/April 2011:
The first one is Anna Hazare and Janlokpal mass movement taking off. This caught the nation's attention and I also attended a couple of JanLokPal events in Bengaluru.
At the time of writing this blog, there was a deep mistrust between UPA government and JanLokPal backers like Kiran Bedi and Arvind Kejrival. Anna's team stopped the fast due to assurances given by the government, which now seems to be not that credible at all. Keep reading.
B. April 2011:
The second being the next and decisive inning of the anti-corruption crusader, Subramanian Swamy's prosecution requests. After Raja being in jail, with Karunanidhi and his family being chased, he made a decisive move on April 15th 2011, sending a 206 page request to prosecute the UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. As she holds a cabinet rank position due to NAC leadership, an approval from the Prime Minister is necessary. What really shocked me is that the majority of the big name TV media outlets like NDTV and CNN-IBN, blacked out this request. CNN-IBN for instance reported Karunanidhi's prosecution request, and Chidambaram's prosecution statement to the PM. But censored the April 15th prosecution request to Dr.Manmohan Singh!
15, April 2011
Dr.Manmohan Singh
Prime Minister as Sanctioning Authority
u/s 19 of the Prevention of Corruption Act (1988) [PCA]
South Block, New Delhi.
Re: Sanction to prosecute Ms.Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson (in Cabinet Rank), NAC, under Prevention of Corruption Act (1988).
Dear Sir:
1. Ms.Sonia Gandhi MP, wife of the deceased Rajiv Gandhi, was first appointed as Chairperson National Advisory Council [NAC] in May 2004. She resigned in 2006 but was re-appointed by an Order of the Cabinet Secretariat dated March 29, 2010, read with Order dated October 8, 2010 [Annexure 1].
2. As per Order of May 31, 2004 [Annexure 2] the Prime Minister’s Office will provide Central Government funds to meet the expenditure of the NAC, and service the NAC for its secretarial needs. Hence she is a public servant as defined in Section 2 ( c ) of the Prevention of Corruption Act (1988).
Check the link provided above for further details on this request. The salient point in the long prosecution request, which is sitting on no-less person's table, than the Prime Minister of India, is about Sonia Gandhi's alleged black money in foreign accounts. Bofors is being extensively covered if you go through the details.
C. May 2011:
I was fortunate to learn further about the black money underground economy, who are the big guns, how badly it is affecting Indian economy, remarkable difference between domestic/foreign components and worse.. how it is literally killing the hungry poor in villages. S. Gurumurthy of New Indian Express and Prof. Vaidyanathan of IIM Bangalore, were instrumental sources of this info. One of my online friend, @giteshdev on Twitter, blogged the same using info sent over several tweets, which became an instant hit with 1000+ likes on the same day :)
It was quite obvious by now that any fight in India against black money or underground economy or secret Indian accounts in tax havens like Switzerland, would deeply shake the political establishments, particularly the topmost names ruling India. By any stretch of imagination, it will NOT be easy, no matter how big your supporter base is.
D. June 3, 2011:
Now Baba (Swami) Ramdev makes his big entry. As I mentioned before, I was only having a casual focus on his move, but my interest started growing when I saw a systematic effort by the left-liberal dominated media of India to discredit him.
Leading the bandwagon was Sagarika Ghose, the daughter of a DD director, niece of a SC justice and niece of an ambassador. It was funny to see her speaking for 'elitists'. Then the other usual suspects like Pallavi Ghose and Nidhi Razdan. There were numerous others too, including the Congress party 'dignitaries'. So I decided to explore a bit further on why they are picking so much on Baba Ramdev and precisely the support from RSS he is receiving. Is RSS such an untouchable?Let's see some RSS and Baba Ramdev quotes and facts:
"RSS is my heart's work. Don't be disturbed by uncharitable comments. Country is standing in need of your services" - Field Marshall Cariappa
When Baba Ramdev calls for harsh punishments for the corrupt, his detractors are focusing on the 'harsh' part, losing sight of 'corrupt' :) My rule of thumb was formed by this point.. If Digvijay Singh, Barkha, Nidhi, Pallavi and Sagarika oppose someone in tandem, that targeted person MUST be pro-Hindu! Also, 90% of those who are on to finding faults with Ramdev's money, land & sayings, will keep quiet when asked about Sonia's prosecution request:)
By now, even the UPA Government was firing all cylinders with their own PR work against Baba Ramdev. Mahatma Gandhi fasted 17 times in his career. A party that calls itself a Gandhian party, dislikes Anna & Ramdev's fasts.. Got exposed! I was wondering; Dear Congress, you are now asking THIS guy to speak against Baba Ramdev & Ramlila Satyagrah? THIS anti-national Digvijay Singh? (picture source: Flickr) The whole world is convinced now about 26/11 being carried out by Pakistan based terrorists and here is the general secretary of India's ruling party diverting attention from Pakistan to India's (in fact world's) largest volunteer organization? How pathetic!
E. June 4, 2011: Baba Ramdev's massive fast with over 50,000 peaceful, non-violent volunteers at Ramlila Maidan, Delhi. (Pics: Rediff). I saw plenty of women, children and men, including many from the vast Gangetic plains of North India, assembling in a peaceful manner. One picture here shows 30 housewives from Haryana. What was visible among the cheering patriotic crowd -- massive care for Bharat, from the masses! The crowd by no stretch of imagination had anything resembling a violent mob or riot crowd as it was later blamed by Delhi police.
The first thing in the morning is again lots of media and Congress party noise. Why is Sadhvi Ritambara sitting with Baba Ramdev? Haha.. Teesta Setalvad, a certified liar & LeT terror plot supporter, can be in Sonia Gandhi's NAC drafting major bills, but Ritambara can't fast with Ramdev? Jai Ho 'Secularism'! When an anti-India convict out on bail, Binayak sen can become a member of planning commission, why can't Ritambara fast with Ramdev? Did Sagarika question Sonia on her NAC including a communal Syed Shahabuddin, the foreign invader encroachment supporter at Ayodhya? Her weak eyes could only see Ritambara on stage but not one Maulvi sahib alongside.
By then, the support to Ramdev's fast was far and wide throughout India. Our dearest Rahul 'Ashamed Indian' Gandhi didn't notice. Thousands of Vidarbha Widows of farm suicides, from a Congress ruled state Maharashtra, were supporting Baba Ramdev's fast. Our '2G project' media contact Barkha Dutt would have loved this.. Jammu & Kashmir's SDP chief, Darashka Andrabi, had announced full support to Baba Ramdev's Ramlila maidan fast :)
Mumbai's 5000 dabbawalas, the world's most efficient group (Six Sigma level) in terms of delivery percentage, fully supported Baba Ramdev's fast. The 2,50,000 sq.ft. pandal at Ramlila Maidan was probably more sq.ft. area than the combined area of ALL English media offices in India! So while Baba Ramdev's team was chanting, seemingly paid media was fully ranting :)
F. June 5, 2011: Just after midnight: Then the unbelievable thing happened. When we all went to sleep thinking that the UPA government is serious in continuing its negotiations, a midnight brutal & violent crackdown happened on the 50,000 plus people fasting with Baba Ramdev. Just like June 1975 when Advani & Vajpayee were arrested at midnight by dictator-like Indira Gandhi, in Jun 2011, her daughter-in-law started what sounded like an Emergency 2nd innings. It was a murder of Democracy and a betrayal of faith in peaceful protests.
When I caught up with news late morning, Santosh Hegde, the Lokayukta of Karnataka was on TV stating; Midnight arrest & brutality is not just a violation of Swami Ramdev's constitutional rights, but also a human rights violation. I was shocked as I started following the events further.
Digvijay Singh was a gone case as usual. He crossed all civility barriers and called Swami Ramdev a thug. If Baba Ramdev was a 'thug', why did FOUR of Sonia's ministers greet him at airport the prior day? Of course, he wouldn't answer such things. I was like.. dear Rahul Gandhi, if there was day in your adult life to be deeply ashamed of being an Indian, then 5 Jun 2011 is that day. Thanks to your mom!
By then Sushma Swaraj, @SushmaSwarajBJP on Twitter, was tweeting about Rajbala from Gurgaon in ICU. She was brutally beaten on back. Her spine's fractured. She's paralysed for life. Terrible news!!
Two very well connected people in Indian political & security systems tweeted:
Ramdev episode. Crackdown was apparently ordered by Sonia advised by Diggy. PM was trying to placate. Lesson: party rules over govt.
I was shocked. How could Sonia Gandhi issue such a ruthless dictate, as two very influential people are informing the public? Jun 4 1989, communist China cracked down brutally at Tiananman sq.: Jun 4 2011 midnight, "Democratic" India repeated it at Ramlila maidan! Anti nationals like Arundhati Roy & Syed Geelani can speak in Sonia's city against India, but not arrested. But a patriot Ramdev Baba at Ramlila calling for repatriation of black money which is a duty of every Indian for the betterment of India? Midnight arrest!
Arun Jaitley came on TV slamming: "For Congress party's general secretaries, the world's worst terrorist is Bin Laden Ji.. but a peaceful Ramdev is a thug!". We could draw two conclusions by then:
India under Sonia: Planning Commission for Traitors.. Midnight Arrest for Patriots
India under Sonia: NAC membership for Liars like Teesta.. Midnight Arrest for Patriots like Baba
Then Baba Ramdev appeared on TV. "This brutality confirms that Mrs.Gandhi doesn't respect this nation's young girls, ladies & elderly women" - Baba Ramdev told in his press conference. He continued: "If anything happens to my life, Sonia Gandhi and her Congress government will be FULLY responsible": Baba Ramdev at his Haridwar Press conf. Baba Ramdev is making the most serious accusations against Sonia Gandhi, in her entire 13 yrs of political career. Jun 5, 2011 must have been a historic day! Of course emotions were involved, so we need to give benefit of doubt to both sides on the accusations part.
But what bothered me were many other things:
Even a colonizing British govt let Mahatma Gandhi to fast for 21 days, twice! But a 'democratically' elected Congress govt doesn't let for 24 hrs :(
A 2 AM Delhi Police brutality against WOMEN, in an India with a President, speaker, leader of opposition & coalition govt chief being FEMALES!
Lies and Blatant Lies of the Government and Delhi Police: Delhi Police chief is openly lying on TV. Watch this minute by minute Ramlila video:
8th Minute: Women in bandages
At 1.35 AM, Ramdev says 'Main girafdaari denekeliye tayyar hu'. But Delhi Police beat peaceful protesters between 2 & 3 AM
At 13:30 : Delhi Police pushes a 60+yr old Ramdev supporter from a 6 feet wall & drag like dead animal
At 15:00 : A man being carried on stretcher after the devilish Delhi Police beat him up black & blue
At 19:00 : You can see blood stains on the cloth at Baba Ramdev's stage. Congress has any answers?
Then India TV Asked some splendid questions exposing Congress brutality:
Why did Delhi Police attack Baba Ramdev's camp at midnight?
Why did Delhi Police use lathis against peaceful people who were FASTING for over 24 hours?
What would have happened if Delhi Police lathi charge had resulted in a massive stampede? There were over 50,000 people.
When Baba Ramdev was ready for getting arrested (he announced over mike), why did Delhi Police resort to lathi charge?
Who ordered Delhi Police to use force against a peaceful, non-violent fasting protest? || Congress MUST answer this!! (See Swamy and Prakash Singh's tweets above probably giving answers)
What was the urgency to end this Satyagrah at midnight using Delhi Police's brutal force?
Who is responsible for lathi charge on unarmed, fasting and mostly sleeping, women and children?
Why wasn't there any ambulance available at RamLila grounds even when Delhi police planned violence?
By then it was shockingly clear as the entire country was in disbelief, except fringe support to Congress brutality from 'secular' corners. Was it just me or someone else was also seeing that those Twitter 'secular' folks tweeting for Binayak Sen's human rights were totally missing on this day :( There were some Indian media 'celebrities' who went to Egypt to cover "people struggle" against an oppressing regime. Wasn't Delhi nearer to cover?
On 15 Aug 1947, Nehru had proclaimed: "At the stroke of midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will AWAKE to life & freedom". It was happening, 64 years later as the entire country started protesting the brutality at Ramlila maidan, against unarmed peaceful fasters.
G. June 6, 2011: Day after the midnight police brutality at Ramlila Maidan:
The first thing that caught my attention was Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi saying there was NO lathi brought inside Ramlila. Can you find a bigger liar than him among 118 cr Indians? (of course except Digvijay)
Some other main things that caught my eyes:
Udupi Pejavar Matha Swami announced: "Unnecessary violence against peaceful protestors by UPA has now turned black money protest into a confrontation"
Anna Hazare screamed: "This violent crackdown by Sonia govt is a blatant murder of democracy. We will protest nationwide "
B.S.Yedyurappa announced: "Arrest of Baba Ramdev is an akshamya aparadha - Unforgivable crime. Karnataka govt fully supports his black money fight"
Even Baba Ramdev got back his energy by then to snub Congress party's Digvijay Singh. 'Ek neta ka janm hee jhooth bolne ke liye hua hain' (Digvijay is a Perpetual Liar)
By then the most important news of the day came through: Great! Supreme Court issues notices to Home secretary & Delhi Police secretary & commissioner to explain Baba Ramdev eviction. Fantastic!
Then it was time to expose some other remaining lies of the UPA government's propaganda machine:
Sonia's minister Kapil Sibal said no injuries. But doctors wrote this extremely depressing comment which indicated that someone is losing all 4 limbs to paralysis, most likely as a result of violence at Ramlila maidan :( (Pic: Tehelka)
Kapil Sibal ji said there was 'no lathi charge'.. was this Delhi Police team playing dandiya then? (Pic: NDTV)
What was this Ramdev supporter's crime? Being Indian? (Pic: Tehelka)
Sonia and Manmohan must answer WHY a peaceful fast was brutalized at midnight! (Pic: NDTV)
If you really read till this point, also checking out most of the links provided, you will get an idea. Ramdev will carry on with his struggle with vigour now. The government will get harsher as they are now pushed to a wall.
What a black day/night that June 5th 2011 midnight was really for India's vibrant democracy! Thousands of Indians who voiced their opinion against black money hoarded abroad, got humiliated and their rights got violated using the most filmy reasons.
My sincere hope is that such democracy killing incidents should never happen. India is too precious and its people have struggled too hard to earn the freedom. Let's work together to get back the billions and billions of $ of Indian black money hoarded abroad.
Let's play a game. We hear a lot about India being a secular country, having free media, human rights groups are fair in fighting for the downtrodden et. al.
But are things really that fair? In the constant nagging between 'secular' (read left liberal) and 'communal' (read Hindu right) sides, are people falling into the trap of systematic double standards nourished by Nehruvian educational system?
Here are some extracts from some tweets I sent last week. Feel free to ask these randomly with those who take pride in media's fair reporting, balanced political views and most importantly in a secular democracy which treats all its citizen equally. I would love to see comments from those after trying this 'Enjoy the silence' questionnaire with your near and dear ones.
Ask those on a vilification campaign against Narendra Modi.. "Have YOU condemned Rajiv Gandhi's Sikh slaughter 'Big Tree Falls' justification?". Enjoy the silence:)
Ask those Binayak Sen supporters on a vilification campaign against Chhattisgarh govt.. "Have YOU condemned Sadhvi Pragya's torture?". Enjoy the silence:)
Ask those Congress supporters "against" smear campaigns... "Have YOU condemned Sonia Gandhi calling PM Vajpayee a gaddar (traitor)?". Enjoy the silence:)
Ask those shedding crocodile tears for Muslim victims in 2002 Gujarat... "Have YOU condemned 2010 Deganga Hindu killings?". Enjoy the silence:)
Ask those furious against Varun Gandhi for his "hate" speech..."Have YOU condemned Rajiv's 'beti hain sardar ki, quam hain gaddar ki' hate slogan against Sikhs, who also happen to be India's minorities?". Enjoy the silence:)
Ask those celebrating that Narendra Modi is probed by SIT..."How many SIT probes did Rajiv or Indira attend for THEIR administrations' numerous riots that saw 1000s of dead bodies?". Enjoy the silence:)
Ask those shouting that Advani let out terrorists during Kandahar episode."Have YOU condemned Rajiv letting out Bhopal mass murderer Anderson secretly?". Enjoy the silence:)
Ask those angry about violence during CPM/BJP/other party bandhs.."Have YOU condemned Sonia's thugs attacking 100s of RSS offices?". Enjoy the silence:)
Ask those self-styled proud atheists asking which Engineering college Rama attended.."Have YOU done any DNA test of Mohammed's hair at Hazratbal?". Enjoy the silence:)
Ask those saying Bharat Mata is "communal" during Anna Hazare episode..."Will YOU condemn Mahatma Gandhi as 'communal' for inaugurating a Bharat Mata temple in Varanasi?". Enjoy the silence:)
Ask those saying Anna Hazare's fast was a "blackmail" tactic... "Will YOU condemn Nehru for fasting with Gandhi?". Enjoy the silence:)
Ask those saying Terrorists have no religion..."In that case, will YOU condemn Chidambaram for 'Hindu Terror' vilification campaign?". Enjoy the silence:)
Ask those saying Congress is secular..."Will YOU condemn alliance with Muslim league or Majlis-e Ittihad al-Muslimin?". Enjoy the silence:)
Ask those saying because of BJP & Hindutva, 2002 Gujarat riots happened.."Which party was in power during the horrible 1969 Gujarat riot".Enjoy the silence:)
Ask NDTV which says Radia tapes were not verified by Open magazine so it was unfair to write using its content... "How come you played 'unverified' Nityananda's tape 24*7 ?". Enjoy the silence:)
Ask Binayak Sen support gang, that says sedition law from 1870 is 'archaic' ..."How come entire IPC is from 1860 & still not archaic?". Enjoy the silence:)
Ask those opposing Savarkar portrait in parliament.."How come a jailed democracy killer, Indira's portrait still there?". Enjoy the silence:)
Ask those proud that India is a secular democracy... "Will YOU condemn multiple wives privilege legally allowed for some?". Enjoy the silence:)
Ask those saying doing narco test on 'Hindu terrorist' woman is justified..."How come the Paki terrorist is spared from narco?". Enjoy the silence:)
Yes, some of these are not fully connected to each other, but I can guarantee, you would be seeing a peaceful bliss in the 'secular' environment by the end of questionnaire, if someone actually survived the entire list:)
If you tried this with any media person, I would be most interested in knowing how they perceive their own neutrality after these 19 questions.
Please share your personal experiences.. and not to forget.. you are welcome to add your own 'Enjoy the silence :)' short questions!
On March 16th late morning, news started spreading like wildfire in India that an aide of now-jailed 2G scam architect, A Raja of DMK/UPA, has committed suicide.
His name was Sadiq Batcha. Let me be honest. I had only a passing recollection of this name when Raja was supposedly being 'grilled' by CBI. By early afternoon, when things were really becoming hot, it became more necessary to educate myself who this Sadiq guy actually was. Thanks to uncle Google & my online friends, quickly the skeletons started falling off the carefully guarded cupboards.
{Image courtesy: Indiablooms.com}
So here we go with whatever I could dig yesterday. There is quite a bit of interesting exposed links to the DMK dynasty here. There is also a bit of 'fertile imagination' possible links to the Congress dynasty. After reading these, decide for yourself how much is real connection and what extent is a conspiracy, at least for now.
My best guess is that Batcha is just the first in a potential 2G cover-up 'Tsunami' brewing up.
Sadiq Batcha was selling sarees on 10 installments near Salem villages in 1990. After he was introduced to A Raja, he was worth Rs.2000 crores by 2010 !
Sadiq Batcha floated Green House Promoters in Chennai in 2004 with Rs.1 lakh. Yes just 1 lakh! It grew leaps and bounds in no time, just like Raja's other proxy Real estate companies. Raja's wife Parameshwari came on board in 2007. Rest is history!
Before Batcha's take off time over 2 decades back, even Andimuthu Raja was a junior advocate on a salary of Rs.5000 pm is what some people say.
RP Paramesh Kumar, the son of A Raja’s sister Vijayammal, was made the joint Managing Director of Sadiq Batcha's Green House Promoters.
Batcha's green house promoters was raided in December 2010. Raja's brother was a primary investor in the company; wife a former legal adviser.
MRF factory, opening up in Perembulur, in TN shortly, will have poor Dalits' curse. A Raja & Sadiq Batcha made up to 3000% profit in some cases by politically intimidating poor Dalits!
Sadiq Batcha used Malaysia to Chennai route for shady money transfer. Very interestingly, our dearest Pappu recently toured Malaysia on a 'private' visit, that too parts without 'security'. Draw your own connection even after giving him a benefit of doubt.
Shouldn't TV warriors like Arnab be questioning Pappu why he was on a 'personal' tour of Malaysia without security? Here is a guy who has seen multiple assassinations in his family, but suddenly skips Z+ security in Malaysia which has sizable ethnic Indian population!
All the directors of Raja's proxy RE companies, like the one owned by Sadiq Batcha, were from Perumbalur, Raja's native place. And interestingly all these companies were floated with throwaway money (few lakhs) immediately after Raja became a minister under 'honest' Manmohan in 2004.
It gets more interesting if you read further. DB Realty Managing Director Shahid Balwa knew Sadiq Batcha well - If you haven't heard of Shahid Balwa, please search around for his Dubai hawala & possible D-gang & Pakistan connections.
"Sadiq Batcha was not a weak man" - says Subramanian Swamy and he has good reasons to say that. He is probably the one guy on this entire planet who has the most intricate details of Sonia, Karunanidhi, Manmohan and Raja's notorious 2G scam blue print.
Headlines Today anchor, Kanwal tweeted yesterday that it was very eerie but Ratan Tata said in an interview on 2G investigations recently, that body bags will start arriving soon. Prophetic!
Now do some 'connect the dots' exercise:
Connect the Dots - sequence 1: Sadiq Batcha routes money from Malaysia & some key politician visits Malaysia, 'suddenly', that too without security on a 'private' visit!
Connect the Dots - sequence 2: Sadiq Batcha linked to Shahid Balwa, which leads to 3 notorious Dubai Hawala guys. Subramanian Swamy had openly alleged earlier that a key politician's sisters are having Dubai link and possibly even leading to ISI.
After connecting: Sadiq Batcha & many like him becoming 'faces' to DMK & CON dynasties. This modus operandi saw a HUGE influx of 2G scam money back to India via Dubai & Malaysia
My take:
My firm take is that a guy who grew from selling Rs.200 sarees on installments to owning Rs.2000 crore empire in 20 years is NOT a suicide candidate by any sort of imagination. There are always exceptions to the rules, but I would strongly suspect some foul play here.
Most likely, political dynasties 'picked' 2G companies with a kickback deal -> Those companies sold parts or the entire allocation for huge profits -> Profits hoarded to Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Dubai etc. -> Then channeled back via Sadiq Batcha kind to dynasty's proxy companies as the amounts were too big for regular benami routes.
There are only 2 steps to prevent Sadiq Batcha kind of 'suicides' in the future.
a) Make Indian tax payers pay for poll campaigns, that too fixed full or majority share for every 'winnable' candidate
b) Ban politico families from all types of business. These murkier deals are too obvious & too dangerous for the country's security & long term stability.
Here is an imaginary plot of a new show conducted by a young budding female TV personality, the lines of Koffee with Karan or On Couch with Koel. All standard disclaimers applicable to fiction apply here.
Purely for fun :)
Let's keep our budding talk show host, originally from South India, anonymous and refer to her FA1 (Female Anchor 1).
Pretext: A huge controversy kicked off this week when a Rajasthan minister revealed Pratibha Patil became President because she cooked and washed for Indira Gandhi when the Prime Minister was thrown out of power in 1977. For our budding TV celebrity FA1, this is a golden opportunity. Shows thrive on controversy, so FA1 has contacted Pratibha Patil to appear on the show, with a guarantee that shooting happens right at Presidential place.. Guess what? A never before opportunity.. Pratibha does want to appear on this show!! Yipppeee shouts FA1.
Cutting all intermediate details, let's jump onto the show. Please note, this script writer is a bit unmindful of political 'correctness' so FA1 will edit the final script to include all sensibilities. Pee Pee Pee (oh.. PPP = President Pratibha Patil) walks in with extra security and sits across from a smiling but nervous FA1 at one of the big tax-payer paid hall of Rashtrapati bhavan. Set is fully set for the show to start.
FA1: {Nervous smile, gulping dry}. Vanakkam..oops.. Namashkar Rashtrapati ji (thinking why isn't she a Rashtra Patni??)
PPP: My pleasure FA1. Pranam to you too.
....few courtesy questions to kill the first 5 minutes. Both have settled and now it's time to kick in some controversy. FA1 doesn't realize that Pratibha is not averse to kicking some dust herself to make a few headlines after getting bored of being a secluded rubber stamp.
FA1: Madam.. don't know how to ask.. but you must have heard about that big controversy in Rajasthan involving your culinary skills from late 70s.
PPP: Of course dear.. You are young enough to be my grand daughter. Go ahead ask me what you want to ask. This is not an official press conference
FA1: {jolted.. am I hearing this right?} All I can say madam.. You have given hope to all the cooks and dish washers in India.. I am not saying it myself, but many are now talking - if Mrs.Patil could be a President taking that kitchen & sink route, why not us? {nervous grin}
PPP: {Unaffected.. smiles loudly}.. Haha.. See dignity of labour & perseverance pays off
FA1: Hehehe.. I also heard on my way that Mrs.Sonia Gandhi's chef is dancing in the kitchen ever since he has heard that you cooked for Indira Gandhi {carefully watches}
PPP: You are very funny young lady. {blushes}
FA1: Hmnn...
PPP: Let me elaborate.. those were tough emergency days. I have been a Congress & Nehru dynasty loyal forever. I wanted to lend a helping hand to Indiraji during her tougher times. Every evening cooking dinner for Indiraji, I used to sing.. "Hum honge kamyaab.. hum honge kamyaab.. hum honge kamyaab ek din...". {blushes}.. see don't you think I have attained kamyaabi now?
FA1: Certainly madam.. who can disagree. I also hear you were a big Kishore Kumar fan those days.
PPP: Aha.. Good old days.. Golden voice.. Fabulous lyrics that I hum even today..
Zindagi ek safar hain suhana.. agar President banna ho to pakao khana ..oops.. yaha kal kya ho..whatever..you know it girl. {embarrassing blush}
FA1: Madamji.. Out of all the public functions you attend, is there something you look forward year after year?
PPP: Great question young girl. I was expecting this. I would love to sit in as a chief guest in "Indira Gandhi Sarvashreshth Bawarchi Prashasti Pradhan Samarambh"
FA1: {Controlling the laugh}.. OK.. Here's a serious one. When Mrs.Sonia Gandhi picked you over Abdul Kalam, what was the most striking thing about you that she loved.
PPP: You see.. Only a former waitress will know what a former chef & diswasher would have gone through during tougher times. It's tough to explain.. you know.
FA1: {Shocked.. but controlling} OK. Tell me something about Rahul Gandhi. Does he still come down affectionately to your kitchen just like how he did in late 70s?
PPP: Why not? He is my ladla.. you should hear him sing in his sweet voice, with dimples on cheeks: "Jab main chhota baccha tha.. daadi ka ghar jaata tha.. tab bhi tasty khana deti.. humra Rashtra patiiii"
FA1: Is it? Sooo nice {fakes a smile}. What are you really proud of Rashtra Pati ji? I mean.. during these embarrassing times.
PPP: See girl.. FA1.. I am not a bit ashamed or embarrassed. Bygone is bygone. During 20th century Presidents of India used to be rubber stamps. I can proudly say, I am a rubber stamp, cook and a dish washer all in one.. You see 3 in one President!
FA1: Great! I applaud your candidness madamji. Now a personal thing. Do you tell any dialogue or song to your grand kids during their sleep time?
PPP: Are ladki.. Why wouldn't I? I am a proud grandma. My favorite movie is Sholay. I usually mimic Asrani and say: "Hum Angrez ke zamane ke Jailor hain"... and follow it up with "Huh....Hum Indira ke zamane ke bawarchi hain".
My grand kids love it!
FA1: Fabulous.. {fakes more smiles}. You have been outstanding during these embarrassing times madamji. For our viewers sake, how do you sum up your life from being a Table Tennis player to Indira's chef to a President of the world's largest democracy?
PPP: Simple: "From ball on table to dish on table to files on table!" {Loud laugh}
FA1: Thanks for taking this so sportively madam. I loved it. Before we end, one final question.. Are you proud of Congress party, even after this public embarrassment?
PPP: Of course dear.. I am a proud Congress woman. Ask anyone in Amravati. In fact, Congress has a great array of cooks. From those like Barkha Dutt or Vir Sanghvi who cook up news to me who cooked all the way to Presidential office!
FA1: Indeed madam.. You have tread a historic path to the first citizen position. It's been my pleasure talking to you and taking a tour of this wonderful tax payer paid palace. Namashkar!
PPP: Jug jug jeevo beti.. Indiraji tumhara raksha karein. Tata.. Bye.
FA1 rushes out the Presidential office/residence with uncontrollable laugh..
This blog is to examine if 'Saffron' or 'Hindu' terror as hitting headlines off late, exists or not. Without giving lengthy disclaimers, it would suffice to state that I am presenting my understanding based on a fairly wide ranging angles, but you are free to make up your mind, as always. But do use, some nice, thought provoking details, provided in this blog to expand your thought process in this emotional, as well as sensitive topic.
What is Terrorism?
Let's start with a cliche.. "One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter". Yes, that's true. In fact, not just freedom fighter, but warrior, activist, political hero, religious martyr to mention a few other denominations.
Why am I writing this blog? Because of P Chidambaram, the Home Minister of India, for his utterly nonsensical utterance, "The Saffron Terrorism". For those who don't know, Saffron is associated strongly with Hindu religion (among a few other religions) and strongly held as the identity of right of center political lleaning groups (like RSS) or parties in India. Obviously, Chidambaram's party, the Indian National Congress, as well as their sympathising media have blown this out of proportion. Some are convinced that 'Hindu' terror absolutely exist, while some vehemently oppose this as a delusion of some anti-Hindu sections of Congress or other seemingly pseudo secular (as termed in political discussions) political parties. Let's get to the bottom of the topic via a slightly lengthy, but informative & factual route.
Merriam-Webster dictionary, one of the most widely used, defines Terrorism as "the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion". Obviously as of this date, there is no universally accepted definition of terrorism that exists. So we are literally in an age where we can call anyone & everyone as a 'terrorist'. Hence, it becomes even more important to get to the bottom of who we can most likely call a terrorist. In my view, terrorism is best described in 21st century context as: "Indiscriminate or targeted killing of mostly civilian population, for social, political, ethnic, religious or ideological, or a mix of these reasons, by non-governmental agencies". Obviously, the term 'non-governmental' and 'civilian' needs a debate by itself, which I will skip for now.
Let's focus on the definition made above and see some examples. In most cases, terrorists don't have any Geneva convention type laws to adhere to. Usually they have a clear cut motive, military equivalent training, access to IED, advanced suicide vest, car bomb material or AK47 kind of standard killer weapons, financial backing of those believing in the same mission and most importantly, political, ideological, academic, media & religious backing from a wide range of sources.
Examples of organized terrorist Groups:
There are literally 100s if not 1000s of banned terrorist groups in the world today. There are guidelines to governments for banning an organization for long number of years. Most importantly some groups are banned across major countries telling us that it is not just the decision of one 'evil' government, but a clear cut understanding across the globe. I am only listing four that are banned in India, as an example.
Lashkar-e-Taiba: The 'army of pure' is a notorious terror group operating from Pakistan controlled regions. Originally focused on Jammu and Kashmir state, this ultra radical group spread its wings into other areas. This group was instrumental in the indiscriminate killings during the Mumbai 2008 attack. You can browse through a series of pictures here, showing the completely inhuman side of this terror group.
LTTE - The most dreaded name during the decades of Sri Lankan saga of terrorism, which spilled into India too. This group was the veteran when it comes to human rights violation & children's rights violation, leaving behind a list of 10s of thousands of victims during their long era of control.
Let's now give religious colour to these groups. Note that the first and the fourth ones are usually blamed as secessionist or ultra-radical Islamic Terror groups comprising of all Muslims. The second one is blamed as a separatist terror group, comprising of Christians & Hindus. The third one is generally blamed as a communist or naxalite terror group, comprising mostly of Atheists (communists), Hindus and Christians. When Lashkar is blamed as an Islamic terror group, why is LTTE not blamed as a Christian/Hindu terror group? I will explain in a section below.. keep reading :)
What is not terrorism?
Riot : India in particular is susceptible to religious and caste faults, due to which riots have happened umpteen number of times over centuries. The ones everyone talks about are 2002 Gujarat riot, 1993 Bombay riot and 1984 anti-Sikh riot among 100s of examples from recent decades. Let's take the 1984 case in particular as it was unlike other cases where there were big casualties on both sides.Emotionally charged after the death of their beloved leader, Congress party workers went on rampage, felling at least 3000, may be more, Sikh bodies in the capital of India. What was worse was that it was followed by reward for those alleged in the riot cheer leading, like Sajjan Kumar, HKL Bhagat and Jagdish Tytler getting plum government posts, as well as a speech by the next PM Rajiv Gandhi, effectively justifying the riot in his infamous 'When a big tree falls' statement. “Some riots took place in the country following the murder of Indiraji,” Rajiv Gandhi said on November 19, 1984, even as thousands of families grieved for their loved ones killed by Congress hoodlums, “We know the people were very angry and for a few days it seemed India had been shaken. But when a mighty tree falls, it is only natural that the earth around it does shake a little.” So even in this most obscure, one sided, bizarre case of riot in India, I am inclined to say 1984 anti-Sikh riot was not an act of terror, but a politically motivated & executed riot.
Genocide: The topmost thing that comes to mind is the Rwandan Genocide from 1994. Within a span of 100 days, more than 800,000 humans had perished to violent acts, with millions suffering the after-effect scars. Genocide, when executed with such brutal precision and force, is worse than a war. Again, something very much akin a riot, but much deeper and much more lethal as there is an organized brand of violence with the aim to completely uproot a particular group of people.
State sponsored Oppression: Obviously, this is the most controversial one. Every major political or ideological terrorist group will show that they are 'fighting for justice' against state 'terrorism'. But once you go into further details, even factoring in some truths to their allegations, the need for a state to use some degree of force becomes essential for averting anarchy. As long as the state is subjected to basic human rights respect, this becomes a non-issue, though grudgingly controversial. But when things cross a line, as in case of China's ugly crackdown on Falun Gong practitioners, then it will border-line with a question whether there's reverse terrorism going on.
Rape & other Sexual violence: Needles to say, based on the local demographics, this kind of crime can be blamed on any group in the world. Delhi city in India, for instance is nicknamed dubiously as the Rape capital and usually the fingers are pointed at rich Punjabi ethnic group. If you switch to another city or region, you will find yet another dominant local group, with scant regard to a woman's rights.
Family, Corporate, Group or Gangster Murders: Every death, every human rights violation is deplorable. But examples, like this, burning of a young bride by the family itself, should not be mistaken for terrorism.
Political assassination: One example readily comes to mind is Indira Gandhi's assassination in 1984. Yes, probably the assailants were inspired by extremists or terrorists' view against her, but they didn't belong to any terror group, rather employed by the Prime Minister herself.
Rowdyism: Obviously in a country like India, with over 80% of population belonging to Hindu families, majority of rowdies or criminals would also be Hindu. In 2010 itself there were thousands of gruesome rowdy gangwar related deaths, like this triple murder example from Bengaluru recently. All those involved with the one example provided were from Hindu families.
War: Let's take the Iran Iraq war from 1980s . A million people perished from the face of this planet, with countless suffering in other ways. Unlike US war in Iraq, Israel-Arab war, India-Pakistan wars, this can't even be blamed on culture, east-west or religion. Both were Muslim nations, but butchered each other for reasons most of the world can't understand. I would not like to get into Sunni-Shia sect divide here, but it suffices to state that in spite of large scale atrocities, this was a war between two armies, not a lop sided terror case.
Cultural, Social, Economic & other forms of injustice: The notorious early 2000s kidnapping industry in Bihar fits into this well.
The above is not an exhaustive list, but gives a fair idea of other types of human rights abuses & crime in our society. Yes, there is a lot of overlap with what a victim families of terrorism go through and many of these crimes against humanity, but one wouldn't call a rapist or a murderer as a terrorist, unless it is perpetuated by someone who did fit into the terror bracket mentioned in a section above too.
Why separate out Islamic Terrorism?
Good question. To use a cliche again, 'Terror has no religion, no race, no colour, no gender' etc. etc. Then why is "Islamic terrorism" such an often beaten up track?
The answer lies in the concept of Jihad used systematically before, during and after the terror act.
Before the act, there is exceptional level of training using religious books, Allah, Jihad, Jannat (72 virgins as some say), martyr-ism among other things. The Mumbai 2008 killer of 100+, Kasab, 'found solace in Jihad'. The common factor between countries & incidents is this Jihad Islamic religious concept. For instance, the suicide bomber shown in picture here, made a chilling video of her mission, 2 days before her attack. If you search internet, there are literally 1000s of videos or audio statements made by terrorists before they get onto their act, invariably mentioning that they are fighting a war for their God. No one can take out their side of the story of waging a 'legitimate' battle, but the focus is on the religious aspect of motivation.
During: Firm belief in Jihad during the act: There have been examples wherein people have recited Quran while beheading another human, their Jihad's target. I would spare this blog from some of the gruesome videos, but if you have the stomach to see, search on the net for the 12 Nepali laborers killed in Iraq as well as a case wherein 12 year old middle eastern girl beheads as her 'holy duty'. Holy scriptures' recitation during many of these acts make it very clearly a religious brainwash, rather than any other social, political or national feelings that they might be fighting for.
After: Claiming 'credit' for fighting for Islam or Allah, after the act or warning of more such acts, unless their demands are met. Last month's relatively small bombing in Varanasi, India, was followed by the usual tactic again. Just start from the first page and then count how many times Quran, Allah, prophet and other very clear religious terms are mentioned as their inspiration for the act in just 5 pages. If you are feeling lazy to count, let me help. 25 mentions of Allah, 4 prophet, 3 Quran, 1 Islam, 1 Hadith, 1 Kuffar, 8 al- references..
Isn't it overwhelmingly obvious by now how this brand of terror, termed as 'Islamic' terrorism works? Isn't it obvious by now why the term 'Islam' associated with the crime committed by a few extreme minded, radical individuals? Of course it would be foolish to say all Muslims are terrorists, but those committing terrorism in the name of Allah do fit into the well established bracket of Islamic or Jihadi terrorism. It's not because they come from a Muslim family or have an Arabic name, but because THEY claim they are doing it for Islam. A huge difference compared to other categories of terrorists.
So now.. does Hindu or Saffron Terror Exist?
Simple answer - NO. Here is why.. a picture is always worth thousand words :)
Let's not downplay any form of terror. Yes, any terror blamed as 'Hindu' Terror is also taking lives. It must be stopped & those indulged in it, irrespective of political ideology or backing, MUST be arrested & tried in a court of law. However, one needs to observe the key differences to Islamic variety.
There is no concept of Jihad in this variety.
There is no reading of Bhagavad Gita or Vedas (Hindu holy texts) before, during or after a terror incident. You will never see a terrorist, at least today, screaming in a video that he/she is going to kill 'non-believers' because Krishna said so or Ganesha said so in such and such a scripture!
There is no obnoxious credit taking like the Indian Mujahideen 'love' letters circulated to the media.
There is no organized banned terrorist organization providing financial, political & media support to those actually perpetuating the crime, glorifying them as 'martyrs'
There is no training camp or standing army with IEDs or AK 47s to back these groups.
These are just some visible differences. Just because someone with a Hindu name, from a Hindu family or a pro-Hindu organization, commit a terrorist act, that does NOT become Hindu terrorism. Hopefully this long blog post with plenty of categorizations & examples drive the point home by now. If a Hindu terror exists, then by all means, a Christian terror or Atheist terror (and Buddhist, Sikh & what not terror) must exist to give company to Islamic terror. Isn't it? The most apt description I have heard is that this is Anti-Islamic-Terror Terrorism in the Indian context. Look into Malegaon or Samjhouta or Ajmer, this fits into the equation pretty well.
Comments Welcome:
Post your views freely. I don't intend to moderate, edit or delete any comment unless it is getting too personal or too offensive for people reading from work places or homes with children. You can post for, against or somewhere in-between views. I don't claim to be an expert in this area, but presented my thoughts as is. There was a need to bring out these thoughts as the nonsensical 'Hindu' terror fear is being propagated by politicians and media for vested reasons.
Looking forward towards learning from people with more deeper knowledge. Start :)
THE very first working day of 2011 was not exactly a 'Happy New Year' greeting to Sonia Gandhi and the first family of Congress party. Two big news items popped up.
The first one was a very hard punch delivered by the veteran journalist Gurumurthy via New Indian Express - "Zero Tolerance, secret billions"
By any calculation the present size of the $2.2 billion secret funds of the family in Swiss banks seems huge — anywhere between Rs 43,000 plus to some Rs 84,000 crore!
Among many other things that will blot Sonia Gandhi's image forever, also not the first time someone made such accusations, his main focal point was the alleged loot money Nehru/Gandhi family has stashed in secret accounts. Serious money, serious accusation and hopefully, India's grand old party answers it. And by answering, I mean, not the way the party mobs answered a recent accusation by a retired RSS chief Sudarshan, via violence.
By the time, people were still warming up to the serious details in Gurumurthy's NIE writeup on Twitter and other social networks (visual media wouldn't take trouble in exploring such hot topic involving G family), another bombshell greeted 'Happy new year' to the G family.. This was not a mere news paper article, but a 98 page, Income Tax Appellate TribunalOrder on the 'long dead' Bofors commission. This was literally a dynamite piece of info by mid-day as it not just traced the entire money trail of kickback, but it also proved beyond doubt that Rajiv Gandhi and family had lied when it comes to Bofors kickback involving Ottavio Quattrocchi, the alleged Italian deal maker.
If you have browsed at least a few pages of that 98 page report, signed by a Judicial member, let's take a few minutes to see what are the earlier lies that this categorical official government report exposed - in otherwords, skeletons that got out of closet even after hte most careful coverup operation over the decades.
1. Rajiv Gandhi: The Country’s highest fact finding tax authority directly contradicted the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s assertion on floor of parliament, that no illegal commission was paid for the Bofors deal. It exposed that Win Chadda and Quattrocchi received kickbacks in Bofors.
O. Quattrocchi had remained in India from 28-2-1965 to 29-7-1993, except 2 years in 60s. IT tribunal, a judiciary body in India, categorically found an estimated 242.62 mil Swedish Kroners were paid to Quattrocchi & Chadha for securing Bofors deal.
"We have been assured by the Swedish government and the company that there have been no payoffs," Gandhi told an unruly session of the lower house which ended with an opposition walkout.
So essentially, today, the former PM, a "Bharat Ratna", got exposed we should say.. As a small tidbit, in late 1980's a 10 year old in Patna had recited live, “Gali gali mein shor hai, Rajiv Gandhi chor hai” which got the AIR director suspended. I don't know where that person, now maybe 32 years old is, but surely must be feeling vindicated!
2. Sonia Gandhi: The current all powerful woman in India, the UPA chair person and essentially the Prime Decision maker keeping Manmohan Singh as the face, had lied too, if this official report's data can't be factually proven wrong.
In 1998, long before Sonia Gandhi got into positions of power (she barely had entered full time politics then), CBI had declared: "Rajiv and Quattrocchi used to meet frequently". That of course changed later in CBI affidavits. That came a few years after Quattrocchi escaped from India to avoid CBI Bofors probe, incidentally during a Congress party rule at center, July 29/30 1993 to be precise.
In 1998, barely two months after entering full time politics, Sonia Gandhi had accused the then BJP supremo, Atal Bihari Vajpayee of lying about Bofors. "They said Rajiv Gandhi took commission (on the Bofors deal). I, Rajiv Gandhi's widow, tell you that what Atal Behari Vajpayee said is a total lie," she declared.
I don't know if Sonia Gandhi would graciously apologize for such a blatant, factually incorrect public statement, but any one neutral would easily know by now what's the real truth. Gurumurthy had said today morning... "The total wealth of both Gandhis, as per their el returns, is just Rs 363 lakh, Sonia owning no car". After the IT expose of Bofors, that sounded really like a cruel joke on the 'aam aadmi' or common man of India <sigh>. By the way on Dec 20, 2010, the same Sonia Gandhi had famously stated.. “Even when no charge has been established, we have asked our ministers and Chief Ministers to step down” while attacking BJP on corruption topic. Walking her own talk, now that a massive corruption loot blame is pointing fingers at her, will she and her Prime Minister quit today? :)
Today, the Q man confirmed fraud when it comes to Bofors kickback! After avoiding JPC in late 2010 and after sitting through as a PM during the worst mega scams India has seen, such as 2G and CWG, this was the last thing Manmohan Singh needed as a new year gift..
4. Rahul Gandhi: Undoubtedly being tipped within media and Congress circles as the next PM of India, he had already seen a disastrous 2010. Under his 'able' campaign leadership, Bihar saw the worst ever route of Congress party since independence. I don't know of any other state in India today where Congress is less than 5 in terms of total MLA count! Also WikiLeaks had exposed his utter disconnect with the reality of India when he was caught expressing concern over mostly imaginary 'Hindu' terrorism when 800 pound gorillas like Lashkar or Maoist terrorism is staring at his face.
So where exactly did Rahul Gandhi got exposed by today's IT report? Congress' prince charm had loudly stated, "No apologies for Bofors; it was a lie", during 2009 elections.. AND this guy would be a PM of India someday !!
5. Veerappa Moily: India's law minister, is usually a much moderate voice, compared to the louder spokespeople. But he also got exposed by today's report. Veerappa had confidently backed Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi to drop Quattrocchi cases in September 2009. Now that his backing was misinformed, should he take responsibility as law minister giving critical suggestions and resign? After all under UPA government, exactly 15 months before today, CBI, snubbed as Congress Bureau of Intimidation on casual circles, suggested to drop Qauattrocchi's name from Bofors! Such a collasal blunder by an agency that is dedicated to fight criminal activities.
6. Hansraj Bharadwaj: Joked in southern India now that he has been the 'best' opposition party leader in Karnataka, for his frequent tussle with BJP led state government as a governor, he also happened to be occupying the same seat Veerappa Moily occupies today.
On Jan 7, 2006 : "An erring & a delinquent minister" as Arun Jaitley had commented, HR Bharadwaj, defroze Q Bofors accounts! This was done as a law minister of India and shouldn't he be facing the music today after committing such a big blunder?
Interestingly, the main opposition party BJP, had accused that Ottavio Quattrocchi's son was funding BJP rebels during a late 2010 state government toppling scheme in Karnataka. Connect the dots.. The Q man taking Bofors kickback, Congress government letting him leave India in 90s, Bharadwaj defreezing his accounts and now both Q man's son as well as Bharadwaj in the same city Bengaluru, incidentally when BJP government was facing a rebel crisis!
Fallout of today's report:
As expected, the opposition party, BJP, seized the opportunity to corner the blatant lies exposed above of the Gandhi family as well as key people associated with them. Arun Jaitley's hard slam on Bofors & Quattrocchi was out by late afternoon.
Jaitley also made a direct reference to the Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi’s five-point programme on nailing corruption by saying, “Ironically, the revelations by the Income Tax tribunal are a grim reminder to Sonia Gandhi that the country does not need a five-point programme to check corruption. What all is needed is a one-point programme of sending in jail all those who are accused, which will act as a deterrent.”
We will have to wait and see if this latest resurrection of Bofors ghost rattles Congress, in particular, the Sonia Gandhi family that has been blamed most in today's reports. The hapless 'aam aadmi' or comman person in India must be humming tonight.. "Baar baar looto.. hazaar baar looto.. yeh lootne ki cheez hain.. hamaara Hindusta.. taali ho"
But since Satyameva Jayate (satyam-eva jayate सत्यमेव जयते "Truth Alone Triumphs") is the national motto of India, this expose had to happen.. Isn't it friends?
Credits: My social network buddies for a wide variety of information & thoughts. Picture credit to original photographers.
Lo behold... the same PFI was linked for this merciless incident, and the accused arrested by Kerala police. This incident caused an outrage on social networks as well as in Kerala politics. Everyone from right to left condemned the undemocratic 'sharia' punishment in a democratic country. However, what most mainstream media outlets didn't tell Indians is that the very same PFI had launched a political outlet called Social Democratic Party of India or SDPI, that had supported Congress-led UDF coalition in Kerala, in the past several elections! Check this very alarming quote from the above link of 'The Daily Pioneer', a reputed national newspaper.
Now to this month's shameful incident. The same Congress/UDF supporters in politics, KFD kidnaps a rich student near Mysore in June 2011, with his friend. It's known now that one of the key accused had known knew the father of Sudheendra (21) and planned to extract Rs.5,00,00,000 ransom after calculating the business cash flow. The other student Vignesh (20) was also abducted to remove the trace of evidence. Alleging that the outfit might have links with terrorist organisations, Ashoka said he would discuss the matter with Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa and top police officers on whether the KFD could be banned. “I took personal interest in the case as it was a prestige issue for the government and the police department. The government will set up a special court, request for a special public prosecutor for speedy trail,” Ashoka said.
