Enjoy the Silence

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. 

1. Ask those on a vilification campaign against Narendra Modi.. "Have YOU condemned Rajiv Gandhi's Sikh slaughter 'Big Tree Falls' justification?". Enjoy the silence:)
2. Ask those Binayak Sen supporters on a vilification campaign against Chhattisgarh govt.. "Have YOU condemned Sadhvi Pragya's torture?". Enjoy the silence:)
3. Ask those Congress supporters "against" smear campaigns... "Have YOU condemned Sonia Gandhi calling PM Vajpayee a gaddar (traitor)?". Enjoy the silence:)
4. Ask those shedding crocodile tears for Muslim victims in 2002 Gujarat... "Have YOU condemned 2010 Deganga Hindu killings?". Enjoy the silence:)
5. 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:)
6. 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:)
7. 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:)
8. 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:)
9. 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:)
10. 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:)
11. Ask those saying Anna Hazare's fast was a "blackmail" tactic... "Will YOU condemn Nehru for fasting with Gandhi?". Enjoy the silence:)
12. Ask those saying Terrorists have no religion..."In that case, will YOU condemn Chidambaram for 'Hindu Terror' vilification campaign?". Enjoy the silence:)
13. Ask those saying Congress is secular..."Will YOU condemn alliance with Muslim league or Majlis-e Ittihad al-Muslimin?". Enjoy the silence:)
14. 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:)
15. 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:)
16. 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:)
17. Ask those opposing Savarkar portrait in parliament.."How come a jailed democracy killer, Indira's portrait still there?". Enjoy the silence:)
18. Ask those proud that India is a secular democracy... "Will YOU condemn multiple wives privilege legally allowed for some?". Enjoy the silence:)
19. 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!

2G Suicide: Almost Everything You Want to Know About Sadiq Batcha

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.

1. 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 !
2. 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!
3. 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.
4. RP Paramesh Kumar, the son of A Raja’s sister Vijayammal, was made the joint Managing Director of Sadiq Batcha's Green House Promoters.
5. 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.
6. 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!
7. 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.
8. 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!
9. 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. 
10. 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.
11. After Shahid Balwa & Sadiq Batcha link was exposed CBI was going to Dubai just 4 weeks back - Common factor? HAWALA!
12. "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.
13. Vicky Nanjappa, a journalist I admire in India, blogs.. "Did Batcha have too much of him?" : Read here: http://vickynanjapa.wordpress.com/2011/03/16/did-batcha-have-too-much-of-him/
14. Regarding potential life threats, read the last line of Subramanian Swamy interview from November 20, 2010: - He should have explicitly added Sadiq Batcha too!
15. 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.

TV Talk Show with Pratibha Patil : After Indira Gandhi Cooking Revelation

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..

Saffron or Hindu Terror: Does it Exist?

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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Communist Party of India-Maoist - Burning schools, killing villagers and murderous rampage on tribal societies, in addition to their main fight against India's security forces.
4. Indian Mujahideen - Setting off bombs to indiscriminately kill civilians, usually those not belonging to Islam. Linked to the first group mentioned above.

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?

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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 :)

Dear Sonia Gandhi and Congress - Is it that hard to accept the Bofors truth?

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 Tribunal Order 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.

The kickback payment was in violation of govt rule & evaded tax too.  Rajiv, as a PM under constitutional oath, had lied to the country on 20 Apr 1987.

"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? :)

When Subramanian Swamy had seriousy accused Sonia Gandhi of safe guarding the loot from Bofors, citing November 11, 1991,  Schweizer Illustrierte expose of Rajiv Gandhi's secret account holding 2.5 mil CHF, things were ignored. Will it be the case this time too? Will have to wait and see how much 'walk' follows the populist 'talk' of Sonia Gandhi.

3. Manmohan Singh: In 2009, the supposedly "very honest" Manmohan Singh defended Ottavio Quattrocchi and withdrew the red corner notice.

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.

Some Charity Options in India For Those Wishing To Contribute

On the very first day of a new year 2011, let me take a few minutes to list some impressive charities that I was evaluating over the past one week. There are millions of NGOs in India helping the needy, but let me do my small bit of service by listing some really good ones. I had the privilege to visit or talk a few of these and was quite impressed.

Use the comments to add more if you personally know any or have researched into the effectiveness so that you are referring to other friends online.

1) http://rkfoundation.org/renergy.htm - They have very impressive education, medical & environment options. Met in person. In fact things are moving ahead into donation mode too.

2) http://www.maithritrust.org/about_us.html - Very motivating founder. Referred by a Twitter friend & loved their options.

3) http://www.belaku.org/Default.aspx - My family involved with this for years. Genuine care for the destitute children & elders.

4) http://www.chidambarashrama.org/gallery/default.htm - My mother donated earlier. They do fabulous service to poor rural kids.

5) http://srimathatrust.org/services.htm - Referred by a Twitter friend. Amazing social service for cancer patients. Recommended!

6) http://www.sankaraeye.com/?q=content/gift-vision - Nothing beats gift of a vision to the poor & needy. Donated to them earlier.

7) http://edu.ananyatrust.org/ - Recommended by GiveIndia after careful scrutiny. Impressed with their service to poor urban kids.

8) http://www.operation-shanti.org/pages/ourprojectsindex.html - Spoke with the key woman & very impressed. Fabulous job for kids.

9) http://www.vgkk.org/wiki/index.php/Awards - Highly recommended by an online friend. Noble work for the severely downtrodden!

10) http://www.soscvindia.org/charity/index.php - Recommended by GiveIndia after scrutiny. Family atmosphere for needy kids.

11) http://www.vctblr.org/ - Recommended by GiveIndia after scrutiny. Wonderful service to kids 'in transit' during adoptions.

12) http://www.belurmath.org/centres/display_centre.php?centre_id=SHV - Excellent all round service to rural kids, in genuine way.

13) http://www.ekal.org/ekalindia/ekaladmin/ekal/ekalprogress/existingschools.php - Unbelievable reach & dedication for education.

The next three were suggested by friends of social network.

14) Consider giving to SchoolChoice http://schoolchoice.in/support/registry.php Rs 4000 pays for a year's school fees. Even small amounts count.

15) Grain School Charity Options: http://anganwadikids.blogspot.com


16) http://www.rangde.org/ Social Investments Micro credit Charity Options. More than charity, this is more of a viable business model.


 I will keep this list updated with new suggestions as and when I come across them. Feel free to leave comments indicating your first hand experience.

Happy Giving!!
- K

Support for a Terror Courier Service Binayak Sen... Mind Boggling!

Let me admit. I only had a passing glance at Binayak Sen news items prior to December 2010. Just another Doctor, popular among Human Rights activists & to give him credit, earned a lot of good will among the academics & left leaning journalists. Fair enough.. Everyone is entitled to have their darlings based on ideological preference.

But the day before Christmas 2010, changed my perception. A Chhattisgarh court gave him life sentence. If it was just another life sentence, I wouldn't have written this blog for sure. But in this case, the massive support from JNU theme academicians, NDTV/CNN-IBN kind of media houses and  scores of left-liberal leaning twitterrati made me explore a bit more on who this Dr.Binayak Sen was really.. When that group of 'usual suspects' are so loud, my mind started telling.. 'daal mein kuch kaala hain' (something fishy).

Let me give a summary of my thoughts on this Dr.Binayak Sen & the judgment in a few targeted, precise points. Feel free to answer some open questions in them, if you are a Binayak supporter or feel free to send them to your favorite Binayak supporting celebrity.

1. Binayak Sen, convicted terrorist supporter per court, was supported by not 1, but NINE JNU staff in 2008. Since JNU is a reputed institute in India, how badly will this reflect on the curriculum they set & the material they teach to future Indian think tank? For me so much support for a man convicted of terrorist interaction from a tax-payer supported institute sounds outrageous.
2. John Dayal signed for Binayak Sen too in the above mentioned petition. Mr.Dayal is also in Manmohan Singh & Sonia Gandhi's National "Integration" Council! Does that imply that India is being 'integrated' extensively with maoist terrorist ideology?
3. Kavita Krishnan of CPI-ML signed for Binayak Sen above. Note that she also supported Kashmir valley stone pelters ! Hmn.. now Maoist violence supported by Evangelical funds extends into territory of Jihad mongers supported by Pakistan & Saudi Arabia? Getting interesting.
4. In 2007, journalist Praful Bidwai supports terror supporter Binayak Sen. In 2008, the same Bidwai lashes at 'Saffron Terror' . It's getting more clear to me now as to who are the key journalists shouting at the top of their voice on the so-called 'saffron terror', while openly being featured as heroes of naxal supporters.
5. I thought courts in India are insulated from political ideology of the states they are in. Wait.. Did I see NAPM having a problem with courts in BJP ruled states? Now it's occurring to me clearly that the blind supporters of Binayak have a very clear agenda to malign Indian democracy & the most important pillar.. judiciary! 
6. After Binayak Sen's judgment, some of the well known media guys tweeted & commented like this: 1) "Corrupt go free, a doctor gets convicted" 2) "Shocking!" 3) 'Goons ruling Chhattisgarh' 4) 'powerful get away'. I am like.. are these guys getting sucked into pro-Binayak propaganda or worse.. a part of it themselves?
7. This Trial by media got me to thinking.. By contrasting Trial by Media, Narendra Modi is guilty until proven innocent by a court (or even after that), but 'Doctor' Binayak Sen is innocent even after a court jails him? Guys.. you are really getting better :) Ayodhya verdict criticism of 2010 was the beginning, but this open contempt of court by media after Binayak verdict reached nauseating levels.
8. Then my mind started remembering 16 recent years' examples of atrocities on Hindus in India. Wait a minute.. those making lots of noise about 'human rights' of Binayak Sen (indirectly the maoists he helped with courier) have ever spoken for the rights of these people? Deganga riots, murder of anti Christian conversion swami, Lakshmanananda, Godhra Train burning in Gujarat on 27th Feb 2002, 7 March 2006 bombing of Hindu holy city Varanasi, Two separate terrorist attacks on Raghunath Temple in Jammu & Kashmir, 3 August 1998 massacre of Hindus in Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh, Akshardham Temple siege & massacre in Gujarat on Sep 25th 2002, Massacre of Hindus in Marad, Kerala in 2003, Church backed ultras of NE India banning Durga & Saraswati Puja and indulging in violence, Kashmir Pundits population reduced from 15% in 1947 to 0.1% today, Bareilly riots of March 2010, Miraj anti Hindu Riots recently, Hanuman Jayanti being targeted in old city Hyderabad in March 2010, "Objection" to Ram Navami being the excuse for April 2006 Aligarh anti Hindu riots, Riot in Ahmedabad’s Shahpur where Hindus are minority in May 2010 and Hindus killed in Shimoga & Hassan in Karnataka, Mar 2010 over a newspaper article! Probably not.. How 'secular' of them!
9. Remember: Since 1989, 5961 civilians & 2086 security personnel have been murdered by maoist terrorists as per Wiki. This Dr. Binayak Sen acted as courier for these terrorists & still being hailed as a 'victim'? 
10. Then I asked a few Binayak supporters.. If Binayak Sen was such a nice human rights activist & doctor serving tribals, why did he meet a terrorist Narayan Sanyal 33 times in 1 month? No answers..
11. Then I asked, there are scores of Sewa Bharati (yeah.. that dreaded RSS affiliation) doctors working in tribal areas of Chhattisgarh.How come they don't meet maoist terrorists like Binayak Sen? No answers.
12. Searched for a genuine timeline of how Binayak Sen trial was conducted. Since I found more than 90% of material on internet littered with pro-Binayak half-fact propaganda, it took time to get to a genuine one. Nothing looks suspicious or even remotely resembling the kangaroo court Binayak's buddy maoists conduct. Also, the honourable Supreme Court was closely monitoring. So why all the hulla-ballo?
13. Then researched a bit of facts about Binayak Sen case : I couldn't understand.. Why would a human rights activist, Binayak Sen meet a terrorist Narayan Sanyal in prison, 33 times between May 26 & Jun 30, 2007? Again, asked a few, but no Binayak supporter had guts to even touch this topic. Things were unraveling by now as to how much propaganda is involved.
14. Then some friends suggested, that just because he is a Doctor, things can't be treated differently. After all Jack the Ripper, Ayman Al Zawahiri of Al Qaeda were Doctors too. 
15. Then compared a few 'Hindu Terrorist' cases: Col. Purohit was a "communal" terror aide unlike this Binayak Sen who happens to be a "secular" terror aide. The former hasn't been convicted, but proclaimed 'guilty' in trial by media. The latter is convicted but being projected as 'innocent'! Expanding the logic, Sadhvi Pragya is a 'Hindu terrorist' for just selling a scooter, but Binayak Sen isn't a 'Christian terrorist' even after Sanyal couriers? Getting more interesting.. :)
16. Then I focused on Binayak's most vocal supporter, the Amnesty International. Yes, the name sounds noble & hopefully their deeds. So I went ahead to scan a few of their petitions from the year 2010, specific to India: http://www.amnesty.org/en/region/india . Guess what? Not ONE petition against Deganga riot victims! Were they requested? Of course yes. here. A few months earlier, just like Binayak, the 3 raped girls were also Bengalis whose human rights were snatched brutally right this year. Aha.. so Hindu riot victims pretty much don't deserve 'human rights' per this Amnesty.
    
17. Ok.. leave Deganga for a minute from September. Maybe too 'new' for Amnesty to file a petition in 4 months. How about Jammu & Kashmir's massive anti-Hindu violence for the past 20 years? Have they been supportive of the victims of the worst anti-Hindu terror campaign launched in India? Some Kashmir Pundit websites helped me get more insight about the visible Jihad collaboration of Amnesty. How about outside India? More got out when I read about Amnesty unfairly firing Gita Sahgal who exposed their links to the dreaded Taliban...it's getting a lot worse than I thought..
18. Then what about their views on a Pakistani terrorist Kasab, who moved down 100+ Indians in Mumbai? Same stuff.. We don't want him to be hanged!
19. Then a bit more about Binayak's buddy Narayan Sanyal. This dreaded terrorist had masterminded the attack on one of India's best CMs ever, Chandrababu Naidu in 2003.He masterminded an attack on a jail that resulted in scores of death in Jehanabad. Worse.. "Tribal Doctor" Binayak Sen's buddy Sanyal personally oversaw the beheading of 20 villagers in Talimendrion, Dantewada in 2001, for supporting pulse polio drive for their kids! Remember, Maoists had opposed government polio eradication drive. How ethical of this Doctor to support a guy who was instrumental in banning medical service to kids of the jungle?
20. Then I watched Binayak's wife's interview on NDTV. She does NOT deny that her husband met 300 human killer Sanyal 33 times. So more weight on that key terror link aspect.
21. Weren't many of those supporting Binayak loudly screaming "Hindu Terror" earlier? When explained.. "guys..folks like RSS does social work", they used to respond "So does Lashkar". Now all of a sudden, "How could they jail Binayak Sen, the social worker?" ROFL :)
22.  Earlier when pointed out that Pravin Tagodia, irrespective of his nuances, is a Doctor, that too a cancer surgeon, the same mombatti (candle) brigade, used to dismiss.."So what? He's a fascist!". Now the same brigade is shouting.. "Shocking that they could jail a DOCTOR Binayak Sen!" :)
23. Then Kanchan Gupta exposed more about this 'human rights' activist. Dr. Binayak Sen had arranged for rental home, bank accounts & much more to a terrorist who killed 300+ Indians!
24. And Binayak's trial was conducted in an open court under laws that are equally applicable to all citizens of India. Sounds pretty fair to me.

To conclude, for now, Binayak's judgment followup has been a real eye opener. The amount of depth left-'liberal' views have in journalism, media & social outlets is mind boggling. Hope you found the thought provoking facts in this blog post worthy of the time you spent till now.

But at the end of the day, Satyam Eva Jayate =  Truth Shall Always Prevail!