Loud thinking

Appeal - fast with Anna hazare

2011-03-30T10:02:00.000+05:30

Watch this video till the end. Listen to what your children say.

Fast with Anna Hazare, at jantar Mantar, in your office, at your home, wherever you are on 5th April 2011.

Message from Dr Kiran Bedi

2011-03-24T19:51:00.000+05:30

Anna Hazare is starting indefinite fast at 10 AM on 5th April 2011 at Jantar Mantar. This is a second freedom movement to free India of corruption. Join it and become a Freedom Fighter.

अपने अन्दर के बच्चे को बाहर आने दीजिये

2011-03-23T18:29:00.001+05:30

भ्रष्टाचार का वृक्ष देश की प्रगति के रास्ते में अवरोध बन कर पड़ा है. सब देख रहे हैं, कोई उसे रास्ते से हटाने को आगे नहीं आ रहा. आप अगर डरते हैं तब अपने अन्दर के बच्चे को बाहर आने दीजिये. वह बच्चा आप को रास्ता दिखायेगा.

India Against Corruption - Rallies across India

2011-03-23T15:59:00.000+05:30

मजबूर प्रधानमंत्री जनता को गुमराह कर रहे हैं ?

2011-03-22T09:33:00.000+05:30

प्रति एमपी दिए थे दस-दस लाख, तब बची थी मनमोहन जी की सरकार, विकीलीक्स का खुलासा. प्रधानमंत्री ने कर दिया साफ़ इनकार. न मैंने, न मेरी सरकार के किसी सदस्य ने, न मेरी पार्टी कांग्रेस के किसी सदस्य ने, कोई गलत काम किया सरकार बचाने के लिए. दो बाते हैं, पहली, प्रधानमंत्री सरकार बचाने के लिए एमपी खरीदना गलत नहीं मानते; दूसरी, प्रधानमंत्री सदन और जनता को गुमराह कर रहे हैं. विकीलीक्स के असान्जे ने कहा है की प्रधानमंत्री लोगों को गुमराह कर रहे हैं. उनका कहना है कि विकीलीक्स के केबल्स बिलकुल सही हैं.

कोई कुछ भी कहे, भारत की जनता का एक बहुत बड़ा वर्ग यह मानता है कि प्रधानमंत्री लोगों को गुमराह कर रहे हैं, एमपी खरीदे गए थे, यह एक सच्चाई है.

Joint Statement on Jan Lokpal Bill

2011-03-13T13:35:00.000+05:30

On 11th March 2011, there was a meeting at India Islamic Center of leaders of some political parties. After the meeting these leaders issued a joint statement.
Joint Statement on Jan Lokpal Bill
"At a time when the whole country is bleeding with corruption, enactment of a strong and effective anti corruption law is very critical. Jan Lokpal Bill drafted by civil society, if enacted, could go a long way in checking corruption. We sincerely urge the government to take immediate steps to enact this law. If this law is brought in parliament, our party will fully support it.
Anna Hazare, a 78 year old social activist has announced an indefinite fast from 5th April if the government doesn’t take concrete steps to enact this law. We sincerely urge the government to take all steps necessary to prevent Anna from going on indefinite fast.
The Govt. should set up a joint committee of citizens and Govt. to draft the Lokpal Bill.”

This was signed by : HD Dewe Gowda, Maysura Reddy of Telugu Desam Party, Sudhakara Reddy and AB Baradhan of CPI, Jayant Chaudhary of Rashtriya Lokdal, Kavita Krishnan of CPI (ML), Abani Roy (RSP) Bhupinder singh of BJP supported the Bill, but as he was not senior enough, he said he will consult his seniors and sign.

Link - http://www.indiaagainstcorruption.org/blog

Dr Kiran Bedi on Fight Against Corruption

2011-03-12T22:21:00.000+05:30

Can you volunteer ???

2011-03-06T08:17:00.000+05:30

Read this e-mail, think and take a decision:

"Dear friend,

Anna Hazare has announced his fast unto death to pressurize government into enacting Jan Lokpal Bill. His fast starts from 5th April. You could watch a very inspiring film on his fast at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxksAURdwTI

After his call, Anna has been invited for talks by the Prime Minister. He will be meeting the Prime Minister on Monday along with other representatives of India Against Corruption.

However, according to him, the movement should continue till such time the government actually enacts the law. There should be no let up in our activities.

To mobilize masses and create awareness about Anna’s fast, would you be able to volunteer and spare time? We desperately need everyone to spare some time. It is almost now or never.

Kindly join us for planning meeting on Monday at 6 pm at Chetnalaya, 9 Bhai Veer Singh Marg, near Gol Dak Khana, New Delhi.

Yours sincerely

Aswathi Muralidharan

Ph: 9718500606"

राष्ट्रभक्ति

2011-03-04T18:57:00.000+05:30

राष्ट्रभक्त ये करे पुकार.
अब नहीं सहेंगे भ्रष्टाचार.
किरण तुम्ही हो इस देश की आशा.
अन्ना रचेंगे एक नया इतिहास.
अग्निवेश के जब वो बाण चलेंगे.
राष्ट्रभक्त हुंकार भरेंगे.
अरविन्द की होगी पूरी अभिलाषा.
हर देशभक्त तो यही है चाहता.
मोहन जी मत तुम घबराना,
मात्रभूमि पर मर मिट जाना.
बाबा जी का हो जो आशीर्वाद,
देश सदा रहे जिंदाबाद,
जिंदाबाद , जिंदाबाद.

संगीता चावला.
[विंग – मात्र शक्ति]
भारतीय राष्ट्रभक्त सेना.

क्या फायदा ऐसे लोकायुक्त का ???

2011-03-03T10:44:00.000+05:30

दिल्ली के लोकायुक्त, जस्टिस मनमोहन सरीन ने दिल्ली सरकार में मंत्री राज कुमार चौहान को पद से हटाने की सिफारिश की है. लोकायुक्त ने इस मंत्री को एक जन अधिकारी द्वारा किये गए घोर दुराचार का दोषी पाया, लेकिन सरकार इस भ्रष्ट मंत्री को उस के पद से नहीं हटा रही है. मेगासेसे अवार्ड से सम्मानित एवं भ्रष्टाचार के विरुद्ध संघर्ष कर रहे श्री अरविन्द केजरीवाल ने इस बात के लिए सरकार की आलोचना की है. उन्होंने कहा, वर्तमान कानून में लोकायुक्त केवल सिफारिश कर सकते हैं, उस पर कार्यवाही करना या न करना सरकार के हाथ में है. ऐसे शक्ति-हीन लोकायुक्त के होने या न होने से कोई फर्क नहीं पड़ता. इस जांच के दौरान राज बब्बर एम् पी और एमसीडी के एक भूतपूर्व पार्षद का नाम भी सामने आया पर अधिकार-हीन लोकायुक्त उनके खिलाफ जांच शुरू नहीं सर सके. जन लोकपाल बिल के कानून बन्ने पर लोकायुक्त स्वयं, किसी से आज्ञा लिए बिना, ऐसी जांच शुरू कर सकते हैं. अब यह बहुत जरूरी हो गया है की जन लोकायुक्त बिल को ही कानून बनाया जाए.

जन लोकपाल और जन लोकायुक्त बिलों को कानून बनाने के लिए जन-संघर्ष जारी है, उसे और मजबूत बनाना होगा. हर नागरिक को इस दूसरी आजादी की लड़ाई में शामिल हो जाना चाहिए.

Anna Hazare fasts unto death against corruption

2011-03-02T06:43:00.000+05:30

a mahatma announces fast unto death

Anna Hazare has given an ultimatum to the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to enact stringent anti-corruption law – the peoples “Jan Lokpal Bill”! Jail to the corrupt must happen! We have been betrayed by those that are leading us!

When & Where?

From 5th April at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi.

Who is Anna Hazare?

A soldier, lone survivor in his unit in 1965 Indo-Pak war, Anna dedicated his life to the well-being of society. A bachelor, an ascetic, he has no possessions, no bank balance and lives in a temple. He is a living Mahatma Gandhi!

In Maharashtra, Anna has single handedly transformed barren and dry regions into green and food surplus areas. He has fasted unto death on several earlier occasions. He forced the Maharashtra government to dismiss the corrupt - 6 ministers and 400 officers. Due to his fast, the govt enacted the Maharashtra RTI Act. In 2006, when government of India tried to amend the Central RTI Act, he again went on an indefinite fast and forced the Indian government not to amend RTI Act.

Leaders, organizations and the common man from across India will be with him. This is a do or die moment – let us make it happen!

Across India, join Swami Ramdev, Sri Sri Ravishankar, Swami Agnivesh, Arch Bishop Vincent Concessao, Mahmood A Madani, Kiran Bedi, J M Lyngdoh, Shanti Bhushan, Prashant Bhushan, Arvind Kejriwal, Mufti Shamoom Qasmi, Mallika Sarabhai, Arun Bhatia, Sunita Godara, All India Bank Employees Federation, PAN IIT Alumni Association, Common Cause and many other prominent organizations and leaders, as India comes out on the streets! 100+ CITIES WILL RALLY BEHIND ANNA!

This is a defining moment for India that can give our children a better future! Let us unite and stand by him! Thousands will be there to support him. Will you be there?

Anna’s appeal to the people:

When I sit on fast from 5 April, I urge my fellow countrymen to

Join me in fasting for one, two, three or whatever number of days you can comfortably fast.
Along with fast, please pray to God (whoever you believe in) for better and corruption free India. Collective prayers from all the people of India would definitely have a huge impact.
Write an impassioned plea to our Prime Minister that we look upon him to pass “Jan Lokpal Bill”, else we will be compelled not to vote for his party in next elections.
Remain calm and peaceful and develop the courage to go to jail, if required, in this next freedom movement.

If possible, come and stay with Anna at Jantar Mantar for a few days from April 5th.

Salient features of Jan Lokpal Bill

Drafted by Justice Santosh Hegde, Prashant Bhushan and Arvind Kejriwal, this Bill has been refined on the basis of feedback received from public on website and after series of public consultations. It has also been vetted by and is supported by Shanti Bhushan, J M Lyngdoh, Kiran Bedi, Anna Hazare etc. It was sent to the PM and all CMs on 1st December. However, there is no response.

An institution called LOKPAL at the centre and LOKAYUKTA in each state will be set up
Like Supreme Court and Election Commission, they will be completely independent of the governments. No minister or bureaucrat will be able to influence their investigations.
Cases against corrupt people will not linger on for years anymore: Investigations in any case will have to be completed in one year. Trial should be completed in next one year so that the corrupt politician, officer or judge is sent to jail within two years.
The loss that a corrupt person caused to the government will be recovered at the time of conviction.
How will it help a common citizen: If any work of any citizen is not done in prescribed time in any government office, Lokpal will impose financial penalty on guilty officers, which will be given as compensation to the complainant.
So, you could approach Lokpal if your ration card or passport or voter card is not being made or if police is not registering your case or any other work is not being done in prescribed time. Lokpal will have to get it done in a month’s time. You could also report any case of corruption to Lokpal like ration being siphoned off, poor quality roads been constructed or panchayat funds being siphoned off. Lokpal will have to complete its investigations in a year, trial will be over in next one year and the guilty will go to jail within two years.
But won’t the government appoint corrupt and weak people as Lokpal members? That won’t be possible because its members will be selected by judges, citizens and constitutional authorities and not by politicians, through a completely transparent and participatory process.
What if some officer in Lokpal becomes corrupt? The entire functioning of Lokpal/ Lokayukta will be completely transparent. Any complaint against any officer of Lokpal shall be investigated and the officer dismissed within two months.
What will happen to existing anti-corruption agencies? CVC, departmental vigilance and anti-corruption branch of CBI will be merged into Lokpal. Lokpal will have complete powers and machinery to independently investigate and prosecute any officer, judge or politician.

JAN LOKPAL BILL will act as deterrent and instill fear against corruption

(This movement is neither affiliated nor aligned to any political party)

India Against Corruption: A-119, Kaushambi, Ghaziabad, UP | 09718500606

www.indiaagainstcorruption.org | indiaagainstcorruption.2010@gmail.com |facebook.com/indiacor

भ्रष्टाचार के खिलाफ अन्ना हजारे का आमरण अनशन

2011-03-01T13:24:00.001+05:30

दिनांक - ५ अप्रैल २०११; स्थान - जंतर मंतर, नई दिल्ली; समय - १२ बजे दोपहर
आप आइये और अपने साथ १० व्यक्क्तियों को लाइए

I am a freedom Fighter

2011-02-27T12:00:00.002+05:30

I was one year old when India became a free country. I could not join the freedom struggle. But now I am getting a chance to join the Indian Freedom Struggle. I will not miss this chance. I am for a zero corruption India. I have already joined India Against Corruption. I am very happy that I can call myself a freedom fighter.

All Indians are invited to join India's Second Freedom Struggle.

India Against Corruption Anthem

2011-02-24T11:48:00.000+05:30

भ्रष्टाचार का ईलाज है - जन लोकपाल

2011-02-24T09:03:00.000+05:30

दैनिक हिंदी हिन्दुतान के २२ फ़रवरी अंक में 'हमारी राय आपकी राय' प्रष्ट पर श्री गिरिराज किशोर का एक लेख छपा है, "भ्रष्टाचार का ईलाज है - जन लोकपाल". आप साथ की इमेज पर क्लिक करके लेख को पढ़ सकते हैं.

इस बात से हर व्यक्ति सहमत होगा कि जन-लोकपाल ही भ्रष्टाचार का सही ईलाज है. इस लिए जो प्रयास के अंतर्गत किया जा रहा है वह सही दिशा में एक निर्णायक कदम है. हर वार्ड में भ्रष्टाचार के विरुद्ध वोट बेंक बनाकर राजनितिक दलों और सरकार को इस बात के लिए मजबूर किया जा सकता है कि वह जन-लोकपाल बिल को कानून बनाए.

३० जनवरी को दिल्ली में और देश के अन्य ६० शहरों में भ्रष्टाचार के विरुद्ध हुई रैलिओं के प्रति मीडिया के एक बड़े अंग की उदासीनता मीडिया की विश्वसनीयता पर एक प्रश्न चिन्ह लगाती है. क्या मीडिया ने सरकार के प्रतिनिधि के रूप में काम करना शुरू कर दिया है? क्या मीडिया कर्मीं पद्म एवार्ड्स के लिए सरकार के भाट बन गए हैं? क्या मीडिया नहीं चाहता कि भारत एक भ्रष्टाचार मुक्त राष्ट्र बने? कारण चाहे जो भी हो ३० जनवरी की रैली को समाचारों में उचित स्थान न दे कर मीडिया ने देश और जनता का विश्वास और ज्यादा खो दिया है.

Meet at Jantar Mantar, 01 April 2011

2011-02-22T19:16:00.004+05:30

जन लोकपाल बिल - समय की मांग

2011-02-20T12:42:00.001+05:30

जन लोकपाल बिल के बारे में जानिये किरण बेदी और अरविन्द केजरीवाल से. इस बिल को कानून बनना ही चाहिए. सरकार और विपक्षी पार्टियां कुछ नहीं करेंगी, इन से कोई भी उम्मीद रखना बेमानी होगा. इन्हें यह बताना होगा कि इन का राजनितिक भविष्य इस बात पर निर्भर करता है कि यह इस बिल को कानून बनाएं.

Why S M Krishna should be forced on India?

2011-02-14T13:10:00.000+05:30

Indian Foreign Minister goes to UN and starts reading a speech. It turns out that he was reading the speech of Portuguese Foreign Minister. Now he says that such things happen and there was nothing wrong in it.

OK, let us accept his expanation. Such mistakes can happen with him and there is nothing wrong in him committing such maistakes. But my issue is why he should be forced on Indian people? India is a big country. Even Congress party is a big party. There must be someone better than him and who does not commit such mistakes. Why can't Congress party, its President Sonia Gandhi, the Prime Minister search for someone else? Are they under any obligation to this man that he has to be kept in good humor by making him a minister? Well, they may under obligation to him but the people of India are in no way under ogligation to him. HE SHOULD GO.

Create a corruption free India

2011-01-31T12:46:00.003+05:30

Yes, you can defeat corruption and create a corruption free India.

The final struggle against corruption has started, and together we will root it out from our country.
Why is it that no one goes to jail despite so much evidence of corruption in public domain? In order to create an effective deterrence against corruption, “India Against Corruption” has drafted Jan Lokpal Bill and Jan Lokayukta Bill, which if enacted would ensure that corrupt people go to jail within two years of complaint and their ill gotten wealth is confiscated.

Vote against corruption

Commit your vote against corruption in next elections. Parties and politicians create vote banks on religious and caste lines. Let us all create a vote bank against corruption.
Individually our vote has little value, but if lakhs of people pledge their votes against corruption, it will force politicians to enact this law.

Are you willing to take the following pledge?

"I solemnly pledge that I would not vote for that party which does not pass Jan Lokpal or Lokayukta Bill drafted by Citizens wherever it is in power- either at center or at state level."

Click here to commit your vote

I have creaed a "POSITIVE VOTE CLUB". Join this club and take a committment to vote against corruption.

एक और स्केम - सर्वोच्च स्तर पर भ्रष्टाचार

2011-01-28T07:00:00.003+05:30

सुप्रीम कोर्ट में सरकार का नया झूट
क्या आप सपने में भी यह सोच सकते हैं कि जब प्रधानमंत्री की अध्यक्षता में एक सर्वोच्च अधिकार प्राप्त समिति देश के केन्द्रीय सतर्कता आयुक्त का चयन करती है तब उम्मीदवारों के बारे में पूरी जानकारी समिति के सामने नहीं होती? नहीं सोच सकते न? मैं भी नहीं सोच सकता, पर ऐसा हुआ है. भारत सरकार ने सुप्रीम कोर्ट को बताया है कि केन्द्रीय सतर्कता आयुक्त पद के लिए चयन करते समय समिति के सामने एक उम्मीदवार पी जे थामस के खिलाफ भ्रष्टाचार के लिए चार्ज शीट और केरल सरकार द्वारा उन पर मुकदमा चलाये जाने की अनुमति के बारे में कोई जानकारी नहीं थी. विस्तृत वर्णन के लिए क्लिक करें.

यह सर्व विदित है कि इस ३ सदस्यीय समिति में प्रधानमंत्री के अलाबा गृह मंत्री और लोक सभा में विपक्ष के नेता होते हैं. विपक्ष की नेता ने थामस के खिलाफ इस चार्ज के बारे में समिति को बताया था और उनको इस पद के लिए चुने जाने पर अपना विरोध दर्ज कराया था. लेकिन समिति ने २:१ से इस ऐतराज को रद्द करते हुए थामस को केन्द्रीय सतर्कता आयुक्त के पद के लिए चुन लिया. आज कल सुप्रीम कोर्ट में इस बारे में सुनवाई हो रही है.

एक बहुत छोटे पद के लिए भी सरकारी कर्मचारियों के बारे में सम्बंधित विभाग चयन समिति को पूरा विवरण देता है जिस में विजिलेंस सम्बन्धी जानकारी भी होती है. लेकिन यहाँ देश के केन्द्रीय सतर्कता आयुक्त पद के लिए चयन हुआ, चयन समिति के अध्यक्ष स्वयं प्रधान मंत्री थे, गृह मंत्री और विपक्ष के नेता समिति के सदस्य थे, पर सरकार के अनुसार यह जानकारी सम्बंधित विभाग द्वारा समिति को नहीं दी गई. मजे की बात यह है कि इस सम्बंधित विभाग के मंत्री प्रधानमंत्री स्वयं हैं. अब यह तो अपने आप में खुद एक स्केम हो गया.

अब बताइए इस देश में भ्रष्टाचार कैसे कम होगा?

सुखी जीवन के लिए कितना धन चाहिए ?

2011-01-22T07:07:00.001+05:30

भोपाल के आईएएस दंपत्ति, अरविन्द और टीनू के पास ३६० करोड़ रुपये की धन-संपत्ति पाई गई है, जिन में ३ करोड़ रुपये १००० रुपये के नोटों में सूटकेसेस में भरे पाए गए. उनके पास २५ फ्लेट्स हैं, ४०० एकड़ खेती-योग्य और दूसरी जमीन है तथा काफी पैसा स्टाक्स में लगाया हुआ है. एक परिवार को रहने के लिए कितने फ्लेट्स चाहियें? कितनी जमीन चाहिए? कितना नकद पैसा चाहिए? अरविन्द और टीनू जैसे अनेक लोग इस देश में हैं जिन के पास अथाह धन-संपत्ति है, यानि उनकी अपनी आवक्श्यकता से बहुत अधिक धन है. क्या खाते हैं यह लोग? क्या पहनते हैं? कितने मकानों में एक साथ रहते हैं? एक प्रश्न मन में आता है कि सुखी जीवन के लिए आखिरकार कितना धन चाहिए?

किसी भी व्यक्ति के पास आवश्यकता से बहुत अधिक धन नहीं होना चाहिए. मनुष्य की मुख्य आवश्यकताएं होती हैं, रोटी, कपड़ा, मकान, शिक्षा, चिकित्सा, मनोरंजन, आवागमन. इनके लिए मनुष्य के पास समुचित धन होना चाहिए. कुछ धन की वचत भविष्य के लिए भी करनी चाहिए. इसके अतिरिक्त जो भी धन होता है वह ऐसे अनावश्यक कार्यों में खर्च होता है जिनसे मनुष्य के शारीरिक और मानसिक स्वास्थ्य पर बुरा असर पड़ता है. अगर नागरिक शारीरिक और मानसिक रूप से अस्वस्थ होंगे तब समाज और देश भी अस्वस्थ होगा. आज यह सब कुछ होता दिखाई दे रहा है.

आवश्यकता से बहुत अधिक धन ईमानदारी से नहीं कमाया जा सकता. उसके लिए कहीं न कहीं, किसी न किसी रूप में बेईमानी करनी ही पड़ती है, भ्रष्टाचार करना ही पड़ता है. बेईमानी और भ्रष्टाचार द्वारा कमाया गया पैसा आता कहाँ से है? यह पैसा आम नागरिकों की जेब से आता है. जो पैसा एक आम नागरिक को अपने और अपने परिवार की जरूरी आवश्यकताओं पर खर्च करना था वह उस से छीन लिया जाता है और बेईमानी और भ्रष्ट रास्तों द्वारा कुछ और नागरिकों की जेब में चला जाता है. न जाने कितने आम नागरिक एक सुखी जीवन ब्यतीत करने से बंचित हो जाते हैं. किसी के पास खाने के लिए पैसा नहीं होता, किसी के पास तन ढंकने के लिए कपड़ा, किसी के पास सर छुपाने के लिए छत, बीमारी के लिए दवा, बच्चों को स्कूल भेजने के लिए फीस, और अन्य साधन नहीं होते. किसी के पास इतना पैसा हो जाता है कि उसे रखने के लिए सूटकेस खरीदने पड़ते हैं.

इंसान और इंसान के बीच की यह असमानता समाज को अस्वस्थ कर देती है. सुखी जीवन से बंचित कर दिए गए कितने ही आम नागरिक हिंसा के रास्ते पर चले जाते हैं, समाज में अपराध बढ़ जाता है. पुलिस, न्यायपालिका और सरकार इन बंचित नागरिकों पर और अन्याय करना शुरू कर देती है. उनकी मजबूरी न समझ कर उनके साथ ऐसा अमानवीय व्यवहार करती है कि उनमें से कुछ नागरिक घोर अपराधी बन जाते हैं. जिन्होनें इन्हें अपराधी बनाया उन्हें पुरूस्कार दिए जाते हैं, उन्हें सम्मानित नागरिक कहा जाता है, वीआईपी और वीवीआईपी जैसे उपाधियों से नवाजा जाता है.

अरविद-टीनू और इन जैसे कितने बेईमान और भ्रष्टाचारी आज समाज के सामने नंगे खड़े हैं पर क्या इन्हें इनके अपराधों का कोई दंड मिल पायेगा? कानून को इस तरह तोडा-मरोड़ा जाएगा कि अंततः यह सब अपराधी सम्मान पूर्वक सुखी जीवन बिताने रहेंगे और इस महान राष्ट्र के असहाय आम नागरिक सम्मान पूर्वक सुखी जीवन बिताने से बंचित किये जाते रहेंगे.

भ्रष्टाचारियों को सुरक्षा, विरोधकर्ताओं पर लाठीचार्ज

2011-01-21T11:48:00.000+05:30

साथ की फोटो पर क्लिक करें और पढ़ें. उत्तर प्रदेश में अगर आप से रिश्वत मांगी जाए तब चुपचाप दे दें, विरोध करने पर आप को पुलिस की लाठियों का सामना करना पड़ेगा. आप को गिरफ्तार कर लिया जाएगा. मजिस्ट्रेट इस बात पर नाराज हो जाएगा की पुलिस ने आप को हथकड़ी क्यों नहीं लगाई. आप पर गैर-जमानती आरोप लगा कर जेल भेज दिया जाएगा.

यह सब अरविन्द केजरीवाल और उनके साथिओं के साथ हुआ. वह एक जाने-माने सूचना अधिकार से सम्बंधित सक्रीय कार्यकर्ता हैं. अभी वह डासना जेल के रास्ते में ही थे की उच्च पुलिस अधिकारियों को इस की जान कारी कहीं से मिल गई और वह रिहा कर दिए गए.

अपने लेख के अंत में अरविन्द कहते हैं, इस का मतलब हुआ की पुलिस कभी भी किसी को भी गिरफ्तार कर सकती है, उस पर कोई भी आईपीसी सेक्शन लगा सकती है, मजिस्ट्रेट आँखें बंद कर के पुलिस की बात मानेगा और आप को जेल भेज देगा, आप अपने बेगुनाह होने की बात करेंगे तो मजिस्ट्रेट कहेगा, पहले आप जेल जाओ, पुलिस बाद में आप के अपराध की जांच कर लेगी. है न कितना डरावना !!!

भ्रष्टाचारियों के खिलाफ कार्यवाही क्यों नहीं?

2011-01-21T11:16:00.000+05:30

एक ईमानदार वन अधिकारी संजीव चतुर्वेदी के साथ पांच वर्ष से हो रहे अत्याचार पर शायद अब लगाम लग जायेगी. यह अधिकारी हरयाणा की सरस्वती वनजीवन अभ्यारण्य का प्रभारी था. इस का दोष यह था कि इसने एक नहर निर्माण में बहु-करोड़ घोटाले का भंडाफोड़ किया था. भ्रष्टाचारियों के खिलाफ कोई कार्यवाही नहीं की गई, पर पांच वर्षों में इस अधिकारी का १२ बार तबादला किया गया, पदोन्नति नहीं की गई, एक झूटी चार्जशीट लगा कर सस्पेंड किया गया. केन्द्रीय अधिकारियों द्वारा जांच की रिपोर्ट में इस अधिकारी को निर्दोष पाया गया, और वन मंत्री किरण चौधरी और अन्य कई अधिकारियों को दोषी पाया गया. लेकिन हरयाणा सरकार इसे दण्डित करने पर अड़ी रही और नौकरी से बर्खास्त करने की धमकियाँ देती रही.

अब केन्द्रीय पर्यावरण मंत्री ने इस अधिकारी पर लगाए गए सारे आरोपों को रद्द कर दिया है. इस बारे में राष्ट्रपति के आदेश के जल्दी आ जाने की सम्भावना है.

अब प्रश्न यह है, क्या दोषी मंत्री और अधिकारियों के खिलाफ कोई कार्यवाही की जायेगी या हरयाणा सरकार, उस के मंत्री और अफसरों को इस अपराध के लिए माफ़ कर दिया जाएगा?

मेरी पिछली पोस्ट पढ़ें:
सरकार भ्रष्टाचारियों के साथ है
सरकार द्वारा भ्रष्टाचार का पोषण

Open letter to leaders on corruption & governance deficit

2011-01-19T12:38:00.003+05:30

A group of 14 prominent and well-regarded citizens has written an " Open Letter To Our Leaders" to express alarm at the "governance deficit" in "government, business and institutions", and underline the "urgent need" to tackle the "malaise of corruption, which is corroding the fabric of our nation."

Some quotes from the letter:

"out of several urgent steps to tackle corruption, the most critical is to make the investigative agencies and law-enforcing bodies independent of the Executive... in order to ensure citizens that corruption will be most severely dealt with".

"In the last few months, the country has witnessed eruption of a number of egregious events, thanks to an active media eagerly tracking malfeasance. There are, at present, several loud and outraged voices, in the public domain, clamouring on these issues, which have deeply hurt the nation,"

"Widespread discretionary decision-making has been routinely subjected to extraneous influences... The judiciary is a source of some reassurance but creation of genuinely independent and constitutionally constituted regulatory bodies, manned by persons who are judicially trained in the concerned field, would be one of the first and important steps to restore public confidence."

"We are alarmed at the widespread governance deficit almost in every sphere of national activity covering government, business and institutions,"

"corruption is possibly the biggest issue corroding the fabric of our nation, the malaise needs to be tackled with a sense of urgency, determination and on a war footing."

"we are concerned with the general deterioration in the overall value system of the nation,

"have abiding belief and commitment in India's potential and prospects as a successful democracy."

"It is widely acknowledged that the benefits of growth are not reaching the poor and marginalized sections adequately due to impediments to economic development. This is because of some critical issues like environmental concerns and differences in perspectives between central and state governments,"

"those at the helm must urgently restore the self-confidence and self-belief of Indians in themselves and in the state."

The group has called for the setting up of "effective and fully empowered Lok Ayuktas" in every state and "early introduction of the Lok Pal Bill at the national level for the purpose of highlighting, pursuing and dealing with corruption issues and corrupt individuals".

The group is also implicitly critical of the opposition for blocking almost the entire Parliament session gone by. It says elected representatives need to "distinguish between dissent and disruption".
(from newpapers)

Govt survives on corruption and corrupt

2011-01-18T14:13:00.000+05:30

The question which SC asked the Govt is a question which every Indian citizen is asking - "How P J Thomas will function as CVC - Whenever he will entertain a complaint and order inquiry, he will face the question - 'you yourself are an accused, how can you look in to another complaint'."The Govt has not answered this question but is harping on its prerogative as an appointing authority.

The Govt says that unanimity in a democratic selection process does not always work. OK, it is accepted, but how the majority view is achieved? The panel has three members, PM, Home Minister and Leader of Opposition. PM and HM belong to the Govt. They will always have the same view. If LoP is having a different view then it will have no effect. In this case it has haapened. PM and HM wanted Thomas so he was appointed as CVC. LoP pointed out towards the fact that Thomas is a tainted person as he was accused of criminal conspiracy in the palmolein oil import scam. What effect it had on the choice of Thomas as CVC? What is the use of having such a panel? Whom the Govt is making fool of? If the panel had equal number of members fron Govt and opposition then it was not possible for a tainted Thomas to become CVC.

Another point, the Govt had asked Thomas to resign. Why did it do so, if what it says in the affidavit is correct - "The PM and the home minister found Thomas as the most suitable candidate to hold the post of CVC".

The cat is out of the bag. Govt attitude in case of every scam is clear. It wants to protect the corruption and the corrupt. Its survival is dependent on the survival of corruption and the corrupt. They are the family.

सरकार द्वारा भ्रष्टाचार का पोषण

2011-01-12T13:15:00.007+05:30

कुछ दिन पहले मैंने एक पोस्ट लिखी थी - सरकार भ्रष्टाचारियों के साथ है. इस में मैंने लिखा था कि किस प्रकार एक ईमानदार और कर्तव्य परायण अधिकारी को हरियाणा सरकार इस लिए परेशान कर रही है क्योंकि उस ने भ्रष्टाचार के खिलाफ आवाज उठाई थी. संजीव चतुर्वेदी के पांच वर्ष में १२ तबादले किये गए, झूठी चार्जशीट दी गई, फिर सस्पेंशन किया गया, कोई पदोन्नति नहीं, प्रदेश सरकार द्वारा डिसमिस करने की धमकी दी गई. भ्रष्टाचारियों में एक की पदोन्नति हो गई, एक को प्लम पोस्टिंग मिली. प्रदेश सरकार भ्रष्टाचार के खिलाफ कार्यवाही करने के बजाय भ्रष्टाचारियों के साथ मिल गई. केंद्र सरकार की जाँच में यह सिद्ध हो गया कि संजीव को फंसाया गया है, चार्जशीट झूठी है, पर कुछ नहीं किया गया. मीडिया में बात उठी तब केन्द्रीय मंत्री जयराम रमेश ने चार्जशीट को रद्द किया, पर अब यह पता चला है कि यह मंत्री भी पलट गया और मामला फिर दोषी प्रदेश सरकार के सवाले कर दिया गया, जो अब संजीव को डिसमिस करने जा रही है.

केंद्र सरकार भ्रष्टाचार पर शून्य सहनशीलता की बात करती है पर भ्रष्टाचार न सिर्फ बढ़ता जा रहा है बल्कि खुद सरकार भी भ्रष्टाचारियों की ही मदद कर रही है. प्रधानमंत्री और सोनिया भाषण देते हैं पर करते कुछ नहीं. संजीव पर अत्याचार बढ़ता जा रहा है. उस बेचारे को नौकरी ही खतरे में पड़ गई है. अब इस में किसी को संदेह नहीं होना चाहिए कि सरकार हकीकत में भ्रष्टाचार का पोषण कर रही है. इस सरकार के रहते भ्रष्टाचार कम होने वाला नहीं है.

क्या इंदिरा गाँधी को भारत रत्न मिलना चाहिए था?

2011-01-03T11:45:00.004+05:30

इंदिरा गांधी को इलाहाबाद हाई कोर्ट ने चुनावी धांधली के लिए दोषी ठहराया था. इस से नाराज हो कर उन्होंने देश में आपातकाल लगा दिया. इस के लिए उन्होंने न तो अपने मंत्रिमंडल से संपर्क किया, न ही अपने कानून मंत्री और गृहमंत्री से संपर्क किया. राष्ट्रपति फखरूद्दीन अली अहमद से मात्र अपनी सिफारिश पर भारतीय लोकतंत्र का न केवल घोर अपमान किया बल्कि लोकतंत्र को ही अनिश्चितकाल तक निलंबन में रखवा दिया. बाद में लोकतंत्र के इस घोर अपमान को सुप्रीम कोर्ट द्वारा सही ठहरवा दिया.

अब सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने भी माना है कि १९७६ में इमरजेंसी पर उसके एक फैसले से देश की बड़ी आबादी के मूलभूत अधिकारों का हनन हुआ था. जस्टिस आफताब आलम और जस्टिस अशोक कुमार गांगुली ने एक फैसले में कहा है कि एडीएम जबलपुर बनाम शिवकांत शुक्ला केस (1976) में इमरजेंसी के दौरान मूलभूत अधिकार तात्कालिक तौर पर खत्म करने का जो फैसला पांच सदस्यों वाली संविधान पीठ ने कायम रखा, वह गलत था. जस्टिस गांगुली ने कहा, इसमें कोई संदेह नहीं कि कोर्ट के बहुमत से लिए गए उस फैसले से देश की बड़ी आबादी के मूलभूत अधिकारों का हनन हुआ था. बहुमत के उस फैसले में जस्टिस खन्ना ने अलग फैसला देते हुए कहा था कि हाई कोर्ट बंदी प्रत्यक्षीकरण पर रिट जारी कर सकता है और यह संविधान का अभिन्न अंग है। संविधान में किसी अथॉरिटी को यह अधिकार नहीं है कि इमरजेंसी के दौरान हाई कोर्ट के इस अधिकार को सस्पेंड कर दे। बाद में जस्टिस खन्ना की उस अलग राय के अनुसार संविधान के 44वें संशोधन के तहत व्यक्तिगत स्वतंत्रता को इमरजेंसी के दौरान सस्पेंशन के दायरे से अलग कर दिया गया।

यह सही है कि बाद में इंदिरा गाँधी फिर प्रधान मंत्री बन गईं, पर उनका भारत राष्ट्र, भारतीय लोकतंत्र और भारतीय नागरिकों के खिलाफ इमरजेंसी के अपमानजनक हथियार का प्रयोग करने का अपराध इतिहास का एक ऐसा हिस्सा है जिसे मिटाया नहीं जा सकता. जब कभी भी इंदिरा गाँधी का नाम लिया जाएगा, उस के साथ इमरजेंसी का नाम भी लिया जाएगा. क्या ऐसे व्यक्ति को भारत का रत्न कहा जाना चाहिए? कभी नहीं. इंदिरा गाँधी को दिया गया भारत रत्न वापस लिया जाना चाहिए.

सरकार भ्रष्टाचारियों के साथ है

2010-12-31T11:48:00.007+05:30

पिछले वर्षों में भ्रष्टाचार के जितने भी मामले सामने आये, जिस तरह उन्हें दबाने की कोशिश की गई, न दबा पाने पर जिस तरह उनकी जांच कराई गई, जिस तरह दोषियों को क्लीन चिट दिलवाई गई, उसके बाद अब किसी के मन में यह संदेह नहीं रहना चाहिए कि सरकार भ्रष्टाचार का उन्मूलन करना चाहती है. सरकार पूरी तरह से भ्रष्टाचारियों के साथ है.

सरकार भ्रष्टाचार पर शून्य सहनशीलता की बात करते थकती नहीं और भ्रष्टाचार बढ़ते हुए थकता नहीं. भ्रष्टाचार का कोई मामला सामने आता है, विपक्ष दोषियों के खिलाफ कार्यवाही की मांग करता है, सरकार विपक्ष पर ही हमला बोल देती है. एक ईमानदार अधिकारी, एक नागरिक, भ्रष्टाचार पर सीटी बजाता है और सरकार उनके ही पीछे पड़ जाती है. कुछ बेचारे तो अपनी जान से ही हाथ धो बैठे. साथ की फोटो पर क्लिक करें और पढ़ें कि संजीव चतुर्वेदी के साथ क्या किया गया - पांच वर्ष में १२ तबादले, झूटी चार्जशीट, सस्पेंशन, कोई पदोन्नति नहीं, प्रदेश सरकार द्वारा डिसमिस करने की धमकी. अब भ्रष्टाचारियों का देखिये - एक की पदोन्नति हो गई, एक को प्लम पोस्टिंग मिली. प्रदेश सरकार भ्रष्टाचारियों के साथ मिल गई. केद्र सरकार कुछ न करके, प्रदेश सरकार को ४५ दिन दे रही है कि भैया कुछ करो.

अधिकारी भ्रष्टाचार करते हैं. मंत्री भ्रष्टाचार करते हैं. प्रधानमंत्री कहता है मैं ईमानदार हूँ. मैं कहता हूँ सरकार भ्रष्टाचारियों के साथ है.

Citizens have lost all faith in CVC

2010-12-12T12:15:00.006+05:30

December 9 was celeberated as International Anti-corruption Day. Tainted CVC P J Thomas launched a portal called 'Vig-Eye' where citizens can upload videos or audio clips exposing corrupt acts in Govt departments. Facility of on-line registration of compalints is already available on CVC website. Citizens can send complaints by other means also.

The need of the citizens is that appropriate action should be taken on complaints lodged by them. My experience with CVC is highly unsatisfactory. I lodged a complaint with CVC against CD ROM Scam in Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), India's National Standards Body, working under Ministry of Consumer Affairs. CVC registered the complaint and forwarded it to CVO in BIS on 27.01.2010 to investigate and send report to CVC in three months. Today it 12.12.2010 (more than 10 months) but CVO BIS has not sent the investigation report to CVC. I have sent number of reminders but CVC does seem to have lost all interest in this scam where BIS has been put to a loss of Rs 5 Crores and a daily recurring loss of Rs. 65,000. All officers involved in the scam have been promoted and are enjoying the best of life.

What is the use of 21st century technology if no action is taken on the complaints lodged by the citizens? CVC and CVOs appointed by CVC are not working to remove corruption but are providing protection to corruption. Citizens have lost all faith in CVC.

Dr APJ Abdul Kalam on corruption

2010-11-26T09:10:00.004+05:30

Dr Kalam's visualisation of India in the year 2020 includes a nation where the govrnance is responsive, transparent and corruption free, where the rural and urban divide has reduced to a thin line and the agriculture, industry and service sector work together in symphony. Today's governance lacks responsiveness and transparency resulting in corruption becoming a big problem being faced by the country. Everybody will agree with Dr Kalam that righteousness is the solution to it.

CVC accused in a criminal case

2010-11-23T05:05:00.005+05:30

A bench headed by Chief Justice SH Kapadia observed today that."without looking into the file, we are concerned that if a person is an accused in a criminal case how will he function as CVC." Bench made this observation after attorney general GE Vahanvati placed records of documents pertaining to Thomas appointment in a sealed cover. The name of Thomas figures in a charge sheet filed in a palmoleine export case.

The Congress Govt makes high claims on zero tolerance on corruption and yet it appoints, ignoring objections of Leader of Opposition, Thomas as CVC. Any person having any direct or indirect taint should not be appointed on constitutional posts. It sends wrong signals. The Govt has compromised the credibility of the institution of CVC. CBI has already lost the confidence of the people. How the people of India will be expected to believe that the Govt is sincere on the issue of corruption when it says something but does something opposite to that.

Source

कौन करेगा भ्रष्टाचार का उन्मूलन?

2010-11-11T14:39:00.002+05:30

भ्रष्टाचार पर 'शून्य सहनशीलता' के सिद्धांत की बात करना एक बात है, पर उस पर अमल करना एक दूसरी ही बात है. कांग्रेस ने चवन और कलमाड़ी से इस्तीफा लेकर यह साबित करने की कोशिश की है कि उस के वचन और कर्म में कोई अंतर नहीं है. लेकिन क्या इस्तीफा देने से भ्रष्टाचार सदाचार हो जाता है? दोनों भ्रष्टाचारी अभी भी कांग्रेस के सदस्य हैं. कलमाड़ी ने जिस पद से इस्तीफा दिया वहां तो उस ने कोई भ्रष्टाचार नहीं किया था. उस ने जहाँ भ्रष्टाचार किया वह अभी भी वहीँ और उसी पद पर सारे अधिकारों के साथ जमा हुआ है. यह कैसी शून्य सहनशीलता है? वचन और कर्म में साफ़ अंतर दिखाई दे रहा है.

ए राजा के बारे में कांग्रेस का कहना है कि उसे वर्खास्त न करना गठबंधन राजनीति का धर्म है. अगर राजा कांग्रेस का सदस्य होता तो अब तक वर्खास्त कर दिया गया होता. सरकार बचाने के लिए अगर भ्रष्टाचार को बर्दाश्त किया जाता है तब यह धर्म हुआ या अधर्म? क्या शून्य सहनशीलता में शर्तें होती हैं?

कांग्रेस ने अपने प्रधानमंत्री के साथ अन्याय किया है. सरकार बचाने के लिए मनमोहन जी की क्लीन छबि को दाग दार कर दिया है. भ्रष्टाचारियों का मुखिया सदाचारी नहीं कहा जा सकता. प्रधानमंत्री बनने से पहले मनमोहनजी के प्रति मेरे मन में जो आदर था वह अब नहीं रहा. अगर राष्ट्र को एक परिवार के रूप में देखा जाय और उस का मुखिया भ्रष्टाचारियों को संरक्षण दे तब उस परिवार को नष्ट होने से कोई नहीं बचा सकता.

आज राष्ट्र और समाज के हर अंग को भ्रष्टाचार ने जकड रखा है. कौन मुक्ति दिलाएगा इस जकड़न से? कौन करेगा भ्रष्टाचार का उन्मूलन? क्या हमें फिर एक अवतार की प्रतीक्षा करनी पड़ेगी?

Govt protects corruption to survive

2010-11-10T12:26:00.008+05:30

Does Govt really want to eradicate corruption? Is Congress honest in saying that it has zero tolerance on corruption? Answer to these questions is a big NO.

Recent appointment of P J Thomas as CVC has once again confirmed that Congress has double standards on corruption. Congress talks of zero tolerance on corruption but in reality it protects corruption. Supreme Court is now examining whether new CVC can be called an outstanding civil servant with an impeccable track record.

Any Govt which compromises for its survival can not be called an honest Govt; and a Govt which is not honest can not be act against corruption. It could only find P J Thomas as new CVC, who as Telecom Sec had questioned the old CVC's attempt to look in to the alleged Rs. 140,000 crore 2 G spectrum scam. It is also alleged that P J Thomas had promoted corrupt officers to top posts in MTNL and BSNL.

How can India fight against corruption with congress in power and Thomas as CVC?

Setting standards of corruption

2010-11-03T11:36:00.004+05:30

Media is full of stories about corruption. If you have some time then read them. These are quite revealing. I have collected some here for you. CLICK & READ.

Will the guilty be punished?

Anything but 'adarsh': Swindle in the name of war widows

AI CMD leases house for 36L, gets govt rap

Maharashtra govt cited Kargil sacrifice to lobby Centre for Adarsh okay

Congress accuses RSS of terror activities, skirts scams

PM refuses comment on Adarsh Housing Society scam

Adarsh scam: Martyr's widow speaks her heart out

Section 4 of RTI Act could have prevented Adarsh scam, say activists

How to root out corruption

2010-11-02T09:04:00.005+05:30

Arvind Kejriwal has wrtitten an article in Times of India, titled "How to root out corruption". He has rightly pointed out that the present anti-corruption laws and systems in our country suffer from internal contradictions. There is a plethora of anti-corruption agencies. In each of these agencies, the government has deliberately left some critical loophole so as to make it ineffective.

He suggests that all these anti-corruption agencies should be merged into one single agency, the Lokpal. Give it jurisdiction over both bureaucrats and politicians. Give it comprehensive powers to investigate and prosecute the guilty without needing any permission.

CLICK TO READ THE ARTICLE

fight against organized corruption

2010-11-02T08:06:00.007+05:30

Will India win fight against organized corruption with this CBI?

Records of corruption set by Maha CMs. Name is Adarsh Society, but actions ........
Netas, babus, generals, admirals, all have shamed the nation.

Story of a corrupt Chief Viglance Officer (CVO)

2010-10-22T10:03:00.004+05:30

Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) appoints CVO in various government offices. Think what will happen if this CVO himself is corrupt. Here is the story of a CVO officer:

"Running a fake institute from within the IIT Kharagpur Campus is not the only way in which Amit Kumar Ghosh of the aerospace department made his name. From 2006 to 2008, Ghosh was chairman of Joint Entrance Examination, Kharagpur, when the maximum number of bunglings took place. Documents with TOI show that he not only gave false statements but on his charge, material related to JEE was destroyed despite clear rules that it be retained for a year.

Ironically, he was chief vigiliance officer of IIT, Kharagpur till recently.
On August 24, 2006, much after students had taken admission in IITs, as individual marks of candidates were released, it was found that students scoring just 154 marks were declared qualified though students with 279 marks were disqualified.
If this was not enough, Ghosh's response to a student who had not qualified despite scoring 231 marks (104 in physics, 75 in maths and 52 in chemistry) was that "he has not satisfied the marks eligibility criteria laid down for individual subjects as well as the aggregate marks in JEE 2006".
It was revealed in May 2007 that cutoffs for maths, physics, chemistry and aggregate were 37, 48, 55 and 154 respectively for general category students in JEE 2006, and the candidate in question scored much higher marks. But the procedure for cutoff calculation revealed by IITs showed that for maths, physics and chemistry, it should have been 7, 4 and 6 respectively instead of official figure of 37, 48 and 55.
Four different cutoff procedures submitted by IITs could not come to the stated official cutoffs. It also came to light that 994 candidates were deprived of admission due to discrepancy in calculation of cutoffs.
Even as pressure was mounting on IIT directors, chairpersons of board of governors and council members about irregularities, Ghosh sought an approval on October 31, 2006 for shredding of JEE specific material, including ORS scripts. The IIT statute clearly states that JEE papers will not be destroyed for a year."

(Source - TOI)

भ्रष्टाचार - हम सिर्फ बातें करें, इसे दूर कोई और करे

2010-10-11T07:31:00.005+05:30

सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने बहुत चिंता जताते हुए कहा कि सरकारी महकमों में बिना पैसा दिए कुछ नहीं होता. मोइली मंत्री ने कहा कि न्यायिक जबाबदेही बिल बस आने वाला है. रिटायर्ड मुख्य विजिलेंस कमिश्नर, सिन्हा ने कहा कि हर तीसरा इंडियन भ्रष्ट है. बाबू और राजनीतिबाज को भ्रष्टाचार से अलग कर के देखना तो क्या सोचना भी संभव नहीं है. किसी मंत्री का भ्रष्टाचार जब ख़बरों का विषय बन जाता है तब प्रधानमंत्री उसे क्लीन चिट दे देते हैं. काला धन खेलों में रिकार्ड भ्रष्टाचार पर 'देश की शान पर बट्टा न आये' का पर्दा डाल दिया केंद्र और दिल्ली सरकार ने.

भ्रष्टाचार है, भ्रष्टाचार है, ऐसा कहने वाले आप को बहुत मिल जायेंगे. एक तरह का फैशन हो गया है यह सब कहना. पर इस भ्रष्टाचार को दूर कौन करेगा? क्या कहने भर से यह भ्रष्टाचार दूर हो जाएगा? प्रधानमंत्री को क्या नजर नहीं आता कि उनके कई मंत्री भ्रष्टाचार में लिप्त हैं पर वह उन पर कार्यवाही करने की जगह उन्हें क्लीन चिट देते हैं. सेन्ट्रल बेंक आफ इंडिया का एक अधिकारी बेंक के चैयरमेन एवं मेनेजिंग डाइरेक्टर पर भ्रष्टाचार का आरोप लगाता है, वित्त मंत्रालय कई आरोप सही हैं इसकी पुष्टि भी करता है, पर केन्द्रीय सतर्कता आयोग उसकी शिकायत बंद कर देता है. बेंक कांग्रेस के एक प्रवक्ता को मुकदमा लड़ने के लिए लाखों रुपया देता है. सब मजे करते हैं, बस अधिकारी को प्रताड़ित किया जाता है.

इक्का-दुक्का भ्रष्टाचार करने वाले धर लिए जाते हैं, उन्हें सजा भी मिल जाती है, पर संगठित भ्रष्टाचार और भ्रष्टाचारियों के खिलाफ कुछ नहीं होता. सारी व्यवस्था ऐसे संगठित भ्रष्टाचारियों को सुरक्षा प्रदान करती है. शिकायत करने वाले (सीटी बजाने वाले) बेचारे अपनी नागरिक जिम्मेदारी निभाने के चक्कर में मारे जाते हैं. कितने ऐसे शिकायत कर्ताओं को मार दिया गया पर किसी अपराधी को सजा नहीं मिली.

सुप्रीम कोर्ट पहले कहता है कि सरकारों महकमों में भ्रष्टाचार है पर आगे कहता है कि बेचारे गरीब सरकारी अफसरों को भी कैसे ब्लेम किया जाय इस बढती महंगाई में? यह कैसी जिम्मेदारी निभाई सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने? छटे वेतन आयोग के बाद पगार दुगनी-तिगनी बढ़ गई है पर सुप्रीम कोर्ट के अनुसार महंगाई बाबुओं को भ्रष्ट बना रही है. सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने भी आखिरकार क्लीन चिट ही दे दी बाबुओं को. एक गाना आया है - सखी सैयां तो खूबही कमात है, महंगाई डायन खाए जात है.

Fight against organized corruption

2010-10-10T10:15:00.005+05:30

This is the story of a whistleblower, Abhijit Ghosh, who has retired as General Manager of Central Bank of India. He blew the whistle on H A Daruwalla, then Chairperson and Managing Director of the bank. In the eyes of the bank, Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), Government, he has committed a crime of exposing the organized corruption in the bank. He was harassed and victimized.

He had filed a comprehensive complaint before CVC against corruption of Daruwalla. CVC closed his complaint. CVC was wrong. It proved to be a part of the organized corruption chain. In August 2010, Ministry of Finance had informed the CVC that some of the allegations against daruwalla stand proved. But Daruwalla gets a clean chit and Ghosh is victimized.

Bank had paid Rs. 69.24 lakhs to lawyers to prove a corrupt Daruwalla clean. Out of this Rs. 48.5 lakhs was paid to Congress spokesman, Abhishek Manu Singhvi. Is this not RISHWAT? This is the charactersitic of organized corruption, involve as many influential people in the corruption so that to help themselves they help the corrupt.

CVC which is supposed to be the watchdog against corruption is a part of the organized corruption chain. When Paratyush Sinha CVC retired, he gave a statement that every third Indian is corrupt. On this a minister commented that some bureaucrats become saint after retirement. CLICK TO READ.

Remember what Peoples’ President wrote to People?

2010-10-09T07:19:00.005+05:30

In India we only read about death, sickness, terrorism, crime.. Why are we so NEGATIVE? Another question: Why are we, as a nation so obsessed with foreign things? We want foreign TVs, we want foreign shirts. We want foreign technology.

Why this obsession with everything imported. Do we not realize that self-respect comes with self-reliance? I was in Hyderabad giving this lecture, when a 14 year old girl asked me for my autograph. I asked her what her goal in life is. She replied: I want to live in a developed India. For her, you and I will have to build this developed India. You must proclaim. India is not an under-developed nation; it is a highly developed nation.

YOU say that our government is inefficient.
YOU say that our laws are too old.
YOU say that the municipality does not pick up the garbage.
YOU say that the phones don't work, the railways are a joke. The airline is the worst in the world, mails never reach their destination.
YOU say that our country has been fed to the dogs and is the absolute pits.

YOU say, say and say. What do YOU do about it?

Take a person on his way to Singapore. Give him a name - 'YOURS'. Give him a face - 'YOURS'. YOU walk out of the airport and you are at your International best. In Singapore you don't throw cigarette butts on the roads or eat in the stores. YOU are as proud of their Underground links as they are. You pay $5 (approx. Rs.. 60) to drive through Orchard Road (equivalent of Mahim Causeway or Pedder Road) between 5 PM and 8 PM. YOU come back to the parking lot to punch your parking ticket if you have over stayed in a restaurant or a shopping mall irrespective of your status identity… In Singapore you don't say anything, DO YOU? YOU wouldn't dare to eat in public during Ramadan, in Dubai. YOU would not dare to go out without your head covered in Jeddah. YOU would not dare to buy an employee of the telephone exchange in London at 10 pounds (Rs. 650) a month to, 'see to it that my STD and ISD calls are billed to someone else. ‘YOU’ would not dare to speed beyond 55 mph (88 km/h) in Washington and then tell the traffic cop, 'Jaanta hai main kaun hoon (Do you know who I am?). I am so and so's son. Take your two bucks and get lost.' YOU wouldn't chuck an empty coconut shell anywhere other than the garbage pail on the beaches in Australia and New Zealand. Why don't YOU spit Paan on the streets of Tokyo? Why don't YOU use examination jockeys or buy fake certificates in Boston??? We are still talking of the same YOU. YOU, who can respect and conform to a foreign system in other countries but cannot in your own. You who will throw papers and cigarettes on the road the moment you touch Indian ground. If you can be an involved and appreciative citizen in an alien country, why cannot you be the same here in India?

In America every dog owner has to clean up after his pet has done the job. Same in Japan. Will the Indian citizen do that here?' He's right. We go to the polls to choose a government and after that forfeit all responsibility. We sit back wanting to be pampered and expect the government to do everything for us whilst our contribution is totally negative. We expect the government to clean up but we are not going to stop chucking garbage all over the place nor are we going to stop to pick a up a stray piece of paper and throw it in the bin. We expect the railways to provide clean bathrooms but we are not going to learn the proper use of bathrooms. We want Indian Airlines and Air India to provide the best of food and toiletries but we are not going to stop pilfering at the least opportunity. This applies even to the staff who is known not to pass on the service to the public.

When it comes to burning social issues like those related to women, dowry, girl child! and others, we make loud drawing room protestations and continue to do the reverse at home. Our excuse? 'It's the whole system which has to change, how will it matter if I alone forego my sons' rights to a dowry.' So who's going to change the system? What does a system consist of? Very conveniently for us it consists of our neighbours, other households, other cities, other communities and the government. But definitely not me and YOU. When it comes to us actually making a positive contribution to the system we lock ourselves along with our families into a safe cocoon and look into the distance at countries far away and wait for a Mr. Clean to come along & work miracles for us with a majestic sweep of his hand or we leave the country and run away. Like lazy cowards hounded by our fears we run to America to bask in their glory and praise their system. When New York becomes insecure we run to England. When England experiences unemployment, we take the next flight out to the Gulf. When the Gulf is war struck, we demand to be rescued and brought home by the Indian government. Everybody is out to abuse and rape the country. Nobody thinks of feeding the system. Our conscience is mortgaged to money.

Dear Indians, The article is highly thought inductive, calls for a great deal of introspection and pricks one's conscience too….. I am echoing J. F. Kennedy's words to his fellow Americans to relate to Indians…..

'ASK WHAT WE CAN DO FOR INDIA AND DO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE TO MAKE INDIA WHAT AMERICA AND OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES ARE TODAY'

Let’s do what India needs from us.

Thank you,

Dr. Abdul Kalam

Jug Suraiya's Ghoos Story

2010-10-01T09:32:00.007+05:30

When Jug Suraiya says that he himself is the source of corruption, he says it for all of us. Each one of us is responsible for corruption. My blog says 'Fight Corruption'. At one time or the other, each one of us say, 'Fight Corruption'. When we say this, we mean the corruption which is happenning around us. After reading the 'Ghoos Story' a thought struck me that what about the corruption within me, what about the corruption for which I am responsible? So, when I say 'Fight Corruption', it should not be to fight 'external corruption' only but it should also include 'internal corruption'.

From now onwards, my fight against corruption will be against both external and internal corruption. This is nothing new. It is a part of our culture, mansa, vaacha, karmana - no corruption in speech and action but also in our thoughts.

Corruption may have become something unavoidable, something we have to learn to live with, but our goal should be zero corruption. Every moment we should aim to achieve zero corruption. We know the present level of corruption, ours and others. Let us call it X and Y. We should work to contunually improve the corruption benchmark from X and Y to Zero. We may not achieve it in our lifetime but whatever improvement we are able to make will be a service to the mankind. This will take us near to God. It will purify us, our thoughts, speech and actions.

संगठित भ्रष्टाचार कीजिए और वाही-वाही लूटिये

2010-09-26T10:21:00.001+05:30

भ्रष्टाचार दो शब्दों से मिल कर बना है भ्रष्ट और आचार, अर्थात एक ऐसा व्यक्ति जिस का आचरण भ्रष्ट है.
आचरण का अर्थ है - काम, व्यवहार, आचार-विचार, कार्यवाही, चाल-चलन, चरित्र, ढंग, वर्ताव, चाल-ढाल.
भ्रष्ट का अर्थ है - चरित्रहीन, लम्पट, कुकर्मी, दुष्ट, पथ भ्रष्ट, अश्लील, कुत्सित, पतित, नीच, नियमों का अनुशरण न करने वाला, खोटा, दुश्चरित्र, रिश्वतखोर, घूस लेने-देने वाला.
भ्रष्टाचार का अर्थ सिर्फ पैसों का आदान-प्रदान या घूस लेना या देना नहीं है. चरित्रहीनता , कुकर्म करना, अश्लीलता, नियमों का अनुशरण न करना, दूसरों का हक़ छीनना, चुगली करना, अपने फायदे के लिए झूट बोलना, दूसरों को नुकसान पह्नुचाने के लिए झूट बोलना, अपने पद और अधिकारों का दुरूपयोग करना, अपने कर्तव्य का सही तरह से पालन न करना, यह सब भ्रष्टाचार के ही रूप हैं.
सामान्य रूप में घूस लेने या देने को ही भ्रष्टाचार की संज्ञा दी जाती है. पद और अधिकारों का दुरूपयोग भी बराबर का भ्रष्टाचार है. अधिकाँश अवसरों पर भ्रष्टाचार यहीं से शुरू होता है पर उसका उद्देश्य घूस लेना ही होता है. जब घूस मिल जाता है तब नियमों का पालन करके या उल्लंघन करके घूस देने वाले को फायदा पहुंचा दिया जाता है. वर्ना वह व्यक्ति इधर से उधर भटकता रहता है, उसे हर तरह से तंग किया जाता है, कहीं उसकी सुनवाई नहीं होती, उसे यह भी समझाया जाता है कि अगर ऊपर जाओगे तो और अधिक घूस देना पड़ेगा. यह एक सच्चाई भी है, जितना बड़ा अफसर या नेता होता है, वह उतना ही ज्यादा घूस लेता है. आखिरकार पद और अधिकारों का भी तो कोई मूल्य है. चपरासी पांच रूपए घूस लेता है, क्लर्क पचास रूपए लेता है, मेनेजर पांच सौ लेता है.
बैसे आज कल संगठित भ्रष्टाचार पर ज्यादा जोर दिया जा रहा है. इसमें पकड़े जाने का खतरा कम होता है. पूरी संगठित भ्रष्टाचार की चैन में कोई न कोई प्रभावशाली व्यक्ति होता ही है जिस के प्रभाव से चैन के सब सदस्य सुरक्षित रहते हैं. अक्सर इस चैन में जांच एजेंसियां और अदालतें भी शामिल होती हैं. अंत में सारे भ्रष्टाचारी बच जाते हैं और शिकायतकर्ता के खिलाफ कार्यवाही हो जाती है, या किसी को स्केपगोट बना कर दण्डित कर दिया जाता है और बड़ी गोटों को बचा लिया जाता है.
कामनवेल्थ खेलों में हुआ भ्रष्टाचार संगठित भ्रष्टाचार का एक ज्वलंत उदाहरण है. भ्रष्टाचार हुआ है यह सब जानते हैं, सरकार भी जानती है, अब तो सारा विश्व जान गया है. पर क्या हो रहा है? देश की प्रतिष्टा का नारा लगा कर सब को चुप करा दिया गया है. "खेलों के बाद कार्यवाही करेंगे", यह खोखला वादा किया गया है. सब जानते हैं कि खेल हो जाने के बाद कुछ नहीं होने वाला. बड़े-बड़े लोग इस में शामिल हैं. सांप को निकल जाने दिया जा रहा है, बाद में बस लकीर पीटी जाएगी.
संगठित भ्रष्टाचार में यह बहुत बड़ा फायदा है. भ्रष्टाचार की एक लम्बी चैन बनाइये, उसमें कुछ प्रभावशाली व्यक्तियों को शामिल कर लीजिये, फिर जम कर भ्रष्टाचार कीजिए, कोई आपका कुछ नहीं बिगड़ सकता, ऊपर वाले आपको हर संकट से बचा लेंगे.
जय हो संगठित भ्रष्टाचार की, जय हो संगठित भ्रष्टाचारियों की.

Corrupt will never act against corruption

2010-09-25T09:17:00.005+05:30

Can corrupt be expected to act against corruption? Certainly not the police. It is so corrupt that it can never act against corruption. There is a saying - chor-chor mausere bhai, meaning all thieves are cousins. Some journalists carried out a sting operation to expose corruption of MPs. The corrupt MPs were expelled from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Police registered a case against the journalists. Court says that it is the fundamental duty of every citizen to highlight corruption wherever he/she finds it. Police says that it is a serious crime to highlight the corruption of those in power.

Court says that police seem to have acted again as "his masters voice" of persons in power when it registered FIR only against the middlemen and journalists and one or two other persons sparing large number of MPs whose names figured in the tapes.

It is not surprising that a large number of citizens are afraid of highlighting corruption.

Corruption manifests itself in such forms

2010-09-24T09:16:00.009+05:30

Indian Government has gone in to denial mode. Being encouraged by this, Organizing Committee of CW Games has also gone in to denial mode. They are not ready to admit that there are problems, problems of large-scale organized corruption, incompetence, mismanagement, inefficioency and what not.

Govt may deny it but corruption has manifested itself in to filthy flats in Games Village, collapse of footbridge at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, false ceiling, chaos on roads, etc. Indian media was asked not to report all this, as Govt said that this negative publicity will lower the prestige og India. But now the world is seeing through the eyes of BBC and their own delegated who have arrived in games village. Click on the images to see the condition of games flates and what NZ Chief of Mission has to say about it.

On Facebook, a person has written - भ्रष्टाचार फूट-फूट कर बाहर आ रहा है. How right he is!

Yesterday I went to Connaught Place and was shocked to see its condition. What have they done to it? Condition of CP was much better before they started to beautify it. But it had to be done. The money will come in their pockets when some work is undertaken. Now nobody is bothered. It has been left like this. बस लीपा-पोती हो रही है.

Role of CVO in fighting corruption

2010-09-23T08:52:00.002+05:30

In the entire chain of registering, investigating and decision making in corruption complaints, Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) is the most important link after Disciplinary Authority, but it is also the weakest link. Officers in various government organizations exploit the tool of ‘deputation’ to avoid out-of-station transfers and secure appointments in those organizations where CVC-sponsored CVOs are appointed.

It is very difficult to believe that a person who has manipulated his own appointment as CVO will be an honest investigator in corruption cases. Manipulation in India does not come free. It needs both money and contacts at the right places. A CVO once commented that this is a life-time chance in his service life, and he will be a fool if he does not take advantage of it. He said that he has to recover the money he has spent on securing this appointment. I told him that I am totally against these outsider CVOs as they will be putting their own interest over the interest of the organization. Seeing the performance of successive CVOs in India's National Standards Body, Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), I have been proved right.

It is required to provide solutions to the problems, but problems should not be created in the name of providing solutions. Successive CVOs in BIS have created vigilance problems to prove that they are needed and then to assert their authority. If today, BIS is mired in neck-deep corruption then it is because of these outsider CVOs. I remember writing in one issue of Contact (BIS Officers Association Journal) that a Police Station has been opened in BIS.

The case of Ms Harjot Kaur, IAS CVO in BIS is fresh in mind. She openly threatened (in presence of DG) members of BIS Employees Union. She organized illegal raids on some Mumbai licensees to teach lesson to a WRO officer. Complaints were lodged against her. What action has been taken on these complaints has not been informed to the complainants (BISEU and me). She suddenly went on long leave and had not returned till date.

In my comments sent to CVC on draft NACS, I have emphasized on this point. I have commented that CVC should put its own house in order and make CVOs accountable, so that they do not become a link in organized corruption chain in the organization. They should effectively and efficiently fight against corruption as third party and should not themselves become part of the corruption.

In case of Vinod Dhamija, another CVO in BIS, he was even made head of some departments of BIS. He created his own interest group in BIS and took all advantages. CVOs in BIS have manipulated number of cadre officers to be appointed in vigilance department in HQ and also in some RO/BO. It has depleted the strength of cadre and made these officers ineligible for promotions under FCS. Then CVO and DG violated provisions of FCS to get them promoted. My complaints are there but no action has been taken so far on these violations. All this puts a serious doubt on the honesty and integrity of DA, CVO and the officers who have worked in, or working in vigilance activity or have been illegally promoted.

To achieve the target of zero percent corruption in BIS, the pre-requisite is that BIS has honest, impartial and committed CVO and other officers in vigilance department. The purpose should not be to punish people but to achieve zero corruption in BIS. The initiative should come from the top. Regular and effective monitoring and review is needed in all work areas of the organization. Feedback from any source should be welcome and action be initiated. Who gives the feedback is not important, but to act on it is important.

Let CVOs prove their credentials.

Role of Citizens in fighting Corruption

2010-09-22T08:12:00.002+05:30

Draft National Anti-corruption Strategy (NACS) is based on citizens’ active participation. It states that success in the battle against corruption hinges upon citizen participation in ushering in transparency and accountability. Citizens have a tremendous potential to participate directly and contribute at bringing about change using tools, such as:

a) moral appeals,
b) exposure and embarrassment,
c) appeals to pride,
d) standing up and playing a key role in exposing wrong doing and non compliances.

All citizens of India should consider themselves under obligation to immediately report all corrupt practices being perpetrated, to actively take part in preventative measures against corruption, and raising awareness on corruption. To discharge this obligation they can use websites, blogs and by use RTI Act to get information about corruption and pass on to concerned authorities.

I know that, in amny organizations, above four tools are not proved very effective. Organized corruption in these organizations has become so deep rooted that people involved in corruption are not much bothered by moral appeals, exposure, embarassment and appeals to pride. Exposing wrong doing and non compliances also do not made much effect as corruption is being shielded by top management and investigating-prosecuting agencies.

It is a continued war against organized corruption. The day a small dent is made in the shield, the entire organized corruption apparatus will come down tumbling. In some organizations, small cracks have been made which, with time, will become more and more visible, and then the war will be won. Let us keep fighting corruption. That day will sure come.

Fighting corruption using RTI

2010-09-21T11:40:00.002+05:30

Comments on National Anti-Corruption Strategy

2010-09-20T17:15:00.003+05:30

I have submitted following comments on Draft National Anti-Corruption Strategy:

"NACS has distinguished corruption between petty and grand corruption. I believe that we should not use such terms for corruption. Corruption is corruption. Moreover using the term ‘grand’ for corruption gives respectability to corruption and glorifies corruption. I am sure that is not the intention of NACS.

It will be better to define corruption based on the methodology, as ‘unorganized corruption’ and ‘organized corruption’. Unorganized corruption will include petty corruption. Political and administrative corruption will come under organized corruption. Whereas people involved in unorganized corruption are exposed, caught and punished, the people involved in organized corruption may be exposed, may also be caught but hardly punished. The corruption loop in unorganized corruption is very short mostly revolving around the accused person, but in organized corruption the corruption loop is very large and includes the top and even the investigating and prosecuting persons or agencies.

Presently, the will is lacking to attack organized corruption. Under public and media pressure, organized corruption is sometimes investigated but every attempt is made to dilute it or give the accused persons a clean chit. I have taken up the ‘issue of attacking organized corruption’ with successive CVCs but did not get any response.

To quote from draft NACS – “Acceptance of bribe by the top management makes the subordinates follow the leader”. This in reality is happening in majority of organizations. Top management in such organizations provides total protection to corrupt subordinates, and CVOs posted in that organization also form a link in organized corruption chain (OCC).

The two main causes of administrative corruption as identified by draft NACS are: (a) inability of the civil servants to resist extraneous influences; and (b) active collusion. The active collusion of top with CVO also ensures the protection of CVC, which intentionally or un-intentionally becomes a link in OCC.

A citizen (includes a whistleblower) sends complaints about corruption to CVO but the complaints are not acknowledged and registered if these are against a person or persons belonging to OCC. Frustrated citizen complains to CVC. CVC after a long time sends a stock reply – “Your complaint has been duly examined in the commission and having regard to the nature of issues raised therein, the same has been forwarded to (Name) CVO of (Name) the organization for necessary action. As such, while no further report is required to be sent to the commission, the authorities concerned are required to look into and take such action as deemed fit.”

CVC sends back the complaint to the same CVO who had not taken any action earlier. Why would he take action now when he is not even asked to inform CVC about the action he has taken on the complaint? The result – nothing happens to the accused person(s) being the part of OCC, but the person who had made the complaint is made to suffer.

This is essential that CVC should put its own house in order and make its CVOs accountable. CVO is the most important link in fighting corruption, but it is also the weakest link. Most of the CVOs come on deputation to avoid out-of-station transfer. This they manage through any means. They willingly join the OCC and become an important link in shielding person(s) belonging to OCC.

My comments are based on my personal experience over a long period of time. NACS should incorporate a strategy for fighting Organized Corruption at an appropriate place."

National Anti-Corruption Strategy

2010-09-20T17:13:00.001+05:30

Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has posted a draft document on its website inviting comments on National Anti-Corruption Strategy. Last date of submitting comments is 20 September 2010. CLICK to read the draft and summary.

As per Preface – “The National Anti-Corruption Strategy represents a blue print for commitment and action by the various stakeholders to the governance process. It aims at systematic and conscious reshaping of the country’s national integrity system. The strategy recommends a set of action to be taken by the government and a set of action by the political entities, judiciary, media, citizens, private sector and civil society organizations. To ensure that the strategy does not remain a mere document, it is envisaged to ensure its effective implementation by developing suitable parameters for evaluating and monitoring the progress of its implementation. The CVC would review the progress on an annual basis and submit a report to the Parliament.”

Chapter VIII deals with the role of citizens in anti-corruption. Success in the battle against corruption hinges upon citizen participation in ushering in transparency and accountability. Citizens have a tremendous potential to participate directly and contribute at bringing about change using tools such as moral appeals, exposure and embarrassment, appeals to pride, standing and responsibility besides standing up and playing a key role in exposing wrong doing and non compliances.

As a citizen (grahak of services) and as a stakeholder to the governance process, I agree with this strategy. I am studying the document and will submit my comments. I will also post my comments on this blog.

My request is to all citizens to read and comment on this document, as the strategy and its effective and efficient implementation will ultimately help them.

सीवीसी, भ्रष्टाचार और नागरिक

2010-09-20T17:10:00.001+05:30

फोटो पर क्लिक करें और यह खबर पढ़ें. सरकार के एक मंत्री का कहना है कि जो सरकारी बाबू अपने कार्यकाल में प्रभावशाली भूमिका निभा सकते थे पर निभा नहीं निभा पाए वह सेवा-निवृत्त होने के बाद संत हो जाते हैं. मंत्रीजी ने नाम तो नहीं लिया पर लगता है कि उनका ईशारा अभी-अभी सेवा-निवृत्त हुए केन्द्रीय सतर्कता आयुक्त श्री प्रत्यूष सिन्हा की तरफ है. इन सरकारी बाबू ने सेवा-निवृत्त होने के बाद शायद यह कहा कि एक तिहाई भारतीय जबदस्त भ्रष्टाचारी हैं, और आधे भारतीय भ्रष्टाचार की लक्ष्मण रेखा पार कर चुके या करने वाले हैं.

बात तो मंत्रीजी ने सही कही है. ऐसा अक्सर सेवा-निवृत्त बाबुओं के साथ होता है. पर सिन्हा साहब ने जो कहा है उस में भी कुछ सच्चाई है. भ्रष्टाचार का दायरा लगातार बढ़ता जा रहा है और लगातार नए लोग इस में शामिल होते जा रहे हैं. भ्रष्टाचार के खिलाफ सरकार की इच्छा शक्ति बहुत कमजोर है. संगठित तौर पर जो भ्रष्टाचार होता है उस के खिलाफ मुहिम छेड़ने के बजाय सरकार उस में शामिल लोगों के साथ खड़ी नजर आती है. साझा धन खेलों का उदाहरण सब के सामने है. इन खेलो में भ्रष्टाचार से जितना काला धन पैदा हुआ है उस से इन खेलों को अगर काला धन खेल कहा जाय तो गलत नहीं होगा.

सिन्हा साहब के बारे में मेरा अनुभव संतोषदायक नहीं है. भारतीय मानक ब्यूरो में हुए भ्रष्टाचार पर मेरी शिकायतों पर उनका व्यवहार बहुत दुखद रहा. जिन ब्यूरो अधिकारियों और ब्यूरो के केन्द्रीय सतर्कता अधिकारी (सीवीओ) के खिलाफ शिकायतें की गईं, सिन्हा साहब ने उन शिकायतों को वापस उन्हें ही भेज दिया और यह भी लिख दिया कि वह जो ठीक समझें कार्यवाही करें और केन्द्रीय सतर्कता आयोग को कोई रिपोर्ट भेजने की जरूरत नहीं है. परिणाम स्वरुप सारी शिकायतें दबा दी गईं. मुझे चुप कराने के लिए भी यह कहा गया कि जब तक सिन्हा साहब सीवीसी हैं कोई उनका कुछ नहीं बिगाड़ सकता. एक शिकायत सीवीसी में रजिस्टर भी हो गई, पर उस को भी सीवीओ को ही भेज दिया गया, हाँ यह जरूर कहा गया कि तीन महीने में अपनी रिपोर्ट आयोग को भेजें. आज आठ महीने हो रहे हैं, सीवीसी की वेबसाईट पर यही लिखा आ रहा है कि सीवीओ ने अभी तक रिपोर्ट नहीं भेजी है. यह है सिन्हा साहब के काम का एक छोटा हिस्सा जो उन्होंने सीवीसी के रूप में किया. अब वह सेवा-निवृत्त हो गए हैं और आधे भारतीय नागरिकों पर भ्रष्टाचार का आरोप लगा रहे हैं. मंत्रीजी के अनुसार वह अब संत हो गए हैं.

दिल्ली वालों के दिल का दर्द

2010-09-01T09:28:00.007+05:30

आखिरकार दिल्ली वालों के दिल का दर्द जुबान पर आ ही गया. जनता के २८,००० करोड़ रूपए फूंक दिए, लूट लिए, पर शर्म नहीं आई. इस पैसे से कितने ग़रीबों की जिंदगी सुधर सकती थी. पर इन भ्रष्ट लोगों को तो अपनी सुधरी जिंदगी और ज्यादा सुधारनी थी. मजदूरों से जानवरों की तरह काम कराया और खुद ऐयाशी की और कर रहे हैं और करेंगे.

PM visits Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium

2010-08-30T08:17:00.005+05:30

A news item says that PM was shown various facilities at the complex during his 25 minutes visit to Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. The visit was announced well in advance. He was there only for 25 minutes. He only saw what was shown to him. He said finish work fast.

What all this tells you? The work has not been finished yet and only 34 days are left for the CW Games. This unfinished work was in those areas which were shown to PM. What about those areas which were not shown to him?

Games OC gets the intimation of PM visit in advance. They prepare some areas which can be shown to him. Yet he asked them to finish the work. PM has completed a formality and OC gets his stamp of approval as he did not directly say that work is yet to be finished, and mind it that he was shown some areas.

I wonder what purpose this visit served except being a PR exercise both for the Government and the Games OC. In view of adverse reports in the media PM should have carried out a surprise check and that would have given him the real picture.

Anyway, country lost lot of money in organizing this fruitless visit.

The 2010 loot-festival

2010-08-29T07:53:00.005+05:30

I join Chetan Bhagat in requesting Indian citizens not to cheer the 2010 loot-fest being organized by the Indian Government in the guise of Commonwaelth Games. For long I have been raising objections to these games on my blogs, Facebook, Twitter and other platforms. Today I feel elated that Chetan Bhagat, a celebrity writer, also thinks that it is a day-light robbery being carried out with the blessings of the Government.

CLICK here to read the article of Chetan Bhagat.

Commonwealth Club is a symbol of slavery. India should have rejected it long back. I feel hurt when the Government of my country takes pride in hosting these games. The games organizing committee and the Government has put our great nation to shame by first organizing these games and then showing to the world that how corrupt they are.

My dear fellow citizens, please do not cheer these games as by doing so you will be cheering a symbol of slavery and corruption.

Shame on parks - DDA District Park Paschim Puri

2010-06-17T19:56:00.004+05:30

Delhi CM proudly claims that Delhi is a world class city, but Delhi Development Authority (DDA) is not on her side in this claim. Delhi CM should go and visit DDA District Park in Paschim Puri in West Delhi. For her benefit she can get some idea here itself on this blog - CLICK TO SEE.

Mr. Michael Fennell President CWG Federation - Where are you?

2010-05-05T13:44:00.005+05:30

I wrote a post on exploitation of workers at Commonwealth Games construction sites. CLICK TO READ.

Same day I sent an e-mail to President and Secretary-General of Commonwaelth Games Federation. It was March 19, 2010, but both these gentlemen have failed to reply to mu mail. I have sent two reminders but no action. My mail has been read in their office as indicated by the return message received by me.

Exploitation of workers is a shmeful matter but these gentlemen do not seem to be concerned about it. Is this Commonwealth Games are about? Enjoy seven star luxary in India and do not bother about those human beings who will make the games successful. I will keep on sending reminders to my communication to these gentlemen.

Today a news item has appeared in newspaper that judges are apprising games workers of legal rights. But are the organisers of games bothered? Has any case been registered against the organisers and contractors for violating laws relating to workers? Why these people are not being booked for violation of law?

Is Narela not in Delhi ???

2010-04-05T19:27:00.007+05:30

Delhi these days is in Shiela's beauty parlour. दुल्हन की तरह सजाया जा रहा है उसे. But one thing I do not understand - many parts of Delhi are being neglected. How a dulhan will look if few parts of body are not made up. Narela is a case in point. See these photos and decide yourself.

Narela gives crores of revenue every month to Delhi and Central Government. What it gets in return? The roads are a shame. A client had an audit. The roads were in such pathetic condition that the auditor could not reach the factory in his car, and had to walk to the factory under the escort of client's security guard.

While searching on internet, I came across an article written way back in Jun 1998 written by Ravi Kapoor -Shoddy execution overshadows excellent planning in Narela industrial estate. CLICK TO READ THE ARTICLE. The situation has worsened now.

Why should I pay for Commonwealth Anti-People Games?

2010-03-23T08:08:00.006+05:30

Delhi Govt has picked my pocket yesterday while presenting the budget. It will collect another Rs. 1.134 crore by picking pockets of Delhi citizens. I do not know about other citizens but I strongly protest this. Why should I pay for commonwealth games?

Addressing the media persons, CWG Federation President Fennell has said: “These are our games, the Commonwealth Games is not for India. India is hosting the Games for us. These are our games and we have to make them good.” I consider it insulting to India. What does he mean by this, that these are not India's games, that India is only hosting the games? In fact I agree with him and that is why I do not want to pay for these games. The government has no right to force me to pay for these games. India is a free Nation and me, a senior citizen of India is a free Indian.

A High Court Panel has censured the organizors of these games for exploiting workers at games construction sites. The panel has recommended exemplary punishment to the orgaizers and builders. Few days back Fennel had praised these organizers and builders. After this shocking exploitation came in the open, Fennel has not given any statement. I have sent him an e-mail and he has not replied to that. This is shameful. Are Indian workers not human beings? Do they not deserve to be treated and paid as per Indian laws?

TOI has termed this anti-people budget as taking off the shirt of the people and that is day light robbery. Yes, that is also right. The government has robbed the people in the name of these games. It will not be wrong to term these games as "Anti-People Games".

Exploitation of workers at Commonwealth Games sites

2010-03-19T14:01:00.004+05:30

A Delhi High Court appointed four-member committee has reported that workers at Commonwealth Game related construction sites were not being paid minimum wages and were being made to work overtime for no extra money. The committee has recommended "exemplary fine" to be levied on errant authorities. It also said that steps should be taken to start timebound registration of workers and extending to them benefits like weekly offs and hygienic living conditions.

READ THE NEWS

To add salt to the injury, President of Commonwealth Federation has made a statement sometime back - "Venues of course, some are under construction and some of them have been completed and we are very pleased with the outcome of the hockey venue because when we were here in December last it was still very far from completion and to witness such a fact that they are able to play the World Cup. … Certainly excellent facilities. I think it is a testimony to what can be achieved by India when they have to achieve a certain objective and I must congratulate the builders, organizers and all the people responsible for presenting such a fine hockey venue.”

These CGF officials visit INdia and shower praises on the organizers and builders, who give them seven star welcome. No body is bothered about the workers who will make these games a reality. The organizers, builders and CGF officials should hang their heads in shame.

The workers and the people of India need an apology from all of them. Workers should also be compensated for the inhuman treatment given to them, along with all the payments and facilities which they are entitled to, and which have been denied to them.

भाजपा की बैठक में क्या हुआ, क्या होना चाहिए था?

2010-02-22T13:42:00.003+05:30

भाजपा अध्यक्ष नितिन गडकरी ने वरिष्ट नेताओं को कहा कि वह एक दूसरे को नीचा दिखाने की बजाये मिल कर काम करें. वरिष्ट नेताओं को अपने अध्यक्ष की इस सीख को मानना चाहिए. ऐसा कर के वह आयु और सोच दोनों से वरिष्ट हैं ऐसा साबित कर सकेंगे.
उन्होंने कहा कि राष्ट्रीय स्वयंसेवक संघ हमारा मार्ग दर्शन करता रहेगा. मुझे यह अच्छा लगा. सच बात को कहने में झिझक कैसी?
नेता टेंट्स में रहे, यह एक सही कदम था. आगे जीवन में भी वह सादगी अपनाएँ यह जरूरी है.
यह कहा गया कि भाजपा को केंद्र में सत्ता हासिल करने के लिए अपने बफादार वोटरों से आगे जा कर सब वोटरों से संपर्क करना चाहिए. सबसे मिलना चाहिए यह सही बात है, पर उद्देश्य सत्ता हासिल करना नहीं, सेवा करना होना चाहिए. सेवा करके जनता का विश्वास जीतेंगे तब जनता स्वयं देश की कमान भाजपा के हाथ में सौंप देगी.
भाजपा राम राज्य की बात करती है. मेरे विचार में उसे भरत राज्य की बात करनी चाहिए. भरत ने राम का प्रतिनिधि बन कर अयोध्या का कार्य भार संभाला, एक ट्रस्टी की तरह. भाजपा को जनता का प्रतिनिधि बन कर देश का कार्य भार संभालने की बात करनी चाहिए, एक ट्रस्टी की तरह, शासक बन कर नहीं.
मंदिर बनना चाहिए. मंदिर निर्माण को एक राजनीतिक मुद्दा न बना कर एक धार्मिक और सामजिक मुद्दा बना कर पेश करना चहिये. इसके लिए सबका विश्वास जीतना होगा.
दूसरे राजनीतिक दलों से राष्ट्र निर्माण के मुद्दे पर स्पर्धा होनी चाहिए, सस्ते बादों और तोड़ फोड़ पर नहीं.
सुषमा स्वराज ने कहा कि मध्य प्रदेश के मुख्य मंत्री ने गुजरात के मुख्य मंत्री द्वारा प्रदान की गई एक अच्छी शासन प्रणाली के बजाय एक संवेदनशील शासन प्रणाली प्रदान की. मेरी समझ में यह बात नहीं आई. क्या एक अच्छी शासन प्रणाली संवेदना रहित होती है? क्या एक संवेदनशील शासन प्रणाली अच्छी नहीं होती? मुझे तो दोनों में कोई अंतर नजर नहीं आता. सुषमा जी इन दोनों नेताओं में इस प्रकार अंतर दिखा कर क्या हासिल करना चाहती हैं? अगर भाजपा में इस प्रकार की गुट बंदी चलती रही तब भाजपा इस देश का भला नहीं करपायेगी.

Have you ever written a letter to President or Prime Minister?

2010-02-22T11:27:00.003+05:30

There will not be many Indian citizens who have ever written a letter to the President and/or Prime Minister. There is a general feeling amongst the citizens that no useful purpose will be served by writing letters to them as citizens' letters never reach them. Even if letters reach them, they have no time to reply. This is a very sad commentry about the functioning of constitutional authorities in India. What does it really mean? In my opinion it means that citizens have no faith in them.

I am one of those Indian citizens who have written few letters to them. As a senior citizen of India I expected that they will reply, but not even an acknowledgement was sent by their office. Both President Secretriat and PM Office have a large number people working in these offices and can acknolwledge letters received by them. But these seems to a culture of acknoledging letters from common citizens of India. As per news item, President will focus on aam aadmi in her address to parliament today. Will she touch on it that letters received from common citizens of India should be acknowledged?

When a citizen will write a letter to the Prime Minister or President? Only when all avenues have failed to provide justice. I friend told me that once he received a letter from PMO that his letter to PM had been forwarded to the same department for taking appropriate action. That is all, these constitutional authorities do.

The top has failed in this country.

अच्छा ही देखो, अच्छा ही सुनो, अच्छा ही बोलो

2010-01-24T13:36:00.002+05:30

इंसान में अच्छाई और बुराई दोनों होती हैं. प्रेम भी होता है, नफरत भी होती है. अच्छे लोग इंसान की अच्छाई और प्रेम की भावना को उभारते हैं. बुरे लोग इंसान की बुराई और नफरत की भावना को उभारते हैं. ऐसा करने में दोनों का अपना स्वार्थ होता है. अच्छे लोग चाहते हैं संसार में अच्छाई और प्रेम का साम्राज्य स्थापित हो. बुरे लोग चाहते हैं संसार में बुराई और नफरत का एक छत्र साम्राज्य स्थापित हो.

गांधीजी ने कहा, बुरा मत देखो, बुरा मत सुनो, बुरा मत कहो. बहुत सही बात कही बापू ने. पर इस के लिए उन्होंने बंदरों की आँखों, कान और मुंह पर हाथ रखवा दिया. इससे क्या होगा? क्या आँख बंद कर लेने से संसार में बुरा होना बंद हो जाएगा. क्या कान बंद कर लेने से लोग बुरा कहना बंद कर देंगे. हाँ यह जरूर है कि बुरा कहने और न कहने पर आपका अधिकार है. लेकिन इस के लिए अगर आप मुंह बंद कर लेंगे तब तो आप अच्छा भी नहीं कह पायेंगे. मेरे विचार में यह एक नकारात्मक सोच है,पलायनवाद है.

मैं कहना चाहूंगा - अच्छा ही देखो, अच्छा ही सुनो, अच्छा ही बोलो. संसार में अच्छा बुरा सब हो रहा है, हम जो हो रहा है उस में अच्छा ही देखें, जो बुरा हो रहा है उसकी और ध्यान न दें, उस से प्रभावित न हों. इसी प्रकार संसार में लोग अच्छा बुरा दोनों कहते हैं, हम केवल अच्छा ही सुनें, बुरा अनसुना कर दें, उस से प्रभावित न हों. जब बोलें तब अच्छा ही बोलें. कभी कटु शब्दों का उच्चारण न करें. सत्य भाषण करें. असत्य कहने से बचें. इस प्रकार स्वयं में अच्छाई बढ़ाते जाएँ और बुराई कम करते जाएँ. दूसरों में अच्छाई ही देखें, उनकी बुराई को अनदेखा करें.

संसार में अच्छाई और प्रेम का साम्राज्य स्थापित करने में हम से जो भी सहयोग हो करें. यही संसार में सब से बड़ी सेवा है. यही ईश्वर की सब से बड़ी पूजा है.

आप डरपोक नागरिक क्यों बनें?

2010-01-17T09:52:00.005+05:30

सब को अपनी सुरक्षा का अधिकार है. अगर पुलिस और सरकार उनकी सुरक्षा नहीं कर सकती तब उन्हें पूरा अधिकार है कि वह अपनी रक्षा खुद करें चाहे इसमें आकामक व्यक्ति की जान ही क्यों न चली जाए. सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने इस बारे में १० सूत्री दिशा निर्देश दिए हैं. कोर्ट के अनुसार खतरे से डर कर भागना कायरता है. कायर न बनें.

तीन सवाल ???

2010-01-15T21:46:00.001+05:30

पडोसी देश ने,
हड़प ली जमीन हमारी,
इंच-इंच करके,
पर सरकार सोती रही,
कुछ न कर पाई,
न ही कुछ करना चाहा,
क्या देश सुरक्षित है,
ऐसी सरकार के हाथों में?

एक लेखक की किताब,
खूब बिकी, खूब बिकी,
परम्परा के अनुसार,
उन्होंने एक लेख में लिखा,
कश्मीर दे दो पाकिस्तान को,
किसी ने कुछ नहीं कहा,
न कोई फतवा,
न ही कोई भर्त्सना,
क्या देश सुरक्षित है,
ऐसे लेख्कों के हाथों में?

मैं दिल्ली में रहता हूँ,
बड़ा अजीब लगता है,
प्रधानमन्त्री, मुख्यमंत्री,
अक्सर बयान देते हैं,
दिल्ली को बनायेंगे,
सबसे खूबसूरत शहर,
मेरी कालोनी के पार्क में,
घुमते हैं कुत्ते और सुवर,
क्या मेरा शहर सुरक्षित है,
ऐसे नेताओं के हाथों में?

इतिहास को शर्मिंदा करते यह राजनीतिबाज

2010-01-11T14:03:00.004+05:30

यह व्यक्ति भारत का प्रधानमन्त्री रह चुका है. इस पद की गरिमा का जो अनादर इस ने किया है उस से इतिहास शर्मिंदा हुआ है. जनता इन्हें अपना प्रतिनिधि चुनती है और यह लोग जनता को हर तरह से शर्मिंदा करते हैं. सदन में राजनीतिबाजों का व्यवहार, गाली-गलौज, मार-पीट अब तक कुछ राजनीतिबाजों तक सीमित थी, पर अब तो प्रधानमन्त्री रह चुके राजनीतिबाज भी इसमें करतब दिखाने लगे हैं. सत्ता का लालच किसी व्यक्ति को इतना नीचे गिरा सकता है यह सोच कर ही घबराहट होती है.

आप लोग समझते नहीं हैं,

बहुत मुश्किल होता है हाशिये पर बैठना,
केंद्र में पी एम् की कुर्सी पर बैठने के बाद,
दिमाग खराब हो जाता है,
सही गलत की समझ नहीं रहती,
जिसे दर्द होता है वही जानता है,
आप लोग समझते तो हैं नहीं.

नेताओं के स्मारकों पर लगेंगे हर समय मेले !!!

2009-09-15T10:15:00.001+05:30

ऐसा पहली बार नहीं हुआ जब देश के वीर जवानों ने, और शहीदों के परिवारों ने मैडल राष्ट्रपति को लौटा दिए हों. उन मेडल्स को वापिस लेते हुए राष्ट्रपति को कैसा लगा होगा यह तो मैं नहीं जानता पर मुझे यह पढ़ कर बहुत बुरा लगा, शर्म भी महसूस हुई. क्या हो गया है इस देश को, इस देश की जनता को, इस देश के नेताओं को? क्या कहते हैं, शर्म को पानी में घोल कर पी गए हैं. या कहें, नंग बड़े परमेश्वर से. या फिर्काहें की अगर कुछ शर्म बाकी है तो डूब मरो चुल्लू भर पानी में.

बचपन में पढ़ा था - शहीदों की चिताओं पर लगेंगे हर बरस मेले, वतन पर मरने वालों का यही बाकी निशाँ होगा.

आने वाले बच्चे पढेंगे - नेताओं के स्मारकों पर लगेंगे हर समय मेले, देश को लूटने वालों का यही बाकी निशाँ होगा.

माया महा ठगिनी हम जानी

2009-09-15T09:53:00.002+05:30

बैसे तो सभी राजनीतिबाज ठग होते हैं, जो किसी न किसी रूप में जनता को ठगते ही रहते हैं. पर माया ने तो ठगी के नए रिकार्ड स्थापित किये हैं. दलितों के नाम पर अपनी नेतागिरी चमकाने वाले नेताओं की इस देश में कमी नहीं, पर माया का मुकाबला कोई नहीं कर सकता. बचपन में पढ़ा था, माया महा ठगिनी हम जानी. अब उस कहावत को मूर्त रूप में चरितार्थ होते भी देख लिया. जो एक भूखे-नंगे दलित से लेकर सुप्रीम कोर्ट के जजों तक को ठगने का साहस रखती हो उस माया का क्या कहना.

जिस के कहने पर दलित भूखा-नंगा रह कर भी अपनी प्रिय नेता को जन्म दिन का उपहार दे उस की ठगी तो चमत्कार सी लगती है. ब्राह्मणों को सुबह शाम गरियाने वाली माया के चरण स्पर्श करने को ब्राह्मण लालायित हों, ऎसी ठगी कहीं देखी हे आपने? धन्य है ऐसी ठगी और ठगने वाली.

Austerity drive and peoples' representatives

2009-09-11T09:39:00.003+05:30

चुनते समय हमने तो सोचा था कि वह हमारा प्रतिनिधित्व करेंगे, पर उनका इरादा तो जनता के पैसे पर ऐयाशी करने का था. जितने रुपये उन्होंने होटल के किराए में उड़ा दिए उतने तो हमने सारी जिन्दगी में देखे तक नहीं.

सारी जिन्दगी टूटी-फूटी बसों और रेल के निचले दर्जे में सफ़र करते रहे. हवाई जहाज का तो कभी सोचा तक नहीं. पर पवार साहब का कहना है कि उन्हें हवाई जहाज में ऊपरी दर्जे में बैठ कर काम करना अच्छा लगता है. एक और महान आत्मा का कहना है कि हवाई जहाज में निचले दर्जे में बैठने से उनकी प्राइवेसी में बुरा सर पड़ेगा. भैया जब वोट मांगने आये थे तब करते इस प्राइवेसी कि बात. हम आपको बिलकुल प्राइवेट कर देते. अब हम क्या करें. अब पछताए क्या होत है जब नेता ले गया वोट.

Creating records

2009-09-11T09:18:00.005+05:30

वाह भाई वाह, कमाल कर दिया बच्चू महाराज ने. ठीक समय तक इंतज़ार किया इस संसार में आने का. पैदा होते अखवार की सुर्खियों में. वधाई हो.

एक हम हैं. साठ के हो गए पर एक बार भी ख़बरों में नहीं आये. उधर एक बिटिया ने पिता की पुलिस में शिकायत कर दी कि उन्होंने मम्मी को बाल कटवाने पर डांट दिया, और आ गई खबर में. बेचारे पिता लम्बे बालों की तारीफ़ करते थकते नहीं थे पर न ख़बरों में आये न ही पद्म श्री मिला. अब किन बालों की तारीफ़ करेंगे? दुःख हुआ और पत्नी को डांट दिया, बेचारे की जेल जाने की नौबत आ गई. धन्य हैं ऐसी पुत्री और पत्नी. नारी बाकी आगे निकल गई है, और आगे निकलने में पीछे छोड़ गई है पिता और पति को.

So waht!!! It is no big deal.

2009-09-10T16:51:00.003+05:30

तो क्या हुआ भैया? हिन्दू तो होते ही हैं मार खाने के लिए. पाकिस्तान में हैं तो वहां मार खाएँगे. हिन्दुस्तान में हैं तो यहाँ मार खाएँगे. पता नहीं इस में खबर जैसी क्या बात है जो मुख्य प्रष्ट पर छाप दिया? यह अखवार वाले भी बस कुछ न कुछ उछालते रहते हैं. गुजरात की बात हो तो सही भी हैं छापना. पाकिस्तान में हिन्दुओं पर अत्याचार की खबर हिन्दुस्तान में, छि छि, यह सही नहीं है.

They have their own rules

2009-09-10T16:41:00.003+05:30

पहले तेजिंदर खन्ना, फिर शीला दीक्षित, फिर पी चिदंबरम, सब ने डांटा दिल्ली वालों को, पर इन्हें तमीज नहीं आई. अब डांट लगा दी,मारीशस के राजदूत महोदय ने भी. अबे दिल्ली वालों अब तो समझ जाओ, बरना इसी तरह डांट खाते रहोगे, घर वालों की भी और बाहर वालों की भी. तुम्हारे घटियापन पर शर्मिंदा होते रहेंगे यह बेचारे महान नेतागण और इन की मालकिन सोनिया जी.

Government makes rules as one job of the government is to make rules. Traffic police say - drive in lane. These leaders have to say something so they say it.

वह आजाद मुल्क के आजाद नागरिक हैं. उन्हें लेन में बंधना पसंद नहीं. उन्हें जहाँ जगह मिलेगी वहां गाड़ी चलाएंगे. जरूरत पड़ी तो फुटपाथ पर भी.

Punish them

2009-09-10T16:29:00.001+05:30

Who is responsible? Will anybody be held accountable and punished?

लोग रात-दिन मेहनत करके हैं, पसीना बहाते हैं, तब कहीं जाकर दो वक़्त की रोटी का जुगाड़ कर पाते हैं. कुछ तो भूखे पेट ही सो जाते हैं. क्या किसी को उनकी चिंता है?

भ्रष्टाचारी सरकार और उस के बाबू ऐयाशी करते हैं और तान कर सोते हैं. अनाज खराब जाए तो हो जाए, इनका तो पेट भरा है. सालों से अनाज खराब हो रहा है पर किसी को चिंता नहीं. अखबार लिखता है तो लिखता रहे. इनके ऊपर कोई कानून लागू नहीं होता.

People every time face them

2009-09-10T16:10:00.004+05:30

Earlier Delhi people were being tortured by Delhi government. Now Delhi government has entered in to a joint venture with BSES to tortureg Delhi people.

भैया, पहले एक मारता था, अब दो मारते हैं, तो चोट तो ज्यादा लगेगी न, और दर्द भी ज्यादा होगा. दिल्ली में रहने की यह कीमत तो चुकानी पड़ेगी. अब तीसरी बार गले में वर माला डाली है उनके. इस प्यार का मजा तो भुगतना ही पड़ेगा. जो नहीं होना चाहिए वह है और जो होना चाहिए वह नहीं है. सड़क में गड्ढे और बिजली गायब. बिजली गायब पर दुगने-तिगने बिल.

Politicians and promise

2009-09-10T15:59:00.002+05:30

Politicians never fulfil their promises. A person fulfilling promises can never be a successful politician.

पता नहीं अखवार ने इस खबर को मुख प्रष्ट पर क्यों छापा? वादाखिलाफी तो राजनीतिबाजों की पहचान है. जैसे गुड मीठा होता है बैसे ही राजनीतिबाज वादाखिलाफी करता है. यह खबर तब बनती जब मायावती ने अपना वादा निभाया होता.

मूर्ति पूजा - सेकुलर स्टाइल

2009-09-09T10:13:00.003+05:30

ईश्वर की मूर्ति पूजा गलत है, पर मेरी ??????

जिस प्रदेश में किसान अपना घर, जमीन और पत्नी तक गिरवी रख दे, और उस प्रदेश की मुखिया करोडों रुपये खर्च करके अपनी और अपने नेता की मूर्तियाँ लगवाए ताकि दलित जनता उनकी पूजा कर अपना सम्मान प्रर्दशित कर सके, इसे क्या कहेंगे - महानता का उच्च स्तर या गिराबट और बेशर्मी का निम्न स्तर? दलितों के नाम का फायदा उठा कर कुर्सी पर बैठे यह नेता, दलितों की जिंदगी नरक बना रहे हैं. उनके मुहँ से रोटी छीन कर अपनी मूर्तियाँ और स्मारक बना रहे हैं. अपने इन शर्मनाक कामों पर गर्व करते हैं यह लोग, पर अफ़सोस, दलित अभी भी इनके छलाबे में आ रहे हैं.

सोचिये, पर जरा ऊंची आवाज़ में.

.....not only babus but also politicians

2009-08-23T09:05:00.003+05:30

Peoples' perception is correct, but it also includes politcians.

केबल बाबुओं को दोष देना सही बात नहीं है. बाबुओं को भ्रष्ट बनाया जिन्होनें वह राजनीतिबाज तो महाभ्रष्ट हैं. दोनों ने मिल कर इस महान देश कबाड़ा कर दिया है.

A right move at last .........

2009-08-23T08:59:00.004+05:30

All right minded persons will agree with this move to isolate so-called jihadis from Islam.

एक आम मुसलमान से बात करो तो वह इन जिहादियों को अपराधी ही मानता है, पर न जाने क्यों मिल कर वह इन अपराधियों को अपनी कौम से बाहर नहीं निकाल पाते. क्या मजबूरी है उनकी? इन अपराधियों के कारण, इस्लाम सारी दुनिया में बदनाम हो रहा है, पर हर बात पर इकठ्ठा हो जाने वाले मुसलमान इन के खिलाफ इकठ्ठा नहीं हो पाते. देखिये इस फैसले का क्या असर होता है?

.......... Beacuse Delhi is a world class city

2009-08-23T08:51:00.004+05:30

Don't you agree with my answer Mrs Dikshit?

एक कहावत है, बोया पेड़ बबूल का तो आम कहाँ से खाय. तीसरी बार फिर शीला दीक्षित को मुख्य मंत्री बना कर हम ने खुद ही तो मुसीवतों के इस पेड़ को हरा भरा बना रखा है. यह सारी समस्यायें पिछले सालों में भी थीं, पर फिर से शीला जी को जिता कर हम ने इन समस्यायों को और बढ़ा लिया है. अब जैसा किया है बैसा भुगतो.

A good article

2009-08-21T14:17:00.003+05:30

Read it. I need not make a chutney of it.

Is country's future safe in these hands?

2009-08-21T13:57:00.002+05:30

Yes, who will pay the bill for this duction of public property?

क्या भारत का भविष्य इन हाथों में सुरक्षित है?

Hats off to you Mr. Joshi. All of them are doing it, but only you have the courage to say it in public. लगे रहो जोशी भाई.

भाई यह राजनीतिबाज एक बार कुर्सी पर बैठ गए तो बैठ गए. अभी तो भ्रष्टाचार के, लोलुपता के, कुर्सी प्रेम के कई आदर्श स्थापित करने हैं इन्होनें.

भाई यह नीली कातिल बसें तो रहेंगी. अभी तो बहुत से इंसानों की जान लेनी है इन्होनें. जिनकी बसें हैं उन्हीं से यह उम्मीद करना की वह इन्हें हटायेंगे, क्या परले दर्जे की बेबकूफी नहीं है?

Criminal waste of public money

2009-08-14T12:04:00.004+05:30

I will not make any chutney of this news except saying that it is shameful for shameless political parties and politicians.

दलितों के नाम पर दलितों के नेताओं की मूर्तियाँ और स्मारक बना कर यह नेता इतिहास में अमर होने का प्रयास कर रहे हैं. दलितों को रोटी चाहिए नेताओं की मूर्ति नहीं. उन्हें सम्मानपूर्वक जीने का अवसर चाहिए, इन नेताओं के प्रति सम्मान प्रकट करने के लिए यह स्मारक और पार्क नहीं. दो जून की रोटी जुटाने के लिए यह दलित अपना मकान, जमीन और पत्नी तक गिरवी रख देते हैं, और यह नेता करो़डों रूपए अपनी मूर्तियाँ बनाने पर वेदर्दी से खर्च कर देते हैं. अगर अपनी पूजा करवाने का इतना ही शौक है तो यह नेता खुद क्यों नहीं मूर्तियों की जगह खड़े हो जाते? पत्थर की मूर्तियों की जगह जिन्दा मूर्तियों की पूजा करना ज्यादा बेहतर होगा.

Power Game - consumer is always the looser

2009-08-14T11:52:00.003+05:30

They call it privatization of power distribution, but in fact it is a money game. They have all excuses to defend their corruption, ineffecient and ineffecrtive working. Poor consumer was always a victim and now also he is the victim.

ग्राहक राजा है, कह कर ग्राहक को खूब मूर्ख बनाते हैं यह सरकार, एनजीओ और उत्पाद-सेवा विक्रेता. सरकार ने कानून बनाया, ग्राहक अदालतें बना दीं. दूसरी अदालतों की तरह वकीलों ने इन पर भी कब्जा कर लिया. एक आम ग्राहक खुद इन ग्राहक अदालतों में अपना केस नहीं लड़ सकता. बड़े सरकारी महकमे, उत्पाद-सेवा विक्रेता बड़े-बड़े वकील खड़े कर देते हैं. लाखों रुपये इन वकीलों को दे देते हैं पर कुछ रुपयों का मुआवजा एक असंतुष्ट ग्राहक को नहीं दे सकते. ग्राहक अदालतों में वकीलों के प्रवेश पर पावंदी लगनी चाहिए.

2009-08-14T11:30:00.003+05:30

After reading this news, only one word comes to my mind - SHAME - and it repaets itself infinite times - SHAME, SHAME, SHANE, SHAME, ..............................

This man Hussain has hurt me many times. Then there are people who have hurt me in his name. This is the new case of hurting me. I did not know that this man Hussain had criticized Raja Ravi Verma. I knew that he is a lowly person, but I did not know that he will stoop so low. Now an award is anounced for him which is in the name of Raja Ravi Verma. Will this man accept this award? I think so. SHAME, SHAME ....................

Misusing law and religion

2009-08-08T08:37:00.004+05:30

Bad news for those who convert to Islam to marry more than one women.

How sweet of the Judge to be so sweet on Sweety? He should not be corrupted by 'bad company' in jail. He has already been corrupted by good company outside the jail.

Poor husbands will pour out their hearts in the cooler climate of Shimla. What about the heat they will face after return to their dear wives?

Raining standards of clean public life

2009-08-06T09:06:00.007+05:30

Wow, so many standards set for clean public life by so many people holding constitutional posts. I wanted to break this news but find myself short of right words. But as an Indian I feel very proud of these great Indians.

So many living Indians do not have a roof over their heads but Meira wants a house for her dead father.

George can not stand and does not recognize anybody but wants to serve the nation by bcoming a member of RS, and RS elects him for his, perhaps, last innings of public service.

Buta says he will end his life if asked to resign, another great Indian .

SC gives a license to MILs for ill-treating DILs.

SC does not want RTI to be applicable on judges. I always thought that if people are honest then why fear.

Pak wants independent Kashmir, another boost to MMS blind faith in Pakistan.

Judges should set standards of clean public life

2009-08-04T08:45:00.004+05:30

Whnever I speak, read or write the word 'Neta', image of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose comes before my eyes. Everytime this word is used for present day politicians, I feel hurt. There is only one word which suits them is 'Rajnitibaaj'. So much so for the hurt caused to me by TOI by using this word for present day rajnitibaaj community. Let us now break the news.

I do not understand that why judges should not be asked to declare their assets and why this information should not be made public. Judges are also human beings like us. This is really unfortunate that those members of society who are expected to set standards of cleanliness in public life misuse their position to be above the law and set unethical standards. The law can not be different for different members of the society. Rather a policy of zero tolerance should be applicable to those who occupy constitutional posts. At least judges should place duty before right.

Hanging head in shame

2009-08-03T09:04:00.006+05:30

Home Minister said that 'we should hang our heads in shame'. TOI, in this news item, says that 'should we hang our heads in shme, Mr HM?' Who is this 'we' here? Does this 'we' include HM and Media. I think it does not. I have not seen any head hanging in shame. Have you seen?

It has aroused my interest . I will like to see, how people hang their heads in shame? Will PC or someone in media will demonstrate this?

How does he communicate with PM?

2009-08-03T08:51:00.003+05:30

Buta Singh said that he has briefed PM, but what medium of communication has has used for this briefing? He hmself has said that he has requested for an appointment with PM and the same is yet to be granted. Perhaps he met PM in his dream. I do not unnderstand why these politicians are not retired? Why they are given such posts? Why our nation should look after these liabilities? Indian people do not pay their hard-earned money as taxes to waste on these people.

National assets

2009-08-02T08:07:00.002+05:30

Gas is a national asset. Yes, but what about water? Is water also a national asset? If yes then how big companies are allowed to sell water? Also, are trditional Indian values (honesty, truthfulness, non-violence etc) are also national assets? If yes, then how politicians and babus are allowed to de-value them and sell for a price.

Think twice before saving a tree

2009-07-31T10:22:00.005+05:30

Normally it should be 'think twice before killing a tree'. But as the news in photo suggests, the right advice in today's India is 'think twice before saving a tree'. A law is there to protect people but people are killed every day. Likewise there is a law to protect trees but trees are killed every day. A government which is not able to protect its citizens, can certainly not be expected to protect trees.

We do not deserve this

2009-07-31T09:44:00.002+05:30

Some headlines:

"Blame Game on as city struggles to just move"

"Drains choked, court frowns"

"Wading game - Even as it did not rain the entire Monday night, civic bodies were unable to put their act together olear the mess. Office goers were caught in long jams on Tuesday"

"2-hour drive drive from DND to Moolchand"

"Dwarka underpass turns into pool, buses trapped"

"Got out to fix tyre, saw tree crashing"

"After downpour, taps run dry"

Why should he get governor post?

2009-06-23T12:28:00.005+05:30

Is India under any obligation to keep him in good humour by making him a minister, and if not then a governor? Why country should be penalised for showing loyalty to a family? If congress wants to reward him for his loyalty then let congress make him President of the congress. If the family wants to reward him then let them do it from their own pocket. I do not pay taxes to reward such people.

Punish those responsible

2009-06-23T12:07:00.002+05:30

"Goof-up",

An innocent inadvertant omission or a carefully planned mistake to protect 'killer' doctors? My vote is for the later. I am sure that majority will vote for the later. Punish those responsible for this crminal goof-up.

TOI Editorial - Looking Within

2009-06-23T11:30:00.000+05:30

If I was TOI Editor, I will not print this editorial. I will not go in to the reasons for this, but I will tell you which editorial I will print?

I will print an editorial on relationship - "Crisis of relationship", and I will address it not to one political party only, but to all political parties, social and un-social organizations, and to all Indians. India is progressing on all fronts but in this progress relationship has become the biggest casualty - relationship inside the family, in the locality, in the city, in the state, in the nation, in schools, in offices, in factories, in government, every where.

We are creating better life for us but what use it will be to us if we can not enjoy life with our family, friends, colleagues, fellow citizens? Let us pause in our tracks and create a little love for us and for others.

Is Indian education system effective?

2006-12-19T21:18:00.000+05:30

Many people say that Indian education system is faulty. In my opinion it does not sound appropriate. Any system which is operational is a successful system. This applies to Indian education system also. It has produced and is still producing good doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers..... Many of them are experts in their respective fields. Their achievements are commendable. Seeing the result, one can not say that the system is wrong or faulty. Then what is the problem? Why Indian education system is not able to provide expected results?

The answer is not simple. Indian education system is a dynamic system. It has evolved in the past and is still evolving. It should be judged on its good points and bad points on a long term basis. In other words one should try to determine whether the system is effective, and effective to what extent, and whether any improvements are needed to make it more and more effective. Let us analyse Indian Education System. In doing so, it should be noted that I am using the term 'effective to what extent' and not 'ineffective'. The purpose is to adopt the positive approach in analyzing the system. However, I accept that present Indian education system is proving ineffective if seen from what is happening in educational institutions and the quality of people these institutions are turning out.

What is the meaning of education - is it studying or practicing? Now-a-days the education is being looked as an instrument of only acquiring knowledge. We have forgotten that the basic meaning of education is practicing. The term 'prcaticing' includes acquiring knowledge and then properly using it through practice. Acquiring or knowing is also education but it is not the whole of education. Putting to proper use what one has acquired or learnt is an important part of education. I will go one step further. Use of acquired knowledge should result in larger benefits to the society and people. In this respect one would say that Indian education system is effective to some extent and needs lot of improvements, in properly understanding the basic meaning of education and the right methodlogy of practicing it.

Education has four dimensions - development of body, the mind, the intellect, and emotional development. In short education should result in overall development of the people. Present education system is effective to the extent that it puts stress on two aspects, physical and intellectual. In this sense it needs improvement to put stress on other two aspects also, mental and emotional development. This means that due importance should also be given to the building of character and to discipline.

Another improvement required here is that people should start desisting from putting all the blame for problems in society on the system of education. It should be realized that it is futile to seek the effect when the cause is absent. On one hand, people are not making any effort to include character building and discipline in education system, but on the other hand they blame the system for any problems in the society, seen as a direct or indirect result of characterlessmess and indiscipline.

Present education system does not put stress on refinement of outlook, behaviour and feelings. Right outlook, right behaviour and right feelings are essential for progress in any society and nation. In one word we can say that education should result in development of a positive approach towards life and people. If the education system develops even a feeling for need of refinement it will be a major improvement in its effectiveness.

Education is being seen as a business these days. Considering India a major customer base, many foreign educational insstitutions have opened their centres in India. Indian government is also putting more stress on providing inceasing number of seats in educational institutions. But in doing this, quality aspect of education is missing. No doubt, UGC, AICTE and other bodies are boasting of their systems for improving quality of education, the result is not seen as expected. This will not happen untill people understand the basic purpose of education. If considered as a business, educational institutions should be run in an ethical manner.

Making mockery of social justice - creamy layer is still backward!

2006-08-23T21:26:00.000+05:30

UPA government, it seems, is out to create records in introducing unethical and backward legeslations . The cabinet has approved quota bill, another backward step by UPA government. A very good opportunity has been wasted. It was the right time to review reservation policy and introduce alternative schemes to lift backward groups in Indian society. But for short-term political gains, the govt has sacrified long-term social gains of creating harmony in the society.

It is very unfortunate that cabinet has not agreed with socil justice ministry's view that it should be ensured that benefits go only to most backward classes. The creamy layer has already taken benefits of this quota raj. Why they should be allowed to take it again and again where a large majority remains without any benefit so far? It is umethical and immoral on behalf of those OBC ministers in the cabinet and other polticians and groups to blackmail the govt to not to exclude the creamy layer from quota benefits. Just imagine, children of Lalu Prasad, Ram Vilas Paswan and others getting in colleges through quota route as though they are still backward.

These politicians have made a mockery of social justice. In the name of quota for backward classes they garner every benefit themselves. Shame on them.

Ensuring social justice through information

2006-07-13T01:14:00.000+05:30

I wish to congratulate YFE for seeking information, under RTI Act, from HRD ministry and other government bodies about Ramadoss’s misuse of his powers and anti-people actions, and also ill conceived anti-people reservation policy.

The office-of-profit act will surely nail Ramadoss. He has parked himself in AIIMS Guest House, appointed an OSD to be paid by AIIMS funds and brought his relatives into the AIIMS governing body. If this is not office-of-profit then ……

YFE application also seeks information on – “we want to know exactly what he is entitled to and why. SC has ruled that the health minister could become the President of AIIMS by default but the AIIMS Act was later amended to say that no body in the governing body was allowed to hold a government position.

YFE also want a clarification on why the minister landed up in AIIMS during anti-reservation strike for treating patients there. How could he treat patients at AIIMS just like that? Does that mean that any doctor can come and start practicing at the institute?

Other YFE application seeks all relevant data about reservation. This I am sure will expose the government and Arjun Singh.

Wonderful YFE, keep it up…….. This is the right way to ensure social justice.

Democracy and Nationalization of Higher EducationAn article by

2006-06-30T23:10:00.000+05:30

An article by Shree S. Vinekar, MD

“Life, Liberty, and The Pursuit of Happiness,” and “EQUALITY”, of course -- These are the fundamental rights and the virtues of democracy. Over the last few centuries many civilized democracies have attempted to redistribute the national and individual wealth to reduce inequalities in their populations. This is accomplished through taxation, increasing national productivity, industrialization, and other peaceful measures. Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru chose the path of socialism for India. Shri Vinoba Bhave attempted to redistribute land. There are many peaceful measures to uplift the deprived and the disadvantaged, and, as such, these are all noble efforts. Over the last fifty eight years in “Independent” “India that is Bharat,” such gradual efforts to combat poverty have succeeded, to some degree, in spite of the rapid population growth. In keeping with all the progress and successful reforms, India’s politicians and policy makers say, “NOW IT IS TIME TO REDISTRIBUTE THE EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES on a larger scale than ever before.” On the surface, it sounds like a very noble objective, designed necessarily to redress the injustices of the past. It is high time that the evils of caste system or even the caste system itself be entirely overthrown in modern India. There seems to be no justification for such system in the modern world that is going through global shrinking. For seekers of the vote-bank, however, overzealous “affirmative action” is indeed an opportunity to appease the “minorities.” Politics is now directly entering the universities and institutions of higher learning.

What is different about these just and noble sounding thrusts? The OBC reservation and quota system is an imposition on the current higher education systems both private and public. What is different about this protectionist proposal is that many deserving, hard working, meritorious students not belonging to OBC, classified as OC, both rich and poor, will be deprived of opportunities to further their careers that they have earned through their hard work and merit. Instead “their” “SEATS” in the universities and other institutions of higher learning will be offered by RESERVATION POLICIES in large numbers like 49 TO 70 PERCENT to students, for many of whom the only qualifications and admission eligibility may be their scheduled caste or minority classification, and not their merit nor their lower socioeconomic level. Needless to say that many students from the so-called “creamy layers” the well-to-do of OBC classes will claim access to these seats based upon their caste rather than merit. Significant number of non-deserving OBC students lacking merit will displace many deserving and meritorious students of the OC class as there are no current plans to sizably expand the current absolute number of educational opportunities or seats. This is the price the new generations of the OC class have to accept to pay to undo the injustices perpetrated by their past generations! Fair enough? Why do these OC brats whine and threaten to commit suicide when they lose opportunities, while their underprivileged brethren have lost a myriad of opportunities for many generations because of their caste, it may be asked.

There is a basic fallacy that underlies this policy. It views the “SEATS” in the universities as if they are equivalent to ownership of land or property, guaranteed by the phrase “Pursuit of Happiness.” By generously offering the “seats” to the non-meritorious underprivileged it is assumed that the recipients of these seats will graduate (and no doubt some will be sincere, hard working, students and will graduate with distinction) and acquire the necessary knowledge base and skills given simply an opportunity to progress in the educational field of their choice. This is a simple minded selling point for the proposed policy. Educational opportunities, when made available to meritorious and deserving students of all classes and castes, no doubt, enable them to acquire cognitive abilities but COGNITIVE ABILITIES CANNOT BE REDISTRIBUTED. Moreover, if such attempt to redistribute is made, it will be a caricature of communism in the intangible domain of educational psychology. During fifty eight years of social and educational experiment with 15 to 27 percent of total seats allotted to OBC students, one would assume the Government or the Ministry of Education would have both demographic and achievement related accumulated data to arrive at intelligent, scientific, and evidence based recommendations to uplift the deserving students of the OBC class. Such recommendations with altruistic and philanthropic intentions as well as for “social engineering” purpose will be welcomed by any and all reasonable and thoughtful people. Arbitrary imposition of numbers for reservation and quotas on all educational institutions and private employers without regard to any logic or evidence based results of past social and educational experimentation in this area of social reform, however, would lead to questioning the motivation of the politicians. Even the most developed older democracies of the world have their large sections of society that are not privileged to partake in higher education, not because of caste or class, and not even because of economic background. Some democracies are well endowed to provide free education and/or generous scholarships to their meritorious underprivileged students. Yet, not all are either equipped with prerequisites or are motivated to learn. Uneducated and/or undereducated sections within the society do not necessarily reflect discrimination of the minority by the majority. It must be clarified that this fact alone is not a justification for deliberate discrimination and deprivation of educational opportunity for low income meritorious students on any basis, caste, creed, color, or socioeconomic background.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR HIGHER EDUCATION SHOULD BE EQUAL FOR ALL. However, while these opportunities must be made available to all deserving students on the primary basis of merit, some concessions and allowances need to be made for the underprivileged by lowering the admission standards to facilitate their entry. That is, certain admission standards of most educational institutions understandably need to be lowered for those underprivileged students who show promise, but in whose case if it can be determined that they may have earned somewhat lower marks due to their social and economic circumstances. Sincere efforts must be directed to focus on minimizing, and if possible, eliminating cheating and fraud in the educational testing systems to ensure that merit is authentic, if all admissions to higher education are merit-based. There will need to be monitoring system in place to ensure compliance with regulations ensuring non-discrimination and affirmative action in the educational system.

Those who need scholarships based on their lower economic status would best be served by providing financial assistance or educational loans that could be written off, if their performance and achievement meet certain expectations. And, even then, such concessions must be contingent upon sustained satisfactory performance in their studies, e.g., minimum level of performance must be maintained for a set number of consecutive terms in order to qualify for the waivers. In this manner the deserving students of the minority class can be better served to bring about the social reform.

Such policies for social reform implementing affirmative action in higher education to raise the educational levels of the underprivileged are laudable and all political parties will welcome and endorse such policies. One of the goals of education is also to foster broad-mindedness to maintain harmony and cohesiveness within the society at large. Unfortunately, the self-serving interests of some political parties and their alliances to appease the vote-banks will only further divide and fragment the already fragmented society.

The transparent motivation for such short-sighted and self-serving reform is to create an increasingly manipulative spiral trend wherein the underlying intentions of any future policy will be more heavily weighted on how it will keep the party in power rather than how it will inherently help the society as a whole. Therefore, over time the political party in power desiring to sustain this authority, will exploit the current inequality in the educational status of the minorities for its political gains, implementing such policy designed purely to consolidate and maintain its position of control. As such these power politics motivated exploitations of all kinds of rifts in the society based on castes or other identities are not new tactics in politics. Unless all Bharateeyas wake up and view themselves as ONE FAMILY, such tactics of ripping apart India more than what the colonial rulers and missionaries have done over the centuries by coming into the country and instigating hostilities between different castes and social classes will be perpetrated unchecked. If united to gain political power, the majority in India will become truly independent at last after thousand years. Ultimately and in the long-term, social progress will be stunted or even halted by ill designed social reform of reservation and quotas which in reality is calculated to create more rift between the minority and majority than there ever existed. Any social reform whether affirmative action or social welfare projects must lead to social progress that is allowed to grow into an increasingly beneficial and self-sustaining feature of India’s further growth as a world power. Any social reform that further divides and weakens the very fabric of Indian society is inimical to the progress of Bharat.

The best way to eliminate inequality is to create an even playing field. One possible way to do this is by stressing the implementation of policies to ensure free and easy access to elementary and secondary education and high quality academic experience to all children. Such college preparatory education needs to be made available to all children. The bell-curve will again show that, given the basic opportunities, within all classes, (poor and backward as well as the rich and privileged), will be found a few students in the extremely high achieving range who will merit admission to institutions of higher learning. There are many “Institutions of Excellence” competing in the world educational industry that may be best left alone to select only the best but required to be non-discriminating. Some professions allow only a very narrow margin of error in their work. For example, neurosurgeons and ophthalmologists or nuclear physicists, higher level Information Technologists and experts in artificial intelligence, etc., are not to be chosen on the basis of their castes. As these prerequisite policies to uplift all lower socioeconomic class children to qualify them for higher education are put in place, fair and just policies addressing admission requirements to higher educational institutions of excellence should be effected concurrently to retain their pride of place in the country and also internationally. These private institutions of higher education need to be given free reign to select the best candidates and compete at the international level. Private industrialists, entrepreneurs and technocrats will thus have an incentive to fund and finance their own educational institutions that do not depend on the Central government financing and yet excel. These institutions could feed their own enterprises while they select their students purely on merit without any discrimination. If the burden of bureaucracy becomes excessive they may set up their institutions outside the country.

The economically disadvantaged must be given free tuition and scholarships. The admissions to the universities and higher education need to be merit based and should present as equal-opportunity for the rich and for the poor, the majority and the minority. Significant allowances may be made to redress the injustices of the past for the meritorious students of the disadvantaged classes. Examples would be arranging free room and board, pocket money, books and journals, special tutoring and instructions to bridge the gap with the advantaged students, etc. and not merely giving OBC students an admission to a college. However, let it be stressed that the principal intent behind any and all educational policies should be for the good of the students, themselves, and for the progress of Indian society, as a whole. And, above all, at no time should India’s youth be used as a political weapon wielded by the parties to further their vote-bank agenda. Good democracies help facilitate the evolution and progress of societies, and do not instigate revolutions. If care is not taken to ensure that educational structure, and policy-making, benefit the student first, and not the political party’s ability to sustain its position of power, then India could very well be faced with a slow but powerful transition from “the world’s largest democracy” to a state of despotism disguised as a democracy.

The allotment of a significantly large number of seats to less than meritorious minority students by reservation, especially if it is at the expense of other well-deserving students, will not result in directly proportional and significant increases in the number of highly educated intellectuals or professionals in the underprivileged classes. Neither do social promotions and the offering of phony degrees lead to a better educated or highly technically skilled population that is prepared and ready to compete in the global market. Rather, another possible solution that should be considered is for the government of India to first empower the minorities to start special universities and institutes of higher learning for their students. This enables educators and policy makers to better monitor and evaluate the progress and performance of these segments of the student population in comparison to the national standards before inundating the present classrooms filled by meritorious students with low achieving minority students. In all fairness such minority sponsored educational institutions will then be required to enroll a sizeable section of “majority” students in their student bodies on merit basis, if India is viewed as one family that is truly secular.

India is on a winning path, gaining increasing respect as a world presence. The reckless policies in the educational domain, with hidden political agenda secretly embedded throughout, will sabotage India’s progress in the world market. From this point of view, the reservation policy and the quota system in higher education is a prescription for failure, both in the economic domain and in the domain of social reform. Besides, the rifts created by such policies will be capitalized upon by the political parties endorsing such reform for corrupt gains in the ensuing elections, and will simultaneously be sacrificing the futures of a large number of bright and deserving, hard working, meritorious students who will unnecessarily harbor bitterness in their hearts.

However, it must be strongly stressed that violence and revolution are not viable or even acceptable answers. Self-immolation, suicides, etc., are not constructive solutions. Eccentric fanatic speeches and weird or violent comments on the web-sites for free _expression of hostilities directed at the majority or the minority are only indications of social immaturity, besides discrediting the web-site of “Youth for Equality.” Political dialogue, debates, facilitation of widespread awareness of the issues, and the bringing about of changes in the voting patterns: these are more adaptive democratic strategies. As regards the advocacy for the undeserving non-meritorious students of the underprivileged class, the political parties will probably gain some votes, but, this will lead to not much else as far as the betterment of the society.

Instead of educationists advising the politicians regarding educational policies, it seems that the politicians are advising the educationists. This trend, if it continues, will eventually irreversibly and irreparably weaken our nation’s economy. The caring and concerned, compassionate, youth is emerging to begin a "Bharat Abhyudaya Yajnya” in a typical Bahrateeya peaceful manner on a national scale, viewing it not as a “kranti” but rather as an “utkranti,” with heartfelt love for the poor and the downtrodden. Good education for all deserving Bharateeyas should be the primary objective to be accomplished through this Yajnya.

II Vande Mataram II

India unravelling

2006-06-28T07:17:00.000+05:30

An article written by an academic

India unravelling

Dr. Gautam Sen,

Writer and former academic London School of Economics & Political Science.

Secularists and communists may imagine they somehow control India’s future, but this belief is a chimera. Perhaps they are smart enough to know the truth, but too cynical to care. India is spinning out of control and the spoils of political office are likely to evaporate suddenly. How exactly this will come about is not entirely clear, but there are historical precedents that provide pointers.

The decisive antecedent pre-condition is the inability of the ruling order to retain domestic control and ward off external predators militarily. This is how Mogul primacy ended for India in devastating chaos during the eighteenth century, after the grand rewards of imperial conquest. But such a grim scenario is inevitably preceded by a collapse of political authority and the credibility of the ruling order. India is now in this perilous phase as the public standing of its ruling order ebbs. There is now real prospect of accident and design unfolding in combination to disable state power and curtail its political reach significantly.

Various regional political factions across India are engaged in savage competition for the spoils of office. Very little else motivates their endeavours except corrupt enrichment, chicanery and criminality to seize power, however temporarily, and crass bribery to hold on to it, no matter how briefly. After each abysmal episode the ruling groups, barely distinguishable from each other, emerge shamelessly enriched. What these regional political parties also share with each other, beyond the desire for rule by themselves and their families, is a singular lack of any conception of India’s nationhood. Yet they are a critical influence on policy at the federal Centre and vying for the ultimate crown of dominating national government itself.

The Congress party in power at the federal Centre today is remarkably similar to the regional political parties seeking to replace it. In fact, they run the country jointly as partners in crime. The nominally national Congress only differs from them in the inconsequential detail of having its constituents less geographically concentrated than the largely regional political parties, be it the malevolent communists, the unspeakable celluloid Tamil monstrosities or indeed the cartoon strip nationalists of the Hindu fold. Shorn of pomp and symbolic pretensions, the name of the game in New Delhi for the incumbent ruling combine is to create the conditions for Rahul Gandhi’s anointment as the next celestial authority in India. The second preoccupation is to manage foreign affairs with sufficient sleight-of-hand to stop the national apple cart from being embarrassingly overturned.

It is possible that India’s diabolical international predicament will not turn into immediate rout and Rahul Gandhi may claim his rightful place in India’s embryonic monarchy. The prime minister himself may not be interested in cash or sexual conquest, but he suffers terribly from the third affliction of humanity, which is to be in the public eye. This is the equivalent of the fifteen minutes of sordid fame that the country is paying for so very dearly. He wields no political power and a sort of Page Three fame apparently suffices. In the pursuit of such dishonourable ambitions, the meaning of secularism been twisted beyond recognition. A supine media connives, eager for crumbs from the table of the ruling family and its shameless minions. However, neither India’s faltering durability, for the present, nor the new Sun King’s impending accession are likely to stop the rot as far as its long-term future is concerned.

The indefensible OBC reservations that do nothing for the many underprivileged of India, and inflict grievous injury on many who are also underprivileged, but capable, will be remembered as the critical moment when India’s endgame began.

It is a tragic final denouement for India’s future as a polity and economy when the only persevering social structure was delivered a mortal blow. In a country in which few things work properly (from domestic plug points to road lights, to pick two things randomly) and virtually nothing in the public sector functions effectively the resilient Indian family’s deepest aspiration has just been criminally decapitated. The ruling elites cannot provide adequate electricity at any price nor an airport in the national capital that does not fill one with despair, nor schools that have toilets or even teachers. Yet they allegedly occupy the moral high ground and spew arrant nonsense about secularism and communal harmony.

Despite its many faults, the Indian family alone has overcome the formidable obstacles placed in its path by a dysfunctional State and vicious ruling order to educate their children. Modest middle and lower middle class family incomes and awe-inspiring parental efforts, often against overwhelming odds, have lovingly nurtured human capital and turned around an economy with dim prospects. Even a driver on five-thousand rupees a month is prepared to send his two little girls to a school that teaches only in English by allocating a fifth of his monthly income. If there were no goddess of learning she would have to be contrived and imagined in gratitude, for infusing such a noble thirst for learning in ordinary Indians. This is why the possibilities of applied science are infinite like the skies above our bowed human heads.

The grotesque policy of swingeing reservations that does nothing for the majority, which does not receive basic schooling, can only have been undertaken by people of very low intelligence. But these are the same people whose village cunning led to the office-for-profit debacle that continues to haunt their very own hold on political power. The insane reservation policy, based on rank political opportunism and illiterate conjecture, will trigger socio-economic mechanisms that may well kill the goose currently laying golden eggs despite the brigandage under the garb of socialism and humanity. Such a policy measure is also likely to provoke dangerous disaffection among the many that cannot escape to foreign universities, unlike the children of politicians, who themselves go abroad for medical care too. A hard look at the origins of the brutal civil war in Sri Lanka is a salutary reminder of how one reaps as ye sows when a sense of injustice burns in the hearts of those who understand it and have the wherewithal to respond.

A vast swathe of Indian citizens has been effectively disenfranchised and no longer owes any loyalty to the Indian State and its overseers. A fundamental right of paramount importance has been taken away from them. The right to education and the recognition of fair criteria, which must mean that merit remains pre-eminent, has been erased. The rightness of reservations at the margin has been replaced by complete marginalisation of merit. No matter what social class and economic circumstances, the accident of birth will deny the children of many of the poor their basic rights on grounds of Caste alone. Such a policy echoes the exclusion of Jews from German higher education in the mid-1930s merely because of their religious identity. Why should these young people feel any commitment to a society that has in unison, across the political spectrum, declared outright war on them?

For a start, they would be justified in refusing to join the armed forces since those being granted extraordinary unmerited privileges should now defend the country they are vindictively making exclusively their own. Nor should any of the excluded Castes join the police or indeed the bureaucracy. In this free for all dog eats dog world that their fellow citizens and their venal representatives are determined to bring about, something will give. In all likelihood economic growth will falter and India’s defence will be in the supposedly competent hands of affirmative action candidates alone, including the so-called minorities, already imperiously demanding special privileges, eager to displace all semblance of fair play. Which foreign predator will soon find irresistible the prospect of re-uniting with their co-religionists and an army of the reserved ready for monotheism, free of the burdens of Caste?

Such demands for reservations have an old history, from government jobs for

Muslims in late nineteenth century Bengal to separate electorates, followed by partition itself. The young and talented of all Castes should begin a long march towards any Indian state that promises them elementary justice in exchange for their prodigious intellectual skills and the economic success that will cascade as a result of it. They will also have the last laugh when the children of politicians in the forefront of casteism are displaced themselves by those for whom nothing but reservation matters. Their India will surely prosper without the presence of so-called upper Caste oppressors, some cleaning public toilets in Delhi while harassing rich OBC ministers and successful entrepreneurs part-time. The resulting weakened federal India may eventually find its individual parts going their separate ways. Those who strive primarily on the basis of merit need have no inclination to pay taxes to the rest of the country, denying their basic human rights simply because of their Caste.

OBCs should throw away the demeaning crutches offered

2006-06-28T07:12:00.000+05:30

An article written by Prof M S Gopinathan

OBCs should throw away the demeaning crutches offered

June 09, 2006

I am by brand an 'Other Backward Class'. I did my PhD at an IIT and taught at another IIT for 27 years before retiring. It is to the credit of the IIT system that it never asked me my caste brand, neither when I entered as a student or faculty nor when I was promoted. It is sad that these things are going to change. It may not be irrelevant to note that they didn't ask my caste or religion at Oxford University in the UK, McGill University in Canada or the German Universities where I went to work.

If you are socially disadvantaged, you must strive to overcome that disadvantage and the only way to do that is to educate yourself and your children. Ask for good schools, good teachers and scholarships. If you opt for charity and crutches, you will always remain for generations to come, a receiver of charity limping on borrowed crutches. Charity demeans both the giver and the receiver.

I was born to poor, virtually illiterate parents in a remote village. But I was lucky to have a great science teacher in our village school who excited me about science; not just to learn textbook science, but to do experiments after school hours and on holidays and to do Socratic debates about science with him. Whatever modest success I have had in my professional scientific career, I can trace to such early fortunate circumstances and influences.

If you haven't had proper schooling and if you are just airlifted into an IIT by virtue of your scheduled or backward caste, you will be a miserable misfit in the intellectually and socially elite IIT atmosphere. You cannot cope with the courses; you cannot speak the campus lingo. You feel ostracized, intellectually and socially. I am saying this based on my decades of long experience with such students at IIT. Even after special coaching for a year at IIT and being exempted from the dreaded Entrance Examination, the SC/ST reserved students cannot perform. Often they require further academic concessions, albeit unethical, to barely pass the courses. It helps nobody, least of all them. I do not know what happens to them in their post-IIT life; some commission should study it. But I doubt whether many second generation SC/ST IITians make it to the IIT directly through the JEE.

It takes enormous, dedicated, and sincere effort for decades on the part of the government if quality universal school education is to be provided to all, as decreed by the Constitution and as Independent India has miserably failed to deliver in over 50 years. But it is far easier to shortchange and hoodwink the SC/STs and OBCs by making a legislative flourish of the pen offering useless, humiliating backdoor entry to them in the Institutes of higher learning. This political gimmick even distorts the meaning of 'higher' learning.

Even the sanctioned SC/ST quota in IITs today goes unfilled to a large extent (50 per cent?).

IITs cannot attract quality faculty (current vacancy is probably 20 per cent or more). Imagine the scenario when 49 per cent admission is reserved on the basis of caste and not on the basis of the academic potential of the students. IITs will be shunned as Paraya or Backward Class Institutes by serious academicians of all castes and by the international academic community.

The brand IIT has been created through about 50 years of dedicated, serious academic work of world quality by the faculty and students. Such institutes cannot be created overnight by legislative actions like opening a new IIT in a remote but politically correct location or just by renaming as IIT an existing university with its century-old caste and nonacademic baggage.

Oxford colleges are famous for their meticulous lawns. When asked by a visiting American student how you make such a lawn, the Oxford gardener replied: 'It is easy. You just regularly mow it, weed and water it. Do that for seven hundred years. Then you get a lawn like this.' What is true for the Oxford lawn is true for its academic excellence too.

So what should the OBC students, for whom the politician's heart has suddenly started bleeding, do? They should join the anti-reservation agitation and agitate for decent schools, good teachers and scholarships and refuse to be taken for an easy ride by the vote seekers. They should maintain their dignity and refuse the segregating ignominy of backdoor entries into institutions of higher learning. They should ask for better training, better running shoes, better coaches and show that they too can race with the others.

They should throw away the demeaning crutches offered.

I know this will not come to pass. The IIT campuses will be made 50-50, 50 backward and 50 forward, splitting it in the middle along the caste divide, the handicapped and the non-handicapped crowding, jostling on the same race track, nobody going anywhere.

If segregation is a legislative imperative, I suggest that it is better to have it on different campuses, rather than on the same campus. That is a win-win, 100-100 reservation situation. The SC/ST, OBC, BC and FC all having their own IITs with 100 per cent reservation, not only for students, but for faculty and staff too (why stop at students?). Maybe we could thus have healthy academic caste wars. Each group on its own racetrack.

Another possible win-win scenario for all comes from the use of high tech IT, satellite communication etc in which India is strong. We could close down all existing caste-ridden IITs and replace them with a single secular, egalitarian, virtual IIT. Virtually any number from any caste can enroll and have the same professor lecture to thousands over the high tech wires. It ensures a level playing field for all up in the sky.

Swami Vivekananda was shocked by the horrendous caste divisions in Kerala and called it a mad house. We now have a whole mad nation!

Caste -- forward, backward or scheduled -- is a shame of our country. It is an indelible indignity that brands an Indian for life at the moment of his birth. The higher castes may flaunt their caste through caste markings and last names and the lower ones may try to hide it except when it can be cashed in for favours like admissions, concessions or jobs. Egalitarian pretensions notwithstanding, caste has become an organizing principle of modern Indian society. It determines who will marry whom, who will eat with whom, who will touch whom, who will vote for whom and of late who will get into IIT!

CONGRESS SHOULD DISOWN RAJIV

2006-06-28T03:34:00.000+05:30

Congress as a political party and the main partner in UPA government should pass a resolution in distancing itself from the views of Rajiv Gandhi expressed during his speech in parliament in 1990 on Mandal report. It is in bad taste that congress is supporting reservation when its former leader & Prime Minister was opposed to it. Congress should disown Rajiv’s views on reservation or else it should stop supporting reservation. This political opportunism (double standards) of having one view when in opposition and then taking a 180 degrees opposite view after coming in the government is unethical.