Government Smart or Unscrupulous on Lokpal

Posted on July 2, 2011 by indra

Congress is trying to be smart, or perhaps unscrupulous. First Congress sidelined opposition and yielded to Anna who represents a part of India’s civil society in the face of a countrywide mass agitation. The opposition felt miserable but couldn’t do anything with civil society taking its space.

After agreeing to sit with members of civil society, it appeared pretty soon that those ministers were not very comfortable. With lot of bickering between the two parties seen on all the news channels and one boycott, India got two drafts of Lokpal Bill ready after nine sittings: one bill is that of five ministers of the government but not of the government, the other prepared by the representatives of civil society or of a section of that. Actually the members of civil society continued under a threat of being branded as uncooperative.

The government soon after the final meeting tried everything to demoralize and discredit the civil society including harassing the members of civil society through government investing agencies. Newspapers every day published something or other on Ramdev’s ill-gotten wealth. It was more than meanness. Even person such as Pranab Mukherji used bad words about the leaders of civil society. Kapil Sibal went on his mission to downgrade the civil society through articles in national dailies.

Now Congress wanted to make it something between political parties vs. civil society. Congress thought that will bring the affected class of politicians together

Surprisingly, the government after a meeting with its alliance partners has not prepared its own final draft that can be discussed with the opposition parties. It wants to place the two drafts to them and seek their views. This is to create a gap between the civil society and the opposition parties. With confusing statements from the Prime Minister who offers to include his office to be included but for the opposition of his cabinet colleagues, the government remains indecisive. The law minister and Mr. Kapil Sibal have kept on giving messy statement.

The opposition must insist on presenting a government bill in the all party meeting for discussion rather than discussing the two drafts.

It is unfortunate that the government is trying to blame civil society for all the mess it has created, whereas it would have come clean if it really wishes to have a strong and effective Lokpal to curb the cancerous growth of corruption from the system..

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PM Defends?

Posted on June 30, 2011 by indra

Unfortunately no transcript of what all went on in the first meeting of Manmohan Singh with select five editors, is available. However, his pretty long introductory note is available on Prime minister’s website that I went through and found really disgusting.

Manmohan Singh almost accuses media by his statement: ‘the role of the media today in many cases has become that of the accuser, the prosecutor and the judge.’ In a democracy and with perception of Ram Rajya as the target for good governance in the mind of the people of India, even one man can be ‘the accuser, the prosecutor and the judge’.

Unfortunately, Manmohan Singh lives in the past, and remains content with 50% score, whereas the next generation doesn’t want to get satisfied with anything less than 100%.

Manmohan’s reference to his Cambridge days reflects that:

“When I was a student at Cambridge, Sir Paul Chambers, who was then the Chairman of Imperial Chemical Industries, came and addressed us on who is a good manager, who will be considered by industry as a good manager.

He told our student group that, in an uncertain world in which we live in, if 5 out of 10 decisions that I take ex-ante turn out to be correct ex-post that would be considered as a job well done. If out of 10 decisions that I take, 7 turn out to be right ex-post that would be considered an excellent performance. But if you have a system which is required to perform 10 out of 10 cases I think no system can be effective and satisfy that onerous condition.”

Can it work in this era with severe global competition?

Perhaps, it is wrong to blame him. He has gone old. A younger leadership is a must today, be it Rahul or even Sonia Gandhi. Perhaps that’s the reason that presently most of the heads are younger persons. Persons like Manmohan can only be advisors to the prime minister, but not the prime minister or CEO himself.

Manmohan also doubts the effectiveness of CAG and committees such as JAC: “whether it is the Comptroller and Auditor General, whether it is a Parliamentary committee then they analyse post facto. They have a lot more facts which were not available to those who took the decision.” Is it not dangerous for the country that the PM have such poor notion about the constitutionally established agencies for providing the checks and balances?

Interestingly, Manmohan didn’t allow the TV channels to cover his meet with the five journalists. So when the journalists came out, the media men jumped on them with questions to know what happened. While listening to the invited journalists, I got a feeling that they were really elated by this exclusive honour to be with the prime minister and talked very high of the Prime minister’s dialogue and of even composure and the confidence shown. One thinks, he is very much in control.

Manmohan, however, have grabbed the headlines@ of all newspapers and also found a place in editorials today. It has happened, because Manmohan had after noises in press and even from his own ministers broken his silence. Otherwise it would have been a small news item somewhere in middle pages.For many, Manmohan broke his silence, but only just.. For some, Manmohan Singh failed to dispel policy paralysis fears.

Manmohan Singh agreed that his government is described as the most corrupt-ever, but he doesn’t have any magic wand to correct it. He claims, he is neither weak nor lame duck.

If Manmohan would have formed a drafting committee with main opposition parties and come out with a strong Lokpal Bill, Anna Hazare would not have appeared on the scene. If Manmohan would have taken some positive steps to seize or bring back the black money stashed in foreign banks or got an ordinance on the issue, Ramdev would not have grown as menace for him requiring police action of that scale on common people in midnight.

If Manmohan is not lame duck, will the forthcoming cabinet reshuffle exhibit it? Can he appoint some real efficient ministers, some even from outside the Congress such as NR Narayana Murthy? After all he was picked up for ministry as outsider. If Manmohan was innovative, he could have reengineered the portfolios and administration to leave back his lasting contribution.

Unfortunately, Manmohan is neither proactive nor he has any priority; otherwise he would have focused to get some really urgent bills such as the Land Acquisition one passed. This single bill is holding back the development of the country. Hundreds of projects have remained on paper for years with no land to proceed. If Manmohan would have been efficient, the sectors such as infrastructure= power, road, or healthcare and education would have been on booming.

Further, why could he not address the nation instead of talking with select five? Why can’t he instead of blaming opposition call them for a national debate? The nation would have loved to see a debate between him and Advani on national issues as it happens in US. With extensive penetration of TVs, it would have cleared the confusion from the minds of a large number of people.
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@‘No magic wand to banish corruption’, ‘Can’t return to licence permit raj, have a police state’, ‘My govt is being termed most corrupt ever’, ‘Buck stops with me’, and…

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A Discarded man, also a Prime Minister

Posted on June 29, 2011 by indra

“Today is the 91st birth anniversary of PV Narsingha Rao, one of most learned among the prime ministers of India who laid the reform in economic policies that has made the country respected globally? However, the country expressed it through just a small ad in just one national daily. Does it not reflect on Manmohan and his character?”

After putting the above entry on Facebook, I tried to do some research. Rao was perhaps the most learned prime minister after Nehru. He was a great linguist. “His mother tongue was Telugu and had an excellent grasp on Marathi. In addition to eight Indian languages, he spoke English, French, Arabic, Spanish, German, Greek, Latin and Persian.”

Images

I was surprised to find why Rao selected Manmohan Singh in a recent column in Times of India. “Rao wanted a non-political reformer at the centre of decision-making, who could be backed or dumped as required.” interestingly in one entry on Face book I have suggested the same for the forthcoming reshuffle.

Rao didn’t only get the Indian economy on fast track with many reforms, and gave the direction to the country’s foreign policy because of his experience of foreign ministry. Even in the political turmoil after the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, Rao managed to go for the full five years.

But why was he humiliated by Sonia clan? The simple answer: Rao didn’t keep Sonia in picture when he became prime minister. Why would have he done that?

One thing is but sure. Rao came from an ordinary rural family. Rao didn’t create a bank balance even good enough to lead a good life. He never promoted any of his offspring though he had a big family. H

Congress all these years had been a party of sycophants. Sitaram Kesari was another buffoon who might have conspired against Rao. After the death of Narsinhgha Rao, even as dead prime minister, he didn’t get the due respect. His body was not taken to Congress headquarter in Delhi. Is it not the meanness of the highest order of the persons responsible in Congress Party, and more so of Manmohan Singh who happened to be the prime minister, if not elected at least appointed, by then?

Manmohan Singh and his ministers keep on spending money of the exchequer on a large number of full page multi-colour advertisements from various ministry and government organizations on the birth and death anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi and Indira Gandhi. Does it not happen only to please Sonia Gandhi? Goddess Sonia never asks a question about this wastage in this country of millions of poor.

Do Sonia and Rahul consider that Rajiv has contributed more than PV and LB? How can the people of India keep on tolerating these dynastic extravaganzas?

However, party celebrations or ads will not make one bigger or one without that less relevant for the country.

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Rural India Needs Creation of Jobs

Posted on June 28, 2011 by indra

The increased yield over the years (that may not compare anywhere with China) and good minimum support price have made many young men in rural India aspiring for better life. They are finding solutions to the problems such as power where the government fails. They are getting installed solar plates and some even are going for diesel generators for getting electricity for domestic use. Cooking gas is replacing cooking on traditional cow dung cakes fast, as the number of cattle have reduced drastically because of tractors. Even Harendra, who works in Noida for us bought a small cylinder and stove for his wife who lives in his village. It’s easily available too locally. Biomass such as paddy husk has become another source of power generation.

I liked the new but growing spirit of entrepreneurship that is getting contagious in Rural India. The ownerships of some 10 harvester combines by the young men in my village, Pipra, amply show the risk that they are ready to take by investing about Rs 15 lakhs in each of these machines from Punjab. They are getting business minded. They are going out for business not only to the villages around, but they even take the machine to far distant places to MP where the wheat crop gets ready a little earlier. As I could learn from the driver who took us to Varanasi in his M&M’s Balero, some middlemen are engaged in finding business for the harvesters. They take their share.

Interestingly, I found one JCB earth moving machine parked this time in the village. On enquiry I was told, it goes for rental in road building work that is going on all over in the state.

I did also found a number of passenger vehicles of all models, though Mahindra’s SUVs are more popular, parked in and around the village. They were all for rental. Today one can rent and call any vehicle at any time just by a call from his cell phone.
My village of about 2500 population is having two rice mills of a ton per hour capacity that require somewhat high investment in the range of Rs. 25 to 30 lakh or more based on capacity. One of the mills that have come up in co-operative under the government scheme is using power from a prime mover that is partly run on the gas generated from paddy husk the by-product of the rice mills. The third mill is coming up. I wish these mills could run to its full capacity. It requires capital on credit and certain amount of training in business and marketing aspects.

But I saw all these entrepreneurial aspirations only in so-called upper categories of rural households. For the households traditionally dependent on menial work, the job opportunities are shrinking fast at least in the rural areas that I am acquainted with because of mechanization. There is hardly any agricultural work that goes on for the whole year for any menial worker. A maximum of one or two persons get engaged in some affluent families for household work including that of taking care of cattle if any. Only paddy transplantation and weeding still remain as manual, but as it is happening in Punjab perhaps the machines will very soon replace these also. Some significant rural innovations, such as one by integrating a hydraulic cylinder in the trailer trolley of a tractor for tilting it to download its content, are also are being indigenously developed.

Interestingly, the owners are not using the locals as the operators of the harvesters. A group of three persons comes from the machine manufacturers of Punjab well in advance in the harvesting seasons, get the machine ready, run it for the season, cover it and go away to return in next season.

With a little preplanning, the government sponsored MNREGA could have provided useful employment to some more unemployed youth. But MNREGA can’t be called an employment in real sense.

I wish the government could create a ‘women creativity centre’ in each village. The centre could provide training in various skills that help self employment and could double as a common workplace too. The traders and main manufacturers can outsource certain work that can be easily done in rural area and collected for marketing. But it can happen with only some external assistance may be from some NGOs. It’s necessary as one hardly finds any local leadership for such activities.

Unfortunately, the persons of different castes are still not getting into some trades because of social taboos and traditions. I remember how my aunty didn’t allow the extra milk to be sold through milk collection centre. And even today she will not be ready to grow vegetable for selling in market. A barber will not like to be a tailor and vice versa.

I wish the government brings certain change in the curricula and makes it compulsory to learn at least two employable trades before passing out class 10 from the village school. Every rural school, if necessary, can run in two shifts for developing various skills. For example, the country produces around 4 lakh commercial vehicles. That generates employment for at least 8 lakh skilled drivers of heavy vehicles. Has the country provided for training the number? Why can’t it be done in the villages to make the young men employable?

The government, management schools and NGOs must focus on finding ways and means to increase the opportunities of useful employment in rural India and making the young men and women employable along with the formal education.

Let me assert that as on today, whatever is happening in the rural India creating employment is mostly in spite of the government. Creating employment will be the biggest challenge as well as opportunity to take the country ahead and speed up the growth rate too.

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Manmohan Needs Exit Excuse

Posted on June 26, 2011 by indra

I don’t know the right word that I should use for Manmohan Singh. I want to add the word as prefix of ‘shameless’ or ‘pitiable’. I didn’t hold a post as high as he holds. But in my professional life of almost39 years, and that too in private companies, whenever I felt that I was not effective, I didn’t cling and left the job.

How can a person of Manmohan’s background keep sticking to this high a position when he is not in effective control and when this sort of situation is harming the nation? He is neither elected nor does he control his party. How can his conscience permit him to continue, as Sonia for her own strategic reason can’t tell him to go? As one journalist summarized, “Warding off corruption scams, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seems besieged. Ministerial rivalries appear uncontainable. Congress’s electoral health in major states is critical and UPA II’s contract with the middle class is cracking.”

I was going through a news report in Hindustan Times early morning today. It made me feel miserable and I can just have pity for Manmohan. How could he keep on hearing Congress’ member after member accusing him of the mess that his government created in handling of Anna as well as Ramdev? And all that happened when Sonia, his mentor was sitting and listening and didn’t ask any of her sycophants to stop accusing the government. And finally instead of putting up his papers, Manmohan accepted his responsibility: “As the head of the government, I take full responsibility of all the decisions taken for dealing with the civil society,” Can any respectable person reacts like this and cling to his post?

Even the media is getting almost restless about Manmohan. Many of the columnists who were having so high opinion about Manmohan Singh few years ago as hero of 1991 with impeccable record of honesty and integrity, have started questioning if all that is good enough today.

Manas Chakravarty wrote an article ‘Lost but not found’ in Hindustan Times and expresses his anguish. “Who is the guy at 7 Race Course Road? Opinion is divided about him being a robot or a double.”

T N Ninan in Business Standard wrote with a caption, ‘PM-in-hiding’. His government seems to be ‘paralyzed by inaction, and tarred with the corruption brush. It is because Dr Singh has not been true to his instincts, and too timid.’ How can a country at this moment afford such a prime minister?

After many years Swaminathan Aiyar reminds Indians to give Narshimha Rao the due credit of the 1991 reform that has wrongly but totally gone to Manmohan Singh. If Manmohan could perform then, why couldn’t he do in last 7 years? Who stops him from making just one railway station of the capital of a world class standard in last 7 years? How can the people of India keep Manmohan excusing for not finding a solution from farmers’ suicides even after rich harvest because there is no one to buy it because of the government policies? How can the people allow the government to sleep while the growth rate slips away?

And the columnists have started providing the alternatives. One asks, ‘Will Pranab-da finally become PM?’ As reported in Times of India, ‘last Sunday, Digvijay Singh dropped a clear hint that the top job could now return to a Gandhi scion.’ And this Singh is supposed to be close to Rahul and Sonia, though I don’t know the reason for it. Is he the best in the Congress party? He has been given the freedom to make any statement about any person or party on behalf of Congress. Does he do all that without a silent consent from Sonia? Many a times it appears that these columns are being planted and paid to make Manmohan read and react, and oblige someone by friendly exit. Manmohan is not the best choice for Congress today to save itself.

How can a senior minister such as Chidambaram say that Manmohan would have spoken on Lokpal Bill? How can Pranab realize after going to meet Ramdev on PM’s instruction that he wouldn’t have done it?

Manmhoan must exhibit his statesmanship and get the esteem of the people back by taking an honourable exit.

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Kapil Sibal- Rhetoric, Hyperbole or Simply Bakwas

Posted on June 25, 2011 by indra

I don’t know if there is any law that can prosecute a minister that too a rising star like Kapil Sibal for spreading falsehood that he has been doing with all his vigour as the chief negotiator and the spokesman on the Lokpal Bill. If there is any why should not some activists go for a PIL? As soon as he took over the telecom ministry he came out with his ‘theory of zero loss.’ Why should he not be taken to task when so many highly placed people are in Tihar?

On Lokpal Bill Kapil came out with many arguments why can’t the office of the prime minister be put under Lokpal and finally he roared to impress the public at large-“Which PM in office anywhere has been prosecuted in the world?” Rajinder Sachar, a civil rights activist and the former Chief Justice of Delhi in today’s lead article in Hindustan times has replied to all his arguments. And that was the reason that I had been requesting the media to arrange a debate between two equals for stopping Kapil Sibal’s bakwas to misguide the common men and women of the country. Sachar writes, “Sibal (is) not being ably assisted by his public relations officer. Otherwise, he would have certainly been told about the present Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, being prosecuted before a magistrate on charges of corruption. Earlier, proceedings were started in France against the then president, Jacques Chirac, for misappropriation of public money.”

Sachar further exposes Kapil Sibal: “The near contempt of the people protesting against corruption was shown by Sibal when he compared Hazare “to the Pied Piper of Hamelin (see images)”. Interestingly, Sibal did not continue the metaphor as those in the story who followed the Pied Piper were rats and children who were led to drown in the sea. So much for the aam admi being the repository of the nation’s hopes.”

I wish every person interested in the issue of Lokpal Bill read Sachar’s article. And a person Kapil Sibal doesn’t deserve to be a senior minister. It is unfortunate that the government of Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi are encouraging persons like Kapil Sibal and Digvijay Singh for a wrong cause. As many say, Kapil represents Manmohan and Digvijay Sonia.

And now Law minister Veerappa Moily has come out with another confusing statement: The government draft on the Lokpal Bill had been “evolved” after the nine meetings of the joint drafting committee and would be one considered for further consultations. The Team Anna draft was “at best a dissent note”

One can just pity with the strategy of this government and the leading political party whose general secretary openly threatens Hazare to face the same what Ramdev experienced.

As Anna group approached Advani to explain their stand in the process of involving all the political parties, unscrupulously, the Congress party is branding Anna as backed by RSS and BJP.

The country men must ask Congress a simple question- how does it matter who backs Anna or Ramdev? The people will back those who can find the right treatment of the cancerous corruption and eliminate the black money from the economy that is causing immense misery for the aam adami. If RSS and BJP are antinational that Congress keeps on projecting, why doesn’t it ban them?

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Is India Rich or Poor?

Posted on June 24, 2011 by indra

India is strange in many ways. Perhaps the question of it being rich or poor may not be right one. But as a person like me goes through various views about India as economic power or about its GDP and its growth, he gets more and more confused. According to an economic map of India, roughly shows Maharashtra GDPs to be comparable to Latin American nations but, per capita, closer to those of African states. What will be status of a state like Bihar and its people?

However, as reported, according to a World Wealth Report by Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management (MLGWM) and Capgemini, it is the second straight year in which India’s HNI population growth has been among the top 12, and more surprisingly, “India’s HNI population grew at 20.8 per cent to 153,000 compared with 126,700 in 2009.” The growth rate is the highest, higher than even China.

The country has appointed the Centre for the Advanced Study of India (CASI) in the University of Pennsylvania to count the Dalits who have a business of Rs 1 crore or more. Perhaps the reason for using an outside agency is to eliminate any bias of the domestic agency. So far, 500 or so have been profiled in the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, the National Capital Region of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. The number may look good but please remember there are 166 million Dalits in the country. But will it present a right picture? Will the agency also conduct a survey of Brahmins? In India, traditionally, a few castes were rich and engaged in business.

Indian government allows huge amount of grains to rot in open or in the Government’s shoddy warehouses (images). Neither the planning commission nor NAC that has fathered the Food Security Bill could neither find an amicable solution so that the grains instead of rotting reach the kitchens of several hundred millions of poor Indians nor decide a policy of right inventory management in last 50 years. Why should 65 million tonnes of wheat and rice at last count, be kept a buffer stock to meet eventuality adding to the fiscal burden through high carrying costs, apart from pilferage and quality deterioration? Why can’t there be a continuous process of export and import work and make good business out of the produce? With 65 million tonnes, are we not rich but hungry? With each passing month, every tonne of grain stored with the government would cost Rs 200 a tonne more. As reported, a part of the current wheat stocks is about three years old and on which the carrying cost is as high as Rs 7,200 per tonne.

How can a country be poor when an old-time auto manufacturer that currently makes only commercial vehicles launches a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) in 2012 that will be positioned above the Toyota Innova and spends Rs 1000 crore for product development?

How can a country still remain poor when just one airline firms up its order for 72 planes making India the single largest buyer of the aircraft?

Why should not India take advantages of its strong areas in agriculture as clear from recent decision to export? As reported, the white sugar contract for August delivery at London fell from Wednesday’s closing price of $ 739.90 a tonne, following the news of India’s permitting an additional five lakh tonnes of exports – over and above a similar quantity for which the formal approval notification was issued on April 19.

Can India be a poor country when the empire built by late Sathya Sai Baba worth $8 billion besides the crores in cash and few more crores worth of gold and silver in his personal room? And how can we forget another billionaire in Ramdev, who may even be in the list of government’s BPL list?

And all this makes me believe the peptalk in the rounds of morning walk. “Mr. Sharma, can you guess how many employees in Noida authority are crorepati?” “Any IAS worth less than Rs 100 crore is considered a fool these days.” “The queen’s daily collection of booty from all over the state is Rs 700 crore.” “Amar Singh ran away with Rs 40,000 crore of Mulayam Singh.” Even today’s Hindustan, Patna carries a news of confiscation of Rs 48 lakh worth of properties of a clerk on its front page.

Can India be still called poor?

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Has Opposition been sidelined by Congress?

Posted on June 22, 2011 by indra

The whole country was discussing Lokpal, corruption and black money in last few months. But politically it appeared it as a summit of five ministers and five members of civil society belonging to Anna Hazare. Let me confess I did not know much about most of the members of Anna Hazare team, even Anna Hazare before his fast. There will be many like me. But over these months, the five have become nation’s icons.

Congress carefully and unscrupulously sidelined the opposition particularly BJP and leftists in this game on subjects of national importance. And there was hardly any hue and cry from them. They would have certainly demanded their inclusions. It was their democratic right.

The leftists were and are still demoralized with unprecedented loss in the recent assembly election, particularly in West Bengal. And since the disappearance of Atal from the active politics, BJP is confused without a clear head. Imposition of RSS nominated president has further damaged its creditability. It’s fighting its own internal war of Munde and Gadkari and issuing some totally nonsensical views such as one on the ailing Pakistani doctor.

Justice Markandeya Katju of the Supreme Court had requested Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to release the Pakistani prisoner on “humanitarian grounds” under Article 72. Why should BJP oppose it? Why can’ it keep quiet?

BJP rather NDA under Atal had already done some work on Lokpal. It could have asserted its position publicly on the line coming from civil society at opportunate time. It would have deputed its best spokesman to counter Kapil Sibal’s endeavours to steal the show as sole hero fighting against corruption.

I don’t know how BJP will participate in all party meeting on Lokpal Bill that UPA is going to call. UPA will try to thrust its version, but will be more than ready to incorporate some suggestions from the opposition parties to make it look a strong Lokpal Bill and take it to the people as one of its trump card for cashing in on their votes.(Here are the links for both versions-Read: Team Anna’s draft of Lokpal Bill) | Read: Government’s version of Lokpal Bill)

BJP, the party wishing and waiting to win the next general election, must set its house right and deal with this bill in a manner that can make it more acceptable to the civil society and the mid dle class who wish it more than anyone else.BJP must take its position on Lokpal Bill seriously. Its position may make a big impact. Why can’t they make its stand on the issues that have created breakup of the talk between government and civil society?

I can say BJP has much better spokespersons on TV these days, unlike repulsive ones from Congress. BJP must make its presence felt on national issues but must not get allured to give its views on every petty issue. It is better to talk less even as politician.

Why can’t BJP decide about the person who will lead the nation in next general election or go for a small shadow

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News Channels Encourage Political Campaigning

Posted on June 20, 2011 by indra

Sundays are really bad for me. Most entertainment channels show crazy films or repeat of meaningless serials. However, I like two programmes on Hindi as well as English channels of NDTV- ‘Humlog’ and ‘We the People’.

But this Sunday I found Barkha Dutt’s replaying of ‘The Buck stops here’- an interview with Kapil Sibal who has singlehandedly taken the mission of projecting the members of Anna Hazare for the drafting of Lokpal bill as irrational and immature bunch of persons who hardly represent the civil society that they claim. Kapil Sibal had all the right answers for Barkha’s questions. On CNN-IBN with Karan Thapar, Kapil Sibal did the campaigning of the righteousness of the government’s proposal on Lokpal with the same aggression and enthusiasm.

I only question the anchors about the rationality of such a programme when the other side is not there to put up their views. For example, Kapil Sibal gave the rationale of not including PM and the high judiciary in Lokpal Bill narrating situations that can create problem for the country. For a lay man like me Kapil Sibal may be right. But then when I read the views of Santosh Hegde himself a judge, I appreciate the views of Anna group better. I am sure persons such as NR Narayan Murthy and many other have better understanding and they also vouch for the views of Anna team.

Why do the channel and the anchor invite a brilliant advocate such as Kapil Sibal to unilaterally campaign the government views at this juncture when the final meeting was coming today? Instead the channel could have asked Anna to send his representative to counter Kapil Sibal’s views. Alternatively, it would have invited some independent advocates such Ram Jethmalani or Harish Dave or someone else, if not Arun Jaitley on the programme, who could have questioned Kapil Sibal.

I wish the media design their programme to present views that help the people making their mind without any bias,

To me the prigramme looked like the long ad of Mayawati government that is being aired these says. Mayawati would have paid huge amount for the ad. Interestingly, Kapil Sibal and his party are getting it free courtesy channel ownerships for some unknown benefits.

However, I don’t think the government is going to agree to the views of Anna and his team, and will allow it to get the credit for coming out with an effective bill. All the ministers in drafting committee consider themselves supermen and have hardly any respect for the members of Anna team. Sonia’s curt reply to Anna’s letter replyimg shows her respect for any person who is on the other side.

I wish the people of India and aam aadami understand the conspiracy clearly.

PS: NDTV catches hold of Anna Team

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Manmohan vs. Sonia and Civil Society

Posted on June 18, 2011 by indra

All the maneuvers of congress leaders in last few days have come only for grabbing the credit of instituting anti-corruption bill called Local Bill that the country as whole saw going to the credit of Anna Hazare.

Even if Congress and Sonia don’t like Anna and Ramdev to get the credit of bringing the national issue of corruption and black money stashed by unscrupulous Indians in foreign banks, the countrymen are not fool to give the Congress the credit.

Looking back it appears that series of scams first demoralized the UPA 2 and then put the government on the defensive. PM appealed to Anna and then yielded to his demand to include members of civil society in drafting committee and that also through a notification. He could have requested Anna only for the matter of inclusions in act that they wanted. In case of Ramdev PM again took a childlike approach by sending four of his ministers.

As it is clear Somia and Manmohan have different views on many issues these days. After the airport flop attempt by Manmohan’s team, Sonia brought in party and Digvijay to take the initiative in her own hand. It was Sonia that made the Delhu police to go for midnight police operation against Ramdev that the whole country watched. Ramdev was crushed. All investigating agencies have gone after Ramdev. Digvijay Singh has suddenly become the most visible face of Congress. It was he who accompanied Sibal to Manmohan’s residence before the press conference of ministers in drafting committee after the meeting with the members of the civil society on June 16.

Congress first excluded the opposition, be it BJP or BSP, to avoid any credit going to them and invited social for the drafting committee to give an impression of accommodating the will of people. And now with many accusations against the members of civil society Congress wants to grab the credit to its own fold.

Congress must understand that civil society contributed significantly in the making of the Indian constitution. It’s necessary for any good government to take civil society on its side to get the menace of corruption and black money killed. Let the Congress not make it a game to build its own image just to win the next election. It’s not only its allies such as Mamata and Omar Abadullah but even the opposition must make to participate, contribute and share the credit to make the image of country regarding corruption respectable among global community.

Congress is keen to strip the duo-Anna’s team members and Ramdev of the tag of “civil society representatives”. It’s shortsightedness.

It’s unfortunate that the nation has not got the views of the trio- Sonia, Manmohan and Rahul, that is effectively ruling the country today through any address to the nation or televised press conference. Do they think themselves too big or are they afraid? Why should not the nation hear them in a debate on the issue of corruption and black money that is of critical national importance?
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Information: ‘Over the Years’ is my photo autobiography. You can click and access, and perhaps assess.

PS: As Shekhar Gupta of Express writes, “This has been a remarkably unique period in our political history, where three seniormost leaders of the establishment have not been speaking to us, the people, as a matter of policy and strategy. It is not working.”

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