End the 'war', talk to Maoists, PUDR says

New Delhi, May 31 (IANS) The People's Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR) Friday urged the central and state governments to talk to Maoists in order to end the "war" raging in the vast Bastar region in Chhattisgarh.

The PUDR said the Maoist attack in the state May 25 that left some 30 people dead "is the latest in the series of killings in the undeclared war the Indian government is waging against our own people".

It said in a statement that many of the victims of the war were poor adivasis or tribals killed by security forces. PUDR called upon people to bring pressure on the ruling parties in New Delhi and in the nine state governments waging the war to de-escalate the militarization of the region and show a commitment towards dialogue.

"We hope that the deaths of 30 people (May 25) and of hundreds of people in the past eight years are sufficient reason for people to recognize the absurdity of this war."

PUDR also asked the central government "to shed its policy of deniability and accept that it is engaged in an internal war. "And we ask both sides to abide by the rules that govern war," it said.

The May 25 ambush of a convoy of Congress vehicles killed, among others, the Chhattisgarh president of the Congress and Mahendra Karma, who headed Salwa Judum, a militia that fought the Maoists.

While agree that talk is the only solution but I believe that unless the government makes a conscious effort to root out corruption from all walks of life they cannot satisfy the poor.

Are the poor blind or deaf that they cannot see the all round corruption existing?

Will they be satisfied with just talks.

This government has been an utter failure in curbing corruption - not that the BJP government has been any better as we saw in Karnataka. People tell me that it has become a part of life and I should accept it.

Why should I?

Corruption starts from the top.

If the rulers in Delhi can announce with a straight face that they will not be corrupt themselves, it will percolate down.

The Prime Minister regrets that the Opposition parties did not allow important bill to be passed.

But who is responsible?

The Opposition had asked for the resignations of two ministers Ashwini Kumar and Pawan Bansal and then they would allow Parliament to function.

The Congress asked the two to resign but only after Parliament was adjourned prematurely.

If the resignations had been taken a few days earlier, those important bills may have been passed.

No differences with Sonia Gandhi: PM Manmohan Singh

ONBOARD PM'S SPECIAL AIRCRAFT: Rejecting reports of a rift between him and Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday asserted that there was no truth in it as the two worked together almost on all issues.

"In all truthfulness, there is no difference of opinion between me and the Congress president," he told reporters on his way back from the five-day visit to Japan and Thailand.

"We work together on almost every issue and where consultations are needed, I consult the Congress president," he said.

He was responding to a question about perception of a trust deficit and divergences between him and Gandhi.

"This perception that on certain issues there were differences of opinion, there is no truth in that," he said.

He was also asked whether Gandhi had nudged him against his wishes to get the resignation of Ashwani Kumar as law minister and whether he faced a tough situation when CBI director Ranjit Sinha named a joint secretary in the PMO as having made changes in the agency's affidavit to the Supreme Court on Coalgate but the Prime Minister did not spell out his response to this.

A hen-pecked husband was asked whether he always followed his wife's advice.

Indignantly, he said, "No! and I have my wife's permission to say so"

Sachin Speaks on Spot Fixing in Cricket

Sachin Tendulkar on Friday said it hurts when cricket is in the news for the wrong reasons. He urged the authorities to take measures to stamp out the evil aspect of the glorious game.

In a statement released through an agency, Tendulkar said: “It has always hurt me when the game of cricket is in the news for the wrong reasons. The developments in the last two weeks have been shocking and disappointing. As cricketers we are always taught to go out, fight hard, give our very best and play in the true spirit of the game. During this difficult phase, I join every cricketer, from the boys and girls in the maidans across the country to those who represent clubs, States and the country, who trust the authorities to take sincere steps to get to the root of the issue. The faith reposed by the millions of fans should be justified and we owe it to them to ensure that Indian cricket is all about pride and joy.’’

Unlike Dhoni who was tongue-tied when asked about the spot fixing, Schin did not hesitate to give his views.

Sachin is on the verge of retirement, he has played his innings and his stature is so high that he can afford to air his views unlike Dhoni who still has many more innings to play.

However, Sachin has never been shy and has not even hesitated to answer back to Bal Thackeray.

What surprises me is even Sharad Pawar has said that Srinivasan should resign.

Something like the karai calling the tawa black ot living in glass houses and throwing stones.

Legalise betting in cricket, says Farooq Abdullah

Srinagar, May 28 (IANS) Betting in cricket should be legalised, union Renewable Energy Minister Farooq Abdullah said here Tuesday said while coming out in defence of cricket board president N. Srinivasan.

"If betting is legal elsewhere why shouldn't it be legalised in India as well," the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and ruling National Conference patron told reporters on the sidelines of an event in Ganderbal.

He came out in strong defence of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president N. Srinivasan, whose son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan has been arrested for his alleged involvement in spot fixing Indian Premier League matches. Meiyappan is chief of the Chennai Super Kings team.

"Tomorrow, if my son-in-law is found involved in something why should I be blamed," Abdullah asked amid rising speculation over whether Srinivasan would quit.

Abdullah, a member of the BCCI, said the present structure of the board should continue.

Asked whether he would like to head the BCCI, he said: "No, I am now too old for that."

Several bookies as well as three Rajasthan Royals players, including S. Sreesanth, have been arrested for their alleged involvement in spot fixing.

Our leaders are in the habit of comparing what is available abroad and wanting the same in India - for the bad points.

Why don't they compare for the good points?

Why don't they show the same intolerance for corruption as is shown by those governments?

Why don't they strive for the same cleanliness in civic life and inculcate the same civic sense as those people?

In Singapore spitting or throwing litter on the streets is punishable.

Chewing gum is banned there.

My grandson and granddaughter have been admitted to two schools in the USA without having to pay any donation fees.

The first was a cooperative private school.

However, since the school did not have a bus service they will be shifting them to a public school with bus service.

The public school is really good and not like our government run schools which are controlled by the unions.

Our ministers are asking for legalizing betting saying that it will bring revenue to the government - just like the liquor industry.

Next they will be asking to legalize bribery so that the government gets a cut from both the giver and the taker.

SC caution on delay in graft cases involving public servants

New Delhi, May 29 (IANS) The Supreme Court has said that in corruption cases involving public servants, the courts should guard against hyper-technical contentions and decide the issues with promptness, shunning the attempt to drag the cases.

Urging the courts to be prompt and guard against hyper-technical contention, the court said: "It should be borne in mind that historically corruption is a disquiet disease for healthy governance. It has the potentiality to stifle the progress of a civilised society. It ushers in an atmosphere of distrust."

"Corruption fundamentally is perversion and infectious and an individual perversity can become a social evil," the court said.

"We have said so as we are of the convinced view that in these kind of matters there has to be reflection of promptitude, abhorrence for procrastination, real understanding of the law and to further remain alive to differentiate between hyper-technical contentions and the acceptable legal proponements," said the apex court bench of Justice B.S. Chauhan and Justice Dipak Misra Tuesday.

"It is the duty of the court that the matters are appropriately dealt with on proper understanding of law of the land. Minor irregularities or technicalities are not to be given Everestine status," said Justice Dipak Misra who authored the judgment.

"The flimsy technicalities cannot be allowed to become tools in the hands of an accused," the court said.

The court said this while setting aside a Bombay High Court order refusing to grant leave to the CBI to file appeal against a trial court order which acquitted accused Mahesh G. Jain in a case of accepting an illegal gratification of Rs.1,000 from the complainant for giving a tax deduction at source certificate to a man who was supplying vehicles to State Bank of India on hire.

The trial judge while adverting to all the issues and answering all of them in affirmative against the accused, acquitted him solely on the ground that the sanction order (by the sanctioning authority) was defective and illegal and that went to the very root of jurisdiction of the court.

The apex court also set aside the conclusion of the trial court judge pertaining to the validity of sanction.

Remitting the matter to the high court, the apex court said" "True it is, grant of sanction is a sacrosanct and sacred act and is intended to provide a safeguard to the public servant against vexatious litigation but simultaneously when there is an order of sanction by the competent authority indicating application of mind, the same should not be lightly dealt with."

Having cautioned the courts below to guard against flimsy technicalities, the court said: "At this stage, we think it apposite to state that while sanctity attached to an order of sanction should never be forgotten but simultaneously the rampant corruption in society has to be kept in view."

It has come to the notice of this Court, the judgment said: "How adjournments are sought in a maladroit manner to linger the trial and how at every stage ingenious efforts are made to assail every interim order."

The court said that in the factual matrix of the case: "We must say without any iota of hesitation that the approach of the learned trial judge as well as that of the learned single judge is wholly incorrect and does not deserve acceptance."

As Neil Armstrong said on taking the first step on the moon, this is one step for the fight against corruption in India.

The sanctioning authority which is usually some office in the government uses this power to scuttle all corruption cases.

Now that the CBI is being made independent (let us hope), the sanction to prosecute should be made time bound.

The sanction should be given within one month and if it is not given, reasons should be given as to why the sanction was not given.

No sitting on the file should be allowed.

UP announces compensation for kin of terror accused

Lucknow, May 27 (IANS) The Uttar Pradesh government has announced financial compensation of Rs.600,000 to the family of Khalid Mujahid, the serial blast accused, who died last week.

Mujahid, a prime accused in the serial blasts that rocked Uttar Pradesh courts in 2007, collapsed May 18 and later died while returning from a hearing at Faizabad court to the Lucknow prison where he was lodged.

Family members accused 42 senior cops, including former director general of police Vikram Singh, of conspiring to murder Mujahid.

While a first information report (FIR) was lodged at the insistence of family members, the state government recommended a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the circumstances leading to his death after Muslim groups slammed the Samajwadi Party (SP) for failing to protect minorities. The CBI has so far not taken up the matter.

"This is not only bizarre but anti-national that a person facing terror charges is being glorified by giving his family ex-gratia compensation," said Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Vijay Bahadur Pathak.

He accused the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) of "crossing all limits to appease the minority vote bank". Stating that Mujahid had not been cleared of terror charges, Pathak asked why the SP was treating him like a martyr.

Congress leaders have slammed the chief minister for saying that Mujahid died of some disease.

"If the chief minister knows that the terror accused died of some ailment, why did he recommend a CBI probe at all?" asked Shakeel Ahmad, senior Congress leader.

I won't give any comments.

I will let the readers decide for themselves why terrorism has not been controlled in India.

We reward our terrorists while USA does not even allow them to enter USA.

Crush Maoist terrorism, says Thackeray

Mumbai, May 27 (IANS) Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray Monday said there was need to "crush" the terror unleashed by "Maoist devils" in several states of India.

In an editorial piece in the party's mouthpiece Saamna, Thackeray condemned the Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh that virtually left the state Congress headless and said the treatment meted out to terrorists like Ajmal Amir Kasab and Afzal Guru should also extend to those responsible for Saturday's strike.

"They should be slapped with the same stringent laws that deal with Indian Mujahideen, Laskhar-e-Taiba, Al Qaeda or other anti-national religious forces," Thackeray said.

"State and central governments should take the strongest possible action to crush the Maoist devils," Thackeray said.

The terror strike on Saturday, conducted by a large number of Maoists lying in ambush in the thickly forested Darbha Valley in Bastar, targeted a Congress convoy and left about 30 dead, including state Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel and his son as well as senior leader Mahendra Karma.

Chhattisgarh is bound for assembly elections later this year, and its ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's Vikas Yatra and the opposition Congress' Parivartan Yatra have both been opposed by the Maoists.

At least 25 people were injured in the attack on Saturday, among them 84-year-old former union minister V.C. Shukla.

The Congress has alleged that the ruling BJP did not provide the party yatra adequate security.

"Instead of such politicking, all concerned must united tackle the Maoist menace which has created mayhem in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, besides Chhattisgarh where hundreds of innocent lives of people and security forces have been lost," Thackeray said.

He recalled how recently, Maoists did not allow village panchayat elections to be conducted in Chandrapur, where they publicly beheaded a village sarpanch as a warning to others.

"When the Pakistani army beheaded Indian soldiers, there was a national uproar, but when Maoists resort to similar actions in our country, we chose to ignore it."

The Sena chief pointed out that in China, the former (chairman) Mao Zedong's dictatorial rule was marked by brutality which destroyed that country's social and cultural fabric.

"When realisation dawned on the Chinese that flashing guns and making speeches do not usher in progress and prosperity, they threw the doors open for foreign investments. But, the Maoists in China did not react to this like Indian Maoists who indulge in kidnappings, brutal killings, extortion, and terrorism to garner national-international sympathy," Thackeray said.

He further said that in neighbouring Nepal, Maoists managed to capture power, but the revolution was rendered rudderless. "There is more misery and poverty in that country than before, and now the Maoists are talking of bringing democracy in Nepal."

Thackeray said it is time to stop talking about the financial problems which fuel Maoism since dying farmers in Vidarbha or the drought-hit in Marathwada did not take to armed rebellion and attack officials.

"Maoism is as cruel, brutal and terrible as Islamic terror, and they have access to sophisticated arms and ammunition by which they want to break up the country," Thackeray said.

Udhav Thackeray is from the mainline political parties like the Congress and the BJP.

We cannot expect that he or any of the other political will appreciate what the marxists have done.

However, ask the common man who has been witness to the loot and plunder that these politicians have been carrying out in India.

I am sure the common man supports the marxists.

See the result.

Even the BCCI president refuses to resign although he has been caught with his pants down.

Does he expect Indians to believe that his son-in-law was spending crores on betting and he was not aware of it.

Like the mother who did not slap her son when he stole a pencil in school and the son was finally convicted for murder Mr. Srinivasan did not snub his son-in-law when he went off the track.

In the interest of fair enquiry, Srinivasan should resign.

He is holding on to his seat just like Ashwini Kumar and Pawan Bansal untill they were finally forced out.

Who will force out Srinivasan?

Confucious Says

Harold & Roger, two Newfie Engineers, were standing at the base of a flagpole, looking up. A woman walks by and asks what they were doing. 'We're supposed to find the height of dis here flagpole says Harold, but we gots no jesus ladder'

The woman took a wrench from her purse, loosened a couple of bolts, and laid the pole on the ground. Then she took a tape measure from her purse, took a measurement and proudly announced 'twenty one feet, six inches' and walked away.

Roger just shakes his head and laughed, ' lord tunderin Harold, just like a woman, we want the height and she gives us the godamn length'.

Some Modern thoughts of Confucious

It's okay to let a fool kiss you, but don't let a kiss fool you.

A kiss is just shopping upstairs for downstairs merchandise.

It is better to lose a lover than love a loser.

Man with a broken condom is called a Daddy.

Man who mix Viagra and Ex-Lax, doesn’t know if he's coming or going.

A drunken man's words are a sober man's thoughts.

Marriage is like a bank account. You put it in, you take it out, and you lose interest.

Viagra is like Disneyland... a one hour wait for a 2-minute ride.

It is much better to want the mate you do not have than to have the mate you do not want.

A joke is like sex. Neither is any good if you don't get it.

Hooker

A new standard in First Lady fashion.

My God, Jackie Kennedy must be rolling over in her grave. I also wonder what the Bushes thought after seeing this???

$1,596,899.49 to attend a one day national event dressed like a hooker.

Many thanks to the 51% that voted them back in!

Sent by Prakash Bhartia

I was just wondering what our Didi would have done to me if I had put such a picture of her on our blog

Karma was reportedly shot in cold blood by Maoists

By ANI Raipur, May 26 (ANI): Tribal Congress leader Mahendra Karma, who organised the anti-Naxalite "Salwa Judum" movement in Chhattisgarh, was reportedly shot dead in cold blood in Saturday's Maoist attack in a forested area of Jagdalpur in the state's Sukma District.

Suspected Maoists had the strategic advantage of surprise and location when they launched their attack in a deeply forested area of the Dharba Valley of Sukma District.

Media reports said that it was a meticulously planned assault.

Reports said the attackers first triggered a landmine blast on the narrow two-lane highway near the Keshkal Falls situated between Jagdalpur and Sukma, and then rained bullets on the Congress convoy from a height.

The land-mine blast was aimed at the second vehicle in the convoy blocking the route. The Maoists then opened fire from the adjoining hill tops of the Keshkal Hills.

Although the security forces fired back, they soon exhausted their ammunition and were cornered. The Maoists then pulled out Karma from his vehicle and killed him at point blank range.

Chief Minister Raman Singh said: "This is not an attack on a particular party, but an attack on democracy."

Eyewitnesses said that the Maoists also seized the mobile phones of all Congress leaders before escaping from the scene of their attack. Former Border Security Force Director General E.N. Rammohan, described the Maoist ambush as unfortunate.

"The whole area should have been sanitized before VIP movement. Only once the route is cleared, the convoy should move. They should have been sent well ahead of the convoy," Rammohan said.

"The government should ask why civilians took up arms. If the government finds that they have done something wrong, it should be rectified. The caste system is one of the reasons behind civilians taking up arms. The government has failed to protect the civilians. Lower caste people don't own land in many states. The Adivasis has been pushed back to the forest by the people," he added.

Karma had survived an assassination attempt last year, and had Z plus security.(ANI)

I sympathise with the families of those killed in the attack.

However, I have no sympathy for those who have been killed.

They are part of the system that has been looting the people and the country with the active connivance of politicians, the police and the criminals.

See how O P Chauthala looted the nation in the teachers scam and Robert Vadhra looted the land from the people with the connivance of DLF and Chief Minister Hooda.

Chauthala is already out of jail to enjoy his loot.

Vadhra was not even jailed, because he is the son-in-law of Sonia Gandhi.

So if Chauthala or Hooda or Vadhra are killed by some of the people in frustration, I wouldn't blame them.

I would call it natural justice.

By the way isn't the loot which these people do confiscated.

Bihar has started doing so, but that is only an eye-wash to show the people.

There too, if 1000 crore is looted, only about 10 crore is confiscated.

I have said it earlier and am repeating.

When the injustice increases people will take up arms.

These poor people are already dead for all practical purposes so they may take a few of us while being killed.

A few Maoist may have been killed in the last few weeks but now they have exterminated 17 Congressmen yesterday. In this case they were Congressmen, they could very well have been BJP men.

Both the parties are part of the system - two sides of one coin.

The CM says it is an attack on Democracy.

How well said for democracy has come to mean government by the politicians, of the politicians and for the politicians.

Surely, this is an attack on democracy.

The poor policemen were killed because they were accompanying democracy.

Women misuse rape law to force lovers to marry them: Court

New Delhi, May 25 (IANS) Penal provisions on rape have been misused by some women who develop consensual physical relationship with their lovers and after the breakup file false rape cases to force them to marry them, the Delhi High Court has said.

Justice Kailash Gambhir said rape law was often misused by women as weapon for "vengeance and vendetta" to harass and blackmail their male friends by filing false cases to extort money and to force them to marry them.

"Many of the cases are being reported by those women who have consensual physical relationship with a man but when the relationship breaks due to one reason or the other, the women use the law as a weapon for vengeance and personal vendetta to extort money and sometimes even to force the boy to get married to them," the court said in a recent order.

"Out of anger and frustration, they tend to convert such consensual sex as an incident of rape, defeating the very purpose of the provision," Justice Gambhir said, while hearing a case related to a woman's complaint against her lover in Rani Bagh area July 13, 2012. The rape complaint was filed against Rohit Chauhan, who was allegedly in a relationship with the woman for three years. The court said that in many cases the woman first agrees to have consensual sex but she files a rape case against her boyfriend when the relationship breaks up in order to "force him to get married, making not only mockery of the marriage but also inflate the statistics of rape cases".

A trial court must cautiously examine the intentions of a complainant girl to find out whether the rape allegation was genuine or had malafide motives.

"There is a clear demarcation between rape and consensual sex and in cases where such controversies are involved, the court must very cautiously examine the intentions of both the individuals involved and to check if even the girl, on the other hand, is genuine or had malafide motives."

"Cases like these not only make a mockery of the sacred institution of marriage but also inflate the statistics of rape cases which further deprecates our own society," the court said.

The above judgement of Justice Gambhir is most appropriate.

Unfortunately our legislators have gone overboard in empowering women to such an extent that the wicked among them are conniving to harass men just to earn quick money.

Recently there was a true incident depicted in one of the crime shows where one lady with her parents had made it a habit of marrying and then within one year filing an FIR in the local police stations claiming harassment and torture.

The police would arrest the in-laws and the husband.

She would then demand a substantial sum, exceeding 10 lakhs to withdraw the case and give a divorce and then move on to another city.

She thus married thrice, through Shaadi.com in three different cities.

In the first two cities she collected about 30 lakhs but in the third city, the husband refused to pay.

He made enquiries through Shaadi.com and came to know the facts.

The lady and her family were jailed for three years.

In Bangalore a girl had and affair with one person and married a second person.

After marriage, the girl continued with her affair as she frequently went back to her parents home.

When her spouse found out of the affair, he naturally asked for divorce.

The girl said she would give divorce if he coughed up Rs five lakhs otherwise she would file a case under 398A.

The person became so frustrated at the girls insistence of Rs 5.0 lakhs that he murdered her.

Just two days ago in Bengal, a husband committed suicide owing to harassment by his wife and in-laws.

I would suggest certain checks and balances be made in 398A so that it is not misused by these conniving, wicked ladies to earn a quick buck.

Kamal Nath says BCCI president should resign

New Delhi, May 25 (ANI): Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath on Saturday said the Board of Cricket Control in India President N. Srinivasan has lost all his credibility and should resign.

Demanding his resignation, Nath further said, "He allied with his family and executed match-fixing. Whatever has happened is sad and people have lost all trust from the game they love. The government is working on the entire issue to bring in stringent laws to curb dishonesty."

Meanwhile, a defiant N. Srinivasan said that he had done nothing wrong with regard to the Indian Premier League, and categorically refused to resign from his position.

New Delhi, May 24 (ANI): Describing cricket as an important and popular game, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) spokesman D.Tripathi on Friday called for the resignation of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president N.Srinivasan on moral grounds in the wake of his son-in-law and Chennai Super Kings Principal Gurunath Meiyappan being summoned by the crime branch of Mumbai Police to join the investigations into the spot fixing in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

NCP leaders, however, later distanced the party from Tripathi's remarks.

"His views are his own. Law must take its course," a party leader said.

I hold no brief for Srinivasan. However, it is ironic that Kamal Nath should demand the resignation of BCCI chief because his son-in-law has been accused of spot fixing. Where was Kamal Nath when Pawan Bansal's nephew, Vijay Singla, was caught for accepting bribes for arranging to induct Mr. Mahesh Kumar as a Railway Board Member, Electrical.

All Congress members gave their verdict that Bansal need not resign. Finally he was forced to do so by Sonia Gandhi.Even Manmohan Singh our honest Prime Minister did not want either Bansal or Aswani Kumar to resign.

As for the NCP, the less said the better.

Sharad Pawar's daughter's and nephew's names have cropped up in various scams in Maharashtra but that has not made Sharad Pawar resign.

So how could he ask for Srinivasan's resignation?

Our politicians hunger for Money, Power and Wealth is limitless which their salaries and perks as MPs and MLAs cannot be fulfilled.

They start their entry into the Assembly or Parliament as lakhpatis.

In one term itself they become multi-crorepatis.

Anti-social elements first become pick-pockets or robbers or extortionists.

Then they become promoters after kidnapping and murdering a few people, with the blessings of the police and politicians.

Then they realize why should they do the dirty work for politicians and then they themselves become politicians.

That is the CV of most of our exisitng politicians.

Now let us change that.

Arvind Kejriwal has short listed 44 candidates for the Delhi Elections.

They are all responsible unlike the present lot of politicians.

Out the 44, he will finally select 12.

I would request you to support his candidates in the Delhi election and subsequently Haryana elections.

We now have the opportunity to choose honest men to represent us.

Don't allow it to go waste.

Identify one department that can be made into centre of excellence: Mukherjee

Solan (Himachal Pradesh), May 25 (ANI): President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the Maharaja Agrasen University at Kalujhanda in Himachal Pradesh's Solan District on Saturday, and called fro universities across the country to identify one department that could be made into a centre of excellence.

Mukherjee said that the evolving demographic profile of India, with two-third of its population expected to be in the working age group by 2025, presents "before us an opportunity for greater development."

"This demographic dividend is for our taking, but for that, our youth must be qualified and trained to participate in national progress," he added.

"It is possible to revive the lost glory of our higher education system and take at least a few of our universities into the global top league. But for that, we have to make innovative changes in the way our institutes of higher learning are administered and education in them rendered," Mukherjee further said.

"We must allow adequate flexibility in different aspects of academic management. There is a need to instill a culture of excellence in them. Every university should identify at least one department that can be made into a Centre of Excellence," he added. (ANI)

I agree with Pranab Mukherjee.

We urgently need a department of corruption to "Fight Corruption".

I suggest this be set up at once.

Manmohan Singh after his handing over reins to Rahul Gandhi should become the HOD of the department.

The other faculty members of the department could be A. Raja, Suresh Kalamadi, Lalu Yadav, Mayawati, Mulayam Singh, Sharad Pawar, O P Chowthala.

Some posts could be left for the old members like C K Jaffer Shariff and Sukh Ram.

Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party announces 44 Delhi assembly poll probables

New Delhi, May 25 (ANI): The Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has announced its first list of 44 candidates for Delhi's 12 constituencies, months before the city-state faces assembly elections. Prominent members Manish Sisodia and Shazia Ilmi have made it to the shortlist.

Most of the candidates have been listed as businessmen and introductions for many say they have participated in AAP protests. Other specifics regarding profession and property are vague. Asked about specifics, Kejriwal said, "It will be on our website shortly."

Shortlisted candidates include members of Delhi government disaster management committee, former Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress workers. A property dealer, an IIT graduate, an organiser of sports competitions in Najafgarh, businessmen, retired defence personnel, engineers, RTI activists, a CPI (ML) member, unsuccessful candidates contesting councillors' elections, a car cleaner, the chief of dargah Matka Peer and a gym owner.

Interacting with media here on Friday, Kejriwal said 106 people had applied for the seats, and 44 had been shortlisted by the candidate screening committee. The 12 finalists would be declared by June 15, he added.

"The objective was to ensure that these people were popular local faces and did not have criminal cases registered against them. We request the public to give us evidence against the shortlisted candidates," Kejriwal said.

He also said the party had collected Rs 2 crores through donations and had received 100 dollars from non-resident Indians (NRIs).

The candidates will participate in debates in their constituencies and will be elected by party volunteers, Kejriwal said, adding that even senior AAP members, including Sisodia and Ilmi could be voted out if other contenders from their constituency were more popular.

Kejriwal claimed that six chief minister candidates from BJP had approached him, asking for support for 'one candidate'. "They told me that if even one was declared CM, they would support me," he said without taking names. (ANI)

This is a good beginning.

AAP have shortlisted 44 candidates for the 12 seats they propose to contest.

The people have been asked to give their comments on the 44 candidates.

The opposition parties may dig up dirt on these candidates.

The Congress may put its pet CBI, IT and ED dogs on these dogs to see if they can be framed under some acts of commission or omission.

We can then select the best candidates and vote for them.

I would request all Indians to bring about the third Independence of India by voting for AAP.

Let us throw out all the exisitng parties, irrespective of caste, language or religion.

Let them not divide us on the above.

Jessica case: Shayan Munshi to face trial for perjury

New Delhi, May 22 (IANS) The Delhi High Court Wednesday ordered that a case of perjury be registered against Bollywood actor Shayan Munshi and ballistic expert Prem Sagar Manocha for turning hostile during their deposition in the murder trial of model Jessica Lall here.

A division bench of Justice S. Ravindra Bhat and Justice G.P. Mittal discharged 17 other witnesses in the case, while passing directions on ensuring safety of vulnerable witnesses in criminal cases.

The accused may get a maximum of seven years in jail under the perjury case.

The court said: "...the registrar general of this court to file a complaint before the competent court having jurisdiction to consider and take action under Section 340 CrPC against the respondents (Munshi and Manocha) in the above applications."

Pointing to the issue of witness protection, the court referred the matter to the chief justice to convert it into a public interest litigation and list it before the appropriate bench for July 8.

Jessica Lall was shot dead at Tamarind Court, a restaurant owned by socialite Bina Ramani, in south Delhi's Mehrauli area on the night of April 29-30, 1999.

Lall was shot dead by Manu Sharma, son of Haryana Congress leader Venod Sharma after she refused to serve a drink to him at the party.

The court also passed some directions on ensuring safety of vulnerable witnesses in criminal cases, saying it shall bind and govern the Delhi government, till it was replaced by suitable legislation.

The court in its direction said: "The Delhi government shall immediately and in any event within 10 weeks from today, issue a Witness Protection Policy which shall provide the principles and guidelines that police, the prosecution and executive agencies shall follow."

"The guidelines shall incorporate the material elements indicated in the various reports of the Law Commission, court directions and any other recommendations of any official committee in that regard."

In another direction, the bench told law enforcement agencies to conduct an assessment of the threat or potential danger to any victim, witnesses or their families in criminal trials.

"If such threats are assessed to be sufficiently serious, and the witnesses request law enforcement assistance, witness protection funds can be used to provide assistance to witnesses which helps law enforcement keep witnesses safe and help ensure witnesses appear in court and provide testimony," the court ordered.

The agencies concerned shall also ensure that the witnesses or victims are transported to safety during investigation and trial and proper security is given to them, said the court.

The Delhi government shall prepare an Action Taken Report and place it before the the court at the end of 10 weeks, it directed.

The bench pronounced its order two years after reserving the judgment May 4, 2011.

The court had taken suo motu cognizance of the matter and sought to prosecute for perjury 19 witnesses who turned hostile during the trial.

The trial court had acquitted Manu Sharma while the high court awarded him life imprisonment. Actor Munshi had lodged the FIR in the case.

The Supreme Court in April 2010 upheld the high court's order in the murder case and also endorsed its findings on the issue of perjury.

It is about time such steps are taken.

With witnesses regularly turning hostile either because of threats or bribes, something more should be done.

Persons accused of violent crimes like terrorism, kidnapping,dacoity, extortion, rape and murder should not be granted bail at all.

If plain robbery results in death, it too would fall in the above category.

The criminals in the above crimes should be tried by fast track courts which should give its verdict within 6 months.

But will we do it? I doubt.

20% of our MPs and MLAs would be in jail, if we did this.

Madness?

It is often said that money can't buy love.

But trying telling that to a wealthy Indian man who splashed out £1,400,000 on a solid gold shirt in the hope it will attract female attention.

Money-lender Datta Phuge 32, from Pimpri-Chinchwad, commissioned the shirt which took a team of 15 goldsmiths two weeks to make working 16 hours a day creating and weaving the gold threads.

Golden appeal: Wealthy Datta Phuge has splashed out £1,400,000 on a solid gold shirt to make sure he's a 24 karat hit with women in central India

It comes complete with its own matching cuffs and a set of rings crafted from left-over gold.

'I know I am not the best looking man in the world but surely no woman could fail to be dazzled by this shirt?' he explained 'The gold shirt has been one of my dreams,' Mr Phuge told Indian newspaper the Pune Mirror.

'It will be an embellishment to my reputation as the ‘Gold man of Pimpri"' Mr Phuge said.

The gaudy shirt was assembled on a fabric based of imported white velvet, and comes with six Swarovski crystal buttons and an intricate belt, also made of gold.

What do you expect from a money lender (Ah Long) ?

Sent by Prakash Bhartia

I was just wondering what Chidambaram would do?

The IT people must be knocking on the man's door by now.

Special relationship with God

A90-year-old man goes for a physical. All of his tests come back with normal results.

The doctor says, "Bob, everything looks great. How are you doing mentally and emotionally? Are you at peace with God?"

Bob replies, "God and I are tight. He knows I have poor eyesight, so he's fixed it so when I get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, poof! The light goes on. When I'm done, poof! The light goes off."

"Wow, that's incredible," the doctor says.

A little later in the day, the doctor calls Bob's wife.

"Bonnie," he says, "Bob is doing fine! But I had to call you because I'm in awe of his relationship with God. Is it true that he gets up during the night and poof, the light goes on in the bathroom, and when he's done, poof, the light goes off?"

"Oh sweet Jesus", exclaims Bonnie. "He's peeing in the refrigerator again!"

Sent by Prakash Bhartia

43 senior UP cops shifted 40 times, one 59 times!

Lucknow, May 22 (IANS) An Indian Police Service (IPS) officer in Uttar Pradesh has been transferred a staggering 59 times in his careeer, while 43 of his colleagues have been shifted more than 40 times, a Right To Information (RTI) query has revealed.

The officers who have been shunted in and out include two directors general of police(DGPs), 14 additional directors general of police (ADGPs), 13 inspectors general of police (IGPs), 10 deputy inspectors general of police (DIGs) and four superintendents of police.

The "record" is held by 1983 batch officer K.L. Meena, an ADG, while the DGPs are Arun Kumar Gupta (45 times) and Vinod Kumar Singh (43 times).

The information was provided by the state home department to social activist Nutan Thakur, who sought to know the average duration an IPS officer served in a posting. While it is a fact that postings in the state are largely dependent on the whims and fancies of their political masters, this is the first time a detailed time span of senior IPS officers has been mapped.

Due to these frequent transfers, the average number of times 14 DGPs have been shifted comes at 36.4. An IPS officer becomes a DGP after around 32 years of service. Hence, on an average, these DGPs were transferred at least once in a year.

Similarly, the ADGs have been transferred on an average 35.9 times so far in their careers. The figure stands at 31.8 for IGs and 29.7 for DIGs.

Thakur pointed out that the transfers were in stark contravention of a Supreme Court order in the Prakash Singh case that the minimum tenure of police officers shall be two years.

Admitting they were the "order of the day", former DGP Vikram Singh admitted that frequent transfers, rather than serving the purpose of those who ordered them, harmed the all-round interests of the state.

"The statistics are shocking but that's how things are in Uttar Pradesh," he said.

If frequest transfers was with the intention of improving the efficiency of the police force, the above transfers would be acceptable.

However, the law and order situation in UP shows that it has had the opposite affect.

Transfers and postings are used by the government for generating black money for the person who has the power to transfer.

This should be stopped.

If anyone is transferred before due date, he should be informed in writing giving the reasons of his transfer.

Transfers, just on the whims of politicians should be stopped immediately.

Aam Aadmi Party criticises new CAG's appointment

New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Tuesday criticized the appointment of former defence secretary Shashi Kant Sharma as the new Comptroller and Auditor General, accusing the United Progressive Alliance government of accusing of weakening constitutional institutions. "Government is slowly but continuously appointing persons who are weak and who don't have spine to watchdog bodies like CAG, CVC (Central Vigilance Commission), CIC (Central Information Commission), Election Commission which keep an eye on the government," party leader and lawyer Prashant Bhushan said at a press conference here.

He contended that Sharma's appointment as CAG rakes up a debate of conflict of interest since he would be entrusted the task of auditing defence deals between 2003-10 - the time during which he was in the defence ministry.

"Interestingly, the whole process of selection of Vinod Rai's successor took place in complete secrecy. Yet, none of the political parties raised this issue. Why?" he asked.

Sharma will succeed Rai, who retires May 22, the government announced Tuesday

The government was asking for this.

Why can't the government take into confidence the Leader of the Opposition and the Chief Justice of the Supreme court when it has to make appointments to such sensitive posts.

I won't be surprised if Shashi Kant Sharma, undos all the good work done by Vinod Rai.

That is also the intention of the government

UP cops question SP's bid to 'appease' minorities

By Mohit Dubey | IANS India Private Limited

Lucknow, May 21 (IANS) The ruling Samajwadi Party's decision to withdraw cases against terror accused and slap cases against police officers, apparently to appease Muslim voters in Uttar Pradesh, would play havoc with the morale of the police, serving and former officers say."Who will work to nab terrorists after this? If vote bank politics is allowed to continue like this, no sane cop will put himself in danger in the line of duty," a senior officer of the Uttar Pradesh Police's anti-terrorist squad said.

He cited the state government's recent decisions to withdraw cases against 15 terror accused, refer local cases to the Central Bureau of Intelligence (CBI) and slap cases of conspiracy and murder against 42 police officer, including a retired director general of police (DGP).

For the record, all that the government will say is that the cases are being withdrawn to maintain communal harmony and promoting public welfare. Officers say it is worrying that cases are being withdrawn without any re-investigation or following procedures.

"I am shocked at the way this government is functioning. How can you slap cases on a departmental head like a DGP? And that too, after three years of his retirement for something which happened recently," former DGP of Uttar Pradesh K.L. Gupta said.

Terming the decision as "nothing but vote bank politics", Gupta warned that it would affect the spirit of hard working and well-meaning police officers.

Uttar Pradesh sends the largest number of MPs - 80 - to the Lok Sabha. General elections are due in April-May, 2014. The Samajwadi Party had promised in its manifesto for the 2012 assembly elections that all "innocent" people in jail would be released but so far has only moved on those accused of terror.

The assembly elections had seen the Samajwadi Party storming back to power, winning 224 of the 403 seats in the house.

A first information report (FIR) was lodged against 42 police officers, including former DGP Vikram Singh, for conspiring to kill Khalid Mujahid, an accused in the serial blasts of 2007.

Khalid died last week while he was being brought back from a court in Faizabad, about 120 km from here, to a prison in the state capital Lucknow where he was lodged. "I am proud of the fact that under my directions Khalid was arrested. Evidence is there that he was a terrorist," Vikram Singh told IANS.

Admitting that such cases would have an adverse effect on the morale of the state police, he said: "In the line of duty, even if one faces 10 such cases to save the country from the scourge of terror, so be it."

Serving officers, too, said it was very unfortunate that such decisions were being taken by the political executive. "Our tongues are tied as we are in office. But the developments are sad," said a senior police officer who did not wish to be identified.

While the state government has referred the probe into Khalid's death to the CBI, officers named in the FIR said it would "expose the government". Other than this, the state government Tuesday asked its law officers to coordinate with the district authorities on withdrawing cases against 16 of the 29 terror accused in prisons in the state.

Social activist Nutan Thakur told IANS that the state government move was "ominous and dangerous for the country's security." Once the matter is in court, the law should be allowed to take its own course, she said, adding the withdrawal of cases would not only undermine the police's fight against terror but would also polarize the society.

Home Secretary R.N. Upadhyaya said that the 16 people against whom the cases will be withdrawn include Taiq Kasmi, Ahmad Hasan aka Babu, Shamim Ahmad, Khalid Mujahid (now dead), Javed alias Guddu, Taj Mohammad, Maksood, Arshad, Sitara Begum, Imtiaz Ali, Mohd Kalim Akhtar, Mohd Yakub and Nasir Hussain. One of the accused, Mirza Shadab Beg, is absconding.

Meanwhile, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has not lost the opportunity to hit back at the government.

"We have been saying this all through, and now it is quite clear that the Akhilesh Yadav government is out to appease the minorities even if it means subjugating law and hitting the morale of the police, which is already bullied by its (SP's) party workers," BJP state spokesperson Vijay Bahadur Pathak said.

He added that the chief minister has himself admitted that the reason for Khalid's death appears to be illness. "With its ratings slipping in the public, this government is working at cross purposes in order to keep its Muslim vote bank intact," Pathak added. Muslims make up 22 percent of Uttar Pradesh's 20 crore population.

The above is from Yahoo.com.

It gives you and explanation of why there has been only one act of terrorism in the USA since 9/11, the recent one in Boston, where one of the terrorist was killed and the other captured alive.

Contrast that with India where we have had hundreds of such activities since 26/11.

Our Vote bank politics.

The USA is extra cautious of the entry of any person with Muslim sounding name. Even Sharukh Khan and a Minister of UP have not escaped their hawk eye. Not even our ex-President was spared.

In UP, people accused of terrorist activities are being released and the policemen who captured them are being punished.

Law and order are a state subject but where the security of the country is at stake, I suggest the centre should step in.

But then we cannot expect the Congress government to do anything since the elections are due next year.

I would suggest someone in the legal fraternity to file a PIL in the Supreme Court to prevent the mockery of justice.

Chicago NRIs meet extends support to Arvind Kejriwal's party

Monday, May 20, 2013, 16:39 IST | Place: Washington, DC | Agency: PTI In a resolution at the first convention of AAP USA on May 18, Indian-American supporters of Kejriwal said non-residents have a crucial role to play in the political movement being spearheaded by the anti-graft activist.

A group of Indian-Americans from as many as 20 cities held a meeting in Chicago over the weekend and extended full support to the political movement of change being spearheaded by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led by social activist Arvind Kejriwal.

In a resolution at the first convention of AAP USA on May 18, Indian-American supporters of Kejriwal said non-residents have a crucial role to play in the political movement being spearheaded by the anti-graft activist.

"We NRIs (Non-resident Indians) and PIOs (People of Indian origin) look with great interest at this political experiment and extend full support to Aam Aadmi Party that wants to change the culture of politics in India," said the resolution which was introduced before the convention by its member Munish Raizada.

"As a community, we have our own expectations from the government. Thus, it is crucial that political class do justice to our country keeping in mind that India has a long history of glory, richness and civilization and all that needs to reclaimed," the resolution said.

Addressing his supporters through a live video conference, Kejriwal spoke about AAP's role in India's growth and the role that non-resident Indians can play in furthering this cause.

Optimistic about India's future, Kejriwal said he believes AAP could be the catalyst that can bring change in the country by redefining the rules of politics.

He stressed on the importance of decentralization in governance which would empower the "aam aadmi", or the common man.

Two AAP leaders - Kumar Vishaws and Yogendra Yadav - addressed the first convention in Chicago which was attended by Indian-Americans from as many as 20 cities, organisers said.

Yadav said polity has failed to take the key ideals of democracy- "of the people, by the people and for the people" to the grassroots.

As such India needs a new vision that is all inclusive. AAP is committed to begin this transformation to participatory democracy by being truly democratic in its own set-up, taking measures such as eliminating the concept of a high command, ensuring a bottom-up approach in candidate selection, transparency in its finances and appointing an independent ombudsman, he said.

Raizada, a member of organizing committee of AAP USA convention, said such a convention would be an annual event and the next convention would be in New Jersey.

Those who have been abroad just cannot accept the corrupt ways in India.

My grand-children and daughter-in-law have gone to the USA just 5 months ago.

There she finds everything moves like clock-work without any pushing or oiling.

Certain laws and rules and regulations have been made.

Systems have been installed and everyone follows the system.

Nobody tries to short-cut the system like we do in India by passing money under or above the table or using our contacts.

I'll give an example.

My son was interested in getting the children admitted in a prep school into a government where the fees are less and there is a school bus.

Here we select the best candidates for admission or have to pay donation.

In that school, they select the children who are backward or disadvantaged.

Since my grand-children had studied in India for two years, they were much ahead of the children of her age but were not admitted although their lack of speaking power in English should have made them eligible. My son was told that they would put the children on waiting list and would inform my son if vacancy arose.

So my son had them admitted into a co-operative school, where the fees were much higher and there was no bus service.

They have been studying there since April.

Last week a teacher from the earlier school came and informed that vacancies had arisen and if they wanted they could have them admitted.

She said that she had tried to contact them over the phone but their phone was unreachable and so had come personally to inform them.

No donations, no contacts to pull strings were required.

CAN YOU IMAGINE THIS SORT OF THING HAPPENING IN INDIA?

And we consider ourselves a cultured nation having a 5000 year civilization.

We see the result. In USA, after 9/11 there has been only one incident of terrorism- the recent Boston killers - one of whom was killed and another captured alive.

In India. there have been hundreds of incidents.

That is because the law is never allowed to take its course although it is one of the first sentences uttered by our corrupt politician.

The fine line between politicians, policemen and criminals has been totally blurred so that it is difficult to know who is who.

Prayer, spirituality gets the doctors' nod

By Azera Parveen Rahman | IANS India Private Limited

New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) Hardly anyone doubts the power of prayer and almost everyone has a turnaround tale - maybe personal, or of someone else's - that credits the "miracle" to a prayer. Now while science and spirituality may not always see eye to eye, holistic treatment is now finding greater acceptance, and spirituality, among everything else, is recommended by doctors as part of the healing process.

"Spirituality as a therapeutic modality has immense potential," eminent cardiologist Ashok Seth of the Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, told IANS. "Spirituality is as much about a disciplined, balanced approach to life as about pursuit of things metaphysical. In its various manifestations, for example music and prayer, spirituality has been observed to have a considerable impact in terms of preventing diseases and promoting healing," he added.

Seth's thoughts found resonance among other experts who believe that veering towards spirituality is walking towards a well-balanced, disciplined life that ultimately promotes health.

"A religious or spiritual person tends to live a disciplined life. Waking up early for prayers, which is a form of meditation that calms your mind and de-stresses you, is beneficial for one's health. Most people who call themselves religious or spiritual live healthy lives, shun alcohol and tobacco, eat simple, and are philanthropic, which are all antidotes in today's times," opined cardiologist Rakesh Sharma.

Sharma related the example of one of his patients, Saira Sheikh, who couldn't maintain a regular exercise regime and, after some discussion, decided to turn the spiritual way, and took to praying five times a day. "Praying regularly has helped me a lot. It has calmed my mind, plus, as the doctor says, it's a good exercise that I now do regularly," Sheikh said.

Mental health expert Sameer Malhotra of Max Super Speciality hospital also stressed that spirituality helps in the healing process. "Spirituality reaffirms faith and hope and that helps in the healing process," Malhotra told IANS. "When you have hope, you have the will to get better. It improves the quality of life."

"What doctors are saying now we have known for ages," said Ranjana Das, a 50-year-old homemaker. "My sister fought breast cancer not just with medication but also with prayers. We all prayed for her together during those initial days, calling up each other to think of her every time she underwent therapy. After the initial loss of hope, she started believing that she could become better. And she did," Das added.

What all doctors, however, add is that spirituality or any other holistic treatment can only act as add-ons to the mainline allopathic treatment. "Such therapies do help, but not in lieu of allopathy," Seth said.

(Azera Rahman can be contacted at azera.rahman@gmail.com)

The above is from http://in.news.yahoo.com/. The human body is made up of 5 elements which we call Panchbhoot.

They are Prithvi (Earth), Jal (Water), Agni (Fire), Vayu (Air) and Akash (Space).These can be seen or felt.

Man (Mind), Budddhi (Intelligence) and Ahankar (Pride) are three elements which cannot be seen but we can see their results.

A third force which we call Chetan or Spiritual can neither be felt or seen but is accepted to run the Universe.

As long as the Chetan Shakti remains, we are alive.

When that leaves us, we are dead.

The brains are a part of the Chetan Shakti.

When we pray, we allow the Chetan Shakti to act and heal the body.

However, by itself it cannot do anything.

The physical body should be able to respond.

If the body has reached such a stage that it cannot respond, no amount of prayers will help it recover.

I found that out when I had taken my cousin to Narayana Hrudalaya, Bangalore for heart valve replacement.

His family were disciples of Hanumanji.

My family are disciples of a Guru.

We prayed continuously for 17 days for his well being.

However, he had not looked after his body well and so the prays could not save him.

Historical Commentaries (Wisdom?) on Government and Society

1 In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a congress.

-- John Adams

2. If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed, if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed.

-- Mark Twain

3. Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But then I repeat myself.

-- Mark Twain

4. I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.

-- Winston Churchill

5. A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.

-- George Bernard Shaw

6. A liberal is someone who feels a great debt to his fellow man, which debt he proposes to pay off with your money.

-- G. Gordon Liddy

7. Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner.

-- James Bovard , Civil Libertarian (1994)

8. Foreign aid might be defined as a transfer of money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries.

-- Douglas Case , Classmate of Bill Clinton at Georgetown University.

9. Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.

-- P.J. O'Rourke , Civil Libertarian

10. Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else.

-- Frederic Bastiat ,French economist(1801-1850)

11. Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.

-- Ronald Reagan (1986)

12. I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.

-- Will Rogers

13. If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's free!

-- P. J. O'Rourke

14. In general, the art of government consists of taking as much money as possible from one party of the citizens to give to the other.

-- Voltaire (1764)

15. Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you!

-- Pericles (430 B.C.)

16. No man's life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session.

-- Mark Twain (1866)

17. Talk is cheap, except when Congress does it.

-- Anonymous

18. The government is like a baby's alimentary canal, with a happy appetite at one end and no responsibility at the other.

-- Ronald Reagan

19. The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of the blessings. The inherent blessing of socialism is the equal sharing of misery.

-- Winston Churchill

20. The only difference between a tax man and a taxidermist is that the taxidermist leaves the skin.

-- Mark Twain

21. The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools.

-- Herbert Spencer , English Philosopher (1820-1903)

22. There is no distinctly Native American criminal class, save Congress.

-- Mark Twain

23. What this country needs are more unemployed politicians -- Edward Langley ,

Artist (1928-1995)

24. A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.

-- Thomas Jefferson

25. We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office.

-- Aesop

FIVE BEST SENTENCES

1. You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity, by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity.

2. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.

3. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.

4. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.

5. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work, because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that is the beginning of the end of any nation!

Sent by Prakash Bhartia.

It looks like politicians are the same everywhere - b-----ds.

Polls biggest source of corruption: Former CEC

New Delhi, May 18 (IANS) Elections have become the biggest source of corruption in India, former chief election commissioner (CEC) S.Y. Quraishi has said, while stressing for the need for poll reforms.

"Elections have become the biggest source of corruption in the country," Quraishi said Friday while delivering a lecture at the British Council here.

"Political power is strong and competition bitter. Involvement of criminals and booth capturing are the challenges," he said.

According to Quraishi, the nexus between politicians and the bureaucracy begins the moment a politician becomes a minister and starts the process of recovering the money spent in contesting the polls.

The former poll panel chief mentioned the fact that 162 of the 543 Lok Sabha members had criminal charges pending against them and the number had gone up from 124 in the previous Lok Sabha.

Quraishi said political parties had reservations on banning criminals from contesting the elections, saying that cases could be lodged against them by political opponents.

"We said ban those against whom cases were registered or charges framed in a court six months ago," he said.

Pointing at a positive aspect of the Indian elections, that good governance was increasingly becoming a vote catcher, Quraishi said that competitive populism was its side effect.

"Parties offer colour TVs, washing machines, laptops to voters," said Quraishi.

However, he said that given the poverty levels in the country, it was good that poor people were getting something. "This has led to a war of the manifestos," he said.

"But there is nothing wrong in a political party promising things. It is not a bribe as it is paid through the public exchequer," he said. "Good economics was bad politics in India," Quraishi said.

He said that political interference leads to compromise in bureaucracy, and that conducting general elections in the country was the largest such exercise in the world.

"The number of voters that we deal with would equal around 50 countries of Europe and 56 countries of the Americas," he said. "And it is a zero error exercise," he said.

The above, coming from a former Chief Election Commissioner should make us stand up and notice.

But what he has said is nothing new and everyone knows it

The question is what did he do to curb that corruption when he was CEC.

Did he reject the candidature of any candidate because he had corruption charges against him.

If not, then he should just shut his mouth and keep quiet.

It sounds something like Rajeev Gandhi and now Manmohan Singh or President Mukherjee saying we should do this and we should do that.

If even after holding the topmost job in India, you do wishful thinking, you should resign and go and give the post to someone who can do it, like Arvind Kejriwal.

Reason for Failure of Malls in India and China

Ghost malls in China are nothing new. It has its roots in the real estate boom China witnessed in the past. Huge infrastructure was built in the expectation that it will be occupied over a period of time. In fact, the biggest mall in the world, in terms of leasable space, is in China. But it is virtually deserted. There are no shoppers or retailers in it! This shows that China overestimated its real estate appetite.

It seems that something similar is happening with India now. Most malls in the smaller towns are witnessing higher vacancy levels. In fact, in smaller towns one third of the mall space is unoccupied as per a leading real estate agency. This figure was at 7% in 2007. Thus, there has been tremendous rise in vacancy levels over the last 4-5 years.

And there are many reasons for it. The builders overestimated the demand for retail space during the boom period. They also failed to estimate the purchasing power capacity of small town individuals. They got carried away and built properties in the expectation that disposable income will rise in smaller towns pretty fast. However, that has not happened which means there is lack of demand for products. If there is no demand then the retailers who put their shops do not make enough money. This raises the vacancy levels.

We feel that unless the disposable income rises and spending power increases in these cities, vacancy levels will continue to remain high. And this will hurt builders big way.

The above is from the mails I receive from Equity master.

The people of China and India are from two ancient civilizations and have similar mentalities.

Since I consider myself an average middle-class Indian, I'll give my reasons why I do not visit the malls.

I live in Bangur Avenue.

We have about 10 Mom-Pop stores, one small size departmental store (J K Life Store), a larger Reliance One store.

About 1 Km from my home is a big Mall which has A Big Bazar and other multi brand stores.

Where do I make my purchases?

I am a semi retired man having all the time in the world to make my purchases.

Before making my monthly purchases, I visit Reliance One, J K Life Store and at least two Mom-Pop stores, compare the prices and then decide from where I will buy my household requirement.

Since its inception about two years ago, I have visited the Mall 1 Km from home just twice and bought items worth not more than Rs 200/-.

So if these Malls want to depend upon me, they are going to be failures.

Most of my Bengali neighbours have a mentality similar to mine.

Who visit these malls?

People working in the IT sector, BPO sector, top-level executives of private and government firms, doctors and Promoters in the Realty sector.

What is the percentage of our population employed in these sectors?

QED

BJP says Group of Ministers on CBI autonomy an eyewash

New Delhi, May 15 (ANI): Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arun Jaitley today termed the Congress-led UPA Government's move to set up a Group of Ministers (GoM) to draft a new bill to insulate the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) from political interference as an eyewash. Jaitley said the issue of autonomy of CBI has been discussed extensively during the debate over the Lokpal Bill as well as during the meeting of the Select Committee of the Upper House.

He said there were differences between the government and the opposition on certain points, but there was a broad agreement on most of the issues regarding the autonomy of CBI.

"The new Group of Ministers on autonomy for CBI is an eyewash. There is no need to start afresh. The Lokpal Bill passed by Lok Sabha also has provisions on autonomy to CBI. An amendment in the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act is sufficient," he said.

In the wake of the Supreme Court's criticism of the government for influencing the CBI report in the coal blocks allocation scam, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has formed a Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by Finance Minister P. Chidambaram to decide the plan of action to insulate the investigating agency from external influence.

Besides Chidambaram, the GoM has External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, newly-appointed Law Minister Kapil Sibal, Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari and Minister of State for Personnel V. Narayanasamy as members.

According to reports, the GoM will deliberate on ways to further strengthen CBI's autonomy and safeguard it from any kind of outside interferences.

The government's move came after the Supreme Court had called the CBI "a caged parrot" that "speaks in its master's voice" after the investigating agency admitted in an affidavit that Ashwani Kumar, who quit as the Law Minister on Friday, and senior officials of the Prime Minister's Office and the coal ministry had made certain changes in the report on the allocation of coal blocks.

The apex court, which reserved its harshest words for the CBI, calling it a "caged parrot with many masters", stressed the need for the CBI to operate independently of the political establishment.

"You are not a constable or head constable. You are a premier investigating agency and must learn to work under pressure. It (probe) is not a collaborative exercise between the CBI and ministry officials ... It is a sordid saga of many masters and one parrot," it said.

The coal scam concerns the government's allocation of the nation's coal deposits to public sector entities (PSEs) and private companies. (ANI)

It seems for once the BJP and I are on the same wave length.

We both have very little confidence on the intentions of the Congress government.

They will try their best to scuttle the good intentions of the Supreme Court and try to water it down.

However, now that the Supreme Court will be following up the matter, I am sure we will have a truly independent CBI.

Group of Ministers formed to decide on CBI autonomy

New Delhi, May 14 (ANI): In the wake of the Supreme Court's criticism of the government for influencing the CBI report in the coal blocks allocation scam, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has formed a Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by Finance Minister P. Chidambaram to decide the plan of action to insulate the investigating agency from external influence.

Besides Chidambaram, the GoM has External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, newly-appointed Law Minister Kapil Sibal, Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari and Minister of State for Personnel V. Narayanasamy as members.

According to reports, the GoM will deliberate on ways to further strengthen CBI's autonomy and safeguard it from any kind of outside interferences.

The government's move came after the Supreme Court had called the CBI "a caged parrot" that "speaks in its master's voice" after the investigating agency admitted in an affidavit that Ashwani Kumar, who quit as the Law Minister on Friday, and senior officials of the Prime Minister's Office and the coal ministry had made certain changes in the report on the allocation of coal blocks.

The apex court, which reserved its harshest words for the CBI, calling it a "caged parrot with many masters", stressed the need for the CBI to operate independently of the political establishment.

"You are not a constable or head constable. You are a premier investigating agency and must learn to work under pressure. It (probe) is not a collaborative exercise between the CBI and ministry officials ... It is a sordid saga of many masters and one parrot," it said.

Under pressure from the Supreme Court, the government seems to be taking action unwillingly.

Manish Tewari is known for his aggressive anti Supreme Court views.

We all remember his remarks against Anna Hazare which he had to withdraw because of public outcry.

The same goes for V Narayanasamy.

The government could easily added Digvijay Singh's name and made its intentions clear.

With CBI in, Congress hopes for justice in Bengal custody death

Kolkata, May 13 (IANS) Welcoming the Calcutta High Court's verdict ordering a CBI probe into the custodial death of a Trinamool Congress worker in West Bengal, the Congress Monday hoped for punishment of the guilty policemen.

"We hope that the names of those who are involved will come out and the guilty will be punished so that it is not repeated in future," state Congress president Pradip Bhattacharya told media persons here.

A bench of Chief Justice Arun Mishra and Justice J.M. Bagchi Monday directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate the custodial death of Kazi Naseeruddin in Dhaniakhali police station in Hooghly district Jan 19, after he was arrested the previous night.

Expressing dissatisfaction over the investigation carried on by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the state police, the court directed it to hand over the investigation to the CBI within seven days.

The verdict came on a public interest litigation which was filed seeking a probe by the CBI alleging that Naseeruddin's death was a "pre-planned" political murder.

Immediately after Naseeruddin's death, the Congress had alleged that the Trinamool worker was killed because he was "disenchanted withhis own party and wanted to switch to the Congress".

The Trinamool, however, had rubbished the claims asserting that Naseeruddin's death was due to natural causes. Local Trinamool legislator Ashima Patra had given a clean chit to the police saying the "death was due to natural causes".

Meanwhile, Naseeruddin's wife Manoja Bibi who had filed complaint against the police accusing them of murdering her husband, said her family was being threatened by Trinamool workers led by Patra.

"Patra and her party workers have not only been threatening my family, but have attacked people of the village who tried to support me in my fight. Even my children are not being allowed to go to school," said Manoja.

Bhattacharya too claimed that Manoja had been pressurised by the police to withdraw her complaint.

We the people of Bengal are to be pitied not derided by the rest of India.

First it was the CPM and now it is the TMC.

If you just replace the word TNC with the letter CPM in the above report it will look like a report of the pre-Mamta days.

We are fed-up with both parties.

Can't God bless us by providing a spell of President's Rule in Bengal for just 5-years.

Then the people could be asked in the next elections whether they want CPM. TMC or President's rule in Bengal

Advani says Karnataka results not surprising

Bangalore, May 12 (ANI): Calling the electoral outcome in Karnataka as 'not surprising', Bharatiya Party Leader (BJP) leader LK Advani on Sunday said the party had erred in not taking immediate firm action on allegations of corruption against BS Yeddyurappa and its handling of the state had been "absolutely opportunistic".

He also demanded resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after reports that he had to be nudged in asking Pawan Kumar Bansal and Ashwani Kumar to resign as union ministers.

Advani said he felt sorry for the party's loss in Karnataka but he was not surprised.

"The surprise would have been if we had won," he said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said that if the party had immediately taken firm action when it became apparent that Yedyurappa, its first chief minister in south India, was "unabashedly indulging in corruption", the course of events would have been quite different. He said Karnataka results had a profound lesson for his party as its tally came down to 40 from 110 in 2008 but also had one for the Congress. "The common lesson for both of us is: let's not take the common man for granted... If corruption provokes indignation in Bangalore, why would it not cause the same feeling in New Delhi," he asked.

Advani claimed that the common man may occasionally deviate from the norms of ethical conduct, but does feel extremely angry when he sees those at the helm of national affairs behaving immorally.

He said it was a reason for intense allergy towards politicians generally witnessed nowadays.

"BJP lost Karnataka because it threw out Yeddyurappa," Advani said

"Let me first point out that BJP did not throw out Yeddyurappa; it is he who broke away from the BJP and decided to form a factional party of his own, the KJP," he said, adding that the party had kept up frantic efforts for several months to keep placating Yeddyurappa. "The justification given was that if the party did not adopt such a 'pragmatic' approach we would lose the only government that we had in the south," he said.

He contrasted this with an example of Jan Sangh, the precursor of BJP, which faced the situation of having to expel six of eight legislators in Rajasthan after 1952 elections over their refusal to abide by the party line on abolition of jagirdari system. Advani said the then party chief Shyama Prasad Mookerji had told the party not to hesitate in taking disciplinary action.

He said while instances can be cited when other parties get away with gross misdemeanours, BJP should realise that the yardstick by which the people judge it was not the same by which they judge other parties.

He said BJP had aroused high expectations in people by its track record and even minor indiscretions can prove costly. "And our response to the Karnataka crisis was not at all a minor indiscretion. I have consistently maintained that our handling of Karnataka has been absolutely opportunistic," he said.

Referring to reports in a newspaper that Congress president Sonia Gandhi will meet senior party leaders soon to discuss the cabinet reshuffle, Advani asked if the prime minister "had abdicated his right even to decide about his own cabinet". Citing news reports that it was Sonia Gandhi who was instrumental in sacking "two PM's men", Advani said, "sheer self-respect demands that the Prime Minister calls it a day, and orders an early general election". (ANI)

What profound words?

But has the BJP or for that matter any of the national or regional parties taken a lesson.

No!

If they had, this election in Karnataka would would have been free of candidates with criminal records.

When will the Congress and BJP give a declaration that they will not give tickets to persons who have the slightest whiff of corruption against their names and follow that up with action.

Unless they do that, I will ask all Indians who abhor the exisitng corruption in our system to support the fledgling party, AAP of Arvind Kejriwal.

Let us throw out all these criminals.

Geetika suicide: Kanda charged with rape, abetment of suicide

New Delhi, May 10 (IANS) A Delhi Court Friday framed charges against ex-Haryana minister Gopal Goyal Kanda for raping and abetting the suicide of former flight attendant Geetika Sharma.

District Judge S.K. Sarvaria also framed charges of abeting rape and suicide of Geetika against Kanda's employee Aruna Chaddha.

They have also been charged with criminal conspiracy, forgery under the Indian Penal Code and Information Technology Act for hacking of computer and sending offensive or false messages.

"Prima facie charges under sections 306 (abetment of suicide), 120 B (criminal conspiracy), 468 (forgery with intention to cheat), 469 (forgery with intention to harm reputation) and 471 (using forged documents as genuine) are made out against Gopal Kanda and Aruna Chadha," the court said.

"Further, prima facie charges under sections 376 (rape) and 377 (unnatural sex) are made out against Kanda and charge under section 376 read with 109 (abetment to rape) is made out against Chadha," said the district judge, who after framing charges, sent the matter for trial before the fast track court dealing with sexual offence cases.

The court has fixed the matter for May 27 for recording of prosecution's evidence.

From now on, the name of the victim cannot be mentioned in future as the court Friday converted the suicide case into a sexual offence case. The Delhi Police in its chargesheet had not invoked offences of rape and unnatural sex against the accused.

Geetika, 23, was found hanging from the ceiling of a room at her Ashok Vihar house in north Delhi on August 5 last year.

She left behind two suicide notes blaming Kanda and Chaddha, a former official in Kanda's now-defunct MDLR Airlines where Geetika had worked. Both are now in judicial custody and have denied any involvement in the suicide.

Who is this Gopal Kanda?

Gopal Goyal Kanda was born on 29 December 1965 in Sirsa, Haryana, India.

His father, Murli Dhar Kanda, is a lawyer in Sirsa. His ancestors were market traders and his surname, Kanda, refers to the iron weights used by such people.

He lived with his family in a two-room apartment above their shop.

A school drop-out, according to The Times of India he has been "Electrician, shoe shop owner, real estate broker, industrialist, car dealer, Tara Baba devotee, airline owner and politician". He uses his surname "Kanda" for political and religious purposes, while for business purposes and on official papers his name is Gopal Kumar Goyal.

In 1997, Kanda moved to Gurgaon where he went into the real estate business.

He later became a party worker for the INLD party and an aide to Om Prakash Chautala who became Chief Minister of Haryana in 1998 after the INLD won the elections.

INLD lost the 2005 general elections in Haryana and Kanda started building relationships with Indian National Congress (INC) party leaders. In the 2009 election in Sirsa he defeated INLD's candidate Padam Jain by a margin of 6521 votes.

He supported the INC led by Bhupinder Singh Hooda in the formation of government in Haryana.

The INC had 40 legislators and to form the government it needed at least another six.

Kanda was among a group of independents who decided to support Bhupinder Hooda as chief minister.

He was rewarded with a cabinet post and made Minister of State for Home in Haryana.

He was facing court trial in ten cases at time when he was made the minister.

Please note the last sentence in the above report which I have marked in red.

Kanda was facing court trial in ten cases when he was made a minister.

The INLD accepted him and then the INC accepted him and I am sure even the BJP would have accepted him.

But first of all the Election Commission accepted.

If the Election Commission had weeded him at the electioneering stage, probably Geetika would have been alive today.

Would we appoint such a person as our employee if we knew he had ten court cases against him?

NO!

The why does the election commission allow such persons to contest elections?

Let the EC reject such persons who have cases against them and let them go to the courts.

I am sure, the courts too would not want such persons to become our leaders.

And see the irony, he was made Home Minister in Haryana, just like Raja Bhaiya of UP being made a Police Minister

Bribery case: Bansal resigns as Railway Minister

New Delhi, May 10 (ANI): Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, who was under sharp criticism from the opposition parties after the arrest of his nephew Vijay Singla on charges of allegedly trying to fix promotion for a member in the Railway Board, put in his papers on Friday evening.

According to sources, the Railway Minister has stepped down from the Union Cabinet.

Bansal is now meeting Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh at the latter's official 7, Race Course Road (RCR) residence here.

The decision in this regard came soon after Congress President Sonia Gandhi met the Prime Minister and asked him to take a decision on Bansal. Congress Party earlier in the day made it clear that 'it is not going to spare anybody mired in corruption'.

"The Congress is examining the issue very seriously," Congress spokesperson Bhaktcharan Das told reporters here, when asked about the bribery allegations against Bansal.

Bansal is likely to be quizzed soon by the CBI in connection with the alleged Rs 10 crore bribery scandal involving his nephew Vijay Singla and Railway Board member Mahesh Kumar, both of whom reportedly met at his residence.

The investigating agency earlier on Thursday grilled Bansal's personal secretary Rahul Bhandari, a 1997 batch Punjab cadre IAS officer, who is believed to be privy to all the crucial decisions taken in the Railway Ministry.

A Delhi Court yesterday sent five accused, including Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal's nephew Vijay Singla, to judicial custody till 20 May in connection with the Rs 10 crore railway bribery case.

The Special CBI Judge Swarna Kanta Sharma sent Bansal's nephew Vijay Singla, suspended Railway Board member Mahesh Kumar, and three other accused-Singla's close aide Ajay Garg, businessman Sandeep Goyal and Managing Director of GG Tronics India Pvt Ltd, Narain Rao Manjunath-to judicial custody after they were presented in court.

The CBI, which moved an application seeking to send them in judicial custody, said the investigation in this case is in progress and it is still at an initial stage.

The investigating agency told the court that crucial witnesses are yet to be examined and some documents are to be collected from various departments.

The court while accepting the CBI's plea sent all the five accused to judicial custody.

Bansal had earlier told the Congress leadership, including the Prime Minister, that he has no business links with his nephew.

64-year-old Bansal, who was made Railway Minister in October last year, also sought an expeditious CBI inquiry into the issue.

"I have always observed highest standard of probity in public life and look forward to an expeditious investigation by CBI in the matter," he said. (ANI)

At last a corrupt minister resigns.

When is Ashwini Kumar going to resign, madam?

Congress mocks Mamata for 'campaigning' against CBI

Kolkata, May 9 (IANS) The Congress Thursday ridiculed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for "campaigning against the CBI", claiming that she was doing so to prevent the truth from coming out in the Saradha Group chit fund scam.

"A chief minister should not campaign against a central investigating agency. It is ridiculous for her to do so," state Congress president Pradip Bhattacharya said referring to a Banerjee post on a social networking site Wednesday.

"Please see what the Hon'ble Supreme Court has said - "CBI has become caged parrot speaking in master's voice". What do you think? Opinion please," Banerjee had posted on Facebook page.

Stating that the state government may reject a demand for a Central Bureau of Investigation probe, Bhattacharya said "it was unheard of a government campaigning against a central investigating agency".

"Trinamool Congress ministers including the chief minister are arguing against a CBI probe by stating irrational reasons only because of fear. They know a CBI probe will reveal information that might be dangerous for them," he said.

Mamta Banerjee is a changed woman.

When she was in the opposition she had no qualms in seeking CBI probes for all the crimes committed by the CPM.

Now, that she is in the government and her government has been put on the docks, she talks of the CBI not being good.

We all know the CBI is manipulated by the central government as we have witnessed in the case of Mayawati and Mulayam Singh.

However, if the CBI is monitored by a Court, then it does a good job, though unwillingly.

In Bengal's case, the matter should be handed over to the CBI and a High Court judge should monitor it.

In fact, I would suggest, even the Mayawati and Mulayam Singh's case be handed over to the CBI and a High Court judge should monitor it.

This should be the case for all corruption cases until the CBI is made truly independent by the Supreme Court.

SC remarks on coal scam, CBI functioning correct: Director Ranjit Sinha

New Delhi, May 9 (ANI): Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director Ranjit Sinha on Thursday accepted the Supreme Court's observations on the coal block allocation scam, saying that whatever the court has said is correct.

The Supreme Court had on Wednesday pulled up the CBI, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and Coal Ministry officials for changing the "heart" of the coal scam probe report and directed the government to come out with a law before July 10 to insulate the agency from "external influence and intrusion".

Even as it came down heavily on these entities, the apex court also made a reference to Union Law Minister Ashwani Kumar's role in vetting the probe report and asked, "does it not subvert the integrity of the investigation if changes are brought in status report on the suggestion of Law Minister and government officers."

The coal scam concerns the government's allocation of the nation's coal deposits to public sector entities (PSEs) and private companies by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

In a draft report issued in March 2012, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) office accused the government of allocating coal blocks in an inefficient manner during the period 2004-2009.

Over the Summer of 2012, the BJP lodged a complaint resulting in a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into whether the allocation of the coal blocks was in fact influenced by corruption.

The essence of the CAG"s argument is that the government had the authority to allocate coal blocks by a process of competitive bidding, but chose not to.

As a result both public sector enterprises (PSEs) and private firms paid less than they might have otherwise.

In its draft report in March this year, the CAG estimated that the "windfall gain" to the allocatees was Rs.10673.03 billion (approximately USD 200 billion).

The CAG Final Report tabled in Parliament put the figure at Rs.1855.91 billion (approximately USD 34 billion)

On August 27, 2012, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh read a statement in Parliament rebutting the CAG"s report both in its reading of the law and the alleged cost of the government"s policies.

Former senior police officers have also by and large welcomed the Supreme Court's strictures against the government and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)in the coal block allocation scam report/affidavit. (ANI)

The CBI Director says that the SC observations are correct.

Former senior police officers have also by and large welcome the Supreme Court's strictures against the government.

The Opposition parties wants the CBI and the police be made independent.

The Supreme Court wants the same thing.

The general public led by Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejriwal also want the same.

Then what is preventing these people in forcing the government to do as they want.

I suggest that this is the right time for the Supreme Court to move forward and force the government to implement all the recommendations it had made earlier in the Vineet Narain case and more.