Mulayam important ally in Left's national struggles: CPI-M

Kolkata, June 30 (IANS) Describing Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav as an important ally in the Left's nationwide struggles, a senior CPI-M leader Sunday said discussions will be held with him and leaders of other parties on the programmes to be adopted in the coming days.

Four Left parties - Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), Communist Party of India, Forward Bloc and Revolutionary Socialist Party - were holding a national convention July 1 in New Delhi, as part of efforts to forge an alternative to the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party.

"Tomorrow's (Monday) meeting is very important. The charter finalised at the meeting will be discussed with various parties. The programme will be discussed with other parties and leaders, including Mulayam," said CPI-M central committee member Gautam Deb.

His comments followed a discussion between Samajwadi Party leader Sanjay Dalmiya and CPI-M politburo member Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. Deb was also present during the talks.

"Mulayam is an important ally in our nationwide fight," said Deb, on a day Mulayam Singh announced that the third front was a post-poll possibility and prophesied that the parties desirous of forming such a combination would get a majority in next year's general elections.

The Samajwadi Party chief also said he had not held any political discussions so far with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who had earlier floated the idea of a federal front of regional parties.

The Left's convention would lay emphasis on presenting alternatives to the economic policies pursued by the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA).

Mulayam Singh Yadav is a most untrustworthy ally as the Congress found out in the last Lok Sabha election when he ditched them to form an alliance with Lalu Yadav and Ram Vilas Paswan.

Mamata Banerjee too found that out in the election for the President.

Mamata has not forgotten and will take her revenge at an appropriate time, probably when he is rushing to become Prime Minister.

How can both the CPM and Mamata be part of the third fro with Mulayam is beyond my comprehension.

I suppose the CPM too would like to see the chameleon in Mulayam.

Tripura top cop awarded life term

While working as Additional SP (CID) in 1998, Mazumder had been entrusted with the responsibility for investigating a serious case of corruption against the then superintendent in the food department, Aparna Das, who had forged the signature of her senior colleague to illegally renew some food licenses in lieu of a hefty bribe.

While investigating the case, Mazumder got involved in an affair with Aparna Das and hid all papers recovered from the food department office implicating Aparna in the case, said special public prosecutor of the case, Lutfur Rahaman Khadim.

Despite specific orders from the then district and sessions judge, Swapan Das, who is now a justice in Agartala high court, Mazumder neither submitted a case diary nor any relevant paper on his findings in the court.

Finally, on justice Swapan Das's order, a case against Mazumder was registered with West Agartala police station in 2009. After four years of trial, additional district and sessions judge Kripankur Chakraborty found Mazumder guilty and awarded him life imprisonment, said Khadim. The court heard altogether 32 witnesses, including SP (CID) Saumitra Dhar, additional SP B N Debbarma and former IG (CID) Amitava Kar, added Khadim.

A Tripura court on Tuesday convicted SP (HQ) Manik Lal Mazumder and sent him to prison for life for grave dereliction of duty, suppression of an official report, destruction of evidence and favouring a person involved in corruption.

Additional district and sessions judge Kripankur Chakraborty gave the verdict.

This is for the first time in Tripura that an SP rank police officer was convicted under sections 409, 201 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 13 (II) of Prevention of Corruption Act. The court will hand down the punishment on Thursday.

It is all very well that Manik Lal Mazumder has been sentenced for life.

But what about Aparna Das and the money she collected?

Has she been punished and more importantly has the money she accumulated been recovered?

Unfortunately, our corrupt bureaucrats and politicians are sometimes sentenced, say 1 in 100000.

But the money they accumulate by corrupt means becomes theirs - no questions asked.

Aam Aadmi Party has made a provision in its constitution to recover the money and any loss they may have made to the government.

Government move on CBI not enough: BJP

New Delhi, June 28 (IANS) The BJP Friday said that the UPA government approving a set of proposals by a group of ministers (GoM) on the CBI will not fulfill the aim of giving the investigating agency autonomy.

BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said that the move to give autonomy to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was not only much delayed but was not enough.

"Government should ensure real and effective autonomy to CBI as per the wish of the people, indicated by the courts," he said.

He said if the government had decided to accept the recommendation of Rajya Sabha select committee for appointment of CBI chief through a collegium, "it is because all options - be it from the moral, political, legal or constitutional points of view - were closed for it".

"In the absence of any option, the government was bound to do something," Trivedi said.

He alleged that UPA government has misused the CBI for political objectives.

The cabinet had Thursday approved a set of proposals by a GoM headed by Finance Minister P.Chidambaram on autonomy for the CBI.

These are all half measures. You are taking an unwilling

horse to drink water.

How can you expect a thief to set the rules of how to catch him.

The present government is full of corrupt ministers and men who have built their wealth using corrupt means.

They will never take correct action.

The rules should be set by the Supreme Court.

18 bodies from IAF chopper crash found

New Delhi, June 27 (IANS) Bodies of 18 victims who died in an Indian Air Force helicopter crash in flood-hit Uttarakhand have been found, said Ajay Chadha, director general of ITBP, Thursday.

"Eighteen bodies of the soldiers, who were in the crashed chopper Mi-17, have been recovered," said Chadha. Ten of the bodies have been brought to Gauchar, which is being used as an air base for rescue operations.

Due to more than 90 percent burns, it was very difficult to identify the bodies, said another Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) official. Earlier, an ITBP official told IANS that bodies of 19 people, out of the 20 travelling in the chopper, were recovered.

The crashed helicopter was carrying 20 personnel including five from the IAF, six from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police and nine from the National Disaster Response Force.

The accident took place at 2 p.m. Tuesday in an area around Gaurikund when the chopper was returning from Badrinath.

It is indeed sad that 18 of our jawans have lost their lives in trying to save their countrymen.

Has any politician been killed?

No!

Because they never went anywhere near the trouble are and yet they were thumping their chests to proclaim the good work done.

They had distributed money and goods which were from the tax collected from the common man and yet they take credit.

The least the government could do is reward these 20 jawans who have died performing their duty.

The compensation should be equal to what any jawan would have earned if he had died fighting Pakistan or China.

>

Arvind Kejriwal's letter to Sheila Dixit

Arvind's letter to Sheila Dixit

(Note: This is a translation of the original written in Hindi. This translation was done by an AAP volunteer)

25.06.2013

Smt. Sheila Dikshit ji,

I have received a letter written by your political secretary, Mr. Pawan Khera in which you have raised certain issues. This letter answers those questions. However, I am perplexed why you did not write to me directly instead of using your staff member’s name. A few months back you did the same thing. I had stated in a public meeting that you are a broker of electricity companies. You probably took offense to it. Even at that time, instead of filing a defamatory case against me in your name, you did it using Mr Khera’s name. There is a saying in English- “A leader should lead from the front”. Hiding behind someone, or firing from someone else's shoulder, demonstrates the weakness of a leader.

You have stated in your letter that Delhi politics was very clean upto now, and I have muddied it. You are feeling this way because till now, there was no one to oppose you in Delhi. There was also no opposition party in Delhi. There was match fixing between BJP and Congress. Both parties had made Delhi politics a virtual business for them. BJP and Congress are both in partnership with electricity and water companies. You kept raising the price for water and electricity and BJP would do a farcical protest on the streets, sometimes for an hour, or a day. The citizens were being robbed, exploited and crying out in pain. But things were going well for both parties. Both were happy. Now, suddenly Aam Aadmi Party has come forward and spoiled the game for both . On one side you are unhappy, you are saying that we have muddied Delhi politics. On the other side BJP is also unhappy. They too are saying that we have muddied Delhi politics. But the common citizen of Delhi is very happy. This is the first time; the common citizens of Delhi have an honest alternative.

If you really want "clean politics" then you should, immediately, take the following steps:

1. Today, in the Delhi Vidhansabha, there are 16 sitting congress MLAs, against whom serious criminal cases are going on. How can we expect these people to sit in the Vidhansabha and pass laws against rape, murder and corruption? Vidhansabha is a temple. This temple is defiled by the very presence of such people. Aam Aadmi party has announced that in the coming Vidhansabha elections, we will not field a single candidate with a criminal background. If you really want to clean up Delhi politics, you should also announce that in the coming elections, Congress too will not field any candidates with a criminal background.

2. There should be transparency in the financial donations received by political parties. Aam Aadmi party publishes the name of every donor on its website. According to news reports, Congress has received more than INR 2,000 crores in the past 5 years. But Congress is not revealing the name of its donors. It is being alleged that many companies involved in the coal scam have also donated to the Congress. If you publish this list on your website, then people will start to believe that you really want to engage in "clean politics".

3. Our country today is controlled by dynasty politics . Multiple people from the same family are given party tickets. Aam Aadmi party has announced that we will not field two candidates from the same family. I request you, if you really want "clean politics" then you should also announce that the Congress party will not give a ticket to more than one person from the same family. I am aware that if you announce this, then you will have to make a big sacrifice- either you or your son Mr. Sandeep Dikshit will have to retire from politics.

If you take the three above mentioned three steps, then people will believe that you really want to practice "clean politics".

You have mentioned in your letter that I have used inappropriate language towards you during the Auto-rickshaw campaign. I do not agree with this. You tell me yourself, what words have I used which you did not find appropriate? I do agree that I have mentioned on multiple occasions that you are a broker for electricity companies. But is that incorrect? You have raised the electricity prices in Delhi randomly. This has helped Tata and Ambani's electricity companies to reap large amounts of profits. But they are so greedy for money, that they have manipulated the books to show a loss of INR 20,000 crores. The question arises, that if they have really lost so much money, then why have they not shut down their electricity companies? I am sure you will agree Tata and Ambani have not come to Delhi to do social service, they have come to make money. Have Ambani brothers ever executed a business deal to lose money? As soon as the Delhi Airport Metro line became unprofitable, the Ambanis ran away from that business. Then, why are they still in the electricity business, if they have lost INR 20,000 Crores? There is something fishy here. Entire Delhi population is demanding an audit of these electricity companies. But you keep raising the prices without any audit. You keep saying that you are ready to conduct an audit but electricity companies are not agreeing to it. We are unable to swallow this argument. Who is the Chief Minister- you or the electricity companies? Why is our Chief Minister powerless and ineffective against these electricity companies? Why don’t you cancel their contract if they are not willing to submit to an audit? This is where people start to wonder if Sheila Dikshit ji is a broker for electricity companies. As soon as electricity companies declared a loss of INR 20,000 Crores, you went running to the Central government, asking for a financial package to bail out Mr. Anil Ambani. But when citizens of Delhi groan under the weight of increased electricity bills, you ask them not to use air conditioning, television and refrigerator. It is these kind of words and actions that have convinced people that that you are in cahoots with electricity companies.

More than half of the Delhi households do not have proper water supply. You have been Chief Minister for the past 15 years and in all these years you could not supply water to people’s homes? In spite of this, your government is spending crores of rupees on advertising and claims that you have created growth and development in Delhi. What kind of development? and for whom? when most people do not even have drinking water? If the money spent on advertisements had been spent instead on water, then water could have reached some households. You are the MLA of New Delhi constituency where the Prime Minister, President and ministers live. The biggest irony is that even in your constituency, households do not have proper access to water. There is an area named DIZ, which is only 3 kilometers away from the President's house. Even here there is a shortage of drinking water in people’s homes. The people get drinking water from the park. Every morning, there is a long line to get water from the park and citizens carry it in buckets upto the 4th floor. The same story gets repeated for almost half of Delhi. It is just like, in the old days, women used to get water from the well. Is this the development that has happened in the past 15 years of your administration?

You have alleged in your letter that in accusing your government of corruption I have insulted women. But this argument is not correct. If a woman politician does something wrong, should she not be criticized?

It is a great tragedy that even though you are a woman, you have not understand the pain of women. Today there are maximum number of rapes taking place in Delhi. Every woman of Delhi feels unsafe. In the morning when a girl leaves home to go to college, every parent's heart remains in their throat until their daughter comes back home safely. Your government has done nothing to provide safety to the women of Delhi. Whenever a girl gets raped, you always say that Delhi police is not under your control. People have elected you. Delhi citizens do not need a Chief Minister who is so helpless and unable to deliver. People need a Chief Minister who can provide them safety. It is even more tragic that police are used to brutally attack people who demand justice for rape victims. False cases are lodged against them. How can you wash your hands off the rapes happening in Delhi? Congress is in power in Delhi and Central government. Therefore, Congress is directly responsible for the rapes that are happening in Delhi and also for the brutal attacks on the people protesting against the rapes, whether it is the congress sitting in the Centre or in Delhi.

In the last 15 years, there has been no development in Delhi, only destruction. Under the pretext of development, only corruption has taken place. People have been subjected to random and unnecessary taxes because of corruption, causing the prices of everything to sky-rocket.

I invite you to a public debate in front of the citizens of Delhi. This debate can take place at Ramlila Maidan or any other large public venue. Date and time will be as per your convenience. I know that you will never accept this challenge. But I will still wait for it. If you agree for a public debate, it will lay a solid foundation for the start of "clean politics" in the country.

In future, if you need to say anything to me, please do not hesitate to write to me directly.

Sincerely,

Arvind Kejriwal

Congress to support Kanimozhi in Rajya Sabha polls

Chennai, June 25 (IANS) Ending the suspense over its stand, the Congress Tuesday announced its support for the DMK's Kanimozhi in the June 27 Rajya Sabha elections.

The support of the Congress' five legislators was being sought by both the DMK and the DMDK.

According to statement issued by the Congress' Tamil Nadu unit, the party has decided to support the DMK, its erstwhile ally in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

After the Congress' backing, the number of legislators in support of Kanimozhi now stands now at 32 (DMK 23, Congress 5, PT 2 and MMK 2). A candidate needs 34 votes to get elected.

While the AIADMK has a strength of 151 (including the speaker) in the 235-member house, the DMDK has 29 legislators. Six Rajya Sabha members from Tamil Nadu would retire next month. As per the current position in the assembly, all four candidates of the ruling AIADMK and the sole Communist Party of India candidate are expected to romp home safely. The contest will be for the sixth seat between Kanimozhi and DMDK's Elangovan.

See the irony of our democracy.

As per the chargesheet filed by CBI, Kanimozhi has 20% stake in her family-owned Kalaignar TV; her step-mother Dayalu Ammal owns 60% stake in the same channel. CBI alleges that Kanimozhi was an "active brain" behind the channel's operations and she worked with former telecom minister A. Raja to get DB realty promoter Shahid Balwa to circuitously route 200 crore (US$36.2 million) to Kalaignar TV. According to CBI, Kanimozhi was in regular touch with A Raja regarding launching of Kalaignar TV channel and its other pending works. CBI alleges that A Raja was further pursuing the cause of Kalaignar TV to get registration of the company from Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and for getting it in the DTH operator TATA Sky's bouquet. She was also summoned by the Income Tax Department, Chennai for alleged tax evasion charges.

Kanimozhi has defended herself by arguing that she is only a 20% shareholder in the company, who has no involvement in the financial aspects or the liability of a director.

Kanimozhi's assets have increased three-fold over the last six years from nine crores to nearly 27 crores.

Here is a woman who has been in jail for 193 days on corruption charges and is yet to be cleared of the charges and she is aspiring to be a Rajya Sabha MP.

And the Congress party is support her.

Thereby hangs a tale.

The new patriots: Plug the trust deficit - Gold hatao, desh bachao

Recently a host of financial institutions are suddenly turning patriotic.

Typically such acts of patriotism are reserved for August 15, Independence Day, or for October 2, the birth day of the Mahatma. Sometimes, the PSU banks will waste public money to celebrate the day that Mrs Indira Gandhi was born or mourn the national loss the day she was killed. Images of Rajiv Gandhi could also make their way into some PSU bank advertisements as a sign of patriotism.

But June is an unusual month to show patriotism from some usual - and unusual - suspects.

Press reports suggest that the PSU banks? - whose majority shareholder is the Government of India - have stopped selling gold coins. This gold hatao, desh bachao (remove gold, save the country) program was apparently at the behest of the Finance Minister. Frustrated at the continuous import of gold which is swelling India's reliance on foreign capital flow, the Finance Minister had a choice:

Send the Income Tax officers after politicians, bureaucrats, and businessmen who are known to have black money, get them to pay taxes, plug the fiscal deficit, win the faith of the people (and maybe win an election), and watch natural market forces bring billions of rupees into the stock markets to invest in a more ethical India; OR,

Nudge the banks to stop selling gold.

Well, you guessed it: they went for Easy Option 2

. No one has time to treat the symptom in this 24/7 world. Our instincts urge us to reach for the fly swatter and whack out a quick-fix solution.

So, as per press reports, Canara Bank, State Bank of India, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, and Reliance Capital all decided to stop selling gold "once their existing stock runs out".

Is it possible that some firms may have done this to please the RBI and the Ministry of Finance with a view to further their case of getting a banking license? Others may have done this to offset all the bad stuff they have done and get back in the good books of the regulators and the Ministry of Finance.

But do these entities really expect us to believe they are true patriots?

Loyal to themselves

If these financial firms are truly patriots and love the country so much, here are a few suggestions: PSU Banks: publish a list of loans given by them based on factors "other than merit". Sahara had sent 127 trucks to SEBI with documents related to its problem. Collectively, the Public Sector Undertaking banks will probably have more cartons than Sahara, so they will need more trucks. Not only will such an act boost the demand for Telco trucks and kick-start the economy, but the "animal spirit" so unleashed from honesty and transparency will bring billions of rupees lying "wasted" in gold and real estate back into stock markets;

Private Banks: maybe true patriotism will come to the forefront when their employees are less willing to convert black money to white money. If the banks were to give the names of those with black money to the Income Tax officials, not only will the tax base increase and the fiscal deficit see a reduction, but the wealth managers of the private sector banks will actually have time to look after clients with white money. Having said that, the wealth managers - inspired by this disease of patriotism - should take better care of clients and not push high-priced structured products, bad mutual funds, and high cost insurance "solutions". In fact, since these private sector banks are in such a patriotic mood, maybe they should refund all the money made from selling suspect products to unsuspecting people. And the branch managers, sales people, senior executives, and CEOs can refund a chunk of their bonuses to cover for some of these refunds. This act of apology m ay decimate the wealth of the CEOs, but it will put the savings back into the hands of your clients. With a renewal of confidence and revived trust, these clients will be ready to invest in stock markets and mutual funds again. (Pssst: please don't ignore the Quantum Long Term Equity Fund, just because we refused to be a part of the opaque commission regime);

Reliance Capital gave an elaborate statement on how they will help with "the cause" of reducing India's Current Account Deficit...eh, is this part of the same group that did the Reliance Power IPO? The IPO that was priced at Rs 430 per share for retail investors and raised Rs 11,000 crore from investors. Even after adjusting for the very generous 3:5 bonus offer, the effective IPO price for retail investors was brought down to Rs 269. Note that the bonus did not result in investors getting their money back, the just got more shares for the money invested. With the current price hovering at Rs 64, that is a wipe out of Rs 8,900 crore more than 5 years after the IPO. The book running lead managers to this "hot" issue, as per the Draft Herring Prospectus, were Kotak, UBS, ABN Amro, Deutsche Bank, Enam, ICICI, J M Financial, J P Morgan. The co-book running lead managers were Macquarie and SBI Capital Markets. To top it all CRISL and ICRA both rated the IPO as a Grade 4 (out of 5) and both cited "above average fundamentals". One of the lead managers was stated to have said that the price, on listing, could be "4 digits" suggesting that Rs 1,000 was a possibility. So, rather than stopping the sale of gold, maybe all these entities - and many more not in the list above - should stop the selling of bad paper? And, to further their patriotic passions, why not send everyone back a cheque to cover their initial investment - even without the interest?

You may stop selling it, but why would people stop buying it?

There is a reason why people are buying gold - and will continue to do so, even after the government stops selling it.

People do not buy gold because they like the glittering metal to take up space in their cupboards. People are buying gold because not only do they love their country, they also love their families - and want to ensure their savings are not wiped out.

Since January 2008, the price of gold has surged (per annum, each year) by 19.76% in Turkish Lira, by 17.95% in South African Rand, by 17.46% in Indian Rupee, and 9.86% in US Dollars. The Indian stock markets - and most global stock markets - have given no returns. The rise of gold is a global phenomenon, caused by a host of factors but mainly centred on the inability of governments to control the greed in the financial sector and make it safer for investors to participate in the financial markets. With central banks in the US and Europe busy rescuing the financial firms and restoring the bonuses of these "fat cats" to pre-Lehman levels, gold has been a decent place to be.

The culprit for the bloated savings account is not the import of gold. The culprit is the failure of the regulators to punish and eliminate the financial firms that have pocketed the savings of the individuals. Rather than banning the entry of such individuals to their offices, these financial firms still have access to the highest levels of government. And yes, on retirement, these individuals from the government get advisory jobs at many of these financial firms.

Neither the Ministry of Finance nor the regulators publicly acknowledge that investors were duped and mis-sold financial products. To correct a problem you first need to state the problem.

Given this cuddly-fiddly relationship between the financial services industry, the regulators, and the policy makers, individuals - worldwide - have invested in gold.

And the firms that acted as the spoilers of our habit to invest in stock markets are now showing signs of patriotism by not willing to sell gold to their clients? What a joke!

The above is from "The Honest Truth" by Ajit Dayal for the Equitymaster, I receive in my mail.

Adopt zoning bill to minimise flood-linked disasters: Water secretary

New Delhi, June 25 (IANS) States should adopt and implement a model Flood Plain Zoning Bill that was first circulated to them 38 years ago as this will minimise losses like those caused in Uttarakhand, a senior official has said. Ironically, Uttarakhand is one of only three states to have acceded to the measure, having done so only last December.

"Mitigation of devastation caused by floods, as we have seen in Uttarakhand, is possible if the bill is adopted and implemented by the states," Secretary (Water Resources) S.K. Sarkar told IANS in an interview, adding that the bill will regulate land use in flood plains and contain flood damage.

The bill provides for flood-plain zoning authorities, delineation of flood-plain areas, prohibiting the use of the flood plains and removing obstructions to ensure the free flow of water.

Sarkar said the states have reservations on the bill because of population density pressure and difficulties in relocating people living in flood plain areas.

"There are problems with states also. It (the bill) requires consensus building," he added.

Water Resources Minister Harish Rawat had told a meeting of the Ganga Flood Control Board in January that the ministry was considering a review of the bill and re-circulating it among the states in view of their objections.

Ministry officials said the bill calls for zoning rivers in a way that loss of life and destruction to buildings are prevented or minimised in case of floods.

They said that the bill was aimed at preventing construction of residential areas in vulnerable zones and allowing parks, playgrounds or fields to come up in the low lying areas.

The bill has been drafted by the Central Water Commission (CWC).

Ministry officials said that the bill prioritises different types of buildings and utility services in view of the likely damage they may suffer in case of floods.

They said that defence installations, industries and public utilities, inlcluding alirports and railway stations, should be located in areas that were above the highest flood level in the past several decades.

The officials said that they have been pursuing the model bill with the states and there was a need to not only adopt the bill but implement it as there were increasing intrusions into the flood plains.

They also said any buildings constructed in low lying areas needed "special type of construction."

There is an old saying of bolting the stable doors after the horses have all run away.

However, that is not true in the above case.

Even after 18 years, a bill which was supposed to prevent disasters of the kind which has happened has not been passed.

Not only that but warnings issued by environmentalist like Sundarlal Bahuguna, leader of the Chipko movement, were not heeded.

This is well written by Rasheeda Bhagat in the article, link given below.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/columns/rasheeda-bhagat/had-we-chipkoed-to-his-warnings/article4846892.ece

Everywhere we are seeing the unholy alliance of politicians and businessmen ransacking and looting nature.

They are talking of the increasing demand of land by an ever increasing population.

But why are they not controlling the population by introducing the one-child norm as in China.

Within the next 20 years, India's population will exceed that of China.

We have on one-third the area of China but almost the same population as China.

Our population density is 933.27 per sq Km while China's is only 361.42.

Yet China has thught it prudent to control its population while we go on producing like rabbits.

An the worst part is that the quality of our population is decreasing.

While the rich and educated realize the gravity of have excessive children and controlling them, the uneducated, poor and religious bigots go on producing saying that it is Allah's/ Iswar's gift.

As I see it, ever increasing population is the main scourge of India followed by Corruption.

All other problems are a result of the above.

Are all women in Bengal getting raped, asks Mamata

Kolkata, June 23 (IANS) Faced with all-round criticism over the rising instances of crime against women, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Sunday sought to defend her government by counter-posing: "Are all women in the state being raped?"

Addressing a Trinamool Congress rally in North 24-Parganas district's Minakhan, Banerjee vented her ire on a section of media which has been highlighting the crimes against women in the state.

"These channels have colluded with the opposition and are running a smear campaign against the government. By doing so, they are disrespecting the soil of Bengal," said Banerjee who earlier had claimed that a "media house was conniving with the opposition to murder her".

The Trinamool chief has been receiving flak from intellectuals and civil society members after she rebuked villagers who were protesting the brutal gang-rape and murder of a college student in Kamduni village in the district.

In her bid to deride her detractors, Banerjee earlier had said: "They blame me for everything. Now, they are even blaming me for rape. As if it was I who went to rape... only if I were a man."

With the city Friday bringing out a huge rally in protest atrocities on women, veteran filmmaker Mrinal Sen said the people of West Bengal have given a "fatwa" to Banerjee and her government to mend their ways.

The state recently has been witnessing a spate of alleged rapes and murders. The National Crime Records Bureau has put Bengal at top the country's charts concerning crime against women with as many as 30,942 such incidents reported in the state in 2012.

Mamata Banerjee asks whether all women are being raped in Bengal.

I would like to ask her whether she will take action only after all women have been raped?

What she can is allow the police to act freely in taking action against criminals, no matter of which party.

Unfortunately, her party has been infiltrated by criminals who were previously in the CPM.

Earlier, the CPM was protecting them, now she or her party is protecting them.

The police stop taking action on the criminals as soon as they come to know that he is from the TMC.

If they don't, a call come through from the local MLA / Councillor to stop taking action.

If she wants the public and the media to stop criticizing her, she should allow the police to do their duty.

AAP Meeting - Kolkata - 20130623

Today, I attended the first meeting of Aam Aadmi Party, in Kolkata.

Pankaj Gupta and Prof Ajit Jha from Delhi also came to guide through the meeting.

A very stirring CD of the AAP was played.

Thereafter both Mr. Gupta and Prof Jha made a few points on the aim of AAP.

This was followed by a question and answer session, questions asked by the new people who had come and the answers by Mr. Gupta and Mr. Jha. Thereafter considerable time was spent in how the organisation would be set up in Bengal.

Some of the districts already have representations but some do not have any.

Mentors were selected to work through the process of setting up the organisation.

At present all efforts are being concentrated on the Delhi elections to take place some time in October/November 2013.

If we in AAP are able to send a good no of MLAs to the Delhi assembly, we would find the setting up our organisation in the rest of India, much easier and faster.

I have given above a photo of the meeting being addressed by Prof Jha.

The second picture is the cover of Arvind Kejriwal's book, "Swaraj", a small booklet brought out by AAP and two batch of AAP.

I also bought a CD.

I would suggest all those who wish to see a better India under AAP buy the book "Swaraj" and the CD.

It will clear all doubt why AAP is so necessary in the Indian context.

As I see it, we will have to work very hard if we are to convince people to vote for AAP.

The meeting ended for us with the singing of the National Anthem but continued for the Mentors.

Attack on AAP demonstrators by Delhi Police

The following mail received from Prashant Bhushan of AAP, asking us for our support.

Dear Radheshyam Sharma,

We are outraged.

Yesterday many of our volunteers were brutally beaten up by the Delhi police for protesting outside the police station asking for the police to register an FIR in the case of a young woman who was confined and raped for 2 days in Gokulpuri. The picture (see below) and videos of the incident shows the viciousness of the attack on peacefully protesting young men and women. Several of them were admitted to the hospital with broken bones and bleeding wounds. When one of our volunteers asked for water, he was offered urine. (Read the news report in 'The Hindu')

Volunteers are our strength and when the police beats up any one of us, each lathi, each blow is a pain inflicted on all of us. Gandhiji’s freedom fighters had to endure the same brutality at the hands of the British rulers. Little did we know that this unjust treatment would continue even after we got independence and this time at the hands of our own elected government. This dictatorship in a so called democracy has to stop. This is what the Aam Admi party is fighting for as we wage India's second battle for independence.

Friends, let us send a strong message to all those who seek to silence the voice of the Aam Aadmi, that we are all united and will not allow people’s right to expression and protest to be trampled upon with such disdain. We demand justice for the violence victims and stringent action on policemen who were involved in this brutal attack on civilians.

Please take one or more actions listed below:

Sign & Share this Change.org petition. This is not only to register your protest but to show your solidarity with our injured fellow volunteers. Send it to everyone you know.

Join your local volunteers in protest/solidarity events on Sunday, 23rd June. More details can be found here. We need to make permanent changes to our system. Talk to all your friends and family about lawlessness in Delhi and how the upcoming Delhi elections is very important. Ask them to Donate, Volunteer and Vote for AAP.

We stand united in support of our volunteers and condemn this atrocity!

Sincerely, Prashant Bhushan

As I see it, this is a knee-jerk reaction of the Delhi Administration because the Aam Aadmi Party has decided to field candidates in the forth coning elections in Delhi and has already released three lists much ahead of all the other political parties. More specifically because Arvind Kejriwal has decided to stand against Sheila Dixit herself.

It must be sending a shock through her and the Congress party.

This is the same police force which was used against Swami Ramdeo in the dead of night, beating up all those who came in their way.

The Congress rule in Delhi is numbered.

Is Mamata Banerjee Paranoid?

Media, opposition conspiring to malign my government: Mamata

Kolkata, June 21 (IANS) Facing a severe public backlash over recent incidents of crime against women, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Friday accused the opposition of conspiring with the media to malign her government.

The Trinamool Congress supremo, campaigning for the upcoming panchayat polls, said at a party rally in in Burdwan district's Ondal that the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have colluded with a section of media to mislead the people.

"Trinamool Congress has not committed rapes nor has police done so to unleash political terror. The media has joined hands with them and maligning our government which has been doing good work," said Banerjee as she named the media houses and channels that have been "conspiring" against her.

With a large section of the intelligentsia and the civil society Friday hitting the streets in protest against the rising crime graph, Banerjee criticised those who have been questioning the "political "change" that was ushered by the Trinamool.

"Only a few people had joined us towards the very end of our movement and participated in one or two rallies. Whereas about 55,000 Trinamool Congress workers were killed and we had to struggle for 34 years," she said.

Her remarks were directed at sections of the civil society who had campaigned for a political change in the state during the previous Left Front government but have recently been criticising her for failing to prevent crimes against women.

Though she admitted that a few incidents of rape have occurred in the state, Banerjee dubbed as a "complete lie", the latest report by the National Crime Records Bureau putting Bengal atop the country in crimes against women.

"They are saying that we are atop the country when it comes to atrocities committed against women. They are liars and are trying to belittle the pride of the mothers and sisters of the state. Do not believe them," she said.

Later speaking at another party rally in Purulia district's Manbazar, Banerjee reiterated her claim of the Marxists conniving with the Maoists to eliminate her to revive left-wing extremism in Junglemahal - the rebel affected areas of the state.

"Our greatest achievement has been bringing back smiles on the faces of people of Junglemahal - which a few years back was synonymous to terror and bloodshed.

"But the CPI-M has been conspiring with the Maoists to kill me and bring back the reign of terror in Junglemahal. I dare them to kill me in public in front of you all instead of conniving in the background," added Banerjee.

People's 'fatwa' to Mamata regime to mend its ways: Mrinal Sen

Kolkata, June 21 (IANS) Welcoming the huge rally brought out on the streets of Kolkata Friday against atrocities on women, veteran film maker Mrinal Sen said the people of West Bengal have given a "fatwa" to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her government to mend their ways "I bow my head to the huge number of people who came out on the streets. They have stood up against the dirt in the society which seems to have spread everywhere. On top of this, the filthy abuses used by those in power and their misdeeds, it (the huge procession) was needed.

"They have overcome fears. They have made a bold statement that they are not afraid. This is only the beginning. These (protests) will continue. If this forces the ruling party (the Banerjee led Trinamool Congress) to be mindful of their words and deeds, well and good. This is people's fatwa.

"If the government does not accept this, that will be bad," said the nonagenarian Sen, the last surviving genius of one of the most productive period in Indian films that also saw the flourishing of two other celluloid greats Satyajit Ray and Ritwik Ghatak.

Lashing out at Banerjee, who alleged that the Communist Party of India-Marxist, Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a media group have come together to murder her, Sen said: "She is talking rubbish. It is not the voice of a normal individual".

Thespian Soumitra Chatterjee, another convenor of the rally, said the Kamduni incident was not an isolated one. "The various atrocities perpetrated on the people recently have reached all levels of society. And now everybody is standing up against this".

The rally, that saw poets, painters, authors, film and theatre personalities, singers, and social activists walk alongside thousands of common people decrying the incidents of sexual violence and the "insensitive" reactions of the Banerjee regime, was triggered by the gangrape-murder of a college girl in Kamduni village of North 24 Parganas district June 7.

Banerjee visited the village Monday, but ended up shouting at women protesting against the incident and seeking to talk to her. An enraged Banerjee screamed "shut up" at the women and called them Maoists and CPI-M activists, drawing flak from the civil society, media and the opposition.

Later, she came down heavily on the opposition and a section of the media, alleging they had hatched a conspiracy to kill her at Kamduni.

Mamata Banerjee has become paranoid.

She sees ghosts everywhere.

If when she was in the opposition, the CPM did no kill her when they were in power, why should they kill her now.

But she has the habit of crying with this slogan whenever she wants the people's sympathies.

Unfortunately, the people's patience has worn thin and if there was an election immediately her party would have been thrown out.

She forgets that her party had come to power because of the negative votes of the CPM.

Nobody voted for her as we were all aware of her madness.

People voted against the CPM as they were all fed-up of their arrogance.

The CPM took about 20 yeas to develop that arrogance.

She has developed that trait in just two years.

If the latest announcements of Biman Bose and his friends are any indication, the CPM has not improved much in two years in spite of the drubbing it received from the people.

I don't count Buddhadev as Biman's friends.

Buddhadev is just in wrong company.

So what do we have now.

On one side is the Devil called CPM.

On the other is the Deep sea - known as TMC.

Does Bengal have any hope.

Yes, and that is the Aam Aadmi Party.

Aam Aadmi Party Issues its third shortlist

Delhi 2013 -Furthering its aim of promoting greater participation of aam aadmi in democratic processes, Aam Aadmi Party today announced its third list of shortlisted candidates. The third shortlist comprises of 8 Assembly Constituencies from which 18 candidates have been shortlisted. A total of 95 candidates had applied from these 8 vidhan sabhas, namely Ballimaran, Delhi Cantt, Hari Nagar, Karawal Nagar, Mangolpuri, Narela, Sangam Vihar and Timarpur.

Interestingly, out of the 18 shortlisted candidates, 8 are women from different walks of life. One such candidate is Farhana Anjum from Ballimaran. Forty-year old Farhana Anjum had contested 2012 councillor elections and had managed to get more than 5000 votes from her ward, giving a tough fight to the lead candidate. Another shortlisted candidate from Sangam Vihar, Anita Singh is the wife of a retired IAF officer and has devoted her life to social work and causes related to women. Another young potential female candidate from Mangolpuri is Rakhee Birla who belongs to Balmiki community and is pursuing a career in TV journalism.

One of the shortlisted candidates from Delhi Cantt area is NSG Commando Surendra Singh, who fought terrorists in 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks thus saving hundreds of life. Also among the candidate shortlist is Jagdeep Singh, who ever since he lost his father in 1984 sikh riots, has been fighting for the rights of the victims of the carnage. Another candidate from Karawal Nagar is Kapil Mishra who is an environment activist with Greenpeace and has been fighting to save Yamina river.

Aam Aadmi Party has tried to include people from all social groups. Thirty-four year old Mohammad Salim is an auto driver and has been shortlisted from Timarpur vidhan sabha. Another potential candidate from Narela is Rajesh Kumari who is a LIC and PO agent.

The average age of the candidates who have been shortlisted is approximately 36 years. The youngest candidate is Wasim Ahmad Sonawale from Ballimaran constituency who is 25 years. The oldest is Baljeet Singh Mann from Narela Vidhan Sabha who is 60 years old. Mann’s father was in the Azad Hind Fauj, led by Subash Chandra Bose.

A total of 95 candidates had applied from these constituencies who underwent a tough screening process. The screening committee interacted with all these candidates individually before shortlisting 18 candidates. The committee tried its best not to shortlist candidates who have any kind of criminal background.

AAP is committed to field 70 candidates with clean image who have a zeal to change the way politics id perceived today. Not a single tainted candidate would be allowed to contest for any elections from AAP ticket. In last Delhi Assembly elections, Congress and BJP gave tickets to 19 tainted candidates each, while BSP gave tickets to 15 candidates with criminal backgrounds.

Aam Aadmi Party has uploaded detailed profiles of these 18 candidates on its website (www.aamaadmiparty.org) and has invited public feedback on these candidates. Based on public feedback and voting of active volunteers, candidates would be finalised in these constituencies.

So far AAP has finalised candidates for 11 vidhan sabhas and has shortlisted candidates in another 20 assemblies including the 8 released today.

People can send in their feedback on these candidates for the next 15 days through the following ways:

Email: delhielection@aamaadmiparty.org

Website: www.aamaadmiparty.org

Address: Election Cell, Aam Aadmi Party, A-119, Kaushambi, Ghaziabad, UP: 201010

Helpline: 09718500606

If credible evidence of any wrong doing is received against any of the candidates, their names will be taken off the shortlist. We urge you to participate in this process to ensure that we select the best candidate to represent the AAM Aadmi. This is not the final selection process though, the detailed process is outlined here.

The third list of candidates for the Delhi elections have been put of the AAP website http://delhi.aamaadmiparty.org/Delhi-Elections-2013.

You can view the biodate of all the candidates.

Photographs of the candidates have not yet been put.

If you live in Delhi, do visit the site and give your comments and select the best possible candidate.

If Sonia ji asks me to pick up a broom and sweep, I will do it: Union minister Dr Charandas Mahant

RAIPUR: In the latest example of political sycophancy, Union minister of state for agriculture and food processing Dr Charandas Mahant said on Monday that, "If Congress president Sonia Gandhi asks me to pick up a broom and sweep state Congress office in Chhattisgarh, I would do it".

Dr Mahant, who has been appointed as the new working president of Chhattisgarh State Congress Committee (CGPCC), was replying to a question on whether he would be able to do justice to the Congress as state party chief while continuing as Union minister of state.

Sadly, after ruling the country for most of the 65+ years since independence, this is the current state of the Congress party.

They require sweepers and not leaders.

Surely we deserve better. Isn't it time we ended this rule of sycophancy and blind loyalty?

Let us vote the Congress party out of power. Let us start with the Delhi assembly elections.

Help us make this a reality by supporting the Aam Aadmi Party. Pass on this message to your friends and family so they too could participate in this effort.

Thank you for your support!

Team AAP

Why our bankers are like Gabbar Singh

Gabbar Singh, the famous dacoit from Sholay - the film that captured the imagination of India in 1975 - may be dead but his teachings live on.

The ruthless dacoit had no qualms about getting rid of his own men (recall the classic: Saalaa bach gaya). And Gabbar was fearless (Jo dar gaya, so mar gaya).

Indian bankers are the Gabbar Singh of today. Like Gabbar, they sense the macro opportunity of a vacuum. In Gabbar's reign there were few cops to challenge him and he could rule the ravine. With no legitimate law enforcement, Gabbar was the law. No one could touch him but he could knock off anyone, even members of his own gang.

Our banks know the great macro story that gets harped from North Block to Mint Street: India needs more banks. Of the 600,000 clusters of population in the country, about 5% (30,000 clusters) have access to the bank account. In their desperation for "financial inclusion" the overseers of the banking system may be willing to look the other way when it comes to this acceleration towards "inclusion". The policemen abandon their posts?

The CobraPost sting operations showed the hollowness of the KYC process in the savvy private sector Indian banks, the stodgy PSU banks, and the slick foreign banks.

A bank is the first line of defence in a society that wishes to curb or eradicate black money. Yet, the officials from the many banks are happily offering ways to cleanse black money to white.

The first reaction of the RBI - from Deputy Governor K. C. Chakrabarty - on March 21 was nothing has happened "as no transaction had taken place...Our system to monitor money laundering is perfect". It is possible that the RBI made this knee-jerk statement (without any inspection of the banks' books) to eradicate any thoughts that the Indian banking system was as vulnerable as the Cyprus banking system. Cyprus banks had just been shut down, albeit for very different reasons. In light of the global panic at that point in time, let's accept this statement as a reassuring lie rather than a falsehood.

By June 10, the RBI had imposed a fine of Rs 5 crore on Axis Bank, Rs 4.5 crore on HDFC Bank, and Rs 1 crore on ICICI Bank. These fines were placed after the RBI had time to examine the cases and the RBI "came to the conclusion that some of the violations were substantiated and warranted imposition of monetary penalty".

The share prices of the banks increased after the announcement of the quantum of the fines.

In an article on June 6, The Hindu quoted Rajiv Takru, the Department of Financial Services Secretary, Government of India, as saying that the fine should be Rs 500 crore. The RBI Governor D. Subbarao said that the fine of Rs 1 crore (apparently limited by an act of Parliament) was "peanuts". According to The Hindu, Deputy Governor Chakrabarty reportedly held his ground and said that banks (which have profit making as an objective) could start passing the fines to their customers in the form of higher fees and interest rates. According to him the purpose of a fine should be to "name and shame" the banks found guilty.

Gabbar is alive - and expanding

So, Gabbar had six bullets in his gun and three of his henchmen to knock off.

The banks have already knocked off the employees who were caught in the CobraPost sting operation. Saaley nahi bache.

The fines have been paid and the dust of a bad name has been washed off. The path to provide financial inclusion is laced with bonus packages for the CEOs and senior managements of the banks. They will continue to take the risks in their "bania ka hisaab kitaab hai" attitude. Reputation is an ESOP fattened by a wholesome market cap

There is fee income to be earned from mis-selling mutual funds, mis-selling insurance products, and acting as alchemists who can convert black to white.

They know that the regulators are scared to stop them from opening new branches because, god forbid, if they do stop bank expansion the financial inclusion dream will be in jeopardy. The "social objective" will be lost. So the money laundering machines will spread across India.

And they know that the bank fines will be of the "peanuts" variety. Neither the RBI nor the Independent Board Members are going to touch their salaries, their bonus pools, and their ESOP plans (Hint: maybe they should!).

So, the banks have once again proven they are too big to be fined, too big to be punished, and too important to be held back. The moral hazard is not on their heads, it has been transferred to the lap of the regulators.

Banking was a boring business.

But a lot has changed since Gabbar Singh took over. Now the banks are built to take risks and shed all fear of a serious reprimand. If "naming and shaming" had any relevance to the society we live in, most Indian industrialists (and many in the financial services industry) would be fakirs by now wandering aimlessly across the Indo-Gangetic plain in search of the mystical. Instead, they are surrounded by the material with some CSR to sprinkle around.

Which gets back to the other famous Gabbar quote: "Jo dar gaya, so mar gaya".

With no dar in the system, the mad expansion of bank branches will continue.

The mar will be for us.

The above is from "The Honest Truth" written by Ajit Dayal, CEO of Equity Master.

Entire SBI ATM stolen in Bangalore suburb with cash

Bangalore, June 18 (IANS) In a daring heist, a gang of six unidentified men stole an entire ATM, containing Rs.10-15 lakh, from a branch of the state-owned State Bank of India (SBI) in the city's northeast suburbs early Tuesday, police said.

"The incident came to light when our patrolling team detected the ATM missing from the bank outlet during its late night beat and no security guard around," Deputy Commissioner of Police (northeast) T.R. Suresh told IANS here.

Police registered a case after the bank branch manager R. Gururaj filed a complaint that its ATM was stolen with an estimated cash of over Rs.10-15 lakh.

According to preliminary investigation, the ATM, weighing about 500kg, was not properly fixed to the ground in the outlet and the gang had cut off wires of the closed circuit television camera and its server before decamping from the spot in a vehicle.

"As the bank branch with the ATM outlet is located on a deserted road in Bagalur area, we suspect the gang escaped with the heavy machine in the absence of a security guard and without being noticed by anyone as there was not much vehicular traffic or people's movement at that time," Suresh said.

The branch was opened April 25 and the ATM was installed a month later (in May) in the kiosk with just two nuts and bolts fixed to the ground. "It is a serious security lapse of the bank and its security agency which is entrusted with the operation and maintenance of the ATM. They have not taken precautions to ensure the machine's safety," Police Commissioner Jyotiprakash Mirji told reporters after inspecting the bank outlet. In the complaint, the bank manager mentioned that Rs.20 lakh cash in denominations of Rs.1,000, Rs.500 and Rs.100 was deposited in the ATM Saturday (June 15) by the outsourced security agency.

"We have set up a special team to investigate the case and nab the gang, as the CCTV footage recorded before its camera wires were cut off showed six persons trying to lift and move the machine out of the outlet," Suresh said.

This is the second such incident in the city a week after about Rs.19.86 lakh cash was stolen from an ATM of the state-run Canara Bank in northwest suburb of the city June 8 in the absence of a security guard and defunct CCTV cameras in the outlet.

City police, however, cracked the case within four days by nabbing the three culprits and recovered Rs.18 lakh in cash from them.

The accused, including an assistant field officer of the security agency, had used a gas cutter to cut the upper part of the machine after opening it with a duplicate key and stole the cash from its safe.

I wonder if this is the first of its kind of robbery.

We Indians are very ingenuous for all the wrong reasons.

CSR = Corporate Sins Redeemed OR Corporate Social Responsibility

Over the past few months, various arms of the Indian media have carried stories about the wonderful work being done by India's industrialists either through foundations bearing their family names or under the umbrella of their conglomerates and corporations.

The good Samaritans are doing everything from feeding hungry children, educating eager children, training women on new job skills, and providing water to thirsty villages. Many of these initiatives find their way into the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) pages of the glossy Annual Reports.

The government, obvious by its absence and total failure over 66 years to do what it was supposed to, is keen to convert these sporadic emotions of giving into a law. The proposed Companies Act will have a provision that forces certain companies to dish out 2% of their annual profits in CSR initiatives. Estimates suggest that there could be a potential Rs 10,000 crore (about 0.15% of GDP) of annual spend from this "compulsory" provision.

While the corporate badhshahs and their begums light all the lamps for the photo-ops that such CSR opportunities present - and while there is, indeed, some good that must be coming out of all this - one needs to step back and ask the question: what is the source of all this charitable money?

Buying my peace...and some media space for my wife?

The critic in me says that much of this money earned by the givers may not have been legitimate wealth. The source of wealth needs to be questioned. As is being done by PILs, CAG reports, and Supreme Court directed CBI inquiries. This goes back to the question asked by me on two business TV channels for which I am still awaiting a response: Name me 10 business people in this country who have a net worth of Rs 500 crore and have made this through legitimate means.

The cynic in me says that the 2% is a cheap way for the sinners to buy forgiveness. CSR is nothing but a smart way for many corporates - and the families the control them - to buy peace. And win press coverage for their charming spouses for doing some great work.

Consider these instances - all hypothetical with totally arbitrary numbers, but probably close to reality:

Cheap coal for power plants may have made a corporate rich by Rs 1,000 crore. They use the free money to build a temple, build a school, and feed children in schools: Total cost of this could be Rs 50 lakhs, 0.05% of their rigged coal deal;

Oil and gas bonanzas may have made a corporate rich by Rs 20,000 crore. They use the money to build a temple, lay roads in villages, build wells, build schools: Total cost of this could be Rs 2 crore, 0.01% of the benefit handed out by friendly governments;

Cheap land given away as agricultural land and then rezoned into residential development land may have made a corporate rich by Rs 1,000 crore. They use the free money to feed children in schools: Total cost of this could be Rs. 20 lakhs or 0.02% of their landed benefit;

A honcho - as they are lovingly called by the gloating, "please can you advertise with us" media - makes much of his money by selling (or mis-selling) financial products to gullible clients which could result in extra profits to the tune of Rs 100 crore; some of that money finds its way to the "giving" world: maybe Rs 50 lakhs or 0.5% of money earned from a bad business practice.

You can substitute the above for iron ore, CWG contracts, housing scandals like Adarsh, land deals like the ones in Powai, spectrum, dud IPO's, dull mutual funds, or scandalous life insurance products. And change the amounts to whatever you wish.

The point is that many of these companies - and their founders - have been gifted tens of thousands of crore because of their friendship with governments and bureaucrats.

They are not "giving back" anything. They are net stealers from the system because, despite their "giving", they are still "taking" from society.

If they truly wish to give back - they should return all the money they have gamed from the system and put that into CSR programmes. And they don't even need the government to tell them how much they have stolen: they are pretty good at numbers and know the value of their enhanced wealth. The billions of dollars that has been shifted over the decades to a select few would have gone a long way in helping the less fortunate move up the health and dignity ladder.

But, given that we are in a land of milk and honey on a well-laid table of sleaze this "true giving" is not likely to happen.

So the cynic in me says that CSR is likely to be a dribble, an afterthought to win some PR points. Some crumbs to be thrown to the less fortunate - who became "less fortunate" because we stole their minerals, their land, or their savings!

And it is not likely that the NGOs who will be the recipient of their largesse will shun this money. A priest in Mexico (see the documentary "Capitalism: A Love Story" by Michael Moore) refuses to take money from those who he believes to be involved in the drug trade. The priest reasons that those in the drug trade have sinned and destroyed families - they cannot buy peace via a donation to his church. They need to do a lot more to be forgiven.

To buy peace, the sinners have already visited all the shrines. Now they have a new modern "forgive me Oh, Lord" prayer: CSR.

So, the next time you see the CSR report of any honcho-run business ask the question: is this good money doing good work or bad money doing good work for the photo-op? Tell me what you think: please fill complete Table 1 below and email it to me.

The above is from the mails I receive from Equitymaster

Couples who have premarital sex to be considered 'married': Madras High Court

Chennai, June 18 (ANI): In what can be seen as a new twist to the concept of premarital sex, the Madras High Court has in a judgement said if any unmarried couple of the right legal age "indulge in sexual gratification," this will be considered a valid marriage and they could be termed "husband and wife.

The court said that if a bachelor has completed 21 years of age and an unmarried woman 18 years, they have acquired the freedom of choice guaranteed by the Constitution. "Consequently, if any couple choose to consummate their sexual cravings, then that act becomes a total commitment with adherence to all consequences that may follow, except on certain exceptional considerations."

The court said marriage formalities as per various religious customs such as the tying of a mangalsutra, the exchange of garlands and rings or the registering of a marriage were only to comply with religious customs for the satisfaction of society.

The court further said if necessary either party to a relationship could approach a Family Court for a declaration of marital status by supplying documentary proof for a sexual relationship. Once such a declaration was obtained, a woman could establish herself as the man's wife in government records.

The court also said if after having a sexual relationship, the couple decided to separate due to difference of opinion, the 'husband' could not marry without getting a decree of divorce from the 'wife'.

Justice C.S. Karnan passed the order yesterday while modifying an April 2006 judgment of a Coimbatore family court in a maintenance case involving a couple, The Hindu reports.

The lower court had ordered the man to pay monthly maintenance of Rs. 500 to the couple's two children and Rs. 1000 as litigation expenses. The lower court observed that the woman's wedding with the man had not been proved by documentary evidence. Hence, she was not entitled to maintenance.

In her appeal to the High Court, the woman's counsel contended that she was legally married and had two children in wedlock. (ANI)

I think the above is a land-mark judgement in favour of women.

Now those couples who have a live in relationship will have to think twice before going into it for the wife can always claim all the privileges of a wife.

Election Expenses in Karnataka - An ADR Report

Dear Friends,

While there were reports of the use of money power in the recently held elections in Karnataka, the newly elected MLAs have declared to the Election Commission of India (ECI) that on an average they have spent very little money while contesting these elections.

Several MLAs in the state have declared that they spent Rs zero (0) or less than Rs 5000 on expenses like public meetings, election rallies etc.. While ECI and Press Council of India (PCI) received a lot of complaints about Paid news in these states, most MLAs have declared that they have not spent any money or very little money on "campaigning through electronic/print media".

Either contesting elections have become very cheap in India or most of these MLAs have lied in their declarations. It is absolutely necessary to have a strong mechanism to verify these declarations to control the misuse of money power and incorrect reporting of election expenses.

We also urge the citizens to come forward and submit any proof to the ECI that they may have on expenses over and above these expense declarations done by elected MLAs. It may be noted that the election of a candidate can only be challenged within 45 days of the election which means that any election petition challenging an election has to be filed by 22nd June.

Press Release

Both English and Kannada Press Release are attached for your convenience and will also be available on our website http://adrindia.org/content/recent-upcoming-elections

Following are the highlights of our Election Expense reports that analyze the election expense declarations of all the newly elected MLAs in recently held assembly elections in Karnataka:

1. Average Election Expenses: Based on the election expense declarations of 213 out of the 224 newly elected MLAs of Karnataka to the ECI, the average amount of money spent by them in the elections is only about Rs 7.43 Lakhs, which is 46% of the expense limit (16 Lakhs).

2. Party wise Average Election Expenses: The Party wise average election expenses shows that the average spending for 117MLAs of INC is Rs 7.53 lakhs (47% of the expense limit), for BJP’s 37 MLAs is Rs 7.20 lakhs (45% of the expense limit), for 37JD (S) MLAs is Rs 7.47 lakh (47% of the expense limit), for 6 MLAs of KJP is Rs 7.20 lakhs (45% of the expense limit) and for 4 MLAs of BSRC is Rs. 6.09 lakhs (38% of the expense limit).

Expense more than Expense limit: Only 1 MLA has declared election expenses more than the expense limit (16 Lakhs). Mallikarjun Sidramappa Khuba of JD(S) from BASAVAKALYAN has declared election expenses of about Rs 16.03 lakhs. 4. Lowest Election Expenses: A total of 15 MLAs (out of 213 MLAs analyzed) have declared election expenses less than Rs 4 lakhs (that is about 25% of Expense Limit set by ECI).

5. Top 3 MLAs with highest Election Expenses: The maximum expense of about Rs 16.03 lakhs (or more than 100% of the expense limit) has been declared by Mallikarjun Sidramappa Khuba of JD (S) from BASAVAKALYAN constituency, followed bySanteesh Sail Krishna an IND from Karwar constituency with an expense of about Rs. 13.22 lakhs (or 83% of the expense limit) and Basavaraj Neelappa Shivannanavar of INC from Byadgi constituency with an expense of Rs 13.10 lakhs (or 82% of the expense limit).

6. MLAs with lowest Election Expenses: The minimum expense of about Rs 1.13 Lakhs (or 7% of the expense limit) has been declared by S. N Subbareddy of IND from BAGEPALLI constituency. He is followed by K.R. RAMESH KUMAR of INCSRINIVASAPUR constituency with election expenses of about Rs. 2.54 lakhs (or 16% of the expense limit) and Kyatasandra N. Rajanna of INC from MADHUGIRI constituency with expenses of Rs. 3.07 lakhs (or 19% of the expense limit).

7. Election Expenses exceeding declared Total Assets: Only 1 MLA has declared election expenses more than their total assets declared in the 2013 Assembly Elections. H.P. Rajesh of INC from Jagalur constituency has spent more money on election expenses than the total assets declared in the affidavit submitted by him to the ECI prior to the elections. (Total Assets declared: Rs 7.50 Lakhs; Election Expenses declared: 11.89 Lakhs).

8. Expense on Public Meetings and Processions: Out of all the 213 MLAs analyzed, 28 have declared that they have spent not spent ANY amount on public meetings, processions etc.

9. Expense on Campaigning through electronic/print media: 73 MLAs have declared that they have not spent ANY amount on campaigning through electronic/print media.

10. Expense on Campaign Workers: 102 MLAs have declared that they have not spent ANY amount on campaign workers.

11. Expense on Vehicles Used: Only 1 MLA has declared that they have spent less than Rs 10,000 on use of vehicles.Basavaraj Bommai of of BJP from Shiggaon constituency has declared that he has spent only Rs. 5,201 on vehicle use.

12. Expense on Campaign Materials and Erection of gates, arches, banners etc.: Only 1 MLA has declared that they have not incurred any expense on campaign materials and erection of gates, arches, banners etc. S.Madhu Bangarappa of JD (S) from Sorab constituency has declared that no amount was spent on Campaign Materials, banners, gates, etc.

ADR Recommends:-

· In order to curb the use of money power in elections, the election expense declarations of the elected MLAs should be properly scrutinized in a time bound manner by Election Commission of India and the strong action should be taken against defaulters

· Also, the criminal and financial declarations of the elected MPs and MLAs should be scrutinized by the appropriate authorities under the supervision of Election Commission of India in a time bound banner and the strong action should be taken against defaulters

· All the criminal cases against the MPs and MLAs, including those related to the above two, should be fast-tracked.

Thanks & Regards

Karnataka Election Watch

The above has come from ADR (Association for Democratic Reforms) who are doing very good work in cleaning up our political system.

Preserving fruits

Sent by Arun Shroff

Mistakes in life can be painful‏

One of The Best Eye Opener Message - Must Read It was their anniversary, and Aisha was waiting for her husband Rajiv to show up. Things had changed since their marriage, the once cute couple couldn't-live-without-each-other had turned bitter.

Fighting over every little things, both didn't like the way things had changed.

Aisha was waiting to see if Rajiv remembered it was their anniversary!

Just as the door bell rang she ran to find her husband wet and smiling with a bunch of flowers in his hand.

The two started re-living the old days. Making up for fights, then was d plan for champagne, light music And it was raining outside! It was perfect.

But the moment paused when the phone in the bedroom rang.

Aisha went to pick it up and it was a man. "Hello ma'am I'm calling from the police station. Is this Mr Rajiv Mehra's number?" "Yes it is!"

"I'm sorry ma'am; but there was an accident and a man died.

We got this number from his wallet; we need you to come and identify his body."

Aisha's heart sank.!!! She was shocked!

But my husband is here with me?"

"Sorry ma'am, but the incident took place at 2 PM, when he was boarding the train."

Aisha was about to lose her conscience.

How could this happen?!

She had heard about the soul of the person coming to meet a loved one before it leaves!

She ran into the other room.

He was not there. It was true! He had left her for good!!

Oh God she would have died for another chance to mend every little fight! She rolled on the floor in pain. She lost her chance! Forever!

Suddenly there was a noise from the bathroom, the door opened and Rajiv came out and said "Darling, I forgot to tell you my wallet got stolen today".

LIFE MIGHT NOT GIVE YOU A SECOND CHANCE. SO NEVER WASTE A MOMENT WHEN YOU CAN STILL MAKE UP FOR YOUR WRONGS!!!

Its the last quarter of the year so let's start making amends.

To parents

To siblings

To friends

And many more.

No one is promised tomorrow. Have a wonderful Life with no regrets!

Sent by Arun Shroff

Dubai - the City of Sky Scapers

Unbelievable video and story from our camel jockey friends in Dubai.

In Dubai, they forgot one little item...

The modern Arab world!! You have seen those architectural wonders of Dubai .

However, none are hooked up to a sewer system!

The two minute video below passes a line of poop trucks and never gets to the end of the line. What were these people thinking?

An unbelievable amount of sewage is generated by the new high-rises and there is no place to dispose of it. Camel sense seems about right!

Dubai doesn't have a sewage system for all those big new buildings so they haul it all away in tank trucks.

Look at the number of tank trucks that are waiting to dump their load. This is amazing. They wait for days to dump their load.

You would have thought that by building all those huge skyscrapers they would have enough sense to put in a sufficient sewage system to haul away all that crap.

You would imagine that those building that look amazingly beautiful were built on a well-planned system of utilities. But, that's NOT TRUE!!

Apparently, common sense was replaced with camel sense ... wow!!!

Paste the link below on your browser

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/-pQdjwliLMA?rel=0

Delhi traffic cop attacked

New Delhi, June 15 (IANS) A head constable of Delhi Traffic Police was attacked by two people when he tried to book their car, said police Saturday.

The incident was reported from south Delhi's Neb Sarai around 9.25 a.m. Friday.

Prem Sagar, 40, was attacked after he stopped a car, which was being driven in the wrong lane.

When Sagar asked the car's driver Nitin, 27, for the vehicle's papers, the latter abused the head constable and tried to mow him down, police said. Sagar's leg was injured.

Nitin's friend Vikas manhandled the head constable.

Sagar's colleague called the Police Control Room (PCR) and Nitin was arrested from the spot while Vikas managed to escape.

Our leaders are always comparing ourselves with the western nations when they want to take some advantage.

Recently Kanimojhi, daughter of Karunanidhi, former CM of Tamil Nadu, advocated the abolishing of the death penalty as it had been abolished in most of the western nations.

Why does she not compare the traffic rules?

Would the above ever be allowed in the USA.

There-

No person is allowed to sit on the steering wheel without a valid licence.

No person can appear in a driving test without first passing a online test which consists of 100 questions. Only two answers are allowed wrong in a 100 questions.

Children are allowed to sit only in the back seat in specially constructed seats for their protection.

Traffic rules and lights are stringently followed.

Pedestrians are allowed to cross the road when the light allows them and at that time all vehicular traffic comes to a halt.

Vehicles are allowed to be parked only in space provided by them.

In India, all the above would be a dream.

When the prime minister of a country herself flouts the rules, the public will naturally do the same.

Kiran Bedi who towed away Indira Gandhi's car because it was wrongly parked, was transferred the very next day to Goa.

'Trusted' alliance must continue in interest of people of Bihar: BJP

New Delhi, June 15 (ANI): With an end to the 18-year-old alliance with the Janata Dal (United) looking imminent, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday said it is in the interest of the people of Bihar that this trusted coalition continues. BJP chief spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad informed the media that a meeting took place at his residence here to analyze, understand and find the situation in Bihar.

"Dharmendra Pradhan, the General Secretary of the BJP and the in-charge of Bihar, was present, Shahnawaz Hussain, the Member of Parliament from Bhagalpur and national spokesperson of BJP, was present. And both Shahnawaz and myself belong to the state of Bihar, therefore we have added interest and concern about Bihar. We analyzed, reflected upon the situation in Bihar. We also talked to our leaders in Bihar and at the national level. And what we decided today is that the Government of Bihar has been formed by the enormous support of the people by voting both the JD (U) and BJP," said Prasad.

"It was an alliance, which was trusted by the people, and the government has done a good job, including by the BJP Ministers and others. Therefore, purely in the interest of Bihar this alliance must go, that is how I feel. Rest, we will await for a decision to be taken by the JD (U). We would like the NDA to continue. BJP is the biggest party of the NDA. Therefore, all the restraint needed for that we shall maintain," he added.

Prasad, however, said that the BJP is keeping a serious watch on the issues in Bihar. "It is our state, we hope that the alliance continues. In the event, there is any other decision surely we will reflect upon that," he added. NDA convenor Nand Kishore Yadav and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi earlier in the day refused to meet Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Yadav told the media in Patna that they were called by Nitish Kumar, but this morning they read in a newspaper that he has raised the issue of prime ministership.

Yadav said only the national leaders can speak on this issue, and added that he and Sushil Modi are not authorised to discuss it.

"He had called me and Sushil ji. But he has raised the issue as to whether Narendra Modi would be the Prime Ministerial candidate. The BJP national leadership is in touch with him, he should discuss this issue with the national leadership and not with us," he said.

Nand Kishore Yadav's remarks came against the backdrop of a media report that quoted Nitish Kumar as saying that BJP should publicly declare that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi will not be its prime ministerial candidate in the 2014 polls.

Nitish Kumar, who returned from a tour to Patna yesterday, made it clear that there is a strain in the ties between the Janata Dal (United) and the BJP, and said that the current situation of the coalition is very difficult.

"And, we have to now decide on what to do in this difficult situation. Talks are going on in almost all quarters. On the one hand, they are saying that the alliance should continue for its very old. On the other hand, there are difficulties," said Kumar. "Dua dete hai jeene ki, dawa karte hai marne ki (You wish me a long life, but offer medicines that will poison me)," he added.

JD (U) has 118 MLAs in 243-member Bihar assembly and needs the support of only four more MLAs to reach the magic figure.

There are 91 MLAS from BJP, 21 from RJD and one each from LJP and CPI in the state assembly. (ANI)

Being a supporter of Arvind Kejriwal and his AAP, I should be happy at the acrimony between the JDU and BJP over Narendra Modi.

However, I feel sad.

Here are two states which are among the best ruled states in India, fighting for their egos.

Nitish would want to be more loyal than Mulayam Singh to the Muslims - just vote bank politics.

He forgets the basics of coalition dharma that each party should run as per its own rules.

He probably wants to show off that he is bigger than Modi.

On the wings of this drama, Lalu Yadav and Ram Vilas Paswan are rubbing their hands in glee at this Nitish given opportunity for them to come back to power in Bihar.

Irish Humour

The following were posted by Rudra Roychowdhury on FB.

You have have seen them earlier but going through them you cannot avoid a smile.

Paddy was driving down the street in a sweat because he had an important meeting and couldn't find a parking place. Looking up to heaven he said, 'Lord take pity on me. If you find me a parking place I will go to Mass every Sunday for the rest of me life and give up me Irish Whiskey!'

Miraculously, a parking place appeared.

Paddy looked up again and said, 'Never mind, I found one.'

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Father Murphy walks into a pub in Donegal, and asks the first man he meets, 'Do you want to go to heaven?'

The man said, 'I do, Father.'

The priest said, 'Then stand over there against the wall.'

Then the priest asked the second man, 'Do you want to go to heaven?'

'Certainly, Father,' the man replied.

'Then stand over there against the wall,' said the priest.

Then Father Murphy walked up to O'Toole and asked, 'Do you want to go to heaven?'

O'Toole said, 'No, I don't Father.'

The priest said, 'I don't believe this. You mean to tell me that when you die you don't want to go to heaven?'

O'Toole said, 'Oh, when I die , yes. I thought you were getting a group together to go right now.'

------------------------------------------------------------------

Paddy was in New York .

He was patiently waiting and watching the traffic cop on a busy street crossing. The cop stopped the flow of traffic and shouted, 'Okay, pedestrians.' Then he'd allow the traffic to pass.

He'd done this several times, and Paddy still stood on the sidewalk.

After the cop had shouted, 'Pedestrians!' for the tenth time, Paddy went over to him and said, 'Is it not about time ye let the Catholics across?'

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Gallagher opened the morning newspaper and was dumbfounded to read in the obituary column that he had died. He quickly phoned his best friend, Finney.

'Did you see the paper?' asked Gallagher. 'They say I died!!'

'Yes, I saw it!' replied Finney. 'Where are ye callin' from?'

----------------------------------------------------------------------

An Irish priest is driving down to New York and gets stopped for speeding in Connecticut . The state trooper smells alcohol on the priest's breath and then sees an empty wine bottle on the floor of the car.

He says, 'Sir, have you been drinking?'

'Just water,' says the priest.

The trooper says, 'Then why do I smell wine?'

The priest looks at the bottle and says, 'Good Lord! He's done it again!'

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Walking into the bar, Mike said to Charlie the bartender, 'Pour me a stiff one - just had another fight with the little woman.'

'Oh yeah?' said Charlie, 'And how did this one end?'

'When it was over,' Mike replied, 'She came to me on her hands and knees.'

'Really,' said Charles, 'Now that's a switch! What did she say?'

She said, 'Come out from under the bed, you little chicken.'

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Patton staggered home very late after another evening with his drinking buddy, Paddy. He took off his shoes to avoid waking his wife, Kathleen.

He tiptoed as quietly as he could toward the stairs leading to their upstairs bedroom, but misjudged the bottom step. As he caught himself by grabbing the banister, his body swung around and he landed heavily on his rump. A whiskey bottle in each back pocket broke and made the landing especially painful.

Managing not to yell, Patton sprung up, pulled down his pants, and looked in the hall mirror to see that his butt cheeks were cut and bleeding. He managed to quietly find a full box of Band-Aids and began putting a Band-Aid as best he could on each place he saw blood.

He then hid the now almost empty Band-Aid box and shuffled and stumbled his way to bed..

In the morning, Patton woke up with searing pain in both his head and butt and Kathleen staring at him from across the room.

She said, 'You were drunk again last night weren't you?'

Patton said, 'Why you say such a mean thing?'

'Well,' Kathleen said, 'it could be the open front door, it could be the broken glass at the bottom of the stairs, it could be the drops of blood trailing through the house, it could be your bloodshot eyes, but mostly ....... it's all those Band-Aids stuck on the hall mirror.

82-year-old man acquitted of charge of raping maid

New Delhi, June 10 (IANS) An 82-year-old man has been acquitted of the charge of raping his maid by a Delhi court which also directed the government to frame guidelines for regulating placement agencies providing domestic helps so as to curb registration of false cases. Additional Sessions Judge Nivedita Anil Sharma said in a recent order that "this court has been informed that there are no laws, policies or rules to regulate placement agencies which supply maids and servants for working in houses".

The court acquitted Delhi resident Krishan Lal Chawla observing that it was a living example of placement agency's maid raising false charge of rape and threat against her old and ailing employer only to achieve her selfish ends of extorting money over and above her salary.

According to the police complaint, Chawla's 18-year-old maid, who was hired through a placement agency, was allegedly raped by the senior citizen several times in his house between August 2010 to July 2011 and she was threatened not to disclose it.

When the maid informed the wife of the accused about the incident, she slapped her, due to which her left eye got permanently damaged, police added.

"Considering the crying need of the day, it is required that some regulatory law or policy is made by the government and police so that there can be check on the placement agencies and it is made compulsory that police verification of the maids and servants is done before they take up employment," the court said.

"It is time that we as a civil society stand up not only to protect, shelter and rehabilitate a victim of rape but also to protect and shelter an accused against whom false allegations of rape have been levelled," it added. The judge said copy of the order be sent to secretaries of the law and justice ministry and the Delhi government and chairperson of the National Commission for Women.

The above is another example of false cases being filed by women to blackmail men.

I have mentioned earlier in some of my posts of women marrying multiple times and then filing false cases of harassment and torture against their husbands and then seeking several lakhs of rupees just to give divorce.

I agree we should protect women who are the weaker sex but it is time to consider whether we have given then Frankenstein monsters to harass the men.

Aam Aadmi Party issues second list of 44 shortlisted nominees

India, June 8 -- Aam Admi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal has declared total assets worth Rs. 71 lakh in his application for the party ticket from New Delhi constituency - represented by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit in the current assembly.

His assets include a plot of land in Indirapuram worth Rs. 70 lakh and Rs. 1 lakh in bank deposit. He has also declared a flat in Gurgaon worth Rs. 1 crore and Rs. 1 lakh as bank balance in his wife's name.

The party has uploaded Kejriwal's details, including his application form in original, on the party's website to seek public comments - a procedure followed by the party in choosing its candidates.

After the party decided to field Kejriwal against Dikshit, the AAP leader went from door to door in the constituency and got 100 signatures on his application form.

Incidentally, Kejriwal is the only candidate shortlisted for the constituency.

"There were just two other candidates in the fray. One of them withdrew while the other's form was incomplete so we cancelled his candidature," said Manish Sisodia, party spokesperson and member the screening committee.

Continuing its crusade of revolutionary politics, Aam Aadmi Party today issued its second list of 44 candidates for 10 more Delhi Assembly constituencies. A total of 84 candidates had applied for these constituencies, namely Babarpur, Bawana, Chhatarpur, Gokulpur, Krishna Nagar, Laxmi Nagar, Mustafabad, Rajouri Garden, Shalimar Bagh and Vishwas Nagar. The Screening Committee comprising of 7 people went through each and every application and finalized the list after interacting with the applicants personally.

The shortlisted candidates represent people from all walks of life. Musharraf Khan, a daily wage earner, is one of the shortlisted candidates from Rajouri Garden assembly. Similarly, two doctors Dr. Atul Gupta and Dr. Inder Singh are also part of the shortlisted candidates from Vishwas Nagar. Another doctor, Dr. Jai Prakash Lohia who is now into dairy business also figures in the list. Jyoti Bansal, a party worker who has now shifted to Australia, has also been shortlisted from Krishna Nagar Assembly. The Screening Committee interacted with her through Skype, and shortlisted her name.

Party volunteer Gopal Rai has applied from Babarpur Constituency. Vinod Kumar Binny, AAP party worker and councillor from East Delhi’s Kichdipur area has also applied for party ticket from Laxmi Nagar. Vinod Binny has now joined Aam Aadmi Party formally and has also started holding Mohalla Sabhas in his ward.

The screening process adopted by AAP is a stepping stone in increasing transparency in democratic processes where everyone has an equal say on all issues including decisions taken by the party. Cutting across through typical party politics where all decisions are taken by party high command, Aam Aadmi Party wishes to establish a new kind of politics in which decisions are taken by the people.

In last Delhi Vidhan Sabha elections held in 2008, Congress and BJP had fielded 19 candidates each, having criminal background. BSP also gave ticket to 15 tainted people. The screening committee created by Aam Aadmi Party has tried its best to avoid shortlisting people who have any kind of criminal background based on information provided in the candidate forms. Still, to check if these potential candidates have suppressed any information, AAP is uploading their forms on the website.

Aam Aadmi Party has put the profiles of these 44 shortlisted candidates (along with the profiles of candidates from the first shortlist) on its website (delhi.aamaadmiparty.org) and would be soliciting comments on these applications for the next 15 days. People can send in their feedback on these candidates for the next 15 days through the following ways:

Email: delhielection@aamaadmiparty.org

Website: delhi.aamaadmiparty.org)

Address: Election Cell, Aam Aadmi Party, A-119, Kaushambi, Ghaziabad, UP: 201010

Helpline: 09718500606

Earlier, the party had announced its shortlist for 12 constituencies. A lot of feedback is being received on the shortlist. Based on preferential voting and feedback received, the Political Affairs Committee of AAP would decide on the final list of candidates for these Vidhan Sabhas. Apart from this list, party workers in a meeting held on June 2 at Constitution Club had decided that Party Convenor Arvind Kejriwal should contest elections from New Delhi Vidhan Sabha. Adding to this the list of 10 Vidhan Sabhas declared today, a total of 23 Assembly Constituencies have been frozen by the party.

If credible evidence of any wrong doing is received against any of the candidates, their names will be taken off the shortlist. We urge you to participate in this process to ensure that we select the best candidate to represent the AAM Aadmi. This is not the final selection process though, the detailed process is outlined here.

I have never supported any political party wholeheartedly.

I have during my lifetime supported some party or other, based on issues.

However, the AAP is one party I will go all out to support.

Their aims at least in the nascent stage are admirable and with leaders like Arvind Kejriwal, Prashant Bhushan, Manish Sishodia leading from the front, it should remain the same.

To give a good government, the leaders themselves must be honest.

If these three had any flaws, the Congress Dirty Trick Department led by Digvijay Singh and Manish Tewari would have found them and hounded these people.

It is not that they have not tried.

Arvind Kejriwal had to return the advance he had taken and Prashant Bhushan was made to explain certain plots of land they had acquired.

On the other hand Kiran Bedi dropped out because the DTD of the Congress discovered some anomalies in her travelling expense account.

I would suggest that the entire Delhi population chose only AAP candidates and throw out all the other party candidates in the next election.