MONTH-IN-PERSPECTIVE

BIHAR: Chaara Ghotala, which took place some 2 decades ago, actually happened in the unified Bihar before Jharkhand was carved out, when Nitish Kumar was the chief of Samatha Party in Bihar. It is alleged that some proceeds of this fodder money loot was indeed donated to the Samatha Party when, the present Chief Minister of Bihar, was the president. A key witness in the scam, in a sworn affidavit has stated that a sizeable amount was given to Nitish Kumar as political contribution to his party. Somehow this dimension of the case has not been highlighted, either by the electronic media or even the spokesperson of  investigating agencies. It is not clear, if the judgement of the special court has made any reference to it. But clearly, it appears, that CBI has not followed it up to its logical conclusion. Legally even donation to charity or other social causes from stolen money is illegal, and therefore beneficiaries too are subjected to criminal proceedings. Hence Nitish Kumar too is accountable for this illegal benefit received in the past. But the changing political equations, with Nitish Kumar cozying  upto Congress after dumping BJP, could be the unexplained reason for this CBI silence in the matter, after all CBI also means Convenient Bureau of Investigation isn’t it?

So at long last, 17 years to be precise, Chaara Ghotala has caught up with the remarkable Lalu Prasad Yadav. The month began with the print media headline, all over India, with “Lalu convicted with 44 others in the infamous fodder scam”. Two days later the special CBI court of Pawan Kumar  Singh pronounced the sentence. “Lalu jailed for 5 years” was the report next day. For once, the over confident Lalu had gone dumb with shock. It is a shock that will have reverberation all over the country. In light of the recent judgement of Supreme Court that an MP or MLA would lose his seat immediately after he is convicted for a crime with a punishment of two years or more, the future looks very bleak for Lalu Prasad Yadav. So shall it be for his baby the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

This conviction shall surely put fear into the otherwise brazen politicians, who normally give a damn to propriety in public life.

It was on June 27, 1996, this 950 crores scam, came to be known as Chaara Ghotala, was unearthed, to the utter shock of a bewildered nation. It was a fraud on the citizens of Bihar, who had voted Lalu to power. It was plain and simple loot of public money, the money meant for cattle feed. In the end there was neither feed nor any cattle. “High level politicians bureaucrats and businessmen connived to-gether and entered into a criminal conspiracy for fraudulent withdrawal of public money” observed judge Pawan Kumar Singh, delivering the judgement.

While it is true that, in the end Lalu got what he deserved, what is important is the likely message that will go across the political spectrum that you can “no more have and eat it too”. Yes, it is by far the loudest message in recent times, that stealing of public money can be very dangerous. Hope more such convictions take place and slowly but surely, the process of cleaning of the Aegean stable is set in motion.

KERALA: “Jazeera takes her struggle to Delhi.” is a news from Thiruvanantapuram. It’s a print media report from Mumbai. Not many in South have taken note of this struggle seriously, by a single lady, that too a Muslim, against the entrenched sand mafia. Reportedly she had staged a protest a year ago against this sand extraction from the beach near her village Madayi in Kannur in North Kerala. Nothing happened then and nothing happened after her recent two month long dharna outside the state secretariat. Nobody bothered even to issue a statement, either for or against, by the Oomen Chandy government in Thiruvanantapuram. In her campaign, she has been accusing the real estate sharks for causing severe damages to the fragile eco system across Kerala. Except some environmental and some socio-cultural groups, besides local media, none seem to have cared about this lone ranger, with her 3 small children in the sit-in, at the state capital. Reportedly no political party supported her. In a milieu where it is difficult to find individuals taking up common causes, a single 31-year-old mother of three minor children, that too in an educated / literate state like Kerala, is struggling to find support, is a sad phenomenon. Now that she is shifting to Delhi to continue her struggle, hope at least Aam Aadmi Party will join her. So that well meaning public causes survives socio-political apathy of our citizenry. 

MAHARASHTRA: Lot of politicians and even men and women from national media have always been harping over the financial and social ills in Karnataka and Gujarat, but rarely spoke about Maharashtra, which is just as bad or worse in all parameters in corruption and other socio political ills. Media savvy Indians would have read about the Rs: 70000 crores, irrigation scam, and the involvement of NCP MLAs and ministers including Ajith Pawar, the nephew of Maratha strongman Sharad Pawar. But, all of us are aware nothing really happened, except a drama by the Maharashtra govt. Nothing came off the state governments promise of unearthing of irrigation scam. One of the minister who was deeply involved along with Ajith Pawar was Sunil Tatkare.

And comes the news of a PIL being heard by the Bombay High Court against this Tatkare, for his, involvement in money laundering and land grabbing by his companies. Reportedly Bombay High Court has hauled up two investigating agencies, EOW (Economic Offence Wing) and ACB (Anti Corruption Bureau) for a poor and shoddy investigation into the Tatkare case. Reportedly Justice Chandrachud lambasted the complete failure on the part of EOW and ACB. “Every page of the report lacks proper application of mind. Prima facie the investigating agencies have virtually abdicated its duty”, court has reportedly observed. This again proves how things are bad in the state of Maharashtra, primarily because of Sharad Pawar’s influence and that of his party NCP. National media and central politicians have always talked about the Lokayukta issue, both in Karnataka and Gujarat, how the government in Bangalore and Gandhinagar are trying to subvert law with respect to the appointment of Lokayukta. But excuse me, where is the Lokayukta in Maharashtra, the biggest money spinning state of India? Its not even being debated. And nobody is talking about it. This is our media and politicians, always barking up the wrong tree.

It was during 2005-2009 period contractors for solid waste disposal in the Bombay Municipal Corporation raised bills of Rs: 96 crores for jobs on sewer lines and manhole, which were not carried out at all. However, these cheating contractors did not claim the bill until 2009, presumably for the time to take its toll. After all people do have short memory and that it is quite likely, many wouldn’t have remembered, whether such jobs were carried out or not, way back in 2005. So the modus operandi appeared to be 'to play by the ear'. But then, that was not to be. The old time adage, “One can fool all people some time but not all people all the time” is a time tested dictum. For the bad luck of these crooked contractors, an alert civic official was all that was needed to stop the loot. The payment was stopped in the track. But it took over 2 years, in 2011 for the Municipal Commissioner to announce a departmental inquiry.

Preliminary inquiry found some 32 contractors and 11 BMC staff from the sewage operations were involved in the failed loot. ACB launches an investigation subsequently. But perhaps there was no breakthrough for reasons unknown. So, in 2012 Dec., a fresh probe was ordered with Mr Madhukar Kamble, a deputy municipal commissioner heading it.

And as usual, files go missing, documents available are without the signature of official, photocopies are with signature space appearing blank, with probably a white sheet covering that portion. Therefore the scope of the inquiry is widened, with a senior civic official observing that in the absence of information on who signed what document, ‘conclusion about the guilty can be inconclusive’.

While the investigation is still on to find out the parties to the crime of fake billing, there appears to be no information in the media, as to how it is being tackled. However there are names available of all contractors-32 of them-who have raised the bill, and they should be in a position to spill-the-bean, to fix the officials concerned. It has already taken over 4 years. Surely ‘where there is will there is a way’.

While we are about it, it was reliably learnt, during the investigation that there is a wholesale misuse of a BMC practice of making allowance for increase or variation in project cost, which probably has led to this fake bill scam. Reportedly for 2008-09, an allowance of 58% variation was allowed, an original cost of Rs: 1031/- was allowed an escalation of Rs 600 crores for some 90 works. Similarly in 2009-10, for 122 works’ original cost was Rs 1808 crores, which was allowed to go upto over Rs: 2803 crores, an increase of 55%. These are clearly cases, where loot has taken place, in the practice of awarding contract for the lowest priced contractor, as per the rule with a proviso for discretionary enhancement under the garb of cost escalation. Thus it is evident, corruption has many dimensions. Yeh Mera India.

Like all else, every good thing too has to come to an end. So is Sachin Tendulkar, the greatest exponent of the willow, the Englishman’s game. He announced ‘quits’ from cricket. So 10th October 2013, shall go down as an indelible number, in the history of Indian cricket. Will cricket be any different from now on? Not likely. ‘Men may come and men may go, but I go on forever’ was Lord Tennyson’s ‘Brook’, the most quoted poem. So shall be the game of cricket.

Surely the footprint left behind by the maestro shall be there for generations to come, as a museum piece, a bench mark, remarkable by every sense of the word. There wasn’t one before and unlikely, there will be another in future who shall repeat what Tendulkar crafted for any cricketer anywhere in the world, let alone India . 

For 24 long years, he strode the cricket pitch like a colossus, inspiring awe. There is no handler of the ‘cherry’ who would not get unnerved by the little master. Ask the ‘Lahore Express’ Shoib Akhtar or the wiliest of the spinners Shane Warne, they will vouch for it. Reportedly they had ‘nightmares’. Thus his signature and stamp of authority was all over. Reams have been made black from white, about his exploits of the ‘gentleman’s game’, which did not remain gentle at all in these times of IPL or Indian Plundering League  of making money and money only.

But isn’t it little too long he stayed at the crease, that he denied a spot for another youngster? This was a question only some tried to ask and have tried to answer it too. Some even asked, was he playing for India or for his records and his sponsors, who made him the richest cricketer in the world!

Interestingly there was a report alongside the report on his retirement which said “Retirement not to affect sponsorship”, which convey the message. Thus it is pertinent to quote V.G. Gangadhar, who wrote “I too believed that Sachin had overstayed. Never in good form for the last three years, he hung on desperately, depriving promising youngsters place in the team. Ideally he should have retired in greater glory after the last World Cup triumph. After that it was sad to watch the little master struggle to score runs”.

Yes, although the role of BCCI is rather controversial, their decision to let Tendulkar play his last match on his home pitch and go off in a blaze of glory – amidst cheers, tears & sobs – against a weak West Indies, instead of a tough Dale Steyn & Co in South Africa, is  fair enough for a dedicated and disciplined cricketer that Sachin Tendulkar was.

Isn’t it sickening to know that “Sick baby languishes as No Civic Hospital Admits Him”, that too in the financial capital of India, Mumbai? Reportedly a 20 days old, prematurely born infant has shuttled from one hospital to another, in search of bed, ostensibly because, all civic hospitals in Brihan Mumbai (Greater Bombay) do not have vacant beds. Isn’t it shocking? All major hospitals, KEM, Nair and Sion, reportedly have been facing not only bed shortage but also medical equipments  in pediatric ward since a long time. Could it be that the richest Municipal Corporation of India has no money or resources for the health of its poor citizens?

Jagriti Mishra, the 18 year old mother of the sick child, is in tears going from pillar to post for her delicate 20 days infant. Of course she is from Bihar. Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation is run by Shiv Sena and MNS. Politics of violent discrimination, by the likes of Raj Thackeray and company and his MNS and Shiv Sena, especially against Biharis, this particular instance becomes all the more stark. Would things have been better, if the mother was a local Marathi Manoos? It’s a moot point, but the name of Mumbai surely took a beating. How can a system make a child of 20 days to suffer inordinately, in an apparently civilized world, because of an irresponsible, irresponsive, callous system? Somebody should be made accountable for the tragic situation. 

Since BCCI is a big cow giving milk to lot of hangers on, no wonder, there are any number of beneficiaries speaking in turn and out of turn, either in support of BCCI and its presidents, whether Srinivasan or any of those earlier ones. There are also many who just prefer to keep quite despite provocations to the contrary. 

And comes the yester years hero Ravi Shastri, coming in defense of Srinivasan and his ways of managing things at BCCI. “Shastri backs SRINIVASAN’S stance of not stepping down” was a media report from Mumbai. And why not?! After all he is one of the cricket commentator contracted by BCCI at an attractive compensation package. Shastri is not alone, there are any number of beneficiaries who will defend BCCI and its president, despite court observations, and we call them sportsmen, isn’t it! Even on the issue of Sachin Tendulkar’s retirement  before his announcement of quitting Test Cricket, all these ‘gentlemen players’ had kept a ‘golden silence’ while his early retirement could have benefited at least 3 players in 3 formats of the game.  People like Shastri, are all time servers, trying to make the most when the sun is shining. 

PUNJAB: Long years ago, during election time, with posters of candidates galore all over the then Bombay, party foot-soldiers were sticking these election posters on walls of most buildings. One building near central Bombay, there was a film poster already pasted on the wall, and above that poster a couple of posters belonging to different political parties were pasted subsequently. Men pasting election posters did not read the film poster, and the film was “Hum Sab Chor Hai”. All had a hearty laughter when a smart lensman clicked the photograph of all those posters to-gether and published in the news paper the next day. Indeed most of these contesting candidates could indeed be chores (thieves).

Right enough, there was this funny interlude in the ongoing battle at the suspended Indian Olympic Association (IOA) with Abhinav Bindra, the Olympic gold medalist. Bindra had carried a sustained campaign against tainted officials to be purged, annoying the president of the suspended IOA, Abhay Singh Chautala (ASC). Chautala took the battle right into the drawing room of Bindra, accusing him of double standard. Reportedly, Bindra’s father, an industrialist, was in prison for a month in 2009, for a cheque-bounce case. “If Bindra has a problem with tainted people then he should first disown his father or leave his father’s house” ASC who is also the opposition leader in Haryana, is reported to have said.

Of course, war of words continued with National Rifles Association of India (NRAI) openly supporting Bindra with Mahesh Bhupathi too joining the chorus for the ouster of tainted IOA officials. Here, it is of interest to note, that Chautala, who is the son of Om Prakash Chautala, a former Chief Minister of Haryana is defending the indefencible. It appears, for younger Chautala, a taint is a feather, to be kept on the crown. His father is in prison too for the recruitment scam. Hence NRAI president remarked “Its like the big pot calling the small kettle black”. This is Yeh Mera India.

UTTAR PRADESH: Ever since Akhilesh govt. took power in U.P., it has always been in news, generally for all wrong reasons. And comes the news “Dalit doctor bashed by Mulayam’s brother-in-law, cops yet to file FIR”. 

Reportedly one Dr Pawan Pratap Singh had parked his vehicle outside the house of Ajant Singh. Taking umbrage, men of Ajant Singh bash the doctor black and blue. He goes to police station and police take the complaint but do not register an FIR, instead, another complaint is registered against Dr Singh accusing him of trying to run over Ajant Singh. Police sensing that Dr Singh is a dalit and hence under the stringent Prevention of Atrocities against SC/ST Act, can be a non-bailable offence, floated the idea, that both have compromised and that Dr Singh has not complained, with SP of Etawah, Nilabhja Chaudhary,  playing villain. Isn’t it sad that law enforcing authorities are only with power and powerful men and powerful family. Mulayam is an M.P. and his son is the Chief Minister of U.P., and Mulayam’s daughter-in-law and Akhilesh wife is an M.P., got elected without any election, and the system is  bent-on helping them perpetuate. So what is the future of Indians, may be AAP!

Shoban Sarkar – the head priest of his own temple dreamt of a ‘hidden treasure’ of 1000kg gold coins under the Daundiya Kheda fort of Raja Ram Buksh Singh in the Unnao district of U.P. And come to think of it, amidst heavy police cover, the Archaeological survey of India, the keepers of India’s heritage monuments, launched the bigger and unprecedented chase, of digging to unearth the hidden treasure. Even a Public Interest Litigation was filed in Supreme Court to order a court monitored excavation to protect the gold. So you can imagine the cross country interest that this dream of hidden treasure triggered.

Not even two weeks are over, to the horse powered excavation efforts, and ASI is likely to call it off with gold fading into plain dirt. Just about all concerned have made a fool of themselves by this absolutely thoughtless act of chasing the mirage. Quite frankly the whole operation has blown in the face of the authorities who decided to act on the wild dream of a temple priest to excavate even as deep as 20 mtrs. Now that the excavation is likely to be called off at less than 6 meter itself, shows the Geological Survey of India in a very poor light. It is clear that those who are in charge of such issues, like geologists have not done their home work. It is becoming increasingly clear that it is a wild goose chase. 

Narendra Modi, who had poked fun at the beginning of the excavation will have a hearty laugh, and this failed chase likely to become a fodder to his otherwise no-holds- barred attack on UPA and UP government, who had worked in tandem to get to the bottom of the Daundiya Kheda fort. Modi had reportedly remarked then, that instead of chasing the wild goose of a poojari’s dream, better chase the Swiss Bank black money, where it is sure to yield very positive result. But then we are Indians, chasing mirage is one of our ways of life. Isn’t it?! Like our news paper called it, “UPA digs for gold. May discover wisdom.”   

NEW DELHI: So, it is the ‘crown prince’, who is apparently calling the shots. The ordinance, which the union government so hastily and clumsily tried to push through was indeed thrown in the basket, as desired by Rahul Gandhi. The UPA II clearly embarrassed, and a deeply hurt, (but did not show), prime minister, reluctantly withdrew the ordinance meant to shield tainted members of parliament and legislative assemblies, who would have lost the right to stand for election so also their present elected position. In the event, the aam aadmi has won. Of course, all political parties have made appropriate noises in accordance with their political agenda, which is not necessarily in the interest of the nation. However question persisted what really made the UPA II to hurry through this controversial ordinance?

Like his predecessor, Shivraj Patil, the present incumbent Sushil Kumar Shinde too gets into serious trouble with his one-up-man-ship. His latest letter to all state Chief Ministers asking them to ensure that innocent young Muslims are not wrongly arrested on terror charges, has expectedly run into trouble. While his letter may be with good intentions, but can be faulted on many counts. The truth is, the police all over India, always rounds up defenceless and weak, belonging to just about all sections of society, and there are any number of men incarcerated on just trumped up charges, held in prison for interminably long periods without trial. Hence his singling out Muslim youth is completely misplaced and cannot be termed unintentional at all. As, the so-called friend of minorities, especially Muslims, the Samajwadi Party has accused Shinde of indulging in ‘Vote bank  politics’, especially with 2014 elections to the Loksabha being only 6 months away. This accusation is fairly well placed and hence difficult to deny, of course the Congress leaders of all hues have all refused to accept thus. As usual BJP has taken a strident stand and has demanded that Home Minister should not only withdraw the order so also should apologise to the nation. It is true, neither has happened. But then divide and rule policy is not a stranger to Congress politics.

Our sports bodies are run like some closely held private companies, especially when it comes to dealing with players who do not have god fathers. If Srishant and company were awarded with life ban from playing cricket for the country, for their role in match fixing, now it is the turn of Jwala Gutta, who did well in doubles, for her role in a passing-trouble in the recently concluded IBL (Indian Badminton League). Of course, discipline is an important part of sports management but outright ban for life is unthinkable under any circumstances. For every wrong, if construed as wrong, should carry some amount of punishment, which is fair. A ban to a player is akin to Death Sentence, which should be avoided under all circumstances. Although, we are a democratic country, feudal mindset is a fact of life. There should be a conscious effort to shed this mindset fully in the interest of the game.   

WORLD: In a polarized world, the 15 minutes tele talk, after 34 long years, between US President Barack Obama and his Iranian counterpart Hasan Rouhani, is sure to vibrate the world over, especially the middle east. Indeed it was a ‘seismic shift’ as someone remarked, in the relationship of these two long time adversaries. Of course, the election of Hassan Rouhani, considered a liberal by Iranian standard, has indeed shifted rather significantly, as international diplomats, especially European and US, attributed to the tone and attitudes of the evolving Iranian leadership.

While it is true that Iran-US bitterness has a long history of over 3 decades, the fact that Iran survived for so long, with all the sanctions imposed on it post 1979, has shown its innate strength, despite the 10 long years’ war with Iraq, the next door neighbour. The Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussain was killed by his own men, and Iranians have flourished, albeit slowly.

But, of course, history is a fact of life, that cannot be wished away. A mere 15 minute vocal détente will not change the hostile history between U.S and Iran, for sure. But, surely it is also true that, like the old dictum “to get to anywhere is to start from where you are”. That should indeed bring smile to all those who are optimists in an increasingly polarizing world. The very fact that, Rouhani was warmly welcomed back home by a much larger liberal crowd than those who are hardliners and opposed to U.S and chanted “Death to America”. Besides, while in the United Nations Iranian president did make positive noises and tried to reach out to the larger world, which is a positive sign. He categorically told in the US television interview that “under no circumstances would he seek any weapons of mass destruction including nuclear weapons, nor will we ever”. This and all other actions including the recent release of a Human Rights Lawyer, “Iran’s high profile political prisoner, Nasreen Sotoudeh” are some of the bright spots in the emerging Iran under Hassan Rouhani.

Therefore, not withstanding Israeli protestations, the now famous 15 minute tele talk must necessarily lead to handshake and carried forward for the sake of larger good of tranquility in the troubled atmosphere of the middle east.

So, it has happened after all. Buckling under intense pressure from world over, Swiss authorities signed Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in the Tax Matters with Paris based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

This convention, reportedly signed by 58 countries including India, provides for sharing of information and mutual co-operation among all its signatories, leading to automatic exchange of details and necessary administrative assistance in tax matters with overseas authorities.

So from now on, if there is a will there is a way. All those who stashed away their ill gotten money shall have sleepless nights from now on. Not only it is possible to get all that is there, hidden in Swiss banks, but no more new illegal flight of money.

Of course, it is a dream come true. But still a dream, until the money truly reaches Indian system to fund the pending infrastructure which India seriously lacks. Yes, we have crossed the primary hurdle but more needs to be done by India to follow up on what Switzerland has done. When and how, Indian government will act, is a very big question. Yes, something is better than nothing. So also, it is eminently possible to build on what Switzerland has done.

J.SHRIYAN