Sunday, August 21, 2011

Sonia Gandhi's Surgery

Ever wondered why the Congress is so tight lipped about this so called 'surgery'?

Ever wondred why this shroud of secrecy behind her surgery?

Ever wondered why Madam Gandhi had to go at this time for surgery?
And what was the ailment that could not have been attended to by Indian doctors?


Ever wondered that she is accompnied by her family members and NOT A SINGLE DOCTOR (NOT EVEN HER PERSONAL PHYSICIAN) has accompanied her..... Most unusual!

If the then Prime MInister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's knees could have been replaced in Mumbai by a surgeon of Indian origin, why Madam Gandhi needed to go abroad for her surgery?

And even Manmohan Singh though a pensioner of the World bank and able to get free medical treatment in the US, got his heart surgery done in Delhi .......

And has she actually gone to the US or some other country?

It is strongly suspected that the need for her to go abroad at this time is linked to the fact that Dr. Subramaniam Swamy's petition for the permission to prosecute Madam Gandhi (an MP) for corruption charges, pending with the Prime Minister's Office, has to be decided before the end of August this year.

Dr. Swamy has given incontrovertible proof of Sonia Gandhi's accounts in foreign banks, and these cannot be overlooked or ignored.

Madam Gandhi is actually suffering from an acute enlargement of her wealth gland.

The real surgery for which Madam Gandhi has gone abroad has to do with the operation of her illegal bank accounts, as time is running out for her and her cronies.

That is why even Kalanidhi Maran has disappeared from Chennai and is rumoured to have escaped to Zurich.

What is the Jan Lokpal Bill, why it's important

The Jan Lokpal Bill (Citizen's ombudsman Bill) is a draft anti-corruption bill drawn up by prominent civil society activists seeking the appointment of a Jan Lokpal, an independent body that would investigate corruption cases, complete the investigation within a year and envisages trial in the case getting over in the next one year.

Drafted by Justice Santosh Hegde (former Supreme Court Judge and former Lokayukta of Karnataka), Prashant Bhushan (Supreme Court Lawyer) and Arvind Kejriwal (RTI activist), the draft Bill envisages a system where a corrupt person found guilty would go to jail within two years of the complaint being made and his ill-gotten wealth being confiscated. It also seeks power to the Jan Lokpal to prosecute politicians and bureaucrats without government permission.

Retired IPS officer Kiran Bedi and other known people like Swami Agnivesh, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Anna Hazare and Mallika Sarabhai are also part of the movement, called India Against Corruption. Its website describes the movement as "an expression of collective anger of people of India against corruption. We have all come together to force/request/persuade/pressurize the Government to enact the Jan Lokpal Bill. We feel that if this Bill were enacted it would create an effective deterrence against corruption."

Anna Hazare, anti-corruption crusader, went on a fast-unto-death in April, demanding that this Bill, drafted by the civil society, be adopted. Four days into his fast, the government agreed to set up a joint committee with an equal number of members from the government and civil society side to draft the Lokpal Bill together. The two sides met several times but could not agree on fundamental elements like including the PM under the purview of the Lokpal. Eventually, both sides drafted their own version of the Bill.

The government has introduced its version in Parliament in this session. Team Anna is up in arms and calls the government version the "Joke Pal Bill." Anna Hazare declared that he would begin another fast in Delhi on August 16. Hours before he was to begin his hunger strike, the Delhi Police detained and later arrested him. There are widespread protests all over the country against his arrest.

The website of the India Against Corruption movement calls the Lokpal Bill of the government an "eyewash" and has on it a critique of that government Bill.

A look at the salient features of Jan Lokpal Bill:

1. An institution called LOKPAL at the centre and LOKAYUKTA in each state will be set up

2. Like Supreme Court and Election Commission, they will be completely independent of the governments. No minister or bureaucrat will be able to influence their investigations.

3. Cases against corrupt people will not linger on for years anymore: Investigations in any case will have to be completed in one year. Trial should be completed in next one year so that the corrupt politician, officer or judge is sent to jail within two years.

4. The loss that a corrupt person caused to the government will be recovered at the time of conviction.

5. How will it help a common citizen: If any work of any citizen is not done in prescribed time in any government office, Lokpal will impose financial penalty on guilty officers, which will be given as compensation to the complainant.

6. So, you could approach Lokpal if your ration card or passport or voter card is not being made or if police is not registering your case or any other work is not being done in prescribed time. Lokpal will have to get it done in a month's time. You could also report any case of corruption to Lokpal like ration being siphoned off, poor quality roads been constructed or panchayat funds being siphoned off. Lokpal will have to complete its investigations in a year, trial will be over in next one year and the guilty will go to jail within two years.

7. But won't the government appoint corrupt and weak people as Lokpal members? That won't be possible because its members will be selected by judges, citizens and constitutional authorities and not by politicians, through a completely transparent and participatory process.

8. What if some officer in Lokpal becomes corrupt? The entire functioning of Lokpal/ Lokayukta will be completely transparent. Any complaint against any officer of Lokpal shall be investigated and the officer dismissed within two months.

9. What will happen to existing anti-corruption agencies? CVC, departmental vigilance and anti-corruption branch of CBI will be merged into Lokpal. Lokpal will have complete powers and machinery to independently investigate and prosecute any officer, judge or politician.

10. It will be the duty of the Lokpal to provide protection to those who are being victimized for raising their voice against corruption.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Swami Vivekananda & John D Rockefeller

In the late 1800s, Swami Vivekananda went to Chicago to attend the Parliament of Religions. He became an ardent and outspoken advocate of human values. One of the people he met in Chicago was John D Rockefeller, who had made a great fortune in the booming oil business at the time. Rockefeller was introduced to the Swami Vivekananda by a friend. Madame Emma Calve, a French lady disciple narrated this episode to Madame Drinette Verdier, who has written about their meeting in her diary.

Rockefeller probably came for a lark, meaning that he wasn’t really interested in meeting Swami Vivekananda; he had been told that a saffron-clad monk was electrifying the people of Chicago, and it is possible that he went out of curiosity. Swami Vivekananda didn’t even look up from his desk when Rockefeller entered. He continued to do his work. After a while, he looked up at Rockefeller, who was not really used to being treated like a commoner. Rockefeller took a seat and conversation ensued.

It became apparent to Swamiji that Rockefeller had lots of wealth and Swami Vivekananda posed him a question, “If you have that much more money than other people, do you think that much smarter than other people?” Rockefeller replied, “Of course.” If he wasn’t a hundred times smarter, he wouldn’t have a hundred times the money, would he?

Swamiji left him with the thought that he may not be one hundred times smarter, he maybe just three times smarter. If he had made a hundred times more money by being three times smarter, then perhaps he was merely an instrument through which this money has to go back to somebody else. “Why don’t you think about it? And why don’t you consider leaving some of your money for other people?”

This sounded absolutely ridiculous to Rockefeller, and he departed with the polite statement that he had worked really hard to make his money, and he had absolutely no intention of leaving it to other people. But curiously, three weeks later, he came back to see Swami Vivekananda, this time of his own accord. He threw on his table a piece of paper, by which he endowed a certain sum of money — I forget how much it was, but it was small by Rockefeller’s standards — for some noble purpose. He asked the Swami Vivekananda, “Are you happy now that I have done this?” Swami Vivekananda responded, “Why should I be happy? You have to ask yourself whether you have left enough out of the total wealth that you have?”

It took another 15 years after this episode, that Rockefeller set up the Rockefeller Foundation in 1913, which has gone on to do an enormous amount of good work in society over the last several decades. The story illustrates the point of trusteeship. When you have earned a lot of money, whose money is it? Did that money come to you entirely because of yourself or is it possible that you are merely an instrument through which you should chanalise it back to society? It is a very interesting question to ponder. I narrate this story, because the element of trusteeship comes out so clearly in the conversation between Swami Vivekananda and John D Rockefeller.

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Can Govt policy be a cause of Corruption ?

Ram Ram 2 All,

  Today I got an email from friend which stating about Tax, it's actually fun to read, but when we get deep into it cause to the national problem corruption. We found that Govt policy & innumerable taxes by one or another way on everything will leads to price hike.

   Let's see in funny ways..... 

1)      Qus.: What are you doing?
Ans.: Business.
Tax : PAY PROFESSIONAL TAX

2)      Qus.: What are you doing in Business?
Ans.: Selling the Goods.
Tax : PAY SALES TAX
3)      Qus.: From where are you getting Goods?
Ans.: From other State/Abroad
Tax : PAY CENTRAL SALES TAX, CUSTOM DUTY & OCTROI
 
4)      Qus.: What are you getting in Selling Goods?
Ans.: Profit.
Tax : PAY INCOME TAX
 
5)      Qus.: How do you distribute profit ?
Ans : By way of dividend
Tax : PAY DIVIDEND DISTRIBUTION TAX
 
6)      Qus.: Where you Manufacturing the Goods?
Ans.: Factory.
Tax : PAY EXCISE DUTY
 
8)      Qus.: Do you have Staff?
Ans.: Yes
Tax:  PAY STAFF PROFESSIONAL TAX
 
9)      Qus.: Doing business in Millions?
Ans.: Yes
Tax : PAY TURNOVER TAX   ?
Ans : No
Tax : Then pay Minimum Alternate Tax
 
10)    Qus.: Are you taking out over 25,000 Cash from Bank?
Ans.: Yes, for Salary.
Tax : PAY CASH HANDLING TAX
 
11)    Qus.: Where are you taking your client for Lunch & Dinner?
Ans.: Hotel
Tax : PAY FOOD & ENTERTAINMENT TAX
 
12)    Qus.: Are you going Out of Station for Business?
Ans.: Yes
Tax : PAY FRINGE BENEFIT TAX
 
13)    Qus.: Have you taken or given any Service/s?
Ans.: Yes
Tax : PAY SERVICE TAX
 
14)    Qus.: How come you got such a Big Amount?
Ans.: Gift on birthday.
Tax : PAY GIFT TAX
 
15)    Qus.: Do you have any Wealth?
Ans.: Yes
Tax : PAY WEALTH TAX
 
16)    Qus.: To reduce Tension, for entertainment, where are you going?
Ans.: Cinema or Resort.
Tax : PAY ENTERTAINMENT TAX
 
17)    Qus.: Have you purchased House?
Ans.: Yes
Tax : PAY STAMP DUTY & REGISTRATION FEE
 
18)    Qus.: How you Travel?
Ans.: Bus
Tax : PAY SURCHARGE
 
19)    Qus.: Any Additional Tax?
Ans.: Yes
Tax : PAY EDUCATIONAL, ADDITIONAL EDUCATIONAL &
SURCHARGE ON ALL THE CENTRAL GOVT.'s TAX !!!
 
20)    Qus.: Delayed any time Paying Any Tax?
Ans.: Yes
Tax : PAY INTEREST & PENALTY
 
21)    INDIAN :   Can I die now??
Ans : No,  wait we are about to launch the FUNERAL TAX
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Let's have one example, which affect to almost everyone directly or indirectly.
a) Petrol Price in INDIA
Pakistan             Rs. 26
Bangladesh        Rs. 22
Cuba                  Rs. 19
Nepal                  Rs. 34
Burma                Rs. 30
Afghanistan       Rs. 36
INDIA                Rs. 63.40
 b) BASIC COST  PER 1 LITRE 16.50
Centre tax    11.80%
Excise duty    9.75%
Vat cess               4%
State tax             8 %
Total     Rs.    50.05
Now extra 13.35 Rs, PER 1 LITRE





Monday, January 24, 2011

Aseemanand versus United Nation

The confessions of the arrested Swami are contradictory to UN and US findings, writes rajinder puri

Last Saturday, accused Hindu terrorist Swami Aseemanand repeated before a magistrate his assertion that Hindutva radicals perpetrated the Samjhauta Express bomb blast. His confession made before the magistrate was recorded under Section 164 of the CRPC by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) which is probing the Samjhauta terror attack. That Hindu terrorists were involved in other terror strikes is entirely credible. But surely their involvement in the Samjhauta blast raises contradictions that cannot be swept under the carpet. However, the NIA appears to be proceeding with its probe on the basis of the Swami’s confession without a second thought. And most of the national media appears to be equally comfortable with the probe as it unfolds.
Should not at this early stage the findings of the US treasury department as well as the United Nations (UN) be also considered for uncovering the truth? In 2009, the US treasury department imposed sanctions on four Lashkar-e-Taiyyaba (LeT) operatives for organising the Samjhauta blast. The four named were Arif Qasmani, Fazeel-A-Tul Shaykh Abu Mohammed Ameen al-Peshawari, Mohammed Yahya Mujahid and Nasir Javaid. The US treasury stated: “The designated individuals have provided direct support to Al Qaida and LeT and have facilitated terrorist attacks, including the July 2006 train bombing in Mumbai.”
That is not all. The UN endorsed the US treasury findings on the basis of the evidence collected. On 29 June, the 1267 committee of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), which mandated sanctions on the Al Qaida and the Taliban, froze assets, banned travel and imposed an arms embargo on Arif Qasmani, a Karachi businessman who it described as the “chief coordinator” for the Lashkar’s links with outside groups. It claimed that Qasmani provided “significant support for LeT terrorist operations.” In its Press release, the 1267 committee stated: “Qasmani has worked with LeT to facilitate terrorist attacks, to include the July 2006 train bombing in Mumbai, India, and the February 2007 Samjhauta Express bombing in Panipat, India. Qasmani utilised money that he received from Dawood Ibrahim, an Indian crime figure and terrorist supporter, to facilitate the July 2006 train bombing in Mumbai, India…Arif Qasmani has also provided financial and other support to Al Qaida.” According to the UN in return for providing support “Al Qaida provided Qasmani with operatives to support the July 2006 train bombing in Mumbai, India, and the February 2007 Samjhauta Express bombing in Panipat, India.”
The above assertions by the UN seem to be explicit enough. So what do these assertions make of Aseemanand’s confession? One presumes that the NIA and the national media are interested in uncovering the truth about the Samjhauta blast. Then why is so little attention being paid to the earlier assertions of the US treasury and the UN? If Aseemanand is correct, the UN was wrong. If the UN was correct, Aseemanand is wrong. Can such a glaring contradiction be ignored in any credible investigation? Surely the public deserves some explanation right away.

===================================================
Courtesy : Rajinder Puri (The writer is a veteran journalist and cartoonist )

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Swami Aseemanand, as I know him

Ahmedabad journalist Arvind J Bosmia recalls his friend of 11 years, Swami Aseemanand, who is suspected of involvement in the Samjhauta Express, Mecca Masjid, Ajmer Dargah and Malegaon blast cases.
 
It is hard to connect this Hindu terror mastermind over-drive with the Swami Aseemanand of tribal simplicity and boundless energy, whom I have known since the last 11 years and interacted with closely.

A man of deep passion and relentless commitment to tribal welfare, he displayed no interest in anything which had no connection with the tribal world. The Samjhauta Express, the Malegaon, Mecca Masjid, Ajmer Sharif -- none of these have the remotest connection with tribals. So to me, they cannot trigger any interest in Aseemanand.
Yet, he is found to be the mastermind and has even confessed to his involvement in the terror attacks!
Ever since he came to the Dangs district in south Gujarat in 1995, he has gone totally tribal -- the Dangi tribals have converted him irrevocably so much so that Bengal (Editor's note: from where he hails) is past, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is past, the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram is past; the Dangi tribal world is the overwhelming present and a clear future.
His mission in life was to serve the tribals, for which he had to join either the Christian missionaries or Hindu organisations working in the same field. He joined the Ramakrishna Mission and worked on their behalf in Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya and Mizoram. But the Ramakrishna Mission failed to match his zeal. 

Thoroughly disappointed, he joined the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, an RSS affiliate. He worked for them in the Andaman and Nicobar islands and finally landed in the Dangs via Jharkhand and Maharashtra. Even the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram found his single-minded zeal disturbing and he was dumped in this remote Dangs district where the organisation had failed to make any headway.

He walked to the remotest tribal hamlets and stayed with tribal families in their huts, ate what they ate and shared their life in full; unlike most missionaries, Christian or Hindu, he passed no value judgement on them. He detested the very idea of foisting vegetarianism on the tribals or putting a stop to their animal sacrifice rituals.

While parting, he would give a framed photo of Lord Hanuman or a wooden Hanuman idol to the tribal family, charging them Rs 50. His choice of Hanuman stemmed from the fact that the tribals worshipped the monkey god.

After establishing a popular base among the tribals, he set up an ashram-cum-residential school at Vaghai, which turned out to be a huge success. This made Christian missionaries operating in the area most uneasy.
The boiling point came in 1998 when he planned a big expansion in Subir, 60 km from Vaghai. By Christmas in 1999, there was open confrontation between the tribal followers of Swami Aseemanand and Christian missionaries.

There was an outcry in the national media, with the burning of prayer huts being described as burning of Christian churches. The first rude awakening for Swami Aseemanand came around this time.
The Sangh Parivar dreads adverse media publicity, especially in a state where the Bharatiya Janata Party  s in power. He was ordered to move out of the Dangs.
But this very event made ordinary Hindus reach out to him. An NRI was so impressed by him that he donated money to build a hospital and a residential school in Subir. But the BJP government, fearing a missionary-media backlash, has not given permission for that to this day.

Post his arrest, Swami Aseemanand is painted as a fraud in the media for not building this school and hospital. But for the local tribals and Hindu religious organisations who sheltered him, he would have vanished into oblivion.
With the tribals refusing to respond to others in the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, Swami Aseemanand was brought back to Subir where he promptly began the construction of the Sabridham Mandir.

In his unique style, not just the labourers but even the contractor who built the temple, was a tribal. He skilfully wove the Bhil woman Sabri of the Ramayana into a tribal form of worship. It created such a wave among the tribals that Sabridham has become a tribal Badrinath of sorts.
The very government which blocked the building of a hospital and school, now gave full support to the first Sabri Kumbh in 2006, which attracted tribals from all over the country, offering the single largest platform for political mobilisation of tribals. 

The entire Sangh Parivar top leadership and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi were present at the inauguration, not because they loved Aseemanand, but because this presented them with a golden political opportunity.
Now the Sangh Parivar would like to control Sabridham minus Swami Aseemanand. So it too would prefer him out of Gujarat. Ironically, the Sangh Parivar and Christian missionaries desire the same thing for different reasons.
The ashram, which Swami Aseemanand built adjoining the Sabridham temple, has meals cooked by tribals. The roti is made from a local coarse grain called nagli. Contrary to adverse media reports, the ashram was an open house where anyone could stay. 

Sunil Joshi, Sandeep Dange, Sadhvi Pragya and others accused in the Hindu terror cases could have stayed there without Aseemanand knowing about their plans.
But nothing beyond that for this man with a single focus on tribal welfare -- at most he can be a polite listener. The Muslim factor would come into Swami Aseemanand's world to the extent that it impinged on the tribals. Thus, for hours he can elaborate on how Muslims usurped tribal lands by marrying tribal women to get around the ban on buying tribal lands.

Or as a Bengali, he can get worked up over the Bangladeshi influx. So in theory, he could plan the bombing of a train to Bangladesh, but not the Samjhauta Express. He can be involved in a plan to drive away Muslim settlers with tribal wives from tribal areas, but not Malegaon or Ajmer or the Mecca Masjid.
I have spent hours talking to him and there had never been a hint of what he has landed up in. After the chargesheet was filed in the Malegaon case and his name was not found on it, he resurfaced in September 2009.

He rang me up one day, saying he was in Ahmedabad and that he wanted to meet up. He picked me up after half an hour and we drove around the city in his car. I was shocked by his altered appearance.
Instead of his supremely confident and dynamic self, he looked disoriented and confused, like a lost tribal who does not know what had hit him -- hardly the mastermind in person!

His first words were, "Arvindbhai, you must be thinking that I am carrying out evil activities and you should be wanting to shun me."

Trying to put him at ease, I told him, "Maharaj, those Hindus who know you will never believe these allegations and would rush to your defence."
Baffled at my response, he said: "But the Hindus I met treated me like a worm." 

In a matter of fact tone, I explained, "They all must be RSS Hindus."

He gave me a long incredulous look and admitted that he had only met RSS Hindus while on the run.

"But what can I do? They are the only ones I know, they are my family."
In an hour-long drive, I clinically analysed the RSS's response.

At the end of my analysis, his mind became clear. A semblance of the old Swami Aseemanand had returned. Then he asked me if I was an RSS swayamsevak, for I knew so much about it.
I laughed and told him if I ever had joined them, I would have ended up as confused and disoriented as him.

He laughed for the first time.

Swami Aseemanand thanked me effusively and left for Nadiad. After a fortnight I got a call from him; his old confidence had been fully restored. I asked him what the secret of his recovery was. He burst out laughing and said, "I followed your advice and met ordinary Hindus only."
Then his involvement in the blast was resurrected by the Rajasthan Anti-Terrorist Squad and he was arrested in Haridwar. He had been on the run for several months.
This development coincidentally came around the same time as the Binayak Sen judgment. 

Both worked for the tribals, yet the media's response is unsettlingly sinister.

The same media, which eulogises Sen, does not even give fair coverage to Swami Aseemanand. Both are Bengali Brahmins; both loved the tribals. But Jatin Chatterji alias Aseemanand did not take the right Naxal path to tribal welfare!
The Dang tribals worship him. Yet, there is not a single report covering this aspect. Instead, there are fake reports painting him as a bully.

Courtesy : Arvind J Bosmia, journalist