Two-G (2G) Spectrum Scam Tapes and follow-up

[ramana]

Yes its a sad day when the seculars have to depend on MMJ when the did their utmost to destroy his legacy in education reforms.

[Pratyush]

JPC or logjam, insists opposition

NEW DELHI: The opposition on Friday stuck to its demand for a JPC into the 2G spectrum allocation issue as the meeting called by Speaker Meira Kumar with political parties over two days failed to extract any commitment to end blockade in the Budget session of Parliament.

A day after BJP stuck to its belligerent position on JPC in the Speaker's meeting, the rest of the opposition made similar noises. They said they wanted the House to run smoothly but a JPC had to be formed to look into the Spectrum scam. The Left bloc, AIADMK, BJD, JD(U) and RLD put the onus of running Parliament on the government, which was represented at the meeting by leader of the house in Lok Sabha Pranab Mukherjee.

But later, BJD's Bhartruhari Mahtab said his party did not favour a prolonged standoff, particularly in the Budget session. The outcome of discussions over Thursday and Friday did not yield much for the government to rejoice. The Centre is worried about the blockade of Parliament in the Winter session spilling over to the crucial Budget session. Unlike routine legislations and resolutions, the budget cannot be passed in the din.

Speaker Meira Kumar, speaking to reporters, sounded optimistic. "The leaders met in a very cordial, friendly and informal atmosphere and have decided to ensure that the next session runs without interruption... they have decided that they will sit down together and find a solution," she said. She called the meeting a "step forward" in view of the commitment from all leaders that the next session of Parliament should be free of disruptions. The government, it is learnt, is likely to hold a series of meetings before the Budget session to break the logjam and bring the Opposition around.

[Pratyush]

Yes its a sad day when the seculars have to depend on MMJ when the did their utmost to destroy his legacy in education reforms.

It is a testment to the moral and intellectual bankrupcy of the Indian secular elites. Also it is a sign of their desperation that they feel that the conduct of PAC by MMJ. Will free them from the obligation of facing the JPC.

It doesnot.

[Dhiman]

From http://pmindia.nic.in/lprel.asp?id=1195:

I wish all our citizens a very happy New Year.

I wish you happy new year as well, but that doesn't take away from the fact that 60% of the population that has barely enough to eat is more busy thinking about where their next meal is going to come from rather than giving two hoots about New Years.

It is an occasion to take stock of the year gone by and of the challenges that lie ahead.

Translation: I plan on going back to sleep soon and continue selling off the country piece by piece to foreign lobbyists and ministers who care more about how much money they are swindling from a population that has barely enough to eat into their Swiss bank account.

Let us make a new beginning to the year.

Feel free to delude yourself, but PLEASE for god sakes, STOP DELUDING THE REST OF THE POPULATION. YOU LEAD A GANG OF CRIMINAL AND HENCE YOU ARE A CRIMINAL.

Let us dispel the air of despondency and cynicism.

That will happen when we get a competent PM with competant government ministers, babus, clerks, etc, not a bunch of goons who scrape out every opportunity to swindle money from a population that barely has enough to eat.

We need to believe in the resilience of our democracy and its capacity to deal with infirmities and shortcomings through course correction.

Whatever was left of democracy, your government is busy destroying it piece by piece by selling the country to foreign lobbyists and your ministers are robbing the country dry of billions of dollars. All this while deluding the rest of the population that has barely enough to eat with morality, ethics, and rest of your moral garbage. You belong to a party that is a family fiefdom basically worse than CCP in essence.

On the eve of the New Year, I want to assure all our citizens that my government and I will work with renewed resolve for the welfare of our people.

For god sakes, PLEASE, stop deluding the population with this rubbish of "democracy" and "welfare of our people". You are a goon. You head a bunch of goons. Your ministers are busy looting the country. The LEAST you can do is to STOP DELUDING THE PEOPLE with bullshit.

We will redouble our efforts to deal effectively and credibly with the challenges of inflation, cleansing our governing processes, national security and making our delivery system work for the aam aadmi.

RESIGN THEN. IMMEDIATELY. THE ENTIRE GOVERNMENT. Show some accountability for a change rather than saving your own ass.

[Muppalla]

^^^
MMS has said that there are "miles to go before he can sleep". He said he is not giving up and not retiring. I whole heartedly wish him best in his endavors and a happy new year.

[ashokpachori]

UPA's refusal for JPC probe into 2G scam shows 'ill intentions': BJP

BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain on Friday alleged that the UPA government's "obstinate refusal" to constitute a joint parliamentary committee (JPC)to probe various scams, including the second-generation mobile telephony spectrum
allocation, was an indicator of its "ill intentions."

CWG, Prasar Bharti, 2G scams kept CVC busy in 2010


http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/blnus/14011103.htm

[ashokpachori]

“Raja ke pichhe Rani hai, Sonia’s kickback share 60% in 2G”

2G spectrum scam could have 35% commission involved from which then central minister Raja got only 10%, while Karunanidhi got 30% and Sonia Gandhi got 60% money.

Swamy said “Raja(A.Raja) ke pichhe Rani hai” and “Manmohan Singh remained silent because Rani had made him the Prime Minister.”

“Sonia has already made so much money that her stomach is full. And therefore the 2G scam money was sent to Anushka and Nadia, her two sisters settled in foreign land. The sisters have deposited the money to an account in Macau.

“In Commonwealth scam Rs. 16000 crore went to Rahul Gandhi and Rs. 10000 crore to Vadra. But let me first complete the fight against 2G scam, and then there will be a turn of Commonwealth.”

“The good thing is that we can file corruption case even after years have passed,”

http://deshgujarat.com/2010/12/30/raja- ... -share-60/

last 12 years alone, since 1992, is estimated to be over Rs 80 lakh crore (Rs 80 trillion) or $1.80 trillion!

http://www.rediff.com/business/slide-sh ... 101230.htm

[Pranay]

Eloquently thought out ...

http://www.openthemagazine.com/article/ ... icket-game

A cosy little world that believes its own interest is the national interest has been outed by the tapes.

The arguments made against a JPC don’t stand to reason. For the Congress, a political party, to argue that the JPC will be politicised is strange. The JPC is an institution of Parliament designed to meet an extraordinary situation, and this is indeed one. Commentators have argued that the Congress fears the JPC will drag on till the next election, bringing matters to light that will continue to shame the Government. If indeed there is much that can come to light, that again is a reason for a JPC. Finally, the argument is made that JPCs in the past have failed to provide any worthwhile results. This is not true—the JPC recommendations in the Harshad Mehta Securities scam continue to remain relevant today—but even if one were to concede the point, by the same token we should disband the CBI altogether.

However much I or anyone else may detest the ideology of the Sangh Parivar, the fact remains that a JPC is urgently required, who it helps and who it hinders is secondary to the importance of what is before us. In this context, it is saddening to see a PM who has been repeatedly touted as an example of public probity resort to a sleight of hand in agreeing to appear before the PAC. A prime minister must at all times place the national interest before his or her party’s interest, there is still time for Manmohan Singh to do so.

[ramana]

Isn't it dejavu all over again! What used to be dismissed as Conspiracy Theory is coming out as the reality.

The problem with our members who used to post their views was they never did walk us thru the logic of their conclusions.

Its heartening that some in the media are recognising there are naional interests and party interests.
Its no longer "Indira is India and India is Indira!"

[shyamd]

BJP is in the doldrums. JPC is imperative to bring themselves back in the reckoning as an alternativee to current rule and this is their one chance to damage Congress. Lets face it Congress is firmly holding onto the throne. BJP will continue to bring pressure onto Congress in order to place themselves as an alternative.

But Congress will go for the nuclear option - which is to bring out BJP skeletons, which they have threatened to do publicly.

Ramanaji, Did you get my email?

[ramana]

Sure did and working on it.

I think the BJP will let them bring out the skeletons as the 2G corpses are fresh and many while the BJP ones are dead and measly. Its trade-off or Balanced decision making process.

[shyamd]

Yeah, also, there was greater opportunity to make large sums in the Congress term so far, as economic growth really took off.

Well the threat has been made explicitly by Sonia. So, lets see how this plays out, I dont think BJP have a choice other than do utmost to damage Congress, if they want their hotseat back.

Swamy is trying to carve himself a niche I think. I am surprised with the amount of info he has about whats going on in the Palace. I think its the old senior Kaangresswalah's (Didnt some congresswalahs defect to JP) are leaking info to him. But he is being spied on by the Queen. Surely she knows where the leak is coming from, he insists Queen can't touch him or do anything.

I was amazed to find out, nationalists are pursuing blackmoney cases via PIL's etc in court. Ram Jethmalani and a few other nationalist NGOs are pursuing Hasan Ali Khan cases and other scams. Quite impressed. Minimal press attention of course.

Janata Party chief urges people not to give up fight against corruption

Published: Thursday, Dec 30, 2010, 10:35 IST
By DNA Correspondent | Place: Ahmedabad | Agency: DNA

Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy on Wednesday urged people not to be discouraged by corruption in high places, and continue their fight against illegal practices.

His gave his own example to argue that any fight against corruption yields results. It was the PIL that he had filed in the Delhi high court demanding investigation into the licenses granted by former Union telecom minister A Raja that had led to the unraveling of the 2G scam, he said.

He further said that the prime minister should seek international help to get funds from the telecom companies which had benefited from the 2G scam. He also asked the Union government to cancel the licenses of the beneficiary companies.

Swamy was speaking on the topic, 'Is corruption the No. 1 issue in India?' at Bhaikaka Hall in Ahmedabad on Wednesday. A large number of people, including media-persons had turned up to hear the leader.

Recalling details of the telecom scam, Swamy said that in September 2007, Raja had invited bids for the 2G spectrum. "But it had already been decided which two telecom companies would get the spectrum," Swamy alleged without naming the companies.

"On January 10, 2007, Raja called a press conference and asked bidders to submit a demand draft of Rs1,650 crore in the next 35 minutes to get the 2G licenses," he said. "But what the poor telecom companies didn't know was that the licenses had already been allotted to somebody else."

The Janata Party chief further alleged that out of the crores that had been made through 2G approvals, Raja had taken only 10%.

He insinuated that other leaders of the Congress had also taken a share of the ill-gotten money. He again urged members of the audience to fight corruption at every level.

Swamy gave a detailed account of how his PIL had led to the exposure of the 2G scam. After his petition reached the Supreme Court and the court agreed to consider his plea that Raja should be prosecuted, the court asked the PM to explain the delay in responding to Swamy's letter in the matter.

"This was the first time in the history of Indian politics that the Indian prime minister was questioned by the Supreme Court for delay in taking action," Swamy said.

He further said that Raja had thought that he would escape prosecution because of the support of Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh. "But I didn't let the matter die down and, instead, filed a PIL first in the Delhi high court," Swamy said.

He asked citizens not to feel discouraged and continue their fight against corruption. "There are still many more corrupt people left to catch and expose. This is not the end," he said. "Nobody should be spared."

Found this article funny as I suggested he should build a niche for himself as a corruption fighter.

[JwalaMukhi]

Now, it is turn of pranabda to chime
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 204946.cms

The Prime Minister's offer to appear before the PAC was a decision taken by him without consulting us. If he had discussed it with me I would have advised him not to offer to appear before the PAC," the senior Congress leader told a special meeting of the West Bengal PCC here.

So, does not like JPC, why not go back to the people? Elections are best so purging of the scum can occur. The corrupt dispensation headed by Mr.Clean has to go back to people, when they do not want JPC. Given the amount of money that these scamster dispensation casually splurge, it will not be a huge expenditure for India to spend them conducting elections more often. Through elections India can rotate to a new set of people, so atleast the scam money does not go to the same pockets. It will ensure democratization of the corruption, atleast at the parliamentary level. Going back to people is more honorable to justify the aura of "Mr.clean", than going back to 10 Janpath...

[Muppalla]

It seems like Pranab da has seen the future. The nationalist in him probably has visualized suddenly that MMS in power is more dangerous to the political system and nation itself. Hence he is thinking to save the nation and party by going to polls.

[Muppalla]

Now, it is turn of pranabda to chime
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 204946.cms

The Prime Minister's offer to appear before the PAC was a decision taken by him without consulting us. If he had discussed it with me I would have advised him not to offer to appear before the PAC," the senior Congress leader told a special meeting of the West Bengal PCC here.

So, does not like JPC, why not go back to the people? Elections are best so purging of the scum can occur. The corrupt dispensation headed by Mr.Clean has to go back to people, when they do not want JPC. Given the amount of money that these scamster dispensation casually splurge, it will not be a huge expenditure for India to spend them conducting elections more often. Through elections India can rotate to a new set of people, so atleast the scam money does not go to the same pockets. It will ensure democratization of the corruption, atleast at the parliamentary level. Going back to people is more honorable to justify the aura of "Mr.clean", than going back to 10 Janpath...

JwalaMukhi ji,

I wrote in my post here http://forums.bharat-rakshak.com/viewto ... 0#p1000390 that MMS will have no problems with JPC or PAC. It is the others who will have problems as it will collapse the entire governing system and the 10 Janpath. Though Pranab has no great interest in Sonia system, he definitely is trying to be next PM without dividing INC.

The latest news is poining to the same line. India is heading for a showdown. MMS will not go easily. Pranab wants to see that he is eased out with less damage and INC gets atleast 120-140 in the new polls. With 120-140 it is very easy to create a secular coalition. He sees himself as best bet. The way he is planning for Bengal is leave it to Mamta and show some anger against her. Bengal is in a wave against Left. IF she wins, she will support a fellow Bengali as PM and if she loses, he can still go with Left in the coalition. He is definitely a few steps ahead of Chidu.

[ramana]

Subraminiam Swamy I think gets his scoops from PMO.

[JwalaMukhi]

I wrote in my post here http://forums.bharat-rakshak.com/viewto ... 0#p1000390 that MMS will have no problems with JPC or PAC. It is the others who will have problems as it will collapse the entire governing system and the 10 Janpath.

Muppalla garu, correct. Shri.MMS's goose is almost cooked. This is biggest scam that has come to light, and the top man is dillydallying whether JPC is useful, or PAC is better or diverting the issue to him being clean or not. That's baloney of highest order. The most important thing for the top guy is to make arrangements to get to truth and constitute JPC by default at the minimum. Instead he is buying all the time, that scamsters need to cover up misdeeds.

He is being a bean counter trying to see the bottom line increase of the vested investment of the scamsters. Elections are the way to go, hopefully he remains vigilant so that again the scandal gang does not try to finance the election expenditure for the party through another scam.

Let the scamster gang spend their ill-gotten wealth as investment for election propaganda. This will atleast spread the ill-gotten wealth to other party workers etc. The least he can do, is ensure that the money for this is not siphoned off the public money, but comes from the private purse of the scamsters.

[ramana]

The question at hand is MMS or the 2Gs?

[shyamd]

Subraminiam Swamy I think gets his scoops from PMO.

But think about it, she could just easily kick them out of their jobs or shut them up with threats to stop talking. Whoever is talking is doing damage to INC and Sonia. Sonia can't do a damn thing about it either, which is why I think its someone up there in the system who is untouchable.

[JwalaMukhi]

The question at hand is MMS or the 2Gs?

Ramanaji, it is about specifically 2Gs and incidentally about MMS. MMS is acting as the shield/mask for the 2Gs. By himself, he seems to divert the attention from scam onto himself, by suggesting PAC, getting certificates from 1G and Shri.Amartya Sen. The question is all about the scamsters and who were beneficiaries of the scam that is in question? Whether MMS is guilty (secondary issue) is for the JPC to certify or exonerate him and Supreme Court, for such certificates which matter most. Other certificates from 1G etc., are irrelevant to issue on hand. But since MMS is shielding from getting to truth about 2G he is setting himself up to be the target. If MMS is in the way of truth the question also turns to him.

Let him setup JPC and let the parliament function, so his true concern for common man is demonstrated, instead of his primary concern about 10 Janpath. The responsibility for stalling of the parliament directly rests on him too. JPCs have been setup for scams of much lesser level than this mother of all scams. He is directly responsible for not initiating standard operating procedure, but prevaricating. He wants to be linked solidly (himself) and hence the question at hand becomes both, even though that shouldn't be the case.

[RamaY]

can MMS be INC's Rakshasamatya?

Can the Indics do a Chanakya on him?

[Muppalla]

The question at hand is MMS or the 2Gs?

Ramanaji, it is about specifically 2Gs and incidentally about MMS. MMS is acting as the shield/mask for the 2Gs. By himself, he seems to divert the attention from scam onto himself, by suggesting PAC, getting certificates from 1G and Shri.Amartya Sen. The question is all about the scamsters and who were beneficiaries of the scam that is in question? Whether MMS is guilty (secondary issue) is for the JPC to certify or exonerate him and Supreme Court, for such certificates which matter most. Other certificates from 1G etc., are irrelevant to issue on hand. But since MMS is shielding from getting to truth about 2G he is setting himself up to be the target. If MMS is in the way of truth the question also turns to him.

Let him setup JPC and let the parliament function, so his true concern for common man is demonstrated, instead of his primary concern about 10 Janpath. The responsibility for stalling of the parliament directly rests on him too. JPCs have been setup for scams of much lesser level than this mother of all scams. He is directly responsible for not initiating standard operating procedure, but prevaricating. He wants to be linked solidly (himself) and hence the question at hand becomes both, even though that shouldn't be the case.

The wheels in wheels of the central government is the reason for this much of confusion going on. First of all Pranab, Chidu, MMS and the 2Gs are the players here. We should at least be not confused about it. Now each of them may support or not support other based on the issue and their individual interest. Except for 2Gs, no one has any interest in the party called INC. If it is destroyed so be it and I don't care is the attitude. Pranab seems to be trying to salvage something for the party for his own reasons.

Let us put the pillars of the game and try to analyze the fall out. Folks, the fallout is real and there is no joke or CT about it.

For MMS this is the last term and as long as he can extend and do his pet themes then that is all gives him at most satisfaction. He is looking for a MMS legacy and nothing else. He is looking for Nuke Deal-Peace with Pak, make India as some country that toes western thought (being non-independent is also fine) and western-capitalism as his legacy. He does not care if INC and 2Gs are destroyed in the process.

For Pranab Da who is actually slightly younger than MMS has also certain end of the career stuff. He wanted to create an India that is again going back to independent foreign policy but with continue with new economic growth with a socialist balm. He wants to cut down India from looking like a western stooge. He wanted to calm down and sooth the Left and India's socialists. Looking for a legacy of a consensus builder. He does care about INC but definitely not 2G.

For Chidu, no big legacy-wegacy. He just wanted to be a young turk with economic policy exactly on the lines of MMS but with social policies of India's right. He plots to create a BJP inside INC though he makes ballistic statements against BJP. He cares nothing and no party as he jumped parties several times. He also does not care 2G.

2Gs, Pawar, Digvijay, Jagan etc are all interested in saving their turf and the loot.

From 1989 to 2004, the coalitions in India are run using consensus politics. There were instances of not being able to do even that is desperately required due to lack of consensus. Governments did not last due to failures in building consensus.

The INC led coalitions (UPA-1 and UPA-2) after 2004 are remarkably different from the earlier ones. These are basically run not on common programs but on "common interests" and importantly using coercion and blackmail. To keep the coalition in tact with no-nonsense appraoch, first coerce the coalition partners to do the loot ( 2G scam for example by DMK) later force them into things that are not ideological to their parties and principles ( Nuke-deal by DMK - they are socialist third fronters and they may be party without their liking). If they do not toe the line use the blackmail using the CBI etc on the loot that was allowed under their eye ( tape and record the misdeeds). OFF and ON they still use SP and BSP in the same way. They threwout Laloo and Paswan permenantly. They keep Madhu Koda on the tenterhook because Jharkhand's santhals will vote Madhu Koda even after he is dead.

Regarding the loot, the whole understanding is that those who are willing to take the risk will loot the nation and give percentages of the loot to the central command. However, if you caught we will dump you and you can't do anything about it. The records also will prove only you and nothing will touch us. This is the operational strategy.

Now the game has become tougher is because someone here are breaking the rules of the shady government that is running India. The whole deal between 2G and MMS is him to allow the above coalition rules and he will neither be questioned not be made accountable. 2G are breaking the rules by wanting him to become martyr. He also broke the rules by recording the percentages that went to central command. Now he is suddenly dangerous to handle. Once the command of the rules of engagement broke, everything broke and in the desperation everyone broke rules to save their turf. In the process we saw exposure of one scam after other.

In the process they gave steroids to dead opposition.

Now coming to JPC:

For MMS and Chidu - JPC is a non-issue. If it is accepted, their paths become very easy. Infact MMS's last weapon is accepting JPC. That will destroy everyone in the system including party and 2G. There is nothing to be unhappy about it.

For 2G - This is totally unaccceptable as it will come to their necks. The fear is what happened to them during Bofors and other scandals of 1980s. Now they are scared of every congressmen and suddenly each of them look like clones of V.P Singh, Arun Nehru or an Arun Singh.

For Pranab - It is not that just encompasses 2G or someothers but will destroy the party permanently. The party is already dead though it has 207 seats with no real state government in its hands. The regional satraps are stronger and all it needs is a death blow that will make each of the regional satrap a regional outfit and his fear is that the centrality of INC role will be over. He is still dreaming of an INC with some 140 seats and building an coalition based on consensus. Hence he clamors for a quick snap poll as an answer to replace MMS rather than going a destructive route of destroying each other. He also sees himself as the only possibility as PM in such a coalition. Unbelievable but he may have ensured both Mamta and Left as his partners in the coalition.

Rest are brokers and they will go with the favorable wind that will save their turfs.

[Muppalla]

Zero tolerance, secret billions

What was Rajiv Gandhi’s fatal error in politics? It does not need a seer to say that it was his claim to honesty — branding himself as ‘Mr Clean’ — that proved fatal to him. Indira Gandhi was his contrast. Asked about corruption in her government, she said nonchalantly, ‘it was a global phenomenon’. This was in 1983. An honest Delhi High Court judge even lamented how could corruption be controlled when someone holding such a high position had almost rationalised it. The result, no one could ever charge Indira Gandhi with corruption, because she never claimed to be clean. But, ambitious to look ideal, Rajiv proclaimed honesty and so provoked scrutiny; in contrast, Indira, opting to be practical, immunised herself against scrutiny. Eventually, Rajiv’s claim to honesty became the very cross on which he was crucified in the 1989 elections when the Bofors gun shot the Congress out of power. The lesson to the political class was: don’t claim to be honest, if you really are not so. The hard lesson seems forgotten now by the Gandhi family itself. Sonia Gandhi, instead of following Indira’s safe path, is wrongly caught on Rajiv’s risky steps. The consequences seem to be ominous. Will the politics of 1987 to 1989 repeat?

Following Rajiv and forgetting Indira, Sonia Gandhi proclaimed ‘zero tolerance’ to corruption at a party rally in Allahabad in November 2010. She repeated it at the Congress plenary in Delhi weeks later. Asking the cadre to take the corrupt head on, she said that her party was ‘prompt’ in acting against the corrupt; ‘never spared the corrupt’ because corruption impedes development’. This was almost how Rajiv Gandhi spoke in the Congress centenary in Mumbai 25 years ago. Two crucial differences marked Rajiv away from Sonia. First, when Rajiv claimed to be ‘Mr Clean’, he had no scams to defend against. But, Sonia claims to be honest amidst huge and continuing scams — CWG, Adarsh, 2G Spectrum allocation scam…. Next, Rajiv had a clean slate to begin with, with no known skeletons in his cupboard till the Bofors scam smashed his ‘Mr Clean’ image. In contrast, Sonia’s slate is full of credible exposures of bribes and pay-offs in billions of dollars secreted in Swiss bank accounts, not counting Quattrocchi’s millions from Bofors. To make it worse, for almost two decades now, she has not dared to deny the exposures or sue the famous Swiss magazine or the Russian investigative journalist who had put out evidence of bribe against the Sonia family. Seen against this background, Sonia’s vow to act against the corrupt seems like a suspect hooting ‘catch the thief’ and scooting away. This is the main story that unfolds here.
$2.2 billions to 11 billions!

A stunning exposure on Sonia Gandhi’s secret billions in Swiss banks came, surprisingly, from Switzerland itself, where the world’s corrupt stash away their booty. In its issue of November 19, 1991, Schweizer Illustrierte, the most popular magazine of Switzerland, did an exposé of over a dozen politicians of the third world, including Rajiv Gandhi, who had stashed away their bribe monies in Swiss banks. Schweizer Illustrierte, not a rag, sells some 2,15,000 copies and has a readership of 9,17,000 — almost a sixth of Swiss adult population. Citing the newly opened KGB records, the magazine reported ‘that Sonia Gandhi the widow of the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was controlling secret account with 2.5 billion Swiss Francs (equal to $2.2 billion) in her minor son’s name’. The $2.2 billion account must have existed from before June 1988 when Rahul Gandhi attained majority. The loot in today’s rupee value equals almost Rs 10,000 crore. Swiss banks invest and multiply the clients’ monies, not keep them buried. Had it been invested in safe long-term securities, the $.2.2 billion bribe would have multiplied to $9.41 billion (Rs 42,345 crore) by 2009. If it had been put in US stocks, it would have swelled to $12.97 billion (Rs 58,365 crore). If, as most likely, it were invested in long-term bonds and stocks as 50:50, it would have grown to $11.19 billion (Rs 50,355 crore). Before the global financial meltdown in 2008, the $2.2 billion bribes in stocks would have peaked at $18.66 billion (Rs 83,900 crore). By any calculation the present size of the $2.2 billion secret funds of the family in Swiss banks seems huge — anywhere between Rs 43,000 plus to some Rs 84,000 crore!

KGB papers
The second exposé, emanating from the archives of the Russian spy outfit KGB, is far more serious. It says that the Gandhi family has accepted political pay-offs from the KGB — a clear case of treason besides bribe. In her book The State Within a State: The KGB and its Hold on Russia-Past, Present, and Future, Yevgenia Albats, an acclaimed investigative journalist, says: “A letter signed by Victor Chebrikov, who replaced Andropov as the KGB head in 1982 noted: ‘the USSR KGB maintains contact with the son of the Premier Minister Rajiv Gandhi (of India). R Gandhi expresses deep gratitude for the benefits accruing to the Prime Minister’s family from the commercial dealings of the firm he controls in co-operation with the Soviet foreign trade organisations. R Gandhi reports confidentially that a substantial portion of the funds obtained through this channel are used to support the party of R Gandhi’.” (p.223). Albats has also disclosed that, in December 2005, KGB chief Victor Chebrikov had asked for authorisation from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, “to make payments in US dollars to the family members of Rajiv Gandhi, namely Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Ms Paola Maino, mother of Sonia Gandhi.” And even before Albats’ book came out the Russian media had leaked out the details of the pay-offs. Based on the leaks, on July 4, 1992, The Hindu had reported: “the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service admits the possibility that the KGB could have been involved in arranging profitable Soviet contract for the company controlled by Rajiv Gandhi family”.

Indian media
Rajiv Gandhi’s sad demise delayed the Swiss and Russian exposé on Sonia being picked up here. But Indian media’s interest in it actually coincided with Sonia Gandhi assuming leadership of the Congress. A G Noorani, a well-known columnist, had reported on both Schweizer Illustrierte and Albats’ exposés in Statesman (December 31, 1988). Subramanian Swamy had put out the photocopies of the pages of Schweizer Illustrierte and Albats’ book in his website along with the mail of the Swiss magazine dated February 23, 2002 confirming that in its article of November 1991 it had named Rajiv Gandhi with a total of Swiss Franc 2.5 billion ($2.2 billion) in secret account; it had also offered to supply a original copy of the magazine to Swamy. (See: http://www.janataparty.org/annexures/ann10p43.html) These facts were again recalled in my article in The New Indian Express (April 29, 2009) written in response to Sonia Gandhi speech at Mangalore (April 27, 2009) declaring that, “the Congress was taking steps to address the issue of untaxed Indian money in Swiss banks”. The article had questioned her about her family’s corrupt wealth in Swiss banks in the context of her vow to bring back the monies stashed away abroad. Rajinder Puri, a reputed journalist, has also earlier written on the KGB disclosures in his column on August 15, 2006. Recently, in India Today (December 27, 2010) the redoubtable Ram Jethmalani has referred to the Swiss exposé, asking where is that money now? So the Indian media too has repeatedly published the details of the secret billions of the Gandhi family investigated by the Swiss and Russian journalists. Amal Datta (CPI(M)) had raised the $2.2 billion issue in Parliament on December 7, 1991, but Speaker Shivraj Patil expunged the Gandhi name from the proceedings!

Self-incriminating
But, what has been the response of Sonia or Rahul, major after June 1988, to the investigation by Schweizer Illustrierte and Albats and to the Indian media’s repeated references to their investigation? It can be summed up in one word: Silence. Thus, apart from the exposés, the deafening silence of the Gandhis itself constitutes the most damaging and self-incriminating evidence of the family’s guilt. When Schweizer Illustrierte alleged that Sonia had held Rajiv Gandhi’s bribes in Rahul’s name in Swiss banks, neither she nor the son, protested, or sued the magazine, then or later; nor did they sue A G Noorani or Statesman when they repeated it in 1998, or later; nor would they sue Subramanian Swamy when he put it on his website in 2002; neither did they sue me, or the Express when the article was carried in April 2009. When major papers, The Hindu and The Times of India included, had carried the expose on KGB payments in the year 1992 itself adding that the Russian government was embarrassed by the disclosures, neither of the Gandhis challenged or sued them; nor did they sue Yevgenia Albats when she wrote about KGB payments to Rajiv Gandhi in 1994. Neither did they act against Swamy when he put Albats’ book pages on his website or when Rajinder Puri, a well-known journalist, wrote about it in his column on August 15, 2006. However, a feeble but proxy suit was filed by Sonia loyalists to defend her reputation when Albats’ exposé was made part of the full-page advertisement in The New York Times in 2007 issued by some NRIs to ‘unmask’ Sonia to the US audience, as they claimed. The suit was promptly dismissed by a US court because Sonia herself did not dare file the suit. Shockingly even that suit did not challenge the $2.2 billion Swiss account at all!

Imagine that the report in Schweizer Illustrierte or in Albats book was false and Sonia Gandhi did not have those billions in secret accounts in Rahul Gandhi’s name or the family was not paid for its service to the KGB as alleged. How would they, as honest and outraged people, have reacted? Like how Morarji Desai, then retired and old at 87, responded in anger when, Seymour Hersh, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist, had mentioned in his book that Morarji Desai was a ‘paid’ CIA mole in the Indian Cabinet. Morarji Desai forthwith filed a libel suit. Commenting in The American Spectator, Rael Jean Isaac wrote in 2004, five years after Morarji Desai had passed away, that Hersh habitually indulged in character assassination; and in his attempt to do down Henry Kissinger, Morarji Desai became the victim. Isaac added that Desai, 87, calling it a “sheer mad story”, reacted in outrage with a libel suit seeking $50 million in damages. When the suit came up, as Desai, 93, was too ill to travel to US, Kissinger testified on Desai’s behalf, flatly contradicted Hersh’s charge and stated that Desai had no connection to the CIA. That is how even retired and old persons, honest and so offended and outraged, would act. But see the self-incriminating contrast, the complete absence of such outrage, in Sonia, who is reigning as the chairperson of the UPA now, neither retired or tired like the nonagenarian Morarji Desai, being just 41 when the story broke out in Schweizer Illustrierte. Imagine, not Sonia or Rahul, but Advani or Modi had figured in the exposés of Schweizer Illustrierte or Albats. What would the media not have done to nail them? What would the government of Sonia not have done to fix them?

Rs 20.80 lakh-crore loot
The billions of the Gandhi family being both bribes and monies stashed away in Swiss banks, they are inextricably linked to the larger issue of bringing back the huge national wealth stashed abroad. All world nations, except India, are mad after their black wealth secreted in Swiss and like banks. But India has shown little enthusiasm to track the illicit funds of Indians in Swiss and other banks.

Why such reticence?
When during the run-up to the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP leader L K Advani promised to bringing back, if voted to power, Indian monies estimated between $500 billion and $1.4 trillion stashed abroad, the Congress first denied that there was such Indian money outside. But when the issue began gathering momentum, Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi had to do damage control and promise that the Congress too would bring back the national wealth secreted abroad. Global Financial Integrity (GFI), a non-profit institution working against global black funds, has recently estimated that the Indian wealth secreted away is about $462 billion, approximately equal to Rs 20.80 lakh-crore. The GFI says that more than two-thirds of it was looted away under the liberalisation regime. This is what the GFI says about the character of the loot: “From 1948 through 2008, India lost a total of $213 billion in illicit financial flows (or illegal capital flight)” through “tax evasion, corruption, bribery and kickbacks, and criminal activities”. Does one need a seer to say under what head would the $2.2 billion in Sonia family’s secret account (which would have grown to $9 to $13 billion by now) fall? But accretions, if any, from the loot in 2G and CWG where the numbers are even bigger are not still accounted. Now comes the more critical, yet practical issue. When the Sonia Gandhi family is among the suspects who have secreted away monies abroad, how will it affect the efforts to bring back the wealth stashed away by others?

Looters safe
Just a couple of examples will demonstrate how the government is unwilling to go after Indian money secreted abroad. As early as February 2008 the German authorities had collected information about illegal money kept by citizens of different countries in Lichtenstein bank. The German finance minister offered to provide the names of the account holders to any government interested in the names of its citizens. There were media reports that some 250 Indian names were found in the Lichtenstein Bank list. Yet, despite the open offer from Germany to provide the details, the UPA-II government has never showed interest in the Indian accounts in Lichtenstein Bank. The Times of India reported that “the ministry of finance and PMO have, however, not shown much interest in finding out about those who have their lockers on the secret banks of Liechtenstein which prides itself in its banking system”. But under mounting pressure the Indian government asked for details not under the open offer but strategically under India’s tax treaty with Germany. What is the difference? Under the tax treaty the information received would have to be kept confidential; but, if it were received openly, it can be disclosed to the public. Is any further evidence needed to prove that the government is keen to see that the names of Indians who had secreted monies abroad are not disclosed?

The second is the sensational case of Hasan Ali, the alleged horse-breeder of Pune, who was found to have operated Swiss accounts involving over Rs 1.5 lakh-crore. The income tax department has levied a tax of Rs 71,848 crore on him for concealing Indian income secreted in Swiss accounts. This case is being buried now. The request sent to the Swiss government was deliberately made faulty to ensure that the Swiss would not provide details. Some big names in the ruling circles are reportedly linked to Hasan Ali. That explains why the government would not deepen the probe. It is Hasan Alis and the like who transport through hawala the bribes of the corrupt from India. If Hasan Ali is exposed, the corrupt will stand naked. This is how the hawala trader and the corrupt in India are mixed-up.
Is it too much to conclude that thanks to Sonia family’s suspected billions in Swiss accounts the system cannot freely probe the $462 billion looted from India at all? Tail-pieces: The total wealth of both Gandhis, as per their election returns, is just Rs 363 lakh, Sonia owning no car. Sonia lamented on November 19, 2010, that graft and greed are on the rise in India!! Rahul said on December 19, 2010, that severe punishment should be given to the corrupt!!! Amen.

[RamaY]

^
There is no legacy for most of these leaders outside an INC govt; so they cannot destroy the party. VPSingh did bring down INC from power but couldnt build his legacy outside even after getting PM gaddi.

However, INC is in the firm control of dynasty, which became evident post-PVNR. The Sonia system will push the individuals out if push comes to shove. There is enough dirt on everyone and even MMS is not immune to this. NatwarSingh is the name of model here.

The 2-G beneficiaries are highly intertwined into MNC system. They can only destabilize gives but cannot destroy political parties on their own. At the end of the day, they need A political party running the govt. We do not know it is legally possible to collect additional money from them (they already paid Corp taxes on their profits, if any). The only thing is that their 2G licenses get cancelled. They can smart bid (by forming an alliance like AP jalayajnam contractors) the 2G system any day.

One option for a non-family INC leader is controlled demolition. Create local fissures so that the party leaders can form regional parties and yet stay the the game. Sharad Pawar is the model here. But s/he will have to face the combined rath of Sonia system and 2G system. This is where the principle opposition can help the right candidate(s).

I seriously doubt who has that much capacity and patience. So there is very little probability of a controlled demolition of INC system. I will give it 10% chance in next 6 months and 0% chance after that.

What does this mean to opposition. They will have no option but to stand strong on JPC demand. If they let the INC system escape this situation, they can write of their political fortunes for atleast 20 years. INC system already laid enough IEDs on oppositions path to PMO.

So what does it mean to a common man? More MMS clean image nonsense for few more months and early elections.

[Pratyush]

Dont know if this has been posted before.

Another wonderfull piece by Gurcharan Das asking the PM to speak but we know that the PM will keep his silence as always.

Please don't be silent, Prime Minister

[arjunm]

Sonia G's nomination paper she owns neither a house nor even a Car....

ps.yahoo.com/group/Kartarpur/message/813

More, she does not own even a car. So, she is not
among the millions who own cars in this country. So,
in form at least she is among the crores of poor
people of this country who do not own cars. She seems
to suffer further in comparison with the poor. For,
these hundreds of millions of Indians at least own
bicycles or bullock carts. But obviously, she does own
either.

Yet, this homeless person does live in one of the
largest and luxurious bungalows in Delhi at No.10
Janpath. Valued in terms of its worth in the market,
it will cost some Rs 100 crores! But that is owned by
the government, but exclusively for her use.

[rkirankr]

PM a Rishyashringa or Dhritarastra?

[RamaY]

^ Neither.

He is not a Rishyasringa because he is not a rain maker in any aspect of governance, including economy.

He is not a Dhritarastra as he is not looking to put his son on gaddi.

IMO, he is Rakshasamatya, who gave his word to protect the dynasty and is bound by that dharma. SG is sarvarthasiddhi and yuvaraj is worse than all 8 nandas put together. Also please see the parallel between Nandas supporting the upcoming buddhism against SD to overshadow vedics.

India has a Chandragupta in making. I hope Sri Chanakya is coordinating all these disparate development. My pranams to him/her.

[sum]

Headlines Today going hammer and tongs at INC after IT appellate has ruled on 31st Dec that Mr.Q has to pay income tax for the commisions he received for bofors, which IT claims it has proof of.

The IT documents also gives blow by blow account of the money trail and the Swiss bank numbers of Q. Ex-CBI director, Joginder Singh was on the channel claiming that CBI always had all the proof but GoI never allowed it to function ( Wonder if it isnt a admission of his spinelessness??).

Seems like $hit has really hit the fan for INC and for the IA ( they can kiss renewed chance of getting artillery goodbye other than through a FMS) .

[Muppalla]

Headlines Today going hammer and tongs at INC after IT appellate has ruled on 31st Dec that Mr.Q has to pay income tax for the commisions he received for bofors, which IT claims it has proof of.

The IT documents also gives blow by blow account of the money trail and the Swiss bank numbers of Q. Ex-CBI director, Joginder Singh was on the channel claiming that CBI always had all the proof but GoI never allowed it to function ( Wonder if it isnt a admission of his spinelessness??).

Seems like $hit has really hit the fan for INC and for the IA ( they can kiss renewed chance of getting artillery goodbye other than through a FMS) .

This is where a lot of us probably will make mistakes. Bofors case is impossible to resurrect and hence INC is bringing its own past so that the opposition jumps on to Bofors and ignore the punchlines that are making the goverment uncomfortable.

The whole game is make sure the opposition and the public lose focus. Two much focus on 2G is brininging down the government. Mamata leaving and INC MP form one side of AP (23 or 11) resigning seems imminent.

[kvraghav]

^^
I think the above statement is right.Off late,INC has started blaming the dead so that the alive(prince and Queen) are shielded.Blaming Sanjay Gandhi for emergency and even getting Bofors and Rajiv again to the fore.It does not hurt INC because it is anyways accused of Bofors.So they basically can take same scam twice rather than 2 scams once each.

[Raghavendra]

Congress ka Haath, Quattrocchi ke Saath

Bofors ghost returns to haunt Cong
http://www.zeenews.com/news678319.html

New Delhi: The Bofors ghost returned to haunt the Congress party with an Income Tax tribunal saying that kickbacks of Rs 41 crore were paid to late Win Chaddha and Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi in the Howitzer gun deal and that they are liable to pay tax in India on such income.

"....inaction in this regard may lead to a non-existent undesirable and detrimental notion that India is a soft state and one can meddle with its tax laws with impunity," the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) said in its 98-page order.

The Tribunal gave this order while dismissing an appeal by Win Chaddha's son against income tax department's claim of Rs 52 crores and Rs 85 lakh from his father for the assessment years 1987-88 and 1988-89.

In the order, the Tribunal details the denials by gun maker Bofors about existence of middlemen in the 1986 deal valued at Rs 1,437 crore and the efforts by Quarterdeck to open a series of accounts to transfer funds in an attempt to obliterate the money trail.

Holding that Bofors should have reduced the commissions paid from the contract price, the Tribunal observed that government had to pay excess amount of about Rs 41 crore, which was passed to Chaddha and Quattrocchi against the terms of contract.

Quattrocchi was known to be close to the Gandhi family and tribunal's observations in the Bofors episode may have come at an inopportune time for the Congress and the government its head Whig are already battling various allegations of corruption. He left India in 1993 even as a CBI case was filed on kickbacks in the deal.

The order mentions that a commission of Rs 32.66 crore was transferred to M/s. Svenska Inc., Panama, which was traced to Chaddha, and was credited in an account of Swiss Bank Corporation, Geneva.

Similarly, Rs 8.57 crore was transferred to AE Services Limited, c/o Mayo Associates SA, Geneva, which was opened only a fortnight earlier on August 20, 1986.

It emerged that despite Indian government's insistence not to appoint or pay any agent, Bofors entered into a fresh consultancy agreement with AE Services of UK at the behest of Quattrocchi.

"This amount of SEK (Swedish Kroner) 50,463,966 works out to be exactly 3 per cent of the amount of advance paid by the government of India to Bofors and was, thus, perfectly in accordance with the terms set out in the AE Services Limited-Bofors agreement dated November 15, 1985," the order said.

The two-member bench comprising RC Sharma and RP Tolani held that both Win Chaddha and entities through which money was transferred as commission to Quattrocchi were liable to pay tax in India.

"In our view the department should have carefully examined the issues about their taxability and their having permanent establishment in India and appropriate proceedings should have been undertaken to assess and recover taxes.

"We may point out there exists a serious issue apropos Bofors for not having deducted withholding tax i.e. TDS, from such payments to the assesses/Svenska, AE Services, Quattrocchi.

"In our view, to enforce the rule of law, these steps were desirable to bring all the relevant income tax violations to the logical end by the income tax department. Inaction in this regard may lead to a non-existent undesirable and detrimental notion that India is a soft state and one can meddle with its tax laws with impunity," the tribunal said in its 98-page order.

[vijayk]

When you look at the whole spectrum of scams (pun intended), it looks as if there are some nationalist forces which are striking the anti-national, draconian regime.
2G, Gopal krishnan, cwg, wikileaks, and now Bofors. The 2Gs have no clue where the attack is coming from. Can the nationalist forces win the battle?

[ramana]

vijayk, Dont the revelations remind you of the Chanakya serial where the king steals from the treasury and his own counsellors have their own scams going on?

[ramana]

Pioneer Editorial:

So, Bofors did pay bribes!

January 04, 2011 1:57:34 AM

The Pioneer Edit Desk

And Ottavio Quattrocchi was the beneficiary

Truth can be suppressed for some time through deceit and subterfuge, but it has a habit of surfacing, often with a bang and when least expected by those who want it to remain buried forever. So also with the Bofors scandal whose stain the Congress has tried to whitewash for more than two decades now. The Congress had come to believe that the ghost of Bofors, which had haunted the party ever since the scandal of illegal commissions being paid to ‘agents’ in the Howitzer field gun deal came to light in the mid-1980s, had been buried forever when the CBI sought a closure of the case during UPA1’s tenure. The CBI, in it stunning submission, had claimed that it had no evidence against the accused, namely Ottavio Quattrocchi, the Italian middleman whose proximity to the first family of the Congress is common knowledge. On that occasion, Prime Minister had sought to justify the patently illegal action of the CBI by saying that it was a “shame” to file charges against Quattrocchi; it would appear that Mr Manmohan Singh had had sleepless nights worrying about a bribe-taker who had been declared an absconder by the courts and the closure report came as a relief as much for the Italian fixer as for him. The then Union Minister for Law, Mr HR Bhardwaj, had facilitated that gross act of crippling the criminal justice system. Earlier, the CBI had silently allowed Quattrocchi to empty his London bank accounts where part of the Bofors payola had been stashed and which had been frozen at the initiative of the NDA Government.

But like Banquo’s ghost, the ghost of Bofors can never really be laid to rest till those who looted the nation are brought to justice. Hence, it is not surprising that the entire issue has once again come alive with the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal rejecting the appeal of the son of the late Win Chaddha, who was the ‘official agent’ of Bofors and to whom ‘fees’ were paid despite an explicit clause in the contract prohibiting such payment on the instructions of Quattrocchi, to be exempted from paying tax on the ‘income’. The tribunal has also said that the other beneficiary of the deal, Quattrocchi, should also pay tax on the money that was directly paid to him, amounting to three per cent of the total amount. In brief, what has been reiterated, with a total recall of how the ill-gotten money was shifted from account to account in Swiss and offshore banks to confuse investigators and cover-up the crime, is that kickbacks were paid and received in the Bofors deal; the beneficiaries were Chaddha and Quattrocchi; and, the money was stolen from the people of India. Investigations have clearly shown that Chaddha’s Svenska Inc, registered in Panama, was used for funnelling the bribe, as was Quattrocchi’s AE Services.

After Monday’s ruling, the Prime Minister owes an explanation to the nation as to why he allowed the CBI to close the Bofors bribery case; plaintive claims of being honest and pathetic comparisons of himself with Caesar’s wife will not suffice. Nor will silence of the variety that facilitated the Great 2G Robbery answer questions about complicity at the highest level.As for the Congress, it stands exposed, though not for the first time, denuded of all scruples. Meanwhile, Mr Bhardwaj should be sacked from his present job as Governor of Karnataka and prosecuted for his role in the cover-up operation. After all, as the tribunal has noted, there is no reason to let crooks believe “India is a soft state and one can meddle with its laws with impunity”.

[Muppalla]

vijayk - The C system that I wrote in the earlier pages of this thread exists.

[vijayk]

vijayk, Dont the revelations remind you of the Chanakya serial where the king steals from the treasury and his own counsellors have their own scams going on?

Yep ...
Yatha raja tatha ministers ...

vijayk - the C system that I wrote in the earlier pages of this thread exists.

Seems like that ... I hope that 2Gs are exposed thoroughly.

[krisna]

Zero tolerance, secret billions

What was Rajiv Gandhi’s fatal error in politics? It does not need a seer to say that it was his claim to honesty — branding himself as ‘Mr Clean’ — that proved fatal to him. Indira Gandhi was his contrast. Asked about corruption in her government, she said nonchalantly, ‘it was a global phenomenon’. This was in 1983. An honest Delhi High Court judge even lamented how could corruption be controlled when someone holding such a high position had almost rationalised it. The result, no one could ever charge Indira Gandhi with corruption, because she never claimed to be clean. But, ambitious to look ideal, Rajiv proclaimed honesty and so provoked scrutiny; in contrast, Indira, opting to be practical, immunised herself against scrutiny. Eventually, Rajiv’s claim to honesty became the very cross on which he was crucified in the 1989 elections when the Bofors gun shot the Congress out of power. The lesson to the political class was: don’t claim to be honest, if you really are not so. The hard lesson seems forgotten now by the Gandhi family itself. Sonia Gandhi, instead of following Indira’s safe path, is wrongly caught on Rajiv’s risky steps. The consequences seem to be ominous. Will the politics of 1987 to 1989 repeat?

In contrast, Sonia’s slate is full of credible exposures of bribes and pay-offs in billions of dollars secreted in Swiss bank accounts, not counting Quattrocchi’s millions from Bofors. To make it worse, for almost two decades now, she has not dared to deny the exposures or sue the famous Swiss magazine or the Russian investigative journalist who had put out evidence of bribe against the Sonia family. Seen against this background, Sonia’s vow to act against the corrupt seems like a suspect hooting ‘catch the thief’ and scooting away.

$2.2 billions to 11 billions!
A stunning exposure on Sonia Gandhi’s secret billions in Swiss banks came, surprisingly, from Switzerland itself, where the world’s corrupt stash away their booty

KGB papers
The second exposé, emanating from the archives of the Russian spy outfit KGB, is far more serious. It says that the Gandhi family has accepted political pay-offs from the KGB — a clear case of treason besides bribe.

Indian media
So the Indian media too has repeatedly published the details of the secret billions of the Gandhi family investigated by the Swiss and Russian journalists. Amal Datta (CPI(M)) had raised the $2.2 billion issue in Parliament on December 7, 1991, but Speaker Shivraj Patil expunged the Gandhi name from the proceedings!

(Not the usual DIE/SLIME media)

Self-incriminating
But, what has been the response of Sonia or Rahul, major after June 1988, to the investigation by Schweizer Illustrierte and Albats and to the Indian media’s repeated references to their investigation? It can be summed up in one word: Silence. Thus, apart from the exposés, the deafening silence of the Gandhis itself constitutes the most damaging and self-incriminating evidence of the family’s guilt.But see the self-incriminating contrast, the complete absence of such outrage, in Sonia, who is reigning as the chairperson of the UPA now, neither retired or tired like the nonagenarian Morarji Desai, being just 41 when the story broke out in Schweizer Illustrierte. Imagine, not Sonia or Rahul, but Advani or Modi had figured in the exposés of Schweizer Illustrierte or Albats. What would the media not have done to nail them? What would the government of Sonia not have done to fix them?

Rs 20.80 lakh-crore loot
The billions of the Gandhi family being both bribes and monies stashed away in Swiss banks, they are inextricably linked to the larger issue of bringing back the huge national wealth stashed abroad. All world nations, except India, are mad after their black wealth secreted in Swiss and like banks. But India has shown little enthusiasm to track the illicit funds of Indians in Swiss and other banks. Why such reticence?Now comes the more critical, yet practical issue. When the Sonia Gandhi family is among the suspects who have secreted away monies abroad, how will it affect the efforts to bring back the wealth stashed away by others?

Looters safe
As early as February 2008 the German authorities had collected information about illegal money kept by citizens of different countries in Lichtenstein bank. The German finance minister offered to provide the names of the account holders to any government interested in the names of its citizens. There were media reports that some 250 Indian names were found in the Lichtenstein Bank list. Yet, despite the open offer from Germany to provide the details, the UPA-II government has never showed interest in the Indian accounts in Lichtenstein Bank.But under mounting pressure the Indian government asked for details not under the open offer but strategically under India’s tax treaty with Germany. What is the difference? Under the tax treaty the information received would have to be kept confidential; but, if it were received openly, it can be disclosed to the public. Is any further evidence needed to prove that the government is keen to see that the names of Indians who had secreted monies abroad are not disclosed?
The second is the sensational case of Hasan Ali, the alleged horse-breeder of Pune, who was found to have operated Swiss accounts involving over Rs 1.5 lakh-crore. The income tax department has levied a tax of Rs 71,848 crore on him for concealing Indian income secreted in Swiss accounts. This case is being buried now

The request sent to the Swiss government was deliberately made faulty to ensure that the Swiss would not provide details. Some big names in the ruling circles are reportedly linked to Hasan Ali. That explains why the government would not deepen the probe. It is Hasan Alis and the like who transport through hawala the bribes of the corrupt from India. If Hasan Ali is exposed, the corrupt will stand naked. This is how the hawala trader and the corrupt in India are mixed-up.

Is it too much to conclude that thanks to Sonia family’s suspected billions in Swiss accounts the system cannot freely probe the $462 billion looted from India at all? Tail-pieces: The total wealth of both Gandhis, as per their election returns, is just Rs 363 lakh, Sonia owning no car. Sonia lamented on November 19, 2010, that graft and greed are on the rise in India!! Rahul said on December 19, 2010, that severe punishment should be given to the corrupt!!! Amen.

there are many news reports about the corruption in rajmata family. Interetsingly the author quotes that Moraraji Desai despite his advanced age brought a law suit against a reporter. here we have many news reports but not one libel if it is false. even bakra of radia gate scandal forced a blogger to apologise. Incredible.

[arjunm]

Rotten to the crore? Economist's Article on India's on Going corruption
Coping with the aftermath of a massive scam

Nov 25th 2010 | Delhi | from PRINT EDITION

Even Manmohan has been tarnished

SONIA GANDHI, the head of the ruling Congress party, laments that India’s “moral universe” is shrinking, as newspapers fill with ever more galling cases of political corruption. Manmohan Singh, the prime minister, says he feels like a schoolboy facing a series of agonising tests as scandals break one after another. Ratan Tata, head of the Tata Group, hints that the scourge is hurting the economy; officials’ expectations of bribes, he said, put him off launching a domestic airline.

It is tempting to hope this “season of scams” will concentrate the minds of India’s leaders. This month Congress sacked two prominent officials over graft. Suresh Kalmadi, who oversaw the Commonwealth games in Delhi in October, was sent running on November 9th as evidence of dubious contracts emerged. On the same day the party also toppled Ashok Chavan, chief minister of Maharashtra state, over a housing scam. His relatives and associates had taken flats in a new tower block that was supposedly set aside for veterans and war widows.

The fallout from the dodgy sale of 2G mobile-telephone licences nearly three years ago will be much worse. On November 14th Mr Singh at last forced a coalition ally, Andimuthu Raja, to quit as telecoms minister. Mr Raja had refused to auction the licences, preferring to dish them out in an underhand and chaotic way, awarding 120 in a single day. Favoured companies bought permits for a song. In the process, the state may have forfeited revenues worth a staggering 176,000 “crore” rupees (a crore is 10m: almost $40 billion in all), to judge by their resale value and by the sums raised by the auction of 3G airwaves.

Even Mr Singh, who is generally seen as a saintly technocrat floating above the fray, has been dragged down into the muck. Most unusually, the Supreme Court chided him last week. His sin was to act too slowly against his coalition partner. Congress, lacking a majority, relies on Mr Raja’s party, the DMK, for parliamentary support.

The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) scents blood. It has blocked parliament to force a public inquiry into the 2G affair. More than 20 years ago a similar investigation seemed to show that a Congress government was bribed by Bofors, a Swedish artillery supplier. They lost the next general election.

But Congress retorts that the BJP’s record is no cleaner. It has been trying to show its resolve against corruption by pushing for the resignation of one of its own, B.S. Yeddyurappa, the chief minister of Karnataka state. He stands accused of giving away public land and taking money from a mining firm. Yet on November 24th he defied the BJP’s national leaders and stayed on, casting doubt on the BJP’s credibility in any fight against corruption.

The ex-boss of an anti-graft commission, Pratyush Sinha, threw his hands up in despair in September, saying his job was thankless and lamenting that increasingly materialistic Indians were becoming “utterly corrupt”. His complaints were writ large this month in a report by an American think-tank, Global Financial Integrity, which suggested that since 1948 India had lost over $460 billion in illicit financial flows, much of it through corruption.
Rotten to the crore?
The report concluded that the problem would worsen as the economy grows and incomes become more unequal. The moral universe may be getting smaller but, despite the shifting of a few high-profile figures, it seems that India is ready to do little more than shrug.

http://www.economist.com/node/17583050

[ramana]

Two reports by Tehelka

Infographic of 2G scam

and

The House that Raja Built

The charge is MK wasn't aware of Raja's empire built with the loot. If true then Raja has more to worry about than 2G rebuke.

From second link:

SO, WHODUNNIT?

The byzantine rumour bazaar of power-crazed Delhi is rife with wild conspiracy theories about who leaked the Radia tapes and for what purpose.

Here go some of the most imaginative ones:

THEORY #1 Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had the tapes leaked to kill two birds with one stone: upstage Home Minister P Chidambaram and teach 10, Janpath, a not-so gentle lesson about nuisance value. Rumour has it that there is a bitter rivalry between the UPA’s two most powerful ministers. The finance minister is whispered to be close to Mukesh Ambani; the home minister apparently prefers younger brother Anil. Both would like the PM’s post. There is already talk of Defence Minister AK Antony being the regent. It did not help that Rahul Gandhi mentioned Antony at a meeting with youth leaders in Ahmedabad as the most honest politician and not Mukherjee. It did help that both the Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax departments come under the finance ministry.

THEORY #2 Chidambaram had the tapes leaked for exactly the same reasons. Show the finance minister — and his camp — in bad light. Send a signal to 10, Janpath. Shake up power equations. Particularly creative theorists say the plot was to fell the government and cobble a Third Front with Chidambaram in the PM’s chair. The home minister is certainly capable of such precisions.

THEORY #3 Anil Ambani’s able man Tony Jesudasan leaked the tapes. Some say the intention was not just to fix Big Brother but his uber-able lobbyist Niira Radia: the rivalries of the second rung. Other rumours have it that Ambani Jr needed a smokescreen to hide his own wrongdoing and sliding fortunes. He is in big money trouble and needs a bailout. It would help to have Chidambaram as PM.

THEORY #4 Former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran leaked the tapes. Classic revenge tale: he lost the telecom ministry to A Raja, outmanoeuvered by Radia, her corporate clients and the powerful Kanimozhi faction in the DMK. Besides, he was piqued that Raja refused to share the spoils of the spectrum money with the K-family. In one stroke, the leak educated them all: Radia, Raja, Kanimozhi, Karunanidhi and the Congress. With Raja disgraced, Maran is now back in the family bosom, attending all public functions and meeting the K-family regularly. He has even buried the hatchet with Azhagiri and Stalin, brokered by Selvi, Karunanidhi’s daughter. It’s also being rumoured that restored trust always comes at a price.

THEORY #5 Airtel honcho Sunil Mittal had the tapes leaked. Maran was his man; Raja was hostile to him. The latter’s policy opened up the market, brought in too many players and pooped his party. Raja may have scammed the country, but Mittal stood to lose a lot of money and business and his cosy spot in the sun. The end of Raja and all those who supped with him must seem a sweet dessert.