The Jan Lokpal Bill, Anna Hazare, and Baba Ramdev II

Y I Patel · Post by **Y I Patel** » 20 Sep 2011 03:15

Yes, it was a terrible time. Can you imagine having to appear for 12th standard board exams in that atmosphere? I lost count of the number of postponements we had to endure for the board exams, and preps for JEE had to go overboard. No mass promotions for the big exams!

Latif was a prominent name during the mid-80s, and one reason Chimanbhai was tolerated during his second coming was because he learnt his lessons and was a closet Hindutvawadi. It was Chimanbhai who should get credit for the encounter elimination of Latif. If you want even more ancient history regarding that particular character, read up on the Nav Nirman riots of 1971-72. These two defining cataclysms in recent Gujarat history formed the book-ends of my school experience.

The scariest part of 85-86 (and later, in 1992) riots were the shootings inspired by Congress goons to incite communal tensions. I lost a friend from school days in the 1992 riots. He was riding by on a scooter and was shot during one of those random flareups.

Gujarat may be the land of Gandhiji, but it has always been a myth that it is a non-violent land. A true Gujarati would never attribute Gandhiji's non-violence entirely to Jain influence, as many modern hagiographers do.

Anyway, let me not drift totally off topic here, although there is a direct parallel in Anna Hazare's agitation to the rank corruption of Congress political culture that led to those "middle class" uprisings in Gujarat.

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 20 Sep 2011 04:57

Aditya_V wrote:
shiv wrote:Shivraj Patil is known as Yediyurappa's man.
SO why is Bharadwaj who has done everything to bring down his Government appoint a Yeddy man?

Well - Patil may well be a perfectly upright man, but this is a caste/community thing in Karnataka. Yediyurappa has capitalised on the Lingayat vote bank. Lingayats are the single largest community in Karnataka. The sharing of portfolios in all Karnataka cabinets demands the allocation of ministerial berths to various caste groups in Karnataka. And each one of these in turn ensures the safety and security and interests of his supporters. There is no honest governance as such. This is such an open secret it is odd how we, who purport to stand for great patriotism in India don't even take a passing interest in the crap that exists right within our system.

The "blame" rests on many factors including Macaulayism where we accept governance from above but ignore the details as something that we cannot control. My father did it. I am also doing it. The next generation will do the same thing. My caste is to accept being ruled by someone and consider him my raja.

rajeshkathiriya · Post by **rajeshkathiriya** » 20 Sep 2011 08:37

BR's Bharat Swabhiman yatra is strarting today

Pranay · Post by **Pranay** » 20 Sep 2011 18:26

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 054572.cms

Explains the need for an independent institution to probe "high level" issues...

The CBI on Tuesday opposed in the Supreme Court a plea for probing home minister P Chidambaram's alleged role in the 2G spectrum scam case saying it is beyond its jurisdiction to entertain it.

Maintaining that the probe into the multi-crore scam during the tenure of former telecom minister A Raja was complete, the agency opposed the plea of Janata Party president Subramanium Swamy.

The CBI said that Supreme Court cannot give such an order and it for the trial court to take decision on the issue.

"Questions of any further investigation or addition of accused in the case have to be decided by the trial court and not by this court," senior advocate KK Venugopal, appearing for the CBI, submitted before a bench of Justices G S Singhvi and AK Ganguly.

"Investigation is complete in 2G scam (during the tenure of Raja) and framing of charges is to be decided by the trial court. If the trial court finds that there is any wrong doer then it can add the person in the list of accused," he said questioning the jurisdiction of the apex court to entertain Swamy's plea.

vijayk · Post by **vijayk** » 20 Sep 2011 18:50

http://www.firstpost.com/politics/tale- ... 88215.html
Tale of two fasts: Why Modi’s worked and Vaghela’s didn’t

Here’s a tale of two fasts – one basking in media glare and the other turning out to be a sorry footnote to it; one a national talking point and the other nearly invisible. It is also a story of two political parties – one focused on the states and the other oblivious to them; one serious about its political future and the other confused about the political course to follow.

The entire exercise carried the Modi signature all through – confident, authoritative and self-assured. If the question of his being the party’s candidate for the prime minister’s job was left hanging, it was deliberate.

By contrast, Vaghela’s counter-fast was purposeless. It aimed at nothing, had no message. It was a reactive move only to assert that the Congress was still alive in the state.

Modi’s fast was also a show of BJP unity. All senior leaders made it a point to be on stage with the chief minister, showering words of praise on him and his achievements. The icing on the cake was the presence of representatives of NDA chief ministers from across the country.

Modi called the fast part of his Sadvhabna Mission. The liberal sprinkling of members of different communities, including Muslims, and the chief minister’s inclusive language reflected he meant business. The Congress fast was more of an assembly of dissenters, people opposed to Modi for different reasons. The gathering was singularly lacklustre, conveying nothing, except a lot of heartburn at Modi’s success.

The fast also is a reflection of how and why the Congress has shrunk in the states. The party is losing its foothold in its erstwhile bastions alarmingly fast. Most of it has to do with the apathy of the central leadership and its inability to promote leaders with merit in the states.

The Congress will be apprehensive of someone like Modi in the party because such leaders would be perceived to be threats to the leaders at the top. The party is more comfortable with leaders who are pliable and adept at surviving the machinations in Delhi’s power circles. It is not that the party does not have competent leaders at the state level or cannot develop such leaders, but the party is loath to doing it. There are too many insecure people up there.

The BJP, by contrast, has no inhibition in promoting strong leadership at the state level. It does not mind if the state leaders have national ambitions. The approach was in ample display during Modi’s fast.

Possibly that differentiates a sinking party and a rising one.

vijayk · Post by **vijayk** » 20 Sep 2011 19:01

http://www.firstpost.com/politics/why-m ... 87815.html
Why Modi worries Congress and some NGOs, but not Anna

Narendra Modi, I imagine, should take it as a back-handed compliment that there are so many in India who loathe him so much. The interesting thing is that the congenital Modi-haters, if you look at them carefully, are neither the mythical aam aadmi over whom many crocodile tears have been shed; nor are they Muslims who allegedly bear Modi’s much ill-will after the 2002 riots in Gujarat.

No, the fact is that the Modi-haters fall into several categories: a) fans of the Congress and the Nehru dynasty, b) entrepreneurs who are making hay from divisiveness, c) vested interests with malign agendas and d) media entrepreneurs.

The Congress party is for all practical purposes a vehicle for the glorification of the Nehru dynasty, and not incidentally for assorted hangers-on who make out like bandits through large scale loot (perhaps you remember 2G, CWG, Bofors, and numerous other scams).

A number of Congress people and friends have become enormously wealthy by exploiting public funds to enrich themselves. A case in point is that of Andhra Pradesh, where the late Chief Minister YSR Reddy apparently built up a private empire of staggering proportions by judiciously manipulating the loaves and fishes of office. The ongoing trials and/or travails of A Raja, Dayanidhi Maran, and others – former friends of the Congress – proves this point.

What do you do with those who threaten the status quo? Why, you silence them, that’s what you do. A famous example is Galileo Galilei. Naturally, he was to be burned at the stake, until he recanted.

Politicians and bureaucrats are, quite rationally, concerned: can you imagine what will happen if Modi becomes PM, perish the thought!

I read some time ago that though Modi is generally popular in most parts of Gujarat — if I remember right, he won his last election with a two-thirds majority — there is one place in the state where he is very unpopular. In fact he lost elections there — in the capital Gandhinagar. Quite rightly, the babus are voting against someone who is subverting their main mechanism of making money.

The second group are the NGO mavens, or those that can be called, loosely, Quangos, or quasi-NGOs. Many of the Quangos are so closely aligned with the Congress government that it is hard to tell them apart. One example is an NGO headed by an individual who has been repeatedly accused of outright perjury and witness tampering (by former aides and indeed the witnesses themselves), a felony in the eyes of most judiciaries. However, instead of being treated with suspicion, this unelected individual is tight with the powers that be, and in fact deeply involved in creating legislation!

There is an entire cottage industry of Quangos in India, as has been described in an explosive book by Radha Rajan and Krishen Kak titled NGOs, Activists and Foreign Funds: Anti-Nation Industry. More recently, there were revelations that many NGOs have been involved with or funded by a) the Ford Foundation, or b) Ghulam Nabi Fai, a Kashmiri-American who was recently arrested by America’s FBI as a front for Pakistan’s ISI. These are not exactly bodies that have India’s best interests at heart, to put it mildly.

A third group are the religious entrepreneurs who are looking to convert Indians to their respective faiths. Quite clearly, the second best way of making money in India is religious entrepreneurism. Interestingly, it was such a religious businessman who initially fed the British embassy the canard of “2,000 Muslims were killed” in Gujarat in 2002; which was happily repeated ad nauseam in the West, implying that it was a one-sided massacre.

Not so in the Indian english-language media. They report only “the news fit to report”, which generally means only those things that feed into their (generous) prejudices, or that which will bring them awards and goodies from the government. I will not go into the brazenness of the Den Mother of them all, who, caught on tape red-handed, did not have the decency to at least feign contrition and remorse. Well, it is quite lucrative to do what they are doing, so I guess they are also being journalist-entrepreneurs.

However, they did not do the same thing to Anna Hazare. For several reasons: one is that the very same people latched on to poor Hazare. Half the crowd surrounding Hazare belong to one or the other of the above categories, so they knew they had infiltrated and rendered toothless his movement. No need, therefore, to attack him: he had already been neutralised, despite all his best intentions. Hazare might echo Pogo who said, “We have met the enemy, and he is us.”

On the contrary, notice how Swami Ramdev’s movement was crushed with an iron fist, with fascist fury. It is indeed ironic that Ramdev attracted far more of the aam aadmi, the rural salt of the earth, than Hazare’s movement, which consists mostly of the urban middle class. But the four groups above decided that, obviously, politics was too important to be left to the people. It is only PLUs, people-like-us, who have the right to protest. No sama, dana, bheda; just danda for the hoi-polloi, such as 51-year-old Rajbala, whose spine was damaged, and who is paralysed.

But Hazare, that was a different story. They got him, didn’t they? The good Gandhian has been turned into, well… another Gandhi: an object to trot out piously now and then and make grand speeches about, but to ignore in general. That other Gujarati, Modi, isn’t going to stand for that; and that’s what makes him dangerous. He is a proven leader and a manager, a giant in a land full of pygmies. That of course does not endear him to the pygmies.

Murugan · Post by **Murugan** » 20 Sep 2011 20:04

Baba Starts his Yatra with a Bang

Thousands join him at Gwalior, Datia and Jhansi.

vijayk · Post by **vijayk** » 20 Sep 2011 21:05

Murugan wrote:Baba Starts his Yatra with a Bang

Thousands join him at Gwalior, Datia and Jhansi.

The DIE-nasty SCUMS, DARK MEDIA CROOKS must be trying to figure how to silence this yatra. Lets see what the Nikkamma PM will try. The Clown Prince literally disappeared after the booing he received in the hospital.

Pratyush · Post by **Pratyush** » 20 Sep 2011 21:19

^^^

As usual deafening silence from the Sikular media of India.

Pranay · Post by **Pranay** » 20 Sep 2011 22:39

http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?735528

Activist Swami Agnivesh, who fell out with Anna Hazare's team during the agitation over Lokpal Bill, today sought forgiveness from the Gandhian and the others "who felt hurt" through his "unintentional acts".

"I am turning 73 tomorrow. The Jain Samaj is celebrating forgiveness week. I seek forgiveness from those who I unintentionally hurt," Agnivesh said on the eve of his birthday.

"If anybody has felt that I hurt them, please forgive me. Incidentally, my birthday also comes on the same day when International Day of Peace is observed," he said.

He said his appeal is specifically to Hazare, the anti-corruption movement and Arya Samaj organisations.

Agnivesh, once a close associate of Hazare, was in the eye of a storm after a video purportedly showed him talking to a minister asking him to take strong action against the Gandhian for not withdrawing his fast over the Janlokpal Bill despite an appeal from Parliament.

jagga · Post by **jagga** » 20 Sep 2011 22:52

CM office to be brought under ambit of Lokayukta: Khanduri

The Uttarakhand Government has initiated the process of drafting a strong and an effective Lokayukta Bill and intended to bring the Chief Minister office under its ambit, Chief Minister B C Khanduri said.After a meeting with Team Anna comprising Arvind Kejriwal, Prashant Bhushan and Kumar Vishwas here last night, Khanduri said the discussions with the members were a part of the exercise to make the bill strong so that it could keep an effective check on the corruption, an official release said.

vishvak · Post by **vishvak** » 21 Sep 2011 01:23

Ramdev starts 'yatra' against corruption, black money
From http://www.rediff.com/news/report/ramde ... 110920.htm:

After covering nearly 10,000 kms, the yatra will end at Prayag in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh

Pranay · Post by **Pranay** » 21 Sep 2011 06:35

http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?735557

Choosing poll-bound Hisar as its next battlefield, Team Anna today said it would campaign against those by-election candidates there whose party chiefs refuse to give a written undertaking that they will support the Jan Lokpal Bill in Parliament.

"We want the Jan Lokpal bill to be an issue in the bypolls. The presidents of political parties should give the people of Hisar in writing that when the issue comes up in Parliament, they will support the Jan Lokpal Bill," Hazare's close associate Arvind Kejriwal told reporters here.

Kejriwal said they will not campaign in favour of any candidate, but will ask people not to vote for those who have not given their support to their version of the Lokpal Bill.

Hazare will issue a video-appeal to people of Hisar not to vote for anyone who has not given their support to the Jan Lokpal bill, he said.

From October 1, he said, members of India Against Corruption will go to Hisar and campaign against candidates and parties who have not pledged their support to the Jan Lokpal Bill.

"We want those who are not in support of the Jan Lokpal bill to lose very badly," he said, adding they will not campaign for any particular party or candidate.

However, he appealed to the people to vote for clean candidates who are supporting the bill and not the corrupt or those with criminal backgrounds who are supporting the bill.

sum · Post by **sum** » 21 Sep 2011 08:43

Am sure there are so many clean netas loitering around in UPA:
The Union Cabinet gets healthier

In his 2009 poll affidavit, Mr. Patel said his assets were worth over Rs.79 crore. Let's assume he listed all he had up to April 2009, the polls being in May that year. Compare that figure with the more than Rs.122 crore that the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) put up against his name online this month. Since this increase occurred in 28 months, my math says that averages over Rs.5 lakh a day. (I can add, though not at the speed of Mr. Patel.)

But the DMK's Dr. S. Jagathrakshakan made a bold dash to fame. The Minister of State (MoS) for Information and Broadcasting's assets grew by 1,092 per cent to Patel's 53 per cent. According to the ADR's analysis, his assets went up from Rs.5.9 crore in 2009 to Rs.70 crore this year. But Patel, batting on 122, still tops the Cabinet Premier League. The DMK man might have worked up a scorching pace, but Patel's dug in for a good, long innings.

Meanwhile, the dashing youth brigade isn't doing too badly either. Young Milind Deora, MoS for Communications and Information Technology, almost doubled his assets between 2009 and 2011. He went from over Rs.17 crore to more than Rs.33 crore. Consider that his 2004 poll affidavit pegged his worth at Rs.8.8 crore. Adding almost a lakh every day on average for seven years and nearly quadrupling your assets in that time isn't so bad.

On the face of it, Deora has outclassed Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar. Going by their declarations, Deora is two-and-a-half times richer than the mighty Maratha. He was richer than him even in 2009, but increased his assets by almost 90 per cent since then. Pawar failed to add even a paltry Rs.4 crore in the same time. Which means he clocks in at under Rs.12.5 crore, all told. A kindly account making the rounds in his home state is that Pawarsaheb was slightly confused over whether the declaration called for revealing his total asset worth or a statement of monthly income.

the cricket caucus in Dr. Manmohan Singh's team is doing well. Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and new IPL boss Rajeev Shukla added over Rs.22 crore in those 28 months to his total asset worth. That takes it from over Rs.7 crore in 2009 to more than Rs.30 crore this year.

But let's turn to Andhra Pradesh. Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy is not in power. This has not hampered his entrepreneurial march. In 24 months till April this year, he added well over Rs.357 crore to his just-under Rs.72 crore-figure of April 2009. This means he added on average over Rs.50 lakh every single day during this period. Considering he's been embattled on all fronts, this is no minor achievement. Now you know what the pundits mean when they speak of the dynamism of Generation Next in politics.

UPA-2 is anyways headed by the clean and spotless Dr.MMS and so, these figures have to be communal propaganda.

Pratyush · Post by **Pratyush** » 21 Sep 2011 08:49

jagga wrote:CM office to be brought under ambit of Lokayukta: Khanduri
The Uttarakhand Government has initiated the process of drafting a strong and an effective Lokayukta Bill and intended to bring the Chief Minister office under its ambit, Chief Minister B C Khanduri said.After a meeting with Team Anna comprising Arvind Kejriwal, Prashant Bhushan and Kumar Vishwas here last night, Khanduri said the discussions with the members were a part of the exercise to make the bill strong so that it could keep an effective check on the corruption, an official release said.

A good first step to initiate clean governance in the state. But will the kangress governor will not use this institution to make life miserable for the BJP CM??

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 21 Sep 2011 09:17

shiv wrote:Shivraj Patil is known as Yediyurappa's man.

Shivarj Patil resigned yesterday. Today Lokayukta has raided Yediyurappa's residence on cases that have been pending from before Patil took over. Coincidence?

Murugan · Post by **Murugan** » 21 Sep 2011 10:06

At present, How many congress ruled states have Lokayukts?

If there is none, why it is so.

prahaar · Post by **prahaar** » 21 Sep 2011 10:39

Comparing the case of KA, smartness of NM is in staying alert and avoiding mistakes in a hostile environment he faces. If Yedyurappa knew that CON controlled GOI/Media will not spare him, he should have been extra alert (it is useless to keep complaining that X was allowed to loot 1000 crores why not me). This is a trait which all leaders need to imbibe (irrespective of political affiliation), but it would be possible only if the media/sarkari-machinery is hot on trails of ALL leaders. As they say, give due credit also to the enemy.

India does not need an India-loving corrupt CM or PM ( as much as we do not need an India-hating non-corrupt CM or PM). BJP does not have the luxury to behave like CON, plain and simple, but after tasting power and/or staying in Delhi (many have started thinking on similar lines), apparently change is inevitable. A Shivaji in Aurangzeb's time did not live like other Governors but he had to perform a cut above to gain support in a hostile climate. A challenger cannot behave like an incumbent.

Pranav · Post by **Pranav** » 21 Sep 2011 10:48

Pranav · Post by **Pranav** » 21 Sep 2011 10:49

Govt lied on PC-Raja meet

The Government’s claim that minutes of the meeting between former Telecom Minister A Raja and then Finance Minister P Chidambaram on January 30, 2008 were not maintained has turned out to be totally misleading.

Documents in possession of The Pioneer show that the minutes of the meeting were prepared and signed by none other than then Finance Secretary D Subbarao. The meeting, which took place 20 days after the controversial allotment of spectrum by Raja, reveals that Chidambaram said that there was no need to “revisit” the mode adopted by Raja for spectrum allotment.

http://www.dailypioneer.com/pioneer-new ... -meet.html

Pranav · Post by **Pranav** » 21 Sep 2011 10:52

Land Grab. And how to make millions

The politician-builder nexus in Maharashtra has plundered away prime land. Can Prithviraj Chavan break the vice-like grip the realtors have over the state? Ashish Khetan reports

1. Ashok Chavan
Former Chief Minister, Maharashtra
As revenue minister, gifted 102 acres in the heart of Pune to a private builder for a mere 4,058. Actual worth of the land: Rs 2,500 crore

2. Sharad Pawar
Union Agriculture Minister
Tech Park One, a company owned by Pawar’s family and close friends acquired defence land for 7 crore. Its market value: Rs 70 crore

3. Vilasrao Deshmukh
Rural Development And Panchayati Raj Minister
A CAG report indicted Vilasrao for illegally allotting a 2 lakh sq m plot at throwaway prices to the Vilasrao Deshmukh Foundation, a trust run by Deshmukh and his family

4. Ajit Pawar
Deputy Chief Minister, Maharashtra
Gave away 2 lakh sq ft of land to AG Mercantile. It later emerged that Ajit Pawar had owned 8,800 shares of the company when 2G scam accused Vinod Goenka was its director

5.Supriya Sule
Lok Sabha MP
Along with her husband, Supriya holds substantial stakes in multi-billion-dollar real estate projects. Has a stake in Tech Park One, which constructed Panchsheel Tech Park on a defence plot, earning an annual rent of Rs 27 crore

http://www.tehelka.com/story_main49.asp ... rstory.asp#

Pranav · Post by **Pranav** » 21 Sep 2011 10:55

Is Rs. 25 all that you need for a day?

In a startling affidavit before the Supreme Court, the Planning Commission has said an individual income of just Rs. 25 a day constitutes adequate “private expenditure on food, education and health.”

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/a ... epage=true

The Union Cabinet gets healthier

Air India might not be doing as well we'd like it to. But the braveheart who flew it fearlessly into dense clouds of debt is doing okay. Praful Patel (who no longer holds the aviation portfolio) added, on average, over half a million rupees every day to his assets in 28 months between May 2009 and August 2011. This might be an understated figure since it is based on his own word. Ministers tend to be modest in these matters. But given the official data, the math is inescapable.

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/columns ... 470835.ece

Pranav · Post by **Pranav** » 21 Sep 2011 11:08

Narendra Modi man in Rs400 crore fish soup

A shocking instance of blatant corruption by Purshottam Solanki, the fisheries minister in Narendra Modi government, has been revealed through an ongoing case in Gujarat High Court. The scam has caused a loss of Rs400 crore to the state exchequer. ...

In September 2008, a petition was filed in the HC challenging the fishing contracts for 58 big reservoirs of Gujarat, 200 hectares each, given out by Solanki at just one go. The petitioner, one Ishaq Maradia from Bhagal village in Palanpur, alleged that the fishing leases were granted at rates far below the price fixed in the previous contract. The bids worth Rs40 crore per annum were awarded for a pittance of Rs2.36 crore. Maradia and other petitioners have clearly stated in their affidavits that Solanki demanded bribes from them for sums varying from Rs10 lakh to Rs30 lakh each.

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_na ... up_1589640

sum · Post by **sum** » 21 Sep 2011 11:12

^^ What does a Narendra Modi man mean?

Pranav · Post by **Pranav** » 21 Sep 2011 11:28

sum wrote:^^ What does a Narendra Modi man mean?

Just like Kalmadi and MMS are Sonia men. This may or may not be a motivated case, but there are other warning signs like attacks on RTI activists.

Onus is on NaMo to convince the public, like Arun Shourie did with considerable ease when allegations were made in the 2G scam.

Arjun · Post by **Arjun** » 21 Sep 2011 12:03

Pranav wrote:This may or may not be a motivated case, but there are other warning signs like attacks on RTI activists.

Do you have the breakup by state of RTI activists killed ? Maharashtra topped this list if I remember right.

Pratyush · Post by **Pratyush** » 21 Sep 2011 16:24

Black money: Switzerland ready to reveal list of Indians, awaits request from govt

Pratyush · Post by **Pratyush** » 21 Sep 2011 16:30

The INC Spokesman Manish Tiwai apologies to Anna in writing.

Manish Tewari gives written apology to Anna Hazare

vishvak · Post by **vishvak** » 21 Sep 2011 16:45

Pratyush wrote:Black money: Switzerland ready to reveal list of Indians, awaits request from govt

Typical cautious banking practice when releasing details, who cares when it comes in.

A simple question, if there is loot in accounts in banks which is known roughly, and the details are revealed after say 10 years. What happens in between? Also note that the 'well'-known banks have online transfer facilities available.

A hint is here-
"Indian assets worth at least $two billion are parked in Swiss banks, according to our figures,"
Another hint-
Swiss ambassador to India Phillipe Welti on Wednesday told Headlines Today, "We don't need the account number of the suspect Indians. Just give us the name. We can share the data fast."...

so Indians have to give names first.

Third hint:In another revelation, he said no request for sharing of data has been received so far from the Indian government. Very eager people these swiss bankwallahs, they wait like clockworks to reveal names.

gakakkad · Post by **gakakkad** » 21 Sep 2011 16:51

w.r.t the fishery ministry of Modi gov't thing.. the article is clearly politically motivated..

The case was over in 2008 itself...

The matter..

Fishing contracts were awarded to a cooperative society directly by the minister .. The rules passed in 2004 were not completely followed . The reason was that if competitive bidding had been done in certain areas tribal fishermen would have lost their only source of living..

The petitioner was Ishaq Mohd Maradia..His relative is associated with teesta gang.. His lawyer was MUKUL SINHA.. (The same guy who was attempting to create unrest this saturday who was arrested with "Activist" mallika sarabhai..)

http://www.mid-day.com/opinion/2011/sep ... -dance.htm

Here is the Gujarat HC judgement...

Gujarat Gov't Argument wrote:
The petition is contested by the State of Gujarat. The sum and substance of the defense is that the cooperative societies which have been granted the concerned contracts belong to very poor fishermen and fishing is their only livelihood. With a view to providing them occupation, the disputed contracts are awarded. In respect of the contracts for fishing lease granted in respect of Aji Reservoir at Rajkot and Bhadar reservoir, it is stated that the fishermen who are granted these contracts are members of padhar adivasi community. For several years the said community was engaged in fishing at Nal Sarovar. It is stated that fishing at Nal Sarovar has been prohibited by the State Government vide Order dated 28th August, 2001. Because of the said prohibition, the said fishermen have lost their livelihood. Now, with a view to providing them livelihood in the areas where they reside, the above referred lease contracts in respect of Aji reservoir at Rajkot and Bhadar reservoir have been granted to them.
The petitions are contested by the concerned Cooperative Societies. According to them, they had lost their livelihood; they had approached the State Government to provide them fishing contracts and pursuant to their applications, the lease for fishing was granted to them.

However the court ruled that competitive bidding should have been done... the contracts were nullified and rules were modified so that the poor fishermen don't loose their livelihood. I mean if the fishermen lost their livelihood congi's would have still made a hue and cry...

The guy Maradia has been posting frivolous litigations against Modi and most of them have been rejected at the onset.

He even filed a prevention of corruption complaint against the Gov't last year...

The minister was found innocent. DNA is a typical DDM..

Note- The info was mailed to be by a friend of mine who is in the youth wing of BJP.... However it is verifiable ...

csaurabh · Post by **csaurabh** » 21 Sep 2011 17:44

Pratyush wrote:The INC Spokesman Manish Tiwai apologies to Anna in writing.

Manish Tewari gives written apology to Anna Hazare

When is anyone going to apologize to Baba Ramdev?

prahaar · Post by **prahaar** » 21 Sep 2011 17:59

Never, only PS-certified bhagwadharis entitled for GOI mercies (ex. Agnivesh).

chiragAS · Post by **chiragAS** » 22 Sep 2011 13:53

Anna gets invitation to Pakistan

Pranay · Post by **Pranay** » 23 Sep 2011 00:48

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 082744.cms

... and the screws keep turning.

Anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare today asked Maharashtra government to bring in a strong and effective Lokayukta Bill in the winter session of state legislature, failing which he would undertake a fast.

In a letter to the Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, the 74-year-old activist, whose historic 12-day fast last month in support of a strong Lokpal bill hogged global limelight, said Lokayukta should get more powers under the state law.

Hazare warned that if his demand was not fulfilled, he would begin a hunger strike at the pilgrimage centre of Alandi, in Pune district.

"I had written to you on July 18 on the subject and I have yet to get a reply," Hazare said in the letter.

Hazare reminded Chavan that he ended his 12-fast in Delhi last month following written assurance from the Prime Minister that government would bring Lokpal bill in the next session of Parliament.

The Centre had asked state governments for their views on Lokayukta issue and it now says the states are to enact their own legislations on Lokayukta, Hazare said.

"If Maharashtra does not bring in Lokayukta Bill in the winter session I would begin my fast at Alandi from the last day of session," he said.

Pranay · Post by **Pranay** » 23 Sep 2011 00:48

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 092876.cms

In the midst of fresh controversy in the 2-G spectrum case, anti-graft crusader Anna Hazare today said home minister P Chidambaram would have been behind bars had the Jan Lokpal legislation been in existence.

"Had there been a Jan Lokpal now, Chidambaram would have been in jail," Hazare, who earlier branded the Union home minister as a "mischievous person", said.

Chidambaram would have to "go home" in the 2G scam, Hazare said at his village Ralegan Siddhi in Ahmednagar district.

"Chidambaram is 'khodsal' (a Marathi word which means a mischievous or a dishonest person)," the Gandhian had alleged soon after returning to his village this month while giving an account of his arrest and release in Delhi ahead of his fast on Jan Lokpal issue.

Pranay · Post by **Pranay** » 24 Sep 2011 01:39

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 097292.cms

As Congress looks for ways to tackle Anna Hazare, rural development minister Jairam Ramesh has spoken to Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan to send a proposal to the Centre for upgradation of a road that the Gandhian has demanded.

Ramesh wrote back to Hazare that his request for road upgradation in his home district of Ahmednagar under the PM Gramin Sadak Yojana could be taken up if a suitable proposal came from the state. "I have also spoken to Prithviraj Chavan about this," he told Hazare in his letter.

The communication between the RD minister and Hazare is interesting given the latter's targeting of the Congress regime over corruption. While he brought the Centre on its knees with a 12-day fast in the capital over the Lokpal issue and is now set to tour states on the issue, Congress has not figured out a way to contain the Gandhian.

Congress also reacted to Hazare's threat for protest demanding a Lokayukta Act in Maharashtra by saying that he needed to look at other states like Gujarat and Uttarakhand. AICC spokesman Abhishek Singhvi's comment was a clear reference to Hazare to turn towards BJP states instead of focusing solely on Congress regimes.

The sparring has not ended. AICC general secretary Digvijaya Singh on Thursday revived charges of Hazare having RSS's backing by tweeting that the saffron outfit was preparing to make the Gandhian's tour to the states a success.

Pranay · Post by **Pranay** » 24 Sep 2011 01:45

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 097285.cms

After discarding AS of SP the Congress seems to have a new "Man Friday" in Lalu Prasad...

Key anti-corruption proponents on Friday came out against the proposed Lokpal's jurisdiction over the prime minister, ranging from complete exemption to a measured inclusion -- challenging Anna Hazare's demand for an omnipotent ombudsman.

The parliamentary panel looking into the Lokpal bill met for the first since Hazare put the Lokpal bill on fast track with his 12-day fast at Ramlila Maidan as also his renewed threat of protest this week. It examined NCPRI of Aruna Roy and Jai Prakash Narayan of Loksatta.

RJD's Lalu Prasad, who has been the butt of attacks from the Hazare camp, praised Roy for her work while regretting that activists were targeting political leaders.

The idea behind the praise could be linked to Roy's stand against Hazare's version of an all-powerful, all-encompassing Lokpal bill. She has sought a bouquet of measures with five different bills to address issues of judiciary, whistleblowers, grievance redressal among others, a stance which stood out because it was spelt out during Hazare's fast insisting on his version. Roy even earned barbs of towing the government line.

On Friday, she categorically said no authority be concentrated with too much power. In his inimitable style, Lalu Prasad, who invoked JP and Lohia, sought Roy's cooperation in drafting a good Lokpal bill.

The meeting revolved around the issue of Lokpal's jurisdiction over PM and judiciary but the political class eagerly posed queries on what NCPRI felt about the anti-graft ombudsman covering NGOs and corporate sector.

Loksatta's Narayan said PM be excluded from the Lokpal ambit, saying it would destabilize the top post. As leader of the government, PM was linked to every decision taken. Any complaint against him would largely require his dismissal even if it was not proved ultimately, he said, pointing out that the PM was already covered under the Prevention of Corruption Act. He also sought judiciary's exemption from Lokpal.

Sources said Narayan warned against speading the Lokpal thin, saying it would be an ineffectual body if it was empowered to look after every authority.

NCPRI said Lokpal should cover PM but with checks to sieve out motivated complaints. The outfit -- also represented by Harsh Mander, Shekhar Singh, Nikhil Dey, Venkatesh Nayak and Anjali Bharadwaj - added that the executive head be rid of any "vicarious responsibility".

With a near-unanimity that PM be exempted from the Lokpal ambit on security and international affairs, Roy's version of keeping him out of any indirect responsibility for a decision would make the top post fairly safe under the ombudsman. The members asked questions relating to this dichotomy.

There were interesting suggestions too. NCPRI said there be no jail term for false complaints, a point which may not find favour with the government.

It also floated the idea of a smaller Lokpal body to look after complaints against junior officials while the main body focused on bureaucrats of the rank of joint secretary and above.

JwalaMukhi · Post by **JwalaMukhi** » 24 Sep 2011 02:40

Pranay wrote:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 092876.cms

In the midst of fresh controversy in the 2-G spectrum case, anti-graft crusader Anna Hazare today said home minister P Chidambaram would have been behind bars had the Jan Lokpal legislation been in existence.

"Had there been a Jan Lokpal now, Chidambaram would have been in jail," Hazare, who earlier branded the Union home minister as a "mischievous person", said.

Chidambaram would have to "go home" in the 2G scam, Hazare said at his village Ralegan Siddhi in Ahmednagar district.

Ah! so the Gandhian who has been on a tight leash picks up enough courage to name and shame a particular individual. All the while his dharana drama was going on he refused to forcefully take any names. Did he at any time mention anything about the 2Gs or other heavy weights? Looks like, his handlers are using him in the most effective way to divert attention and focus on marked people. Muppalla Garu called it way before this drama started to unfurl. takes a bow.

Pranay · Post by **Pranay** » 26 Sep 2011 03:30

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 120299.cms

Lok Sabha MPs are likely to be under intense scrutiny from October 1 with Team Anna planning a series of "referendums" in their constituencies. Those on target include major political leaders like Congress president Sonia Gandhi, BJP veteran L K Advani, SP boss Mulayam Singh Yadav, JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav and RJD's Lalu Prasad. The surveys are being conducted to assess public perception on the Jan Lokpal bill before the winter session of Parliament.

The group led by activist Anna Hazare will also conduct surveys in the parliamentary constituencies of members of the high profile standing committee on law and justice that is examining the Lokpal bill. These include Manish Tewari, Meenakshi Natarajan, Arun Yadav, Deepa Dasmunsi from Congress, Shailendra Yadav from SP, RJD's Lalu Yadav, BJP's Kirti Azad and Arjun Kumar Meghwal.

Team Anna had successfully conducted such surveys before the Ramlila Maidan agitation in August this year. These were done across the country notably in HRD minister Kapil Sibal's constituency Chandni Chowk and Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi's constituency Amethi.

India Against Corruption member Manish Sisodia said that plans were being finalized. "We plan to conduct surveys in the constituencies of all standing committee members while the list of major political leaders is being finalized. The surveys will begin from October 1."

The team also plans to begin campaigning in the Hissar by election against candidates who do not support the Jan Lokpal bill.

Members of Team Anna will not have any direct role to play in these referendums and the entire process will be monitored by people who were associated with Hazare's recent movements.

A similar survey was carried out by Team Anna in July in Sibal's constituency of Chandi Chowk where it was claimed that an overwhelming 85% of people had favoured the Jan Lokpal bill.

Favouring a national referendum on the issue, Hazare had said the government will have to listen to the voices of people. Sibal, who was locked in a war of words with Team Anna, had ridiculed the survey, saying he was surprised why the support was not 100%.

http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?736197

Stepping up pressure on lawmakers, Team Anna would conduct surveys to assess public perception on Jan Lokpal Bill in Amethi and Rae Bareli, pocketborough of Nehru-Gandhi family, and other prominent parliamentary constituencies of UP and Uttarakhand ahead of winter session of Parliament.

"The time till Parliament's winter session (November) is important as the Standing Committee considering the Lokpal bill will hear views of various groups on this issue," Anna Hazare's associate and civil society activist Manish Sisodiya said here.

The first question in the "referendum" will be whether the MPs should support the Jan Lokpal bill proposed by Anna Hazare or not and the second question will be on whether people should vote for those MPs who have opposed the Bill, Sisodiya said.

In UP, the survey will be conduct in the cities of Rae Bareli, Amethi, Varanasi, Ghaziabad, Lucknow, Ambedkar Nagar and Mainpuri. In Uttaranchal it will be done in Dehradun and Haridwar.

While the constituency of Rae Bareli is represented by Congress President Sonia Gandhi, AICC General Secretary Rahul Gandhi has contested election from Amethi parliamentary constituency.

In UP, the referendums will be supervised by Sanjay Singh who is a member of the NGO India Against Corruption.

Meanwhile, a groups of auditors have been engaged by Team Anna to audit the funds and donation collected during Hazar's fast here last month at Ramleela Ground.

kshatriya · Post by **kshatriya** » 26 Sep 2011 11:18

Prashant Bhusan on where he stands on Kashmir. Wants to Give Azadi