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

skumar · Post by **skumar** » 26 Sep 2011 14:16

"Single acts of tyranny may be ascribed to the accidental opinion of the day; but a series of oppressions, begun at a distinguished period, and pursued unalterably through every change of ministers too plainly proves a deliberate, systematic plan of reducing us to slavery."
—Thomas Jefferson

ashashi · Post by **ashashi** » 26 Sep 2011 15:31

VikasRaina wrote: UPA can still restrict the damage by elevating Antony or Pranab Da to the position of PM.

This could be an attempt by Pranab to position himself as Mr.Clean by exposing a high profile colleague. MMS will be 82 by next elections, and the prince being a nalayak, it makes sense for Pranab to position himself for the PMship.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 26 Sep 2011 17:17

Many news channels are now saying that Pranab da is just about to disown the 2G Secret Note sent by his ministry to the PM. He is expected to say that the note was a personal opinion of some downlevel officer in his ministry. We predicted that here, didn't we ?

Pratyush · Post by **Pratyush** » 26 Sep 2011 19:05

TOI Reporting.

Chidambaram meets Sonia, offers to resign: TV reports

HT Reporting

UPA's crisis clear, visible: PC, Pranab meet Sonia

Pratyush · Post by **Pratyush** » 26 Sep 2011 19:06

While the CBI is for filing fresh charges against Raja and others

Setback for 2G case accused, CBI for fresh charges against Raja, others

Pratyush · Post by **Pratyush** » 26 Sep 2011 19:09

A sadly diminished, devalued Prime Minister

Pratyush · Post by **Pratyush** » 26 Sep 2011 19:21

The case against PM and Chidu is same as case against Modi

RamaY · Post by **RamaY** » 26 Sep 2011 20:11

Pratyush wrote:The case against PM and Chidu is same as case against Modi

From this...

Let’s put things in perspective. The case against Narendra Modi in Gujarat is that he either looked the other way or asked the police to do nothing when mobs were indulging in killings on a big scale. That is, the accusation is either one of abdication of duty or a deliberate act of policy to let the mayhem continue for a while. Proof of either, of course, is another matter.

The case against Manmohan Singh and P Chidambaram is exactly the same – only there is documentary evidence to prove that they wanted spectrum to be sold through a market-discovered price, and they knew A Raja was doing something wrong in the way he not only hijacked the policy, but also subverted it by arbitrarily changing cut-off dates for eligibility and backing his favoured licence aspirants, including Swan and Unitech.

Yet the case against PM and Chidu is same as the one against Modi

Sushupti · Post by **Sushupti** » 26 Sep 2011 20:42

Friend, father & philosopher of black money is Chidambaram

http://www.sunday-guardian.com/analysis ... hidambaram

skumar · Post by **skumar** » 26 Sep 2011 21:26

Sushupti wrote:
Friend, father & philosopher of black money is Chidambaram

http://www.sunday-guardian.com/analysis ... hidambaram

The article mentions it in passing but surely Chidambaram's magnum opus is the Participatory Notes, which has enabled many a honest servant of the country to bring their wealth back into India.

Muppalla · Post by **Muppalla** » 26 Sep 2011 21:30

GVL Uvacha:

Cong neck deep in 2G & PC was conduit. Attack on PC is proxy attack on Sonia G. MMS-Pranab led power struggle may lead to fall of Govt.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 26 Sep 2011 21:47

Prabu Chawla gives us his weekly inside info on whats happening.

PM’s frequently flying ministers do NY duty

[Print]
Prabhu Chawla
Last Updated : 25 Sep 2011 10:47:21 AM IST

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is known for unlimited levels of tolerance. So much so, that he allows his ministers not only to skip Cabinet meetings but also to derail one another. Bills and important economic decisions have been postponed because of vociferous objections from just one minister. Now, the Prime Minister has allowed colleagues to earn extra air miles by frequently travelling abroad on one pretext or the other. Last week, over half a dozen ministers were in the US on various official missions. Besides the Prime Minister himself, others spotted in New York include Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, Minister for Heavy Industry Praful Patel, Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma and Planning Commission Deputy Chairperson Montek Singh Ahluwalia, who was present along with another member. A couple of senior government officials like Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai and National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon were also around. An official accompanying Manmohan joked: “Why should the Prime Minister appoint someone else to handle his responsibilities in his absence from Delhi, when all ministers are with him in the US?” Jokes apart, many ministers who aren’t even part of economic diplomacy have been merrily defying the Prime Minister’s advice to avoid unnecessary foreign travel; in June 2008, the PMO had issued a missive to all ministers in this regard. Obviously it has had no impact because the total government expense on foreign travel exceeds over `200 crore so far. Manmohan repeated this order again in August 2010, which has been ignored with even greater impunity. These frequent fliers are becoming a big headache for Indian diplomats, as they have to organise everything from cars to hotels. Hundered vehicles have been hired by our missions in the US to ferry powerful VPVIPs (Very Powerful Very Important Persons) so far. But the Prime Minister is helpless since he needs their support to stay on in office.

Suffering DMK Tries Solo Ride

If senior DMK insiders are to be believed, a frustrated M Karunanidhi, former Tamil Nadu chief minister and DMK paterfamilias, has revived contact with Congress President Sonia Gandhi after her return from the US. But he hasn’t got a positive response about an early end to daughter K Kanimozhi’s woes yet. This has led him to question the UPA’s motives behind letting DMK ministers and leaders suffer, both at the Centre and in the state. He has joined the ranks of other allies who suspect the Congress is out to defame its regional partners by witch-hunting them. With over a dozen former ministers and MLAs in jail on charges of land grabbing, Karunanidhi appears to have lost all patience and is now willing to bite the bullet. His decision to dump the Congress in the Tamil Nadu Municipal Elections is meant to test the waters. If the DMK does fairly well, it will set the tone for finally ditching the UPA. Since Karunanidhi doesn’t expect any support from the Centre, he would like to further weaken the coalition led by Manmohan Singh.

Jaya Puts Manmohan to N-test

If ministers can dictate terms to the Prime Minister, powerful chief ministers can’t be far behind. After West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, it is the turn of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa to show her political clout. And she hit the UPA where it hurts the most—a Russian-made nuclear energy plant in Tamil Nadu. It is for the first time that the Prime Minister’s resolve is being sorely tested in the southern state. In 2008, he risked his government for nuclear energy’s sake. Of late, many people have been rising in protest against the construction of N-plants in various parts of the country. These protests were promptly silenced. Apart from Tamil Nadu, in other states, too, all voices against setting up nuclear power plants were quelled through force—for example, Jaitapur in Maharashtra. But when villagers from Koodankoolam in Tamil Nadu went on a fast against nuclear power, not only did the state government support their demands but also refused to take any action. Jayalalithaa then demanded that work on the site be stopped and asked the Prime Minister to send one of his ministers to deal with the agitators. She hasn’t withdrawn her own objections to the plant. Now, the Nuclear Suppliers Group is watching the outcome of the standoff between the Prime Minister and the chief minister with great concern. The outcome will decide not only the future of many multinationals trading in power plants, only but also the Prime Minister’s control over the states.

Babus Deal With Yatra Fears

Though law and order is a state subject, it is the Central government which is losing its sleep over the series of political yatras beginning during festival season next month. According to known plans, nationwide yatras led by Anna Hazare, L K Advani and Baba Ramdev will criss-cross the country almost around the same time. The Prime Minister is worried about the fallout of at least two: the ones led by Ramdev and Advani. Since a major part of the yatra routes fall under states ruled by non-Congress governments, both the PMO and the home ministry are getting ready to gauge the political impact on both state elections and a possible realignment of political parties. Though it is Cabinet Secretary Ajit Kumar Seth’s primary responsibility to coordinate the monitoring, it is Home Secretary R P Singh who has been entrusted with the job of collecting information and passing it on to the PMO and even to the chief ministers. Seth, as usual, seems to be satisfied with being the back room operator as he always has been. Unlike many of his predecessors, he doesn’t throw his weight around.

RamaY · Post by **RamaY** » 26 Sep 2011 22:46

Sushupti wrote:
Friend, father & philosopher of black money is Chidambaram

http://www.sunday-guardian.com/analysis ... hidambaram

From this

hidambaram cannot get black money out of his blood. Dr Subramanian Swamy has clearly stated in his website, "I now have further information from my usually reliable sources in the Union Government that the tapping of Finance Minister Mr. Pranab Mukherjee and his close associate in the Ministry, enabled Mr. Robert Vadra the son-in-law of Ms. Sonia Gandhi and Mr. Karthik son of Mr. P. Chidambaram, to use the data thereby collected to manipulate and rig the Mumbai stock market. Earlier these data were directly provided by the then Finance Minister Mr. Chidambaram. I demand that the SEBI be asked by PM to initiate 'Insider Trading' investigation and prosecution of Mr. Vadra and Mr. Karthik."

This is a known secret in stock market circles. PC or someone make a statement that would affect the market and after few days/weeks there will be a clarification...

Muppalla · Post by **Muppalla** » 26 Sep 2011 23:03

2G Scam: Raja says entire Cabinet is corrupt and must face trial

Former telecom minister A Raja's lawyer, Sushil Kumar, on Monday told the court that Union Home Minister P Chidambaram was a party to all the decisions taken in connection with the 2G spectrum allocation. He, however, clarified that he was not making an attempt to present Chidambaram as an accused.

"I am not calling P Chidambaram an accused but he knew everything. He was acquainted with all facts and circumstances of the case," he said.

Raja's lawyer also said that the statement of the home minister should have been taken in September 2010 itself.

Kumar asserted that there was no difference of opinion between Raja and Chidambaram, adding that the allocation was a Cabinet decision and that the entire Cabinet must be made to face the trial.

"It was a decision taken by 2003 Cabinet and followed by all subsequent Cabinets. Why is only my client in jail?"

"Call Chidambaram as a witness under Section 311and let him accept or deny weather he gave the advice in presence of PM or not, and then let the court decide if it wants to call the PM," said Sharma.

Earlier on Monday, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday filed fresh charges in connection with the 2G spectrum allocation scam, seeking life imprisonment for all the accused.

Till now, the charges against the accused could have led them to a maximum imprisonment of seven years.

Special Public Prosecutor U U Lalit filed an application before Special CBI Judge O P Saini, saying a case of criminal breach of trust under Section 409 of the Indian Penal Code is "certainly made out" against Raja, his former private secretary R K Chandolia and former telecom secretary Siddharth Behura.

The CBI plea said besides Raja and two former officials, all others, including DMK MP Kanimozhi and three telecom firms should be charged under section 409 (criminal breach) read with 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.

"It is submitted that accused 1, 2, and 3 (Raja, Behura and Chandolia) were public servants having a dominion over valuable 2G spectrum in their respective capacities as public servants," said the CBI application.

"The said accused public servants in pursuance of conspiracy with other accused dishonestly disposed of the valuable 2G spectrum illegally and in violation of the existing policies and the eligibility criterion in order to confer wrongful gain on accused no 4 (Swan Telecom promoter Shahid Usman Balwa), 5 (Vinod Goenka), 6 (Swan Telecom), 7 (MD of Unitech Sanjay Chandra) and 8 (Unitech Wireless Tamil Nadu Ltd)," the CBI told the court.

"Thus, accused Raja, Behura and Chandolia have committed an offence punishable under section 409 IPC and all other accused have committed an offence punishable under section 409 read with section 120 B IPC. With the cognisance of this court (they) should be charged accordingly," the application said.

Earlier, all the accused were slapped with cheating and criminal conspiracy charges. Raja was additionally charged with forgery.

In another related development on Monday, the hearing of Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy's application, pleading for Union Home Minister P Chidambaram to be made an accused in the 2G case, was deferred till October 12.

Swamy expressed hope that his petition in Supreme Court asking for a CBI probe against Chidambaram would be decided by then.

vijayk · Post by **vijayk** » 26 Sep 2011 23:54

VikasRaina wrote:
ramana wrote: The real problem is INC is collapsing and there are no replacement in horizon. So its like UF days.

Chidu is not an issue. Both PC and PM are damaged goods now. How can either replace MMS?

RG has reverse Midas touch. Gold turns to dust.

Its the INC that has to spend sleepless nights.
UPA can still restrict the damage by elevating Antony or Pranab Da to the position of PM. They are at least no babu by training and thought process as MMS is and like MMS are obedient to Family.
But unfortunately removing MMS would mean acceptance of all the allegations at this moment. Timing is everything in life and 'Family' should have put RG in the seat after 2009 elections. Now it is going to be harder by everyday. This "Kid" is not even going to get even his customary honeymoon period.

It all worked out OK for the DIEnasty dogs.

2G scam - Who is to blame? Raja, Karuna clan, Chidu, MMS
CWG scam - Kalmadi, Dixit, MMS

All the scams are blamed on MMS and the family who got the main loot is not touched by any one.

Kalmadi won't speak. Dixit won't speak. Raja won't say. Chidu won't say. MMS won't say. Our corrupt Press won't say.

Sonia clan including Vardera saab who looted billions are not even mentioned in the scam.

Sushupti · Post by **Sushupti** » 27 Sep 2011 00:00

Big story! @Swamy39 tells #HeadlinesToday Robert Vadra involved in 2G. Will reveal details at appropriate time.
http://twitter.com/#!/gauravcsawant/sta ... 9302083584

Vadra name comes in 2G hrs b4 MMS landing in India. What a timing

vijayk · Post by **vijayk** » 27 Sep 2011 00:02

^^ Swamy has been able to back up most of his claims. Hopefully, he will come with all details.

habal · Post by **habal** » 27 Sep 2011 07:44

S.Swamy is being supported by PMO, Pranab didn't send him the note. He is blaming everybody except for the PM. He seems to be MMS's firefighter. Vadra, Chidu, Raja are responsbile according to this swamy but not PM. (he is captain and he will be taken up ltr lol).

kshatriya · Post by **kshatriya** » 27 Sep 2011 08:14

SSwamy tweets "Today could be a turning point in our modern history. But we should train ourselves not to be ecstatic in victory or depressed by reverse"

gakakkad · Post by **gakakkad** » 27 Sep 2011 08:19

if mms does something that heroic his name will be engraved in gold...

BTW MMS himself credits SS as an architect for India's reforms ...

suryag · Post by **suryag** » 27 Sep 2011 08:45

^^^ I think if PC goes MMS will own up moral responsibility and go

Pratyush · Post by **Pratyush** » 27 Sep 2011 09:41

As string of excellent write ups as usual in First post.

Pranab Mukherjee: What do you do when ‘Mr Fix-it’ becomes the problem?

Quoting from the article

It’s a delicate situation with no easy way out.

Only a man like Pranab — with all his experience — could have helped the UPA out of this mess.

The problem this time is that he is the one who seems to have craftily created this problem. Till he is won over, a way out of this impasse seems difficult.

The big question is whether he is ready to be won over? Or is the wily finance minister planning something even bigger!

Bye-bye Chidu? SC ruling today in 2G case could seal his fate

Swamy said that Chidambaram would be represented in the Supreme Court on Tuesday by his counsel PP Rao.

Early on Tuesday, Swamy said: “Today could be a turning point in our modern history. But we should train ourselves not to be ecstatic in victory or depressed by reverse.”

Speculation continues about whether or not Chidambaram offered to resign when he met UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi yesterday at her 10 Janpath residence in New Delhi.

Later on Monday evening, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee too met Sonia Gandhi to explain his version of the story in the wake of the controversy over the Finance Ministry’s note in the 2G case.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 27 Sep 2011 12:47

It is tragic that the man who must stand up and say that the buck stops with him regarding the tsunami of scams that has afflicted the nation acts like the proverbial monkeys and pretends that his slate is clean! Dr.Sinking Singh,cannot absolve himself of the monumental looting of the nation for it has happened right under his very nose and over a considerable period of time.For him to sit high and mighty on his throne,revelling in his "clean" image,his "spotless and blemishless" reputation,while the looters belong to HIS cabinet,betrays scant regard,nay utter contempt for the people of India,pretending to the world that he is an innocent!

What is evident from his behaviour is that he has had many options to choose from in every scam,right from CWG to 2G.He could've stopped the rot at any time of his choosing,but preferred to allow the rape of India,as sickening as that of Nadir Shah or any of Babur's Mongols who invaded India.He possesses the very same lust for power as any invader has had ,with his backside glued to the seat of PM with fevicol,araldite-a host of superglues and adhesives,oblivious to the mayhem around him and the treasonable activities of his cabinet colleagues.Behaving like the proverbial monkeys does not make him innocent whatsoever.The buck stops right at his door.For caring a sh*t about India and its people,he must be made accountable for all the devilry and ******** that his regime is saturated in,a stench of utter amorality and corruption supreme,that will never wash off.

PS:We haven't even begun speaking about his utter failure to secure the safety of Indians against terrorism from Pak,in fact molly-cuddling the Pakis,failure to deal with the rampant spread of Naxalism-some have traced this to his total ignoring of the agricultural sector in his so-called eco "growth" planning,and outsourcing of India's foreign and strategic policies to the US,especially his attempts at castrating India's independent nuclear options by singing that insidious N-deal.What can one therefore do to "Sinking Singh" to save the nation from his disastrous rule? The nation needs another "Quit India" campaign not just for Singh,Sonia but a host of UPA worthies.

Muppalla · Post by **Muppalla** » 27 Sep 2011 15:06

Pranab stands up for the facts

Watching Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee refuse to deny the ministry's note when questioned in Washington DC about making public Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram's involvement in the decision process that led to the gift of spectrum to a clutch of telecom companies a few years ago, it was clear that the ageing warhorse has had enough of the hypocrisy and dissimulation that high-level politics has descended to in this country. Pranab declined to duck when asked to confirm the truth.

This is unusual in a party where even the health of the Supremo gets treated as a state secret. Of course, we have on record both Ambika Soni and Digvijay Singh, who have informed the nation that Mrs Gandhi is not merely fit but radiantly so. That in fact, she is even healthier now than long years of boiled vegetables and steamed chicken have kept her. But for the fact that both Soni and Singh are competing for the Dev Kanta Barooah Award for Loyalty to the Boss, we may have even believed them. As it is, the silence over her condition has spawned a raft of rumours that cross the gamut from the theory that she is perfectly fit but has recessed herself for a while in order to orchestrate from behind the hospital curtain the removal of Manmohan Singh, to reports that Sonia Gandhi is gravely ill.

Palaniappan Chidambaram owes his job to Sonia Gandhi, who plucked him from inconsequence into super-stardom in 2004 by making him the Union Finance Minister. Since then, he has beavered away at fulfilling her desire that the country get liberated from the timid shoots of liberalisation introduced by the much-despised Narasimha Rao, and return to the statist model favoured by Indira Gandhi, who changed policies at whim with only one constant: that the government has all the discretion and the people, none. As Finance Minister, he adopted policies that were the reverse of those he embraced during 1997, that of lowering tax rates and declaring an amnesty for unaccounted money.

This columnist is among those who favour lower tax rates to generate greater economic growth and better compliance. Also, he strongly favours an amnesty scheme that would get at least some of the money now getting mouldy in offshore banking havens. Given the shaky situation of European banks, that cash is likely to be permanently lost, both to the nation and to its owners, unless steps get taken to bring it back to India by a combination of sticks and carrots.

Will Pranab Mukherjee's Zen Moment continue to include efforts at tracking the flows of unaccounted cash from India, or has it been exhausted in his few seconds of candour? Should the Finance Minister (and the PM) finally shake off the fear that seems to be slowing both of them down and take vigorous steps to track cash secreted abroad, they would redeem themselves in the glance of history. Even an amnesty scheme needs to have a strong regime of accountability and compliance for it to be effective, something that Chidambaram forgot in 1997. In his 2004-2008 avatar, the Union Finance Minister contented himself by creating a Kafka-esque cesspool of regulations that has collectively made the Income-Tax Department one of the most affluent in the government system, rivalling even the police in the volume of bribes garnered. Since Chidambaram took over, harassment and intimidation have become the norm, each taking vast amounts of cash to surmount. Just as Chiman Patel used to arrest folks under TADA only to blackmail them into paying him money to get out of jail, these days many tax raids get conducted with the sole purpose of getting paid in cash so as to compound the findings.

As Union Home Minister, Chidambaram has carried his fealty to Kafka (who is the true inspirer of the Indira-Sonia model of Restrictive Governance) to the new ministry. These days, the Home Ministry is working overtime to restrict tourist arrivals by a ridiculous visa policy. It is labouring to prevent external investment, by mistaking bedbugs for spies in numerous investment proposals. It has crafted a regime that is making the Indian corporate sector dash for the door. Given that the UPA is determined to bring the country back to the Nehru Rate of Growth of 3% and below, this is a performance that should ensure the prime ministership for Chidambaram, when a grateful Sonia Gandhi at last decides to reward her paladin with a post that her non-constitutional but very real authority has devalued to a nullity.

This columnist has watched with admiration the efforts of Chief Justice S.H. Kapadia and judges of the calibre of Ganguly and Singhvi to bring accountability into the functioning of government. They have spoken out with a candour that is rare in this country, and have refused to accept excuses or take shelter under the defeatist view that change is impossible in India. The past year has seen more forward movement against corruption than has been the case since 1947, and all this despite the CBI working hard (as it usually does) to save the guilty by fudging cases or simply by not obvious leads. Clearly, the CJI has the government in a quandary. The entire edifice whereby politicians become super-rich (if coy about their wealth) is under scrutiny, if not threat. In such a situation, it must have come as a relief to the UPA to know that at least one Supreme Court judge still believes that the Government of India can be trusted to battle black money. Justice Altamas Kabir would like to move away from the 4 July judgement of Justices Reddy and Nijjar that took away from the government the monitoring of steps to unearth black money. Given the failure of the state in this direction so far, such a judgement (by the two) was welcome. However, it may yet get overturned, if enough judges have the same level of confidence in the honesty and efficacy of the state as Justice Kabir seems to possess.

As one among a billion-plus citizens, as someone who does not now or ever has had a red light as a fashion accessory to his vehicle, the hope of this columnist is that Justice Kabir will look around him and see for himself the reality of life in India. And that, in time to come, instead of placing his faith in government, he will carry forward the revolution initiated by Chief Justice Kapadia. Asking politicians and officials to clean up an act that has made them super-rich may be a tad difficult to enforce, unless Justice Kabir himself someday supervises such a cleanup. Should he do so, the country — as distinct from the government — would be grateful to him.

sunnyP · Post by **sunnyP** » 27 Sep 2011 15:09

Nicely put Sir.

Philip wrote:It is tragic that the man who must stand up and say that the buck stops with him regarding the tsunami of scams that has afflicted the nation acts like the proverbial monkeys and pretends that his slate is clean! Dr.Sinking Singh,cannot absolve himself of the monumental looting of the nation for it has happened right under his very nose and over a considerable period of time.For him to sit high and mighty on his throne,revelling in his "clean" image,his "spotless and blemishless" reputation,while the looters belong to HIS cabinet,betrays scant regard,nay utter contempt for the people of India,pretending to the world that he is an innocent!

What is evident from his behaviour is that he has had many options to choose from in every scam,right from CWG to 2G.He could've stopped the rot at any time of his choosing,but preferred to allow the rape of India,as sickening as that of Nadir Shah or any of Babur's Mongols who invaded India.He possesses the very same lust for power as any invader has had ,with his backside glued to the seat of PM with fevicol,araldite-a host of superglues and adhesives,oblivious to the mayhem around him and the treasonable activities of his cabinet colleagues.Behaving like the proverbial monkeys does not make him innocent whatsoever.The buck stops right at his door.For caring a sh*t about India and its people,he must be made accountable for all the devilry and ******** that his regime is saturated in,a stench of utter amorality and corruption supreme,that will never wash off.

PS:We haven't even begun speaking about his utter failure to secure the safety of Indians against terrorism from Pak,in fact molly-cuddling the Pakis,failure to deal with the rampant spread of Naxalism-some have traced this to his total ignoring of the agricultural sector in his so-called eco "growth" planning,and outsourcing of India's foreign and strategic policies to the US,especially his attempts at castrating India's independent nuclear options by singing that insidious N-deal.What can one therefore do to "Sinking Singh" to save the nation from his disastrous rule? The nation needs another "Quit India" campaign not just for Singh,Sonia but a host of UPA worthies.

ashashi · Post by **ashashi** » 27 Sep 2011 16:26

Is Pranab trying to divert attention on his role in 2G by launching attacks on Chidambaram?

In this speech, Subramaniam Sway claims that MMS wrote to A. Raja what he "might" consider auctioning of the spectrum. Raja wrote back saying that he already spoke to ministers including Pranab Mukherjee, so he does not need PMs advice on the matter.

http://www.daijiworld.com/tvdaijiworld/ ... tv_id=1767

habal · Post by **habal** » 27 Sep 2011 19:07

Subramanian is trying desperately to defend his buddy MMS. He was together with MMS at Harvard and introduced MMS to world of politics.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 27 Sep 2011 19:53

The recent turn of events shows that PM has done a pre-emptive first strike on PC. MMS is still the prime minster. So why? Did he express a desire to quit?

Also note the instability in Delhi and map it back to Kargil times (1999) when similar instability was there with a lame duck govt in charge having lost vote of confidence by 1 vote (Subramniam Swamy was at the hub then also.).

Note the TSP and PRC making moves and US expressing its inability (only brutus fulmen being mulled about) in dealing with TSP.

SM Krishna fawning over Kha(ou)r(y)!

Vashishtha · Post by **Vashishtha** » 27 Sep 2011 20:03

The SC verdict was today right? Results?

Pratyush · Post by **Pratyush** » 27 Sep 2011 20:35

CBI refuses to probe Chidu, opposes SC monitoring

Virupaksha · Post by **Virupaksha** » 27 Sep 2011 21:55

Pratyush wrote:CBI refuses to probe Chidu, opposes SC monitoring

Didnt the CBI agree for the same thing for riot cases on Modi? or the cases on Jagan in Andhra. - infact there it is on High court monitoring, not event Supreme.

This clearly for me is a prima facie case of brazen favoritism by CBI.

saadhak · Post by **saadhak** » 27 Sep 2011 22:30

Same thoughts here. As someone rightly said: CBI = Congress Bureau of Investigation

Here's the joke:

Senior advocate K K Venugopal, appearing for the CBI, contended that the Centre cannot dictate what the probe agency should do as it is an autonomous body.
"CBI is autonomous of government and fully independent body. No one can put words in our mouth on what we are going to do," Venugopal said disapproving of the Centre's stand on CBI in connection to the finance ministry's note to the Prime Minister's Office(PMO) submitted to the apex court.

From today's Government/CBI jugalbandi in court, it seems that the government may have asked the CBI to oppose any move to investigate their boss while the government works out next steps.

vishvak · Post by **vishvak** » 27 Sep 2011 22:47

Virupaksha wrote:
Pratyush wrote:CBI refuses to probe Chidu, opposes SC monitoring
Didnt the CBI agree for the same thing for riot cases on Modi? or the cases on Jagan in Andhra. - infact there it is on High court monitoring, not event Supreme.

This clearly for me is a prima facie case of brazen favoritism by CBI.

From the above link:

The CBI in its argument said that it is an independent body and is not required to give any undertaking.

How exactly CBI is independent and how much, etc. Here it has given an argument in Court that it is an independent body. Then it also argued that therefore it can not give an undertaking etc. ??

Significantly, former Telecom Minister A Raja’s counsel Sushil Kumar pleaded before the apex court that Chidambaram should not be investigated in the case.

It may be recalled that till Monday Raja’s lawyer was in favour of Chidambaram’s presence in the court as a witness.

...
“We submitted around 135,000 pages but the CBI used around 80,000 pages which are favourable to the accused,” Kumar said.

“The agency did not place a file of a meeting, for example, where Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, (former Finance Minister) P Chidambaram and A Raja was present,” he said.
(Independent CBI working here using public money)
“This would have made things much clearer. Till then, A Raja is prejudiced as his bail application is not entertained,” Kumar said.

If CBI is later blamed for messing up the prosecution, everyone can go home free.

This article http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/article2424159.ece (documented at CBI website here http://cbi.nic.in/pdf/hindu.pdf) says

A former Union Minister, referring to the plea for total autonomy for the CBI from the Executive, asked this writer some time ago as to who exactly the organisation should be answerable to if it wants to be autonomous — particularly when monitoring of all CBI cases by the judiciary was impractical. This query by an otherwise well-meaning public figure summarises the political perspective of the whole issue of the CBI's autonomy. It reveals the unconcealed desire of the average politician to somehow retain at least a semblance of control over the CBI.

the current state of affairs wherein the CBI is under the thumb of the Department of Personnel. Perhaps the most significant move that came in 2003 was the insertion of Section 6A in the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act, 1946, making it mandatory for the CBI to get prior government permission before it can even proceed with a preliminary enquiry (PE) against an official of and above the rank of Joint Secretary.

A contradiction perhaps to the above stand taken by CBI in the court.

Following the Vineet Narain judgment (1997) by the Supreme Court, the superintendence of the CBI's anti-corruption work is with the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC). This is a nominal arrangement which has worked reasonably well, because we have had some non-interfering and mature Central Vigilance Commissioners, and an equally responsible and self-effacing CBI leadership...
All these suggested moves may be viewed as being too drastic. But, then, without them the CBI will remain tied to the apron strings of the Executive. The former Chief Justice of India, J.S. Verma, must be a disappointed man. His bold judgment in the Vineet Narain case was aimed at insulating the CBI totally from political caprice.

vishvak · Post by **vishvak** » 27 Sep 2011 23:35

An article on Subramanian Swamy.

Some interesting quotes:

“I have shown it is not necessary to be in Parliament to be active,” Swamy says. “In fact, in Parliament, there is no activity at all.”

Or, his letter to the PM just before that, dated April 29, in which he cites “enquiries from well-placed sources in your government regarding the decision already taken but not yet formalised” of “the choice of French planes for the Indian Air Force” to allege that “several conversations” between members of the extended Gandhi family and French first lady Carla Bruni played a role.

“In 2006, on one visit to Rae Bareli and Lucknow, the Congress Party mobs nearly killed me.” And in a letter to the PM, marked “confidential/personal” and dated January 20, 2011, he says he has come to know of a “non-life threatening but disabling physical attack on me while I am going into or coming out of a public meeting in Tamil Nadu”.

he blames his own defeat on the EVM: “in 500 booths out of 1,500 in Madurai, I polled only 0 or 1-2 votes, that’s impossible!”

in a paragraph peppered with dark references to “private jets provided by dubious Arab business interests” and felicitations in Dubai “by agencies of countries which are hostile to India including that of Pakistan”, Swamy goes on to insinuate as unlawful the “frequent travel of Sonia Gandhi and her immediate family to Malaysia, Hong Kong, Dubai and parts of Europe including London”.

he says: “I am writing to the prime minister, I am not holding a press conference. The PM has agencies available to him, they can investigate. My job is to bring things to his notice.” Also, “They say I have no proof. Rubbish! As if on other things, they always have proof.”

On the charge of a touch of xenophobia, he retorts, “This country has suffered due to foreigners for a thousand years. We have to be careful. I am not anti-foreigner. I spend time in the US, the Chinese love me, Israelis are my very good friends. In Musharraf’s time, I was friends with Pakistanis too. But we need to be aware of the national security implications of letting down our guard.

... he had about 60 defamation cases filed against him, not counting the 100 cases filed by the AIADMK’s J Jayalalithaa alone, which he calls the “Jayalalithaa bonanza”. But the man who once wrote a newspaper article on the art of fighting a defamation case is no longer afraid of being taken to court.

“People know the court is a platform for me. I have few expenses. My wife who is a lawyer prepares the papers for free.” File a defamation case against him, he dares, “and I will drag you in, make you stand in the witness box, cross examine you, tear you to pieces.”

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 28 Sep 2011 01:04

Politicans used to say "India is Indira and Indira is India!"

Now bureucrats say"India is Congress and Congress is India!"

Note Congress defends PC per latest headlines.

Do they have a choice?

Sushupti · Post by **Sushupti** » 28 Sep 2011 05:11

India's Gandhi dynasty risks extinction

This modern India no longer holds the Gandhi family in the same reverential awe; their tragedies that so traumatized the nation now fading with time.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/ ... D720110927

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 28 Sep 2011 05:25

Stealing from govt treasury/tijori is a dynasty ending move.

Recall Dhanananda in Chanakya!

Kanson · Post by **Kanson** » 28 Sep 2011 09:12

Blame game starts! Guess this could be end of Congress and DMK alliance. Can we see election earlier than 2014...

PM blames Maran for genesis of 2G spectrum scandal

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has admitted that pressure from the former Telecom Minister, Dayanidhi Maran, forced the pricing of 2G spectrum out of the purview of a Group of Ministers set up to deal with the issue.

“It is certainly true that one draft was prepared, and it included spectrum prices,” Dr. Singh told reporters on Tuesday en-route from New York to New Delhi.

Mr. Maran, the Prime Minister said, then objected, arguing that “spectrum pricing is the bread and butter and the integral part of the terms of the business of his department.” “In any case,” Dr. Singh paraphrased Mr. Maran as saying, “a large group of Ministers sitting here is not going to be able to deal effectively with the complicated and technical aspects involved.”

“I came to the conclusion that by agreeing with the Minister's [Dayanidhi Maran's] point of view would not sacrifice anything which is essential to the success of the process.”

Mr. Maran voiced his concerns in a February 28, 2006 letter to the Prime Minister. In the letter, he complained that the terms of reference for the Group of Ministers on 2G spectrum issues “impinge upon the work normally to be carried out by the Ministry [Department of Telecommunications].”

Back in 2006, the Prime Minister explained, the government's “real concern was how we should persuade the Defence Ministry to release spectrum and how that spectrum should [be made available] to the civilian economy.” Mr. Maran's request was, therefore, acceded to.

In 2007, a note prepared earlier this year by the Finance Ministry for the Prime Minister's Office records, the Department of Telecommunications precluded further involvement of the Department of Economic Affairs in spectrum pricing. The Finance Ministry did not subsequently pursue the issue.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 28 Sep 2011 10:10

Kanson wrote:Blame game starts! Guess this could be end of Congress and DMK alliance. Can we see election earlier than 2014...

PM blames Maran for genesis of 2G spectrum scandal

I do not know if the DMK would be too concerned, to the point of breaking the alliance with the Congress, for Maran brothers. When Dayanidhi Maran was initially implicated, Muthuvel Karunanidhi's reaction was nonchalance. He went to far greater lengths to defend A. Raja. For Dayanidhi, he said that he was quite capable of defending himself.

DMK would lose the most if the alliance is broken. It is really caught in a cleft.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 28 Sep 2011 11:23

He never fails to amaze! The man whom the nation expected to lead as "Jarnail" Singh,behaved as if he was a petty police constable,saluting his "boss", "Marshal" Maran,allowing him to draw up the rules for looting the nation via the telecom ministry! I have never come across such rubbish anywhere-in any other country,that a PM was so abjectly held hostage by a junior cabinet colleague,that too from a different party and allowed the mass economic rape of a nation to take place.

So now we have the truth! It was all Maran's fault..and that "Raja of Rogues" ! What about the CWG scam where he was forewarned by two Sports ministers whom he promptly sacked? Was "Col." Kalmadi untouchable too by a grovelling geriatric ex-IMF babu? Never has any leader of India brought down the reputation of the nation and the post of PM to the level of the sewer.

Dr.Singh,since you cannot command any of your cabinet colleagues,blame them for the scams that surround you which you have allowed to happen-they took place on your watch,and since you do not want the truth to out,keep blaming the Opposition for your catastrophic regime, you are a veritable calamity upon the nation.By the grace of God please GO!