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

CRamS · Post by **CRamS** » 30 Oct 2011 22:39

No bosses, that still doesn't explain why he is so brazen. I mean can anybody else be so brazen about the religions of peace and not be harangued, not to mention physical attacks on them. Is there something inherent in Hindu society that someone like DogV can get away with what he says, and not only that, he taunts Hindu groups with impunity.

Aditya_V · Post by **Aditya_V** » 31 Oct 2011 11:17

CRamS wrote:No bosses, that still doesn't explain why he is so brazen. I mean can anybody else be so brazen about the religions of peace and not be harangued, not to mention physical attacks on them. Is there something inherent in Hindu society that someone like DogV can get away with what he says, and not only that, he taunts Hindu groups with impunity.

Thats because, if your a minority you can be made to fear the Majority, it is very difficult for a majority to fear a minority and vote on that fear factor.

So 4 strong groups of minorities have been craved out to form a winning combination:-

1) Government Servants- DMK, INC take very good care of them, don't question timing performance and given good perks and Hikes.

2) Muslims- given the recent partition trauma- a feeling of continuous discrimination is always spread in this community

3) Christians- similar feelings are spread.(again this group is relevant only because of significant new conversions in TN, AP and North east etc)

4) SC- ST- similar feelings are tried to be spread. This group is mixed with group 3

Due to their numerical superiority group 2 and 4 have been kept reasonably poor so that they will vote for INC. You need only overall say 18% of votes nationally to get 180-220 seats. SP and BSP over the last 7 years have come to UPA rescue whenever needed.

So from an INC point of view, as long Group-1 is satisfied and groups 2 to 4 are in fear or feel discriminated with INC being their saviour, irrespective of how poor governance is they will win.

INC never goes to an elections with achievements made in respect of Law and order, across the society good economic schemes etc.

Thus you can a winning combination inspite of very poor governance and corruption

vishvak · Post by **vishvak** » 31 Oct 2011 12:00

Aditya_V wrote:Thats because, if your a minority you can be made to fear the Majority, it is very difficult for a majority to fear a minority and vote on that fear factor.

But in the global village, much more relevant in this age of machines, Hindus are in minority. In global village, Hindus are in penury and cornered.

Tamang · Post by **Tamang** » 31 Oct 2011 13:03

I saw Prashant Bhushan and Arvind replying to the question of BJP/RSS support to the movement and I recall them saying something like we welcome support from anyone, are they (RSS/BJP walas) not Indian? They also said there were people of all kinds of political leanings who came and supported the movement, dissecting who had what leaning is not correct.

Aditya_V · Post by **Aditya_V** » 31 Oct 2011 14:10

vishvak wrote:
Aditya_V wrote:Thats because, if your a minority you can be made to fear the Majority, it is very difficult for a majority to fear a minority and vote on that fear factor.
But in the global village, much more relevant in this age of machines, Hindus are in minority. In global village, Hindus are in penury and cornered.

But a guy living in India who interacts with colleagues in India does not see it that way.

vishvak · Post by **vishvak** » 31 Oct 2011 14:36

Aditya_V wrote:
vishvak wrote: But in the global village, much more relevant in this age of machines, Hindus are in minority. In global village, Hindus are in penury and cornered.
But a guy living in India who interacts with colleagues in India does not see it that way.

Perhaps for many reasons.

1. While Industrial revolution was taking place, India was under slavery. Then there were sanctions.

2. We are yet to understand effect of machines in global village, regardless of which though Indians must build the top notch for the same understanding.

3. Effect of colonialism during the slave times is suppressed completely. It is as if invaders from the north and the sea did us a favor by looting. This effects must be explained clearly to Hindus.

4. Effects of global village in India & Hindus, since India is where many religions originated.

5. Education on Dharmic lines, not western models.

Pranay · Post by **Pranay** » 31 Oct 2011 17:35

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 549359.cms

Team Anna will soon prepare a charter listing rules, guidelines and ethics for its members and revamp the core team once the organization's constitution is ready.

This announcement was made on Sunday in the backdrop of allegations against Team Anna members of "financial misconduct" and "desertion" by some of them from the movement.

Rubbishing charges of financial misconduct, Hazare conveyed the people were being misled about funds and expenses during the August agitation. "We received around Rs 40 lakh during the agitation from unknown sources through banks. We have asked the money be returned ," he said. "We have conducted a special audit of the movement; the details will be posted on the site in November. Anyone can conduct a probe through an agency if there's a doubt."

Hazare also battling brittle bones: Docs

Even as he fights against an apathetic system, 74-year-old anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare is battling painful physical conditions. First detected with osteoarthritis about five years ago, Anna was on Sunday diagnosed with osteoporosis, or brittle bones that could restrict his mobility. "Anna has pain in the dorsal spine (upper back) and cannot sit for long hours," senior orthopedic surgeon K H Sancheti said. "Clinically, he has developed osteoporosis due to decreased bone density. A few diagnostic tests will help quantify the actual bone density," Dr Sancheti added. A recent examination detected the septuagenarian's condition.

Pranay · Post by **Pranay** » 31 Oct 2011 17:45

http://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid=740031

Anna Hazare, who has been in 'silent mode' for the past fortnight since his team members got enmeshed in a series of controversies, may break his 'maun vrat' (vow of silence) in the next couple of days as he wants to hold "open discussions" with his supporters.

The 74-year-old activist today said he wants to start on a tour of different states after ending his fast and hopes to "gather energy" from his supporters to get the Jan Lokpal bill passed and then to fight for electoral reforms including 'Right to Reject' and 'Right to Recall'.

"The thought of giving up on my 'maun vrat' is playing in my mind. In the next 3 to 4 days I might end my 'maun vrat'," Hazare said in his latest blog posting Straight from the Heart.

"Crores of people have turned to reading my blog all over the world hence I think it would only seem appropriate that I end my 'maun' and hold open discussions with them," he said.

vijayk · Post by **vijayk** » 01 Nov 2011 02:13

http://expressbuzz.com/prabhuchawla/ann ... 27987.html

. The BJP is hardly a threat. It doesn’t care about the vanishing Left and regional parties. However, Narendra Modi, Mayawati and Team Anna are its worst nightmares. The party is equally worried about the Comptroller and Auditor General of India Vinod Rai’s future moves. Its leadership is convinced that if these few individuals are neutralised, a decisive victory in the 2012 Assembly polls and the 2014 general elections will be easy. For the past few weeks, it has unleashed political and administrative instruments to demoralise and demolish these individuals. The objective is clear: if you can’t defeat them, defame them. Maverick motormouth Digvijaya Singh deserves full credit for diverting public attention from a very powerful agenda to some personalities. His allegations may sound ridiculous or bereft of credibility, but Diggy succeeded in sowing seeds of suspicion among those fighting to cleanse the system.

Last week, the target was Kiran Bedi, one of Team Anna’s most articulate members. Suddenly, her tour bills and income tax details appeared in the public domain. Instead of prosecuting her for misdemeanours, the attempt was to paint her as one of the ugliest police officers ever. Her NGO’s accounts were placed under close scrutiny. Earlier, Arvind Kejriwal was served an ultimatum by a former employee to deposit a few lakh rupees and also explain other acts of omission and commission. It is for Bedi and Kejriwal to defend their deeds or misdeeds. But one thing is clear: they have shaken the Congress more than even 2G, especially after the party lost its deposit in the Hissar by-election. The Congress wasn’t expected to win anyway, but the H-Bomb (Hazare Bomb) blast shook the party’s confidence.
The Congress is particularly unnerved by Anna’s political forays into Uttar Pradesh. Despite a massive smear campaign, Kejriwal and Bedi drew huge crowds at their public meetings in the state. The party doesn’t want Team Anna to create an anti-Congress wave in the state; the results will decide Rahul Gandhi’s political leadership. Kejriwal told me on my talk show Teekhi Baat on IBN7 that they have decided to pitch camp in Rae Bareilly and Amethi, if the Government fails to pass a powerful Jan Lokpal bill this Winter Session.
The fear of losing Uttar Pradesh again is causing panic in the Congress. Although Mayawati’s government has lost popularity, the Congress doesn’t seem to have gained any lost ground. Since it isn’t sure about its post-election alliances, Mayawati has been chosen the primary target. The Congress has pressed into action various Union ministries, commissions and even NGOs to unearth irregularities in her government. As part of the plan, Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh suddenly discovered massive malfeasance in the implementation of MNREGA schemes. He asked Maya to order a CBI inquiry. Interestingly, he hasn’t found fault with any Congress-or BJP-ruled state. The chairman of the SC and ST Commission and Congress Lok Sabha MP P L Punia ordered an FIR filed against a few officials in the case of alleged rapes in Bhatta-Parsaul. If Diggy Raja is aware of various plans of the RSS and Team Anna, so is Mayawati about the hidden agenda of the Congress. During the next few weeks, the Congress, led by Rahul Gandhi, is going to roll out Operation Destroy Mayawati. Behenji is a gigantic roadblock in Rahul’s journey to Raisina Hill, because the Congress has to win more than 50 Assembly seats in UP: almost double its current tally of 22.
The party also wants to establish Rahul’s leadership in Gujarat, where Assembly elections are due in November 2012. After having failed to create an alternative leader to Modi, the Congress has now mobilised all its energy to create dissensions within the bureaucracy and dig deep into land allotments to various companies, including the Tatas. It is not going to raise the 2002 riots issue but wants to demolish Modi’s image of a development icon. The party has put together a crack team comprising a few retired journalists, civil servants, advocates and even ad agencies to draw up the road map for forcing Modi into a corner. A Gujarat victory may also help the party to win the 2014 general elections, even if some allies fare badly or even ditch the Congress.

Pranay · Post by **Pranay** » 01 Nov 2011 03:05

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 560538.cms

Just a small beginning, now for the names to tumble out and follow up action to be implemented ...

In a first of its kind crackdown against those stashing unaccounted wealth overseas, the income tax department has launched an offensive against politicians and industrials who had parked money in HSBC Bank, Geneva.

Under pressure to act against black money and money laundering, the tax department has conducted at least 50 searches over the last two months. The move follows receipts of details regarding 700 bank accounts from the French government.

The list of those under the lens includes a top Mumbai-based industrialist who during questioning admitted to having family accounts in HSBC, Geneva with deposits totaling more than Rs 800 crore. Summons have also been issued to three Members of Parliament (MPs) from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Kerala to appear for questioning at the Delhi office of I-T department's recently-set up Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI). The MPs would be asked to explain the source of funds in the Geneva accounts.

In addition, recovery of over Rs 300 crore has already been made from several evaders, although some of those whose names figured on the list have refused to admit to having Swiss bank accounts. But unwilling to give up in the face of mounting scrutiny from the courts, the tax department is also making enquiries overseas to get details of nearly 300 cases of undisclosed wealth.

A senior finance ministry official told TOI that looking at the gravity of the cases and their overall impact, the government has handed over the entire investigation to the Delhi office of DCI. This will also help prosecute those accused of parking black money in tax havens.

Unlike Liechtenstein, where the tax department levied penalties amounting to around around Rs 25 crore against some 18 persons whose names were shared by German authorities, this time the government intends to invoke stringent provisions of the I-T Act to set a precedent. This could mean that those found guilty of evasion could not just face monetary penalty but also end up spending between five and ten years behind bars.

As part of the assault on tax evasion and money laundering, the government has asked the Central Board of Direct Taxes ( CBDT) to disallow any compounding of penalty and instead go for prosecuting the accused, something the I-T department had fought shy of in the past.

So far, the accused were only tried under Prevention of Corruption Act, and even that was limited to public servants. The I-T Act was merely treated as civil law and tax evaders were let off after they coughed up penalty.

Besides these account details, the Income Tax is in possession of nearly 10,000 pieces of information on high-value suspicious transactions undertaken by Indians overseas. Investigations have started in all these cases and references have also been made to enforcement agencies abroad to seek more details.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 01 Nov 2011 03:14

What a farce! They want to hang a few fools. I bet even those sources are part of the cover up.

Jarita · Post by **Jarita** » 01 Nov 2011 03:15

^^^ Much of the money has escaped these Swiss banks. We know that Rajmaatam has been out of the country off and on to switzerland. Some is now parked in the form of property in Sardinia.
Seemingly India signed an agreement not to track the money prior to June 23rd or so.

Pranay · Post by **Pranay** » 01 Nov 2011 03:45

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 557441.cms

Siritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar will embark on an anti-corruption yatra in UP from November 7 in which he would be holding satsangs in various parts of the state, and would ask people to take oath for not indulging in corruption.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar would start from Jaunpur on November 7 and will be in Sonebhadra on November 8. He would go to Mirzapur on November 9 and Sultanpur on November 10. He would end his trip in Kanpur on November 11. He would also be visiting IIT Kanpur.

Aditya_V · Post by **Aditya_V** » 01 Nov 2011 11:53

I-T crackdown on undisclosed Swiss account holders

Although the face of it IT action looks noble, given they way 2-G, Cash for votes and other investigations, this seems to be more an exercise of getting dirt on any person who can oppose this Government.

The way our Government has functioned, they can get dirt on anybody, including individuals like me. Only those with no transactions in India can get away.

P.s- I am sure if I oppose this Government, some time I would have paid a traffic fine of Rs. 100 to policeman would be brought up in the media and will be discussed while people who have looted for Hundreds of thousands of crores sleep peacefully.

Jeff Lira · Post by **Jeff Lira** » 01 Nov 2011 12:36

After a long wait looks like the Indian Government has taken some action. A new Department within Income Tax department has been created (Directorate of Criminal Investigation) The government has handed all the authority for case investigation to the Delhi office of the new department.

As the French government provided the receipt of details regarding 700 bank accounts, the Income Tax has conducted at least 50 searches over the last two months. Recovery of Rs 300 Crore has already been made from several Swiss Bank account holders.

Income Tax Department Raids Swiss bank Account Holders

Pratyush · Post by **Pratyush** » 01 Nov 2011 14:16

Jarita wrote:^^^ Much of the money has escaped these Swiss banks. We know that Rajmaatam has been out of the country off and on to switzerland. Some is now parked in the form of property in Sardinia.
Seemingly India signed an agreement not to track the money prior to June 23rd or so.

Why would some one want to do some think so stupid as that. Unless the objective was to let all the big fish escape. If a todler like me can figure it out. What does it say about the intelectual state of the Gobermound of India.

Suppiah · Post by **Suppiah** » 01 Nov 2011 15:14

There are not many issues where the corrupt dynasty's goals and intentions find a perfect resonance with Stalinist mass murderers' and rapist goons treacherous anti-national and anti-Hindu goals and ideologies. Ayodhya is one, declaring Ram a 'myth' was another..

The AH movement is one of them.

If you recall, years before Ramdeve turned against 'corruption', Stalinist rapist goons themselves tried to destroy Ramdev by foisting false allegations because he was a big threat to their goal of turning the Hindi heartland into a red bastion. So when dynasty asked its butt hole licking scum to take on Ramdev and heap abuse on him, they were too delighted...the yellow media puppets happily obliged, spreading their own FUD and abuse. The Stalinist yellow focus was entirely on Ramdev's expenses and costs - when did you last read the yellows talking about cost of flying yuvraj to and fro or the cost of IG/RG/SG's security? When did they last travel on 2nd class by IR?

With AH it has been more of the same...AH represents a serious threat to the ideology of mass murderers and rapist goons because he does two very dangerous things - one is to unite Indians across region/religion/caste/class on a common purpose and second is that he does so in a way that does not permit the leftists to take ownership and control of the process and hence turn it into yet another Stalinist propaganda tool. He is a bigger threat than ABA Abdul Kalam. Kalam could be disposed of easily by forced retirement. AH cannot be.

Hence they have let loose their fake intellectual cabal as well as its yellow media puppets, some of whom have been enjoying a profitable side business as dynasty's favorite yellow agents and propaganda advisers and propagandists..the yellows have been against him right from word go...as a result the fake intellectuals kept releasing statements doubting AH, his intentions, his credentials and what not. So when dynasty's hired goons started throwing all sorts of abuse and vitriol on AH & Co., they were only too delighted and added their own fire bombs and vitriol to the mix.

One popular Stalinist technique is to try and incite communal riots and violence which they can then try and blame on others even on purely non-communal matters. Case in point - when a Beijing puppet Nandigram rapist goon tried to incite the Muslims into violence by blatantly communalising the Indo-US nuclear accord. Luckily for India the IM did not bite and on the contrary even condemned these anti-national attempts. But the Stalinist mass murderers dont give up...they simply wait for a better day to strike.

Now that AH is coming out and usurping their territory (anything anti-establishment is theirs by right), they are again resorting to such divisive and anti-national techniques - trying to communalise or politicise the movement. They are complaining that AH team is 'Hindu upper class', there are no Dalits/Muslims etc...If AH fills up his team with Dalits and Muslims, they can turn around and complain that there is not enough regional representation or that Yadavs/Jats/fill-the-blank-with-your-favorite-caste/ is under represented or whatever other canard or abuse that comes to their mind.

Interestingly while a police officer from Gujerat facing 'persecution' by Modi gets lots and lots of fake-intellectual support and yellow media support, not a single one of these anti-national traitors cares for AH team and Ramdev that has been hounded by CBI, Income Tax, police, Passport office and various other arms of the Central government ceaselessly ever since they embarked on their crusade. That in of itself should show the Stalinist agenda and why it is solidly with the dynasty on this matter.

The very same Maoist eye-gouger propaganda yellows and fake intellectuals that argue that Dr. Binayak Sen is no Naxal just because Naxals called for his release (after all you cannot stop people from supporting you) are now nodding their heads as dynastic slaves and domestic servants are spreading canard that AH is RSS because RSS supports him.

IMHO, all this posturing by the Stalinist rapist goons and traitors and this cacophony in the yellow media will only have one result - they will end up projecting RSS as a anti-corruption force and unite Indians even more! The IM too would see this cheap tricks and lies by the Stalinist brigade and lose whatever faith they have in them..In other words, RSS gets credit for something they never started or funded in the first place!

And by aligning themselves with the corrupt dynasty, the Stalinists are also forgoing whatever claims they had of being clean and incorruptible as they claim to be. The middle class and educated class will hate them even more..whatever be their caste/religion.

But there is a reason behind the Stalinist madness - they are simply desperate, unable to find the path to power. If you look at the pictures of all the mass murderers and despots that hang prominently in their gatherings, they ALL achieved power and retained it by murdering at least 20-30 million of their fellow countrymen. Stalinists would love to do that..Today that is just not possible unfortunately. A standard, oft-repeated rapist goon lament is how the 'system' is preventing them from 'true socialism' - code word for 'we are not able to butcher our way through to the gaddi'

Having failed at the ballot and not able to achieve it through bullets, they simply are lost - their only hope is to create chaos, violence, unrest and instability so that somehow in the cesspool they can find their way to power. That is also why they are the biggest supporters of jihadi violence and terror..After all, Mao once said famously - 'There is complete chaos...all is fine' or words to that effect. They also know that in EVERY STATE where there is economic progress or security, they are totally marginalised. Their only hope is in backwardness, chaos and instability. They are, by definition, against India moving forward.

That basically is the game of our mass murdering comrades.

RamaY · Post by **RamaY** » 01 Nov 2011 19:48

CRamS wrote:No bosses, that still doesn't explain why he is so brazen. I mean can anybody else be so brazen about the religions of peace and not be harangued, not to mention physical attacks on them. Is there something inherent in Hindu society that someone like DogV can get away with what he says, and not only that, he taunts Hindu groups with impunity.

DogV might be doing it for whatever reason...

What I see is the (sic) Secular "induced" tolerance levels of Hinduism.

I think DogV's game is this
- Make insulting comments about Hinduism and Hindu organizations.
- Keep raising the virulence as time goes
- Declare Yindoo-Talibans at the first moment of protest
- Call for RSS/BJP Ban
- Amma and Baba will execute it

We can see this pattern in the lifafa articles where the so-called danda-wielding yindu fundamentals are drawn into comparison for every/any bigotry act of RoP/RoL anywhere in the world.

Pranay · Post by **Pranay** » 01 Nov 2011 20:38

http://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid=740061

Seeking to mount pressure on government, Anna Hazare today threatened to launch another hunger strike from the last day of Parliament's Winter Session if a strong Jan Lokpal Bill is not passed by then.

In a significant shift of strategy, Hazare made it clear that in the proposed campaign in five election-bound states, Team Anna will not canvas against Congress unlike it did in Hisar bypolls last month and would rather appeal to people not to vote for "corrupt, goonda and looters".

The 74-year-old activist shot off a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a day after it was announced that the Winter Session could be from November 22 to December 23.

Hazare said responsible people in government and Congress were making remarks that create doubts about the passage of the bill to which he took exception.

"I will begin my hunger strike agitation on the last day of the Session, if the Jan Lokpal Bill is not passed in the House and the team will tour various states to educate people about the issue," he said noting that he had suspended his earlier agitation following an assurance from Singh.

Hazare, who called off his 12-day hunger strike in Ramlila Maidan in August 28, said his team will also travel to various states to "educate" people about the need for a strong Jan Lokpal Bill when he resumes his fast.

"In the five states where elections are to be held, I will ask people, without taking any sides, to vote for good candidates and not for corrupt, 'goondas' and looters," he said.

Anna's letter to the PM...

http://www.scribd.com/doc/71109422/Anna ... o-PM-01-11

member_20036 · Post by **member_20036** » 01 Nov 2011 21:28

Deleted

Pranay · Post by **Pranay** » 01 Nov 2011 21:51

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 566422.cms

Team Anna collected donations of Rs 2.94 crore in the past six months out of which Rs 1.14 crore came during Anna Hazare's 12-day hunger strike in Ramlila Maidan.

According to Team Anna, a total of 27,505 people, including 25,023 during Ramlila agitation, contributed financially to the anti-corruption movement with Rs 25 lakh being the highest donation and over 400 donating more than Rs 10,000.

Out of the Rs 2.94 crore it collected during the six months, they have decided to return Rs 42.55 lakh to donors who "did not provide their complete details and their sources of funding", leaving Rs 2.51 crore with them.

The Public Cause Research Foundation (PCRF), the Secretariat for the movement, made public its audit report for six months starting April one following allegations of financial misconduct by activist Arvind Kejriwal.

A former Team Anna member Swami Agnivesh had questioned the depositing of donations in PCRF, saying none of the prominent Team members like Justice Santosh Hegde were trustees of PCRF run by Kejriwal.

Of the Rs 2.51 crore, Team Anna has spent Rs 1.5 crore in the past six months with Rs 52.27 lakh being spent for public meeting expenses, mainly for Ramlila Maidan agitation.

Team Anna spent Rs 9.83 lakh on travel while another Rs 2.68 lakh was spent on communication expenses. Under public awareness expenses, the Team spent Rs 45.50 lakh and printing charges Rs 26.55 lakh.

It also spent Rs 9,711 under the head RTI. It also paid Rs 9.29 lakh as salary and stipend to the staff of PCRF besides a lowly Rs 36 as interest on government dues.

"It has been heart warming to note that 23,138 contributions were of Rs.1,000 or less. It has been humbling and moving to note that people with very limited resources contributed with sums like Rs 1, Rs 2 and Rs 5 of their hard earned money," the Team said.

Pranay · Post by **Pranay** » 02 Nov 2011 00:36

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 571609.cms

For it to be credible, this should just be the beginning...

Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday said that the names of Indian citizens holding Swiss bank accounts would only be disclosed once the probe is completed and trial commenced.

Mukherjee said once the matter comes to court, then only the names would be revealed as per the existing treaty terms.

"As and when the informations, investigations start, prosecution takes place, matter comes to the court, then as per the existing treaty terms, we can reveal the name only then, in case of prosecution by the income tax department," Mukherjee told mediapersons here.

The country's income tax department launched a crackdown against politicians and industrialists, who stashed wealth in overseas tax havens.

Pranay · Post by **Pranay** » 02 Nov 2011 00:40

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 345724.cms

With some financial feathers being ruffled, money takes flight...

GENEVA: It's official now -- Indians hold about USD 2.5 billion (over Rs 11,000 crore) in Swiss banks, but this figure of Switzerland's central bank may be a gross understatement of the total wealth directly and indirectly held there by entities from India.

The ever-growing judicial scrutiny and political outcry over alleged stashing of black money in Swiss banks also seems to be forcing Indian entities to move their monies to other safe havens like the Middle East, Singapore and Mauritius.

Some half a billion dollars have been moved out in the last three years, according to the central bank's figures.

In the first-ever disclosure of money held in various Swiss banks by Indians, Swiss National Bank (SNB) has said the quantum of such deposits stood at 1.945 billion Swiss francs (about USD 2.5 billion) at the end of 2010.

Giving a break-up of this amount, Walter Meier, the spokesperson for the SNB president, said this included about USD 2.1 billion dollars in the form of savings and deposits by Indian individuals, financial institutions and corporates.

The remaining about USD 400 million is of fiduciaries largely operating for private individuals from India.

Meier, however, said the bank had no further information when asked about the identity of these funds.

He further said that two of the largest Swiss banks, UBS and Credit Suisse, account for a vast majority of the deposits of entities from India.

Out of the 1.66 billion Swiss francs (USD 2.1 billion) held by Indian individuals and institutions at the end of 2010, the two banks accounted for 1.02 Swiss francs (USD 1.5 billion) and the remaining 636 Swiss francs (USD 775 million) are held in Swiss cantonal banks and private banks, he added.

Experts say that the fiduciaries are essentially wealth fund managers who hold the money of Indian private holders and families in the so-called numbered accounts.

A private banker, on condition of anonymity, said that the actual deposits by Indians could be as high as USD 15-20 billion, but also rubbished the figure of USD 1.5 trillion that has been reported from time to time.

"I would argue that both the Swiss central bank's estimate of USD 2.5 billion as deposits of Indians, as well as the Indian media stories of USD 1.5 trillion of Indian private deposits, are incorrect and somewhat outrageous," he said.

"From my involvement with banks, I would place the Indian deposits anywhere between USD 15-20 billion," the banker said.

He also said there was a "perceptible flight of funds" of Indian holders from Swiss banks to banks in Singapore and Dubai, which are now the two main centres for Indian funds from undeclared sources.

As per SNB's figures also, the Indian deposits in Swiss banks have come down by USD 500 million (about Rs 2,250 crore) in the past three years.

SNB figures show that the total money deposited by Indians, both individuals and companies, in Switzerland-based banks stood at USD 2.5 billion at the end of 2010, down from about USD 2.7 billion in 2009 and USD 3 billion in 2008.

While the bank did not reveal the reasons behind the flight of money from these accounts, officials at regulatory agencies in India fear that Indians might be moving their funds to safer locations like Mauritius, Dubai and other places in the Middle East region.

There have also been talks of Singapore being one such location where money is being moved from Swiss banks.

Pranay · Post by **Pranay** » 02 Nov 2011 02:02

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 563454.cms

Bihar is ahead of the curve on this one ...

In a bid to check corruption in implementation of welfare schemes, the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government has appointed Lokpals in 12 districts, the first such move in the country, officials said on Monday.

Ten days after the Bihar government uploaded clips of complaints against officials who allegedly sought bribes to implement welfare schemes, Nitish Kumar has appointed Lokpals to check irregularities in the rural job scheme.

An official in the chief minister's office said Lokpals were appointed in 12 districts to curb embezzlement in implementation of NREGA funds. "The government will appoint Lokpals in all districts next month," he said.

vera_k · Post by **vera_k** » 02 Nov 2011 21:50

India's middle class appears to shed political apathy

Reading the article, the middle class should demand and get a separate electorate. That should make them stay engaged by reinforcing the relationship between the act of voting and the results of the election.

RamaY · Post by **RamaY** » 02 Nov 2011 21:52

^ The separate electorate is a VERY VERY BAD idea.

We need more integration between various economic sections of the nation.

vera_k · Post by **vera_k** » 02 Nov 2011 21:58

I thought so too at first, but realized that it would be better to have an electorate that's not focused on caste or religious issues, but on economics and governance issues. It would be an improvement over the situation today where India effectively has separate electorates today because of voter mobilization on caste and religious lines.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 02 Nov 2011 22:54

Doggyji is a "rent a bark" type spokeman for INC. He barks at the topic/flavor of the day for INC. However its all one issue/message driven.

Pranay · Post by **Pranay** » 03 Nov 2011 07:45

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 587371.cms

Team Anna is likely to demand constitutional amendments to widen Lokpal's powers to include conduct of MPs in Parliament - a highly contentious issue -- and do away with sanction for prosecution required for bureaucrats when it meets a parliamentary panel examining the proposed law on Thursday.

The Anna Hazare group's demands come at a time when the government is pressing to making Lokpal a constitutional authority and in the background of government having previously turned down both the suggestions on the ground that the Constitution could not be drastically altered.

Team Anna members now reason that since major amendments will be required to make Lokpal a constitutional authority, their demands can be renewed as well. The sanctity of constitutional guarantees was raised by government representatives on the joint drafting committee that had included Team Anna. The committee ended in a stalemate.

The team wants section 105 of the Constitution to be amended to include conduct of MPs in Parliament within the purview of the Act. Incidentally, this was recommended by the 179th Law Commission of India report that tackled the issue of corruption and disclosure in public interest. The group is also likely to press for amendments to section 311 of the Constitution to allow addition of the word 'Lokpal' along with authority that is empowered to take action against a bureaucrat charged with corrupt practices.

The standing committee will meet Team Anna on November 3 and 4 before finalizing its recommendations just days before the winter session of Parliament. Activist Anna Hazare had ended his fast in August on the government's assurance that the Lokpal bill be brought in the winter session.

Though the government has expressed its intention to bring a separate grievance redressal bill, Team Anna continued to be dissatisfied with the process. Sources said that exclusion of citizens' charter, higher judiciary and investigating agencies like CBI and CVC will weaken the Lokpal's mandate.

Aditya_V · Post by **Aditya_V** » 03 Nov 2011 16:03

Meanwhile

Amar Singh allowed to go abroad for treatment

Bye Bye AMar Singh, you are Quatarochi redux.

Pranay · Post by **Pranay** » 03 Nov 2011 19:29

The road ahead for the JanLokpal Bill... Good debate below...

http://www.timesnow.tv/Debate-3rd-Anna- ... 387881.cms

http://www.timesnow.tv/Debate-3rd-Anna- ... 387882.cms

Another good debate, Digvijaya Singh's ramblings on Sri Sri, RSS, etc.

http://www.timesnow.tv/Debate-Preemptin ... 387462.cms

http://www.timesnow.tv/Debate-Preemptin ... 387463.cms

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 04 Nov 2011 00:57

Aditya_V wrote:Meanwhile

Amar Singh allowed to go abroad for treatment

Bye Bye AMar Singh, you are Quatarochi redux.

Why when foreigners are coming to India for treatment?

Maybe he got same thing afflciting dear Madamji?

Pranay · Post by **Pranay** » 04 Nov 2011 02:51

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-15533140

So where do Mr Hazare and his campaign go next?

Many believe that with strong, disparate individuals making up the cream of the leadership, greater differences of opinion will emerge as more complex issues, like electoral reforms, arise. A lot will also depend on whether the hyperventilating media will continue to give uncritical support to the movement.

Many believe the campaign needs to tone down its viscerally anti-political tone and broaden its base. India's Dalits (former untouchables), for example, who have empowered themselves through electoral politics, have been suspicious of the campaign's motives.

They believe that Mr Hazare's deadlines to parliament are an affront to BR Ambedkar, the Dalit scholar who led the drafting of the Indian constitution. {Was not aware that such a situation existed. The writer seems to be painting with too broad a brush}

Whether Mr Hazare's campaign will continue to flower will also depend on whether the beleaguered Congress government will work harder to improve its failing credibility with the masses. Watch this space.

Jarita · Post by **Jarita** » 04 Nov 2011 03:18

^^^ Classic beeb - trying to make up stuff on the faultlines. Given our 1.2bn population you can certainly find SC's who are suspicious of Hazare

vijayk · Post by **vijayk** » 04 Nov 2011 07:50

http://www.rediff.com/news/report/man-w ... 111103.htm

Why did former solicitor general of India [ Images ] Goolam Vahanvati bail out Mulayam Singh Yadav [ Images ] at a time when the Congress and Samajwadi Party didn't see eye-to-eye? What was Amar Singh's [ Images ] interest in saving the UPA government? These are some of the questions posed by legal activist Vishwanath Chaturvedi in his criminal complaint against the Delhi [ Images ] Police's chargesheet in the cash-for-votes scam. Sheela Bhatt reports

Vishwanath Chaturvedi, the legal activist who had moved the court against Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav's alleged disproportionate assets, has filed a criminal complaint against former solicitor general of India Goolam E Vahanvati, former Union ministers Prithviraj Chavan [ Images ] and H R Bhardwaj and three CBI officers in connection with the United Progressive Alliance's [ Images ] 2008 trust vote.

The complaint alleges that the accused conspired "at the behest and instruction of certain individuals who stood to retain whatever 'public offices' they held prior to the crucial trust vote held in the Parliament on July 22, 2008 -- which 'public offices' were under threat of loss in the event of a failure in the trust vote held in Parliament on July 22, 2008."

At the time of the trust vote, Chavan was minister of state for personnel and training (the CBI comes under this ministry) while Bhardwaj was the law minister.

Chaturvedi's complaint seeks to rubbish completely the chargesheet filed by the Delhi Police in Tees Hazari trial court in the cash-for-vote scam.

He is moving the trial court to interject in legal proceedings this fortnight to add a completely new legal angle to the politically sensitive cash-for vote scam case.

Chaturvedi wants the trial court to take his statement under section 169 of the Criminal Procedure Act and wants to be the crucial witness in the case. If and when it happens, the Bharatiya Janata Party's [ Images ] arguments will get a legal boost.

The Delhi Police chargesheet is based on its investigations into the sting operation conducted by a private television channel to expose the 'horse trading' of Members of Parliament to save the UPA-I government.

Former Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh and BJP veteran L K Advani's [ Images ] former aide Sudheendra Kulkarni have been made an accused along with three BJP MPs and a few others. Kulkarni and former BJP MPs Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mahabir Singh Bhagora are presently lodged in Tihar jail. Amar Singh has been granted bail on medical grounds.

Chaturvedi's contention is that no chargesheet can stand in the court room where motive behind the crime and beneficiaries of crimes are not known or specified.

In his lengthy petition, the legal activist is trying to prove that Amar Singh was not the beneficiary of the cash-for vote scam because he was acting on behalf of his party chief (Mulayam Singh Yadav).

Pratyush · Post by **Pratyush** » 04 Nov 2011 12:38

Back home in India

Hazare’s movement can turn into the Spanish Inquisition: Tharoor

Mumbai: Holding that those backing Anna Hazare‘s movement against corruption don’t know what they are for, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has said the Jan Lokpal will create a “supra-institution” that would be a law unto itself.

“It would have the power to investigate, prosecute and punish. If this kind of power falls into the wrong hands then the cure (to corruption) can turn out to be worse than the disease,” Tharoor said during an interactive session on day one of the the Mumbai literature festival, Literature Live, here last night.

On Hazare’s movement, Tharoor spoke of its potential to turn into a powerful, oppressive institution like the Spanish Inquisition.

“When the Catholic church created the inquisition, they thought it will be an agent for good. That it will preserve and protect the religion. But within a very few years, it turned into an authoritarian nightmare,” the former Minister of State for External Affairs said.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has said the Jan Lokpal will create a "supra-institution" that would be a law unto itself. Reuters.

On the agitation for the Jan Lokpal Bill, he said, “It doesn’t solve the problem of petty corruption because every hospital won’t have a Lokpal. And it will also require 20,000 people to implement it. If they’re presuming that all government employees are corrupt, where will they find the 20,000 saints to man the posts?”

Hazare is a “74-year-old saintly individual”, Tharoor said. “However, people who turned out in support of him are aware of what they are against –corruption – but they don’t know what they are for.”

“Do people want a supra-institution that has the power to investigate, prosecute and punish anyone form the prime minister to the judiciary? In the hands of someone less saintly, it can be damaging,” he said. I am sure He means the like the Congress

Pratyush · Post by **Pratyush** » 04 Nov 2011 13:53

Ramdev touches new low, calls Digvijay stupid, son of devil

Interesting comments by the Baba. I kiked it very much

Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev took the ongoing word war between him and Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh to the next level on Thursday when he called the Digvijay a stupid person and son of Rakshas (Devil). After holding a Yoga Camp on the outskirts of the city on Thursday morning, Ramdev declined to comment anything on Digvijay in an indecent way. He said, “I do not want to make any comment on the people who have no sense.

I do not want say anything about such stupid people.” He said, “It is good if such people make the statements in routine as it cut into the vote bank of the Congress party. Every statement of such people make dent of around 25 lakh votes to the congress party.”

“These people even do not believe in the ancient Indian Rishi culture and I do not want to say anything about such sons of Devils,” said Baba Ramdev, who claims to teach the way of life to the people through the Yoga camp. Baba Ramdev alleged that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is the responsible for the every scandal surfaced during his tenure and cannot escape the responsibility under the shelter of clean Image. Baba Ramdev claimed that he has no difference with Anna Hazzare and Shri Shri Ravi Shankar.

“We all three are moving in the same directions and have the same target. We people have worked collectively in past during the big movements and will again come together if required in future,” explained Baba. Baba Ramdev also expressed worries on the foreign policy of Congress led central government. “Indian government is not serious about the threat of war with china looming over the country. China can attack the Indian in near future. We were betrayed by China in past also so India is needed to be ready to face any situation,” said worried Baba.

Aditya_V · Post by **Aditya_V** » 04 Nov 2011 14:12

Pratyush wrote:Ramdev touches new low, calls Digvijay stupid, son of devil

Interesting comments by the Baba. I kiked it very much

Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev took the ongoing word war between him and Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh to the next level on Thursday when he called the Digvijay a stupid person and son of Rakshas (Devil). After holding a Yoga Camp on the outskirts of the city on Thursday morning, Ramdev declined to comment anything on Digvijay in an indecent way. He said, “I do not want to make any comment on the people who have no sense.

I do not want say anything about such stupid people.” He said, “It is good if such people make the statements in routine as it cut into the vote bank of the Congress party. Every statement of such people make dent of around 25 lakh votes to the congress party.”

“These people even do not believe in the ancient Indian Rishi culture and I do not want to say anything about such sons of Devils,” said Baba Ramdev, who claims to teach the way of life to the people through the Yoga camp. Baba Ramdev alleged that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is the responsible for the every scandal surfaced during his tenure and cannot escape the responsibility under the shelter of clean Image. Baba Ramdev claimed that he has no difference with Anna Hazzare and Shri Shri Ravi Shankar.

“We all three are moving in the same directions and have the same target. We people have worked collectively in past during the big movements and will again come together if required in future,” explained Baba. Baba Ramdev also expressed worries on the foreign policy of Congress led central government. “Indian government is not serious about the threat of war with china looming over the country. China can attack the Indian in near future. We were betrayed by China in past also so India is needed to be ready to face any situation,” said worried Baba.

Sensitivity only when INC political leaders are attacked, all these days secular personalities calling him a fraud does not matter, attacking Hindu Religion and followers does not matter...

Sometimes Like the Sheila Dix -s-hit case INC followers follow their leaders like Hiryanakashipu that they can tolerate anything except an attack on their leaders

Pratyush · Post by **Pratyush** » 04 Nov 2011 14:41

The change we need

By Harsh Goenka

Corruption has been on the mind of every Indian these last few months. Thanks to Anna Hazare, a scourge that has been engulfing and destroying our polity is finally centrestage. The information and opinions thrown up in the wake of the agitation have generated a debate that needs to be taken to a logical conclusion if we are to reduce this overpowering problem.

While it was generally believed that the end of the licence raj and protectionism would see a reduction of the parallel black economy and competition would break the unfair political-criminal-business nexus, the reality has been vastly different. Corruption has become worse. According to the 2010 figures of Transparency International, India has more black money than the rest of the world combined. The recent scams - 2G and Commonwealth Games - have involved unimaginably large sums of money, and have scarred the mightiest and the noblest.

The voracious appetite of our political leadership and bureaucracy for money to fund elections has fuelled these unscrupulous practices. The total spending for the 2009 Lok Sabha elections is reportedly pegged at Rs 10,000 crore. A mere Rs 1,300 crore of this was spent by the Election Commission, another Rs 700 crore by the Centre and state governments. So a whopping Rs 8,000 crore came from political parties and individual candidates. No rocket science is necessary to deduce where this money was generated from.

The tragedy and moral dilemma for India Inc is the coercion to indulge in corrupt practices. Of course, the unscrupulous have registered a meteoric rise in a short span thanks to political patronage. Even Ratan Tata said the other day at a Harvard Business School event, "If you choose not to participate in this, you leave behind a fair amount of business." Many of us have also come to be resigned to the malaise, and feel there is no way out of it. I have often heard it debated in social circles that it is perhaps more desirable to have a corrupt political leader who does his work efficiently than to have a clean politician who is inefficient.

In India, politics no longer depends solely on funds from business. There are enough avenues - whether it is real estate or projects - for the unscrupulous to make money. The openness with which money is extracted, in fact the brazen attitude of some of the officers, certain of their impunity, is a direct reflection of how low our moral standards have fallen and how tolerant and defeatist our approach has become.

Regulations are what we urgently need. Now, for the first time, there seems to be some hope that these pressures on the government may lead to the formation of some effective deterrent mechanisms. Parliament may perhaps agree to the formation of an independent ombudsman, empowered sufficiently to initiate probes and take action against the guilty. Apparently, of all the cases on corruption that are referred, the government grants sanction for prosecution to less than 2% cases, and of these, the conviction rate is only around 3%!

No doubt we need agencies with teeth, so that the fear of punitive action will make it risky to indulge in unscrupulous practices. But given these dismal figures and the loopholes in the system, one has some reservations on the efficacy of deterrent regulation. Even the recent open letter to the government by 14 prominent Indians including Deepak Parekh, Azim Premji and members of the judiciary, appealing for more action against corruption, emphasised that the Lokpal was a small but critical step in this fight and many other reforms were necessary.

More importantly and simultaneously, i feel we need to reduce the opportunities for corruption. There must be transparency across the board. Firstly, political party expenditure limits should be realistic, with payments only through the banking system. Secondly, to break the stranglehold of babus, there must be a methodical deletion of their discretionary powers at all levels. There must be fair, open methods for awarding contracts, especially in areas like roads, infrastructure, mining and land acquisition for industry. Regulatory bodies are necessary to ensure standardisation and quality, and that`s all they should do - regulate, not control, as otherwise they become breeding grounds for extracting money.

Just as the Right to Information has made a major difference to the accountability of various arms of the executive, when documentation and processes will be available online, there will be far greater transparency. E-governance will reduce malpractices as it will minimise the points of contact between public and officials.

It is clear given the magnitude of the problem that a multi-pronged approach is necessary. Continuous and sustained pressure on the government to act against graft while simultaneously resisting corruption in everyday matters may perhaps reach the necessary critical mass. The only way in which any of these ideas can come to fruition or genuine change occur is if we have the commensurate will. All this recent churning and debate will have been in vain unless, and i can`t stress this enough, we change our attitude and style of functioning. Develop the determination to press for new policies and ensure their implementation; resist graft, and adopt ethical practices.

As businessmen, we must pledge to do all of these. Merely wearing the Anna cap and attending rallies is surely not an answer.

The writer is the chairman of an industrial group.

Let us see is he is able to follow his own pledge in real life as well.

Inder Sharma · Post by **Inder Sharma** » 04 Nov 2011 14:45

Congress is trying to Sharia-ize the Consitution for the Dalits, connecting it to their ethno-religious self identity. This first became evident when NDA govt started talking about Constitutional Amendment that would have debarred Foreign Nationals from holding key offices. It was during that time, when the Congress affiliated Dalit groupings had threatened with street action: was the “Sanctity” of Ambedkar’s constitution compromised.