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UPA…Coalition Government…Coalition Corruption….but what’s the alternative!?

INDIA is outraged at this continuing scale of Corruption

As India’s GDP grows past US $ 1.4 trillion,so does the Corruption scale in tandem….the CAG Report just tabled in Parliament notes that the Loss to the National Exchequer in the 2G Spectrum Sale was a whopping Rs 176645 lakh crores if one considers the 3G realisations this year….that’s close to US $ 40 Billion !….that’s nearly 3% of our GDP !….would have taken care of half our Fiscal Deficit !

UPA Government lead by Congress with it’s Political allies for now…notably and yet DMK from Tamil Nadu,whose A Raja was the Telecom Minster who is alleged to have caused this Loss….they defend that this a presumptive loss…in that no real money has been lost !…but this money could,should and would have actually come to the Government and Public Domain from the Private Corporate Sector….the Telecom Minister deliberately contravened,tweaked,violated policy and procedures and even ignored  PMO’s advice and sold the 2G spectrum asset dirt cheap to favoured corporate groups….Swan (fronting Anil Ambani Group),Videcon,Unitech are some of the names …..surely some in the government were favoured in return…this is not presumptive ! …many of these groups were ineligible….many have yet to start their service even after nearly three years….and many quickly went on to sell equity stakes at five and ten times valuations based on the relatively meagre quantum of  2G Licensing fees paid…this too is not presumptive!    

Opposition party BJP wants a Joint Parliamentary Committtee (JPC) Probe…..JPC has never really been a successful tool….more of a whitewash…..more to protect from more skeletons coming out from the cupboard of all political parties…..MP’s across Political Parties cannot agree on the Floor of the Houses !…what will they concur with in a JPC !…you will get many dissent notes

Congress wants the due process to be followed of the CAG Report moving to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC)….but the PAC has no judicial authority…it merely reviews the CAG Report to check for appropriateness and completeness of conclusions backed by adequate supportings…it can merely delete or alter the wordings in the CAG report

INDIA wants the perpetrators to be pinpointed and punished fast….and be jailed

Our Supreme Court has even just questioned our Prime Minister,Manmohan Singh to explain his inaction in this 2G Scam and as to why A Raja was retained as Telecom Minister and not asked to step down much earlier….One of the Panelists on the TV spoke this of our PM ” He only listens to Uncle Sam and Sonia Ma’am !” read more

We can Do without DOW if we have to Cow or Bow !…. Hope Our Indian Government is not a Front for it’s Top Private Corporates like clearly the US Government is !…Dow Chemicals getting the US Govt to arm twist India !

Moralities and Ethics….Just Words……Sad

Another Instance breaking out on Times Now….. this time it concerns how the Deputy NSA of USA, Michael B Froman, openly and quite bluntly telling Montek Singh Ahluwalia of our Planning Commission, in an email reply, to monitor and control Dow Chemicals Growing Noise in India regarding the Bhopal Gas Tragedy of 1984… this was in response to a request email by Ahluwalia to Froman to help at the World Bank Meeting to get IBRD to extend Borrowing limits for India 

What a Quid Pro Quo !…. Linking Commercial Interests to a Human Tragedy !

While this tactic is nothing new from USA, it was shocking to hear Ahluwalia on TV refusing to even acknowledge this demand by Froman in his email reply !… he was being hounded by a Times Now Reporter and moved away saying “Where’s the Tea ‘Yaar’ !?” to get away from the Times TV Reporter…. and he shockingly states he cannot remember whether he spoke to Froman or wrote to him !….. today is August 18, 2010…. and this email ‘to and fro’ took place less than three weeks ago on July 30, 2010 !…. he counters” Do you know how many emails I receive !?”…. Sad !

This is another Instance of how the current US Government is a front for top US Corporates, as aptly observed by Sunita Narain, Director, Centre for Science & Environment and a leading voice and activist for getting adequate compensation for the Bhopal Tragedy affected… she is shocked at USA’s Impunity in asking for such a quid pro quo 

Union Carbide was responsible for the Bhopal Gas Tragedy… It was taken over by Dow Chemicals…. Lakhs of people were affected, and 26 years hence many yet are, by the Bhopal Gas Tragedy and have received poor compensation…. Dow Chemicals actually took over Union Carbide’s US Liabilities but says it’s not responsible for any additional Indian Compensation Liability that is being sought… Dow Chemicals has business Interests in India through Technology Transfers and Licensing to Indian Companies for Speciality Chemicals

The US Government is clearly trying to arm twist India…. be it in it’s Pakistan Policy,it’s passing a Bill raising Visa Fees for certain Types of Visas used by Indian IT Companies to depute staff to US Clients… irony is that US Giant IBM is the second biggest private Indian Employer in India,employing 130000 Indians……. or in it’s Double Standards when dealing with the two Big ‘B’s’… British Petroleum and Bhopal !……. President Obama has come down heavily on British Petroleum for the ‘continuing from April’ Oil Leak that is yet affecting USA coastline… he has extracted, to begin with, a compensation of US $ 20 billion from BP… this is just one year’s profit for BP !….. India got just under Rs 500 crs or a little over US $ 100 Million for the Bhopal Tragedy and it was clearly ‘pressurised’ by USA in releasing Union Carbide Chairman, Warren Anderson and letting him fly back to USA!… wonder what quid pro quo was involved for this !…. was an Indian closely connected with the Powers in India and who was to serve a Long sentence,released from US Jail and deported ?… Aha ! read more

Mumbai Terrorist Seige : How even the Mainstream Indian TV Media Lost it’s Marbles !

Oh Yes !,Thanks to the 24/7 Live and Deferred and Repeated Coverage by over 40 News Channels TV , we were transported to hostage situations at the Taj,the Oberoi and Trident and to the Chabad House in Colaba to live the Horrors of the Terrorist Seige last Week in Mumbai in our Living Rooms !

But the Channel Anchors repeatedly boasted,yet are, of them being the first to Break News and that their Journalists,at great risk to their Lives were covering the Seige from close range and several angles

But my wife and I were dumbfounded and livid and even scared,when even Mainstream News Channels Like NDTV,Times Now and IBN 7 threw caution and commonsense to the Winds in some of their Coverage 

Celebrity TV Anchors like Barkha Dutt,Managing Editor of ‘NDTV’ and Arnab Goswami of ‘Times Now’ came across as dangerously careless when they conveyed the positions of many ‘Hostages of Circumstances ‘  while the Seige was going on….They are open to being sued for malpractice (careless behaviour by a professional) and manslaughter (killing someone without meaning to do so)   

Have a Look at these Instances :

ARNAB GOSWAMI ON ‘TIMES NOW’

He managed to get through to the Mobile of Mr Krishnadas,MP, at the Taj while the seige was on….This was a snatch of the madness that was relayed live on Times Now

Arnab Goswami :” Where are you right Now ! ? “

Mr Krishnadas : “I’m on the First Floor alongwith 200 people ! “

This was a Mad,Situation Insensitive,Dangerous Question and the MP should have replied ” In Hell !” and slammed the phone 

In another Instance,a Times Now Journalist is relaying back to Arnab that there are people holed up in the Regal Room at the Taj…Arnab had realised his earlier foolishness and quickly interrupts…but the damage was done

BARKHA DUTT ON ‘NDTV 24 * 7’

Barkha Dutt let’s through a relay where a Husband is disclosing the last hiding position of his Wife…She even counters a General’s wise and deliberate contention that there were probably no more people held as hostage in the Oberoi and Trident by calling up the Oberoi Head who holds out the possibility of atleast a 100 people yet hostage to the situation

Barkha Dutt has been conferred the Padma Shri by our Government…Wonder what will they now confer on her !…She has been widely criticised for her coverage of the Kargil War,where she has been accused by no less than the Indian Navy Chief,Admiral Sureesh Mehta, for the death of three soldiers in the Kargil conflict…her coverage compromised operational details and locations of our soldiers read more

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