Sounds ridiculous? But it is true. For more than thirty years, this person named Mark Felt remained anonymous while his prophetic advice “Follow the Money” unearthed what is now known as Watergate Scandal.
If Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein had not followed this famous phrase – now immortalized, they would have reached nowhere. It was one of the greatest mysteries not only in America but the entire world.
Felt leaked information of the investigation into a burglary at the Democratic National Committee HQ in Washington's Watergate complex in June 1972. This later turned to be a major controversy surrounding the White house involving a series of political spying, sabotage and bribery forcing President Nixon to resign.
Now, what has this to do with Mumbai terror attacks? Questions are asked on the identity of the attackers, their motive and their sponsors. There are different views on this and the investigations are on. We really don’t know who sponsored this costly affair of mayhem? What we know for now is that the terrorists are Muslims- which I believe is the easiest thing to identify if they happen to be men – and they are from Pakistan. The latter is being denied by Pakistan.
But it is not clear as to who sponsored it. A Russian official say Dawood Ibrahim has done this and another sections says Lashkar group has done this. So the best way to investigate this is to "Follow the money", a phrase that has inspired generations of investigative reporters and now the Mumbai police has to follow this path to get the first lead on this terror strike.
It is not important who the terrorists are, but it is more important to know who sponsored them. Choke off their finances and you will see no terrorism at all. This will be the greatest tribute to Mark Felt who died today at the age of 95.
December 19, 2008
December 18, 2008
What a co-incidence!
This is indeed a full circle. And it is not ironical at all. One of the accused in fake encounter of Sohrabuddin Sheikh case in Gujarat told a sessions court that IG (Prisons) Keshav Kumar intends to kill him in a staged encounter.
And wondering who said this. This is none other than suspended DySP NK Amin. This is the same person accused in the custodial death of Lt Col Pratap Save in Dehri village of Umargaon in south Gujarat in the year 2000.
Save was an environment activist and was fighting against the government's decision to build a private port near Umargaon. I went to Save’s home just as the protests were intensifying and he said the fight was not for him but for the georgraphy and livelihood of fishermen.
The government sent Amin and he was killed in custody. No body remembers this incident, not even the media but I still remember when I called Amin for a reaction to this allegation by the retired army officer’s family that Amin was responsible for Save’s death.
He banged the phone saying he doesn’t talk to all and sundry journalists since he could not fathom the name of the foreign organization that I represented. While in Umergaon, I happened to meet him and he sarcastically laughed at me indicating that at one stroke the entire protest was over.
The vicious circle is not haunting him as he is in the jail being accused and is complaining that he may be killed. I couldn’t help looking up at the sky in disbelief as if I was watching a pot boiler movie of natural justice.
In an affidavit before court, alleging torture at the behest of the IPS officer, Amin has sought protection from court. Amin claimed that a sub-jailer had thrashed him on December 6 and he was not given medical treatment for four days.
When he sent a complaint against Kumar to Sabarmati police station, the concerned officer tore the papers maintaining he should route his complaint through jail authorities only.
What a co-incidence!
December 17, 2008
How long India will take to nuke Pak?
The following sarcasm over India’s red tapism is very interesting. I came across this in Rediff as a response to an article and throught, I should preserve. Please note that this is not mine and is prepared by some anonymous guy. If you are the person who prepared it, please report it on the comments section. I will be glad to give your byline. Now read on
During the Cold War, if USA launched a nuke-loaded missile, Soviet Satellites would inform the Soviet army in 3 seconds and in less than 45 seconds Soviet counter-missiles would be on their way.
Recent studies commissioned by US department of Defense included one on nuclear war between India and Pakistan :
This was the scenario................
The Pakistan army decides to launch a nuke-missile towards India. They don't need any permission from their government, and promptly order the countdowns.
Indian technology is highly advanced. In less than 8 seconds, Indian army detects the Pak countdown and decides to launch a missile in retribution.
But they need permission from the Government of India.
They submit their request to the Indian President. The President forwards it to the Cabinet. The Prime Minister calls an emergency Lok Sabha session.
The LS meets, but due to several walkouts and severe protests by the opposition, it gets adjourned indefinitely.
The President asks for a quick decision.
In the mean time, the Pak missile failed to take off due to technical failure. Their attempts for a re-launch are still on.
Just then the Indian ruling party is reduced to a minority because a party that was giving outside support withdraws it. The President asks the PM to prove his majority within a week.
As the ruling party fails to win the confidence vote, a caretaker government is installed.
The caretaker PM decides to permit the armed forces to launch a nuclear missile. But the Election Commission says that a caretaker government cannot take such a decision because elections are at hand.
The Election Commission files Public Interest Litigation in the Supreme Court alleging misuse of power.
The Supreme Court comes to the rescue of the PM, and says the acting PM is authorized to take this decision in view of the emergency facing the nation.
Just then one of the Pak missiles successfully took off, but it fell 367 miles away from the target, on its own government building in Islamabad at 11.00AM.
Fortunately there were no casualties as no employee had reached the office that early. In any case, the nuclear core of the missile had detached somewhere in flight.
The Pakistan army is now trying to get better technologies from China and USA. The Indian Government, taking no chances, decides to launch a nuclear missile of its own, after convening an all-party meeting. This time all the parties agree.
Its three months since the army had sought permission. But as preparations begin, "pro-humanity", "anti-nuclear" activists come out against the Government's decision.
Human chains are formed and Rasta rokos organized.
In California and Washington endless e-mails are sent to Indians condemning the government and mentioning "Please forward it to as many Indians as possible".
On the Pakistan side, the missiles kept malfunctioning. Some missiles deviate from target due to technical failures or high-speed wind blowing over Rajasthan.
Many of them land in the Indian Ocean killing some fishes.
A missile (smuggled from USA) is pressed into service. Since the Pakistan army is unable to understand its software, it hits its original destination: Russia.
Russians successfully intercepts the missile and in retaliation launches a nuclear missile towards Islamabad. The missile hits the target and creates havoc.
Pakistan cries for help. India expresses deep regrets for what has happened and sends in a million dollars worth of Parle-G biscuits.
Thus India never gets to launch the missile.
Written by Anonymous
During the Cold War, if USA launched a nuke-loaded missile, Soviet Satellites would inform the Soviet army in 3 seconds and in less than 45 seconds Soviet counter-missiles would be on their way.
Recent studies commissioned by US department of Defense included one on nuclear war between India and Pakistan :
This was the scenario................
The Pakistan army decides to launch a nuke-missile towards India. They don't need any permission from their government, and promptly order the countdowns.
Indian technology is highly advanced. In less than 8 seconds, Indian army detects the Pak countdown and decides to launch a missile in retribution.
But they need permission from the Government of India.
They submit their request to the Indian President. The President forwards it to the Cabinet. The Prime Minister calls an emergency Lok Sabha session.
The LS meets, but due to several walkouts and severe protests by the opposition, it gets adjourned indefinitely.
The President asks for a quick decision.
In the mean time, the Pak missile failed to take off due to technical failure. Their attempts for a re-launch are still on.
Just then the Indian ruling party is reduced to a minority because a party that was giving outside support withdraws it. The President asks the PM to prove his majority within a week.
As the ruling party fails to win the confidence vote, a caretaker government is installed.
The caretaker PM decides to permit the armed forces to launch a nuclear missile. But the Election Commission says that a caretaker government cannot take such a decision because elections are at hand.
The Election Commission files Public Interest Litigation in the Supreme Court alleging misuse of power.
The Supreme Court comes to the rescue of the PM, and says the acting PM is authorized to take this decision in view of the emergency facing the nation.
Just then one of the Pak missiles successfully took off, but it fell 367 miles away from the target, on its own government building in Islamabad at 11.00AM.
Fortunately there were no casualties as no employee had reached the office that early. In any case, the nuclear core of the missile had detached somewhere in flight.
The Pakistan army is now trying to get better technologies from China and USA. The Indian Government, taking no chances, decides to launch a nuclear missile of its own, after convening an all-party meeting. This time all the parties agree.
Its three months since the army had sought permission. But as preparations begin, "pro-humanity", "anti-nuclear" activists come out against the Government's decision.
Human chains are formed and Rasta rokos organized.
In California and Washington endless e-mails are sent to Indians condemning the government and mentioning "Please forward it to as many Indians as possible".
On the Pakistan side, the missiles kept malfunctioning. Some missiles deviate from target due to technical failures or high-speed wind blowing over Rajasthan.
Many of them land in the Indian Ocean killing some fishes.
A missile (smuggled from USA) is pressed into service. Since the Pakistan army is unable to understand its software, it hits its original destination: Russia.
Russians successfully intercepts the missile and in retaliation launches a nuclear missile towards Islamabad. The missile hits the target and creates havoc.
Pakistan cries for help. India expresses deep regrets for what has happened and sends in a million dollars worth of Parle-G biscuits.
Thus India never gets to launch the missile.
Written by Anonymous
December 16, 2008
Not all emails accounts opened are used
Almost everyone who is exposed to internet have multiple email accounts. Some have as many as fifty and some more than that. But it is a common fact that only one of those emails are used. The others gradually fades away. But almost all the email services claim they have x million users or y million accounts. Now you know what those accounts are there for.
I am updating my entry posted below. This is in response by someone named Rishi (presumably a Network 18 employee) which reads :
Before you go about talking about in.com screwing people I suggest you examine the cause for the invites going out or at least using the least of your journalistic ethics to call network18 or web18 for a clarification , Its shoddy reporting like this that gives true blogs a bad name. There is an invite all imported contacts to in.com radio button next to the import tab that you had selected, its the same type of button you have on linked in , facebook or orkut... I would not even justify your rant about us being a crap service user feedback on our site is incredible... I bet you were paid by a competitor”
Very interesting to read that I was paid by a competitor! Ah, I hope it comes true. I can then make millions in such a business model. It is one of the fantastic revenue models where you are most likely to get a good response from even private equity.
Secondly, let me clarify here that blogs are not news portals, my dear friend. They are basically diaries but put in public domain. And secondly why should I contact this email service for any clarifications if at all I need to whom should I contact? I should have done this if this was a journalistic piece. This is an opinion my dear which is absolutely confined to myself.
You state that “I would not even justify your rant about us being a crap service user feedback on our site is incredible”. Who am I to disagree? Did I say you don’t have user base or people just don’t come to your service? For me it is a crap and that’s it. For some gmail may be a crap and for some other services. But your claim of copying Facebook and Orkut (which I never use) style to give a button next to the imported names and then uncheck those thousands of names is not something that I nor anyone would agree. I was never asked, at the first place, whether an invite should be sent or not.
So please keep your house in order and abide by international laws of privacy. If India doesn’t have a law to draw you to the courts, it doesn’t mean you should fleece your users.
And regarding your statement “I bet you were paid by a competitor”, all I can say is that you have won your bet. But also let me know who are your competitors so that I can claim at least a fraction of what you may have thought of being paid to me.
I am updating my entry posted below. This is in response by someone named Rishi (presumably a Network 18 employee) which reads :
Before you go about talking about in.com screwing people I suggest you examine the cause for the invites going out or at least using the least of your journalistic ethics to call network18 or web18 for a clarification , Its shoddy reporting like this that gives true blogs a bad name. There is an invite all imported contacts to in.com radio button next to the import tab that you had selected, its the same type of button you have on linked in , facebook or orkut... I would not even justify your rant about us being a crap service user feedback on our site is incredible... I bet you were paid by a competitor”
Very interesting to read that I was paid by a competitor! Ah, I hope it comes true. I can then make millions in such a business model. It is one of the fantastic revenue models where you are most likely to get a good response from even private equity.
Secondly, let me clarify here that blogs are not news portals, my dear friend. They are basically diaries but put in public domain. And secondly why should I contact this email service for any clarifications if at all I need to whom should I contact? I should have done this if this was a journalistic piece. This is an opinion my dear which is absolutely confined to myself.
You state that “I would not even justify your rant about us being a crap service user feedback on our site is incredible”. Who am I to disagree? Did I say you don’t have user base or people just don’t come to your service? For me it is a crap and that’s it. For some gmail may be a crap and for some other services. But your claim of copying Facebook and Orkut (which I never use) style to give a button next to the imported names and then uncheck those thousands of names is not something that I nor anyone would agree. I was never asked, at the first place, whether an invite should be sent or not.
So please keep your house in order and abide by international laws of privacy. If India doesn’t have a law to draw you to the courts, it doesn’t mean you should fleece your users.
And regarding your statement “I bet you were paid by a competitor”, all I can say is that you have won your bet. But also let me know who are your competitors so that I can claim at least a fraction of what you may have thought of being paid to me.
December 15, 2008
Never ever join in.com
Normally, I hate to use multiple email accounts as gmail suffices all my needs. But unfortunately, while reading a news item, I landed at in.com, a TV 18 venture and is claiming it has the latest technologies in this sphere.
But one important factor it doesn’t have is ethics. As soon as I joined, it asked me whether I need to import my contacts from any other email services. I put gmail and it got all the addresses into it. The next day, I began to get calls from people that they have got invitations to join this crap service. I had to offer my apologies and this drama is still on.
And since I don’t send such unscrupulous mails, it was natural that friends called me to confirm whether I had actually invited them. The matter of fact is that this email service showed its true colour when it sent out invitations without my consent. If I was a lawyer, I would have dragged them to court over this. But I urge someone reading this entry to initiate some steps so that the trust people keep on such services is not lost. Who knows they will send an email on behalf of any terrorist organizations quoting my email and name?
Please do not join this crap service as it will screw you too.
But one important factor it doesn’t have is ethics. As soon as I joined, it asked me whether I need to import my contacts from any other email services. I put gmail and it got all the addresses into it. The next day, I began to get calls from people that they have got invitations to join this crap service. I had to offer my apologies and this drama is still on.
And since I don’t send such unscrupulous mails, it was natural that friends called me to confirm whether I had actually invited them. The matter of fact is that this email service showed its true colour when it sent out invitations without my consent. If I was a lawyer, I would have dragged them to court over this. But I urge someone reading this entry to initiate some steps so that the trust people keep on such services is not lost. Who knows they will send an email on behalf of any terrorist organizations quoting my email and name?
Please do not join this crap service as it will screw you too.
December 13, 2008
Ban everything, let’s get premitive
The entire blame on attacks that killed more than 170 people in Mumbai last month has now come on Google Earth and demand for its ban has gained momentum. If this online satellite imaging tool is banned, do any of you think the terror strikes will stop?? Let’s see what all should be banned.
PCs. Laptops and internet should be banned first. If these things are out of reach, Google Earth is a non-entity. Email should also be a causality since these terrorists will not use them to send hate mails.
The first to put a ban should be fishing. If there is no fishing, there will not be trawlers and if there are no trawlers there will not be any trespassing into Indian waters.
Cargo pants should be banned as it can carry a lot of grenades and magazines. Even the back pack baggages should also be banned since it can carry heavy weapons with ease.
AK 47, AK 56, Grenades, ball bearings, iron particles should be the next on ban since it was used for the operations.
Air travel comes next since the future terror is presumed to be via air. All aeroplanes should be grounded and aerodromes should be made into cricket grounds.
Satellite phones and Mobile phones comes primarily into this list since they were the equipments used for co-ordination between each other
News organizations and sale of television should be banned immediately because these terrorists got all the news of what happened in Gujarat, Ayodhya through this medium. Gone are the days when these news never traveled across districts leave alone countries.
Production of almonds dates and other dry fruits should stop immediately as these are the potent weapons on which terrorists survive. Let them hole up in a building and eat Indian paneer and Vegetable Jalfrezy. Expect them to surrender within 2 hours of consuming this.
Narendra Modi should be banned since his pictures were used as motivating factor for the terrorists to carry out their operation heinously. Along with him should to L K Advani, the architect of religious hatred in India.
Mumbai Taxis should be taken out of roads since the terrorist used it for transportation locally.
Railway stations should be removed and trains should slow down at certain points and the passengers should jump to a net provided down not to get hurt. If there are no railway stations, how can the terrorists get so much crowd to fire at?
Remove all garbage collectors, hospital cleaners and sanitary inspectors. Suspend them and let the city get garbage filthy. No terrorists will ever enter a hospital leave along that city.
Stop all the vaccinations and let the Indians suffer from diseases like Cholera and other epidemics? Do you think the terrorists will ever come here to attack?
Imagine a place with all these bans in place. The terrorists will never strike but instead you will have terrorists within the system. Zimbabwe is the best example where a dangerous terrorist called Robert Mugabe is killing people without a single shot being fired.
PCs. Laptops and internet should be banned first. If these things are out of reach, Google Earth is a non-entity. Email should also be a causality since these terrorists will not use them to send hate mails.
The first to put a ban should be fishing. If there is no fishing, there will not be trawlers and if there are no trawlers there will not be any trespassing into Indian waters.
Cargo pants should be banned as it can carry a lot of grenades and magazines. Even the back pack baggages should also be banned since it can carry heavy weapons with ease.
AK 47, AK 56, Grenades, ball bearings, iron particles should be the next on ban since it was used for the operations.
Air travel comes next since the future terror is presumed to be via air. All aeroplanes should be grounded and aerodromes should be made into cricket grounds.
Satellite phones and Mobile phones comes primarily into this list since they were the equipments used for co-ordination between each other
News organizations and sale of television should be banned immediately because these terrorists got all the news of what happened in Gujarat, Ayodhya through this medium. Gone are the days when these news never traveled across districts leave alone countries.
Production of almonds dates and other dry fruits should stop immediately as these are the potent weapons on which terrorists survive. Let them hole up in a building and eat Indian paneer and Vegetable Jalfrezy. Expect them to surrender within 2 hours of consuming this.
Narendra Modi should be banned since his pictures were used as motivating factor for the terrorists to carry out their operation heinously. Along with him should to L K Advani, the architect of religious hatred in India.
Mumbai Taxis should be taken out of roads since the terrorist used it for transportation locally.
Railway stations should be removed and trains should slow down at certain points and the passengers should jump to a net provided down not to get hurt. If there are no railway stations, how can the terrorists get so much crowd to fire at?
Remove all garbage collectors, hospital cleaners and sanitary inspectors. Suspend them and let the city get garbage filthy. No terrorists will ever enter a hospital leave along that city.
Stop all the vaccinations and let the Indians suffer from diseases like Cholera and other epidemics? Do you think the terrorists will ever come here to attack?
Imagine a place with all these bans in place. The terrorists will never strike but instead you will have terrorists within the system. Zimbabwe is the best example where a dangerous terrorist called Robert Mugabe is killing people without a single shot being fired.
December 12, 2008
Fighting poverty with AK 47 and grenades
Let’s dissect some news that appeared today
Govt lacks will to fight terror: Maya
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Miss Mayawati today said the central government's approach towards tackling terrorism was "very superficial and perfunctory" and it lacked the "desired will and determination" to stamp out the scourge.
Dissection
Absolutely correct. How can the government fight terror when all the forces fighting against terrorists are with her, protecting her and her wealth. The government can get desired will and determination only if she relieves all of them. After all who wants to attack her?
Protesting 26/11, Mumbaikars form human chain
Mumbai Nearly 60000 people including several celebrities on Friday formed a 50 km long 'human chain for peace' which passed through the worst-hit sites of the recent terror attacks - the Taj Hotel, Oberoi, Trident Hotel and the Nariman House in Mumbai.
Dissection
When will this end? We all know Mumbaikars are very brave but parading some school children along with celebrities are not the way demonstrate how brave you are. On the contrary it is a punishment to these kids who should have been in school and not answering silly questions to preying television cameras.
Lankan army capture key junction town near Kilinochchi
Stepping up their onslaught on the beleaguered de-facto Tiger capital of Kilinochchi, Sri Lankan Army captured a third major junction town flanking it killing scores of rebels in intense battles.
Dissection
I thought the Lankan army has captured the entire LTTE forces and have made a mark over its supremacy. But they seem to be still in chase of places that they thought was theirs but people like Vaiko and Nedumaran dares to differ.
S.African Anglican bishop likens Mugabe to Hitler
A South African Anglican bishop has likened Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe to Hitler because of the deaths and atrocities committed by the government under his rule, media reported Friday.
Dissection
No, that is not the correct comparison. Hitler did it because he hated Jews. Mugabe is doing it because he loves his countrymen.
Poverty turned Mumbai attacker to terrorism, says father
A Pakistani man has recognized the lone arrested attacker in last month's Mumbai carnage, Ajmal Amir Kasab, as his son, a media report said on Friday.
Dissection
If that was the case India should have more terrorists than Pakistan. Fighting poverty with AK 47 and grenades. Yes, this is a new way of fight since the conventional ways have vanished long back
Govt lacks will to fight terror: Maya
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Miss Mayawati today said the central government's approach towards tackling terrorism was "very superficial and perfunctory" and it lacked the "desired will and determination" to stamp out the scourge.
Dissection
Absolutely correct. How can the government fight terror when all the forces fighting against terrorists are with her, protecting her and her wealth. The government can get desired will and determination only if she relieves all of them. After all who wants to attack her?
Protesting 26/11, Mumbaikars form human chain
Mumbai Nearly 60000 people including several celebrities on Friday formed a 50 km long 'human chain for peace' which passed through the worst-hit sites of the recent terror attacks - the Taj Hotel, Oberoi, Trident Hotel and the Nariman House in Mumbai.
Dissection
When will this end? We all know Mumbaikars are very brave but parading some school children along with celebrities are not the way demonstrate how brave you are. On the contrary it is a punishment to these kids who should have been in school and not answering silly questions to preying television cameras.
Lankan army capture key junction town near Kilinochchi
Stepping up their onslaught on the beleaguered de-facto Tiger capital of Kilinochchi, Sri Lankan Army captured a third major junction town flanking it killing scores of rebels in intense battles.
Dissection
I thought the Lankan army has captured the entire LTTE forces and have made a mark over its supremacy. But they seem to be still in chase of places that they thought was theirs but people like Vaiko and Nedumaran dares to differ.
S.African Anglican bishop likens Mugabe to Hitler
A South African Anglican bishop has likened Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe to Hitler because of the deaths and atrocities committed by the government under his rule, media reported Friday.
Dissection
No, that is not the correct comparison. Hitler did it because he hated Jews. Mugabe is doing it because he loves his countrymen.
Poverty turned Mumbai attacker to terrorism, says father
A Pakistani man has recognized the lone arrested attacker in last month's Mumbai carnage, Ajmal Amir Kasab, as his son, a media report said on Friday.
Dissection
If that was the case India should have more terrorists than Pakistan. Fighting poverty with AK 47 and grenades. Yes, this is a new way of fight since the conventional ways have vanished long back
December 11, 2008
Being a democratic country
To know the value of democracy and a stable system, we need to look around us. Greece was engulfed in riots triggered by the death of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos, shot by police in Athens. The entire country came to a stand still. Flights in and out of Athens airport were cancelled, and public transport badly disrupted.
How many such shootings and encounter incidents happen in India? Perhaps many and most of them are not even reported, leave alone any protests. Is it a good democratic system? Hang on.
BBC reports that a cholera epidemic is sweeping across Zimbabwe, causing suffering to millions of people already struggling to survive in a country close to systemic collapse as food shortages and hyperinflation continue to take their toll. Thousands of patients have been left stranded because almost all the government-run health institutions here have been closed indefinitely, owing to a lack of finance. Schools closed before the term had ended because teachers refused to work without being paid. All this because one man thought colonialism by White men could make Zimbabwe bankrupt. In return, he gave his people bankruptcy and misery.
Do we see this in India? Perhaps yes but then it becomes a major issue for preying television reporters and then the government is so embarrassed and harassed that it is forced to act. It that a good democratic practice? Hang on further.
The entire Bangkok city was hijacked by a group of anti-government protestors. So much so that the police were mere spectators. No flights in and out of Bangkok airports took off. Thousands of passengers were stranded, many of them promising never to return. If they wanted, they could have put the siege for weeks and months. Bangkok is a mirror democracy with a shade of monarchy and full of anarchy. It never was and will never be a democratic country.
Will the Mumbai or Delhi airports be under such a siege? Well, the answer is no because very few leaders will call for such an action. If they do, they are sure to lose their deposit in the next elections. The voters, or the common people, rule the roast and they vent their anger not at airports but through vote. Hang on, there are still many more.
We have heard of many African countries and prominent out of them are Rwanda and Somalia where there are no governments in place. Civil war between different rebel groups and the government is a regular feature here. Very few in the world are bothered to bring back normalcy to these regions because it doesn’t pose a real threat to big economies like the US. Why the world got united in attacking Afghanistan and Iraq is not because of religion but because it brought a global threat of extinction. And these are the same global economies which sells arms and ammunitions to both the rebels and the government to fight each other.
India’s democratic set up and the constitution will crush these types of civil wars. Yes, if the Indian politicians continue to divide and rule in the name of religion and caste, there could be face offs like what we saw in Rajasthan by the Gurjars or what wee see in the form of Naxalite activities.
So is Indian democracy safe and vibrant? Are we safe? If you think it is, then think again. If at all a world war breaks out, it will be between India and Pakistan. If that happens, it will be nuclear war. And you know how safe we all will be once that happens.
But where does this rage come from in both Greece and France? Not because of poverty as its per capita income and quality-of-life indicators are average for the EU. Nor is Greece especially troubled by immigration problems. According to Owen Mathews of Mail Online, the answer lies partly in Greece's recent political history. Athens may have been the cradle of democracy in the 5th century BC, but in the intervening two-and-a-half millennia, the political system has been rather less enlightened.
From 1967 to 1974, Greece was ruled by a Right-wing military junta - the Regime of the Colonels - which imprisoned and tortured thousands of political opponents and left a legacy of public mistrust of the police.
Democracy was restored in November 1973 only after a violent student uprising was brutally put down when the Colonels sent tanks into the campus of Athens's Polytechnic University. But they, in turn, lost all support and had to relinquish power.
Ever since, the student rioters who brought down the Colonels have been a staple of Greek school-book history. They are widely admired as popular heroes who resisted authority.
The comparison with riots in France in 2005 and 2007 is telling. In 2005, youths in 274 French cities protested following the accidental death of two teenagers after a police chase. Nearly 9,000 vehicles were torched, causing €200million of damage.
The violence was repeated last year after two youths crashed their stolen scooter into a police car, and riots broke out all over France.
In both France and Greece, riots broke out in purpose-built suburbs where youth unemployment, crime and violence thrive. And like Greece, France glorifies the student unrest of May 1968 as a rebellion against an authoritarian old guard.
More importantly, though, both countries have an unbroken tradition of a large and lumbering public sector, and short-sighted and selfish trades unions. In both countries, people are used to looking to the State for economic solutions.
Are you listening my dear Indian politicians?? We don’t want India to become another Greece or France? Big time developments like Gurgaon, Delhi Metro, Mumbai to Shanghai or other material developmental factors are not the answer. They can be destroyed within hours. Human development is the key. And for that to happen we need to strengthen our primary schools, modernize primary health centres, get more employment opportunities, root out corruption and stop differentiate between humans.
How many such shootings and encounter incidents happen in India? Perhaps many and most of them are not even reported, leave alone any protests. Is it a good democratic system? Hang on.
BBC reports that a cholera epidemic is sweeping across Zimbabwe, causing suffering to millions of people already struggling to survive in a country close to systemic collapse as food shortages and hyperinflation continue to take their toll. Thousands of patients have been left stranded because almost all the government-run health institutions here have been closed indefinitely, owing to a lack of finance. Schools closed before the term had ended because teachers refused to work without being paid. All this because one man thought colonialism by White men could make Zimbabwe bankrupt. In return, he gave his people bankruptcy and misery.
Do we see this in India? Perhaps yes but then it becomes a major issue for preying television reporters and then the government is so embarrassed and harassed that it is forced to act. It that a good democratic practice? Hang on further.
The entire Bangkok city was hijacked by a group of anti-government protestors. So much so that the police were mere spectators. No flights in and out of Bangkok airports took off. Thousands of passengers were stranded, many of them promising never to return. If they wanted, they could have put the siege for weeks and months. Bangkok is a mirror democracy with a shade of monarchy and full of anarchy. It never was and will never be a democratic country.
Will the Mumbai or Delhi airports be under such a siege? Well, the answer is no because very few leaders will call for such an action. If they do, they are sure to lose their deposit in the next elections. The voters, or the common people, rule the roast and they vent their anger not at airports but through vote. Hang on, there are still many more.
We have heard of many African countries and prominent out of them are Rwanda and Somalia where there are no governments in place. Civil war between different rebel groups and the government is a regular feature here. Very few in the world are bothered to bring back normalcy to these regions because it doesn’t pose a real threat to big economies like the US. Why the world got united in attacking Afghanistan and Iraq is not because of religion but because it brought a global threat of extinction. And these are the same global economies which sells arms and ammunitions to both the rebels and the government to fight each other.
India’s democratic set up and the constitution will crush these types of civil wars. Yes, if the Indian politicians continue to divide and rule in the name of religion and caste, there could be face offs like what we saw in Rajasthan by the Gurjars or what wee see in the form of Naxalite activities.
So is Indian democracy safe and vibrant? Are we safe? If you think it is, then think again. If at all a world war breaks out, it will be between India and Pakistan. If that happens, it will be nuclear war. And you know how safe we all will be once that happens.
But where does this rage come from in both Greece and France? Not because of poverty as its per capita income and quality-of-life indicators are average for the EU. Nor is Greece especially troubled by immigration problems. According to Owen Mathews of Mail Online, the answer lies partly in Greece's recent political history. Athens may have been the cradle of democracy in the 5th century BC, but in the intervening two-and-a-half millennia, the political system has been rather less enlightened.
From 1967 to 1974, Greece was ruled by a Right-wing military junta - the Regime of the Colonels - which imprisoned and tortured thousands of political opponents and left a legacy of public mistrust of the police.
Democracy was restored in November 1973 only after a violent student uprising was brutally put down when the Colonels sent tanks into the campus of Athens's Polytechnic University. But they, in turn, lost all support and had to relinquish power.
Ever since, the student rioters who brought down the Colonels have been a staple of Greek school-book history. They are widely admired as popular heroes who resisted authority.
The comparison with riots in France in 2005 and 2007 is telling. In 2005, youths in 274 French cities protested following the accidental death of two teenagers after a police chase. Nearly 9,000 vehicles were torched, causing €200million of damage.
The violence was repeated last year after two youths crashed their stolen scooter into a police car, and riots broke out all over France.
In both France and Greece, riots broke out in purpose-built suburbs where youth unemployment, crime and violence thrive. And like Greece, France glorifies the student unrest of May 1968 as a rebellion against an authoritarian old guard.
More importantly, though, both countries have an unbroken tradition of a large and lumbering public sector, and short-sighted and selfish trades unions. In both countries, people are used to looking to the State for economic solutions.
Are you listening my dear Indian politicians?? We don’t want India to become another Greece or France? Big time developments like Gurgaon, Delhi Metro, Mumbai to Shanghai or other material developmental factors are not the answer. They can be destroyed within hours. Human development is the key. And for that to happen we need to strengthen our primary schools, modernize primary health centres, get more employment opportunities, root out corruption and stop differentiate between humans.
December 06, 2008
Me, Vodafone and international taxation
As I heard that Vodafone lost a case in an income tax tangle and that it was related to international taxation, I immediately gauged it could be the work of one person or a team led by this person, who happens to be my former boss when I was a small time employee in income tax department.
The tax demand on the telecom major was prepared by Girish Dave and Rahul Navin. Girish Dave was my Additional Commissioner in Ahmedabad and I worked closely with him as a Tax Assistant starting from the Voluntary Disclosure (VDIS) scheme till the time he was transferred.
After a short while I resigned from the department to pursue what I was doing secretly when I was in the department itself. I used to use my holidays, Saturdays and Sundays and my eligible leave to travel across the country (mostly within the perimeters of Gujarat) for assignments – mostly socially and development related stories.
I never worked for any Indian organizations during this period and so my stories were never noticed or printed in India. Most of the stories for internet portals and thanks to poor penetration in India, no body noticed it.
But every one knew I was doing some sort of writing and nothing beyond that. But when in the office, I never mixed this with the official work and so there was no problem whatsoever – except perhaps one time when I took a print out of a story for editing and inadvertently one extra copy got printed in the laser printer which was noticed by Mr Dave – who gently called me and asked me to keep the work out of the regular job.
That was the time I told him that I am least interested in a government job where my wavelength never matched. And it never did and subsequently I left the job.
It was in recent times that I read a story on this case and ironically I got the number of Dave Saab – as we used to call him – and called him. Though I did not follow the case thoroughly, I did follow when the judgement was pronounced.
Though it may have got Vodafone by surprise, it didn’t surprise me by any standards, given the audacity with which Mr Dave takes his work to serious levels keeping no loopholes. Though his fountain pen (he used to write to Pilot pen then) may go dry, his hands would never get tired of writing innumerable pages which would form the note sheets (note sheets are very important part of filing in government departments).
It may have many implications as many experts point out but when you prepare a case, the only target is to see if the case has any merits and if it has, see to it that it concludes in a logical way. There is no point in fighting a case which you will lose because there are other implications attached with it.
I like the way Mr Dave takes the cases, and remembers them, however small it may be. When he was the Additional Commissioner in Ahmedabad, the Chief Commissioner was a person whom no body could approach. Very few people could enter his room and he was a terror in both his looks and his behaviour. He looked like Amrish Puri (was a Punjabi and his name was J M Mehra) and even his voice was as hard as a rock.
But a small time employee like me never felt this and so did a high ranked officer like Mr Dave. Mr Mehra never shouted at me though I was in his chamber for almost all day for one or the other work. He never did with Mr Dave either. This led me to realize that if you have done no wrong, you have nothing to fear. Follow your conscience which I still do though I am not in a government department any more.
I earned the nick name of CC for following my conscience. People in Income tax still remember me as an arrogant person who behaved as if I am the Chief Commissioner (CC), the highest ranking official of the state.
Coming back to the case, the questions industry is asking is whether the case will derail future deals as foreign investors grow wary of changing rules after the event? Vodafone supporters say this is as good as creating new rules. Such intervention will put all future deals in cold storage.
Vodafone International Holdings BV, a Dutch company wholly owned by U.K.-based Vodafone Group, has long challenged Indian tax authorities' jurisdiction to recover the tax, suggesting the deal between its Dutch unit and Hong Kong's Hutchison Whampoa Ltd.'s Cayman Islands-registered vehicle isn't liable to be taxed in India, as it took place on foreign soil.
Vodafone is to appeal this ruling in Supreme Court. But in case Vodafone loses the case again, a greater tax liability awaits them as the department will screen further financial details of the deal and will arrive at a final tax liability.
But that seems to a foregone conclusion as Mr Dave & Party may have left no loopholes in the case for Vodafone to apply balm on it. As I called him today, he seems not to be jubilant but victorious. As an officer in charge of getting revenue to the exchequer, he should be.
The tax demand on the telecom major was prepared by Girish Dave and Rahul Navin. Girish Dave was my Additional Commissioner in Ahmedabad and I worked closely with him as a Tax Assistant starting from the Voluntary Disclosure (VDIS) scheme till the time he was transferred.
After a short while I resigned from the department to pursue what I was doing secretly when I was in the department itself. I used to use my holidays, Saturdays and Sundays and my eligible leave to travel across the country (mostly within the perimeters of Gujarat) for assignments – mostly socially and development related stories.
I never worked for any Indian organizations during this period and so my stories were never noticed or printed in India. Most of the stories for internet portals and thanks to poor penetration in India, no body noticed it.
But every one knew I was doing some sort of writing and nothing beyond that. But when in the office, I never mixed this with the official work and so there was no problem whatsoever – except perhaps one time when I took a print out of a story for editing and inadvertently one extra copy got printed in the laser printer which was noticed by Mr Dave – who gently called me and asked me to keep the work out of the regular job.
That was the time I told him that I am least interested in a government job where my wavelength never matched. And it never did and subsequently I left the job.
It was in recent times that I read a story on this case and ironically I got the number of Dave Saab – as we used to call him – and called him. Though I did not follow the case thoroughly, I did follow when the judgement was pronounced.
Though it may have got Vodafone by surprise, it didn’t surprise me by any standards, given the audacity with which Mr Dave takes his work to serious levels keeping no loopholes. Though his fountain pen (he used to write to Pilot pen then) may go dry, his hands would never get tired of writing innumerable pages which would form the note sheets (note sheets are very important part of filing in government departments).
It may have many implications as many experts point out but when you prepare a case, the only target is to see if the case has any merits and if it has, see to it that it concludes in a logical way. There is no point in fighting a case which you will lose because there are other implications attached with it.
I like the way Mr Dave takes the cases, and remembers them, however small it may be. When he was the Additional Commissioner in Ahmedabad, the Chief Commissioner was a person whom no body could approach. Very few people could enter his room and he was a terror in both his looks and his behaviour. He looked like Amrish Puri (was a Punjabi and his name was J M Mehra) and even his voice was as hard as a rock.
But a small time employee like me never felt this and so did a high ranked officer like Mr Dave. Mr Mehra never shouted at me though I was in his chamber for almost all day for one or the other work. He never did with Mr Dave either. This led me to realize that if you have done no wrong, you have nothing to fear. Follow your conscience which I still do though I am not in a government department any more.
I earned the nick name of CC for following my conscience. People in Income tax still remember me as an arrogant person who behaved as if I am the Chief Commissioner (CC), the highest ranking official of the state.
Coming back to the case, the questions industry is asking is whether the case will derail future deals as foreign investors grow wary of changing rules after the event? Vodafone supporters say this is as good as creating new rules. Such intervention will put all future deals in cold storage.
Vodafone International Holdings BV, a Dutch company wholly owned by U.K.-based Vodafone Group, has long challenged Indian tax authorities' jurisdiction to recover the tax, suggesting the deal between its Dutch unit and Hong Kong's Hutchison Whampoa Ltd.'s Cayman Islands-registered vehicle isn't liable to be taxed in India, as it took place on foreign soil.
Vodafone is to appeal this ruling in Supreme Court. But in case Vodafone loses the case again, a greater tax liability awaits them as the department will screen further financial details of the deal and will arrive at a final tax liability.
But that seems to a foregone conclusion as Mr Dave & Party may have left no loopholes in the case for Vodafone to apply balm on it. As I called him today, he seems not to be jubilant but victorious. As an officer in charge of getting revenue to the exchequer, he should be.
December 03, 2008
Whose India, Whose Icon?
By Gnani Sankaran, Tamil writer, Chennai
Watching at least four English news channels surfing from one another during the last 60 hours of terror strike made me feel a terror of another kind. The terror of assaulting one's mind and sensitivity with cameras, sound bites and non-stop blabbers. All these channels have been trying to manufacture my consent for a big lie called - *Hotel Taj the icon of India.*
Whose India, Whose Icon ?
It is a matter of great shame that these channels simply did not bother about the other icon that faced the first attack from terrorists – the Chatrapathi Shivaji Terminus (CST) railway station. CST is the true icon of Mumbai. It is through this railway station hundreds of Indians from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Tamilnadu have poured into Mumbai over the years, transforming themselves into Mumbaikars and built the Mumbai of today along with the Marathis and Kolis
But the channels would not recognise this. Nor would they recognise the thirty odd dead bodies strewn all over the platform of CST. No Barkha dutt went there to tell us who they were. But she was at Taj to
show us the damaged furniture and reception lobby braving the guards. And the TV cameras did not go to the government run JJ hospital to find out who those 26 unidentified bodies were. Instead
they were again invading the battered Taj to try in vain for a scoop shot of the dead bodies of the page 3 celebrities.
In all probability, the unidentified bodies could be those of workers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh migrating to Mumbai, arriving by train at CST without cell phones and pan cards to identify them. Even after 60 hours after the CST massacre, no channel has bothered to cover in detail what transpired there.
The channels conveniently failed to acknowledge that the Aam Aadmis of India surviving in Mumbai were not affected by Taj, Oberoi and Trident closing down for a couple of weeks or months. What mattered to them was the stoppage of BEST buses and suburban trains even for one hour. But the channels were not covering that aspect of the terror attack. Such information at best merited a scroll line, while the cameras have to be dedicated for real time thriller unfolding at Taj or Nariman bhavan.
The so called justification for the hype the channels built around heritage site Taj falling down (CST is also a heritage site), is that Hotel Taj is where the rich and the powerful of India and the globe congregate. It is a symbol or icon of power of money and politics, not India. It is the icon of the financiers and swindlers of India. The Mumbai and India were built by the Aam Aadmis who passed through CST and Taj was the oasis of peace and privacy for those who wielded power over these mass of labouring classes. Leopold club and Taj were the haunts of rich spoilt kids who would drive their vehicles over sleeping Aam Aadmis on the pavement, the Mafiosi of Mumbai forever financing the glitterati of Bollywood (and also the terrorists) , Political brokers and industrialists.
It is precisely because Taj is the icon of power and not people that the terrorists chose to strike. The terrorists have understood after several efforts that the Aam Aadmi will never break down even if you
bomb her markets and trains. He/she was resilient because that is the only way he/she can even survive. Resilience was another word that annoyed the pundits of news channels and their patrons this time. What resilience, enough is enough, said Pranoy Roy's channel on the left side of the channel spectrum. Same sentiments were echoed by Arnab Goswami representing the right wing of the broadcast media whose time is now. Can Rajdeep be far behind in this game of one up manship over TRPs? They all attacked resilience this time. They wanted firm action from the government in tackling terror.
The same channels celebrated resilience when bombs went off in trains and markets killing and maiming the Aam Aadmis. The resilience of the ordinary worker suited the rich business class of Mumbai since work or manufacture or film shooting did not stop. When it came to them, the rich shamelessly exhibited their lack of nerves and refused to be resilient themselves. They cry for government intervention now to protect their private spas and swimming pools and bars and restaurants, similar to the way in which Citibank, General Motors and the ilk cry for government money when their coffers are emptied by their own ideologies. Theterrorists have learnt that the ordinary Indian is unperturbed by terror. For one whose daily existence itself is a terror of government sponsored inflation and market sponsored exclusion, pain is something he has learnt to live with. The rich of Mumbai and India Inc are facing the pain for the first time and learning about it just as the middle classes of India learnt about violation of human rights only during emergency, a cool 28 years after independence.
And human rights were another favourite issue for the channels to whip at times of terrorism. Arnab Goswami in an animated voice wondered where were those champions of human rights now, not to be seen applauding the brave and selfless police officers who gave up their life in fighting terorism. Well, the counter question would be where you were when such officers were violating the human rights of Aam Aadmis. Has there ever been any 24 hour non stop coverage of violence against dalits and adivasis of this country?
This definitely was not the time to manufacture consent for the extra legal and third degree methods of interrogation of police and army but Arnabs don't miss a single opportunity to serve their class masters, this time the jingoistic patriotism came in handy to whitewash the entire uniformed services.
The sacrifice of the commandos or the police officers who went down dying at the hands of ruthless terrorists is no doubt heart rending but in vain in a situation which needed not just bran but also brain.
Israel has a point when it says the operations were misplanned resulting in the death of its nationals here. Karkares and Salaskars would not be dead if they did not commit the mistake of traveling by
the same vehicle. It is a basic lesson in management that the top brass should never t ravel together in crisis.
The terrorists, if only they had watched the channels, would have laughed their hearts out when the Chief of the Marine commandos, an elite force, masking his face so unprofessionally in a see-through cloth, told the media that the commandos had no idea about the structure of the Hotel Taj which they were trying to liberate. But the terrorists knew the place thoroughly, he acknowledged. Is it so difficult to obtain a ground plan of Hotel Taj and discuss operation strategy thoroughly for at least one hour before entering? This is something even an event manager would first ask for, if he had to fix 25 audio systems and 50 CCtvs for a cultural event in a hotel. Would not Ratan Tata have provided a plan of his ancestral hotel to the commandos within one hour considering the mighty apparatus at his and government's disposal? Are satelite pictures only available for terrorists and not the government agencies? In an operation known to consume time, one more hour for preparation would have only improved the efficiency of execution.
Sacrifices become doubly tragic in unprofessional circumstances. But
the Aam Aadmis always believe that terror-shooters do better
planning than terrorists. And the gullible media in a jingoistic mood
would not raise any question about any of these issues. They after
all have their favourite whipping boy – the politician the eternal
entertainer for the non-voting rich classes of India. Arnabs and
Rajdeeps would wax eloquent on Manmohan Singh and Advani visiting
Mumbai separately and not together showing solidarity even at this
hour of national crisis. What a farce? Why these can't channel pool
together all their camera crew and reporters at this time of national
calamity and share the sound and visual bites which could mean a wider
and deeper coverage of events with such a huge human resource to
command? Why should Arnab and Rajdeep and Barkha keep harping every
five minutes that this piece of information was exclusive to their
channel, at the time of such a national crisis? Is this the time to
promote the channel? If that is valid, the politician promoting his
own political constituency is equally valid. And the duty of the
politician is to do politics, his politics. It is for the people to
evaluate that politics. And terrorism is not above politics. It is
politics by other means.
To come to grips with it and to eventually eliminate it, the practice
of politics by proper means needs constant fine tuning and
improvement. Decrying all politics and
politicians, only helps terrorists and dictators who are the two sides
of the same coin. And the rich and powerful always prefer terrorists
and dictators to do business with. Those caught in this crossfire are
always the Aam Aadmis whose
deaths are not even mourned - the taxi driver who lost the entire
family at CST firing, the numerous waiters and stewards who lost their
lives working in Taj for a monthly salary that would be one time bill
for their masters.
Watching at least four English news channels surfing from one another during the last 60 hours of terror strike made me feel a terror of another kind. The terror of assaulting one's mind and sensitivity with cameras, sound bites and non-stop blabbers. All these channels have been trying to manufacture my consent for a big lie called - *Hotel Taj the icon of India.*
Whose India, Whose Icon ?
It is a matter of great shame that these channels simply did not bother about the other icon that faced the first attack from terrorists – the Chatrapathi Shivaji Terminus (CST) railway station. CST is the true icon of Mumbai. It is through this railway station hundreds of Indians from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Tamilnadu have poured into Mumbai over the years, transforming themselves into Mumbaikars and built the Mumbai of today along with the Marathis and Kolis
But the channels would not recognise this. Nor would they recognise the thirty odd dead bodies strewn all over the platform of CST. No Barkha dutt went there to tell us who they were. But she was at Taj to
show us the damaged furniture and reception lobby braving the guards. And the TV cameras did not go to the government run JJ hospital to find out who those 26 unidentified bodies were. Instead
they were again invading the battered Taj to try in vain for a scoop shot of the dead bodies of the page 3 celebrities.
In all probability, the unidentified bodies could be those of workers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh migrating to Mumbai, arriving by train at CST without cell phones and pan cards to identify them. Even after 60 hours after the CST massacre, no channel has bothered to cover in detail what transpired there.
The channels conveniently failed to acknowledge that the Aam Aadmis of India surviving in Mumbai were not affected by Taj, Oberoi and Trident closing down for a couple of weeks or months. What mattered to them was the stoppage of BEST buses and suburban trains even for one hour. But the channels were not covering that aspect of the terror attack. Such information at best merited a scroll line, while the cameras have to be dedicated for real time thriller unfolding at Taj or Nariman bhavan.
The so called justification for the hype the channels built around heritage site Taj falling down (CST is also a heritage site), is that Hotel Taj is where the rich and the powerful of India and the globe congregate. It is a symbol or icon of power of money and politics, not India. It is the icon of the financiers and swindlers of India. The Mumbai and India were built by the Aam Aadmis who passed through CST and Taj was the oasis of peace and privacy for those who wielded power over these mass of labouring classes. Leopold club and Taj were the haunts of rich spoilt kids who would drive their vehicles over sleeping Aam Aadmis on the pavement, the Mafiosi of Mumbai forever financing the glitterati of Bollywood (and also the terrorists) , Political brokers and industrialists.
It is precisely because Taj is the icon of power and not people that the terrorists chose to strike. The terrorists have understood after several efforts that the Aam Aadmi will never break down even if you
bomb her markets and trains. He/she was resilient because that is the only way he/she can even survive. Resilience was another word that annoyed the pundits of news channels and their patrons this time. What resilience, enough is enough, said Pranoy Roy's channel on the left side of the channel spectrum. Same sentiments were echoed by Arnab Goswami representing the right wing of the broadcast media whose time is now. Can Rajdeep be far behind in this game of one up manship over TRPs? They all attacked resilience this time. They wanted firm action from the government in tackling terror.
The same channels celebrated resilience when bombs went off in trains and markets killing and maiming the Aam Aadmis. The resilience of the ordinary worker suited the rich business class of Mumbai since work or manufacture or film shooting did not stop. When it came to them, the rich shamelessly exhibited their lack of nerves and refused to be resilient themselves. They cry for government intervention now to protect their private spas and swimming pools and bars and restaurants, similar to the way in which Citibank, General Motors and the ilk cry for government money when their coffers are emptied by their own ideologies. Theterrorists have learnt that the ordinary Indian is unperturbed by terror. For one whose daily existence itself is a terror of government sponsored inflation and market sponsored exclusion, pain is something he has learnt to live with. The rich of Mumbai and India Inc are facing the pain for the first time and learning about it just as the middle classes of India learnt about violation of human rights only during emergency, a cool 28 years after independence.
And human rights were another favourite issue for the channels to whip at times of terrorism. Arnab Goswami in an animated voice wondered where were those champions of human rights now, not to be seen applauding the brave and selfless police officers who gave up their life in fighting terorism. Well, the counter question would be where you were when such officers were violating the human rights of Aam Aadmis. Has there ever been any 24 hour non stop coverage of violence against dalits and adivasis of this country?
This definitely was not the time to manufacture consent for the extra legal and third degree methods of interrogation of police and army but Arnabs don't miss a single opportunity to serve their class masters, this time the jingoistic patriotism came in handy to whitewash the entire uniformed services.
The sacrifice of the commandos or the police officers who went down dying at the hands of ruthless terrorists is no doubt heart rending but in vain in a situation which needed not just bran but also brain.
Israel has a point when it says the operations were misplanned resulting in the death of its nationals here. Karkares and Salaskars would not be dead if they did not commit the mistake of traveling by
the same vehicle. It is a basic lesson in management that the top brass should never t ravel together in crisis.
The terrorists, if only they had watched the channels, would have laughed their hearts out when the Chief of the Marine commandos, an elite force, masking his face so unprofessionally in a see-through cloth, told the media that the commandos had no idea about the structure of the Hotel Taj which they were trying to liberate. But the terrorists knew the place thoroughly, he acknowledged. Is it so difficult to obtain a ground plan of Hotel Taj and discuss operation strategy thoroughly for at least one hour before entering? This is something even an event manager would first ask for, if he had to fix 25 audio systems and 50 CCtvs for a cultural event in a hotel. Would not Ratan Tata have provided a plan of his ancestral hotel to the commandos within one hour considering the mighty apparatus at his and government's disposal? Are satelite pictures only available for terrorists and not the government agencies? In an operation known to consume time, one more hour for preparation would have only improved the efficiency of execution.
Sacrifices become doubly tragic in unprofessional circumstances. But
the Aam Aadmis always believe that terror-shooters do better
planning than terrorists. And the gullible media in a jingoistic mood
would not raise any question about any of these issues. They after
all have their favourite whipping boy – the politician the eternal
entertainer for the non-voting rich classes of India. Arnabs and
Rajdeeps would wax eloquent on Manmohan Singh and Advani visiting
Mumbai separately and not together showing solidarity even at this
hour of national crisis. What a farce? Why these can't channel pool
together all their camera crew and reporters at this time of national
calamity and share the sound and visual bites which could mean a wider
and deeper coverage of events with such a huge human resource to
command? Why should Arnab and Rajdeep and Barkha keep harping every
five minutes that this piece of information was exclusive to their
channel, at the time of such a national crisis? Is this the time to
promote the channel? If that is valid, the politician promoting his
own political constituency is equally valid. And the duty of the
politician is to do politics, his politics. It is for the people to
evaluate that politics. And terrorism is not above politics. It is
politics by other means.
To come to grips with it and to eventually eliminate it, the practice
of politics by proper means needs constant fine tuning and
improvement. Decrying all politics and
politicians, only helps terrorists and dictators who are the two sides
of the same coin. And the rich and powerful always prefer terrorists
and dictators to do business with. Those caught in this crossfire are
always the Aam Aadmis whose
deaths are not even mourned - the taxi driver who lost the entire
family at CST firing, the numerous waiters and stewards who lost their
lives working in Taj for a monthly salary that would be one time bill
for their masters.
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