WikiLeaks 'bombs' Mayawati
After the massive fortnight long agitation by gandhian and non-political Anna Hazare that gave the people of this country to vent their anger against the polical class in particular, the politicos seem yet to learn any lesson, least to cut down on their preoccupation to maintain the status-quo. A US diplomatic cable released this week by Wikileaks atleast confirms the practice in vogue.
And when talked about fashion and fiesta how can the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh , Mayawati, be far behind.
A recent cable leaked by the whistle blower website WikiLeaks says the CM is “obsessed with her grooming and fashion”. It adds that the CM had sent a private jet to Mumbai to ferry her favourite sandals that is said to have cost the exchequer atleast Rs 10 lakhs. The expose also describes her as an autocratic and personally corrupt and that she aspires to become the Prime Minister of India.
The expose has definitely upped the political temperature in the election bound state. And Assange has become the new foe of the BSP supremo although a non-political one, similar on the lines of Anna Hazare.
The popularity of Julian Assange is limited to the ‘progressive’ and the net savvy class only, however in times of 24/7 media watch, the issue is likely to pick-up in coming days. Also, this class is termed as the opinion makers for their proximity to the ‘new media’.
After the Bhatta-Parsaul ‘march’ of Rahul Gandhi it’s another shot in the arms of Congress party to recapture its lost constituency. The Congress general secretary, in the past, had had ‘daal roti’ at a dalit’s home. It’s high time that the ‘dalit ki beti’ too start visits to some pockets.
Meanwhile, Congress which is making all efforts to regain its lost constituencies under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi who after being associated with the farmer agitation in Bhatta-Parsaul and trying to paint a mass leader image has got a shot in its arm to ‘gherao’ the BSP supremo. The UPCC president, Rita Bahuguna Joshi, too has hit out at the CM saying that UP has the most corrupt government in the country.
In some quarters it’s being said that the CM is more concern about building parks for herself than to erase corruption and punish corrupt officials.
For Congress it’s a delicate issue as it had initially rubbished the WikiLeaks’ cables which showed that several ministers of the Govt of India discussed and disclosed key policy matters with their American counterparts, it would be interesting to see to what extent does the party accepts or rejects the expose.
With the nation’s mood being stirred against corruption, the BJP may corner both the BSP and congress for being insensitive to common man’s plight and providing shelter to corrupt. Amar’s singh’s arrest in ‘cash for vote’ scam too may mark its imprint on the coming election.
Though the UP CM has rubbished all the reports and has upped the ante against the opposition. But not many seem to buy her argument of being targeted for being ‘dalit ki beti’ when it’s no secret that she had herself reached Lucknow through the ‘social engineering’.
The land acquisition controversy, uncontrolled crime, deteriorating law and order situation now compounded by the ‘shoegate’ has sent Mayawati on the backfoot with her trademark bag and baggages.
In this three-way( Congress, BJP and defending BSP) battle for power one who maintains a low-profile and remains in touch with all-changing ‘ground rules’ is deemed to be the victorious.
Also, this time other regional parties are ruled out. It’s clearly a two party fight and corruption surely will dominate the agenda.
Time for some ‘cleaning’!
Sep 15, 2011
Feb 25, 2011
Resentment all along...
It all started with the ‘Jasmine revolution’ and then virtually all the Middle-East viz Egypt, Jordan, Algeria and now Libya followed-in to witness the, ‘history in the making’. No doubt that these countries derive their inspiration from Tunisia. Today almost the entire West-Asia is ensued into the call of democracy. It is indeed history in the making.
The common focal point to all these unrest among the people that fuelled their outrage is mounting inflation, unemployment, disenchantment with the government that resulted in the indifference of rulers to decades and an unending corruption. Particularly in Tunisia and Egypt, the situation was very intense which led to the ouster of President Zine El Abidine ben Ali and put an end to 30-year rule of President Hosni Mubarak. One of the major drivers behind these public movements is the Facebook and Twitter generation. These young men used the ‘alternate media’ to their advantage when the state ensured a blanket ban on the other sources of information.
Now the question here arises, why is the ‘Jasmine revolution’ failed to call upon the Lotus despite the causes undeniably present here in India. A self satisfying answer to this question could be that here still persists some sort of democracy which in all the above mentioned cases were absent. But for how long can these answers contain the people from taking themselves to the streets. In India a staggering 78 pc (some 84 crores) people can’t even manage a proper meal twice a day. They do not enjoy the liberty to express themselves on platforms like Internet.
A similar kind of state-wide anger was witnessed in Bengal in 1965 owing to lack of employment, scarcity of food and the fact that little or no action was being taken to improve the situation. This led to an end to the congress-rule in the state and still the party is trying to undo the past. Then there also was a popular movement by Jayprakash Narayan. Basically it was a students’ movement with which the JP later associated himself and led from the front. It, however, lacked the basic attributes of a revolution and was more of a personal attack on Indira Gandhi following a judgment against her election in 1971.
If history can be a teacher then surely our politicians are the worst of pupils.
Today, corruption is the biggest malaise that India is facing. And it is challenging the very roots of existence of our society. Corruption depends on three things: values cherished by individuals; values cherished by society and the system of governance. Let’s take an example for each of them to ascertain where we actually stand on these parametres.
During and after the CWG scam broke out it was just a matter of time that there were whispers in several other corners as well. Then it was Adarsh Housing Society scam, Karnataka land deals, the mother of all scams the 2G scam. Even, space in not out of reach from the corrupt on the earth.
Corruption is always pervasive in every society but in a covert way.
In the 2G, as it is estimated to be the biggest of all, an individual’s values were targeted by a whole bunch of cronies for whom values never was a motivator and only profit can gauge their success. The first two criterion were easily tossed as a quid-pro-quo for the huge amount of money involved.
‘Masses chose who should run the government and classes decide how they should rule.’ A perfect example of Marxist theory was on display. The influence exerted by people outside the government in decisions of policy formation clearly explains the lack of system of governance.
During a recent meet only with the editors of TV channels the Prime Minister said, ‘I am not that a big culprit that I am being made of… and in coalition politics there are some give and take.’ He also emphasized the fact that ‘if some sort of compromise is not made then there would be elections every six months.’
Now to blame every shortcoming of the government on ‘coalition dharma’ may be a prudent idea but it does not augurs well for people expecting a no-compromise attitude from the government.
It is also important to ask the PM what kind of coalition dharma is he speaking of. In Tamil Nadu the DMK is in power with the support of 34 MLAs of the congress party and at the centre the congress party has 18 MP from the DMK. In case, even if hypothetical, DMK withdraws support from the Manmohan Singh government, it can still manage to complete its full term. But if it withdraws its 34 MLAs in Tamil Nadu the DMK is sure of biting the dust.
Also, the former chief minister of Maharashtra, Vilasrao Deshmukh whose name occurred in scams in Maharashtra and because of whom the Maharashtra government had to pay Rs 10 lakh to the Bombay high court, was elevated to the Union Ministry. He is a congress man. If the PM is really concerned about corruption and willing to take it ‘head-on’ why is he shying away from taking action against his own party men. Well, only the Prime Minister or the congress party is well-positioned to answer these questions if it wishes to otherwise it can wait till the next general elections and take refuge behind the ‘coalition dharma’.
The common focal point to all these unrest among the people that fuelled their outrage is mounting inflation, unemployment, disenchantment with the government that resulted in the indifference of rulers to decades and an unending corruption. Particularly in Tunisia and Egypt, the situation was very intense which led to the ouster of President Zine El Abidine ben Ali and put an end to 30-year rule of President Hosni Mubarak. One of the major drivers behind these public movements is the Facebook and Twitter generation. These young men used the ‘alternate media’ to their advantage when the state ensured a blanket ban on the other sources of information.
Now the question here arises, why is the ‘Jasmine revolution’ failed to call upon the Lotus despite the causes undeniably present here in India. A self satisfying answer to this question could be that here still persists some sort of democracy which in all the above mentioned cases were absent. But for how long can these answers contain the people from taking themselves to the streets. In India a staggering 78 pc (some 84 crores) people can’t even manage a proper meal twice a day. They do not enjoy the liberty to express themselves on platforms like Internet.
A similar kind of state-wide anger was witnessed in Bengal in 1965 owing to lack of employment, scarcity of food and the fact that little or no action was being taken to improve the situation. This led to an end to the congress-rule in the state and still the party is trying to undo the past. Then there also was a popular movement by Jayprakash Narayan. Basically it was a students’ movement with which the JP later associated himself and led from the front. It, however, lacked the basic attributes of a revolution and was more of a personal attack on Indira Gandhi following a judgment against her election in 1971.
If history can be a teacher then surely our politicians are the worst of pupils.
Today, corruption is the biggest malaise that India is facing. And it is challenging the very roots of existence of our society. Corruption depends on three things: values cherished by individuals; values cherished by society and the system of governance. Let’s take an example for each of them to ascertain where we actually stand on these parametres.
During and after the CWG scam broke out it was just a matter of time that there were whispers in several other corners as well. Then it was Adarsh Housing Society scam, Karnataka land deals, the mother of all scams the 2G scam. Even, space in not out of reach from the corrupt on the earth.
Corruption is always pervasive in every society but in a covert way.
In the 2G, as it is estimated to be the biggest of all, an individual’s values were targeted by a whole bunch of cronies for whom values never was a motivator and only profit can gauge their success. The first two criterion were easily tossed as a quid-pro-quo for the huge amount of money involved.
‘Masses chose who should run the government and classes decide how they should rule.’ A perfect example of Marxist theory was on display. The influence exerted by people outside the government in decisions of policy formation clearly explains the lack of system of governance.
During a recent meet only with the editors of TV channels the Prime Minister said, ‘I am not that a big culprit that I am being made of… and in coalition politics there are some give and take.’ He also emphasized the fact that ‘if some sort of compromise is not made then there would be elections every six months.’
Now to blame every shortcoming of the government on ‘coalition dharma’ may be a prudent idea but it does not augurs well for people expecting a no-compromise attitude from the government.
It is also important to ask the PM what kind of coalition dharma is he speaking of. In Tamil Nadu the DMK is in power with the support of 34 MLAs of the congress party and at the centre the congress party has 18 MP from the DMK. In case, even if hypothetical, DMK withdraws support from the Manmohan Singh government, it can still manage to complete its full term. But if it withdraws its 34 MLAs in Tamil Nadu the DMK is sure of biting the dust.
Also, the former chief minister of Maharashtra, Vilasrao Deshmukh whose name occurred in scams in Maharashtra and because of whom the Maharashtra government had to pay Rs 10 lakh to the Bombay high court, was elevated to the Union Ministry. He is a congress man. If the PM is really concerned about corruption and willing to take it ‘head-on’ why is he shying away from taking action against his own party men. Well, only the Prime Minister or the congress party is well-positioned to answer these questions if it wishes to otherwise it can wait till the next general elections and take refuge behind the ‘coalition dharma’.
Feb 18, 2011
Jo lehron se aagey nazar...
JO lehron se aagey nazar dekh paati,
to tum jan lte main kya socta hun.
wo awaaz jo tumko bhi bhed jaati,
to tum jan lete main kya sochta hun.
Zidd ka tumhare jo parda sarakta...
khidkiyon k aagey bhi tum dekh paate...
Ankhon se aadaton ki jo palke hatate,
to tum jaan lete ki main kya sochta hun.
Meri tereh hota agar khud par zara bharosa,
to kuch door tum bhi saath saath aate.
Rang meri aankho ka bantate Zara sa,
to kuch door tum bhi saath2 aate.
Hasrate tumhari naya zanm pati...
Khud dusre zanm me meri udaan chune,
kuch door tum bhi saath saath aate
Courtesy: UDAAN (movie)
to tum jan lte main kya socta hun.
wo awaaz jo tumko bhi bhed jaati,
to tum jan lete main kya sochta hun.
Zidd ka tumhare jo parda sarakta...
khidkiyon k aagey bhi tum dekh paate...
Ankhon se aadaton ki jo palke hatate,
to tum jaan lete ki main kya sochta hun.
Meri tereh hota agar khud par zara bharosa,
to kuch door tum bhi saath saath aate.
Rang meri aankho ka bantate Zara sa,
to kuch door tum bhi saath2 aate.
Hasrate tumhari naya zanm pati...
Khud dusre zanm me meri udaan chune,
kuch door tum bhi saath saath aate
Courtesy: UDAAN (movie)
Jun 14, 2010
An ageing Tree-- eyeing heart from the heartless
What best defines the limitations of an ageing Tree… probably the best description of this misery-torned tree is a Gandhian cap, a chick penetrating inside the skull and a skeleton notwithstanding the demands of the body… Yet the zeal to continue the fight and save the pride continues irrespective of how things and people have changed….
While coming to my workplace from my rented accommodation in South Delhi’s budget area in a blueline bus… well not to mention that I never get to seat, but tday was somewhat different in many sense.
The bus carrying us like anyother unclaimed luggage, by now, has reached the Nizammudin stand…
And it was this place where two aged people landed inside the bus…
As soon as the bus stopped at the stand an old person who was more than qualified to fall in the ‘senior’ citizen category whirled towards the entrance ( in this case the front exit-door of the bus).. The Sun was at its best to compel us to acknowledge its presence…
He (the first old person of the two)- I”ll introduce the second one after a while, stood at the gate and started looking up to some one, probably for the conductor… After some time despite making his eyeballs exercise a lot he couldn’t manage to hold the sight of the person he was lookin for…. then a someone from the crowd asked..
“Baba kaha jaoge?”
He replied: “bus laal quile jaayegi”
By this time the conductor jumped into the scene.
Conductor: han han jaayegi,, aajao ….. jaldi kro..
Old man: kitne paise lagenge?
Conductor said, in his infamous dialect, “20 rupaye lagenge chalna hai chalo”….
The old man put his hand into his Gandhian kurta to find “support”…
And immediately he said in a very low voice, “7 rupaye.. 1 ke…”
His voice was so low and lacked potent that it appeared as if the words were accompanying the hot breeze to reach our ears…
The conductor had nodded his head in an emphatic no and I was mulling to come to the rescue of the old person…..
But suddenly the driver said, “aa jao, aajao,…. Oye bithale enna nu”
I just heard the first part and had a sigh of relief, as the rest was not of much importance, for two reasons-
1. I did not have to shell-out my hard-earned money and,
2. The old man got on the bus with the money he could afford
To my surprise, the old man went backward in a hurry… I thought may to collect his belongings. But he returned with his fellow couterpart…
They both embarked into the bus and the bus moved ahead… with no seat to sit…
I continued watching both of them.. the other old man attracted my attention.. His behaviour depicted a lot abt him in that short span....
His, time and again, combing of beard with fingers and adjusting the Gandhian cap and taking care of the trademark stick…
Something was different with the duo… They did not welcomed the move by the conductor to give them space to sit on the floor of the bus… yet not even sat on the space ( reserved for the senior citizen) provided them by two others…
May they did not wanted to sit by allowing others to stand however young may be…
Then I reached my destination and had to drop-down… turned for a last glance and the face still was held high in pride..
I don’t know wat compelled me to write this but I m sure that this piece is open for your interpretation of the events….
And that I don’t want to draw any conclusion and force any prejudice on others….. I conclude this piece here only.. thanx reading….!!!!
While coming to my workplace from my rented accommodation in South Delhi’s budget area in a blueline bus… well not to mention that I never get to seat, but tday was somewhat different in many sense.
The bus carrying us like anyother unclaimed luggage, by now, has reached the Nizammudin stand…
And it was this place where two aged people landed inside the bus…
As soon as the bus stopped at the stand an old person who was more than qualified to fall in the ‘senior’ citizen category whirled towards the entrance ( in this case the front exit-door of the bus).. The Sun was at its best to compel us to acknowledge its presence…
He (the first old person of the two)- I”ll introduce the second one after a while, stood at the gate and started looking up to some one, probably for the conductor… After some time despite making his eyeballs exercise a lot he couldn’t manage to hold the sight of the person he was lookin for…. then a someone from the crowd asked..
“Baba kaha jaoge?”
He replied: “bus laal quile jaayegi”
By this time the conductor jumped into the scene.
Conductor: han han jaayegi,, aajao ….. jaldi kro..
Old man: kitne paise lagenge?
Conductor said, in his infamous dialect, “20 rupaye lagenge chalna hai chalo”….
The old man put his hand into his Gandhian kurta to find “support”…
And immediately he said in a very low voice, “7 rupaye.. 1 ke…”
His voice was so low and lacked potent that it appeared as if the words were accompanying the hot breeze to reach our ears…
The conductor had nodded his head in an emphatic no and I was mulling to come to the rescue of the old person…..
But suddenly the driver said, “aa jao, aajao,…. Oye bithale enna nu”
I just heard the first part and had a sigh of relief, as the rest was not of much importance, for two reasons-
1. I did not have to shell-out my hard-earned money and,
2. The old man got on the bus with the money he could afford
To my surprise, the old man went backward in a hurry… I thought may to collect his belongings. But he returned with his fellow couterpart…
They both embarked into the bus and the bus moved ahead… with no seat to sit…
I continued watching both of them.. the other old man attracted my attention.. His behaviour depicted a lot abt him in that short span....
His, time and again, combing of beard with fingers and adjusting the Gandhian cap and taking care of the trademark stick…
Something was different with the duo… They did not welcomed the move by the conductor to give them space to sit on the floor of the bus… yet not even sat on the space ( reserved for the senior citizen) provided them by two others…
May they did not wanted to sit by allowing others to stand however young may be…
Then I reached my destination and had to drop-down… turned for a last glance and the face still was held high in pride..
I don’t know wat compelled me to write this but I m sure that this piece is open for your interpretation of the events….
And that I don’t want to draw any conclusion and force any prejudice on others….. I conclude this piece here only.. thanx reading….!!!!
May 24, 2010
ओन India !!!!
ONE INDIA ?????? According to Indian Constitution every citizen has equal right in India but its not the same when it comes of education, there is no rule by law to create equality in this field(as I read it on wikipedia).
But why??
Don't u think there should be a space in constitution for this also... When we think of reservation what comes first in one's mind is the SC/ST reservation or the new one 'OBC' quota reservation, but there is another category which is there from the begining, but unfortunately no one chuck-out time to ponder and "waste" his/her precious time on it.
It is this categorisation of students based on the state they belong or should I say the state they are "compelled" to represent..., Though it is as discriminating as it cud be but is given a more sober name 'domicile'.
what is domicile?
Don't u think its another way of classification in our country why is the country divided on the basis of state if whole India is one. I may not have the intellegentia our leaders have and probably thats the reason y I don't understand this classification.
Every state has just a couple of seats that it gives to All India combined examinations (AIEEE, AIPMT, MAT, CAT etc. One can exclude AIIMS, AFMC, IIT,(these have a little numbers of seats) but other than these many colleges do inequality in selection of students from whole of India.
A guy born in a developed state always has a upper hand compared to a guy born in poor state. The less "fortunate" kid has to work harder because of the poor facilities in his state, even if he reaches upto the level of being selected, its not enough, he always have an extra hurdle to cross and thats the barrier of 'domicile'.
I have a good example of it- My room-mate Vijay from Bihar got 137th rank in Safdarjung's entrance examination but he didn't get admission there as selection was closed for 'outsiders' at 131. on the other a student who got 600th rank got through as he belong to Delhi.
Wasn't this an injustice?
How can he say he is an Indian if he is treated as a outsider in his Capital city. Even when I came to Delhi to prepare for the entrance exams, I was regretting for not coming to Delhi after my board exam as I would have got the seats of DPMT. It didn't mattered much for both of us because we got admission in Manipal. Private colleges do not discriminates on the basis of state, even not to those from Andhra Pradesh which doesn't gives its single seat for All India Common Entrance Exams.
It doesn't matters how meritorious or hardworking one is.....what matters is- which state u r born... Had there been a 'single entrance exam' conducted in India, everyone would have got colleges they deserve. How can one think of an undivided India if there will always be division - overt or covert.
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