http://www.thehindu.com/
This article from today's The Hindu, is by a top journalist of India, Mr. Varadarajan, about unraveling of the Indian State's inside stories. It is stunning and well reading.
The recent roll out of scam stories from India(IBN Live), stuns one and all. The release of telephone conversations of corporate lobbyists (i.e. Neera Radia), with eminent journalists (Barkha Dutt, Vir Sangvi), industry titans(Ratan Tata, Mukesh Ambani), manipulation of political heavy weights (DMK operatives including CM, Congress President: Sonia Gandhi, Arun Shouri et el) in cabinet formation, is slowly coming to light.
Now Ratan Tata has gone to supreme court and Govt has ordered investigation as to who leaked the conversations, instead of investigating the manipulation, begs a BIG WHY?
My guess is: Govt. taping of such phone calls give Tatas & similar giant businesses, a watch on competition and lobbyists, through inside track. Thus Tata in his petition to supreme court states: "we have no quarrel with the government", while appealing to supreme court to suppress such leaks. It is not privacy issue for them but making it public, is the issue. For public to know, what they believe about benevolence/ law abiding corporate citizenship of TATA - is trash, gone with JRD, is damning for the TATAs. A loss worth 100s of thousand of crores in GOODWILL. Govt. also has ordered a probe to out the leaker’s identity, as it’s first act. This shows it’s priorities, not eliminating corruption but keeping it under wraps.
The story of neo-rich Ambanis is similar but a more aggressive tale. Changing BJP's budget lead speaker from Arun Shourie to Venkiah Naidu, to facilitate Rs. 81, 000 crores give away of GOI to Mukesh Ambani, by backdating the promotional Oil exploration Tax reduction (retroactive application of to existing facilities). No wonder Mukesh Ambani spends Rs.4500 crores($1 billion) out of the “boondoggle” to make his 27 floor house, with three Helicopter pads on top - one for Mr. Ambani, one for Mrs. Ambani & a third for the children. Some one said, Ambani Rocks. Yes, Ambani rocks, but on the back of the millions of poor - whose desperation is observable in "Farmer suicides", all over India, unable to payback bank loans and MFI loans foisted on them at high rates(25% to 60%). This while Mukeshes get reprieve of back taxes and fleece he exchequer.
I think time has come for a big purge and jail going for many manipulators and establishing rule of law, like in advance societies. Govt of India, and it's main protagonist Congress party, however have enormous and years of experience in making scandals die down. We citizens should not allow this to happen.
Today's CBI report has not even mentioned A. Raja - so it gives an idea how compromised this premier organization is. No doubt there are lots of good people there in it(CBI) - so it has a good reputation, but it is full of compromised cops too.
The fixers, some of you may know, deal with them and escape with slaps in the wrist.
On the positive side and hope is Nitish Kumar’s elevation of Bihar from bottom of the pit to hope and reelection to the top again. And people’s rejection of the manipulators and scam stars – outright: Only 25 MLAs out of 243.
As Sonia Gandhi has said: Congress has to go back to drawing board. Will that happen and a new and a different start ensured by Nitish Kumar’s victory? Only future will tell.
