NEWS TODAY - 06-10-13 - TN POLICE NAB TERRORISTS IN IN AP TOWN - What measures should India adopt to tackle terrorism effectively?

Sunday, October 06, 2013

NEWS – GOOD, BAD & SAD

There are always a few news that are heartening and invigorating. There are also always a lot of news which are depressing and demoralizing. Some news are – just not worth reading. Here are the Good, Bad and the Sad

1.  Excellent :TN EXTREMISTS WANTED FOR BID ON ADVANI HELD IN AP AFTER 10 HOUR OPERATIONS:-Puttur in southern AP was famous for ancient bone jointing methods. Even now, many people believe in the efficiency of these traditional Bone Jointers of Puttur. But, the proximity of Puttur to Tamilnadu makes it an ideal place for any terrorists to commit their heinous ACTS and flee easily outside Tamilnadu. The same thing happened  yesterday, when TN Police got info about the Terrorists hiding in Puttur. These Terrorists are wanted in case of attacks on several Hindu leaders, including Advani. The terrorists are posing as scrap dealers in Puttur. 3 Terrorists, Fakruddin,32, Bilal Malik,25, Panna Ismail,36 are arrested after a Huge operation involving the TN Police – helped by AP Govt. It is understood from News Reports that Islamic Terrorists Groups were regrouping and planning attacks on public figures and probably a temple as well. The terrorists at Puttur had fire arms and fought a gun battle also  before surrendering. They also used women and children as a shield against Police.  Even now, their family members, including mother, don’t believe that they can be terrorists. That shows, how Islamic terrorist groups operate – even without knowledge of their family members. In many earlier cases, a few were caught but were released for want of conclusive evidence. This is the problem with Terrorism and terrorists. If India wants to deal with Terrorism effectively, we need special Laws – and not ordinary laws and ordinary Court Processes. There will never be the so called CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE against terrorist attacks. Pakistan is hiding behind this spacious plea even in respect of the Mumbai Blasts. But, India can’t afford to have such archaic, ineffective, Laws, which endanger India from the terrorists. I therefore suggest the following methods to deal with terrorists :

(a)           First and Foremost, we need an All India based ANTI-TERRORIST SQUAD, NOT TAKING ORDERS FROM Political bosses, but acting Independently and reporting cases and actions taken, to Parliament through an Authority like Lok Pal, a judicial or quasi Judicial authority constituted for the purpose. If some Political boss is giving orders, like – deal with Muslim terrorists softly, differently etc – we can never, ever tackle terrorism on Indian Soil. There should be an unbiased, impartial Authority to deal with terrorism, but, they should be allowed to deal with terrorism strongly and independently.

(b)           There shall be no question of the Political Authority questioning them on their day-to-day operations like encounters, operations, killing on the spot, engaging in chase and catch, proactive operations and so on. The Lok Pal like Authority shall however report the progress of anti terrorist operations to a Joint committee of the Parliament , on monthly basis, and Parliament shall have authority to debate on the reports and give any guidelines for future operations as they may deem fit, without compromising on the Independence of the Anti Terrorist Squads.

(c)           The Squads shall have all Powers for Pro-active, preventive operations, including , where necessary, ENCOUNTERS, of  terrorists. There shall be no authority for any other authority like, say, CBI, for questioning their operations. It shall be the exclusive domain of the Lok Pal like authority constituted for the purpose. Parliament can, however, review the operations and suggest any guidelines for future.

(d)           Terrorism shall preferably include the Mafia operating in Mumbai and elsewhere, Sand/coal/Iron ore  mining Mafias in different states – and any other Mafias who terrorize General Public and regularly indulge in anti social, illegal operations of any kind. Even today, two persons were murdered for reporting about illegal sand mining. This is nothing but TERRORISM. Cases of People who are regularly involved in abducting women and children and carrying out trafficking in women and children must also come under Terrorism. These are all cases where the ordinary Police are a TOTAL FAILURE in almost every state.

(e)           But, Naxalism needs another specialist devoted group – with complete freedom of Action to root out Naxalism from the country. Naxalism for this purpose shall also include the terrorist Groups in the North east and other states as well.

(f)            These are my views. Of course, some Politicians won’t agree. Did they agree easily for barring criminal Politicians from Parliament and state legislatures? No. Did they implement Lok Pal Bill? No. As Lalu told on one occasion, why will they approve of a Lok Pal, which is dangerous for themselves! 

(g)           But, Country and people must rise above Politicians and insist on such Independent Anti-Terrorist operations. India must become a country where the ordinary citizen is not only Law abiding but is also fearless in his Lawful conduct.

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ENFORCE RIGHT TO REJECT - MAKE IT EFFECTIVE - GIVE US INFO ON ALL CANDIDATES TO VOTE / REJECT

ENFORCE

RIGHT TO REJECT!

WHAT ELSE?

The Ordnance and the Bill to allow criminals to stay as our Law makers now stands (almost) withdrawn. The media may say - that people have won; Media has won; etc. But, as I see it, If Rahul had not come out with his NONSENSE, TEAR IT OUT STATEMENT,  Both, Congress and BJP may still have supported the Bill in some form – despite all public outcry – and the Bill in some form may have been passed. There is never knowing how many among Public know all about this. They would still be supporting the Lalus, Jagans, Marans and the host of Politicians who are under lens for crimes allegedly committed by them. So, although I am a Modi Fan myself, I give full credit for this one good thing to Rahul. Modi did not call it NONSENSE. Rahul did. Even after Rahul called it NONSENSE, many in BJP did not seek withdrawal of the Bill in toto. Now, it is time for BJP stand up for total honesty and purity in Public life.

The next thing people want , I want, is RIGHT TO REJECT. It is another essential right for people – to reject all unworthy candidates. We are aware that Political parties will still be putting up unworthy candidates. 

Unfortunately, the way, Laws exist today, circumstances of Political contests exist today, only the very rich can contest; only a goonda can match the goondas from other parties. In such circumstances, we must give  real, enforceable, right to people to reject goondas who are not yet convicted but are known to be goondas, rapists, hate-mongers, violence-mongers and so on.

We, the people of India, must have the right to reject such people. It is not a RIGHT that will create problems for people, as some politicians and Journalists are making out. If all candidates are rejected by people in a constituency, heavens will not fall!  Next time, Parties will put up different candidates. Till then, President will rule. Bureaucrats will rule – say, for 3 to 6 months. People will then select candidates whom they really like.  Let there be no compromise voting by us – voting for the lesser evil . Let us have the best of candidates from all parties.

Some Journalists are writing about the separatists in Kashmir. Let every candidate swear that they will protect the totality and integrity of India. If any candidate speaks for separation, disqualify him instantly. Heavens will not fall by it.

But, RIGHT TO REJECT by itself is insufficient. I, as voter,  want to know the essential details about the candidates. Their qualifications; their services to the nation, if any; their profession; the periods of their stay at different places of the nation; their wealth; and how acquired. Their Income details; and so on. I must be able to choose intelligently. I need all such details published in some common easily accessible web site / News Paper.

These are Basics for a strong Democracy. After 66 years of freedom, we still don’t have any of these things. This is a real shame. I wish, the Parliament will make Laws in this direction immediately.

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JUSTICE FOR = PEOPLE VS CRIMINAL POLITICIANS = A FAIR ALTERNATIVE SYSTEM SUGGESTED

JUSTICE VS

CRIMINAL POLITICIANS

In Parliament & Legislatures

= A VIABLE ALTERNATIVE =

Today about one third of our MPs and MLAs are said to be facing criminal cases against them. Some of the cases against these Politicians are of very serious nature. But, the problem with Indian legal system is – that it takes ages to get approvals for prosecuting them; ages to actually do the investigation, ages to file the cases before courts of law and produces all the evidences before the Judges and get the criminal politicians convicted.

For instance, Lalu Prasad Yadav, after 17 years, has now been pronounced guilty. Had he been the Chief Minister of the place where the crime was in fact committed, it would have been impossible to secure this conviction. Even so, his influence on the Ruling UPA at the centre is so much that the whole cabinet and the PM also tried to save him by passing the now infamous ordnance. It was obvious to the whole country that the ordnance was, in essence, intended to save Lalu Prasad Yadav.

If, in fact, the conviction by the court does not disable his membership of Parliament, he would go on appealing and there are any number of courts and legal processes that would enable him remain in power for all of his life time. Ditto for any other Politician.

Look at the case of Dayanidhi Maran. The CBI could not even secure the approval of DOT to prosecute him. It is only now, after several years that it is able to file an FIR. How long will it take to complete the investigation and Judicial processes in India against someone Like Maran – GOK!!

In this system, if, even after conviction in a competent court, merely because, bail process is allowed, if a criminal is allowed to continue as MP / MLA , it is a mockery of the whole Legislative, Administrative  and Judicial  system in India.

So, what should be done, for removing even that iota of doubt in the Judicial system – and securing Justice to both the Legislatures / People of India and also to the accused?

I suggest the following alternative.

(1)       Only the CBI must handle all investigations against all MPs / MLAs / Ex MPs / Ex-MLAs. These shall not be handled by local Police, who can easily be influenced by the MPs / MLAs.

(2)       No permissions shall be required for investigating the cases. These shall be monitored by the High Courts of the state.

(3)       Like in the case of Gang Rape cases, let there be FAST TRACK COURTS to try MPs / MLAs and Ex MPs / Ex MLAs.

(4)       These courts shall have 3 Judges, instead of a single Magistrate. There shall be no appeal against the Judgment of this court, which shall be treated on par with High courts. When 3 senior Judges sit in Judgment, where is the need for any error or appeal?

(5)       The only appeal, shall be to the Supreme court, that too, not on matters of Fact, but, on matters of quantum of punishment only.

(6)       The convicted Politicians shall be debarred from all future elections if conviction is more than 2 years. There shall be no future pardon, on grounds such as special occasions, good conduct etc.

(7)       I do hope, that Parliament will come up with such a saner alternative than allowing criminal Politicians to make laws to save themselves and fool the nation all their life, by subverting the legislative processes and judicial processes. Let there be no more Ordnances and Laws which allow criminals to enter the portals of our Parliament and legislatures. Let Parliament not demean its own stature with such Laws.

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NEWS – GOOD, BAD & SAD -DT 02-10-2013 - RAHUL GANDHI ON ORDNANCE- CBI AND MARAN - MODI'S TRICHY RALLY - RAGHURAM RAJAN VS GUJARAT -

Wednesday, October 02, 2013

NEWS – GOOD, BAD & SAD

There are always a few news that are heartening and invigorating. There are also always a lot of news which are depressing and demoralizing. Some news are – just not worth reading. Here are the Good, Bad and the Sad

1.    Excellent :RAHUL GANDHI defended his stand on the ordnance saying that he expressed Public Opinion and did not mean anything against the PM or the Cabinet. I personally congratulate Rahul Gandhi for the extremely correct stand that he has taken in this case. The ordnance and the Bill in whatever form, congress wants to rework it – are all coming under the same category. You don’t need a law beyond what the Supreme Court has said. If anything, allow the convicted persons to go on appeal and if they come out clean later, let them come back into Politics. The charge that Rahul has somehow undermined the office of PM or his cabinet is just meaningless. The ordnance is meaningless and the PM and the cabinet should not have come out with it. The BJP must not have supported the idea itself initially.  Credit goes fully to Rahul Gandhi for saving the country from convicted Politicians. Other things – accusations to and fro – do not matter. They are the typical politics of the country.

2.    BAD /GOOD : CBI has registered an FIR against Dayanidhi Maran and some BSNL officials for alleged allotment of over 300 High speed telephone lines to his residence at Chennai , which were extended to his Brother’s Television Channel. The fresh case comes even as the Agency is finalizing its investigations into the Aircel-Maxis deal, in which Maran is an accused. The 323 telephone lines are allegedly in the name of General Manager, BSNL, and are connecting Maran’s residence  with the Sun TV office through a dedicated underground cable. The probe started in 2011, nearly four years after complaints that a virtual telephone exchange was allegedly set up  at Maran’s residence to facilitate data transfer from Sun TV.  The agency had recommended action to the then Telecom secretary in 2007 but the department allegedly did not give its nod in the case, the sources said. Finally the CBI filed a preliminary enquiry in 2011.The news also says that the CBI is poised to file a charge sheet against him and his brother for allegedly receiving Rs.549 crores  for their role in the acquisition of Aircel by Malaysia based Maxis. This is the news. But, as we can see, in cases of this nature, such Hug delays can prove very costly for investigations and convictions. Evidences can get destroyed. It is said that some Union leaders only exposed the case. They need wholehearted congratulations for their Bold Stand. Despite that, such delays are there. However, in this case, it is understandable. If the department is refusing to give its nod, CBI gets constrained. So, all round, there are protections for culprits. Filing the FIR is Good. Given the further delays in investigations, getting proof and filing the case before the Judiciary and the further delays in the legal processes, God knows when the cases see the light of the day. Lalu is getting initial conviction after 17 years. He too has still chances for appeal etc. In this case? 

3.    VERY GOOD : MODI’S TRICHY RALLY :-Modi’s Trichy rally in Tamilnadu had attracted considerable crowds. This has put the Local parties in deep thinking. Many of them seem to be interested in Alliances with Modi now. Modi must continue to project his secular Image and so should the BJP and the Sangh Parivar. Secondly, Modi must make attempts talk in English when he speaks in Non-Hindi states. At least, initially, he should mix his Hindi with English so that it is directly understandable to people. I strongly urge Modi to ensure this. Also, it is preferable that Sushma swaraj  and Arun jaitley also accompany him at as many places as possible. This will ensure that practical issues that they have debated against UPA Governance get greater prominence and BJP also projects a UNITED IMAGE. The chances of BJP success will be that much brighter in 2014.

4.    BAD :RAGURAM RAJAN PANEL’S REPORT : The Panel headed by Raghuram Rajan has recommended revised Planning allocations based on a categorization made by it. In this categorization, the  "less developed" category  includes, Gujarat, Manipur, West Bengal, Nagaland, Andhra Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Mizoram, Tripura, Karnataka, Sikkim and Himachal Pradesh. The least developed states include, Odisha , Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. The relatively developed states include Haryana, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Goa. This is according to News reports.  Everybody can have his opinion on what exactly DEVELOPMENT IS. 

In my view, enforcing and ensuring PROHIBITION OF INTOXICATING DRINKS AND DRUGS is one of the foremost indicators of human progress. If people are not Drunkards, all members of their families will be far better off in terms of Human Happiness, compared to families dominated by Drunkards. But, the state that enforces Prohibition loses our on Huge revenue. What it loses by way of Revenue, it gains by Human happiness.  Gujarat Planning Model scores hugely over other states in that respect. One may say Tamilnadu is a developed state while Gujarat is a less developed state – according to Raghuram Rajan’s report. But, that does not stand the rest of even casual observation. Tamilnadu is developed in one respect, no doubt. But, Put Prohibition also into view, Gujarat scores a six over all states in India.

We need that sort of development, where every family member of every family is happy and is progressing under NON-DRUNKARD parents.

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