Honest is, as honest does

Integrity, in the job of the Prime Minister, demands putting national interest above partisan politics and personal loyalties. By that standard Dr.Manmohan Singh can't be called a "man of integirty".

Today, the Indian media - both print and television - is focusing on the recent corruption scandals involving the UPA Government with unusual zeal. However, I fail to understand why almost every commentator, every TV anchor, every editorial writer feels compelled to pay ritual obeisance to the "personal honesty and integrity" of Dr. Manmohan Singh while dealing with the scandals emanating from his Cabinet colleagues. They do so even when there is clear evidence that the Prime Minister was well aware of various shady deals, as in the case of telecom scam, and that he did nothing to stop the brazen economic crimes indulged in by his ministerial colleagues over the last six years. 

Corruption is not only about personally accepting monetary bribes and stacking them away in hidden bank accounts overseas, buying benami properties or accepting diamond sets for your wife. Corruption can come in insidious avatars, such as knowingly turning a blind eye to misuse the entire machinery of governance to serve private ends of a few individuals, even to the point of endangering national security. For example, not a single person has been punished thus far for supplying sub standard bullet proof jackets to the police handling the 9/11 terrorist attack in Mumbai. Not surprisingly, we are right now witnessing yet another scam involving sub standard bullet proof vests. 

In recent weeks, some of our most respected columnists have been warning us that we should look at institutional reform rather than target individuals because it can lead to loss of faith in democratic institutions. But how do you retain faith in democratic institutions if powerful individuals use their office to systematically subvert the autonomy and credibility of institutions meant as watchdogs of democracy? The best of institutions take no time in becoming slavish instruments of partisan agendas if you plant subservient and heavily compromised individuals at their helm. 

 People attribute his pliability to the fact that the prime minister was appointed and not elected.

Dr Manmohan Singh cannot escape responsibility for appointing people with dubious credentials to occupy key positions of power - starting with the appointment of Pratibha Devisingh Patil as the President of India. This despite the fact that that Congress leaders of her own district protested vehemently against her appointment because of her and her close kin's direct involvement in criminal cases. Thereafter, all key institutions, including the Election Commission, the Central Vigilance Commission have been filled with people whose credentials have been questioned not just by the opposition but also the media and respected public figures. 

He has also provided key portfolios to people with a proven track record of brazen corruption. For example, IAS officer, Mr Lalli the CEO of Prasar Bharati that manages Doordarshan has been guilty of countless corrupt deals and practices. Despite numerous agitations by the staff of Doordarshan to get him punished, he continues lording over the institution because he is supposed to have the PM's backing. 

This regime has also gone out of its way to protect those judges of the High Courts and Supreme Court who have such serious corruption charges against them as to merit impeachment and criminal trials. Justice Dinakaran of the Karnataka High Court was saved from the wrath of and boycott by the legal fraternity of Karnataka by being transferred to Sikkim High Court despite loud protests by people in Sikkim. Judges who are alleged to have shared in the loot of Provident Fund of class 1V employees in UP have not been subject to investigation, leave alone punishment. One of them retired after serving a full term in the Supreme Court. The kingpin of the scam who later provided evidence of the complicity of the judges died under mysterious circumstances in jail. 

Supreme Court Justice Sabharwal was likewise protected from prosecution even though the allegations against him during UPA's first term were no less serious than that of Kalmadi. He is alleged to have ordered demolition of numerous commercial centres and complexes in Delhi in order to benefit his son's investment in high end malls, causing havoc for lakhs of small and big commercial property owners of Delhi. 

The CWG scam is not just about misappropriation of funds through inflated bills and money being paid to bogus companies. It all started with the politician-contractor mafia being allowed to violate all environmental laws to convert the Yamuna floodplains into prime real estate by building luxury apartments in the name of Games Village. This happened despite the High Court ban on all construction activity on the floodplains. 

It needed the influence of people far more powerful than Kalmadi to persuade the Supreme Court into over ruling the considered view of the High Court and ensuring that Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh looked the other way when all environmental laws were being brazenly flouted right under his nose to build high rise apartments and other commercial structures on the floodplains. The game plan behind building luxury apartments on the forbidden land became obvious from the fact that the builders had to be whip lashed into completing at least half the apartments before the Commonwealth Games. They were obviously given to understand that the CWG was merely a fig leaf for converting floodplains into prime real estate in the heart of Delhi. 

The choice of the company that built the Games Village, the names of its real owners, its unknown and known partners, and the list of its known and unknown beneficiaries will reveal a scam more insidious than the Adarsh Housing Scam of Mumbai which involved Congress Party CM and other politicians, top ranking officials of the armed forces and bureaucrats cornering luxury apartments in a prime location in a housing society set up in the name of Kargil widows. In this case too, the only visible action taken by the Prime Minister is to replace the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. No sign of any heads rolling as yet. 

Or take the example of the most politically sensitive state of Kashmir. Dr. Manmohan Singh allowed an anti-Omar agitation to turn into an anti India agitation much against his own counsel, all because he dare not sack Omar Abdullah from the CM's post even when the entire Valley rose in revolt against his high handed, corrupt and callous regime. Senior Congress leaders admit in private that Omar cannot be touched since he is a buddy of Rahul Gandhi. Dr Singh knows well that Omar's continuation has given a new lease of life to the Pakistan-inspired separatist and terrorist movement in Kashmir. 

People attribute his pliability to the fact that the prime minister was appointed and not elected. He has never won a Lok Sabha election. But that cannot be used as an excuse to justify overlooking such gross mismanagement and loot as well as the political drift one witnesses even in areas involving national security.

In fact, his defeat in the one and only election he ever fought is related to his lack of personal integrity. He was defeated in the predominantly middle-class South Delhi constituency because people in general and Sikhs in particular were enraged when Manmohan Singh denied the role of the Congress in the 1984 Anti Sikh carnage and instead attributed the 1984 massacre to the RSS. The RSS may well be guilty of many other communal riots but the credit for the 1984 massacre goes entirely to Congress politicians, including Rajiv Gandhi who even justified the killings saying: "when a big tree falls, the earth is bound to shake." The Congress Party also ensured that those who masterminded and executed the 1984 pogram did not get punished. 

Similarly, in the case of Gujarat riots, the Prime Minister happily joined the chorus initiated by his boss pillorying Narendra Modi as "Maut ka Saudagar" even though it is well known that Congress party cadres merrily joined the riotous mobs unleashed by BJP--RSS combine in Ahmedabad and elsewhere. This failure to own responsibility for the conduct of his party men and passing the entire responsibility on to Modi is in large part responsible for the lack of credibility of Congress Party in Gujarat and the severe erosion of its political base in Gujarat. 

Likewise, getting a Rajya Sabha seat from Assam claiming he is a resident of the state when he has never had any such connection with Assam is a definite indicator of questionable political integrity. A PM who compromises national interest, as in Kashmir, just to indulge the personal fancy of the PM-in-waiting, a PM who looks the other way while his Cabinet colleagues brazenly loot public funds and get away with extorting thousands of crores by way of kickbacks, a PM who is widely perceived and lampooned as a "rubber stamp" does not merit being called "an honest man" or a "man of integrity"; in his job, integrity demands putting national interest above partisan politics and personal loyalties. Integrity also involves taking full responsibility for all his acts of commission and omission which have earned UPA II the dubious distinction of being publicly named as the most corrupt and rudderless government in post independence India. 

A very honest & unfaltering account of present day farce in governance. It's disheartening to be led by a puppet leader. Alas, where are such leaders who think about national interest over self-interest?  

Sun Tzu in his treatise "The art of War" stated that an over compassionate leader brings only destruction and Dr. Manmohan Singh is a rather shining example. Wish he would have showed this compassion to the people of India rather than the party high command. 

There is such an image built around Dr. Manmohan Singh which now seems like a mask. Integrity is of no use if it cannot command any affirmative action. Even his predecessor Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee was in the same boat.

During the last three weeks, when parliament was defunct, we never heard or saw him anywhere, neither the UPA president and the aspiring PM who talks a lot about good governance. PM's placing, PM's continuation in the position raises another concern who planted him at PM office. Because in the recent past he appeared public only when any foreign delegation comes and he has to sign commercial contracts rather diplomatic negotiations. The political discourse of the country seems to be dictated by somebody outside or some powerful incorporate inside. 

Our PM, whom the corporate media wants to keep aloof from the charges of corruption. I remember how Smt. Indira Gandhi was hounded by the media then for corruption charges against her/government when the charges were nothing compared to present day charges. It is a pity to note that the so called intellectuals are comparing NDA/Yedurappa's corruption to divert the real issue. A person who secured a vote of confidence with hundreds of crores of rupees being paid as bribes to MPs, how can he be described as an honest man? Being the head of the government Dr. Manmohan Singh cannot pretend to be honest when the biggest ever scam has occurred and he is fully aware of the murky deals indulged by his ministers. 

The Emperor of Integrity has no clothes now. This required critical analysis and integrity. Integrity in any field is not only to perform according to one's conviction but also to act on the basis of one's knowledge and not to be blinded by emotion. This is what Dr. Manmohan Singh has done so far in his supplicant role to the Congress party. 

   No one in India can claim to be entirely honest. Similarly, no one can be condemned as wholly dishonest. There is indeed cent percent collective dishonesty in India. But, as far as possible one can be honest singularly. But, collectively, it is not possible in India to be fully honest despite wanting to be so.

The PM is only a victim of such a situation where some of his junior colleagues are alleged to have committed the cardinal sin without his knowledge. Now, sadly, the collective responsibility has fallen on him.
He is more sinned against than sinning himself.

I was a firm supporter of the PM and his governance in UPA I. In fact, the way he stuck to his point in the nuclear deal, whether right or wrong being a different question altogether, removed any myth in the mind of the opposition whether he was a weak PM. I have personally felt that any links with US have to be dealt with caution due to their bloody present and past. In the last few years, the PM's closeness to US almost seems to raise suspicion.

In spite of the immense poverty and the destruction of agriculture sector in this country, the PM continues in his industry-oriented economic path. His three favourite letters in the English language are surely G-D-P. The Radia tapes have only shown how our industries operate. I hope at least now he wakes up to the reality and realizes that India is a socialist republic.

The PM is now weaker than ever before, not least because of Madame Sonia Gandhi, but due to inaction against corrupt practices.

PUSHBACK TIME IN BIHAR - They hit back, "and it felt good"

A public hearing on NREGA in a remote village in Bihar created a confrontation between a leader accused of corruption and the workers who exposed him.

A hot, open field in a remote countryside in Bihar. The location: Saurgaon village in the Kursakata Block of Araria district. Hundreds of workers were lined up in front, waiting patiently for their turn. The occasion was a public hearing, organized by Jan Jagaran Shakti Sanghatan(JJSS), a new local social movement, which had recently been formed to support the workers struggle for employment. 

File picture of a JJSS-organised public hearing at Bhangahi panchayat, Narpatganj block, Bihar on July 8th, 2010. Pic: JJSS. 

A tent had been set up for the occasion. It was already full with people from the local Panchayat, but more villagers continued to trickle in. The hearing began with the organizers singing some revolutionary workers’ songs. Immediately after, 34-year-old Ashish Ranjan, one of the organisers of the event, took to the podium and demanded, "Have you ever seen a muster roll?" A resounding "NO!" shook the tent. “Have you had one hundred days of employment?” Again, “NO!” Ranjan proceeded to explain that the purpose of the meeting was to inform people about their rights and to present the results from a recent audit. 

A week prior, he was working with some volunteers, who were preparing for a village survey. They were looking at the government records of a village that they are going to audit. One volunteer noticed, "The same road is listed on two different yojanas”. Another retorted, I see a similar case in my register as well. The following day, they visited some villages to track down the road, where they heard that the work was not even completed the first time around, leave alone having multiple projects. So, it seemed to be a clear case of one work having different names to trick the people. 

To one worker, Kanchi (name changed), 35, they said, "It looks like you’ve worked 40 days this past year, received Rs. 4000 for it in your account, and then subsequently withdrew it." Kanchi gave them a blank look, which quickly turned to rage. All of the other passbooks indicated similar activity, and the villagers became increasingly agitated. Another volunteer asked, "Are you saying that you haven't received this money?” They replied, "No, not at all." 

The meeting re-started and the atmosphere remained tense, the scuffle had ironically brought the agenda to sharp focus.  This was exactly the kind of illegitimate activity that JJSS was interested in unearthing, so they asked the villagers to come to the following week’s public hearing. Most hesitated, but then agreed to come. When they asked people to sign a written testimonial, a few refused, saying, "I can’t sign this paper. I need to live here." They feared retaliation from government officials. 

Later, the fear spread to the other villagers, and some even demanded that they return the written testimonial. Later in the evening, they encountered some of the villagers. They were having a drink and discussing the day’s events. Kanchi was among them, and they all began to discuss the hearing. Kanchi voiced everyone’s worries: "These b*t*ds will kill us. I’m not scared, but some people are." They assured them that JJSS would remain in the area and that they would provide support. 

One week later at the public hearing, Ranjan laid down the protocol of the event: “Lift your hands to speak, and come to the microphone in the front to speak." He noted that the proceedings would be video recorded. 

The gathering at the public hearing at Bhangahi. Pic: JJSS. 

Manoj Singh, 50, the panchayat president, got up first to speak. He said, "Everything is going well in this village. All the work has been done and everybody was paid." Then, results from the audit were read out, making clear gross disparities in claims between the government records and from the survey.

Kanchi raised his hand to speak: “My name is Kanchi and I am from Boratola (name changed).”

Ranjan asked, "The government records say that you worked on a project to move sand from Ram's house to Krishna's. Did you do so, and how much were you paid?” “Yes, sir, I did work on that project.” 

“The government records show,” Ranjan continued, “that you worked for 40 days and were paid Rs.4000. Is that correct?” “No, sir, I have not been paid that much money. I only got Rs.1000". Someone immediately shouted, "He is lying!" 

Kanchi was livid. He pointed towards Singh, the panchayat leader and said, "He’s a crook. He and his cronies must have taken the rest of my money, whole 3000 rupees!" Mukhya rose up, rushed over to grab the microphone, and then hit Kanchi on the head with the microphone stand. The entire proceedings occurred in front of 500 people and was caught on video. 

This caused a great uproar, very soon the workers got up and started running towards the Mukhya shouting "“hit him, hit him”. Suddenly sticks appeared and they were charging up to the Mukhya, who was immediately whisked away to safety. Everybody was running and shouting and there was a minor scuffle between Mukhya’s men and some of the workers. 

The activists were running clutching the documents they had tightly so that they weren’t taken away in the commotion. Soon, the activists brought the meeting to order. Singh returned, and everybody sat down. The meeting re-started and the atmosphere remained tense, the scuffle had ironically brought the agenda to sharp focus. The testimonials continued to pile up, but the workers were careful not to name-call and stuck to facts. People were clapping and cheering and backing up every testimonial from whoever had the courage to come and speak up. The clerks contested the evidence and gave counter testimonials. Some workers also stepped up to support this view and attested that they have been paid fully for their work and there are no problems in the village. These testimonies were often booed. 

Singh finally got up and said, “I have listened to the workers complaints, and I now know that there are problems but I wish that somebody had told me earlier.” He promised with a sly smile that he would take action and ensure that wages are returned to workers and will secure employment for everyone. The meeting ended and the testimonials were submitted to the Mukhya, the media and to the district collector’s office. 

The next morning on visiting the village, where Kanchi lived and on finding him, he said, “Mukhya (panchayat leader Manoj Singh) had come by in his car that night and had threatened the people in the village for speaking out”. But Kanchi added, looking away, “he can’t do anything to me”. On asking him, “what do you think will happen”, he said we have been discussing that in the village, it is unclear what will change. 

But, he added, “in the last 10 years that this Mukhya is in power, I have never seen him s**t in his pants like this”. He gleefully added, “and it felt good”.

Aamir ko gussa kyun aaya tha ??

 Aamir Khan sued Bennett Coleman, publishers of the Times of India and Filmfare magazine for running this ad using his photograph and a 'quote' without his consent. Aamir demanded Rs 21 crores and an apology.


A 'close associate' of the actor told Midday: "One can’t attribute quotes to someone or use his picture to promote or endorse something without permission... After all, they are cashing in on his reputation and image, and he has the right to choose what he endorses."


And Aamir would never endorse the Filmfare awards because he 'does not believe in awards'. Or any others, for that matter except the National Awards. And, I guess the Oscars.

This, I think, rankled the folks at Filmfare. Other stars were featured in the series of ads but note how staid the copy was. Woh to award lene aayenege, unhe naraaz thodi kar sakte they....

The one with Amitabh read: Amitabh Bachchan has been nominated for 'Black'. On Feb 25, the Lady in Black will decide.


And the copy in Junior B's ad was identical! Abhishek has been nominated for 'Bunty aur Babli'. On Feb 25, the Lady in Black will decide.


Had they similarly written 'Aamir is nominated for 'Mangal Pandey' I doubt the star would have bothered to sue them. But implying he 'incited a revolt to win over the Lady in Black' (the Filmfare statuette) is a bit over the top.

I think if an actor does not believe in awards you should respect that and not nominate him in the first place. Organisers, please keep this in mind next year - there were other fine actors in Rang de Basanti besides Aamir.

But of course if it isn't a major 'star' the nomination will only be for 'best supporting actor'.


Besides, that year saw both Karan Johar and Rakesh Roshan releasing films which meant the competition would be Shahrukh vs Hrithik.


And oh, KJo's film also featured Amitabhji and Abhishek.

I simply don't understand the logic here. Just because Big-B and Little-B didn't have a problem did it mean everyone else shouldn't? This is the chalta hai attitude we are notorious for. Bennett and Coleman was not the roadside paan-wala dukaan to slap an image of XYZ chewing paan. Aamir was being a thorough professional and there was absolutely nothing wrong with it. That wasn't about money. This was about pissing off people who took others for granted.


I think that Benett & Coleman tried to take mileage of Aamir, the person whom the country knew. If he did not want to be in any ads without his permission, that needed to be respected by TOI.


In all fairness, this was a very silly thing. Why should we all waste our energies in either supporting or speaking against TOI. Both of them gained a huge lot of internet space anyway.


Sigh! Wish more stars would revolt against these 'I Love You-You Love me, We're One Big Happy Family' series of awards...