Wrong’un

It is cake-wake for a criminal or a person who involved with the and in the criminal activates and numerous criminal cases pending against such, yet they allowed to contest to be a law-maker.  Life turned topsy turvy for a common man when one accidently fall prey to a minor problem with the law. Not necessarily a real one. However, the lawmaker can do away with it. The alleged murderer, thieves, dacoit and rapist all are in fray for the upcoming election. Why in the earth this happening and how we can stop.    

With unlimited number of political parties India has been astoundingly increased and no political parties follow any principal or ethics. While giving tickets to the candidate, parties only bother about win-loss equation but never follow the   mushroom growth of political parties is not the result of upgrading in political standard; nor is it because more competent and service-minded persons are entering the field of politics, determined to serve the country and its people. On the contrary, it is a definite indication of political standards going down to appalling levels. The field of politics nowadays does not attract altruistic gentlemen, eager to use their expertise and time for nation-building; it attracts rowdies and criminals with proven record of hooliganism, who want to become rich quickly and dominate the officials and respectable citizens. Subject to rare exceptions, in short, the politics in India has become a money-making business for criminals.

None of the political parties bothers for the problem and the duty towards the citizen of the country. They do not promote nationalism and obligation to nation-building. They do not want to bond the people of nation by pressurizing the significance of harmonious living. On the contrary, they achieve the dissimilarity among the people and make full use of those divergences for creating discrepancy among them.

A brand of politics supports electorates to vote on the basis of narrow communal considerations, often against their better judgment, it is considered inimical to democracy. It can happen only in India, where vote-bank politics scores decisively over national interest and issues relating to India's sovereignty. These political parties and independent candidates have astronomical expenditure called vote buying and other illegitimate purposes through these criminals or so called Goons. Politicians link them in their respective constituencies & it develops political crime. People do not know why they compromise the majority of voters of this country. Therefore majority of the voters are purchasable. We all have also witnessed that the political parties are given cabinet post because of their muscle and money power fetches critical votes to them. There is a possible vote bank including those who are accused robbers and murders.  

 Corruption: As of December 2008, 120 of India's 523 parliament members were facing criminal charges. Many of the biggest scandals since 2010 have involved very high levels of government, including Cabinet Ministers and Chief Ministers, such as in the 2G spectrum scam, the 2010 Commonwealth Games scam and the Adarsh Housing Society scam, Coal Mining Scam, mining scandal in Karnataka and cash for vote scam. Politicians are alleged to steal state property. In cities and villages throughout India, elected politicians acquire, develop and sell land in illegal ways. In 2012 India has ranked 94th out of 176 countries in Transparency Internationals Corruption Perceptions Index. In Indian politics in every election all parties have put up their candidates with a criminal background. By acting in such manner we fail to realise that the greatest power that the democracy arms the people is to vote incompetent people out of power.

!!!It is not in the nature of politics that the best men should be elected. The best men do not want to govern their fellowmen. -  George MacDonald!!!

!!!The world of politics is always twenty years behind the world of thought. -  John Jay Chapman!!!

Dance of Democracy

Democracy is the “Government of the people, By the people, And for the people". It is blessed to be born in a democrat country and One of the most important features of the democratic polity is elections at regular intervals.

The Election Commission of India

The Election Commission of India (ECI) is a constitutional body was established on January 25, 1950 with the aim to define and control the process for elections conducted at various levels: parliament, state legislatures, and the offices of the president and vice president of India. In other words, the ECI ensures smooth and successful functioning of the democracy.

Role of Election Commission

In its assigned role, the most crucial challenge before the Election Commission of India is to implement norms and the Model Code of Conduct to ensure free and fair elections in the country. Its existence and independence are necessitated by history, which has shown that democratic elections are not free from sabotage. Towards this end, it has been empowered to oversee political parties and candidates and take appropriate action in case of violations.

In some point between 1970's to 1990's, for some politicians the election was matter of joke and it was muscle power who won in the rural area by terrorizing the voter but the reform and style of voting change in 1991 when T.N. Seshan appointed as chief election commissioner.

Father of Reform

The appointment of T.N. Seshan as chief election commissioner in 1991 reinvigorated the Election Commission and curbed the illegal manipulation of India's electoral system. By canceling or re-polling elections where improprieties had occurred, disciplining errant poll officers, and fighting for the right to deploy paramilitary forces in sensitive areas, Seshan forced candidates to take the Election Commission's code of conduct seriously and strengthened its supervisory machinery.

First Election

Democracy took a giant step forward with the first general election held in 1951-52 over a four-month period. These elections were the biggest experiment in democracy anywhere in the world. The elections were held based on universal adult franchise, with all those twenty-one years of age or older having the right to vote. There were over 173 million voters, most of them poor, illiterate, and rural, and having had no experience of elections. The big question at the time was how would the people respond to this opportunity.

2014 Election

Estimated 814 million voter, out of that 23 millions are first time voter will vote for 3305 candidates in fray for 543 Loksabha seat spread over 35 Constituencies. 2014 Election will be a Nine-phased elections which began on April 7 and will conclude on May 12.

States	Total Constituencies
Uttar Pradesh	80
Maharashtra	48
Andhra Pradesh	42
West Bengal	42
Bihar	40
Tamil Nadu	39
Madhya Pradesh	29
Karnataka	28
Gujarat	26
Rajasthan	25
Odisha	21
Kerala	20
Assam	14
Jharkhand	14
Punjab	13
Chhattisgarh	11
Haryana	10
National Capital Territory of Delhi	7
Jammu & Kashmir	6
Uttarakhand	5
Himachal Pradesh	4
Arunachal Pradesh	2
Goa	2
Manipur	2
Meghalaya	2
Tripura	2
Mizoram	1
Nagaland	1
Sikkim	1
Andaman and Nicobar Islands	1
Chandigarh	1
Dadra and Nagar Haveli	1
Daman and Diu	1
Lakshadweep	1
Puducherry	1
Total	543

!!!As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy. - Abraham Lincoln!!!

The Stale potatoes of the Great Indian Samosa!!

On 30 September 2013 a CBI court at Ranchi convicted Lalu Prasad Yadav in Fodder case and that the end of the road for the RJD supremo. Lalu Prasad Yadav now faces the ignominy of facing jail and also being disqualified from Parliament, after the Supreme Court order on convicted lawmakers.

There is no doubt that Lalu Prasad Yadav was the silver lining in the Indian parliament specially whenever there was a crisis. I also remember him as one of the best Railway Minister we ever had. However, tenure as Bihar chief Minister    himself or by proxy through his wife, he is sole responsible for the state of Bihar as it is now. It is good to see that finally law catching up with the politicians and the disqualification is the best thing can be handed over these insatiable lots of politicians.

He was a maverick, a jester, a crowd puller par excellence. Lalu Prasad turned Bihar's politics — and economic health — upside down as he catapulted from a student leader of the 1970s to be one of India's best-known politicians before his downfall Monday.

Lalu Prasad Yadav

Lalu Prasad Yadav was born in Bihar. He holds a degree in Bachelor of Laws and a master's in Political science from B. N. College, under Patna University.  Yadav married Rabri Devi on 1 June 1973.They have seven daughters and two sons.

Yadav formed the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in 5 July 1997, after breaking away from the Janata Dal. According to Limca Book of Records, he is the longest serving president of an Indian Political Party.

Lalu Prasad Yadav has twice served as the Chief Minister of Bihar, first for a term of five years, from 10 March 1990 to 28 March 1995 and then for a term of three years from 4 April 1995 to 25 July 1997. Lalu Prasad Yadav also served as the Railway Minister of India from 2004 to 2009. He is member of Parliament of India from Chhapra and National President of RJD.

Yadav has been charged in several corruption cases, the most infamous being the "Fodder Scam" in which about Rs.37 crore were siphoned off from the animal husbandry department. Laloo Yadav has been an accused in many of the 63-odd cases filed. He has been remanded to custody on multiple occasions because of the number of cases.

The career of one of India's most colourful politicians, who became a case study for students at Harvard University after he turned around the fortunes of the gigantic Indian Railways, is all but over with an Indian court finding him guilty of embezzling state funds.

As I am finishing the blog the news is out that the CBI court in Ranchi sentenced RJD chief Lalu Prasad to 5 years' imprisonment in a 17-year-old fodder scam.

!!!Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction. - Erich Fromm!!

The Donation [Beggars can be Chooser]

Come September and it is festival time in India, It is mainly started with Ganesh Puja and continue till end of the year but you can count Saraswati Puja too which falls in February.  Specially, Hindus are famous for their Festivals as it has all colours and ecstasy but it also bring lots of pain to some other section. Leaving the poor as festival always gloomy equation for them because leave alone festivals they are deprived of basic necessities but the festival gives nightmare to the riches too. In the name of festival chanda (donation) collection is gives nightmare to the traders from all over India.

Extortion in the name of "chanda" (donations) for puja celebrations in the city is the torture businessmen, bus owners and even poor autorickshaw operators suffer alike every year during durga puja. The organisers associated with different puja committees in different parts of the city have developed an understanding among themselves for the purpose of collecting "donations" from businessmen. Every puja committee has a defined area in which it can collect "donations" from businessmen operating there. The bourgeois of India also are the worst sufferer. Writing a few incident below but still most of the cases are never reported. In Mumbai crore spent on Ganesh puja and things are not so smooth as it looks.

Bengal Leads the way

There is a tradition of collecting donation which is equivalent to "subscription" as it is usually equally shared between families or individuals to celebrate the Durga Puja in West Bengal. However, it is not an uncommon sight to see several youngsters, standing with sticks to collect money forcefully from vehicles that ply on the road that is closer to them. There had been even fights, vehicles running over these extortionists resulting in deaths, and traffic jam that results from this show of muscle power.

1.    The signboard of a medicine shop on Bondel Road was allegedly damaged by organisers of a Kali puja after the owner refused their demand for a Rs 20,000 donation. Rakesh Kumar Prasad, the owner, found two letters missing from the signboard of JP Medical Stores on Diwali morning. The signboards of the two adjoining shops were also damaged.

2.    A member of a north Calcutta puja organising committee has been arrested for allegedly demanding a donation of Rs 61,000 from a railway contractor. Basant Kumar Gupta, a resident of Haritaki Bagan Lane, had lodged a complaint against the accused, Shambuddha Mondal, after being repeatedly pressured to make the specified donation to the Haritaki Bagan Lane Durgotsav Committee.

3.    A truck driver and his associate is reported to have been beaten at Angadpur of Durgapur. News agencies reported that the two has been beaten up severely by the members of a local club for denying paying a hefty donation for Basanti Puja. The two has to be admitted to hospital.

4.    With less than a month left for the Pujas, complaints of extortion in the name of collecting subscriptions are pouring in from every corner of the city. Though police promise prompt action - only if a complaint is made - the fear of reprisal by hooligans prevents many from walking up to a police station.  P.P. Thomas has realised this the hard way. He had stood up to the excessive demands made by his neighborhood Puja committee, Bhukailash Young Boy's Society. The club not only demanded a huge subscription, but also sought free power from Asha Apartment, where Thomas stays. The pandal, too, would be at the apartment gate.  Unlike others, Thomas decided to lodge a complaint with the Ekbalpore police station. He faced the consequences on Tuesday night.  He was beaten up by members of the club following an argument. According to police, they also snatched his gold chain. Barun Das, a club member, was arrested in this connection.

East – Following the Big Brother

The donation collectors of Poipara Durga Puja Udjapan Committee allegedly attacked the residence of a journalist at Bokshipara under Sonadanga in Khulna on Friday as they were denied donations for Durgapuja of Poipara Temple.

Jharkhand

Ranchi: The time of the year has come when businessmen in the city are harassed and threatened by teenagers in the name of collecting donations for Saraswati Puja. Students turn 'extortionists' at this time of the year. They turn up at any shop at any time of the day in a group and demand as much as Rs 25,000 in donation. If anyone refuses to budge, they vandalize the shop and assault the owner. According to the law, putting pressure on an individual for any kind of donation is equal to extortion.

In another incident, gang of youth even demanded Rs 20,000 from a shop-owner in Lalpur. Despite strict guidelines set by Jamshedpur Kendriya Durga Puja Committee, cases of forcible chanda (donations) sought by puja committees are being reported in the city with every passing day.

Allegations against the puja committees of Adityapur, Jugsalai, Mango and Sidhgora have come to fore and angry residents are planning to meet Senior Superintendent of Police Akhilesh Kumar Jha to lodge complaints.

The matters of faith have been transferred into a money making business.

!!!Never stand begging for that which you have the power to earn. - Miguel de Cervantes!!!

!!!In the absence of justice, what is sovereignty but organized robbery? -

Saint Augustine!!!

!!!Honesty is for the most part less profitable than dishonesty. – Plato!!!

The Tyrant's Brutal Legacy!!!

I always considered myself extreme lucky as born and lived in a democratic country. Once more the realization crawl into my mind after reading the recent disturbing piece of news where North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un's ex-girlfriend has been executed by the firing squad along with another twelve.

The 12 who were executed were singers, musicians or dancers with the Hyon's band,, the Unhasu Orchestra or the Wanghaesan Light Music Band and were accused of making videos of themselves performing sex acts and then selling the recordings.

Before, it was Kim Chol the Vice Minister in the North Korean Army who was allegedly purged and executed for “drinking and carousing” during the period of mourning for Kim Jong-il.

My creepy mind look back to this modern days dreaded dictator:

Kim Jong-un is the youngest son of former North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il. Because of the secretive nature of the regime, no one outside of Pyongyang's ruling elite knows the Kim's precise birth date but asummed as 29 or 30 years old. According to some reports suggest that her mother was Ko Yong Hui, a former dancer and mistress of Kim Jong Il.

Later, it was reported that Kim Jong-un attended the public school "Liebefeld Steinhölzli" in Köniz near Bern under the name "Pak-un" or "Un-pak" from 1998 until 2000 as the son of an employee of the Embassy of North Korea. Authorities of Köniz confirmed that a student from North Korea, registered as the son of a member of the Embassy attended the school from August 1998 till fall 2000, but were unable to give details about his identity. Pak-un first attended a special class for foreign-language children and later attended the regular classes of the 6th, 7th, 8th, and part of the final 9th year, leaving the school abruptly in fall 2000. He was described as a well-integrated and ambitious student who liked to play basketball.

On 17 December 2011, Kim Jong-il died. Despite the elder Kim's plans, it was not immediately clear after his death whether Jong-un would in fact take full power, and what his exact role in a new government would be. Some analysts had predicted that when Kim Jong-il died, Jang Sung-taek would act as regent, as Jong-un was too inexperienced to immediately lead the country. On 25 December 2011, North Korean television showed Jang Sung-taek in the uniform of a general in a sign of his growing sway after the death of Kim Jong-il. A Seoul official familiar with North Korea affairs said it was the first time Jang has been shown on state television in a military uniform. His appearance suggests that Jang has secured a key role in the North's powerful military, which has pledged its allegiance to Kim Jong-un.

The cult of personality around Kim Jong-un has been stepped up following his father's death. He was hailed as the "great successor to the revolutionary cause of Juche", "outstanding leader of the party, army and people", "respected comrade who is identical to Supreme Commander Kim Jong-il", and chairman of the Kim Jong-il funeral committee. The Korean Central News Agency described Kim Jong-un as "a great person born of heaven", a propaganda term only his father and grandfather had enjoyed, while the ruling Workers' Party said in an editorial: "We vow with bleeding tears to call Kim Jong-un our supreme commander, our leader."

He was publicly declared Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army on 24 December 2011 and formally appointed to the position on 30 December when the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party "courteously proclaimed that the dear respected Kim Jong Un, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission of the WPK, assumed the supreme commandership of the Korean People's Army".

World have seen the fate of some modern days dictators like Saddam Hussein and Col. Gaddafi. Once ruled with a iron fist and they died like a street dog. Definitely I don't like their end but law of the land always catch up with everyone and waiting for the same for this one too.

!!!When dictatorship is a fact, revolution becomes a right. - Victor Hugo!!!

In the Firing Line!

It is no more a secret that in every step we have to pay the bribe to get our work done. Every time we shell out our hard earns money to the worthless public servant we blame the hand but not the head behind it. However, among the scores of arrogant and dishonest bureaucrats who are responsible for the state in which we are in there are a few who are ready to fight against the odds to stay clean. Whenever a brave bureaucrat tried to fight against the injustice and wrongdoing, they found themselves in the firing lines. Bulk of them decided to fall in the line but some may not and finally they shown the door.

I already written about three brave hearts before, Shanmugam Manjunath, Satyendra Dubey and Yeshwant Sonawane laid their life for different purpose. Their fault was that they acted against the mafia those are mostly backed by the politicians. Some of the honest lots are transferred many times and others are suspended. My blog is about two who ends with same fate but never gave up.

Ashok Khemka

Ashok Khemka was born in West Bengal, India. He graduated from the I. I. T, Kharagpur in 1988 and followed it up with a Ph.D in Computer Science from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai.  He also holds a MBA in finance and MA in economics.

He is an IAS officer of the 1991 batch. He has been repeatedly transferred by various state governments in his home cadre of Haryana after he exposed corruption in the departments he was posted in. Dr. Khemka transferred nine times in five years during government led by Mr. Om Parkash Chautala. Ashok Khemka was transferred in October last for cancelling an allegedly irregular land deal between Robert Vadra, son-in-law of UPA chairperson  Sonia Gandhi,and DLF, was again shifted on Thursday amid a raging controversy over irregularities in the Haryana Seeds Development Corporation (HSDC) that he unearthed during his short tenure of five months as its head.

Durga Shakti Nagpal

Durga Shakti Nagpal is an IAS officer of the 2010 batch from Uttar Pradesh cadre. She came into public view after taking action against corruption and launching a massive drive against illegal sand mining within her jurisdiction of Gautam Budh Nagar. She was later suspended by the government of Uttar Pradesh for allegedly demolishing an illegal mosque wall. Her suspension resulted in a large backlash against the government's order, which was perceived to be based on flimsy grounds and there is a growing demand by internet social media, opposition political parties and IAS Officers' associations for her suspension to be revoked

Durga Shakti Nagpal belongs to Chattisgarh and has a BTech in computer engineering from Indira Gandhi Delhi Technological University for Women. She secured an All India Rank (AIR) of 20 in the Union Public Service Commission examinations in 2009. She served for over two years in Punjab as an Assistant Commissioner with the Mohali district administration

Ms. Nagpal was initially an officer in the Punjab cadre and later changed to Uttar Pradesh cadre after her marriage to Abhishek Singh, who is an IAS officer of the UP cadre. She was posted in Ghaziabad as a Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) in September 2012, and then got appointed as SDM of Gautam Budh Nagar. She came into public notice after acting against the sand mafia in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh by forming special flying squads to stop the illegal sand-mining in the Yamuna and Hindon river banks. She had ordered the arrest of 15 people and imposed a fine of Rs. 2 crore  on them. UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav suspended IAS officer and SDM Durga Shakti Nagpal on the grounds that her action to demolish a mosque wall would have led to communal tension.

A video posted online apparently showing senior Samajwadi Party leader, Narendra Bhati, boasting to a crowd that he was responsible for Ms. Nagpal’s suspension, added to outrage at what many characterize as arbitrary political action against an honest civil servant.

Mr. Bhati was shown in the video saying that after he found out about the plans to tear down the mosque wall, his phone calls to his party chief, Mulayam Singh Yadav, and Akhilesh Yadav, meant Ms. Nagpal was suspended within 41 minutes. Mr. Bhati could not immediately be reached for comment.

!!!Courage is grace under pressure. - Ernest Hemingway!!!

Dial M.D.M for Murder! The Murderous Deadly Meal!

There are few things that make my country worst of all. First the appalling population and other is the bureaucracy. Majority of the vast population are living below poverty line and undoubtedly it is government’s duty to provide them with the basic necessities, health and education for these people. Instead of serving the purpose most of the bureaucrats are busy serving their own purpose. In every case administration failed to provide comfort to the weaker class. The Mid-Day-Meal tragedy is one of such cases where show that the government is least bothered about the welfare of poorer. The teachers of every government school in India, be it in south or north behave as they are running a business of their own. The incident in Bihar is not the first one and with the worthless arrogant peoples sitting at the top this will be not the last one too.

The Midday Meal

The Midday meal (MDM) Scheme being given to children to attract them to schools is not being run properly. The menu is not being followed in some schools while in others the food is being served in an unhygienic way. Sub-standard meal is being given to schools. The government is running various schemes to generate interest for education among the students under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. The children are being motivated to come to school by giving them mid day meal, scholarship and uniforms but laxity of district administration and the basic education department is rendering the government slogan 'Sab padhe, sab badhe' meaningless.

The Disasters

Bihar

Chhapra, 16th of July, schoolchildren from a government school in Bihar complained that the midday meal they were served by the school tasted bad. They ate it anyway, because they were hungry, and could not be sure that they would get another opportunity to eat that day. The food was filled with concentrated pesticides. 23 children died and even more fell ill. This happened because of the complete lack of oversight and accountability in the implementation of the Mid Day Meal Scheme (MDMS), for which the state government is to be blamed. In addition to this failure, more children died because of the lack of available antidotes at health clinics.

A forensic report confirmed the presence of poisonous pesticide in the mid-day meal served to the students of the school where 23 children died after taking the contaminated food.

Orissa

The findings justify the rise in incidents of children falling ill after having free lunch in schools reported from Cuttack, Sundargarh, Ganjam, Malkangiri and Balangir districts recently. Government authorities, however, said enough checks and balances had been put in place to ensure quality meals for the children.

These are a few of many such incidents tell the story of terrible human ignorance towards the others. It is time for our beloved bureaucrats from macro to mega levels should change their perspective. They should learn to treat everyone as human being and worth a life as good as anyone in the earth.

!!!The law was made for one thing alone, for the exploitation of those who don't understand it, or are prevented by naked misery from obeying it. - Bertolt Brecht!!!

Free Fall!

During the years when I drawn my salary in dollars, the rupee dollar relation was around one-to-ten. Throughout my brief  tenure when I provided BPO jobs, exactly between  late nineties and early 2000, a dollar cost 45 Rupees. However after 2010 dollar surges ahead and now standing around Rs. 61. Why and how Rupees falling?

Rupees V/S Dollar

In 1947, the exchange rate was 1 dollar equal to 1.00 Rupee but with the introduction of 5 year plans government needed foreign funds and started devaluing Rupees. It further devalued after Indo-China war.

Growing differences in our imports and exports is making the different. India spend more then earn concerning dollars, because whatever we are selling are fetching less dollars and what we are buying, are demanding more dollars from us. Due to large population, India’s imports are increasing and exports are decreasing. That means we earn less dollars compare to what we spend. Another reason for declining dollars is restricted FDI policies. There are many sectors in which FDI is restricted such as retail, insurance, defence etc

India's imports of gold and silver are a major reason for the rupee's slide. However, with a lower rupee value, key sectors like Information Technology, Pharmaceutical and Textiles will benefit from a higher dollar value as bulk of their revenues come from overseas markets.

Rupees against Dollar since 1947

Year	Exchange rate Rupees v/s Dollar
1917	0.07692307692
1925	0.10
1947	1
1952	4.750
1966	7.50
1975	10.409
1980	7.887
1985	12.369
1990	17.504
1995	32.427
2000	45.000
2006	48.336
2007 (Oct)	38.48
2008 (June)	42.51
2008 (October)	48.88
2009 (October)	46.37
2010 (January 22)	46.21
2011 (April)	44.17
2011 (September 21)	48.24
2011 (November 17)	55.3950
2012 (May 23)	56.25
2012 (June 22)	57.15
2013 (May 15)	54.73
2013 (June 12)	58.500
2013 (June 27)	60.73
2013 (July 08)	61.14

!!!The love of economy is the root of all virtue.- George Bernard Shaw!!!