Who is going to elect the Lokpal members, and how will it be effectively monitered against abuse of power and privilege?

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The answer to the above questions seems to be a lazy and a rather desperate"don't care, just as long as the Lokpal tackles "CORRUPTION".......or as the case with many Anna supporters, they don't have a clue what the Jan Lokpal is about even vaguely.

Can't run a country the size of India on sloganism or mob rule.

Presumably a simple pamphlet has been produced in simple jargon free Hindi to articulate and highlight the main points of the Jan Lokpal, AND on the reverse side the governments version...and why its wrong. That would be a good start.......5 annas a copy or even free.

Just because Ibrahim Dawood has the money and under world organization, he should not be able to use a local Indian front to mobilize a rent a crowd in front of parliament to give greater tax hikes to Goondawood, through which he launders his money.

Thats a rather stark and unfair example you might say.......but the principle and means of getting ones demand is the same. Hitler used mob tactics as did Mussolini under the cover of populism.....until they became absolute dictators with ALL powers of the state in their single hands.

How can we be sure that the Jan Lokpal is not a surreptitious eventual attempt to impose a dictatorship in India, through the back door? How can we be sure that Anna Hazare and his ilk don't launch populist crusades against not just corruption, but ALL OTHER ISSUES that would normally be the purview of the elected government? What solid verifiable guarantees do we have against this? Which constituency elected Anna Hazare to speak for India, besides the TOI....A center-right rag?

But let us agree that corruption is rampant in India, and that the problem requires an institutional approach. The fact that the Lokpal bill has been stalled for 43 years since 1968 may be an indication of the fear the Lokpal Bill engenders in corrupt officials, or simply that nobody can agree on its proper functioning (its a tricky complicated issue after all......issues that can't be wished away)

But let us for the sake of argument go for the Jan Lokpal Bill of Anna Hazare. It is bold and revolutionary. If it however does create constitutional problems a future elected government can presumably change it, and make persuasive arguments to change it through the mechanisms within government. The Jan Lokpal Bill is thus not set in stone.

Governance and government may be weak and ineffective in India, but nobody can dispute the sheer "power' of the Central government. It has at its disposal the police, the paramilitary, the military, the spooks, the courts to an extent, unlimited taxpayer and greasy funds from various sources, the media and the "ruling elite" who institutionalize their power through the Central government (The central government is a representation of the elite in India at the end of the day beyond the "aam admi" BS). Given such a huge leverage, the Jan Lokpal Bill is thus possibly a minuscule challenge to the status quo of "Power" in India, especially in a country where law and law enforcement is so weak.

Having read the Jan Lokpal proposals briefly, superficially,... my only counter-proposal is that the SC be vested with the sole power of appointing the Lokpal members. "Members will be appointed by (i)judges, (ii)Indian Administrative Service officers with a clean record,(iii) private citizens and (iv) constitutional authorities through a transparent and participatory process." sounds to too vague and complicated......the language is politically correct, but the devil is in the details. That devil can be overcome by simply giving the responsibility to the SC, who choose a team of about 20 people who serve 5 year terms from:

1. Civil Society making up at least half the members who have participated in anti-corruption activism for at least 10 years, and thus have proven themselves worthy through various SPECIFIC cases of anti-corruption. CBI national security background checks required.

2. You need at least two senior chartered accountants who understand the mechanics of corruption and how funds are funneled and disappeared, or laundered. The Lokpal should focus strategically on big corruption cases, and let the States Lokpals deal with local corruption.

3. You need some senior lawyers, judges who are familiar with corruption cases.

4. You need retired police officers who are familiar with corrupt criminals.....they dealt with such cases.

5. You need some "Administrative & Constitutional Law" professors who have studied and written articles on corruption.

6. The 20 member body should represent ALL India from all corners of the country; ALL castes; all religions fairly.

7. It should have an annual budget of $100 million a year to freely pursue cases, fully independent of the government, based away from Delhi.

8. It should have a staff of about 500 people, recruited by the 20 Lokpal members, AND not drawn from the Indian Civil Service.

The TOI blog posted below by TK Arun is thus a cautionary tale that should be borne in mind, BUT that the government should go ahead and relent on the fundamentals of the Jan Lokpal Bill AFTER negotiations, and AFTER the Lokapl Bill has been discussed in the relevant parliamentary committees properly.

Can't have, " Anna Hazare has proposal, ManMohan Singh hands enacted Bill for Anna Hazare to sign" pronto or else.......even though the idea and motivations behind it may be good.
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Do not yield to mobocracy, the Lokpal cannot end corruption

TK Arun

Barring the very corrupt, everyone would support the ongoing campaign against corruption. But not either Team Anna's specific solution or the means it employs. In fact, there is every reason to oppose and condemn the move to blackmail the government into conceding a very flawed demand.

A monolithic, all-powerful body that would hold every functionary of the state including the judiciary to account, and investigate and prosecute them if necessary, while itself being accountable to no one except to the noble conscience of its exalted members — this, in effect, is Jan Lokpal. If the good Lord delivers on his promise to sambhavami yuge yuge and takes birth as the Lokpal, this might work. But, otherwise, it is completely hostile to democracy, in spirit, principle and practice.

In a democracy, a system of checks and balances is supposed to guard against concentration of power. In India, at present, the judiciary is accountable to no one, and the executive, which controls the administrative machinery that runs the country, is accountable to the legislature.

The legislature is accountable to the people who elect its members. Administrative personnel are supposed to be accountable, as to both performance and ethics, through their chain of command, to the political executive. In practice, the administrative machinery is accountable to no one. This absence of accountability has spawned poor governance and corruption.

But how come the administrative machinery is not accountable to anyone? If the elected offices, manned by people's representatives, are effective, governance would stream into and light up our lives as naturally as sunlight does. But our elected offices are compromised. They make use of the administrative machinery to filch official funds, sell government patronage and extort money from the public. When administration is thus suborned, only a minority of civil servants stay ethical or even work.

What makes our elected offices so compromised? This is the central question to be addressed in the battle against corruption. Without clarity on this, the battle cannot succeed.

The politics of the world's largest democracy runs on the proceeds of corruption. All political parties finance their activity through funds that are amassed by loot of the exchequer, sale of patronage and plain extortion. Since political funding is an objective necessity, and the accepted form of funding is corruption, elected offices are compromised.

Even if individual functionaries are not corrupt, the parties they represent run on corruption and are compromised in this fashion. This is true of all parties today. Corruption is not just endemic, but also systemic. Reform of political funding is the key to ending corruption.

All political expenditure should be declared and made contestable by political rivals and watchdog bodies. All validated expenditure must be accounted for, and all sources of financing, fully transparent. Once parties and politicians have transparent funding, they will not need to be corrupt. Corruption will cease to be systemic. Only then can the political executive hold the administrative machinery to account for delivery of governance and ethical conduct.

A Lokpal only offers a layer of deterrence. This is like relying on tough inspection alone to check automobile pollution, without making cleaner fuel available, minus lead and sulphur, and without an engine technology upgrade. Similarly, without institutional reform of political funding, corruption cannot be tackled. Yes, we need deterrence as well. A strong Lokpal is essential. The entire political executive, including the PM, and senior civil servants should come within its purview.

But neither the judiciary nor Parliament can be accountable to this ombudsman. The judiciary must be independent of the Lokpal to keep a check on it. And Parliament's accountability should be directly to the people. If MPs misbehave, voters must have the right to recall them.

It is entirely justified for a popular agitation to press for reform of laws and institutions. So, the Anna mobilisation is most welcome. But not its disdain for the institutions and procedures of democracy or its demand to overturn the system of checks and balances that makes democracy work.

If it is sufficient to mobilise a million people in Delhi, leave alone the lakh Anna has brought out, to demand that Mayawati or Narendra Modi should be made prime minister, they can do it, easily. But that would not be right. What is right matters when it comes to making laws and institutions.

Its size, however large, or zeal, however self-righteous, cannot make a mob the people of India. The people of India take decisions through Parliament and cannot be railroaded by a mob.

War against Corruption in India

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The Anna Hazare campaign continues with the support of Civil Society, and opportunistic political parties seeking to score points against the clumsy corrupt Congress Party.

The problem of corruption in ALL countries starts at the top, with the leadership of the country. In India’s case it involves the Gandhi clan around Sonia. That is where the corruption must be tackled first. The problem however is not merely the Gandhi clan, but their minions who take their queue from the Gandhi clan, because they feel this is Pro Forma normal when one becomes a minister or appointee of the Gandhi government, encompassing babu’s and people who do business with this corrupt cabal.

Other political parties such as the BJP copy this fundamentally Congress practice, when in power on the rare occasion. It goes without saying that since Congress has been in power for so many years, corruption, ineptitude, the arrogance of power and entitlement sets in.

As has been stated by many, another motivation for corruption by ALL leading parties is political funding. Money buys elections, and this seems to be the accepted fact by all parties. The Naxals rob banks and companies in order to fund their political organization. Congress and the BJP on the other hand milk money from massive arms sales, and other such government sales and licenses illegally. This has a distorting effect on the economy, and generates huge corruption as can be imagined. A reasonable transparent political funding system needs to be established which can easily be monitored and verified by the Election Commission.

The Lokpal is an interesting idea, and may tackle some forms of corruption. But as has already been pointed out India will have with the Lokpal, 6 different government bodies working presumably in cross purposes against the same objective..corruption.

Which is the lead SC body that will deal with corruption strategically?

How are the Lokpal members going to be chosen? By the government, or the man or woman who brings out the biggest mob on the streets?

Does the Lokpal have more power than the elected members of the Lok Saba, and if so how is that power exercised?

Who will monitor the Lokpal?

OK so everybody wants a Lokpal, but how it is constituted and what is its remit is not broadly agreed. The PM should come under the scanner of the Lokpal, he should have nothing to fear. I don’t see the need for seasoned government ministers used to wheeling and dealing and political shenanigans being included in the Lokpal, CHECKING, OBSTRUCTING, and MISDIRECTING its work as they would per their normal political instincts and mission.

The Lokpal should contain technocrats with strong educational/Civil Society backgrounds (Anna with his minimal education is an anomaly, but should not be the accepted norm, though granted that greater education and higher social status is no clear guarantee of lesser corruption). People drawn from well established effective anti-corruption Civil Society organizations should form the majority of the Lokpal membership (They have served at least 10 years in such anti-corruption organizations). People who are genuinely concerned about the problem of corruption, but don’t want the Lokpal to be used to peddle erstwhile hidden political agenda’s against a particular party they don’t like via anti-corruption witch hunts.

Maybe the Lokpal can have 15—20 members, with a balance of men and women. Though it must be noted that crime and corruption is significantly lower among women; Crime is a male phenomenon.

Obviously it should have seasoned retired senior police officers who have exemplary records; senior accountants very very important if the Lokpal wishes to understand the mechanics of corruption, and of course Lawyers/judges who are familiar with corruption cases.

The body should contain Indians from ALL corners from the country; ALL castes; ALL religions.

The Supreme Court can appoint its members, within fixed terms and not a job for life. The Supreme Court can also monitor the Lokpal, given that most of the work is similar to what the Supreme Court would deal with it.

It can do beautiful meaningful work for India, focusing strategically at the problem of corruption, as the lead organization.

Below are additional suggestions by public figures in India.

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How to curb corruption: Three steps to clean India

Times of India

Naresh Chandra | Former cabinet secretary

*Tackle the menace from the inside, since outside agencies can't do much.

*Unnecessary concentration on agencies such as the CVC and the CAG should go.

*Hold the supervisor responsible. Strengthen vertical controls in property registration offices or in DDA or at municipal corporations.

K Srinath Reddy | Chief PM's health panel

*Blue-collar corruption needs better pay scales and income security, strict monitoring and swift grievance redressal.

*White-collar corruption calls for robust regulatory system, vigilance & prompt prosecution.

*Go for transparent systems, limit discretionary patronage & enable effective action by Lokpal.

TSR Subramanian | Former cabinet secretary

*Different methods have to be used to tackle corruption at different levels but the Lokpal is not a one-point solution.

*Where the Lokpal can help is in asking politicians and senior bureaucrats to step down if it finds that primafacie there is evidence against them. This will put pressure on the judiciary to act fast.

*If you extend the Lokpal to the lower level then the system will collapse. So you need strong local-level systems. You can create a local level, may be divisional level system, which works under the supervision of the state Lokayukta and ensure quicker decisions.

*At the same time, it is important to have a system to eliminate political interference starting from the local level.

V M Katoch | Director General, ICMR

*E-governance is key to ridding corruption. Once everything becomes online, there will be little opportunity for corruption. A perfect example is that of railway tickets.

*All govt projects must be time-bound . Fixed time for all projects failing which a strict penalty for those involved.

*All those involved in technical evaluation of bids must have clear well-defined instructions , especially on rejection criteria. No committee should have the power to relax any rules midway.

Harish Salve | Senior counsel

*Electoral reforms to eliminate the corrupt and criminals.

*Transparency in leasing out national resources. Delink PSUs from ministries, run them by professionals and list them.

*Downsize govt and pay realistic salaries.

Ram Jethmalani | MP, Rajya Sabha

*The Prime Minister must be directly elected by people and be accountable for corruption in his council of ministers.

*The judiciary must be completely purified to eliminate advocates with political leanings becoming judges.

*It is critical to improve character and efficiency of investigating.

Prakash Singh | Former DG, UP police & BSF

*Depoliticize and rejuvenate state polices' anti-corruption and vigilance departments.

*Reinvent CBI, free it from governmental control.

*Audit government's funding and social funding in a very transparent manner.

Iqbal Chagla | Senior Counsel

*Civil society cannot impose a law on the nation. That is the job of the Parliament. We have stringent laws to deal with corruption. We must enforce them strictly. Action in punishing the guilty must not only be done, but seen to be done, so that it sends out a strong message.

*Prosecute both, the bribe-taker and bribe-giver.

*Most importantly, people must be self disciplined so that bribery stops. There are no readymade answers but there has to be collective consciousness of what is good and bad.

Ajit Doval | Former Director, IB

*Beyond the laws: We are discussing at the national level, I am more concerned about the need to improve the situation at the cutting-edge level of administration, offices with which our public have a lot of dealings.

*Agencies such as the CBI, ED etc that enforce the laws should be made independent, efficient and accountable.

*Senior leadership in every department must be held accountable for any corruption detected in their department. This is not covered under the present jurisprudence, but is very important to end corruption. So if a subordinate is caught for corruption then the supervisor must be administratively held accountable.

*In all public delivery offices touts must go, they should be brought under the ambit of law. If touts are operating in a department then it must be presumed that officers in that office are responsible for it. It is important to shut out intermediaries from our passport and driving licence offices.

*Loud & clear: A supporter of Anna Hazare during the jail bharo andolan at Azad Maidan in Mumbai, soon after the anticorruption crusader was arrested in New Delhi earlier this week.

Venu Srinivasan | Managing Director, TVS

*Every time there's a scam or an allegation, the first reaction is to increase deterrence. But I feel we need to reduce the opportunity for corruption in the first place. Deterrence comes later.

*My first suggestion is to ensure fair, open and transparent awarding of contracts with regard to infrastructure projects or mining or land acquisition for industry. I have noticed, except for a few exceptions, land acquired for industry has not faced too much of public anger or angst because it has meant jobs and more opportunities. Opaque or ambiguous awarding of contracts leads to public anger and offers a huge opportunity for corruption.

*We need to do a rethink on the way liberalisation seems to be heading back towards over-regulation . Every ministry is suddenly looking for a regulator with the first whiff of an allegation or scam. A regulator is necessary in a situation where an oligopoly can diddle the public out of their right. It is common globally to have a financial regulator and a food regulator makes sense to ensure standardisation. But regulation should be minimum otherwise we would be going right back to the days of licence-permit raj.

*Proper enforcement of laws is a must. India does not lack regulation. What we need is free and fair enforcement of those laws. And it can start with traffic laws on the streets. Corruption is not just about money. It is also about ethics in public life. Anything that violates it can trigger public anger.

Anu Aga | Former Chairperson, Thermax Group

*Political party funding should be legitimised. Payments should be made only through cheques.

*Companies should admit that there is corruption and admit there is dishonesty and sign a code of right conduct. Since they are pushed into it as companies cannot do without paying it, there should be a mechanism by which they can sit across the table with the government to address it.

*Get rid of the nexus between politicians and builders and mining companies. There should be zero tolerance for it.

Ramakant Panda | Senior cardiac surgeon

*Corruption is the biggest stumbling block to the country's progress. The fight to eradicate corruption must be multi-pronged & broadbased . Opinion of a wider section of society must be taken into account while not subverting the democratic and parliamentary process.

*We need strong Lokpal & Lokayukta laws with teeth but at the same time strong deterrence against misuse (as is happening with RTI where people are using it more for personal gain than fight corruption).

*Better inspection of criminal records of political aspirants.

*Introducing ethics and moral education at school and college level.

Rahul Bajaj | Chairman, Bajaj Auto, MP, Rajya Sabha

*Enactment of a strong Lokpal Bill. This should be stronger than the bill introduced by the government in Parliament, but not as strong as that demanded by the civil society through the Jan Lokpal bill.

*State funding of elections: This should be part of the electoral reform process and must be undertaken urgently . There should be a mechanism to recognise political parties. The state funding should be for only those political parties whose accounts are transparent, clean and audited, and have been submitted to the Election Commission for scrutiny.

*Electoral reforms: This should include holding elections to Lok Sabha & state Assemblies simultaneously every five years with no mid-term polls.

Harsh Mariwala | CMD, Marico, President, FICCI

*Bring in goods & services tax which will remove tax evasion. Corruption takes place when there are multiple levels of taxes.

*Bring in electoral reforms and transparency in the funding process of political parties.

*Have a proper mechanism for use of discretionary powers; such as the one under which mines are allotted.

JM Lyngdoh | Former Chief Election Commissioner

*The first thing is to change the electoral system. The first-past-the-post system needs to go. If I get one vote more than you I get to represent the entire constituency. This system promotes the use of money. A person who spends more money will wield more power, that's the assumption everybody makes. The firstpast-the-post system is at root of the requirement for much money. That's why in the present system they start looting the budget once they are elected and that money becomes black money. Some of it is invested in the country in real estate and some of it is sent to the tax havens abroad and returns when there is another round of elections. The first-past-thepost system is concerned with re-election and has no concern for good governance.

*We should go for proportional representation where it will be a contest between parties. When it is a contest between parties things will tend to get less personalised and use of money is going to be much less.

*In developed democracies today, people have realised politicians do not have the time or inclination to handle the more complex aspects of governance. So these complex matters of governance are hived off from the government to autonomous unelected bodies of experts. Issues such as 2G and 3G are complex and should be handed over to an autonomous unelected body of experts and ministers should not interfere with these institutions just as they can't with the Supreme Court and the Election Commission. You need more institutions such as the Election Commission and the Supreme Court in more areas of governance.

Bimal Jalan | Former RBI Governor

*We need to reduce the "economic incentives" for politics. Those who join the government cannot defect without having to seek re-election . The pre-2003 procedure for elections to Rajya Sabha should be restored.

*Another political priority is to provide highest priority for hearing of cases of elected leaders with criminal antecedents. Their cases should be mandatorily decided within six months after their election . Such a procedure would effectively "reverse" the incentive for criminals to choose politics in order to delay investigation of their cases and possible conviction.

*If UPSC can appoint civil servants through a competitive and open system for life-time employment , there is no reason why a similar autonomous agency, like Public Sector Enterprises Board (PSEB) cannot be given full powers of supervision over the management of public enterprise with accountability to ministries concerned.

Kishore Biyani | Founder, Future Group

*Our value system of the past has to be revived . Honesty, putting the nation first - all these values were an important part of our culture. Corporates should also inculcate values in their employees.

*Our learning needs to start from home.

*Work on improving salaries and rewards for professionals across the private and public sector.

Abhishek Manu Singhvi | Spokesperson, Congress

*Methodical deletion of discretionary powers at all levels.

*Market value of land be fixed and dealings below it be scrutinised.

*Punitive and deterrent action against corrupt in a time-bound manner.

*Measures like Lokpal, strengthening of prosecution, CVC and CBI.

Harsh Neotia | Chairman, Ambuja Realty

*There should be a greater transparency in allocation of resources. Complete transparency in the licensing process of oil blocks, iron ore blocks, spectrum allocation, would reduce chances of corruption at macro level.

*Government should try to eliminate shortages. As long as there is a shortage, there will be corruption.

*Ten years ago, one had to bribe officials for a telephone line because it was not easily available. Now nobody pays a bribe.

lack of governance and mis-governance.

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India lacks adequate governance, which is extensively required to pull the country up to a first world status by 2050.

There is only so much the private sector can do. For the country overall, for the sake of its cohesion............ socially, politically, economically, morally its the governments duty and responsibility to do the rest strategically in a planned looking forward manner. One is quite certain the Ambani's or any other businessman when they deeply look at future business investments don't do so socially, politically, economically, morally......most of the time, but whether their business investment will make a profit and given them steady returns.

This lack of governance is simply indicated by the national budget in Delhi which represents a paltry 15% of GDP (the official GDP, and not the one with the black economy included which would mean India's actual GDP is closer to $4--4.5 billion).

Pranab Mukherjee sahib can India have a peoples budget of $400 billion for 2012-2013? With massive expenditures and investments in the job creating INDUSTRY and INFRASTRUCTURE sectors.

This lack of governance means only 30 million Indians out of a population of 1200 million Indians (including supposedly 250 million middle class Indians) pay tax. There is ample computerized systems in India from Bangalore, and national ID cards are being introduced, so lets double the taxable base to 60 million for the 2012--2013 budget. Apparently $1.5 trillion worth of Indian money is lying idle in Swiss accounts, and we don't know the true figure for the rest of the 70 odd tax havens.

Clearly in the tax sector there is a lack of effective efficient governance.

This lack of governance means large swathes of Indian society are little impacted by government actions. To them the government in Delhi is irrelevant.

Then you have mis-governance...which means the little impact with the little money the government does use to exercise its writ is itself misused, hence the corruption scandals about everything from Defense contracts to staging the Commonwealth Games, and the source of the only joke I new for quite a while:

Indian Neta in Washington invited to a rich Congressman's mansion overlooking the Potomac. They start on their 15 course meal served on an elegant mahogany table, including roast duck, lamb, the finest caviar and Belgian chocolates. The Congressman shyly ushers the neta to the window, at the end of the feast and speaks.."You see that bridge on that river over there.......10%....I made 10% from that."

The neta impressed invites the Congressman to his Dili mansion over looking the Yamuna, and in his white marble colonial style mansion he too offers up a 15 course feast for his American counterpart. At the end of the meal the neta beckons the Congressman to the window with a SLY GRIN and the traditional Indian nod of the head and as they both peer through the huge window, the neta whispers in child like delight......"You see bridge over there by the Yumuna.....can you see it?"

The Congressman is puzzled, "Bridge what bridge?"

Neta pointing to himself, "100%......me got it all! Son in Harvard, and my money in Mauritius/Hong Kong....wife daughter in London for the summer shopping"

Whats that oft repeated cliche? India is doing reasonably well despite its government.

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Work it out

Jug Suraiya at TOI blog.

Of late there has been a lot of talk of 'governance deficit'. Translated into plain language that means that the people who are meant to run the public affairs of this country - the politicians and the bureaucrats - don't know how to do their jobs. The bureaucrats - who in order to become bureaucrats generally would have had to pass often extremely competitive exams - might say that they know exactly what their job is, and how to do it. However, they are often prevented from doing so because of political interference. Maybe that's just buck-passing on the part of babudom, for there are many who believe that the ills of misgovernance that routinely plague the country are caused more by a generally inefficient, corrupt and unaccountable bureaucracy than by politicians. According to this argument, while politicians have to at least pretend to perform before the electorate or risk being voted out of office when their tenure is over, babus are secure in their jobs for the full length of their careers, and are under no compulsion to do their jobs or even to pretend to do so.

However, there seems to be a more crucial point of difference between politicians and babus when it comes to getting on with the job. While the babus at least know what their job is - whether they do it or not being a completely different matter - Indian politicians by and large appear to be totally clueless as to exactly what it is that is required of them by way of work. A TOI report on the responses given to an RTI application seeking to find out exactly what are the duties and responsibilities of our MPs and MLAs has shown that almost none of the respondents - including the Lok Sabha secretariat and the Election Commission - could give an adequate answer to these questions.

While the Election Commission brushed aside the queries saying that it was "not concerned with information sought", the Lok Sabha secretariat replied that there was "no provision either in the Constitution or the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business... defining duties and responsibilities of members of Parliament or through which the accountability can be fixed on non-performing MPs".

Spokespersons for both the Bihar and the West Bengal assemblies agreed that "there is no provision/rule through which the duties, responsibilities and accountabilities of MLAs are fixed". The sole exception to this denial of responsibility of our elected representatives was the Sikkim assembly which has rules "specifying the duties of MLAs", their "prime duty (being) to maintain communal harmony and peace among the people".

Ignorance is bliss. And being blissfully ignorant of just what their job entails - what they are actually meant to do once they've been elected into office - our political leaders can't be blamed for 'governance deficit', for not getting on with what they are meant to be doing. Because, as they've all too readily admitted, they don't know what it is that they are meant to do. So how can they be held responsible for not doing what they don't know they were supposed to be doing in the first place? And the answer to that, of course, is that they can't be held responsible. So the voters can go fly a kite. Or the governance deficit, whichever they prefer.

How are our politicians to be taught what their job is - apart from doing everything they can to hang on to power as long as they can and extract much as they can from the exchequer to enrich themselves? One suggestion might be to set up IIPs - Indian Institutes of Politics - along the lines of our IIMs and IITs, which are internationally acclaimed as centres of excellence. However, as well-meaning as it might sound, such a proposal is not merely hopelessly naive but also outdated.

For the truth of the matter is that the Indian political class, across the board, has long ago already set up its own institute of political training, the alumni of which are living testimonials to the world's first functioning IIP: the Indian Institute of Plunder.

A Party with a difference? Something extra.

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I was hoping and still hoping that the BJP forms a majority coalition government in 2014. This is good for Democracy in India, since you don't want the same party running a country for more than two terms unless its the LDP in Japan backed by the super efficient strategically minded bureaucrats in that country. Then in that situation you have the same party running the country for 60 odd years within Japan's USA guided Democracy. But it still comes out as a success within the broad parameters of a Japanese structured society, with the inherent Japanese culture intact.....despite the presence of certain aspects of American culture with MacDonalds, and Imperial military bases.

But with the recent Mumbai false flag ops carried out by the forces who don't want greater dialogue and cooperation between Pakistan and India, AND the BJP's unimaginative reaction to that tragic event, one sees that the BJP has a long way to go to earn their Brownie points.

They failed to see the historical trend of where things really are in South Asian relations strategically, and within SAARC broadly....and instead opted for a cheap reflective pot shot at Pakistan. The JEWSA covertly/overtly gives Pakistan any where between $5--7 billion in annual security aid, AND bankrolls the ISI...so if any real hard evidence emerges of Pakistani complicity than the JEWSA has to be taken to task as to why and where the Pakistanis get their "Dutch courage" to take on mighty India.




I thought, gleaned from my sources that IM and SIMI were RAW run outfits, without any linkages to the JEWSA funded ISI, and that certain sections of RAW have rather close intimate relations with MOSSAD (in a BJP kind of way). This has been the case since the early 1980's when they "co-operated" over the Sri Lankan civil war and the TERRORIST Tamil Tigers training, arming and funding. The Israelis went one better by arming, training and funding both sides later.(Victor Ostrovsky)

As pointed out by smart strategically minded Indians, both 26/11 and 13/7 were carried out just prior to the respective neighbors embarking on major bi-lateral negotiations........in the Siv Sena run City, with its considerable links to the MAFIA, and its Jewish historical background. In a city with such "unique qualities" and locale, the usual pointing of fingers MUST BE AVOIDED, despite the Pakistani military's failed state reputation since 1947, when the country was first created by the British, along with the ISI a year later, mentoring and guiding it directly into 1959........by Major General R. Cawthome, then Deputy Chief of Staff in the Pakistan Army.

Congress euphoric on poll results; BJP shocked

"Verdict is in your favour. The voter always
wants to see you as PM-in-waiting."

Avoid re-runs of Mumbai terror attack on TV: I & B ministry

The BJP is indeed the party with a difference...and that DIFFERENCE is its natural reflective reach for the RSS/Pune based terrorist and communalist position.

But the sum total of India is not communalist.

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Don't react, BJP. Act!

Rajesh Kalra at TOI blog.

The BJP government in Karnataka is doddering yet again with reports that the state’s Lokayukta, Justice Santosh Hegde, has named the chief minister, BS Yeddyurappa, for illegal plunder of state’s iron ore resources. Although the report cuts across party lines and names bigwigs from other parties as well, the BJP being the ruling party, the mud will stick the most on it and its chief minister.

The BJP, which has often projected itself as a party with a difference, finds itself increasingly cornered when it comes to Karnataka, the first southern state it wrested power in. But what could have been its crowning glory in the south is increasingly turning into a slew of embarrassments. Remember the land deals and the consequent run-ins with the state governor, the problems between the CM and the Reddy brothers of Bellary and so on?

Rather than showing it as a party with a difference, such cases only endorse the general sentiment among the people, already sick of corruption-related issues in the country, that the only difference between the BJP and the Congress is that there is no difference.

One need not go far. When the BJP-led NDA came to power at the Centre, I remember having long discussions with those who hold important positions within the party hierarchy now, and then. I used to tell them repeatedly that the voter may have given the Congress several chances, but it won’t give you as many. Why? Because it expects someone to give them good governance, and because you have come with a lot of promise, expectations from you are high and your failure to deliver would mean that the anger against you would be amplified. So, you should forget about making money hand over fist and concentrate on the genuine welfare of the masses. They will reward you with infinitely more powers the next time. But it was easier said than done.

I have no hesitation in saying that some of the new benchmarks in corruption were set by some of the high-profile ministers in that government. Some of them were a law unto themselves, while some held important positions completely disregarding the conflict of interest with corporates that benefitted from their association. It was not surprising, therefore, when the party was voted out.

Towards the end of the tenure, there were some attempts to redeem the situation, but it was already too late. I am afraid the party may find itself on a similar wicket this time around. And although the area in question is just one state, the repercussions would be nationwide, thanks to the 24x7 relentless media exposure. Honestly, where does this leave the party that is trying to trap the ruling UPA and Congress in a series of corruption cases? There is yet no credible opposition strategy to encircle them and the Karnataka episode would make any move tougher. It would seem like the pot calling the kettle black.

I was surprised to see the BJP respond to the latest Lokayukta report that it is too early to react. Too early to react, perhaps, but it may already be too late to act. We have seen these past few years the most corrupt government ever at the Centre. Given a chance, voters would want to see the end of this rule immediately. But if they see that the alternative is what it is, they feel confused and cheated.

If the BJP and opposition had any spunk, and sense, they would waste no more time in cajoling some of the powerful regional biggies, but crack the whip. It may result in some instant loss of power, but in the eyes of the voters nationwide, it may just yet play to role of boosting their credibility.

Follow Rajesh Kalra on Twitter

Modernizing the Colonial era Indian police, after 63 years.

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India after 63 years still has a colonial era police force with a force of 1.2 million policemen.......a small number for a population of 1.2 billion. They still wear their colonial era khaki uniforms and colonial era tactics......lathi charges and brute force when dealing with the public.

Crime is common within police forces, whether in First World countries or Third World.......but such situations can be ameliorated by careful considered reform, as the SC as suggested since 1996 under various directives.....BUT ignored save a few states, who want money from the Central government to institute the reforms.

In India the police have a very poor reputation...and this is justified, but the ultimate blame for this lies with the DO NOTHING CONGRESS party which has been in power for so many years. The party could have initiated modest staggered reforms which could have brought the Indian police force into the 21st century.

This is a shame for India.

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Maharashtra cops among most corrupt

V NarayanV Narayan, TNN and TOI online.

The Maharashtra police once enjoyed a reputation that befit the state's status as the country's most developed. But in recent years, its image has taken a severe beating. Rape, extortion, underworld links, disproportionate assets, custodial death, fake encounter, shoddy investigation of cases leading to frameups ...the list of charges is as long as the list of policemen whose wrongdoings have been exposed in the media with almost metronomic regularity.

From 2006 to 2010, over 21,000 cases were registered against state policepersons, including ones of illegal detention and custodial death. The statistic, by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), puts the state police fifth on a list headed by Madhya Pradesh (93,710 complaints), followed by Uttar Pradesh (34,364), Delhi (29,165) and Punjab (23,090).

For a proper appreciation of the data, knowledge of the police strength of the states and the police-population ratio there is necessary. Strength: Madhya Pradesh, 77,617; Uttar Pradesh, 1,70,000; Delhi, 57,500; Punjab, 30,000; Maharashtra, 1,80,000. Police persons per 10,000 people : MP, 12.16; UP, 10.68; Delhi, 42.4; Punjab, 30.76; Maharashtra, 17.93.

If data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) on complaints against policemen is considered along with the police strength of the states, the comparison shows that the cases against the Maharashtra police are proportionately less than their counterparts in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Punjab—the top four states on the NCRB list. But still, the company Maharashtra is keeping with these top four is unenviable : MP and UP, among a quartet of underdeveloped states that includes Bihar and Rajasthan, are where the police have historically had a low image; the same is with Delhi and Punjab.

So what has propelled Maharashtra into this league?

"Wrong exercise of power ," said former director general of police S S Puri. "This is the main problem that is causing criminal cases against the state's police persons to rise."

Another reason is collusion of senior officers with their juniors, said former IPS officer and advocate Y P Singh. "Because of this, no action is taken against errant cops. Inaction emboldens those down the ranks, which has a cascading effect. There is a dire need to implement police reforms (changing the functional structure of the force)."

One more reason is that people in the state are better informed and aware of their rights, said joint commissioner of police (crime) Himanshu Roy. This leads to victims of police persecution to come forward and register complaints, he said. "The picture will be clearer if a ratio of the absolute number of cases registered against the state's policemen per 1,000 people is taken into account. I must add, however, that the police department takes stern action against its members who are found guilty of abuse of authority."

Among the most glaring examples of abuse of authority is the case of senior inspector Arun Borude. Months after sleazy details of how he repeatedly raped a 15-year-old Powai girl started appearing, he allegedly committed suicide in December last year.

Most recently, the name of an officer of assistant commissioner rank cropped up in the J Dey murder case. The officer, Anil Mahabole, has had charges levelled against him in the past as well. He was suspended in 2007 for alleged underworld links.

In April this year, Malwani police sub-inspector Munir Shaikh was arrested for allegedly compelling a domestic help, Kunda Shinde, to commit suicide. This was his second arrest.

"The police are supposed to provide security to the people and ensure their welfare. Here, it is not the case," said Shakil Ahmed, member of the NGO Nirbhay Bano Andolan. "The police in the state are misusing their powers to the detriment of the public."

A senior police officer said most of the complaints pertain to accepting bribes to either pursue a case or sometimes alter the course of investigation in cases. "Police officers often make victims of crime run from pillar to post till they agree to pay a bribe. This is absolutely shameful."

Former Thane police commissioner SPS Yadav suggested deterrents like putting in place a special agency to deal with complaints against police.

"These complaints should be immediately looked into. If they are justified, stern action should be taken against the offenders. This will set an example and discourage policepersons from abusing power and indulging in illegal activities."

There are voices in defence of the state police as well. Former Mumbai police commissioner M N Singh said: "Complaints are registered against policepersons in the state for various reasons . The force in Maharashtra is one of the largest in the country. The number of complaints should be seen in terms of a comparison of a state's population with its police strength."

A senior police officer from the central suburbs said: "It is not that rogue cops are allowed to do as they please. A departmental inquiry is carried out against a policeperson if he faces charges. This process is clearly visible if one considers the cases of senior inspector Pradeep Sharma and inspector Pradeep Suryavanshi, who are in custody for allegedly conducting fake encounters.

"Sharma was initially hailed as a hero for his prowess as an encounter specialist . His count was over 100. But still he was arrested over the 2006 encounter of gangster Ram Narayan (alias Lakhan Bhaiya)."

He said that though Maharashtra ranks high on the NCRB list, there is a big difference with other states.

"Arbitrary arrest, illegal detention and torture are rampant across India. Maharashtra is no exception. But here, there are fewer instances of the force as a whole covering up for its guilty members."

Dynasty politics and birthday gifts.

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I was hoping Digvijay Singh would take up the mantle of PM, being the right age, experience and a man who spoke freely, it would have been "fun" seeing him as PM.

ManMohan Singh the safe mannequin front for the Ganda Gandhi mafia " defense contracts" billionaire loot dynasty, is too old and weak....and Congress will have to replace him due to his age, and persona as the PM who presided over massive corruption in the tens of billions, whilst he smiled passively to the poverty stricken yet anxious hopeful nation of 1.2 billion people.

But, last Sunday Digvijay Singh wished the playboy of the party Rahul Gandhi, happy birthday and speculated with adulation what a wonderful PM he will make in that particular Indian way.

Whilst I am not 100% sure that Digvijay Singh would make a successful PM, I am 100% sure Playboy shallow "love a party" Rahul won't make a good PM. Even with the aid of staged ops, a life-times habit is very difficult to change at 41 and middle age.

The idea that a man gets his position in a party and thus country because of birth is simply absurd save for family run businesses in this modern day and age..........the Congress got rid of the 500 Maharajahs who became a byword for decadence in Western circles in 1948. And yet Congress is reinventing that practice in the 21st century in utter shame.........along with a British Raj colonial economy where you have a few Macaulay Brown Sahib elite educated at Oxbridge looting the country to Switzerland, whilst the majority of Indian "Am Admi" live in abject poverty..........still........ after 63 years of "Independence".

In a nation of 1.2 billion surely Congress can find credible leaders who are not managed by the International bankers in New York and London? If the challenges of the nation become greater, and more sophisticated as the country prospers.....then Congress WILL need credible home grown leaders who have not been recruited and brainwashed by the International bankers. Playboy Rahul spent far too long a time partying, playing around and pretending to study in the USA, and UK.

The leaders of India, and generally South Asia MUST be educated in their home countries exclusively even if the elite schools are from the colonial era;

Speak the desi native language first and foremost with clear automatic ease (The language you speak is the first language you think with.......Indian LEADERS SHOULD THINK LIKE Indians at a minimum)

....and should have spent the maximum amount of time in the respective South Asian countries which reduces the chances of recruitment by foreign intelligence agencies. The KGB used to and every other serious intelligence agencies recruit prospect leaders of every nation so that their nations agenda's can be furthered through these recruited agents (not astro-physics)......Rehman Malik, Zardari, Gilani, Kiyani, Suja Pasha work for the USA first and Pakistan second maybe ...thats why the country is in a utter mess.

That is the rule in the USA save Bill Clinton (the globalist former President of the USA), China and Russia........three serious powers.

India requires hard faced, hard nosed leaders, not MAN-CHILD playboy leaders groomed in the West.
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"Dear Rahul, give yourself a b’day gift, get Diggy to zip it"

By Anshul Chaturvedi at TOI blog.

"Rahul has got all those qualities and capabilities that are needed for a good Prime Minister", Singh, who has been working closely with the young leader, who turns 41 on June 19, told reporters… Describing Rahul as "quite mature", Singh said he has got the understanding of social and political issues. Besides being a member of the Gandhi family, he has the qualities of head and heart to strike rapport with people, he said. -

PTI report, June 19

Dear Rahul

Digvijay Singh has been stunning us to the point of incredulity the past week with his repeated assertions of undying loyalty, disguised as assessment reports certifying your immediate readiness to step into Dr Manmohan Singh’s chambers. If you skim through the stories and the responses of readers, you’d realize that he’s done more to draw sustained flak on to you than anything the opposition could have done. Since there’s no point addressing Diggy at the moment, given his state of mind, this small set of observations is addressed to you:

* Anybody halfway in a politically relevant position can “become PM”; it’s not as Herculean a task as it sounds, and acquiring the PM-ship has hardly been necessarily the same as achieving political primacy. Charan Singh became PM. Chandrashekhar became PM. Deve Gowda became PM, and yawned through most of it. IK Gujral became PM. Big difference it made to us – or to them. The chair is only as big as the stature of its occupant. So even if they thrust the PM-ship willy-nilly down your – and our – throats, as some sort of gift at some stage, it’ll hardly help give you greater stature.

* The biggest questions facing the political system have been questions of integrity. This is not to say that this is a Congress issue alone – there’s hardly any political organization that’s not part of the rot – but for someone who is apparently all set to run the country, it would be nice to know what you thought of the CWG management, or of the 2G spectrum scam, or of Adarsh. Or, for that matter, of Osama. The reality is that I have little clue; if I have to resort to Google to get an idea of your having said anything on the political issues of the day, well, that’s not how I’d like to know my PM-in-waiting. We’d like to know better what you think – not what the second rung of the Congress thinks of you. I mean, seriously, if they went on record to say you weren’t equipped to be PM, they wouldn’t be in the Congress, so what exactly are they proving by their assessment?

* Rita Bahuguna is making a joke of the issues facing farmers by deciding to make your birthday “farmer’s rights day”. I’d assume it would make you squirm as much as any outside observer. Please tell your party’s leaders that the more bizarre the levels to which they go to exalt you to score internal brownie points, the sillier they look – and make you look the same, since your silence can only be read as happy acceptance.

* The PM already has had enough damage to his reputation and standing; the man who was an exemplary Finance Minister keeps on being derided for being a stand-in for the family. How are we expected to take his functioning as PM with any degree of gravitas if every other day Congress leaders tell us that the only reason he’s not been asked to vacate yet is because you have graciously chosen not to step into 7 RCR. As it is, nobody outside the Congress says a good word for the man any more; at least give him his dignity within the system.

* There is a school of thought – you’d surely be aware of it – which says the whole exercise of letting things be the way they are the Centre as they currently are, is to pitch things for an internal regime change; to give the public a Rahul-led regime as relief from the quasi-paralysed Manmohan tenure. Each time people like Digvijay go public with such quasi-hysteric declarations, they merely strengthen that impression.

There’s no reason why anyone who can command a majority support in the Lok Sabha should not be Prime Minister, be it you or anyone else. Neither I nor anyone else need have a point of view on who can and who cannot be PM. But, please, let it not be handled as a running joke. Let the party celebrate your birthday; but let it not pitch to the country the spectacle of the prime ministership of India as a birthday present, all gift-wrapped, waiting for you to unwrap it. Seriously. Some things look better earned than gifted. Better to achieve greatness, even if a trifle late, than to have it thrust upon you - and that too, by Diggy Raja.

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I WISH RAHUL GANDHI A GREAT FUTURE, BUT NOT IN INDIAN POLITICS.......IT CAN'T BE A PLAYGROUND FOR DYNASTY PLAYBOYS.

Congress General Secretary Digvijay speaks up for his Party.

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Ramdev's fast a five-star satyagraha: Digvijay Singh

By Press Trust of India via Times of India.

Sharpening his attack on Baba Ramdev, Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh on Saturday dubbed his indefinite fast as a "five-star satyagraha" sponsored by RSS and VHP to divert people's attention from "Sanghi terror".

(That would be a shame given I have endorsed Baba Ramdev. Religious bigotry kills many people in India, and discriminates against many millions more. However CORRUPTION by governments kills people also, though not as spectacularly as religious violence. It would be useful if an Indian Seymour Hersch could produce evidence that Anna Hazare, and Baba Ramdev had linkages with the RSS, Sangh Parivar and VHP...........I think the war against corruption in India has got to be tough, going beyond setting up yet another government body which is assigned to fight corruption, but ending up doing nothing {because the netas and babus manipulate it}. HOWEVER if the movement against corruption is covertly hijacked by the religious extremists, that is dangerous. Fighting corruption has to remain a secular ISSUE where OVERT RELIGIOUS SYMBOLISM of the HINDU kind are not used which animates the wrong constituency in India)

"Now it is absolutely clear as to what are the credentials of Baba Ramdev. He is now openly supported by RSS BJP and VHP," Singh told reporters.

(Endorsement by the above parties does not mean necessarily that Baba Ramdev is fully paid up members of the above organization, unless clear evidence states otherwise, and he does not deny/disown the facts.

The above organizations may from time to time endorse wholesome things which are good for India....and it is not gospel truth that everything they support is necessarily evil and dangerous. The RSS, VHP and Sang Parivar may be stirred by patriotic fervor of the positive kind and may be fully indignant of the fact that India has so much black money abroad; for such a poor country...and may feel genuinely ashamed of the spate of corruption scandals that have affected India over the years.....this indignation, outrage and sense of shame is it self not a evil feeling, but normal for patriotic people)

He alleged that this campaign by VHP and RSS "is to undo the Constitution and Parliamentary democracy by encouraging people like Baba Ramdev to go on such fast."

(I don't think it goes that far. Indian Democracy has lasted for 63 years and has faced many turbulent challenges including from Congress itself under Indira Gandhi and the Emergency Rule 1975--77. However there is the complacency of corruption where a rotten system sets in when people with privilege think they are entitled to power and the riches of the state through nefarious means and Dynasty politics.........Why is Sonia and and her family billionaires when the family have never conducted business officially?.....because of kickbacks from defense procurements from the late 1960's.

On the other hand Baba Ramdev has to make sure that his actions do not lead to major destabilization of the state....where the GDP starts to shrink and people loose their jobs...where people start fighting and killing........that I think is NOT GOING to happen with the FAST, but may put pressure on the political system to do something about corruption finally)

Alleging that the campaign is "totally engineered by RSS and VHP to divert people's attention from Sanghi terror", Singh wondered "what kind of satyagraha is this of a baba who travels in a jet."

(Well in the 1905--1912 Satyagraha against the evil imperial design to divide Bengal along religious lines, there were no jets....ditto under Gandhi.....or Titters; Facebook etc.....there is absolutely nothing wrong in using modern communications system to SELL traditional age old ideas about the sanctity of India, and what needs to be addressed to improve the nation for the better of ALL......India is a big country geographically. Gandhi did walk a lot of the times in his agitation against the Raj, but I also think he did catch the train, and in Europe went on planes and Ships. Baba Ramdev is presumably not campaigning for ALL Indians to go back to the village, or is a Luddite......he is campaigning against corruption)

"He has got five-star tents put up with all facilities. And he is doing satyagraha on issues, which he doesn't know," Singh, who recently dubbed Baba Ramdev as being more of a businessman than a 'sanyasi', said.

(It is a utter falsity that ONLY CONGRESS LEADERS presume to know the problems of corruption in India.

The biggest crooks in Pakistan are the Pakistani military generals who work for the USA and a lot of the politicians.

Some of the biggest crooks in India are the politicians in charge of all the major parties and some babus.

INTENTION IS IMPORTANT.....before the problem of corruption is resolved....if Baba Ramdev see's corruption in India as a Congress Party problem mainly then he WILL FAIL in solving the problem.

However going back to the first point, one doesn't have to be a political insider within the state structure to understand the problem of corruption in India. Corruption in India is not a matter that MUST ONLY be understood and dealt with by political insiders within the state structure....if that were the case the problem would have been solved in the 1950's....and not allowed to linger 63 years into 2011)

"The whole satyagraha is not something what the satyagraha Mahatma Gandhi meant. This is five-star satyagraha for which crores of Rupees have been spent in creating air conditioned pandal," he said.

(Gandhi was fighting for Indian liberation, but I think it was Nehru who said in an autobiography that Gandhi was appalled by the corruption in his own party (source????). If he were alive today he may well have made his priority of fighting corruption in India his number one goal, and South Asian unity within SAARC his second goal)

Singh also took a dig at Anna Hazare who has announced plans to join Baba Ramdev in the fast tomorrow, saying, "I leave it to (his) judgement. Anna Hazare associates himself with RSS VHP, I don't know."

(It makes sense politically for Baba Ramdev and his fellow travelers to take their action together and speak with one voice)

The Congress leader, who has been speaking on the issue despite a virtual gag order, said that from day one everyone knows that "soldiers" of RSS, BJP and VHP are supporting Ramdev.

"So we all know who is sponsoring this and who he is trying to propagate," Singh said.

(I thought everybody in India with different social and political backgrounds, but mainly from the Middle class were campaigning against corruption in India)

The Congress leader also sought to project the Baba as regressive.

He said while the world is clamouring to learn English to compete in the global economy, the Baba wants medical and education in regional languages "and I want to ask him where he wants to take the country."

( It would be nice if India was less Anglophone and more Indian......with government institutions where suitable adopting HINDI as the oficial state language. However English is the global language, and India should not short cut herself on the benefits of this International language .......service CALL CENTERS etc)

On the estimate of black money, he said he failed to understand who has given the figure of Rs 4 lakh crore.

"BJP leader L K Advani is saying Rs 17 lakh crore. BJP is giving some other figure. Tell us, who gave you this figure. What is the original figure?," Digvijay asked.

( It is immaterial what is the exact figure for the back money in the 70 or so ofshore tax havens.....That is why its called Black Money. Illegally gotten money that avoids taxation, and is stashed away in foreign banks, off shore to avoid detection:

1. It is enough that the general public are aware that significant amounts of black money is abroad. They don't have to know the exact amount.

2. Governments take decisive steps to bring back the black money, beyond lip service.

3. The hole is plugged through which the system of black money is allowed to leave India.)

Singh also projected the yoga guru as an ignorant man. "Firstly Baba himself is not aware of what the issues are, what the system is, how the government functions. I pity BJP's mind, they have also run a government. Is it possible to resolve all points raised by Baba? I want to ask BJP's (Nitin) Gadkari."

(Baba Ramdev must clearly state that corruption in India crosses party lines, and is not a Congress problem only, AND HE is not campaigning against Congress only (UPA). Though Congress has been in power for most of the last 63 years of Independence, and because of this has a lot to answer for.

Again let me state that intention and habit are more important than knowledge, when combating corruption in India. SOME OF THE BIGGEST CROOKS IN SOUTH ASIA ARE VERY ARTICULATE, CLEVER....POWERFUL people who are well connected within the state structure and the private sector. They use their connections, and considerable KNOWLEDGE OF THE STATE to loot the country.....in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh.......POLITICIANS, BABUS, MILITARY PEOPLE......and powerful individuals in the private sector.

Therefore it is simply disingenuous for Singh sahab to say that Baba Ramdev doesn't understand what he is talking about........."He's out of his depth" narrative dismissive thing that parents condescendingly say to their little children. I believe Baba Ramdev does understand that there is a very BIG problem called "corruption in India", and that this big problem is creating additional problems for India economically and socially----thats the generals gist of it.....he and many others in India understand this at a basic level.

On the other hand it behooves people like Baba Ramdev to make himself fully aware of all the issues surrounding the big issue of "corruption in India" so that he can argue from the position of true knowledge.....this will give him POWER......rather than playing to the gallery through pure emotional and religious symbolism. There is nothing to stop him in surrounding himself with articulate experts on the field of corruption from INDIAN ACTIVISM, and from Indian academia.

Corruption in India is a BIG problem, and is a COMPLEX problem that crosses party lines......however such challenges must not be used to avoid addressing the problem.

In my view it might make more sense to create effective state institutions as a precursor to fighting corruption in India..........a lot of corruption in a state comes from weak state structures which do not do their jobs properly)

He said Advani can tell whether the Baba's demand to continue his hunger strike till the Rs 4 lakh crore money stashed abroad is returned was reasonable.

He also asked the Baba, who is agitating against black money, as to why he established an ashram in Mauritius, which is a known tax haven.

(Most Mauritians are of Indian origin from Bihar????, and Hindu......so having an ashram there is normal, as it is in Fiji, Singapore, Malaysia. Now on the other hand if Singh Sahib knows otherwise he should tell us so.

Now I endorse Digvijay Singh as the leader of the Congress Party (PM position) after geriatric ManMohan Singh steps aside, and which bypasses the Dynasty appointment of the Playboy from Italy.....which is corruption/nepotism of a kind in itself, and no les odious. India does not need Playboy leaders)