Sainath eviscerates Sidd V (indirectly of course)

There were a couple of blog posts by HF and yours truly recently about how Siddharth Varadarajan panders to the UPA government while vaguely placing the blame of corruption on corporate India.
Sainath in what is a blistering editorial on the culture of corruption and inaction of the UPA literally lamblasts Sidd V's theories to atoms.

That is, electronic media chiefs and editors who have mostly adored Dr. Singh for nearly two decades. If even the largely free ride they gave him left him unnerved and defensive, it's a measure of how much things have changed. Not that the editors emerged looking better. If asking the right questions is at the heart of journalism, then somebody had a bypass. At no point did it occur to them that the corruption they questioned him on with some passion, flowed entirely out of policies and from a policy altar at which they have worshipped for years.

He raises the issue of subsidies in the last budget being given a free pass by the Government.

The dominant media have never once raised a peep of protest against the corporate plunder of public money, thanks to the government Dr. Singh presides over. Nor did they in this conference with the Prime Minister. So Dr. Singh is understandably peeved when asked about the petty cash transfers of the 2G scam to a handful of hucksters.

This the same PM who has been claimed by LiC and Sidd V as a paragon of virtue of integrity.

Varadarajan, the lobbyist who didn't get caught

Siddharth Varadarajan is Barkha-fying news. Chindu has a list of journalists who are propagandists for Congress. Harish Khare, who was the political editor at Chindu, used to frequently write articles praising Congress and pleading the Dynasty to assume totalitarian control. He later became the media adviser to Manmohan Singh. Varadarajan belongs to the same category.

According to Varadarajan, there was no corruption before NDA government.
Inspite of Dr.Singh presiding over unprecedented corruption, his personal integrity is unquestionable for some strange reason.
The root cause of all problems is capitalism. Was there any corruption during the golden era of Nehruvian Socialism when the politicians could work  for the masses without the distractions of dirty money?

Siddharth Varadarajan is a congress lobbyist was lucky enough not to have been caught in Radia-gate.
The Hindu : Opinion / Leader Page Articles : It's time to get down to business

The United Progressive Alliance inherited this corrupt system and presided over its unprecedented expansion.
As an economist and a man of unquestionable integrity, Dr. Singh ...
When individual corporate houses attempt a short-cut, however, they
invariably corrupt the wider political edifice. Corrupt politicians come
and go. But unless the crony capitalists who use them are punished,
Indian democracy will continue to corrode.

Celebrating MMS the new-era Dhritharashtra

There are certain figures in mythology who are tragic figures due to circumstances and some due to their own creations. Dhritharashtra of the Kurus showed a blind eye (literally and figuratively) to the rampant corrupt and vengeful behaviors of his sons and paid for it with the loss of their lives and his kingdom. As a ruler of a nation maintain Raj-Dharma is of paramount importance and is one of the valuable lessons Indian history has tried to teach its rulers. Its something MMS has done poorly in 2 terms as the PM of India.
After numerous scams and feeble efforts to defend the government's inaction and bringing the perpetrators to justice, the new "vigilance" is being swallowed by the MSM especially cHindu hook, line and sinker.

The same Prime Minister whose silence and ambivalence on 2G was seen by the Opposition and the public at large as weakness and even complicity has pushed the Central Bureau of Investigation into summoning and questioning top industrialists like Anil Ambani, raiding Kalaingar TV, the business arm of a key political ally, the DMK, and sending A. Raja, who was Telecom Minister till some time ago, to the unwholesome confines of Tihar Jail.

Call me a sceptic but sending a minster to prison temporarily and raiding KTV is not vigilant action. The corruption is endemic and across the nation and token actions are simply not enough. Sidd V asks a potent question when says,

The question, of course, is whether or not the CBI will persist in its endeavours. Are we being treated to an elaborate dog-and-pony show? Or does the agency's current activism represent a fundamental course correction for a system which has tolerated and thrived on corruption? If yes, does the Prime Minister have the political clout to see things through?

However where Sidd Varadarajan fails to hit the nail on the head is his sympathetic portrayal of MMS as being a decisive leader misled by his ministers.

As an economist and a man of unquestionable integrity, Dr. Singh knew full well the revenue consequences of forgoing an auction for the allocation of 2G spectrum and recorded his unhappiness with the decision. If the Prime Minister were anyone other than Dr. Singh, one might be justified in treating his belated intervention in the 2G matter as an indication of his own involvement. In reality, the delay was the product of both his individual political weakness and his party's failure to understand the political implications of the scam.

Its as though cHindu wants to treat MMS and the UPA with kid gloves and come hard against the BJP for similar failings. Final words from Sidd V.

Corrupt politicians come and go. But unless the crony capitalists who use them are punished, Indian democracy will continue to corrode.

What about corrupt journalists Mr. Siddharth Varadarajan?

Eminent historian alert

Chindu's favourite eminent historian is back with a bang. Romila Thapar is comparing various versions of Ramayana, written in ancient Indian languages, by basing her understanding on translations. How anyone could pass off as an authority on ancient Indian history without knowledge of the prevalent languages of the time is a mystery. That Romila Thapar never had to learn Sanskrit shows the nature of academic research in India.
The Hindu : National : “Ramayana versions reflect period perspectives”

Ms. Thapar elaborated on the diverse facets through which historians viewed the text. For this, she made a comparison of three different versions of the tale: Valmiki's Ramayana in Sanskrit, the Buddhist version contained in the Jataka Tales in Pali and the Jaina version in the ‘Paumacariyam' in Prakrit.

Accusing without evidence

Apart from this last paragraph, the rest of the article is about the arbitrariness of police detentions. If we are to take Vidya's contention that the law may be subverted, are we to assume there was no arbitraniness in Kanchi Shankaracharya's case? Close to 100 witnesses rounded up in a week's time should have raised a few eyebrows. Did Vidya bother to check the impact of false detentions on those witnesses, especially when some of them claimed in the courts that the confessions have been extracted by police under duress? After several years of investigation and a chargesheet running into a few thousand pages, has an iota of evidence been found in the cases against the Kanchi Acharya?
Having done her best to propagate the term Hindutva terror, without ever bothering to tell us what it means, she now gloats that the term has gained official recognition. Sadhvi Pragya Singh, one of the key accused, also claimed to have been tortured. Did Vidya fight for her human rights or do anything for that woman's cause? She indulges in selective battles but has no qualms accusing the BJP and RSS. By the way, does Vidya have evidence to prove that the due process of law is being followed in the investigations into the Ajmer, Malegaon or Samjhauta express blasts?
I also question the judgement of the editor who let these three lines pass through when they are so disconnected with the main premise of the article.
The Hindu : Opinion / Leader Page Articles : Accused without any evidence

The BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh are furious that Aseemanand and some other Hindutva names have emerged in recent terror investigations. The parivar has every right to demand that due process be followed in their cases. However, one wishes they had been similarly concerned about young Muslim boys jailed and charge sheeted without evidence.

Sarfarosh in real life?

In the popular movie Sarfarosh there's a character - famous Pakistani vocalist Gulfam Hassan who acts all benign and friendly until his true colors are revealed. Recently popular singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan was arrested for carrying a lot of foreign currency.
As usual the Paki govt made a huge push to get him released. There's probably than what's discussed, given that there are many Paki singers in the Indian music scene today.

Celebrating Egypt, silence on China

cHindu and LIC show hypocrisy again, in a phony show of celebrating Egypt's painless revolution. But where's the voice of reason when it comes to China. Perhaps an effect of paid news here ....

That cannot be denied, however, is that 80 million Egyptians have spoken. Their right to democracy cannot be annulled; nor can their demand for it be resisted. It is Egypt's neighbours who know that best. In Algeria, protesters are defying bans on rallies. In Yemen, the people have won the President's assurance that there will be no father-son handover.

Churches support Maoist terrorism activities

This comes as no surprise from the cHindu. (Props to Rajeev for pointing it out).

Kerala Council of Churches (KCC), the umbrella organisation of the various non-Catholic Episcopal churches in Kerala, has come out in support of Binayak Sen, who was recently sentenced to life imprisonment for sedition.

Not surprisingly the article is silent over the human rights abuses by Christians in the North East, abuse of children by priests world over and other such crimes.

To express solidarity with the struggle taken up by Dr. Sen and his friends, KCC, jointly with MM Thomas Memorial Trust and Development Training Programme, will organise a meeting at 3 p.m. on February 9 at YMCA Hall, Thiruvalla. Philipose Mar Chrysostum Mar Thoma Valia Metropolitan will inaugurate. Kuriakose Mar Ivanios Metropolitan, vice president, KCC, will preside. Leaders of various human rights movements will speak on the occasion, the press note said.

On a side note though, cant these douche bags have shorter names than the 25 syllable 5 word names?

N.Ram advising against muslim intolerance? Heck, no.

The Hindu : Opinion / Editorials : Creeping intolerance

As in Pakistan, support for religious political parties is not high but radical Muslim groups wield a disproportionate amount of street influence — and in this way succeed in shaping the responses of politicians and government officials

It is no different in India. One might say there is a slight difference - not just the radical muslim groups but all muslim groups wield a disproportionate amount of street influence. So N.Ram's advice to Indonesia is equally applicable to India. But wait a minute, is N.Ram really advising muslims?

It is to be hoped that Indonesia, which has moved ahead politically and economically with much speed after getting rid of Suharto, will tackle the intolerance with the same determination it has shown in dealing with the Islamist terror group Jemaah Islmiyah.

You bet not. "It is to be hoped" by who? N.Ram is not even hoping to see a change in Indonesia's radical muslim groups.

Is Egypt really ready for Democracy?

The international media has jumped on the bandwagon of the protesting crowds to demand Mubarak step down and democracy be restored. A few years back another nation's transformation was similarly supported and this later lead to a devastating loss of lives and that nation is on the path of recovery. Are the circumstances similar? Kind of, but the question remains that is a nation that is inherently fractured and held in check by a dictator really ready for democracy?

In a similar vein, massive crowds in Egypt's second city of Alexandria chanted, “He must go!” As people, not all of the same ideological persuasion, poured in to protest, some held aloft pictures of the former Presidents, Gamal Abdel Nasser and Anwar Sadat. In Giza, on the outskirts of Cairo, home to the famed pyramids, a few thousands assembled to protest. Unwilling to slacken the momentum, some pro-democracy activists in Cairo said they would march to the rail station to pursue and persist with a sit-in until Mr. Mubarak relinquished office.

cHindu as usual jumps for democracy in all nations not named China. Hypocrisy is the newspaper's driving principle.

K. Subrahmanyam Indian Intelligence guru passes away

India has lost one of its foremost Intelligence and Strategy gurus in K. Subrahmanyam. He has been the author of several pieces showing keen insight like this one in the cHindu.
We offer our condolences to his family. Nitin Pai of Acorn has some interesting articles based on his discussions with K Subrahmanyam during their meeting in Delhi.

cHindu wipes CPM's arse again

This news article has nothing to do with local Indian politics. It does not have anything to do with a nation with deep ties to India. However cHindu toots the CPM horn again.

The Left parties have expressed support for the people of Egypt and urged the Union government to take a clear stand endorsing the will of the people.
The CPI(M) said the U.S., which was notorious for engineering “regime change” in countries that did not act at its behest, should be warned not to interfere with the will of the people of Egypt.
“The Egyptian people will not accept anything less than the immediate removal of Mubarak from power. It is only with this step that there can be a transition to a democratic set-up based on the wishes of the people,” a CPI(M) Polit Bureau statement said.

I thought of putting a who cares, but this is ridiculous to be publishing quotes from one set of parties.
And we thought Toi was good enough to be flushed.

Editorial on the murder of Sonawane

The failings of the criminal justice system was exposed again when Yashwant Sonawane's attempt to expose the fuel mafia lead to his gruesome murder. From cHindu's editorial

By one reckoning, 40 per cent of kerosene is stolen during transportation from depots to retail outlets. Estimates of the value of this organised racket, which also sees quite a bit of the kerosene used to adulterate diesel, exceed Rs.10,000 crore a year nationally. The fraud seems to be growing in direct correlation to the rise in fuel prices.

Why we have to wait for an attack of an official to jump into action is simply inexplicable?
cHindu and the media's short lived attention spans in bringing the criminals to justice highlights MSM's abilities to have the intellectual focus of a 2 year old.
In closing the next steps suggested in the editorial shows what has become modern India's solution to any problem, sweep it under the rug.

The crackdown that is on now and the arrest of all ten suspects in the murder of Mr. Sonawane are positive signs. The hope is that Union Petroleum Minister Jaipal Reddy's resolve to curb the adulteration menace will not prove short-lived. A great deal of work waits to be done on the ground, and a start can be made by acting on the Supreme Court's 2001 suggestion of an additional agency to carry out independent checks and actions in the fuel sector.

Eerie silence on Karmapa controversy

cHindu and the LiC has been quite silent on the whole Karmapa currency especially the finding of Chinese currency with his assistant.

Mr. Mardi said Karmapa Ugyen Trinley Dorje was not quizzed but only asked about the source of the money. But he said he was not aware of it, Mr. Mardi added. However, his spokesperson asserted that it was money received through offerings and donations and not illegal money. Police had recovered foreign currency equivalent to Rs. 7 crore during raids on the trust backed by Karmapa and arrested the main accountant Shakti Lama.

Hmm if Chinese currency was found with the donations, it raises interesting questions about the "religious" intentions of the Chinese government.

SC super stars say Haj subsidy not discriminatory

Reading the Supreme Court's decisions makes me wonder which is the bigger circus the Parliament or the Supreme Court. The petitioner Prafull Goradia claimed,

a grant (Hajj subsidy) violated Articles 14 and 15 and in particular Article 27 (freedom as to payment of taxes for promotion of any particular religion).

In response the learned judges of the Supreme Court went all JNU style history book in stating

India was a country of great diversity and “if we wish to keep our country united, we need to have tolerance and equal respect for all communities and sects. It is due to the wisdom of our founding fathers that we have a Constitution, which is secular in character and which caters for the tremendous diversity in our country.”

WTF! How does this really correspond to the question posed?
The SC then claimed:

If only a relatively small part of any tax collected is utilised for providing some conveniences or facilities or concessions to any religious denomination, that would not be violative of Article 27. It is only when a substantial part of the tax is utilised for any particular religion would Article 27 be violated.

What defines "small part of any tax" and secondly who determines where that amount goes to?
There is a clear lack of accountability that is being applauded by the "super stars", I mean Justices Markandey Katju and Gyan Sudha Misra here.

Reactions from secular readers responding to flag hoisting

This Letters to the Editor is a filtered figment of saturated excrement that is daily published by cHindu's editors. This farce represents what is wrong with cHindu bottom up.

This refers to the editorial “Trouble-making in Kashmir” (Jan 27). Thank god, the BJP Ekta Yatra ended peacefully. Nevertheless, the editorial rightly cautions against further political exploitation of the people in the Valley as that would be “worse than a crime.”

Nice to see our folks describing the raising a national flag as political exploitation.
Note to Kashmiri separatists, please pay back all the incentives earned since inception of Article 370 with interest of 8.5% PA before coming to the table for separate country. Otherwise please go to hell or in your case Pakistan.

More biased news from cHindu

There have been several recent news articles by cHindu where the 'editorialization' has continued.
Thanks to our keen readers these have not gone unnoticed. We will respond to these articles shortly.
They are:
High Court seeks report on Sabarimala tragedy The crux being that the High Court had reprimanded the State Government for not improving the infrastructure despite previous notices as reported in the Indian Express.
The other more ridiculous article was where the Supreme Court in all its infinite wisdom claimed that India was a nation of immigrants.
It will not be surprising to find the Supreme Court reserve 99% of all college, train and bus seats, jobs in private and government sectors to monkeys since they were the real original inhabitants and their state has not been improved since Independence.

Vatican moves John Paul closer to Sainthood

There were 2 John Paul's who were highly influential in the 20th century. One who performed on stage as a member of Led Zeppelin and the other .... Now the Vatican comes out to beatify John Paul II which moves him closer to Sainthood.

Pope Benedict XVI said in a decree that a French nun's recovery from the Parkinson's disease was miraculous, the last step needed for beatification. A second miracle is needed for the Polish-born John Paul II to be made a saint.

The whole charade of sainthood and miracles are both a sham and hypocritical when the Vatican and its supporters often decry philosophies of other religions as blasphemy or heresy. In the past another quack from Calcutta was sainted. The media should be quick to condemn such rubbish than think about offending minorities sentiments and the like. But LiC has been hobnobbing with the Xtian priests and their minions for years given both his wives are Xtians. It will not be surprising to see cHindu declare a holiday when JP2 will be sainted.

Using wicked censorship protecting Islamic miscreants

cHindu and LiC have always blamed Hindus for creating communal tensions for situations where they were innocent bystanders. In a recent incident in Delhi the police brought down a "religious structure" and somehow some "people" were injured when they "protested". The whole incident caused "religious tension". (Yes I'm having a Sidd Varadarajan hangover here).
Guess which religion they were referring to? What was the "religious structure"?

Exposing how the UN is becoming a puppet

In what is surely a marked change from the past vivid censorship of opposing opinions towards minorities, its rather interesting to read cHindu writer Madanjeet Singh's article Blasphemy laws and their serious implications .

The 57 states of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, led by Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Egypt, have proposed a United Nations resolution, “On Combating Defamation of Religions.” It is but a Trojan horse to promote a fundamentalist agenda and enforce blasphemy laws and other discriminatory pieces of legislation. It is intended to legalise threats and violence against minorities and other vulnerable groups, as Human Rights Watch of Pakistan has pointed out.

What this does clearly mean is the narrow agenda being promoted by the various Islamic nations to demonstrate their clear agenda of intolerance towards other religions, faiths. It clearly exposes the direct vision of Islam, contrary to its supporters in the media, as a religion of bigots. If 57 countries all following a particular religion can pass such ridiculous laws then where are the so called 'moderates' of Islam who outnumber the 'few' radicals?

Attackers kill and wound Christians and Ahmadis, in particular, and burn down their homes and businesses. The authorities arrest, jail, and charge members of minority communities, heterodox Muslims and others with blasphemy and related offences because of their religious beliefs. In several instances, the police have been complicit in harassing, and framing false charges against, members of these groups, or have stood by as they were attacked.

To Shah Rukh Khan, Sidd Varadarajan and all supporters of Pakistan, is this the "great neighbour" you have wet dreams about?
Perhaps you should give up the Tiranga and head over and spend time on the "Paradise on Earth" called Pakistan.