If you understand his commitment towards this country, you will not dare say anything against Arvind

Source: Redfiff.com 

'I get angry when people throw ink or slap him -- but Arvind takes all this in his stride. People make fun of him and point out his mistakes, but they haven't seen his sacrifice...'
'If you understand his commitment towards this country, you will not dare say anything against him.'
Dr Bipin Mittal, a longtime friend and family doctor of the Aam Aadmi Party leader, tells Rediff.com's Archana Masih about the Arvind Kejriwal few know.
Arvind first came to me as a patient. He hadn't slept the whole night because of a toothache. I told him he needed a root canal or extraction.
I was cheaper than other dentists in the locality, but when I told him the price, he said he couldn't afford it. He got the tooth pulled out.
In my wildest dream I couldn't have imagined that an IRS (Indian Revenue Service) officer cannot afford a cheap dentist.
Then once on the eve of Diwali, I had gone to buy diyas and I saw the husband-wife sitting outside their building behind a table with some gift items.
"What's this?" I asked. He said before Diwali, he had put a notice outside the gate saying 'No gifts.' but despite that people gave them. "This is a forced way of giving ghoos (bribes) during Diwali -- like mithai for the kids," he said.
He told me he was sitting there to sell them off and give the proceeds to an NGO.
It was so shocking for me. An IRS couple sitting on the road -- it was unimaginable.
I get angry when people throw ink or slap him -- but Arvind takes all this in his stride. It angers me because he has a different stature for me. I am an atheist, but to me, he's God...
When he called a press conference against Robert Vadra and later against others I was very scared. In western UP, you know what the law and order situation is like. The value of one's life is not much here.
We then thought of putting a request that if he doesn't want government security, he should keep some AAP volunteers with him 24 hours. But he wasn't ready. We then put up a page on Facebook -- that your body is national property, it belongs to us -- and there were 10,000 people who signed in no time, but he didn't yield.
He has tremendous conviction.
When we entered the fray in the assembly we could feel the pulse. The volunteers were so pumped up. Our volunteers have a different mindset, they were there with Arvind for a cause and that cause was supreme in their minds.
When he was thinking about contesting against Sheila Dixit, I told him it was political suicide. Arvind's victory in New Delhi was the most amazing of them all...
The problem is that the media has suddenly become so important in the country, that it is the media which basically makes people's viewpoint. (Dr Mittal is referring to the perception that people are disappointed with Mr Kejriwal's resignation as Delhi chief minister after just 49 days in office)...
The educated middle class is little disappointed. What these people don't understand is, how do you rein in people? Most of our ministers were just common people. If someone gives me 50 crore (Rs 500 million) to sign a paper, I don't know -- I am clean till I am given the opportunity, isn't it?
Without a Jan Lokpal it was a very risky. With a Jan Lokpal you could have improved everything. So you can see the glass half full or half empty...
No doubt, it was the support from the educated middle class that got us so many seats, but his resignation can be debated.
The educated are saying he gave up responsibility, you only tell me if any one banda would have made a mistake, everything would have reflected on Arvind alone and he would have been destroyed forever.
The truth is ki us gaddi ke andar na bichoo hain (The highest throne is fraught with immense danger).
A tough law like the Jan Lokpal is needed that even if Arvind makes a mistake, he will be accountable...
The problem is the educated middle class of this country like to discuss this over coffee. They will never come out on the streets and face police batons or water cannons. How many of these will send their kids to the border?
The reality is that this disappointment (that a section of the middle class is feeling with Mr Kejriwal) is just a matter of time. This so-called euphoria for Narendra Modi is just a matter of time.
Doodh ka doodh aur paani ka paani hone mein zyada waqt nahin lagega (The truth will be revealed soon). The educated will soon realise that Arvind is the right person.
Arvind power ke peechey na kabhi tha, na kabhi rahega (Arvind was never and will never be hungry for power). The reality is that he is 45 going on 46. He is in his prime and he has never been materialistic...
I have know him since 1995, but wasn't very close in the beginning.
He thought of a pilot project in Kaushambi (in Ghaziabad, where Mr Kejriwal lived till he moved to New Delhi) for which he needed my help because I was always a very social person.
Arvind has always been very passionate about his work. Once he gets after something, toh lag jaata hain.
For two-and-a-half years, Arvind and me would be together from morning to evening. We used to go to every household -- there was no sewer outlet and we used to tell people why are you giving house tax which also has a sewerage charge, when you are not getting these services?
People had never thought about it. These people were educated people, happy with their homes being clean and not bothering where the sewerage was going.
After two-and-a-half years of hard labour, the local administration, especially the commissioner of Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam, Ajay Shankar Pandey, younger brother of Vijay Shankar Pandey -- Mayawati's right hand man -- promised at a public function that all civil services, maintenance of street lights, roads, parks etc would be given to RWA (resident welfare associations) to maintain.
Swaraj (Mr Kejriwal's book) basically says that services like roads, water, sewer, street lights -- the maintenance will be done by the locals. Whatever money is allocated by the State will be spent according to the wishes of the local people. Money to contractors will only be paid when local people clear it.
Parivartan (an NGO formed by Mr Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia) was formed in 2001. Manish Sisodia has been with him right from the first day.
Fighting the Lok Sabha election, according to me, was a big folly. Arvind also wasn't in its favour.
After December 8, there was lots of euphoria. For many like me the euphoria should have been used to strengthen the organisation, but then most of the people in the higher-up hierarchy wanted the party to fight the national election. They wanted the euphoria to be utilised there.
Arvind never wanted to fight the Lok Sabha. Never.
But all the rest of them thought that achieving a certain percentage in the national election would get them recognition as a national party, but just two months with Arvind and Manish busy with the Delhi government -- according to me that was one mistake.
Even if the result (of the Lok Sabha election) is not good, people like Arvind never tire and give up... Woh thak ke ghar baithney walon mein se nahin hain (He is not going to give up and sit at home).
When nothing came after our public meeting, dharna with Commissioner Pandey, Arvind took swaraj to a higher pedestal, met leaders of political parties, legal luminaries.
The pessimism that has set in Indians needs to be overcome. With the AAP, for the first time people came to know that is tarah ki rajneeti bhi jeet sakti hain (This kind of politics can also succeed).
I trust him completely. Woh isaan apne ko taak pe rakh kar is desh ke prati jo apni soch rakhta hain na woh is desh ke log ko kuchi time mein samajh ayega (He is selfless and thinks about the nation. The people of this country will realise this soon).

When the Anna andolan happened in August 2011, we were not thinking on political lines at all. It is only after the prime minister gave us a signed letter and that promise was ratified by Parliament, but once these people went back on their word, people started talking about political lines.
My father tells me a few months later, he and Arvind had gone to the metro station in an auto. Papa told him there is no other option than to enter politics and he vehemently denied it.
("He said he'll never join. This is in 2011," says Dr Mittal's father who is also sitting in the room.)
At that time it was only people who were suggesting it to us, there was no voice coming from within.
Each and every word of the Jan Lokpal bill was drafted by Arvind. When this movement was being planned, the banners were being designed, I had told Arvind that it's your baby, your photograph must be there, but Arvind is a different person.
He only kept Anna's photo which was not a small tyaag (sacrifice). I don't think there can be any other person in this world who could have done that and it is because of that the Jan Lokpal andolan became Anna andolan.
Nobody said it was Arvind's movement, it was Anna's movement. The wording of the bill was his, for its legal language it was given to Prashantji (Bhushan), Shanti Bhushanji and various other luminaries like (former Delhi high court chief justice Rajinder) Sacharji etc...
Then Arvind thought of doing the July 25 fast for 10 days. I was the only doctor with him. During his fast, the medical responsibility was always mine. I will never forget those 10 days and later those 15 days, he really tested me.
He is a diabetic. A diabetic person needs to have meals at regular intervals, regulated diet, medicines have to be taken on time, but since he was in public life, he could never manage that.
I thought it was suicide for a diabetic to go on hunger strike. I fought with him against it, but he didn't listen.
When he makes up his mind, nobody on earth can make Arvind change it.
His zeal, his passion towards his goal... people nowadays make fun of him and point out his mistakes, but the reality is that these people haven't seen his sacrifice.
If you understand his commitment towards this country, you will not dare say anything against him.
When he was fasting, I told him, 'Do you think anyone will support your family if anything happens to you?'
When he left the IRS and got into social service, his relatives used to blame him. Everyone used to remind him that he has a family.
On the third day of the fast, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital doctors advised that he should be hospitalised. A DGP (director general of police) phoned and warned us not to get admitted in the hospital as doctors can be very timid.
I was in a fix -- such seniors doctors from RML advising immediate hospitalisation, while Arvind saying that he is fit.
There were other volunteer doctors and 450 people on fast along with Arvind, Manish Sisodia and Gopal Rai. The doctors said with the ketone levels at 3 plus, he should be hospitalised.
I said but he doesn't want to and clinically he seems to be fine. Arvind relies more on naturopathy and Ayurveda. He was so confident that nothing would happen to him.
I had no other option. We were volunteers there to help Arvind's movement, not merely doctors. He carried on for another week, but believe me it was a very trying time.
The journalists covering the fast used to say 'Doctorsaab, are you sure? Your whole career is at stake. If anything happens to Arvind you will lose your registration, put in jail because the government doctors had advised immediate hospitalisation.'
But working with Arvind all these years, we had this thing in us -- not to go just by the book.
It was Friday afternoon and I told Arvind bahut ho gaya, sarkar toh sun hi nahin rahi hain (it's enough, the government is not paying heed) so what's the use? He said some prominent people have written a letter that now a political option will have to be given. The announcement of the letter will be made at 5 pm.
He said we'll keep this in front of the janta and give it two days to decide. If people say andolan, then we'll continue -- chahey jaan chali jaye (even if I have to sacrifice my life) but if they say a political alternative, then we'll think of forming a party.
But before that we came to know that Anna had announced. It was Anna who announced this talk of the letter about prominent people writing about a political alternate.
That wasn't the way Arvind had wanted it. He had wanted a referendum. Prashant Bhushan and Sanjay Singh, who were sitting on the dais, were thunder-struck. Arvind was equally disturbed.
When Anna came down, Arvind went to talk to him and Anna asked maine kuch galat kiya? (did I make a mistake?)
I am a student of pure science who has never bowed down or folded my hands before God. I am an atheist.
I have been to jhuggies with him. I've seen him being humiliated by his relatives. I have seen his life and politics was never in his mind at that time.
There are certain things that have to be understood. I have seen Arvind's sacrifice closely. I know what his thought process is like. I have full faith in him. He has never wanted anything for himself.
Those who don't know him can view him however they want to. I am also Arvind's greatest critic.
He got married when he was in IRS training in Nagpur, he had a colleague who used to listen to both him and bhabhi, and she told them that your thoughts are alike.
In the 2011 August andolan, they transferred bhabhi and the house had to be vacated. Myself with Arvind's parents, we roamed in Kaushambi for 10 days for a rented flat, not a single banda (Person) was willing to give a house on rent.
When the AAP was formed, no one was ready to give us office space because we never used to have the money. I had a vacant flat which I gave them.
The reality is -- trust me -- that we have not done anything. People call our (medical) profession noble, but it is a means to earn our living, its side effect may be noble but we haven't come for nobility.
Because of Arvind I found something that my profession could never give me. I have never practiced like other doctors and perhaps that is what brought Arvind to me.
I can bask in the glory and joy of what this andolan gave me.

AAP will have to be more careful in future.

In his first admission that his decision to quit as Delhi chief minister had gone wrong, Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal told ET he mistimed the decision to resign, and that mistake meant AAP suffers a communication gap with the people. He said that AAP will have to be more careful in future.

However, he defended the decision to quit in principal. ET spoke to Kejriwal as he and his team were en route Amritsar for campaigning. Excerpts:

How many AAP candidates will make it to Parliament?

"We are not targeting a number. What I can say is that we will win the two seats which will change the political discourse of the country, which are Amethi and Varanasi. If BJP wins over 200 seats, but loses Varanasi, do you think that victory will hold any meaning for the party? Similarly, Congress loss in Amethi will spell doom for its leadership even if it manages to emerge as the single largest party. As for the BJP, I am confident that it will get less than 180 seats. I've tried all kind of permutation and combination. Modi is definitely not becoming PM. The 2014 will throw up a fractured mandate and we will have re-elections in a year.

How did you arrive at the 180 figure for the BJP?

I have had many conversations with senior journalists recently. Based on these conversations, I tried calculating the number of seats BJP can manage from different states. The most optimistic figure for them is 180 seats.

In hindsight, was quitting the Delhi government a mistake?

I don't regret forming the government and quitting on principle. Those decisions were right. The mistake we made was to assume that the people will celebrate our decision to quit on principle. We thought that people would understand our reasons on their own. But it did not happen. There was a communication gap and that gap was filled by BJP and Congress who told people that we ran away from responsibility. We should not have quit government the same day BJP and Congress blocked the passage of the Jan Lokpal Bill. We should have waited for a few days, held public meetings to explain the rationale behind our decision. We quit suddenly and people could not understand why we did it. It was perceived negatively. We made a mistake on the communication front and we'll have to be more careful in future.

Would you agree you have lost the support of the middle class?

"There are two categories of people who have been disappointed with AAP's resignation from government. The first category is made up of our staunch supporters who acknowledge our work in government and will continue to vote for us. The second category is of people who want Arvind Kejriwal for CM and Modi for PM. People in this category could not handle the fact that I took Modi on directly and these people are very angry with me. We'll never get these supporters back, but this is a very small chunk.

You had initially disagreed with your party's stand to field as many candidates as possible in the upcoming elections. AAP has fielded close to 450 candidates. What made you change your mind?

This is an election being fought by the people of this country. Who am I to decide how many candidates we should field? Our job as a party to make as many candidates contest and let the people decide whether they want us or not.

You attacked Modi on his stand on FDI in retail. BJP has opposed it in its manifesto recently. Your comment.

BJP has lied in its manifesto. Modi is for FDI in retail and he will introduce it. Just wait and watch. At a recent meeting of traders, he said that they should not fear competition from abroad.

What concerns you about BJP's PM candidate?

He is not any different from Manmohan Singh. He is part of the same system that sucks the blood of our population to benefit a handful of people. The system has to change.

You have been largely silent on Gujarat riots. Why?

Modi is more dangerous than other leaders in the electoral fray because of his history with Gujarat riots. But that's a known fact. I speak more often about his development record because the supposed Modi wave is because of that. I want to bust that myth.

Your comment on Modi's delcaration about his wife...

It's a personal matter and I don't want to say much. But it's sad on two counts. Firstly, I wonder what that woman must have gone through for all these years, when she wasn't accepted by her husband. Second, Why did Modi hide this fact about his life? 



                                                                                               Source: Timesofindia     
 ...........................................................

POLL: How many electoral reality, how much bait?

Original Post: BBC Hindi Website

The election polls - like questions are being raised.

On the one hand it is claimed to be scientific, the other side on the intention of the survey is only being suspected.

Suddenly mode subjects bengal social media has become an issue in the debate Mubahison.

Knowing the trends of consumers in the market yesterday as the methods used for the survey was related to electoral democracy today are important in terms of understanding things.

But the scientific basis behind the poll surveys being given less importance and the role of the market.

Even being favored electoral surveys, but their history is not too good. Poll in India are known to give incorrect results. Take for instance the 2004 and 2009 elections.

Almost all election polls had declared in 2004 that the BJP and their allies will seat between 280 and 240 together.

But he won only 180 seats. Similarly, in 2009 the Congress and its allies, but they will win 262 seats to 200-225

The theoretical basis

Similarly, the recent Assembly elections in Delhi pole only kept open to the polls. Of scientific medicine man who speaks of election polls had closed party once again. But the question arises that why after all? See the first scientific basis behind it.

Survey techniques theoretical basis of science is based on a model that has become the recognized almost done. Knowledge Objective Objective knowledge claims is not so social science disciplines in the study of how important it can be.

What a person's social and political thinking or behavior can be changed in a number? And also, given what it claims to be free from bias? And the question is whether this claim based on the country's electoral surveys can be considered correct?

Vastness and diversity

If the true value of this technique for a while Even if we still need to understand its limitations for a country like India. In a country where there are fewer variations is therefore possible that such models might represent a group themselves. But as such - are varieties of items, it is unlikely in society.

Given the vastness and diversity of India in election surveys as large numbers of samples are being taken, on the basis of the rules of statistics based on mathematical statistics branch of study, the Standard may not be appropriate enough or believe. And it's hard to talk on the possible outcome of the election.

A Social Research Institute for Social Studies during the election to use the statistical technique but it is understandable that the parties would be inappropriate to talk to the possibilities of win-lose.Collecting samples of the thing aside, one thing is worth notice.

Statistical technique

Now, in science it is considered that there may be some natural systems are simple, some complex and some very complex. For simple systems, but some predictions can be very complicated and complex systems is difficult to say for certain if arrangements can not be predicted.

Simplicity and complexity of the arrangements which depend on those things that are changing. If the variable factors will have fewer and fewer complications in the system will be more stable. It is about a society that is more than the number of variable factors and therefore it should be seen as a complex system.

If the number is relatively low in a society which is said to be stable society and the society are too unstable or complex society, the number can be called. About relatively stable society through statistical techniques that can be said because it is slow to change SPEED.

Sharp changes

But if society is very complex and it changes the speed SPEED A small event can have large consequences. There will be more instability and indecisiveness will continue to have access to the statistics of the political consequences would be a difficult task.

Sociologists would agree that most of the Indian society is not only very complex but is undergoing rapid changes. Most people are undecided about the election. The top leadership is changing drastically. The internal strife of parties has increased. Before the election defection can be gauged by looking at the speed of the system is unstable.

The poll surveyed close to where we could deliver the results, we can understand. Maybe that's why most of the cases are in the wrong poll. In addition to these methods of poll two major problems: the question of capabilities of the language and ask questions.

In order to create an objective list of questions is easy to difficult questions, the answers are searched his objective. As a result, instead of getting to the bottom of the masses becomes objective and purpose is what people want, the question is often lost. Then choose words translated into various languages ​​and also leave an impact on electoral surveys.

May market

And the worst problem of Khabliyt of those surveyed. Many soaps and electoral surveys surveys for companies that use the same kinds of people.

For general surveys, but it can run up to the election controversial survey where it is difficult to be fair.

Some social research institutions claim that they'll do a survey of political science students.

But the answer to how politically contentious environment will respond honestly, it's only a matter of doubt.

Overall social research can be said that the survey may be somewhat useful way or the likes and dislikes of consumers could be one way of knowing, but also the electoral results is not fair to notification .

The truth is that it is people's curiosity may market. Like cricket, it is also a means of making profit is being made. Well it is kept only for entertainment but is claimed to be scientific if it seems ridiculous.

(Author of the Center for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University associate professor.)

Copied from: BBC Hindi Website

I was an undecided voter. I was exploring my options. Election 2014

By Mr Peri Maheswar

I was an undecided voter. I was exploring my options. UPA 2 did not deserve another chance. Modi personally never gave me good vibes. Blame the publicity but I never saw his compassion even in BJP posters. BJP was an alternative as AAP was not fit to govern, at least for 5 more years. I had a lot of issues with AAP. I was veering towards BJP despite my discomfiture. We still have to make a choice and NOTA is not an option for me. I wanted to vote for stability. For me, Gujarat is one of the better governed states. I also did not want a Baba, Amma, Behenji, Netaji, Didi or Bhayyaji to be the next Prime Minister or even interfere in governance.

As I kept expressing myself without bias, the BJP fans went after me. They were organized, belligerent and at times scary. For me, AAP was a 3% party and least likely to make an impact. The attacks continued. Many questioned my intelligence and a few even my integrity. Last night, I analyzed few people who took it on themselves in leading this charge – the hardcore Modi fans(I personally don’t think there is any BJP left). And What I found was revealing. Throughout the posts, I saw hatred, criticism or trivialization. No serious discourse based on facts and reasoning. Liberal use of epithets like Sickular, Paid Media, Khan-gress, Pakistani agent, traitor, ISI agent, CIA agent, Saint Topiwal, Fakeriwal, Aaptard was common. The name calling was personal and perverse. I encourage each of you to do a smilar exercise. I can’t even wish them off as over enthusiastic supporters. They are so committed to Modi that it is well nigh impossible to be objective in future. Unknown to us, we have created a lynch mob.

But then, they had only learnt it from their leader who had used the Mian in Musharraf, the James Michael in Lyngdoh to create insecurities and mass votes. Even as a PM aspirant, he peddles the Shahzada (Rahul) and Pakistani friend (Arvind Kejriwal) to carry the discourse. A leader who only created a legion of followers but no second line of leadership needs a stronger opposition in the parliament. The checks and balances have to be stronger.

The agenda for positive change, good governance, development are mere statements that got lost in the election carried forward by his followers. What started off as a positive campaign soon descended into bullying. Development is no longer the narrative. Maybe, it is too much to expect from a party which prioritized the charge sheet to the manifesto. The bias was such that the same people who quoted TIME (The Under Achiever cover on Dr.Manmohan Singh) started criticizing and questioning The Economist and The Guardian for ‘interfering’ in India’s internal affairs. Hypocrisy became synonymous to politics.

And then yesterday, a beast amongst us slapped Arvind Kejriwal. It was ferocious. It was brutal. It was inhumane. It was meant to physically hurt. As AK held his face, It was heart-breaking. He had a black eye and a swollen cheek. This attack was not meant to prove a political point. AK retreated to Raj Ghat. And the BJP bandwagon took to the streets and launched their attack in a highly synchronized manner. They forgot humanity in pursuit of political affiliations. It was celebration time. The slap was a butt of jokes. AK was despised, derided, laughed at, attacked, and violated. It was appalling. Each time as I watched the slap, my heart wept. Is this the society we have come to be?

Last night, My decision was made. There was greater clarity. I don't want a society where hatred wins over love, violence over peace, anger over amity, frown over smile, sternness over calmness, negativity over positive feelings. I don't want a society where the mobs decide the agenda cleverly planted by a handful people (we have seen it in 1984 and 2002).

I decided. I will vote with my conscience. I will vote for peace. I will reject divisiveness. I will vote for change. I vote to bring in a good opposition in the parliament. I vote for AAP.

Shibapratim Bagchi

ADR launches its Anthem Song for Lok Sabha 2014

​

Press Release

ADR launches its Anthem Song for Lok Sabha 2014

"Wo Waqt Kabhi Jise Aana Tha"

April 4, 2014

Association for Democratic Reforms launched its Anthem Song “Wo Waqt Kabhi Jise Aana Tha” on April 4, 2014 to raise critical issues involved in the Lok Sabha Elections. 

​About the Song: ​

The song, composed and sung by Harpreet, talks about the state of 

​affair in ​

the nation 

​even ​

after Six 

​and a half ​

 decades of independence. Criminalization of politics and the nexus between money, crime and muscle power 

​has affected the governance and delivery of even the bare minimum services and amenities to the citizens of the country.

The ADR Anthem Song on the YouTube channel of ADR

​ www.youtube.com/adrspeaks​

 is available for everybody to share in any network. Link to the video:

ADR Anthem: Wo Waqt Kabhi Jise Aana Tha #LokSabha2014 

​

Singer & Composer: ​

Harpreet

​ is widely​

 known for 

​his work in the genre of​

 Sufi musi

​c​

. 

​Video Direction: ​

The video has been directed by Gaurav Raturi, founder of Filmbooth

 ​,​

 best known for the International Filmbooth Festival 

​

​

​​

Spoofmania

​ ​

​

organized in Delhi

 ​

. 

​

Lyrics

​:​

 Deepak Dhamija

​, ​

 ​

​

founder of Shoelace Productions

​ and 

 ​

an IIM- Calcutta alumni

​,​

 ​

 has penned the lyrics for the anthem. 

 He is 

​also 

a leading  theatre-person in Delhi. 

At a time when around 800 Million people will go out to vote in coming 45 days, the website www.myneta.info will help the electorate to make an informed choice in deciding the future of the Nation.

Prof Jagdeep Chhokar, Founder Trustee of ADR, said, “In the coming elections fairly large number of young voters will go out to vote for the first time. The song aims at making people realize the power their vote carries. A song has the ability to not only stay on the lips of the people, but it also stays in the mind. Social Media has an immense role to play in this election.”

Anil Verma, Head of ADR congratulated the team for the Anthem Song and said, “Music is the food of the soul. The soulful rendering of the ADR Anthem by Harpreet and his team has touched not only our emotional chords but awakens our sensibilities to be a responsible citizen and vote to usher in a change for better governance. Mera Vote Mera Desh!”

Gaurav Raturi, Director of the Anthem Video said, “Music and visuals go beyond words and slogans. What better story one can get to tell the people of India than to tell the people of India to vote responsibly. In reality Woh waqt suno ab aaya hai.  We all have tried our best to match the brilliant lyrics and soulful singing by Harpreet. Let’s see how the voters of India find it. All excited to be part of this anthem.”

Harpreet, composer and singer of the song said, “While working on the song, I grew not only as a musician but also as a citizen of the nation. To be a part of ADR’s Anthem Song was a journey in itself. I never felt I was working on a song, but it was like an act to serve the nation in the real sense.”

Deepak Dhamija, who wrote the lyrics of the song, said, “It is the time for people to know that if any revolution has to come, it will come through the ink on the fingers of the people after voting. The political class has ignored the real issues and demands of the people of the nation. It is high time we all come forward to make an informed choice and vote for the right candidate. ADR is doing a great job, and the creative people must come forward to support the cause for which the team of ADR is fighting.”

The ADR Anthem song has also been shared by Facebook India as part of ADR-Facebook collaboration for the campaign to create a culture of informed choice. The link to the Facebook post is here:

ADR Anthem Song on Facebook India

इस देश को आदत हो चुकी है मक्कारी, घोटाले और चोरी की.

Sharing from Alifiya Sabir:

इस देश को आदत हो चुकी है मक्कारी, घोटाले और चोरी की. सियासत एक ऐसी गटर है जहा बरसो से वही गंदगी फैली हुई है. लेकिन एक मसीहे के रूप में इंसान ने आने की बोहोत कोशिश की. उसको हर तरह से नीचा दिखाकर, बुरा साबित कर कर, लोगो के दिमाग में उसके खिलाफ गलत सलत बाते फैला कर, उसे पाकिस्तान का, कभी कॉंग्रेस का एजेंट, कभी आइटम गर्ल, कभी क्राइ बेबी बोला गया. लाखो क्रॉरो रुपैये से मीडीया, फोन सर्वीसज़, सोशियल नेटवर्क्स सबको खरीदकर लोगो के दिमाग में कीड़ा भर दिया. क्या कोई भी उस बंदे की सूरत और सीरत नहीं जान सका ?

काश इस आदमी के खिलाफ भी कोई क्रिमिनल रेकॉर्ड होता या वो अनपढ़ गवार होता, तो उसे भी सब स्वीकार लेते.
लेकिन अब भी कही उम्मीद कायम है. शायद कुछ चमत्‍कार हो जाये. आज तक हिंदुस्तान की नय्या वैसे भी उम्मीद पर ही टिकी रही है, अब भी सिर्फ उम्मीद कर सकते है..यह मत समझना, की मेरे तुम्हारे अकेले के कुछ सोचने या करने से क्या होगा. फर्क पढ़ता है. एक कीड़ा भी इस दुनिया को कुछ देकर ही जाता है और हम तो इंसान है. काफी कुछ करने की क्षमता रखते है..
जै हिंद.

It's strange how BJP lovers seem to parrot the line that "Modi got a clean chit"

By Mahesh Murty

Oh, and Narendra Modi didn't get a "clean chit" from the SIT about the Godhra massacre. Far from it.
It's strange how BJP lovers seem to parrot the line that "Modi got a clean chit". Here are the facts. Again, you can choose to interpret them as you wish. My sense is "clean chit" is not the phrase you'll use at the end of it.

I am borrowing here from "http://aconspiracyofsilence.wordpress.com/2014/03/31/the-real-sit-facts-vs-the-modi-fied-story/" and other sources. All of this is verifiable from numerous sources.
1. The reality is not a declaration of innocence - but the SIT let the case drop because of a ‘lack of prosecutorial evidence’. And in doing so it deliberately neglected to take into account numerous depositions against Modi.

2. BJP's own Cabinet Minister, Haren Pandya who disclosed that Modi ordered police officials to refrain from stopping the Hindu backlash, was mysteriously murdered mere months after his disclosure.
3. The SIT refused to take Pandya's statement into account post his death, despite a High Court judge (Justice Hosbet Suresh) and a Supreme Court judge (Justice PB Sawant) vouching for the veracity of his testimony.

4. Sworn statements and leads offered by several senior police officers such as Sanjiv Bhatt and RB Sreekumar testifying against Modi were also deliberately ignored.
5. The former DGP of Gujarat, Sreekumar has submitted actual recordings of Modi’s Principal Secretary and Advocate General instructing him to lie to the Nanavati Commission about the riots, and multiple affidavits affirming Modi’s role in instructing police officers to allow the riots to take place.
(see here: http://archive.tehelka.com/story_main11.asp?filename=ts031205Take_your_time.asp)

6. Sanjiv Bhatt himself was present at the meeting where Modi told senior officers to ‘allow the Hindus to vent their anger.’

7. There is no dearth of "prosecutorial evidence" only perhaps of prosecutorial will. Two examples are the detailed evidence collected by the Concerned People’s Tribunal headed by Supreme Court Justices P B Sawant and V R Krishna Iyer that indicted Modi and also the 2007 Tehelka sting tapes, which documented confessions by Sangh Parivar activists such as Babu Bajrangi who was llater convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment, and who detailed the massacre and Modi’s role in facilitating it.

8. I've already linked to the Tehelka sting tapes earlier - but here's one brief piece from Babu Bajrangi himself: "Narendrabhai kept me at Gujarat Bhavan at Mount Abu for four and- a-half months… After that, [I did] whatever Narendrabhai told me to"

9. The SIT claimed there was a lack of evidence. This was weirdly upheld by a low-level Magistrate Court in Gujarat where Magistrate Ganatra’s astounding logic was that things such as "genocide and ethnic cleansing don't have relevance to Gujarat because the terms are of foreign Latin and Greek origin." In other words, Gujaratis cannot commit genocide because genocide is derived from a Latin term! Wonder if Ganatra would use the same logic to absolve Ghaznavi of his massacre because, hey, "genocide and ethnic cleansing are Latin, not Arabic terms".

10. The Supreme Court itself referred to Modi and his government as ‘modern-day Neros.’ Nero, if you recall, played the fiddle while watching his citizens burn in Rome in a fire he instigated. Furthermore, the Supreme Court transferred some 2002 riot cases out of Gujarat because it did not believe that a fair trial could happen under the Modi government. And this is the fabled Gujarat governance model we should follow in the rest of India?

11. The Best Bakery case, part of the 2002 riots, had initially been tried in Gujarat courts. All the accused were acquitted after witnesses received death threats and/or bribes and suddenly turned hostile. The Supreme Court then ordered a re-trial of the case in Maharashtra, saying it had no confidence in the Modi government. The case, now free of Modi’s influence, now resulted in nine convictions as well as successful charges of perjury against hostile witnesses who were caught on tape admitting that they had been threatened by BJP officials into giving false testimony in court.

These are facts. Again, some you you may see this as a 'clean chit. I personally see it as a very dirty chit indeed.

More so, I see this as a chit I would not like to see in the rest of India again. How many more murders and massacres will we have, how many more Muslims and their sympathisers killed, and how many more such incidents will be hushed up and glossed over by the Amit Shahs of the world, now working at a national level?

Is this is as bad as Tytler's and The Congress' massacre of the Sikhs? Yes, and perhaps more so. Because this has the support of that bigoted organisation, RSS, of whom Modi has been a life-long loyal member.

The woman-hating and Muslim-loathing khakhi chaddis have been lurking behind the scenes, waiting for years to place their puppet on the national stage.
Clean chit? Perish the thought. Development? Ha ha bloody ha.
Of all the things, we don't deserve a government by, for and of the khakhi chaddis.

"Yaar, we all know Mukesh and Gautam (Adani) will make lots more money when Modi comes to power. But we'll also make some money na. So why are you opposing him, man?"

By Mahesh Murty

"Yaar, we all know Mukesh and Gautam (Adani) will make lots more money when Modi comes to power. But we'll also make some money na. So why are you opposing him, man?"

I was pinged this yesterday by a very-well-known, very-well-to-do entrepreneur pal of mine.

Why indeed?

Why not make hay when the sun's gonna shine?

I'm a true-blue capitalist, and by all accounts I should be supporting Modi - instead of the socialist-sop-wielding Congress or the not-sure-if-they're-Communist-or-not AAP. Right?

But here's what I figured. The Congress is like the Chinese or North Korean government - socialist in name only and corrupt billionaires to the core themselves.

While the BJP is like the earlier Mexican government - basically run to the whims and fancies of billionaire cement-to-telecom owner Carlos Slim. It was proud for some Mexicans to see Carlos Slim become the richest man in the world - but the price of that was higher costs for every citizen in the country for basic necessities and a near-collapse of the country. And a second, more dangerous price paid was the decay of every government institution into a cesspool of corruption.

Sure Modi will be more business-friendly - if the rampaging stock market is to be believed. Antilla will grow even taller.

As Modi lovers say "Modi will bring progress." All I'll add is "...to Ambani and Adani, not to you and me".

Modi will bring with him an era of big business deciding on government policy - and examples are already abound, with the Modi government recommending a price of $14 per million BTUs of gas to be paid out of our pockets to Reliance instead of their earlier committed $2.34 per mBTU - and in the other billionaire Adani getting land and government infrastructure at throw away prices in BJP-led Rajasthan. As it turns out, the Gujarat State Minister for Petroleum, who is responsible for this act of wonderful generosity is, believe it or not, Ambani's son-in-law! Who thought only the Congress would resort to theft by the damaad?

BJP's difference with the Congress will basically be that instead of the government stealing from us and keeping it all only for themselves, this time they'll steal from us, and give it to the Ambanis and Adanis, apart from keeping a lot for themselves - after all, the BJP still has stalwart-thieves like Yeddyurappa, Sriramulu and Solanki at their core.

What does this do to our future? Every institution in the country gets even more rotten. In a time where I want my kids to grow up in a country where they have an equality of opportunity, I wonder if they'll be arrested for crashing a car while the Akash Ambanis get off scot-free by gifting Audis to all accident victims and making some poor driver take the fall in court instead.

I'd like our government institutions to mean something. My dad served in the Armed Forces for 30 years - and today it's a place where you can't get to be chief unless you approve the purchase of expensive weaponry that the ruling politicians get a kickback on.

I'd like the government to be a place where good people join and work. Not people who want a sure-fire way to make money. Once upon a time, it was a matter of pride to be in the IAS. Today, mention you're in government service and the other person eyes you as if to think "Kitna khaata hoga".

Today, how many of you really want your kids to work in government or policy? I'm sure even the Modi-fans among you will say "Nahin yaar - gandi jagah hai". Well, folks, your support to Modi and his bunch of corrupt capitalist backers will make the jagah stay ganda for longer.

There's no point having a Telecom regulator, when Mukesh Ambani and Ratan Tata use Niira Radia to fix who the next telecom minister is going to be. (And to all who believe Ratan Tata is against corruption, perish the thought. Maybe his forefathers were. Go back and read how the Tatas bent over for A Raja, and vice versa, in the Radia Tapes episode and you'll lose any cherished notions of the continuing ethics of the Tata group. Anyway, back to the matter at hand.)

There's no point in having a contract with the government, when a private company like Reliance can get ministers like Jaipal Reddy, Mani Shankar Aiyar and others changed at will to help them break the contracts and rip us off more.

This short-term thinking - "let's get a corrupt government that is big-business friendly for a change" - is what will keep India a rotting carcass for even longer. And this short term move will delay our true economic and business freedom by another five years. It's not a temporary measure - "we should get a honest government after 5 years because AAP is not ready" as some say.

These 5 years are what we are poised to grow in, after the Congress and NCP ripped us off us for the last 10 years. And if the BJP coalition win 272 seats, these 5 years will not be very different from the Congress, with more big sops to the Ambanis and Adanis - not to mention all the coalition partners who will have to be given "plum" ministries to plunder as a price for their support. We will have even more A Rajas getting even more kickbacks.

Believe me, all that stock market boom you're seeing now will dissipate in six months when people, the market and foreign institutions see that it's not a new government - but the same government with different faces. As a Congress (I) friend of mine says - "hum ne bahut khaa liya. Ab paanch saal hajam karenge, inko ab khaane do. Phir vaapis aa jaayenge."

This is not the change we must be voting for.

Sure, I'm told, all this is fine, Arvind Kejriwal is a good guy but he really can't form a government, can he?

Many people in Delhi thought so- so he landed up with only 28 seats. But once people saw he could come to power, and make a difference, many more were ready to vote for him and his party. I understood they would have won 50 out of 70 seats if people knew others were also voting for them. Media didn't help them - they almost never covered the AAP, till after the win. Media's doing the same now.

That's all it takes - your vote. Don't worry about who you think others are voting for. Don't worry about what you read in the papers or watch on TV. Forget the opinion polls, exit polls, whatever. Vote your heart and vote your conscience. Vote for the folks who can give you the country you want to live in, and your kids to grow up in. Your vote, every vote, every seat will make a difference.

Sure, not every candidate these AAP guys put up is perfect. But at least they throw out candidates if a rotten one turns up - unlike other parties who promote the crooks. There's a process here to ensure integrity - while there's nothing as such in the Congress and BJP. And, come on guys, they're a year old and they have no money. They're not built out of billions like the Congress and the BJP. Be a little patient. It's a scrappy startup taking on the evil empires. Luke Skywalker against Darth Vader. Give it a chance.

Then I'm told you want a government with experience? Really? What has decades of experience of BJP and Congress brought us? Which politician has governance experience really? The government is run by babus. And what you need is someone to straighten them up. Not corrupt them even more, like the Ambanis and Adanis and politicians in their pocket do so well.

We don't need Ph D's and grey beards to govern - a base of honesty, integrity and transparency is a far better place to start than 30 or 50 years of thievery and injustice. It's always better to vote for a honest novice than for an experienced thief.

But, you say, "aren't these AAP guys are communist / socialist / Trotskyist or whatever?" Actually, I don't think so. They're a party where the ideology is still forming and where the fundamental base is honesty and integrity. But they at least have a manifesto out. The BJP doesn't yet, by the way.

And as far as being more democratic versus being more Republican, like Modi, I don't mind paying more taxes - if those taxes actually go to build better roads, schools and hospitals that my children and their children can use - and not into Ambani's, Adani's, Pawar's, Sonia's or Praful's pockets, or pockets of the top 0.1%.

From what I've seen, the AAP folks reflect the will of their members and voters. I personally think their resistance to FDI in retail is stupid - and I've told them so, whenever I've met one of their functionaries. And their response is refreshing" "Sir, come and talk with us, explain why you think so, and we're happy to change our minds if we believe you're right". Now I haven't heard any other party say anything like this. Their answers are usually "Kitne paise doge?"

So can these guys get 272 seats to form a government? Perhaps, perhaps not. But I don't think anyone else will, either. And if we are going to be faced with a hung and horse-trading parliament, it's good to have as many new, honest folks in there as possible instead of experienced horse-traders. Give honesty and integrity a vote for a change instead. Every vote counts, every seat counts.

And if it's a hung parliament, it's fine. It's ok. We'll have mid-term polls and more of the honest will get voted in. And if that doesn't do it fully, we'll have another mid-term poll. I have no problem with more mid-term polls. It's painful, but not that huge a price to pay, compared to the benefit of flushing out the rogues.
We'll need one or more re-boots of parliament to get these corrupt Congress BJP, Ambani and Adani viruses out of our system - and the sooner the reboots the better.

And if a hung parliament will cause the reboot, so be it. Let's vote for a hung parliament. Let's deny the 272 and the rule of Ambani.

Oh, as some of you have wondered, why isn't more information coming out about Modi and Congress and Reliance in media?

It's simple - a Congress person owns HT and Mint.

While Ambani owns CNN IBN, CNBC Awaaz, Lokmat, Eenadu, all ETV channels, First Post, First Biz, Forbes India, NDTV, all NDTV channels and 9X.
That's why. These are the only places you'll see a Modi wave, and not on the ground.

Neither of these folks own Facebook or Twitter or Google Plus yet. (Where, by the way, the AAP leads the others by far in engagement, despite the bigger bucks the old guard is throwing around. And despite the BJP guys coming and spitting venom in my comments as they've done every time. You're welcome again, folks! )

So if you believe this post might be a point of view to get across to others, then you could help.

I did put this up earlier, and it went a certain distance. This time I'm paying Facebook a little bit of cash to push it out further. But you could help defray some of those costs, by sharing it with your friends. Sharing is free.

Oh, and if you're not on Facebook, please feel free to copy, paste, email, tweet, Google Plus, Linked In, blog, or publish or share with anybody in any way or form at will. Here's a link to this post http://oh.pn/aap4a that you could use if you like )

Thank you!

So why do so many of us really love Narendra Modi? Really?

By Mahesh Murty Post 

So why do so many of us really love Narendra Modi?
I've been thinking about this as I've been posting my thoughts here and seeing responses not just from fake BJP accounts (you can easily make them out, they're young, male profiles, using someone else's picture and their accounts have been created in the last few months) - but also from people I know and respect.

0. But before I start, some hygiene issues: First of all, I'm not getting paid to do this. One of my companies - and I have over 40 investees, by the way - has done work for BJP and AAP, and of course, the BJP spam accounts will shout that I'm being paid to do this. The truth is this, I'd love to be paid to do this. Except the darn Aam Aadmi Party folks have no money for me. @Arvind Kejriwal, if you're reading this, dude, paisa hai to bhej de yaar. Public demand hai.

Good. Now to why some people think Modi is the great white (or wheatish) hope for the country.
1. First, we're all pissed off at the Congress. Anything, we think, is better than that bunch of thieves and dynastic robbers. So we're all looking for a saviour. So much that we don't even talk about the Congress in this election - we've already written them off completely.

2. The thing is, we don't see deeper that the hidden figure behind the Congress' corruption - Mukesbhai - is the same guy who has since decided to support and bring in a BJP government, one that will again jump to its whims and fancies, till you get tired of it too, 5 or 10 years from now.
And Ambani has done it indirectly, through the media he owns: First Post, First Biz, CNBC, Lokmat, Awaaz, CNN IBN, NDTV, ETV, 9x and more.
And directly too, via his cousin-in-law, if there be such a term - Saurabh Patel - running the Petrol, Energy, Mines and Tourism industries in Gujarat - all of the more corrupt ones. The Mining Scam in Gujarat is a Rs. 2,000 crore loss to the state government, and the gas price scam is Rs. 25,000 undeserved crores every year in Mukesbhai's pocket.

3. So if you're seeing those childish orange ads on TV saying BJP is against corruption, you should laugh. They're not just terrible ads, they're also terrible lies.
The BJP is as much a front for Reliance and other large chor businesses as the Congress is. And it's just as corrupt. As some of the factoids say - 37% of BJP's candidates - the most of any party - have a criminal record. It beats even the Congress in this norm.

4. The next big reason for Modi love is, many of us think, wow, "Development" and "progress". "Modi really developed Gujarat - I want India developed". Again, the truth, as everybody has pointed out - is that nothing spectacular has happened in Gujarat in all these years of Modi rule.
Sure, Gujarat has done one or two things well, it is average or below average on loads of other things, and it is terrible on one or two things. You could perhaps grade the state government as a "C" on its report card. Average to below-average.
Many states, Bihar included, did far better. What you're seeing is a PR campaign, well-funded, and with a lot of print and TV fluffing it up. Oh, by the way, the HT owner - a Congress MP - has his child married into the Ambani family too, if you're looking for even more conspiracy fodder here

5. Then it comes to leadership. "Man, what a commanding presence this guy is, what a leader." Well, Modi certainly seems to have turned India into a Presidential form of government, with every message - including "Ab ki baari" being about him and not the party or its principles or its candidates. While I don't have an issue with egoism itself - I personally dislike egoistic folks, but others seem to like such people - perhaps one should ask, who is leading him from behind, and where is this gent going to lead us to?

Is this leading to more money for Reliance? More freebies for Adani? The manifesto just came out today and it seems to be saying "We'll do quite a bit of what the Aam Aadmi Party says, plus in addition we're going to screw the Muslims".

6. Which probably brings me to the point that few seem to talk about. "Modi showed the damn Muslims." Many of my Hindu friends say it after a drink or two. It's some matter of pride, perhaps. Maybe Modi-love is really about Hindus taking revenge centuries after the Mughals screwed us over.
Which is also the perhaps the reason why the rabid RSS and even more rabid VHP have pushed Modi down the throats of the once-apparently-secular BJP. (Yes, yes, some fake account will come by and say "sickular" as though being secular is sick. Dude, it's in our constitution. You've heard of that thing, right?")

Modi is a RSS man, and will support every RSS belief. Being gay is a crime. So forget about Section 377 being repealed in the BJP tenure. Women being equal to men cannot be tolerated, because that idiot Manu said so in his Smriti. The country can't eat beef, because of some silly chant like "gaai hamaari maata hai", even though were were traditionally a beef-eating country.

All of this is just a Hindu version of religious fundamentalism in Pakistan or Saudi Arabia. And it's just as nauseating. This is Hindu Sharia - rule by the demented old farts in khakhi chaddis, and nothing else.
And remember, Modi's rise started only after the direct support, shielding and protection of the Hindus who killed over a 1,000 innocent Muslims in Gujarat. That wasn't a Hindu movement - it was a goonda movement in the name of Hinduism. That let him take the "Hindu Hriday Samrat" crown away from the equally racist Bal Thackeray. That made him the RSS's new point man for the Hindufication of India.

When it comes to that, I really have only one defence or alternative to suggest. If you're a rabid Hindu who believes India should be Hindu and the rest of Indians - Muslims, Christians, or even Atheists and Agnostics like me should not be tolerated, then say so openly. Carve out a different country for yourself, man - and go there.

India's constitution doesn't support you and your beliefs.

And don't tell me you're a patriot. You're not. You're a Hindu zealot.
Sure, you can love Modi. You can even make him one of the darn Shankaracharyas if you like. But you can't vote for him or the party he represents.

If you want to be Indian, then shed the religious slant when it comes to public life, private life and government.

And shed it when it comes to voting for who will lead us. Religion has no place in politics.

Cheers!

What's the big noise on Mukesh Ambani, gas pricing? Here is the truth

By Mahesh Murty (https://www.facebook.com/maheshmurthy/posts/10152336836482138)

What's the big noise on Mukesh Ambani, gas pricing, Rs. 25,000 crores loss and Gujarat all about?
Let me take a little time to set down the facts. Of course, you can come to any opinion after reading what follows, but that is always the case in such contentious matters. So here goes:
1. In the late 90s, an oil company, Cairn, made discoveries of significant gas in the Krishna Godavari (KG) basin. In an effort to create a level playing field to allow private and public companies to bid for the same projects - all on lands and seas owned by the government, the government created a New Exploration and Licensing Policy (NELP)
2. Under the first NELP plan, bids were called for contractors to explore and develop these Government-owned potential oil fields. Reliance Industries teamed up with a Canadian firm, Niko Resources (90% Reliance, 10% Niko) and won the right to explore and develop 12 out of 24 blocks offered. (You can find details on the Indian govt website here: petroleum.nic.in/NELP-I.doc).
3. Since then there have been several more NELP bids, and Reliance has won a few of those.
4. Reliance-Niko outbid ONGC, Cairn and others to these blocks.
5. The basic bidding criteria - and you can read a sample bid document here http://petroleum.nic.in/nelp91.pdf if you have the interest and patience - was the amount of profit share offered to government of India by the bidder, and the lowest operating cost the bidder commits to that it can adjust every year. These bidding criteria have changed slightly since - but that is not germane to the issue.
5. Here's a simple way to understand it. The government owns the fields: some are on ground, some are in shallow water and some are in deep water but all in Indian territory. The winning bidder would explore and develop those fields at its cost. It would bid what its cost was - the lower the better. Once the gas was found, it was allowed to first recover its stated costs, and then pay revenue share to the government. If gas was not found, it would simply return the fields to the government - indeed 13 of those initial 24 fields were returned to the government. These two factors: committed low operating cost and committed high revenue share to government helped government determine who would win the fields - in each case, government calculated the most valuable economic option to itself.
6. In effect, the winning bidder merely had a contract to operate on government property, then apply some fixed costs for equipment and some variable costs of manpower and ops - and produce gas for all of us.
5. The first contracts were awarded in 2000, Reliance found gas, and signed its first long term contract in 2002 - for 17 years - with NTPC - another government undertaking - to provide it gas at US$ 2.34 per million British thermal units - or mBTUs. This is the price they committed to charge from 2002 to 2019 - which catered for all their present and future anticipated costs.
6. A little after this time the Ambani brothers split - remember that? -and the big bone of contention then was that Anil wanted gas from RIL for his energy project RNRL and finally the agreement was that he would get it at the same price that RIL was giving it to NTPC at: $2.34 per mBTU
7. During this time, the price of natural gas globally went up significantly. This wasn't due to increased costs - it's perhaps closer to supply and demand and also to how a cartel like OPEC operates - you set the price you think you can get away with, regardless of input costs.
8. While this could be good news for countries like India with large oil and gas reserves - it shouldn't really make much difference to an operator who has taken a government field on a lease - after all, his costs - of rig equipment and people's salaries were reasonably fixed - or move in a slow band.
7. Of course, this was a great opportunity - and Mukesh didn't use it just screw the government-owned NTPC here, he screwed over his own brother too. He followed in his dad's footsteps of "fixing" government to change all the norms once he had won the contract - and went and worked hard to break the contract in 2009.
8. They asked Jaipal Reddy, the then concerned minister, to raise the price to $4.20 per mBTU and he told them to sod off. Their ostensible reason was increased cost of production - but, interestingly, at the same time, Reliance said in writing (that note here: http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2009-06-18/news/27646349_1_mmbtu-block-kg-d6-fertiliser-and-power-units : that their actual cost of extracting the gas and bringing it onshore was $0.8945 per mBTU - i.e. not even 90 cents - so while they were earlier making a profit of $1.44 per mBTU, they wanted to screw over the Government and Anil by making a profit of $3.30 per mBTU - more than double as much)
9. Undeterred by the minister asking them to bugger off, Mukesh did the classic Reliance gambit - he got Jaipal thrown out of the Ministry and shunted elsewhere and replaced by South Bombay buddy Murli Deora. This dude in turn got Pranab Mukherjee - yes, our current President - to call some meeting of some temporary committee called the Empowered Group - to rubber-stamp Mukesh's demand to charge $4.20 per mBTU - remember this is for gas produced on our land not Reliance's - from now on.
10. So Anilbhai and NTPC went to court about this. The case is still dragging through courts - and the Government isn't backing its own company NTPC in the fight. Anil was likely neutralised elsewhere and hasn't moaned too much about it lately.
10. That's what Mukesh is being paid now. And that price, for our gas produced from our land and our seas, is what we pay from our taxes - and that impacts the prices of the inputs to our fertiliser plants, and impacts the price of our foods, our transport systems - and our monthly expenditure. But, hey, that's not enough. Senior Ambani found a way to screw us over again.
11. Remember, there was a clause which allowed the operator to first take back the money equivalent to their set-up costs, and then deliver profits to the government after that? When Mani Shankar Aiyer was Minister, in 2004, Reliance had asked for and got approval to spend Capex of $2.39 billion to produce 40 million metric standard cubic meters of gas per day. (That's MMSCMD for you, if you're a fan of abbreviations.). This basically meant that Reliance was first allowed to claim this $2.39 billion - some Rs. 10,000 crores - before it paid a paisa of revenue share to the government.
12. In just two years, however, they managed to find friend Murli Deora in the seat of Oil and Gas power in 2006 after poor Mani Shankar Aiyar was shunted out - and magically got him to approve almost 4 times the earlier approved amount of Capex - US$8.80 billion - or Rs. 50,000 crores for just twice the capacity. One would expect that the relative cost of Capex would go down and efficiency would go up as you simply double the capacity on existing wells - as happens everywhere else in the world. Especially in a fanatically-cost-efficient organisation like Reliance (we all know how they never pay their suppliers on time.)
13. But no - Reliance apparently wanted to eat more money for itself - maybe Antilla was being built - before we got our own money back from our own oil fields. This basically means that we the people see nothing from our own property till Mukesbhai gets his Rs. 50,000 crores first. When asked about this wonderful generous gift of Rs. 40,000 additional crores to Reliance, Murli Deora claims no memory - see the interview at 09.00 onwards here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtAy1Y7Lv9I if you want to see his apparent innocence where he says "You don't expect Ministers to remember small details" (like 40,000 crores here or there I suppose)
13. Further proof of padding or "gold-plating" came in the CAG report - and in an investigation done by the Indian Embassy in Singapore, about a mysterious organisation called Bio Metrix which was a beneficiary of Reliance's inflated costs which suddenly invested Rs. 6,500 crores into Reliance from Singapore based on loans given to it by an Indian back on no declared collateral. Imagine that - walking into an Indian bank as an unknown company in Singapore and asking for Rs. 6,500 crores in loans to invest in equity of Indian companies. And getting it Of course, the company was controlled by known Reliance network figures - and seems to be a clear case of over-billing in India, having your own benami company as a vendor, paying it overseas and then circling the money back into India, into your own companies. Sweet, na?
14. And you know what happened after that - the investigation by India's own embassy goes nowhere and the CAG Vinod Rai was shunted out and replaced by Shashi Kant Sharma - the prior defence secretary, well-known in arms circles for routing kickbacks. Our man's ability to fix governments is amazing.
13. Oh, but it doesn't end there either. The Ambani greed and ability to fix the Congress government continued. Reliance jockeys for a higher price than the $4.20 - from our own wells, mind you. And to show it means business, it suddenly claims a huge drop in production - in other words, it's a threat. "Give us a higher price, or we'll go on strike, on your wells".
14. The government, as always, is very accommodating - it dusts off a well-meaning bureaucrat, Rangarajan - and he does some laughable calculations and determines that the new price should be $8.40 per mBTU - an exact 100% hike. Imagine this - paying 4 times more for gas from our own fields - when the capex was long-invested and gone and opex hasn't gone up anywhere near this much. In fact, in the only gas market in the world, the US, the price is even currently well below $5 per mBTU, including all profits from owned wells. But we want to pay our man more than twice that for gas he is getting out of our wells. (You can see how much more we are paying by looking at all historical prices here: http://www.eia.gov/dnav/ng/hist/rngwhhdd.htm)
15. Once this is lined up, Reliance magically discovers and announces that its capacity will go back up in the future - its stock price nudges up. By now our man has BJP and Congress on his side. But when the AAP problem happens and the unspeakable occurs - all these people and Monseiur Ambani included have FIRs registered against them for gross theft and corruption, he pulls the strings and both the BJP and Congress collude to make the AAP government fall in 72 hours after the FIR.
16. That doesn't stop the process though. The ministries push for a price hike from $4.20 to $8.40 per mBTU starting April 1 - a clear attempt to push the change before the elections and before the public makes a big deal out of it, who knows what the results will be.
17. Arvind Kejriwal and the AAP pick up on it, petition the Election Commissioner - and he sees sense in the complaint and orders a halt to the hikes for another 60 days. Pretty much till June 1. But guess Ambani isn't much worried - he has moved his focus from Congress to Modi now - and I guess he feels it'll be pushed through after the polls.
18. But $8.40 isn't where it ends either. You can glimpse the master plan in little bits. The puppet-master has now moved his strings to Modi - as is now apparent, with a Gujarat government-owned gas company now petitioning the government that the price be raised to - believe it or not - $14 per mBTU. That's 4 times the international market price. Copies of the documents from the Gujarat government body are available for you to see at http://www.aamaadmiparty.org/gas-pricing-the-complete-truth-exposed-by-aap
This is an additional Rs. 25,000 crores a year from our tax money we have to donate to the owner of Antilla, because he is now the guy in the shadows behind Modi. (Heaven knows how much more we have to donate to Adani, the man who is now flying Modi all around India.)
That's a higher cost for gas into all our industries - from fertiliser to transport to coal and more. And hey, when that happens, we'll pay the higher price for that in the things we consume too. Of course, on the plus side, Antilla will grow even taller, Mr. Ambani will move higher on the Forbes listing, and we can all be even more proud of it.
All this is if the Modi / Gujarat gas price hike proposal goes through.
Of course, your vote and your activism can help or help stop this.
Hey, maybe a vote is too much, but even your share of this could help.
Cheers!

why Arvind Kejriwal resigned as the Delhi Chief Minister?

why Arvind Kejriwal resigned as the Delhi Chief Minister? Well, here is the answer.

AAP got only 28 of 70 seats in the Delhi Assembly election. Still, the Lt Governor invited Arvind to form the government, as the Congress (with 8 seats) had offered unconditional support. Finding it hard to believe, Arvind sent a letter to the Congress President listing out the 18 points in the AAP manifesto, including passing of the Jan Lokpal bill. The Congress reverted saying it will support AAP unconditionally on all 18 points. With this commitment, Arvind formed the minority government in Delhi.

However, when AAP presented the Jan Lokpal bill in the Assembly, the Congress and the BJP came together to ensure the bill is not passed. The Aam Aadmi Party had won the vote and trust of citizens of Delhi on the plank of anti corruption. And since the minority government could not pass the Jan Lokpal bill that was promised to citizens of Delhi, Arvind resigned. Click on the image below to know why Arvind resigned in Delhi.

The Aam Aadmi Party will return to form the government with a full majority and pass the Jan Lokpal and Swaraj bills in Delhi Assembly.

Please share this message with all those who have asked you this question. To support us, click here to donate to the Lok Sabha election fund.

Jai Hind

General Election of India 2014 - The Aam Aadmi Party doesn't need 272 seats to win India. Just 3.

By Mahesh Murty

The Aam Aadmi Party doesn't need 272 seats to win India. Just 3.

Bear with me, this might be long, but it might also be worth a read.

This isn't just my theory - this is something I've heard from folks who are close to pretty high-on ups in the AAP, and something that makes a lot more sense when I talk and think about it.

Here's the thinking - see how it fits your brain: Let's start with the AAP itself. In some ways it's the least ambitious party when it comes to retaining power - see how easily they gave up Delhi when the Congress and BJP came together to deny passage of the Jan Lokpal Bill. In other ways it's the most ambitious - see how they've come from nowhere to field candidates for over 380 seats in the Lok Sabha polls?

These guys play for the long game - if they think they need to make a queen sacrifice today to win the chess board a year later, they will. They have no particular urgent hunger for power.

What they're playing for is NOT for AAP to be elected - but for the duopoly of UPA and NDA to be ended in India. Remember their origins were in India Against Corruption, not in India For Anything Else. Think about it - for decades we've been ruled by the same two blocks of parties - and every 5 or 10 years, we get sick of the corruption of one and throw it out, thinking the other guy was better. Repeat after 5 or 10 years. Anti-incumbency factor is the name we give it. Fatigue with corruption and mis-governance is more like it. And conventional wisdom says we'll do it again this time, throwing out the Congress for the BJP.

The AAP's stance is that both are corrupt, perhaps only in varying degrees and that we need to get rid of both for India to get a fresh start.

The BJP certainly owes a lot to the back-room support of Mukesh Ambani and his tentacles in government, oil and news. Dhirubhai's elder son famously said of the Congress, when they were his favoured lot: Congress hamaari dukaan hai - the Congress is our shop. And of the BJP he later remarked "BJP hamaari jeb main hai" - The BJP is in our pocket. Nobody thinks the Ambanis are paragons of virtue - we all just "know" how they've been good at "fixing" governments.

Despite its TV commercials about being anti-corruption, the BJP openly welcomes it, calling back Karnataka's thief-in-chief Yeddyurappa and mining scammer Sriramulu, as well as woman-hating Sri Ram Sene rogue Muthalik. Modi's record, too is less than stellar, with Solanki, Amit Shah and other well-known thugs in his inner circle.

What the BJP is strong on is efficiency - and they are efficiently doing all they can to tie up alliances with known devils and even police-sheeters to ensure their 272 seats of support after the polls close.

The BJP has a practical view for sure - let's sleep with the known criminals to get power - we'll see after that what happens. A pragmatic view, perhaps. But one that begs the question - what ministerial berths will they have to give away, along with a tacit promise to loot India - like the Congress had to do with Karunanidhi's A. Raja, whose job was to loot for his party chief when he was made Telecom Minister.

(As an aside, I wonder how the markets will fare if BJP and allies do get elected - and the allies get plum ministerial berths. It'll just be Congress with a different face all over again. Will we see Sensex 20,000 and Nifty 6,000 again?)

But the BJP has one disadvantage the Congress doesn't have - a bunch of strong regional satraps who are angry about Narendra Modi's sudden prominence, and who would like nothing better than to send Modi packing back to Gujarat. But we'll re-visit this in a bit.

Now to the Congress. Nothing much needs to be said about this, perhaps the most corrupt bunch of thieves that has ever walked this planet. But they do have a different defining characteristic - they're owned and controlled by Sonia's purse strings and her Dubai bank accounts flush with funds. Without Mummy's money, Baba will be nowhere. And perhaps the party will be nowhere either.

Still with me? Good.

Now it gets interesting.

Try to see this as a war - and you'll see two strong goliath armies. On the one side, there's the evil Congress, with its scheming empress Sonia and weak heir-apparent Rahul who is trying hard to look bulked-up. There is no second line here - no regional commanders, only foot-soldiers on low pay.

And on the other side is the chieftain of the moment Modi with his strong regional satraps going along for the ride to victory - but happy to take on power if Modi were to fall by the wayside.

Into this battle strides a little David, with no money, no resources, nothing.

What is David's best option?

A quick analysis will show that if Rahul and Sonia were knocked off their perches, the Congress will quickly collapse. And if Modi was to lose his Varanasi seat even after winning his Gujarat seat, the pack of wolves in the BJP will themselves send him back, tail between legs, to Gujarat.

So what's the most efficient use of David's meagre resources?

I'd say it is to take Rahul, Sonia and Modi head on - and defeat them.

Three seats.

That's all.

The AAP wouldn't come to power. It'd win a few more perhaps even 50 or 100 more.

But within months or a year, what is left of the Congress in parliament and what is left of the BJP in parliament will be sure to self-destruct - and the country will go to the polls again, mid-term.

And this may be 2014 - or 2015 or 2016 or even 2019 - but that is when the AAP can actually make a stronger effort to come to power. And break the see-saw duopoly of UPA and NDA that they believe plagues the country.

Let's see what they've done so far. They've put up a strong guy against RahulG - and he seems to be doing well in Amethi - and an upset may well be possible there. Kejriwal set himself up against Modi - a positioning master-stroke, telling the world he was no less than the Gujarat CM in leadership potential. And who knows what can happen there. I personally wouldn't bet against Kejriwal here.

Shazia Ilmi said no to to the AAP for going up against Sonia, not sure if they'll field some one else - but it'll be an amazing win to take on and defeat Sonia too.

But it might not be 3 on 3. But even 2 on 3 is good enough for the Gandhi dynasty to end in the Congress and the Modi raj to end in the BJP.

Now it's too complex to tell the voter, don't worry, there'll be mid-term polls and we're happy to come to power then. So the AAP positioning will be one of strength, one of toppling the twin demons right now.

But my point is just this - it doesn't matter if the AAP gets 5 or 55 or 105 seats in the Lok Sabha.

If it wins Amethi and Varanasi - it'll have pretty much set India to the path of repeal of the twin demons. And if it can pull off Rae Bareilly too, then it's a comprehensive rout.

But let's see what happens. All this is theorizing.

I'm no Congress fan, or Modi bhakt or anti-corruption zealot. But I have a pretty good idea what I'll be voting for. 

Oh, and thank you for reading this. Share it at will, if you like. And criticise it at will, as I am sure you will like, too .