Since the 1960s for over three decades, probably the most influential non-official individual resident in India was Ottavio Quatrocchi, an Italian who had the blunt demeanour of an Australian rather than the charm that the people of that ancient civilisation are justly known for. Nearly 70 key projects were sanctioned during this long period to companies that "Mr Q" was considered to favour, especially Snam-Progetti. Those officials who dared to sanction contracts to companies other than the few favoured by Quatrocchi found their careers in India ended, including Cabinet Secretary P K Kaul, who was shunted off to Washington before completing his term in office, after a contract was won by another company instead of Snam. The then Petroleum Secretary, A S Gill, who was in line to be Cabinet Secretary found his career at an end after this decision was taken, and the minister concerned was swiftly removed from his post, as were others who dared take decisions other than those believed to have the backing of "Mr Q" What the source of the power of this Italian fixer is remains obscure.

However, none of his political allies could save his career in India once his name was outed in the scandal involving the purchase of Bofors guns in 1986. A year later, Swedish radio claimed that about $65 million had been paid as bribes to get the contract (peanuts in this day and age), and the Swiss authorities established that "Mr Q" was one of the beneficiaries. The Central Bureau of Investigation asked that his passport be impounded. Instead, on the recommendation of the minister looking after the CBI, Quatrocchi was allowed to fly out of India on 29 July 1993 to the safety of Kuala Lumpur. Since then, he has depended on his family members to ensure that contact be retained with influential individuals in India, a task that they have done so well that even today, he is among the few who can "get almost anything done" through the Government of India, including ensuring the return of the money that the investigating authorities say was a bribe paid to secure the Bofors contract. While other governments seek to confiscate the money stashed illegally away by the powerful, the Manmohan Singh government returned it to "Mr Q" a few years ago.

Ottavio Quatrocchi was never questioned - much less prosecuted - by the Indian authorities about his shenanigans. He escaped from the country in 1993 because of a morally question-able decision taken by then Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao, who thought he would buy peace with "Mr Q"'s friends in the Congress Party by enabling his escape. Instead, within brief months after that fateful decision, Rao began to be subjected to a barrage of attacks from Quatrocchi's friends in the Congress Party, acting through senior leaders in the government. Narasimha Rao never recovered from that stain, for from then onwards, despite the fact that he liberalised the economy, brought some stability to Kashmir by fending off Bill Clinton's repeated efforts to get India to relax its hold on the state, and established an economics-centred diplomacy in place of the Nehru construct that was based on pious platitudes. By 1994, Rao was under daily fire for the perception of corruption, with all kinds of suspicious characters coming out of obscurity to make allegations against him. After he was forced to resign as Prime Minister because of an election defeat caused by a rebellion led by followers of influential politicians known to be close to "Mr Q", Narasimha Rao was in perpetual risk of going to jail, getting freed of this Damocles Sword (in the shape of criminal cases against him) only in the final year of his life. Those who knew him well saw for themselves the fear in his eyes at the prospect of jail, a fear that paralysed him in the final decade of his life.

The Commonwealth Games scandal is Manmohan Singh's Quatrocchi moment. Will he follow the example of his old boss Rao and allow the VVIPs responsible for a scam that has been estimated to cost the taxpayer more than $4 billion in bribes to escape? If he does so, then Manmohan Singh will be finished as a credible Prime Minister. From the time that he allows the guilty of the Commonwealth Games to escape - should he do so - he will become the butt of ridicule and scandal the way Narasimha Rao was. After such public bludgeoning and umiliation, it is very likely that Congress President Sonia Gandhi will request the PM to resign, and replace him with someone known to be honest, such as Defense Minister A K Antony. Although Sonia's first choice is Home Minister P Chidambaram - because of his total loyalty to her wishes - yet in an atmosphere where the Congress Party gets pushed back to the 1987-89 period when it was clouded in corruption charges, she may have no choice but to appoint the man known as "Saint Antony" for his financial integrity. Perhaps this would be followed by appointing Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee as President of India, after the present incumbent's term concludes in two years time.

Should the PM-directed enquiry into the scams carried out during the Commonwealth Games preparation period fail to bring those actually guilty to justice, the reputation of Manmohan Singh for integrity would be affected. After such a lapse, even should he somehow manage to hang on to the Office of the Prime Minister, each month would bring personal attacks on him. After his eventual retirement, there is no doubt that he would follow Narasimha Rao in also having multiple criminal charges filed against him, which he would have to fight all his life to stay clear of arrest and imprisonment. All this while the VVIPs actually responsible for siphoning off huge amounts of money get away. The officers close to him would also face criminal charges for being accessories or being negligent in safeguarding the public interest. It all looks like going the Narasimha Rao way of scandal and disgrace for a team that in fact is honest and sincere.

There is no doubt that the huge expenditure (of around $ 9 billion) spent on the Games has been a platinum opportunity for many. An example is a pedestrian overbridge that was built at a cost of $2 million, which col-lapsed. The Indian army was asked by the PM to build a substitute, which it did at a cost of just $175,000. A list of the prices for items bought or hired by the organizers of the Games shows that in several instances, there was a 4000% markup over the prices charged to other customers by the companies involved. A week ago, a friend mentioned that to his knowledge, six container loads of currency had been smuggled across the Indian border so as to be sent onwards to Switzerland, and that this is just a "small" part of what a particular ruling party leader made from the Games.

These days, Delhi is filled with stories about how "Manmohan Singh is conducting an eyewash" in promising to investigate the scandal. Many are angry that the PM did nothing while this flood of public money was being spent, moving into action only after the media could ignore the rot no longer. Once reports began to appear in the foreign press about the many deficiencies in the organizing of the Commonwealth Games, Indian media outlets that are known to be nervous about annoying VVIPs began to focus attention on a few organizers, notably Suresh Kalmadi, the Congress Party bigwig who is the Indian Olympic Committee chief. Kalmadi is known to follow the military discipline of his youth in always checking his decisions with higher authority, but if the media are to be believed, he acted on his own in the spending of the Games cash. This is about as believable as saying that Dr A Q Khan ran his entire network without the participation of any state player, or what General Pervez Musharraf wanted the world to believe when he placed the hero of the Pakistan nuclear bomb under house arrest.

Thus far, no criminal cases have been filed against those responsible for the many tainted decisions taken during the runup to the Games. And because none of the records was taken into safekeeping for two months after the scandal first broke in the international and then national media, those in the know say that records have been erased, while others have been replaced with different versions. Computer disks have been cleaned up and the mainframes destroyed. All in all, the stately pace of Manmohan Singh's investigation - carried out by a well-meaning but seemingly clueless Kashmiri septuagenarian - may mean that the guilty escape, which means that the full tumult of public opinion will fall on the head of the Prime Minister, who allowed the loot to go on for six years before waking up to its ramifications. Exactly as 1992-96 Prime Minister Narasimha Rao became dam-aged goods after allowing Ottavio Quatrocchi to escape from India on July 29,1993, so will Manmohan Singh be crippled after his enquiry turns out to be a farce. The way several VVIPs want it to be. On the other hand, if the guilty get punished, Manmohan Singh will enter the history books for fighting the corruption that has been a facet of life in India since the impecunious Robert Clive made a fortune from Bengal in two centuries and a half ago.

As things stand, the betting in Delhi is that the PM will be ineffective in con-ducting a probe, and will therefore be made to quit after becoming the butt of criminal charges. Should an honest man like Manmohan Singh pay such a high price - the loss of his reputation and his career - it would be a sad day for justice. Those eager for probity hope that the PM will ensure that the guilty get punished, if only just this once in a country where corruption is costing the economy more than 5% extra growth each year.

The writer is Vice-Chair, Manipal Advanced Research Group, UNESCO Peace Chair & Professor of Geopolitics, Manipal University, Haryana State, India.

MODI CLOSER TO CENTRESTAGE TO TAKE ON THE GANDHI SCION

It is official now, 2014 General Elections in India would be Rahul Vs Modi clash. Rahul Gandhi's elevation as the Congress' number 2 has heightened anticipation that the General Elections 2014 will be a personality clash between him and the BJP’s Narendra Modi. The Congress, always refuse to make comparisons between the two, dismisses it as a “media joke.”

Even as the clam-our in the Congress to declare Rahul Gandhi the candidate for Prime Minister for next year's elections reached a fevered pitch at the party's poll strategy meet in Jaipur over the weekend, senior Congress leaders quickly pointed out that the party traditionally does not name a leader. Though unoffically everybody in Congress believe that Rahul will lead party in the coming general elections.

Party general secretary Digvijaya Singh told , "The Congress party does not declare the PM candidate because we don't want to take away the right of newly-elected legislators to choose their leader. This is basic in parliamentary democracy. Therefore, we don't declare "That (Rahul Gandhi vs Narendra Modi in the 2014 elections) is a big joke made by the media," Mr Singh added.

In Jaipur, senior Congress leader and minister Jairam Ramesh said in India elections were not a contest people, but between parties. "2014 will not be a contest between Modi and Rahul. It's always party versus party," he said.

The BJP is reportedly set to appoint Mr Modi - who just registered a huge win in the Gujarat Assembly elections to get a fourth term as the state's chief minister - as the head of its election campaign committee. In that role he will be the face of the opposition party for next year's elections. Mr Gandhi has already been given similar charge of the Congress' committee for election strategy, making comparisons inevitable.

But Congress leaders cast Mr Modi as a regional satrap; Mr Gandhi, they say, is a leader with a pan-India appeal.

What Rahul Gandhi did admit in his mainden speech at Jaipur was that the Congress had failed to mentor leaders, which had cost the party dear in states which had strong individual leaders or regional parties. "The Congress party has not been able to build up reason-able leadership'...whether you see Bihar or UP or West Bengal or even Tamil Nadu we have this problem.'

Digvijay Singh added that "In Gujarat also Narendra Modi has created a cult for himself. Of course, the first casualty after Narendra Modi goes is the BJP itself, because there is no BJP there, only Narendra Modi."

Mr Singh was analysing Rahul Gandhi's much-watched first speech after he was appointed Vice-President of the Congress. Mr Gandhi asked his party men to help reverse a system in India where power was "grossly centralised" and said 40 to 50 leaders, all capable of running the country must be identified and mentored.

And an unimpressed Arun Jaitley, one of the BJP's senior most leaders, said of Mr Gandhi, "The world's largest democracy cannot be put to risk by risking ourselves in the hands of those whose actual potential we don't know, whose opinions on various subjects we do not know, whose policy regarding various issues we do not know."

For the BJP, said Mr Jaitley, "It will be tried, tested and proven ability. The best will become our leader." Mr Modi's supporters in the party say he is that man and that he should be named the BJP's candidate for PM. But the party has multiple claimants to top posts. It also has to contend with the fact that Mr Modi does not enjoy universal acceptability among partners like the Janata Dal United in the National Democratic Alliance it leads.

The Indian media is confused on Rahul Gandhi's core leadership traits. N Ram former Editor-In-Chief, The Hindu, said, "Rahul Gandhi's programme lacks essential details. We don't know what he stands for. Of course, he wants change, but change for what end? Rahul has supported welfare measures but on and off sporadically, looks instrumental. He's an obsessive organisational man, believes in grassroots organisation. That's good."

"Here is a person whose position cannot be challenged, above the fray, who'll allow the rest of the minions to create systems. The question of his position of how he got there is not going to be asked," said senior journalist and columnist Swapan Dasgupta.

During the debate, IBN18 Editor-in-Chief Rajdeep Sardesai also added that Rahul faced a tough task of rehabilitating the Congress. "The problem is that Rahul Gandhi faces a tough task of rehabilitating the Congress which is facing a crisis of organisation, of electability. So he gave a good critique and pulled them out of denial, but it is to be seen whether he can walk the talk."

AND THE CHALLENGES

Bumpy road ahead for Rahul Gandhi

10 things the Gandhi scion must focus on, to assert his role as a leader of his party... and of the masses

Has he given any fresh food for thought to the party leadership at Chintan Shivir in Jaipur? Or was it just old wine in a new (read emotive) bottle? Has Rahul Gandhi done anything tangible to alter the grand old party's style of functioning? Stupid, it was a speech!

The newly-elected vice president of the Congress delivered his speech against a backdrop of persistent complaints that few knew what he stood for. For years, he displayed an aloofness and disinterest that drove Congressmen to the edge of despair. Rahul concluded his speech by saying, "For me, the Congress party is now my life." It obliquely admits the worries expressed earlier about Rahul having made up his mind to be in public life.

The biggest problem of the Congress is: it is once reformist, but twice shy. A handful of senior leaders in the Congress is convinced that reforms can bring forth electoral gains. There is no effort made to persuade the people of India, especially those in rural areas, that economic reforms will also bring to them welfare, that wealth-making can be every Indian's dream. The cold rationality of economic reforms can be connected to the emotions of the people. This requires a change of mindset, not the system.

At present, India's oldest political party has nothing credible and convincing to offer the people of the country. It has no message to take to the people. The Congress is still directionless in policy matters. Here is a classic example: Congress boss Sonia Gandhi's call to end nepotism from the same stage on which her son was crowned a day earlier. With general elections about one year - or maybe a little more - away, will India take mother-son duo rhetoric seriously? His powerful surname and relative youth make him the Congress' main hope for elections in 2014.

Shantanu Bhattacharji takes off the blinkers and shows Rahul Gandhi the bumpy road ahead ...

• The 42-year-old leader has to establish a disconnect between the party's old-school outlook and the larger aspirations of today's assertive youth force. Congress workers want political heavyweights to lead the party in Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and many more other states.
• The corruption that has reached the highest levels in the Congress surely belongs to a bigger league.

The refusal of party and government to acknowledge this fact has been made worse by their arrogance towards the common citizenry.

Rahul must showcase some big-bang punitive actions against the corrupt.

• Rahul Gandhi also faces a potential adversary in Narendra Modi, should the saffron party project him as its prime ministerial candidate. He still seems somehow stuck in the image of a youth leader discovering India rather than one ready to lead it.

Modi has proved to be an able administrator. Rahul has a number of failures in his political career and has been at the receiving end not only from the opposition but even UPA allies.

He has failed as a strategist, which was visible during 2012 Uttar Pradesh assembly polls where he campaigned aggressively. In Bihar too Rahul proved to be a dampener. However, the Hindutva poster boy has superbly projected himself as the 'messiah' of 'development'.

• The party cannot regain its lost glory without winning back the backward classes, Dalits and tribals, especially in Hindi heartland. Any drastic policy change will further antagonise the party's traditional vote bank.
• Rahul needs an immediate image makeover. He must be seen as a no-nonsense politician. The days of identity politics were not over and he can even learn the art of social engineering from US President Barack Obama. Opportunities have presented themselves to Rahul in the past couple of years but he failed to grab them. When Sonia Gandhi went overseas for treatment of a serious ailment, he might have taken charge and confronted the anti-graft campaigners such as Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejriwal. It is high time to take the bull by the horns.
• The leader of the young brigade in the Congress needs a scalpel and not a cleaver, to cut the credibility crisis facing the party thanks to corruption scan-dals and perceptions of inefficient governance. A central theme as well as a slogan needed before the 2014 general election that would encapsulate the party's emphasis on welfare and employment generation, on the lines of Indira Gandhi's famed Garibi hatao. He has to explain to the aam aadmi the reasons for the ceaseless rise in the prices of essentials, unpopular decisions such as the LPG subsidy cap, and the eruption of so many corruption scandals.
• To galvanise the rank and file, the party must stop giving prominence to turncoats. Loyalists feel that leaders defecting from other parties are too readily given official posts or election tickets. Those who came from outside and occupied key positions in the Congress include P Chidambaram, Jaipal Reddy, Sanjay Nirupam, Mohan Prakash and Raj Babbar.
• Rahul reminded the party - and the country - of the personal losses suffered by the Nehru-Gandhi family. It may prove counterproductive as focusing too much on tragedies can invite charges of exploiting such issues. "… power is poison… " it will keep the urban voters wondering as at what length he will go to personally lead a government if and when the opportunity presents itself before the party again.
• Experts say he has an urge to improve the lives of poor Indians, but no real idea of how to do so. He must show some hardcore skills as a leader before campaigning starts in 2014. He must set short and long-terms goals for the party and for himself, as well. It should select 250-300 winnable constituencies and devote disproportionate resources for them.
• Rahul has many challenges and the clock is ticking fast towards the May, 2014 general polls. He has to act as an interface between party workers across the country, strike up a bond with present and future UPA allies and justify every action the Manmohan Singh government takes under a grim economic situation and coalition compulsions.

It's a cliché: nothing succeeds like success and Rahul's future depends on the party's success in winning the coming assembly polls in nine states, keeping workers' motivation high and bringing an element of moral value in every UPA-Congress action. To just think in Jaipur is not enough.

By Prakhar Mishra Political Editor / Inputs from Business standard & International press.

Q What is Rajnath Singh’s biggest challenge,Congress or BJP’s inner fight?

A To expose Congress misrule that led to internal security threat, corruption, inflation & destruction of agri economy of the country.

Q You are pitted against next generation leadership of Congress as Rahul Gandhi has just taken over the party command, how BJP will reach out to young voters of India specially when we have 65 % population under 40 years ?

A We have sufficient pool of young leaders, best trained and intellectual disposition.

Q For Rajnath Singh surely UP is the single most challenge to stamp your authority over your organisation, government (if elected in 2014 ), share your plan and vision to win caste ridden UP state from the clutches of OBC led SP and SC led BSP party machine?

A Kalyan Singh entry in the party will bring tremendous change in the electorate mathematics of the UP political land scape. People are tired of Mayawati & Mulayam Singh brand of politics, all are looking towards BJP to offer development oriented politics.

Q Your views on saffron terror as described by Home Minister?

A Congress is desperately looking to polarize minority votes hence Home Minister has given this statement. BJP will strongly oppose it in the Parliament & street to expose Congress and irresponsible Home Minister. Saffron Terror is a myth, created by Congress for political survival.

Q Personally, you would like to project an individual as prime minister candidate (early BJP projected Atal ji to win elections)?

If yes, Narender Modi can be the dark horse? A At an appropriate time, we will surely present the most acceptable face.

– Prakhar Prakash Mishra, Political Editor – Opinion Express, in conversation with Shri Rajnath Singh

US President Barack Obama's budget aimed at rebuilding the country's economy, emerging 'from the worst recession in generations', looks at India as 'one of the most important and promising emerging markets in the world'. Obama's proposed $3.7 trillion spending plan for 2011 hopes to 'win the future by out-innovating, out-educating, and out-build- ing our global competitors and creating the jobs and industries of tomorrow', according to the White House.

'India is one of the most important and promising emerging markets in the world, and represents a tremendous opportunity for US firms to expand their output of goods and services,' the budget proposal presented Monday said. 'On the margins of the president's trip to India in November, trade transactions were announced or showcased exceeding $14.9 billion in total value with $9.5 billion in US export content and that would support an estimated 53,670 jobs,' the White House noted.

These cross border collaborations, both public and private, un- derpin the expanding US-India strategic partnership, contributing to economic growth and development in both countries, it said. Notable examples include the sale of commercial and military air- craft, gas and steam turbines and precision measurements instrumentation. The budget proposals said the emergence of a global market place that includes the growing economies of China, India and other developing counties creates an opportunity for America to export US goods and services to new customers.

'With 95 percent of the world's customers as well as the globe's fastest growing markets beyond our borders, we must compete ag- gressively to spur economic growth and job creation,' the budget said.Obama's third annual budget says that it can reduce project- ed deficits by $1.1 trillion over the next decade, enough to sta- bilise the nation's fiscal health and buy time to address its longer- term problems, the New York Times said citing a senior adminis- tration official.

Two-thirds of the reductions that Obama claims are from cuts in spending, including in many domestic programmes that he sup- ports.Among the reductions for just the next fiscal year, 2012, which starts Oct 1, are more than $1 billion from airport grants and nearly $1 billion from grants to states for water treatment plants and similar projects. Public health and forestry pro- grammes would also be cut. With Republicans in charge of the House, Obama's budget is more a statement of his priorities and philosophy than an actual template for federal spending and tax policy, the Times noted.

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)

The dark clouds of the 2G scam and the repeat- ed evidence being given by A. Raja and other accused of his tacit involvement and other acts of omission and commission are menacingly closing in on Chidambaram. Chidambaram's note assumes significance in the light of Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy's petition in the Supreme Court saying that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) should investigate Chidambaram's role in the 2G scam. Swamy alleges that Chidambaram "fixed" spectrum rates along with Raja. The note shows that even if the two didn't collude to fix the prices, Chidambaram wanted to treat it as a "closed chapter".

He is losing his cool, and more importantly, losing his carefully clipped English accent to its more indigenous roots more often. And like his colleague Digvijay Singh, his mind seems to be disintegrating to a stage where he has started talking gibberish. Take this, for example: in reply to the BJP demand for his resignation for his involvement in the 2G scam, Chidambaram claims that the BJP is targeting him since he initiated a probe by the NIA into Hindu terror.

Can any rational person see the connection between the two?

Chidambaram's special financial skills have diversified into electoral politics also. He has the dis- tinction of having been declared defeated in the last Lok Sabha election, after which he galvanized his special skills and local machinery, in particular, a data entry operator, and doctored a margin- al victory on the recount. That is quite a record for fraud. Sadly, he has to confront with hostile state government led by Amma that won the recent assembly election in his home state. And can one for- get how the Indian Bank was cleaned up and left with only non-performing assets thanks to him and his Tamil Maanila buddies?

Celebrity lawyer Ram Jethmalani recently hurdled serious charges in an article stating that being Finance Minister in the UPA government was his finest hour. He could fiddle around with share markets, capital markets, banks, financial instruments, such as, securities, participatory notes, tax treaties, not to speak of spectrum sale, and use his extraordinary innovative powers of black money magic to plunder our country with complete impunity. He assiduously cultivated the media with his clipped English accent (that led him down, now and then), occasion- al freebies, and sustained shadows of the Enforcement Directorate that he commanded.

On the positive note, he is unfairly criticized for his handling of home ministry but to his credit, he has performed better than his predecessor Mr Shivraj Patil by far. The terror attacks are drastically reduced, J&K situation looks under control, Telengana is a political issue hence he should be blamed for the mess, North East is looking fragile though manageable. We must understand that India's internal security is a huge challenge with micro dynamic changes every hour. We have open borders with many hostile states making the internal issue more complex. But his handling of public standoff with Pranab Mukherjee, Baba Ramdev mid night assault, Anna Hazare unexpected arrest prior to his historic fast, booking Subramanium Swamy for anti minority article, open support to suspended Gujrat cop Sanjeev Bhat questions his political intelligence.

By J Gopikrishnan - The Pioneer 

As I reflect on my past life, I am faced with the harsh reality that success has eluded me for three quarters of a century. Even in the field of Corruption, which has been the subject of study by me for over half a century, I have been a failure. I haven't amassed a fortune through this route though it looks so easy, nor have I become a celebrity, like Anna Hazare, by exposing and fighting this phenomenon. However, since the whole nation is agitated on the issue, I am motivated to add my voice.

Like pollution, which is the right material in the wrong place, Corruption is the right wealth in the wrong hands used for the wrong purpose. The first lesson in Corruption is that money / wealth must first be created. Governments have learnt the art of making money --- they make it by the process called "Printing". The rising prices have nothing to do with improved quality, value or performance --- nothing whatsoever. It is connected with the performance and overtime work put in at the government printing press. To prevent the money put into circulation from causing inflation, the governments take it out again by way of taxes. Fortunately in India we are more enlightened than in USA where the TEA [Taxed Enough Already] Party has emerged to prevent the government from Right wealth in wrong hands raising taxes. The Indians take out the excess money in circulation themselves. The old practice of hiding this under the mat- tress has long since gone out of vogue and the tax havens, which have emerged around the world, enable the smart Indian to keep it out of the hands of the government, which would in any case waste it.

Modern education teaches the basic principle that anything and every service can be converted into one common, understandable unit MONEY. From earliest times we have seen that Sex has been a money spinner when apples were used as the medium of exchange. But today even the care and education of children and senior citizens call for a lot of money. So money has to be generated to meet all one's needs. In the good old days we pitied the poor government servant for the pit- tance they got for their services and the thoughtful citizen made up for it with Baksheesh or tip for the services rendered. The various Pay Commissions have changed all this. Today, I understand that in retirement a government servant could get in hand more than what he was getting while in service. The rates for getting things done have kept pace with the in- creases given by the Pay Commissions. If the commission given by you for a service doesn't match up to the expectations you face the possibility of your voluntary offering being sarcastically turned down.

India has been the birth place of many religions --- There are hundreds of religions practiced by the tribals and thousands of Gods. There are also the well established religions of Hinduism,Buddhism Like pollution, which is the right material in the wrong place, Corruption is the right wealth in the wrong hands used for the wrong purpose. The first lesson in Corruption is that money / wealth must first be created. Today a new religion is emerging and being created by our elected representatives. It is termed as Indian Democracy. The quintessence of this new religion are:

"All your sins past and future will be forgiven if you get elected or work for the government. Nobody can accuse you of any wrong doing. You have been raised above the mortals of this world. Unfortunately entry is restricted to just a few and there is a heavy price to be paid to get admission to the club. You must show this ability even before you can even at- tempt to get membership.

" Your behavior will never catch up on you. It will take an eternity before any- one can find out what you really did or didn't do. The truth will be buried under a mountain of documents some of which may disappear and disintegrate with time. "The tax havens are temples / sanctuaries which no one can violate to discover what you have hidden there.

"On the principles on which this religion is founded there is no opposition --- All parties are in full agreement and there is no such thing as a minority, all are in it together.

"Like in all religions there are pre- scribed rituals like the share that must go to each layer in the value chain.

Unfortunately, I have passed the expiry date to get admission to this new religion.

By F Lobo: E-mail: fllobo@gmail.com

US President Barack Obama's budget aimed at rebuilding the country's economy, emerging 'from the worst recession in generations', looks at India as 'one of the most important and promising emerging markets in the world'. Obama's proposed $3.7 trillion spending plan for 2011 hopes to 'win the future by out-innovating, out-educating, and outbuilding our global competitors and creating the jobs and industries of tomorrow', according to the White House.

'India is one of the most important and promising emerging markets in the world, and represents a tremendous opportunity for US firms to expand their output of goods and services,' the budget proposal presented Monday said. 'On the margins of the president's trip to India in November, trade transactions were announced or showcased exceeding $14.9 billion in total value with $9.5 billion in US export content and that would support an estimated 53,670 jobs,' the White House noted.

These cross border collaborations, both public and private, underpin the expanding US-India strategic partnership, contributing to economic growth and development in both countries, it said. Notable examples include the sale of commercial and military air- craft, gas and steam turbines and precision measurements instrumentation. The budget proposals said the emergence of a global market place that includes the growing economies of China, India and other developing counties creates an opportunity for America to export US goods and services to new customers.

'With 95 percent of the world's customers as well as the globe's fastest growing markets beyond our borders, we must compete aggressively to spur economic growth and job creation,' the budget said. Obama's third annual budget says that it can reduce projected deficits by $1.1 trillion over the next decade, enough to stabilise the nation's fiscal health and buy time to address its longer- term problems, the New York Times said citing a senior administration official.

Two-thirds of the reductions that Obama claims are from cuts in spending, including in many domestic programmes that he supports. Among the reductions for just the next fiscal year, 2012 which starts Oct 1, are more than $1 billion from airport grants and nearly $1 billion from grants to states for water treatment plants and similar projects. Public health and forestry programmes would also be cut. With Republicans in charge of the House, Obama's budget is more a statement of his priorities and philosophy than an actual template for federal spending and tax policy, the Times noted.

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)

It is NDA Vs UPA agenda; young leader with conventional mind set verses experience leader with new thought process India needs stable and strong government

Setting a new agenda for Congress party ahead of the forthcoming Lok Sabha election, the young party general secretary Rahul Gandhi called for giving more representation to youth in electoral politics.

Pitching for the need of making “work” as the only criteria for selecting candidates for polls, the Amethi MP said, “Religion, caste, region or economic condition should be the criteria if we want genuine and promising youth leaders to join politics for serving the nation.”

Addressing the grass-roots level Congress workers at a national convention in the capital, Rahul also said that though country has influential percentage of young population, youth does not find its convenient to join politics.

“They have that intention and energy to work for the community and for nation. They feel none raises the voice of people even after getting elected. We need to demolish all walls to make it convenient and reward for youth to join politics,” the young leader said.

Taking up the case of block level and district level workers and their leaders, Rahul said that though they are responsible for party’s victories and they lead the protests march their case are overlooked when it comes to distribution of tickets. I am strongly in favor of these people get- ting due share. We should not import someone else and ignore their role,” the leader said.

The achievements of the UPA government were all the 52 schemes that were running in the country, but National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), Right To Information (RTI), Nuclear Agreement and debt waiver to the farmers would be the key issues, said Rahul Gandhi adding, ”implementation of acts like NREGA and RTI was a historical step for the country’s future.”

However, experienced Advani is promising to change the primary focus of the software industry from outsourcing for foreign economies to make it mainly Indiacentric, BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate L K Advani today said an NDA government “will create a new policy climate” to achieve this aim. “Whereas much of our software industry labors to make foreign economies more competitive, a BJP-led government will create a new policy climate where we use technology mainly for India’s – I would add, Bharat’s sustainable development,” Advani stated in the foreword to the party’s IT Vision document.

The comment comes at a time when the US and other western countries have said that they would check outsourcing to India to boost their sagging economies and growing unemployment. The saffron party leader said his government would bring about a radical shift of emphasis in favor of “agriculture, rural economy, infrastructure development, small and medium enterprises, informal sector of the economy, affordable health- care for all, meaningful education for all. And national security, both internal and external”. Promising to make “internet as ubiquitous as electricity”, Advani said an NDA government would create 20 IT related jobs in ever y village. This would mean 1.2 crore IT-enabled jobs in rural hinterland of the country, he said.

– OE News Bureau

History was made in Parliament on Saturday when the two Houses bowed to Anna Hazare’s campaign, powered by a groundswell of popular support, for a strong and independent Lokpal. The Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha unanimously resolved that the Standing Committee would consider Anna’s three demands – including the lower bureaucracy in the Lokpal’s purview, a central law for creating Lok Ayuktas in states and a citizen’s charter for government departments providing public service. This finally paved the way for Anna’s 12-day fast to end.

This is the first instance of Parliament explicitly agreeing to accommodate demands raised by an ‘outsider’, that too when the official bill had already been moved. A jubilant Anna Hazare responded to Parliament’s endorsement of his demands by announcing that he would call off his fast at 10 am on Sunday. His aides promptly called upon the people to flock to Ramlila Maidan to participate in this victory of popular will. Later, the PM publicly threw his weight behind the reconciliation. “Parliament has spoken. Parliament’s will is the will of the people,” he said, bringing a closure to the standoff.

Parliament’s extraordinary gesture on Saturday brought out its capacity to adapt and innovate in response to an extraordinary expression of popular aspirations, reflected in the countrywide outpouring of support for Anna’s anti-corruption charter. A huge throng camped at Ramlila Maidan as Parliament debated Anna’s demands. The day also saw the much- maligned political class rise to the challenge. Speeches in both Houses were non-partisan, and effectively rebuffed anxieties about Parliament’s relevance or its preparedness to deal with graft.

The resolution adopted by the two Houses strikes a balance between the competing considerations of heeding the clamour for strong anti-corruption measures in the wake of a series of scams and the political class’s determination to not allow Parliament’s authority on law-making to be under- mined. Even as it conceded the Anna group’s demands, the resolution also made it plain that the procedure of the scrutiny of the law by the Standing Committee would not be scuppered. The resolution was the result of a remarkable display of give-and-take by all the protagonists. The government, which had staunchly resisted the civil society group’s efforts to dictate the shape of the Lokpal law, did not allow ego to come in the way as it changed tack. The PM, who said he was ready to walk the extra mile, did so at a crucial time when he overruled the naysayers to give his nod to a conciliatory resolution.

This was the second time in the week that the PM had taken charge of the government’s efforts, even if belated, to defuse the confrontation. On Wednesday, he had turned down the effort of his colleagues to re-open a resolution that he had worked out with the Opposition after an all-party meeting. The Opposition also matched the government’s conciliator y attitude. The speech of Arun Jaitley, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, was bereft of partisan considerations, and set the stage for non-acrimonious debate. In fact, at one point in Jaitley’s speech, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee asked the BJP leader to explain a finer legal point. Later, Jaitley along with L K Advani and Sushma Swaraj helped craft the resolution that passed muster with the civil society activists.

Team Anna, too, did not lag behind. The players who had been frequently accused of taking maximalist positions, chose to settle for a solution that did not quite meet their expectations. Prashant Bhushan, a dogged warrior in the court and outside, acknowledged that they would have preferred an iron-clad commitment. However, he expressed the hope that Parliament, having recognized the depth of anti-corruption feelings, would not resile on its commitment.

There are a thousand things wrong with our country. But every once in a while, something or someone comes along and restores, in some measure, our faith in the future. Even those who have had reservations about Anna Hazare’s form of protest — and there are many honest, intelligent and committed people among them – cannot discount the incredible impact he has had on Indian polity and society. He has tapped into a nation’s rising frustration and anger against corruption of the most scandalous proportions, and channeled it into a mass movement that has shaken the government to its foundation, and placed the entire political class on notice. Will the Lokpal bill be a panacea for all of India’s problems? As the Prime Minister has said on more than one occasion, there is no magic wand. But that cannot be a reason for us to do nothing. Anna Hazare has lit a fire. It’s for every one of us to keep the flame of hope alive.

Opinion from Indian Press….

After an epic fast of 288 hours, Anna Hazare finally ended it on August 28 before thousands of cheering supporters at Ramlila Maidan. The 74-year-old Gandhian accepted a glass of tender coconut water mixed with honey from a Dalit and a Muslim girl -Simran and Ikrah — at 10:20 am on the dais at the Ramlila Ground ending over 288 hours of fast that began on August 16.

After a brief address, Hazare was driven straight to Medanta Medicity run by eminent cardiologist Dr Naresh Trehan who was attending to him along with his team during his entire period of fast. Hazare will stay in the hospital for two- three days. “I have only suspended my agitation. I will not rest until all the changes that I look to are achieved,” he said to a thunderous applause from thou- sands of his supporters waving tri colour and shouting slogans like ‘Anna Hazare Zindabad’.

Flanked by his team members, including Shanti Bhushan, Prashant Bhushan, Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi and Manish Sisodia, Hazare said what has been achieved in Parliament yesterday is a victor y of the people of India, democracy and those assembled in Ramlila Ground.

Maintaining that People’s Parliament is bigger than “Parliament in Delhi”, Hazare said that is why the Parliament had to listen to people’s Parliament.

“This movement has created a faith that the country can be rid of corruption and we can go ahead with implementing laws and the Constitution made by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar,” he said. Referring to Parliament’s decision to refer three of his demands – Citizen’s charter, inclusion of lower bureaucracy and creation of Lokayuktas through Lokpal bill – for Standing Committee’s consideration, he said, the country can be proud of this moment. Thirteen days of agitation has yielded fruits, he said.

Outlining his future agenda, Hazare chose reforms in election and education systems and working for the betterment of farmers and labourers. He said his fight would now be for Right to Recall and Right to Reject. While Right to Recall would be for those elected, the Right to Reject will be a column in the ballot paper which would ensure the voter has a right to say that he does not like the listed candidates. “We have to reform electoral system. (we need) Right to Reject. You should be able to reject your candidate in the ballot paper. We have to do that.

– OE News Bureau

WASHINGTON: A group of Indian- Americans has urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to meet the demands of social activist Anna Hazare by himself tabling the Jan Lokpal Bill in the Parliament. “We hope you will take the call and retain the faith in parliament by your- self going ahead with tabling the Janlokpal bill to end the deadlock. Whatever decisions you make today will be remembered in our history for generations to come,” said a petition submitted to him at the Indian embassy here.

Holding their protest in support of Hazare for the sixth consecutive day, the group, including students from universities in and around Washington said corruption is the greatest hurdle in the progress of India. “Since decades we have seen scandals after scandals, but no politician was ever punished or held account- able,” they said, “Anti-corruption activist Shri Anna Hazare has entered sixth day of his ‘anshan’ and there is still a deadlock between the government and the civil society members. There have been no positive developments in the past few days.”

“We along with Anna are quite clear what we want, but the government is still confused. Strong ‘political will’ to fight corruption is the need of the hour. Government must come clean on it’s intentions and at least table the Jan Lokpal bill in the parliament. We do have faith in our parliamentary system and are proud of our vibrant democracy, so what’s the harm in at least tabling the bill? What’s there in it for the government to lose?” the petition said.

“This movement has moved beyond Anna and Jan Lokpal Bill. Middle class is rallying there for a cause which has been bothering them for decades. By placing a toothless bill, government ‘intent’ is exposed. For days to come, we have to keep our finger crossed as a new history is in making!” said Vibhash Jha, a PhD student at the University of Maryland.

 – OE News Bureau