The downtrend of the Congress party can be traced back to one single event when the Bofors scam rocked the nation. The perception of the Congress party subsequently is built around corruption thereafter. Amateur, inexperienced and perhaps innocent late Rajiv Gandhi was crucified by a powerful cartel of middlemen facilitating the destruction of India’s oldest political party. Consequently, the wrong man died and middlemen flourished.  Till today, Congress has reluctantly defended itself despite the established fact that the late Rajiv Gandhi was fooled by his associates to bring about his political death during his lifetime. Later, the Gandhi family handpicked middlemen namely Ahmed Patel, V George became leaders and party-junked PV Narsimha Rao, ND Tiwari, Pranab Mukherjee, Buta Singh, GK Moopanar, K Karunakaran, JB Panaik, SM Krishna, HR Bharadwaj, Shukla Brothers, Jagan Reddy, Mamta Banerjee in their lifetime. The middlemen take over pushed crony capitalism: Anil Ambani, Hinduja, Dhoot’s, BR Raju, Vijay Mallaya, GVK Reddy and many more became rock stars of the corporate world, together they milked the public sector banks with impunity to bring India’s growth story to a grinding halt.  

The government of the day and the proactive courts must reopen the investigation of the BOFORS SCAM with a focus on exposing middlemen rather than the past ruling establishment primarily because the Bofors scam triggered birth to a new class of “dalals” in India and they gained tremendous control over the crucial institutions, establishing India as one of the most corrupt countries in the world.  Though we are fortunate to have had fiscally clean Prime Ministers in the last few decades yet corruption is rampant in the country at every level.  So, where it went wrong? The answer is simple, the country is held hostage at the mercy of middlemen operating in politics, bureaucracy, corporate, legal and media domains. The country is bleeding from corruption and the current sufferings of the desperate poor masses are synonymous with this system's failure.

Today, the sanctity of the four pillars of democracy is in deep crisis because the process that started with the Bofors scandal has vitiated our democracy and spawned so many subsequent frauds and scams. One can't help wondering as to how many subsequent cases of corruption would have been avoided had the Bofors scam not provided a veritable template to the Kalmadis and Rajas that followed. The pride of 1.3 billion countrymen, our defense forces and their valour, demand a just and definitive denouement to this protracted murky saga of treachery to the nation. It is high time that the CBI intervened in Ajay Agrawal’s petition in the Bofors case pending before the Supreme Court with complete details of documents in the box given by Swedish Police in 1997 to reinvestigate the case and bring guilty to books. India must eradicate and punish “Dalals” from the system to leap-bound herself at the global level and lead the new world order. The onus is on the present Narendra Modi government and hyperactive Supreme Court of the country to order reinvestigation in the case without any political overtone and present correct facts to undo the damage done by middlemen by giving them exemplary punishment for breaking the backbone of the vital institutions of this glorious country. It will act as a strong deterrent to the operating middlemen community and certainly, it will clean the toxic system.    

(The writer is Prashant Tewari Editor in Chief, Twitter: prashanttewar11 FB:prashanttewari11@hotmail.com)

The chaos and confusing, allegations and counter allegations, social media war are the new order of the day. On every contentious issue, we are on roads to settle the grievance. The redressal mechanism through the courts have become weak and our country is under seize for entire year. Farmer's protest in India's national capital has created headlines globally. But why the farmers are protesting, what is controversial in the contentious Farm Bills is hardly known to majority of the people.

The farmers are protesting against two Farm Bills that the Rajya Sabha recently passed: (1) the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and (2) the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020. The two bills had already cleared the lower house – the Lok Sabha. When they were introduced in the Rajya Sabha, there was ruckus and finally, the Bill was passed through a voice vote. It is noteworthy to mention that NDA ally Akali Dal has quit the government in protest of the passing of the bills in the parliament.

This Bill allows the farmers to sell their produce outside the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) regulated markets. The APMCs are government-controlled marketing yards or mandis. So, the farmers clearly have more choice on who they want to sell. This Bill makes provisions for the setting up of a framework for contract farming. The farmer and an ordained buyer can strike a deal before the production happens. The farmers of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Haryana are angry fearing that the Minimum Support Price (MSP) guarantee that was their safety net since the Green Revolution of the 1960s kicked in, maybe snatched away from under the pretext of giving the farmers more playing ground and better platforms. Farmers fear the two recent bills as they feel these agriculture reform processes will kill the government procurement process as well as the MSP. And why do we see most protesters from Punjab and Haryana? That is because they are the biggest beneficiaries of this safety net.

Farmer leaders have clearly stated that the agitation would continue till the farm laws are repealed. The entire confusion is fueled by the exit of NDA partner Akali Dal from the government in protest of the passing of the Farm bills 2020 without enacting the MSP clause in the final draft of the farm bills 2020. It is fair to suggest that Narendra Modi led government being in absolute majority is ignoring the sentiments of its allies since their absence has no impact in the lower house of the parliament for the government survival. But as rightly suggested by Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amrinder Singh that anti national forces are looking for an opportunity to penetrate in any popular controversial issue to destabilize the country. Failed Khalistan push by overseas forces may trigger confusion in the minds of the sulking farmer community of Punjab to misguide them on the pretext of ethic religious divide hence the government of the day must remain vigilant and the requisite concessions should be extended to farming community to defuse the unnecessary bitterness and heart break between the government and its people. The government is lacking in communication skill set hence on every contentious issue, strikes and lockdowns are setting in. Lastly, the uncalled international intervention by certain groups and foreign leaders in an internal matter of the country is highly deplorable and it must be condemned in strongest words.   

(The writer is the Editor-in Chief of The Opinion Express Group)

Taiwan is a part of the geographical area of operation of India’s Look East Policy (LEP). Although India does not recognise Taiwan as a sovereign state, its functional and people-to-people contacts with Taiwan are explainable under the LEP. Besides, India’s economic activities are on the rise in the vicinity of Taiwan. Though commercial in nature, India’s presence in the South China Sea, along with improvement in its bilateral relations with Asia-Pacific countries — especially in the realm of politics and defense cooperation — is of strategic significance. In the overall strategic context of the region, increasing functional ties with Taiwan without undermining the support of the one-China Policy would be a stiff challenge requiring clarity of vision and skilled diplomacy. Thus, it is imperative for India to have a much better understanding of Taiwan, and the Asia-Pacific region.

In the author’s view, functional ties/cooperation and people-to-people relations could make a separate category without attaching any diplomatic, political or strategic meanings. The main attributes of this category can be listed as below:

• A comprehensive package that includes cooperation in education, culture, science and technology, trade and investment and other similar issue areas.
• The package could also be characterised as people-to-people relations.
• Cooperation without manifest strategic underpinning and implications. Engagement with Taiwan would lead India to have a more informed Taiwan policy.

Its unique geographical location and political situation would also contribute to India’s understanding of the Asia-Pacific region. Taiwan is situated in the middle of the disputed waters of the South and the East China Seas. Considering the continued threat from the People's Republic of China (PRC) to its national security, Taiwan not only has a natural interest in the modernisation of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), China-Japan tensions, and the dynamic of Sino-US relations but also a natural expertise on them. Taiwan and China have a historical and cultural affinity, but political and strategic distance. Strategically, Taiwan is close to the US and figures in Japan’s security considerations. It is obliquely mentioned in the US-Japan Defence Guidelines, 1997. But the US and Japan’s support for PRC’s One-China Policy has set a limit on their relations with Taiwan. Thus, Taiwan is not fully open to either of the major regional players. This situation leaves it marginalised and dissatisfied with every major power in the region and makes it a neutral interpreter of the region’s politics. India could tap into this consultative potential of Taiwan.

Functional cooperation with Taiwan is even more valuable. Taiwan is a thriving and industrialised economy that is closely integrated with the international economy. It is amongst the world’s leading exporting and importing countries. It is the leading producer and manufacturer in the world in foundries, IC packages, blank optical discs, mask ROMs, mobility scooters/powered wheelchairs and chlorella. If the products made by Taiwanese companies outside Taiwan are also taken into account, the list of products commanding a high share in the world is even longer. Notebooks, Tablets, LCD monitors, IC packages, motherboards (System & Pure MB), WLAN CPEs, cable modems, and digital blood-pressure monitors are a few examples. Apart from electronics, Taiwan’s agro-industries, particularly food processing, maintain international standards. It also holds a high rank in the international rating by agencies like the Institute for Management Development (IMD), Business Environment Risk Intelligence (BERI), the World Economic Forum (WEF), and the Heritage Foundation. Its business environment, research and development, and innovation are recognised worldwide. (Data relating to all these is available in the tables at the end of this monograph). Further, Taiwan’s education system ranks quite high. For instance, fourteen Taiwanese universities in 30 disciplines are on the list—compiled by the QS World University of the UK—of the top 200 universities in the world.1 India could become an important destination for Taiwan’s new Go South policy for diversifying Taiwan’s a trade and investment basket. India could also become an alternative to China for many Taiwanese companies in view of rising wages and costs in that country. In fact, a regulated flow of skilled labour from India can help overcome the problem of high costs in Taiwan itself. Taiwanese FDI can contribute to India’s manufacturing, infrastructure and other sectors. India and Taiwan make a case for mutual benefit by being substantial complementary economies, as India’s computer software industry complements Taiwan’s computer hardware capability. India’s demography, with a more than 300 million strong middle class, offers an economic opportunity for Taiwanese entrepreneurs. India is also one of the leading suppliers of natural resources. It can be a gateway to South Asia, and even West Asia, for Taiwanese companies. Further, like Taiwan, India too has a reasonably impressive record of achievements in science and technology. For instance, India has gained international recognition in the automobile, electronics and space science sectors. In education, India has internationally recognised institutes— like the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). Besides, there is sufficient space for co-operation between the two countries in the spheres of culture and tourism. This monograph deals with Taiwan as it exists in the world today. It does not deal with the legal question, of whether Taiwan is an independent state or a Chinese province. Despite its ambiguous diplomatic status, Taiwan remains an important factor in the East Asian security scenario. In spite of the Cross-Strait relations in their best phase, the solution to the Cross-Strait conundrum remains elusive. Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) have signed 19 agreements related to functional areas since 2008. However, a formal political dialogue or a peace agreement that the PRC is pushing hard for is not in sight. Taiwan does not appear inclined to yield on the question of sovereignty. Any formula that would downgrade Taiwan’s international standing is unacceptable to both Taiwan’s political class and the common Taiwanese. Contrary to Chinese expectations, the prospects of economic cooperation and integration have not made the Taiwanese amenable to Chinese claims over Taiwan. Similarly, on the other side of the Taiwan Strait, Taiwan’s unification with China continues to be a powerful reference point for Chinese nationalism. China still has its missiles deployed against Taiwan. Moreover, it is yet to renounce the use of force as an option to resolve the Cross-Strait problem. This reinforces Taiwan’s perception of China as a threat to its security. Finally, the US, the security guarantor of Taiwan under the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) 1979, continues to maintain diplomatic ambiguity over the Cross-Strait issue. Therefore, any conflagration in the volatile waters of the Taiwan Strait could result in a US-China face-off.

Taiwan is also a part of problematic territorial claims in the East China Sea and the South China Sea. Its claims overlap with those of China and are ignored by the other concerned parties. Taiwanese claims mostly address the domestic constituency. It appears content with the practical arrangements for resource-sharing. A good example is its fishery pact with Japan in 2013. However, since these claims stoke popular sentiment in Taiwan, it is difficult for the Taiwanese government to ignore public opinion on these issues. Therefore, overlooking Taiwan in the regional security map would bring pressure on the US alliance in the region, of which Taiwan is a part. Taiwan successfully drove this point during the standoffs between Japan and China in the East China Sea over the Senkaku/ Diao Yu islands in 2012-13 through its diplomatic maneuverings. In fact, the Japan-Taiwan fishery pact has effectively made the dispute tripartite and implies that Taiwan is a player in the dispute. In May 2013, the government of Taiwan conveyed that diplomatic recognition or not, it is capable of taking care of its citizens when it flexed its economic muscle against the Philippines over the killing of a Taiwanese farmer-fisherman by the Philippines coastguard.

Finally, accelerated interaction and cooperation in functional areas between India and Taiwan would, in the long term, also contribute to increased mutual awareness. Cross-Strait unification would not be the only eventuality in the dialectics of Cross-Strait relations. Whether Taiwan would eventually unify with China, the status quo would persist, or some other form of Cross-Strait relations would emerge, is difficult to predict. Studying and engaging Taiwan is important irrespective of the scenarios because each scenario will shape the regional security dynamics in its own way.

It has taken almost fifty-eight years since 1962 to settle the India-China relationship at a comfortable level but Covid 19 pandemic has forced confused President Xi Jinping to pick up a fight with the almost entire world including India by making the borders hot since March 2020. India has no option but to react with aggression to safeguard its national interest. India, following the ‘One China policy, does not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan but India is having commercial, economic and cultural ties with Taiwan. While nearly 23 countries have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, several countries have opened offices in Taipei. These countries, which include the United States, western European, Japan, Australia, and many others, follow ‘One China policy. However, the current hawkish Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen of DPP is pushing for nationalistic agenda. The Taiwanese know fully well the might of China. Yet, they are constantly looking for expanding their room for maneuver. US support is vital to Taiwan and supplies arms to Taiwan while maintaining a ‘One China’ policy: India has a unique diplomatic tool to push for renewed ties with Taiwan since China is continuously pushing armed insurgency in North East, J&K via Pakistan, arming Maoist rebellion against in several states via Nepal, endorsing terror by saving Masoor Azhar in United Nation.

The assertions of sovereignty by China over the South China Sea and US’ pivot to Asia policy have led to the rise of tensions in the region. The Taiwanese, taking note of India’s growing influence in regional and global affairs, want to engage with it in the hope that their room for maneuver vis-à-vis China will increase. Keenly watching the development of India’s ‘look east’ policy, they want to understand how India defines and protects its interests in Asia. India, which has a delicate and sensitive relationship with China, is naturally careful in dealing with Taiwan. India has sought to enhance functional linkages with Tai-wan without offending China. The bilateral trade between India and Taiwan crossed $15 billion in 2019-20. A joint study has been launched to explore the possibility of a free-trade agreement between the two sides. India has interests in Asia, particularly, the South China Sea. The Indian integration with ASEAN, South Korea and Japan is deepening. Given the large complementarities between India and Taiwan, the latter can be a good economic partner for India. India’s software skills and Taiwan’s hardware capabilities can be combined in joint ventures. Taiwanese companies can invest in Indian infrastructure. Further, Taiwan, which boasts of some high-quality universities, think tanks, and academic institutes, can be a good source for Indian institutions for academic exchanges. Presently, nearly 1000 Indian students are studying at Taiwanese science and engineering universities.

India is a large country following independent policies. India can pursue a functional relationship with Taiwan without deviating from its ‘One China' policy, however, if China plays deceptive games at border, trade and foreign policy: Taiwan and Tibet should be raked up by India at international forums to expose China’s expansionist regime. But India must have a consistent foreign policy in respect of Taiwan in alignment with the democratic nations of the world so that Taiwan can react to Chinese hostility with conviction. When China can defy the world and promote all-weather friends Pakistan and North Korea then India should act independently to frame its foreign policy.

—Prashant Tewari, Editor-in-Chief

India’s big corruption cases and their aftermaths

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many ongoing major corruption cases are delayed and the Accused people might be relieved. Be it the 2G case appeal in Delhi High Court or former Finance Minister P Chidambaram involved bribery cases in INX Media and Aircel-Maxis deals or politically sensitive National Herald case in trial courts and its linked appeal cases by the Accused persons Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in Supreme Court on tax evasion and Herald House eviction. Now CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) sought a daily hearing in the 2G case appeal in Delhi High Court citing the retirement of the current Judge Justice Brijesh Sethi on November 30. 

In corruption cases, what we see is generally the backdoor games in the trial stage, after the public attention fizzles out later. A classic example is the Bofors case. When you look at the timeline of the past 22 years, politicians from Congress and BJP wanted to save their preferred accused persons in the Bofors case. Congress leadership wanted to save Ottavio Quattrocchi and BJP leadership of the late 90s wanted to save the Hinduja brothers. These two are the major kickback money distributors. Still, the case filed by Adv. Ajay Agarwal (BJP’s candidate against Sonia Gandhi in the 2014 Lok Sabha election in Rae Bareli) against the CBI closure report is pending in Supreme Court. Bofors scam was a turning point in Indian politics that smashed out the Congress party’s single-party regime in India. The scam linked to Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s family collapsed the prospectus of the Congress party which was having 425 MPs in Lok Sabha and got reduced to 195 MPs in the 1989 General Election, leading to the united Opposition from BJP to Socialists to Left parties led India’s first coalition Government.  

Congress party’s downfall started with the exposure of the Bofors scam in 1988. There were a lot of twists and turns in the Bofors case and the opposition lost steam on the matter after the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in May 1991, leading to the return of the Congress party which remained in power up until 1996. Though BJP led Government came to power from 1998 to 2004, the situation has not changed. BJP’s Law Minister Ram Jethmalani became an Advocate of Hinduja Brothers, who was part of the gang of middlemen in the Bofors deal. Next Law Minister Arun Jaitley was also not keen on the matter though he was the Additional Solicitor General in the case in 1989. Jaitley many times said publicly that he drafted the chargesheet in Bofors. Next Congress-led UPA Government, simply forced CBI to close the case.

Still, the main petitioner Ajay Agarwal’s appeal against CBI closure is pending in Supreme Court. In 2018, CBI made a curious petition to Supreme Court to revive the case on a flimsy angle. The flimsy angle was based on a revelation in 2018 by a retired Swedish Police Officer in the newly launched Republic TV Channel. Fun is the same CBI filed closure and facing the appeal of Ajay Agarwal against closure in Supreme Court filing a petition based on a Republic TV saying that they are going to probe into the new angle aired in a TV channel. Anyway, Supreme Court trashed CBI’s new flimsy funny petition and still, Ajay Agarwal’s petition is pending. Don’t know why Ajay Agarwal lost interest.

After Bofors

After Bofors Scam, Jain Hawala Dairy Scandal shook the Country. Actually, this whole episode started with the arrest of a JNU student from Kashmir in connection with the money trail from terror-linked outfits in late 1990 by Delhi Police. The money trails lead to the Hawala operator's Jain brothers in Delhi and the Police got a long list of names from diaries kept by them. Obviously, the case got frozen for 3-4 years due to the names in the dairy ranging from so many politicians. In 1994, the diary names were exposed in the media, ranging from LK Advani to many politicians and Cabinet Ministers. Still, people say names in the diary were leaked by the top leadership of Congress and BJP to settle their internal rivalries. Activist and Journalist Vineet Narain, and lawyers Ram Jethmalani and Prashant Bhushan approached the Courts. Meanwhile, as usual, Ram Jethmalani switched the side to save Advani and became his Advocate and won the case. The Case got collapsed after Supreme Court said that mere naming in diaries can’t be treated as evidence. Though the case collapsed, the outcome was a landmark Judgment popularly known as the Vineet Narain Judgment which changed the entire structure of CBI and ED and got the Supreme Court’s monitoring and strict norms for the appointment of officers in these probe agencies.      

After the Hawala Diary scandal, two corruption cases rocked the country. One was Tehelka Magazine’s sting operation on Defence deals. It collapsed then ruling BJP’s President Bangaru Laxman, who was caught on camera accepting a few lakhs of rupees. He was convicted and later out on bail he is no more now. Recently in August 2020 another accused Jaya Jaitly, who was the companion of then Defence Minister George Fernandez was convicted by a trial court along with former military officers. Somehow she was lucky to manage bail from Delhi High Court in the evening itself, while other accused are still languishing in jail. How she got bail on the same evening from High Court is a matter of debate. Sometimes justice is delivered on seeing the face. Tehelka Magazine exposed how pliable are people in politics and bureaucracy, and the army. The sting operation exposed how BJP first time landed in power pliable in deals. The Defence Minister’s companion and BJP President were caught accepting money in the sting operation.

After this Tehelka’s reporter, Aniruddha Bahal 2006 exposed a big sting operation through his website Cobrapost. This sting operation actually shook the Parliament revealing how MPs were taking money for asking questions. This exposes exposed how questions and matters were raised by MPs by taking money from Corporate Houses and their rivals.  After an internal probe, Parliament expelled all the nine MPs caught in the sting operation. This was a black chapter in the Indian Parliament.     

Mega scams rocks Congress-led UPA Government

The first major scam that rocked the UPA Government was Commonwealth Games (CWG) scam from 2009. The CWG Scam was started by a movement called India Against Corruption (IAC) which was essentially blessed by RSS, and supporters of spiritual leaders Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Baba Ramdev. At that time main Opposition party, BJP was in shambles due to their electoral defeat in May 2009 Lok Sabha elections. Congress-led UPA got rattled and shaken in the 2G Scam followed by Coal Scam.

The CWG Scam was limited to the role of the Games Committee Chairman and Congress leader Suresh Kalmadi. Actually, then Sports Minister Mani Shankar Aiyer was against Kalmadi and his displeasure letters leaked into the media became the Scam. Interestingly, though the budget of the CWG was more than Rs.75,000 crore, the scam allegations were only limited to Suresh Kalmadi (might be his stars not correct at that time) who had spending power of below Rs.1700 crore. He also picked fights with big media organizations on advertisement allotments in the Games. Anyway, all jumped on him on purchases and the CBI case was registered and was in jail for some months. The case is still on trial and expected to take more than 2-3-4 years to finish. That is our system in the judicial process.

Interestingly two big cases related to CWG were later closed by CBI. One was regarding Rs.15,000 crore worth of construction of flyovers in connection with the CWG in Delhi in 2010. The over-expenditure in the construction of the flyovers (Barapullah Flyover) was pointing to none other than then-Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. The second one was a much bigger scam of about Rs.35,000 crore spent on the construction of CWG Village. The builder MGF Group was so close to Sonia Gandhi’s family that and case reached nowhere and ultimately CBI closed the case. Now CWG cases are limited only to Kalmadi and small cases against Municipal officers in the long trial stages.   

The 2G Scam

The Congress-led UPA Government collapsed because of the 2G Scam which was highlighted by “The Pioneer” newspaper through continuous series of 100s of reports from December 2008 leading to Telecom Minister A.Raja’s resignation in November 2010. This case changed my career prospects as a Journalist. I am always thankful to my Editor Chandan Mitra and Bureau Chief Navin Upadhyay for assigning this mega work, where God smiled at me. This was the first case where the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) fixed the role of Corporate Houses. BJP leader Subramanian Swamy and noted lawyer Prashant Bhushan deserve full credit for their legal fights which ultimately collapsed the mighty Sonia Gandhi-controlled UPA regime. 

So many good things happened in the Country due to the 2G Scam expose. The Supreme Court verdict of February 2012, cancelling all 122 licenses and subsequent Presidential Reference led to the auction of all natural resources. This Judgment also affected the Coal Scam cases and auction of Coal Mines. From the auction of Telecom Spectrum alone, the Country during 2010-2016 earned Rs.3.6 lakh crores in the exchequer. The 2G Scam led CAG to find other scams like Telecom AGR hushed up revenues which now found the payment of Rs.1.65 lakh crore by telecom giants to the public exchequer.

However unfortunately criminal cases in the 2G Scam collapsed in the trial court. I am not commenting on the very very bad Judgment passed by the trial Judge OP Saini. His Judgment acquitting the scamsters is so bad in law and laughable. Now CBI and ED have approached the Delhi High Court for a speedy hearing in September 2020.

Coal Scam

As the trial court, Judge Bharat Parashar was a bold Judge many are convicted in the Coal Scam including the former Coal Secretary HC Gupta. However, then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh escaped from the Scam, as CBI decided to shut his eyes. Manmohan Singh was summoned by the trial court but he managed a stay from another Bench of the Supreme Court. Why CBI did not challenge it? For certain things, you don’t have answers.

Niira Radia Tapes and CBI Director Ranjit Sinha’s case

Controversial lobbyist Niira Radia’s conversations made tremors in many sectors. There were more than 6000 conversations, though only around 500 conversations landed in the public domain. From Ratan Tata to who is who in industry, media, bureaucracy and politics got hit in the Radia Tapes expose. Supreme Court in late 2012 Ordered CBI to probe into 12 matters of corrupt practices mentioned in the tapes. However, the case lost steam after CBI reported back to the Court that there was no criminality found in these conversations. The Court also did not pursue the matter on findings submitted in a sealed cover.

Another biggest shocking incident was in late 2014, the CBI Director Ranjit Sinha was caught meeting many 2G Scam and Coal Scam accused Corporate tycoons. This was exposed by certain good officers in CBI by verifying tainted Ranjit Sinha’s visitors’ book kept at his residence. Supreme Court’s 2G Bench had removed Sinha from the cases and Coal Scam Bench had ordered a probe into Sinha’s dubious activities. Even after the Supreme Court indicted, Modi Government did not take any action against the tainted CBI Director. CBI has not yet filed FIR in this regard against its tainted former Director.  

Cases against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and P Chidambaram

After winning the 2G cases in Supreme Court, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy went ballistic. He got Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case. His exposure in the Aircel-Maxis scam led to the fall of former Finance Minister P Chidambaram, who during the probe got trapped in another bribery case known as the INX-Media case.  All these cases are in the trial stages which are expected to take 2-3 years in the judicial process. The Income Tax case in the National Herald case and Herald House eviction cases are pending in Supreme Court. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi lost in all forums and their appeal is pending before the Supreme Court. Enforcement Directorate has attached the Mumbai and Panchkula properties in the National Herald case. Now we have to wait for the normal working of courts after the Covid-19 pandemic is controlled.  

A lot of scams were exposed during 2012-2014. One of the KG Basin loot where Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Group was caught. Another was the humongous scam in the Civil Aviation sector where the main culprits were Jet Airways and Tata Group. Somehow Prashant Bhushan’s case against the illegalities in Reliance Jio not became successful. The case ended with an open tussle in Supreme Court between then Chief Justice of India TS Thakur and Prashant Bhushan, who later walked out from the Court. The merits of the case were lost in the war of words between the two. Certain high-flying cases end up like this in a mysterious way.

Corruption in Judiciary

For a long time, there are allegations of corruption in the Judiciary and they reached nowhere. The simple reason for this is the only action available against High Court Judge and above is possible only through Impeachment by Parliament. Only once a retired High Court Judge was arrested was in September 2017 in a medical college scam. CBI took a bold step to arrest retired Judge IM Quddussi which ultimately led to the culmination of the controversial press conference by the senior four judges of the Supreme Court in January 2018.  Four senior-most Judges Justices J Chelameswar, Madan B Lokur, Kurian Joseph and Ranjan Gogoi conducted a press conference expressing displeasure on the style of functioning of Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra.

Retired Justice Quddussi was caught fixing case and handling bribery with a case involving a medical college listed in Supreme Court. Justice Chelameswar ordered for senior-most five judges to probe rather than probe by CBI. In his Order, Justice Chelameswar said how CBI officers are capable to deal with a case involving the role of certain Judges in the Supreme Court. But the next day, Chief Justice Dipak Misra took over the case illegally or not as per custom and diluted the matter. This was the trigger of the four Judges' press conference against the Chief Justice of India. This incident shows the grey areas and rotten side of the Judiciary.

It is not easy to probe into the corruption in the judiciary. It is not easy in the lower level of the judiciary also though the Police are empowered to register cases. Once a district-level Judge was arrested by CBI in a bribery case of allowing bail in a Bellary mining case. Some Judges in District and subordinate levels were punished by the High Courts and ended up termination of their service.

In the 2G case, the ED has come out with the report that a week before the controversial acquittal judgment, the stock prices of the companies owned by the accused persons were shot up multiple times. Somehow no action was taken.

Political changes   

BJP and AAP became the beneficiaries of the anti-corruption movement that started in December 2010. In politics, so many twists and turns will be witnessed. In November 2013, AAP-led Arvind Kejriwal came to power in Delhi State with the help of the Congress party which they opposed for the past two years. The AAP was formed against the corruption of the Congress party and in the 2015 and 2020 Delhi Assembly elections; it is a well-known fact that AAP got the support of Congress in sidelining BJP in Delhi.

BJP which came to power in May 2014 was not keen on fixing the corruption cases to its logical conclusion. There happened many deals under the table. There were open attempts to derail the cases against Chidambaram and in 2G cases by certain people in power. Many Officers dealing with corruption cases faced all kinds of hardships. Subramanian Swamy was sidelined in BJP and Prashant Bhushan was removed from AAP. The worst was the dilution of the Prevention of Corruption Act by the BJP Government.

Conclusion

My experiences in studying and reporting corruption cases have taught me many lessons. The main thing is whoever comes to power the Corporate Houses somehow control them. Politicians may lose jobs but the Corporate Houses, the bribe givers remain as the politicians we elect lack the courage to tackle these buccaneers. What we need is an educated and vigilant public and fight against the corruption is not like an item is like the items to be delivered immediately like in fast food counters. The fight against corruption is a long battle and one should not lose heart during the setbacks. We have to remember that in the end truth and only ultimate truth will win – Satyameva Jayate.

[J Gopikrishnan is a Journalist working with ‘The Pioneer’ newspaper]

Rampant corruption is a way of life, an accepted evil in India. Today, the mega political scams are restricted but the crony capitalists have continued their practice unabated leading to a slowdown in technological advancement, a lack of competition and an era of monopolies. While we must give the present government some credit for its implementation of the GST to expand the formal economy platform, since the shadow economy leads to an unorganized workforce, where workers face problems regarding salaries, job security, contract agreements, working conditions, etc. An informal workforce hampers the growth of manufacturing firms through lower degrees of productivity. It should not be surprising that India is a country that largely consists of an informal workforce and the continuation will have an effect on both the quantitative and qualitative aspects of growth in the long run.

The present government was clear with its agenda when it came into power six years ago and to some extent the intention to get rid of corruption through the main economic reforms that the government introduced (demonetisation and GST). The reality of the situation however reflects the plain and simple fact that nothing has changed or it has gone worse. The PNB scam is a clear indication of this, and of course, the situation has been reflected in Transparency International’s global corruption index. A lower ranking for India compared to previous years is certainly a black mark on the BJP government’s report card. Bofors Scam, Spectrum Scam, CWG Scam, Fodder Scam, FCI Scam, Coal Scam, Aircel Maxis Scam, National Herald Scam, Banking Scams of Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, Vijay Mallya, Sandesara scam have largely gone in sleep mode. Congress or BJP, fraudsters have mastered the art of over-power the system.

All wings of democracy are infected by the corruption virus. Legislative, Executive, Judiciary and Media are overpowered by corporate money power. Today, Lok Sabha elections are heavily funded by corporate money hence irrespective of the outcome, they decide the leadership issue. The prime posting in the key government positions for bureaucrats is decided by a third party in consultation with the ruling elites to secure their interests. In recent times, the appointment of Judges in the higher judiciary is pushed by vested interest groups to safeguard their interests and lastly, the national media is completely controlled by select big pocket corporate houses directly or indirectly to set up a narrative that suits the interest of their business. The essence of democracy is crushed by the vested interest lobbies and the common man on the street is left off-guard to secure his basic rights guaranteed in the constitution. It is conclusively said that unless the nexus between money and governance is smashed, the common citizen of the country will be treated as the consumer by the so-called ruling elites and their super bosses and the dream of establishing an ideal democracy will remain an illusion.

—Prashant Tewari, Editor-in-Chief

Even before the Covid 19 catastrophe, Emperor Xi Jinping decided that 2020 is the year to establish the Chinese century. American think- tank predicts in 2019 the Chinese GDP was already larger than the USA’s GDP and by 2030 it could be up to 70% larger. As a share of Global output, China would grow to 32% from 20% currently, as opposed to the USA declining from 16% to 10%. In terms of Global Market capitalisation the Chinese would grow to 25% from 5% in 2019, whilst the USA would decline from 40% to 18%. China’s share of global exports would rise to 18% from 12% whilst the USA would be static at 8%. The above forecasts were supported by massive Chinese investments in Education in the fields of Mathematics, Science, Technology, and Medicine and rapidly improving the quality of education. Starting with the 1980’S the Chinese successfully got the world’s manufacturing supply chain to relocate to China, and was truly the “factory of the world”. From a pure labour arbitrage offering, they created world-class infrastructure (Cities, Roads, Ports, and Airports) to support it. The top 2500 corporates outside China all had a business presence in China. This aggressive export-led growth model allowed the Chinese to radically improve per capita income, and in the process also create a massive domestic consumption engine. A 40% domestic savings rate supported the huge developments that happened on their Eastern Seaboard. Till 2012 the Chinese government was sitting on Foreign Exchange Reserves of close to $5 Trillion. Over time Chinese labour had become a very skilled workforce, moved up the value chain and was no longer cheap. China now imports/consumed 45-50% of virtually every commodity in the world even though more than half of it was re-exported.

Chinese leaders till 2012 had made the country keep a low profile, hiding their strengths, whilst they relentlessly gained market share from the world. Asian growth engines Japan and South Korea had also felt compelled to move/make tangible manufacturing investments in China. The Chinese had mastered the skill of acquiring the world’s IPRs by any means. Their Chinese Communist Party(CCP) command and control structure had also silently expanded their Foreign Ministry with requisite resources to create a Public Relations repository in every- major country, to manage the national discourse on any prickly subject in their favour. This three-decade profile started changing with Xi Jinping’s ascension to Chairmanship in 2012. The Chinese strategists now started believing that the Middle Kingdom deserved to rule the world. They changed the nomenclature of the 21^st century from being an Asian century to a Chinese century. They mapped that post-2008 Global Financial Institutions were weakened, substantially dysfunctional and lacking leadership. They unleashed a project of achieving complete Chinese dominance in the manpower of every multilateral agency and United Nations body in the world. Chinese students were encouraged to study overseas and many were persuaded to join these organizations, so many FBI investigations are now showing made instruments of government policy.

The collapse of the USSR in the 1990S and the profligacy of the US financial sector in 2008 had left a leadership vacuum in many areas. Xi Jinping moved rapidly to occupy the vacancies. China needed to secure its supply chain as it neither produced adequate food for its population nor was endowed with manufacturing or energy raw materials. Chinese leadership wanted to avoid supply-side shocks and created strategies to acquire assets surreptitiously. They moved rapidly to fund every country and project that the World Bank or the rest of the world would not find viable. The Chinese wanted to eventually acquire the underlying asset and default was hence a preferred option for them. This juggernaut covered 150 countries and nearly $5 Trillion in loans/investments. The new Chairman had successfully overinvested the Chinese USD reserves and left his country very vulnerable. They desperately needed their Dollar engine (Foreign Direct Investment, Foreign Portfolio Investment, and Foreign Currency Loans) to keep firing quickly to recoup their position, or alternately fast-track their long-term vision to get global trade out of the dollar and into the RMB.

Unluckily for the Chinese two things changed the landscape in 2017. President Trump had won the US election and was a wildcard that the Chinese read wrongly. Secondly, the world economy started topping out, and growth started stalling. The Chinese engine was not designed to handle economic contraction. Fault lines in the domestic economy are led by huge nonperforming loans in domestic state-owned Enterprises. Ghost cities started appearing, as domestic demand stalled, whilst domestic real estate started going belly-up. The country was overbuilt and no more infrastructure spending was needed.

Trump started the trade war and insisted that the Chinese reduce the Trade surpluses. President Xi erred massively in not giving Trump a cheap victory, and getting the Americans riled. American strategists had clearly war games that the days of the USD hegemony were numbered, and if their political dominance was to be extended, a war with China was not an option, the only question was timing. By a strange coincidence, the two technology hardware giant’s USA and China were tangibly dependent on Taiwan for their Semiconductor underbelly. Taiwan has a dominant share in the Semiconductor foundries globally, and both the USA and China are dependent on them. The Americans had anticipated this and a JV with the Taiwanese would go operational in Arizona in 2023. Till then any military threat to Taiwan would be an attack on its technological dominance, an intolerable thought for them. Democrat Presidents had soft-pedaled on the one-China policy, and the Chinese had succeeded in getting away with their wish lists. The Americans had celebrated access to a large consumption market but landed up creating a rival.

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in manpower terms is the largest standing armed force on the globe. The PLA and CCP moved fast to upgrade weapon systems, stealing blueprints and buying where they could not, theoretically, they were a lethal strike force. However the navy is their Achilles heel, and they lack best-in-class aircraft carriers and submarines. This limits their ability to protect their interests spanning 150 countries. 75% of Chinese oil still moves in tankers through the narrow Malacca Straits. To reach the Arabian sea by land they invested in bankrupt Pakistan by constructing the CPEC which links Xinjiang to Gwadar Port and is a dedicated economic corridor. They also engaged east European and European countries to construct the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) for creating dedicated freight corridors to 50 European cities. In the process, they have de-risked their trade supply routes, but their oil buy routes lie exposed. The nightmare for China to achieve dominance is that Indian land illegally occupied by Pakistan is being used by CPEC and India reacquiring PoK by use of military power could render their $66 Billion investment in Pakistan useless, blocking the oil supply. The Chinese realized that economic sanctions against Iran had crippled the proud country with 15% of the world’s oil, needed investments, and so decided to bust sanctions on Iran imposed by the United Nations (they were party to imposing them). China and Iran signed a 25-year Trade and Military alliance in June 2020. China has bet on the USA exiting Afghanistan in 2020, and by using the Pakistani’s to install a puppet regime in Afghanistan, they could take a pipeline from Iran to Xinjiang. In turn, the Chinese have to pump in the equivalent of $400 Billion into Iran’s development, which they can crank their RMB economy to deliver. Where does that leave the Pakistani’s?

In the interim President Xi got the CCP to appoint him as the leader for life and emerged as an emperor. The CCP decided that by its 100^th anniversary in 2021, they would stamp themselves as “numero uno” in the world. A few pinpricks remained: Taiwan and Hong Kong as independent democracies were an eyesore and raised aspirations of the good life in mainland Chinese youth. They had to be acquired by coercion or force at the earliest. The South China Sea had $5 Trillion of the supply chain that transited the route. China laid claims to territories/islands of all its neighbours and started constructing artificial islands as missile bases. They started bullying and humiliating Australia since 70% of Australian mining exports are bought by China. Singularly none of the Asian countries could take on China, but many could exact a heavy toll if it came to conflict. The Chinese flirted with conflict with all their neighbours using “wearing down” tactics.

The success of this gambit hinged on the continuity of their trade with the USA, heavily skewed in their favour. President Trump not getting an early trade war win, upped the ante, imposing a $250 Billion annual hit on China. Chinese perhaps felt that US corporations would not listen to their government and continue business as usual. They floated a trial balloon by abrogating the agreement with Hong Kong which would have lapsed in 2047, and suppressing protests with brute force. Then they ostensibly colluded/ manipulated the WHO and unleashed the Covid 19 pandemic on the world infecting every- country on the planet. This collapsed world economies and has created a very strong anti-China sentiment. It has resulted in fast-tracking the creation of the Quad, an alliance of the USA, Japan, Australia and India to take on the Chinese. UK, France and Israel are openly in support of the Quad, whilst Vietnam, Myanmar, Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan and South Korea have alerted their armed forces for battle readiness. In the Chinese camp are North Korea, Pakistan, Iran and Turkey with anti-India squeaks may emerge from Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

With China designated as world enemy number 1, even Joe Biden has ratcheted up the anti-China rhetoric, lest President Trump steals the thunder and a potentially lost election by a war with China before November this year. The Indian and Chinese armies are facing off across 3400 Km. border and a tense peace prevail currently. The Middle East has so far stayed quiet, but by default will have to choose sides as a Shia Iran and a Sunni Pakistan and Turkey side with the Chinese. It is an uneasy time for the Saudis and the UAE. It is ironic that the OIC and its 54 member countries including the ”Turkish caliphate” maintain a studied silence on China incarcerating nearly 3 million Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang.

The Koreans however had seen this coming two years earlier and Samsung had moved an $18 Billion annual capacity out of China to Vietnam. Japan has incentivized its corporations to exit China totally. USA and UK have banned Hauwei telecom with immediate effect to secure data for national security. India has banned Chinese Telecom equipment and Apps with immediate effect. There is a very strong anti-Chinese imports movement starting in India and may set an example for the world to follow. China’s partners in BRI and in Africa are resenting the usurious conditions in their loan agreements. The Americans are shutting off access to their Capital markets to the Chinese, and the cancellation of the Hong Kong treaty will kill the USD supply route to China. The Chinese Balance of payments is negative for the last few months, and days of surpluses are now a memory. They still need to buy food and oil and commodities.

Even nature seems to have conspired to ruin Emperor Xi’s timing. China is being ravaged by the worst ever floods in the last 100 years with 29 of its provinces impacted, and the survival of the showpiece three Gorges Dam is under threat from heavy rain which could affect nearly 400 Million people as downstream cities including Shanghai could be impacted. Scams like fake Gold collateral have shaken China’s $5 Trillion Shadow banking industry as the Kin- gold default is by a powerful former CCP member. It also puts a question mark on the credibility of China’s domestic gold production which is part of its National Reserves, as to how much of it is gold-plated copper. Will anyone in the world now ever trust a Chinese certification of gold? This scandal has seriously damaged China’s plans of having a partially gold-backed alternate currency to replace the dollar.

The world now sits on a powder keg in the midst of the Covid crisis. Funnily it is China’s 150 debtor countries (especially Pakistan) that must be praying for a fall and dismemberment of their Lender, for them to escape losing their sovereignty which they have so negligently mortgaged. President Trump and Emperor Xi now have gone too far for either of them to back down without losing their crowns. For Trump, it’s just an election, but the world knows what happens to deposed Chinese dictators. The South Asian countries all want Tibet to regain its independence after being annexed by the Chinese in 1950 so that they all get their freshwater security back.

Meanwhile, the domestic market collapse will force Emperor Xi to take a few more hasty decisions. China’s banking regulator has advised domestic banks to be prepared for sharp rises in bad loans once the Covid moratorium period is over. It has guided banks to conserve capital by not paying dividends and bonuses. Three Chinese banks have collapsed in the last three years, and 15% of the financial sector is supposedly past a high-risk stage. Tax revenues have grown under 5%, and budget deficits exceed 11%. The season of discontent for 1.4 Billion Chinese has arrived. China created the BRI to use the surplus capacity in its construction materials and equipment sector, and to keep Chinese labour occupied. Experts estimate that this project needs another $5Trillion over the next five years to complete it. The money given to 150 countries cannot be recalled. The Hong Kong door may be closed by the Americans if push comes to shove. The FDI and FPI flow post-Covid may flow outwards. China’s $10 Trillion foreign debt is realistically supported by $2 Trillion of reserves. With the Balance of Trade going negative, even diehard Chinese supporters are a highly nervous lot. If China’s trading partners do not agree to settlements denominated in the RMB, a run on the currency is highly possible.

It is a serious reason to worry for 1.3 billion Indians. Already, we were facing an economic downtrend for the last three years, the GDP growth rate is gradually slipping towards the 5% mark and Covid 19 has destroyed a large section of the economy permanently. Xi Jinping has taken the Chinese virus as an opportunity to attack its neighbors to distract the world’s attention from the pandemic. Now it is India’s turn to return the gesture to China. This crisis offers a tremendous long-term strategic advantage for policymakers to deal with Chinese threats permanently. India must immediately recognize Tibet and Taiwan as sovereign countries and allow them to run official embassies in India and vice versa, this will open the floodgate for several countries to follow in the footsteps of India in shaking up Chinese hegemony globally. Secondly, India must supply subsidized arms and military technology to Vietnam and Philippines to create multiple fronts for China and its PLA in response to what China is doing by arming Pakistan to be used for India in a proxy war. Thirdly, India should take a lead in Indo pacific command with the USA, Japan, and Australia to choke the Chinese trade route; it will hurt PRC and its ambition to be a global economic leader. Fourth, India must use weapons and its army on a regular basis when it is spending billions of dollars on armed forces and weapon procurement. Countries like Pakistan, Nepal and others must be fearful of the consequences if they plan to go against the interest of India. Lastly, restrict Chinese import of nonessential goods by imposing tariffs and focus our attention on building a formidable self-reliant economy with a target of $10 trillion by 2030 to face hostile China, this threat is permanent and China should be treated as a permanent adversary even when the times are good. India and the world must escalate the information warfare to expose the draconian CCP and its oppressive regime working against the interest of native Chinese. The dilemma for the Xi-led CCP is what they tell their domestic audience. In the age of the internet, you can censor but not hide. News spreads like wildfire with every citizen carrying a smartphone. Do the Chinese need to beat the war drums to transfer the blame for their miscalculations? The world scenario is evolving every week, and 2020 threatened to be a very long year indeed.

(Prashant Tewari Editor in Chief Opinion Express & Sanjit Paul Singh Managing Partner S&S associates)

A Myth carried forward by vested interest groups ignores historical facts

Who wants Khaistan? The native Indian Sikh community in Punjab has absolutely no interest even to discuss the subject in routine life. Sikh Diaspora attached to the mainland has no interest in the issue. But some disgruntled anti-national set of people prompted by the foreign funding is running a futile campaign to instigate the subject with no support from credible places. The Sikh community in India is the most progressive and prosperous community in the country. It has proudly represented the highest offices of the country – the president and the prime minister, army general, top bureaucrat, technocrats, and state heads.  Independent India with a majority 80% Hindu population size has showered tremendous love and respect on the 2% Sikh community in every sphere of life. It can be a unique case study model anywhere in the world wherein the overwhelming population majority has voluntarily offered respect and position to the almost dismal population size group.  Sikhs have completely justified the faith and they have reciprocated the gesture with full commitment in every sector that it has represented.

To watch video | Part 2 | English : Khalistan Referendum 2020 - A failed Pakistani propaganda

To watch video | Part 2 | Hindi :  Khalistan Referendum 2020 - A failed Pakistani propaganda 

Of course, there are differences of opinion and minute governance disputes within the family but the two communities have integrated well enough to be bifurcated by vested foreign interest. Desperate Pakistan led by ISI has put a lot of stakes in abetting the Khalistan movement since the operation blue star incident. There are western interest groups based in the USA, Canada, UK that is putting up loop-sided efforts to flame the fire to keep the Indian progress in check and at the same time, they are keeping the Indian government in good humor to balance the new emerging world order. Frankly, the limited section of Sikh Diaspora aided by western powers and the rouge Pakistani ISI has wrongly evaluated the bond between the Hindus and Sikhs in India and surely one needs to spend time in India to understand the genuine cultural integration between the two communities.

Lately, the prominent countries where this mischief is played have decided to come up with a clear policy of no support to Khalistan. Canada has rejected the idea of Khalistan. In a statement, it said: “ Canada respects the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of India, and the Government of Canada will not recognize the referendum”. The Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh said that the categorical stand taken by the Justin Trudeau government on this issue is exemplary. He hopes other nations and governments should come out, and be against SFJ as well—which has been banned by India as a terrorist organization. The founder of SFJ, Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, has been declared a terrorist for actively promoting Pakistan-backed terror activities on Indian soil. The Chief Minister added that failing to oppose the separatist SJF organisation could set a dangerous precedent for any country; this could be seen as covert support to an organisation that would freely be propagating secessionist activities. This was in the interest of global peace and security to reject forces, that are hell-bent on spreading terror, the Chief Minister added. Sikhs in Punjab had categorically rejected SFJ’s pro-Khalistan movement, which the outfit was spreading at the behest of Pakistan’s ISI, he concluded.

Dejected by the stand taken by the USA, Canada, EU countries to reject Khalistan, groups associated and funded by anti-India forces are desperate to fuel the unrest in Punjab, three ‘hardcore supporters of the ‘Khalistan movement’ were planning to execute targeted killings in several states of Northern India were arrested by Delhi police. on the KLF radar were several activists, politicians, and religious leaders, particularly from Punjab. During the interrogation of the three accused and further investigation, it was revealed that they were in contact with Pakistan ISI-sponsored Khalistan leader Gopal Singh Chawla and leaders of the banned Khalistan group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), based in Pakistan and the US respectively. The dossier New Delhi shared with Islamabad about Khalistani anti-India propaganda led by Gopal Singh Chawla. Pakistani intelligence agency asset Go- pal Singh Chawla is the former General Secretary of the Pakistan Sikh Gurudwara Prabhandhak Committee and   President of Punjabi Sikh Sangat. Chawla is a well-known Khalistan element, who often spews venom against India in his speeches, and supports terrorism in Punjab.  Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) is a lesser-known Khalistan group based in the US, which was banned by the Indian government in July 2019. SFJ has been involved in several recent anti-India protests in the  US, UK and Canada, which have been indirectly sponsored by Pakistani agencies.

In October 2018, Gopal Singh Chawla, in a telephonic interview, confessed to having knowledge of the role of Khalistan in the killing of RSS leaders in Punjab. “The killing of the RSS leaders will continue in Punjab. RSS leaders are our very first target. We don’t want any interference from RSS in our gurdwaras or in Punjab. The Indian government may do whatever it wants, but we won’t tolerate interference in Punjab in any way,” he had told this journalist. On being asked about the support of globally-designated terrorists and chief of terror group Lashkar- e-Tayyiba, Hafiz Saeed, Chawla said:  “I have had relations with Hafiz Saeed and continue even now. Doesn’t mean we operate together. Hafiz Saeed is my ideal person. (sic).” While several ISI chiefs in the past have been vocal supporters of the  Khalistan movement  – including former Army General Hamid  Gul  –  the  Pakistani deep state seems to have now embarked on the K2 (Kashmir and  Khalistan)  strategy with newfound hate and vengeance.  A part of this hatred stems from the fact that diplomatically, Pakistan has failed to gather any global momentum against India.  Post abrogation of article  370, the terror groups in Kashmir have been at their weakest in the last three decades,  with  Indian security forces killing about 116 terrorists in less than six months (including the top commanders of Hizbul Mujahideen who acted as the ground assets for  Pakistani terrorists infiltrating India through J&K).

Misguided section of Sikh Diaspora plans unofficial vote in 2020

Sikhs for Justice says a poll to be organized in Punjab and 20 countries abroad to press for a legally binding referendum on India but India has categorically rejected the demand since it is  Pakistan-sponsored activity to disturb peace in Punjab.

Diaspora group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) argues Punjab is “currently occupied by  India”  and vows to organize a non-binding vote —both in Punjab and 20 countries abroad where Sikh diasporas exist on the issue of establishing an independent country, which they call Khalistan. The group believes that “an overwhelming ‘yes’ vote” would “start the process through which we will eventually conduct an official legally binding referendum in Punjab thereby peacefully establishing Khalistan.” SFJ says it aims “to get 5 million votes in support of independence for Punjab” in the unofficial vote, the result than “presented to the United Nations with a  request for them to intervene and negotiate an agreement between the Punjabi peoples and India for holding an independence referendum in Punjab,” a legally binding one this time.

The group has not disclosed how it will be able to organize the vote in Pun- jab in the face of Indian opposition to it. Analysts say support for independence is more popular among diaspora Sikhs than in Punjab itself. In Punjab, the government has been traditionally dominated by either the nationwide Indian National Congress or the Shiromani Akali Dal —a conservative, Sikh- majority, pro-autonomy Punjabi party currently not striving for independence, despite the fact that in past times some of its leaders and factions had been secession proponents. And the current Chief Minister of Punjab Capt Amarinder Singh of INC is the tallest nationalist leader having the support of the entire Punjab and Indian Sikh community so the so-called vote by SFJ remains a noncentury, however, Muslim conquests in the Indian subcontinent were more successful and saw the emergence of Islamic states over Hindu-majority populations. In the early 16th century, one such state was the Mughal Empire, founded by the successful king Babur in northern India. Meanwhile, in the later 15th century in Punjab, Sikhism had been proclaimed by Guru Nanak as a new monotheistic religion that rejected both Hinduism and Islam, and rapidly gained followers. Perceiving the growth of the Sikhs as a threat, the Mughal authorities began to persecute them, and in 1606 Sikh leader Guru Arjan was executed by Mughal emperor Jahangir, starting in the mainland Punjab.

1947 partition to 1984 tragedy ignores history

The Khalistan independence movement decries the Punjab partition between India and Pakistan in 1947. Still, SFJ is merely calling for independence from India, not Pakistan. Sikhs make up 58% of the population of the Indian state of Punjab,  while they are a  very tiny minority in Pakistan’s Punjab after most of them left the area at the time of partition while thousands were killed in inter-communal violence.  Faced with the choice between India and Pakistan, most  Sikhs went for the former.  Yet blindfolded power-hungry traitors like Gopal Singh Chawla, Ranjeet Singh, Lakhbir Singh, Wadhawa Singh Babbar, Paramjit Singh with a few of their followers are trying to defy the bare fact of history by using the Bluestar operation misadventure for political purpose and by forgetting the supreme sacrifices made by Sikh Guru’s fighting Mughal rulers for the protection of their religious rights.

Between the 7th and 11th centuries, Islamic armies conducted several campaigns into the Hindu-dominated  Indian subcontinent, making conquests limited to present-day Pakistan and Punjab. From the 12th through the 16th apparently for helping prince Khusrau. Sikhism split into two movements: one led by Guru Arjan’s son Guru Hargobind began to regard Guru Arjan as a  martyr,  became more political and militaristic, and started organising armed rebellions against the  Mughals; the other was led by Guru Arjan’s older brother Prithi Chand focused on peace and nonviolence,  and rejected uprisings. The Sikhs first raised their weapons against the Mughal Empire under Guru Hargobind. The tenth and the last Guru, Guru Gobind Singh organized Sikhs into a military sect called Khalsa (means “pure”), in 1699,  against the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. Before his death in 1708, he sent Banda Bahadur to lead the Sikhs of Punjab. Banda Bahadur through his outstanding leadership skills weakened the Mughal grasp over eastern Punjab. But he was later captured and beheaded in Delhi in 1716, during the reign of Farrukhsiyar. Thereafter, Sikhs became leaderless and were divided into Misls. Although their martial skills were enormous, their political disunity made them vulnerable to foreign attacks. In 1738, Nadir Shah of Iran attacked  India and looted  Delhi and Mughals were never able to recover their power in Punjab. Later, Punjab was subject to constant invasions by Ahmad Shah Durrani of Afghanistan, who upon hearing of the persecution of Muslims of Punjab by the invading Sikhs, took it as his duty to protect the Muslims. Abdali tried many times to recover Lahore but ultimately had to return to Pashtun territories. After his final invasion of Punjab in 1767, he left Lahore which was when it was re-captured by the Sikhs. For more than three decades, Sikhs consolidated their power in areas of Punjab. But the decisive moment came in 1790, when Ranjit Singh of Sukerchakia misl became misldar. He started uniting misls and finally took Lahore in 1799. His coronation on 12 April 1801 marked the beginning of the Sikh Empire, which went on to conquer the whole Punjab, Kangra, parts of Kashmir, and briefly, the city of Peshawar.

The tenth and the last guru of Sikhs Guru Gobind Singh organised themselves in jathas, which would see their first battle in 1621. The tenth Sikh Guru is remembered as the spiritual master, warrior,  poet and philosopher.  When his father,  Guru Tegh Bahadur,  was beheaded for refusing to convert to  Islam, Guru Gobind  Singh was formally installed as the leader of the Sikhs at age nine, becoming the tenth Sikh Guru. His four sons died during his lifetime – two in battle,  two executed by the Mughal army.  Guru’s mother  Mata Gujri and his two younger sons were captured by Wazir  Khan,  the  Muslim governor of Sirhind. His youngest sons, aged 5 and 8,  were tortured and then executed by burying them alive into a wall after they refused to convert to  Islam,  and  Mata Gujri collapsed on hearing her grandsons’  death.  Both his eldest sons,  aged 13 and 17, were also killed in the battle of December 1704 against the Mughal army. After several decades, small Sikh states known as misls combined to form the Sikh  Confederacy in  1716,  which jointly fought against  Mughal power. In  1735, the jathas would be combined into a single army, the Dal Khalsa. Though successes varied,  the  Sikhs contributed to the decline of the Mughal Empire during the first half of the 18th century. By the 1750's,  the neighbouring northwestern Islamic Durrani Empire and the southern Hindu Maratha Empire had all but destroyed the Mughal Empire, which retained a small territory around Delhi. This is a glorious factual chapter of Sikh history that certain so-called Sikhs are completely ignored to serve their vested interest.

Foolishly, ISI back Chawla and nine designated terrorists namely Ranjeet Singh Pakistan based Chief of a terrorist organization, “Khalistan Zindabad Force”, Lakhbir Singh Pakistan based Chief of a terrorist organization “International Sikh youth Federation”, Wadhawa Singh Babbar Pakistan based  Chief of terrorist organization “Babbar Khalsa International”, Paramjit Singh Pakistan based Chief of a terrorist organization “Khalistan Commando Force”, Gurmeet Singh Bagga Germany based key member of terrorist organisation “Khalistan Zindabad Force”, Bhupinder Singh Bhinda Germany based key member of a terrorist organization “Khalistan Zindabad Force”, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun USA based key member of Unlawful Association, “Sikh for Justice”, Paramjit Singh United Kingdom-based Chief of a terrorist organization “Babbar Khalsa International”, Hardeep Singh Nijjar Canada based Chief of “KhalistanTiger Force” have been declared terrorists under the provision of UAPA.  All of them are blindfolded to read the script written by Pakistan to use them for destabilizing India. Likewise, the confused Sikh Diaspora is affluent and well-accomplished in academics yet some of the anti-national community leaders are distorting the image of the community through their actions and ignoring the history of the great Khalsa Path. The tragedy of Sikhs is that they have not found a leader worthy of carrying forward the legacy of their illustrious Gurus since Maharaja Ranjit  Singh  The first work of Guru Nanak who is invariably referred to as the founder of Sikhism, maintained, propounded the original teachings, established a new religion and gathered round himself a following drawn from both Hindu and Muslim. This continued for about a century till Guru Hargobind, the sixth guru whose period occupies most of the first half of the seventeen century adopted the doctrine of ‘miripiri’ and resorted to an arm rebellion against the attempts made by Mughals to interfere and curb the religious rights of Non-Muslims in India. He accordingly responded `to the Mughal threat of violent repression by arming his followers though nothing basic had, however, been changed. The tenth Guru Gobind Singh having observed the growing hostility of Mughal authorities reached a momentous decision to form a structured group of fighters to be named Khalsa having military discipline.

Indian leaders blame SFJ over alleged links to Pakistan

Both the Indian and Punjab governments oppose referendum calls, claiming that SFJ is being helped by Pakistan to undermine the unity of its longtime regional foe. India CDS and Ex-Army Chief General Bipin Rawat referred to “external linkages” to “revive insurgency” in Punjab, as Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh linked SFJ with Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI. The row has reached Canada, the US, and the UK, where large Sikh communities live. The Indian intelligence agencies are on alert keening watching the overseas footprint of a group of foreign-aided vested interests to fuel the movement and create unrest in the border state of India. It is a shame that Pakistan society is damaging temples, Gurudawaras, and Churches with impunity having the full support of the establishment since it is a declared Islamic state yet traitors like Gopal Singh Chawla, Ranjeet Singh, Lakhbir Singh, Paramjit Singh are working against the overall interest of the Sikh community by collaborating with ISI and non-state players to hurt the Indian interest. Surely, they have virtually no support in the Indian state of Punjab or in India but a certain section of western supported Sikh Diaspora is fueling the fire by funding groups to weaken the Indian state that is likely to be the most powerful nation in terms of military and economy in the next decade.

It is high time that his disgruntled group should shed the violence and anti-India activities by collaborating with overseas vested interest groups and seek pardon from the mighty Indian state so that they can be integrated with the mainstream Sikh community of the country that remains the pride of the country. The illusion of Khalistan completely ignores the history and it misrepresents the larger interest of the Sikh community. The glorious sacrifice made by the Sikh community for their motherland is unparallel in the recent past and the contribution made to the community in nation-building remains second to none. Lastly, India is considered by many as a soft state till the narrative is altered by the current government of Narendra Modi hence it is highly advisable for the traitors working against the interest of the country to be on guard because Doval’s offensive-defensive strategy doctrine can really hurt them badly. As Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have indicated to all the disgruntled elements to shun the violence and talk to the government to secure peace on all ends, this is the only option left now.

By Prashant Tewari Editor in Chief with Prakhar Misra Political Editor: Opinion Express.

Who wants Khalistan? The native Indian Sikh community in Punjab has absolutely no interest even to discuss the subject in their routine life. Sikh Diaspora attached to the mainland has no interest in the issue. But some disgruntled anti-national set of people prompted by the foreign funding is running a futile campaign to instigate the subject with no support from credible places. The Sikh community in India is the most progressive and prosperous community in the country. Independent India with a majority 80% Hindu population size has showered tremendous love and respect on the 2% Sikh community in every sphere of life. It can be a unique case study model anywhere in the world wherein the overwhelming population majority has voluntarily offered respect and position to the almost dismal population size group.  The Sikh community has completely justified the faith and they have reciprocated the gesture with full commitment in every sector that it has been represented.

But the tragedy of Sikhs is that they have not found a leader worthy of carrying forward the legacy of their illustrious Gurus since Maharaja Ranjit Singh The first work of Guru Nanak who is invariably referred to as the founder of Sikhism, maintained, propounded original teachings, established a new religion and gathered round himself a following drawn from both Hindu and Muslim. This continued for about a century till Guru Hargobind, the sixth guru whose period occupies most of the first half of the seventeen century adopted the doctrine of ‘miripiri’ and resorted to an arm rebellion against the attempts made by Mughals to interfere and curb the religious rights of non-Muslims in India. He accordingly responded `to the Mughal threat of violent repression by arming his followers though nothing basic had, however, been changed. The tenth Guru Gobind Singh having observed the growing hostility of Mughal authorities reached a momentous decision to form a structured group of fighters to be named Khalsa having the military discipline

To watch video | Part 1 | English : Khalistan Referendum 2020 - A failed Pakistani propaganda

To watch video | Part 1 | Hindi :  Khalistan Referendum 2020 - A failed Pakistani propaganda 

The present self-proclaimed leaders of the Sikh community are illiterate and anti-national. They have no intellect to understand the historical perspective and the current geopolitical games. We are still trying to get over the fallout from the lack of vision and leadership of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, now another “visionary”, Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, has appeared from America. He now wishes to lead the Sikhs by carrying forward the legacy of Bhindranwale. No one has divided Sikhs more than Bhindrawala and also poisoned the minds of our youth who have limited understanding of our faith and history but feel angry due to the attack on the Golden Temple.

And we in India must stop blaming Pakistan for fuelling the insurgency in recent times. Rather the blame must go straight to the ignorant Sikh groups who have either no access to their own history or are blinded by the power of foreign money to destabilize their own motherland. No one has supported operation blue star in totality but the rebel community elements must realise that the issue is permanently dead, just to keep raking up the issue repeatedly and playing to the opponent gallery has discredited the entire community. India has given Sikh President, Prime Minster, Army Chief, top bureaucrats and prominent businessmen and surely it makes the Sikh community the most respected group of the country but any activity against the strategic interest of the country used by any religious or ethnic group must be permanently eliminated. The new offensive defensive policy of the nation must send shivers to the militants and terror groups representing any section of society. And permanent elimination will be scripted if the larger interest of the country is hurt by any insane action conducted by them directly or under the influence of foreign forces against India.