A couple of days back, there was this news that our dear prime minister is being given a chartered plane just like that of the Air Force one that belongs to the US president. But it was to be a bit more advanced and luxurious than that of the US president. After all our prime minister is no less than that of the United Stated President. Isn't it?
We are the 2nd largest democracy in the world. That itself calls for an Air Force One like aeroplane for our Prime Minister. But I was wondering about the money that was to be involved in this. Where is it going to come from?
I as a good citizen of my country pay my income tax. Thanks to the tax-system in our country that I end up only getting 71% of what I earn every month. The big fishes in the country end up paying nominal amounts as taxes and we keep wondering as to how is it possible that they are assessed so small an amount. But our Income Tax department doesn't find anything fishy in it.
I travel on 3rd grade roads that get a gutter in it even before the Corporation decides to repair the already existing gutters. Ask them what the problem is and they would answer - it is lack of funds.
I pay 3 times the cost of fuel, just because the government feels that the oil companies in India are still not making any profit. So I have to pay that amount for the fuel that I use, because I am the financier for the oil companies in India.
So, then who is paying for our Prime Minister's chartered plane.
The answer was obvious - it is me. The common man.
As I was digesting this news, I read another news in the newspaper the other day. Another Prime Minister aspirant in my country - Mayawati (chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and the Bahujan Samaj Party Chief) is now planning to buy a chartered plane for herself. She was shown a few, but she wants one that is the best in luxury. Now ask her where the money is coming from and she would answer that it is her hard-earned money. If she as a minister, who gets a disclosed salary that is only 60% of what I am paid every month (and I have not been able to manage a house for myself) how is she able to buy a chartered plane.
Ask the Income Tax department and they think that Mayawati is a good citizen of India and should not be looked upon with suspicion.
The answer to all this is quite obvious and was something that I wrote about in one of my blogs earlier. Yes My Minister.

Just search Google with the title of this post and you would find thousands of pictures that are even more hurting than the one you see here. If you are wondering as to what this problem is all about, then before i explain what this is, I should say that this is another face of politics in India.

This entire dispute is about alloting a specific piece of land to a pilgrimage in Jammu, called the Amarnath. The entire row is about this 100 acres of forest land that nobody had claim to. What is worthy of thought is the fact that are we really so much interested in what this land is and why it has been allotted to the pilgrimage? In such a busy life that I lead, where I find it difficult to even bother about my own problems, I would not have time to run after a land allotment, that too to a pilgrimage.

Then how did all this start. This started when a few politicians with vested interests, blowed up the issue to this extent, unnecessarily. Leaders from the valley like Mehbooba Mufti, who have been in politics with a view of deriving personal interests from it were the ones at the forefront of this unnecessary row. What is sad is the fact that these people forget that such small issues, if unnecessarily blown out of proportion could lead to an even bigger problem which would then get out of control of everyone.

Why would they bother? They have never bothered and will never bother because they are not concerned about the country but were always interested in their own personal growth.

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politics, corruption, indian politics

Since the past few days, the No-Confidence motion scheduled to happen in the Parliament on 22nd July was the hottest topic around. Political parties were busy getting their acts together to ensure that their numbers were in place. At the same time, media was also quite busy gathering information about which minister changed parties, who accepted a deal, what was the deal worth and what were the projections like.
So close was this numbers game that the ruling party and the opposition both forgot what ethics were all about and went to the extent of offering huge sum of money to minister to initiate them to vote for their party or, abstain from voting. This was not it. The next level to which these parties went was even worser and showed their real character.
These parties first went to minister who were convicted and were in jail promising them that the legal proceedings against them would be reconsidered and their crime would be forgiven in case they support these parties. In a few of my earlier posts I had written about Surajbhan, Pappu Yadav and other such ministers.
In addition to all this, these convicted ministers were even granted bail to let them participate in the voting to be done in the Lok Sabha. I wonder how the conscience of these parties allow them to do all this. Where is the judiciary? Isn't it the responsibility oft he judiciary to stop all this.

This is a chief minister who has earned millions serving people, or so she says. She has become a multilmillionaire in a period of 3 years and she claims that all of it is legal and were gifts given to her. I wonder who is it that is so generous that he has gifted away millions to a chief minister of a state. Lets take a look at the assets that this humble lady owns:
(this is from the times of india)

• "74 properties, including 41 agricultural plots, 18 residential plots, 5 forest plots, 7 shops, business and commercial properties, 2 shops-cumresidences, 3 gardens/orchards valued at Rs 7.78 crore.
• 22 other properties acquired by Mayawati in own name or that of family members, relatives and associates include 4 residential buildings at Inderpuri, Delhi 54 bank accounts and deposits totalling Rs 7.36 crore seized. They were in Mayawati's and her relatives' names.
• 40 more bank accounts with a deposit of Rs 5.29 crore frozen. These were allegedly used to channel funds into her and her relatives' accounts Mayawati's sister-in-law purchased 60% share in Hotel Shilton, Mussoorie, for Rs 90 lakh.
• 307 donations/gifts worth Rs 13.18 crore were shown to have been received by Mayawati, her family members and relatives from more than 130 donors 30 donors traced, who said they do not have the means to donate such huge amounts."

Who says politics is not a profession. Indeed it is a profession, that can earn you millions and also give you the power to do anything.

The English left India long back, but it seems still there are people in India who are ardent followers of their principles. An it becomes even more interesting when these people set out to destroy the harmony in the country, that too from a state like that of Maharashtra which was once the home to brave warriors like Chattrapati Shivaji.

Raj Thackeray, is related to Bal Thackeray, who is considered as the uncrowned king of Maharashtra. He has been in the news recently for his remarks on "North Indians". Raj, feels that Maharashtra is the home of Maharashtians and that it is these days being exploited by North Indians. So he wanted to get rid of these North Indians. His remarks caused stated wide protests and riots, but Raj Thackeray is unmindful of all these and kept passing his remarks. After all he has not had to shed a drop of blood.

One would feel for such learned illiterates in the country who does not even know that we have something called as 'freedom of movement'. Every citizen of India can move freely across the country and stay in any state that he wishes to. But Raj Thackeray wanted to exploit the 'divide and rule' policy for his interests.

Then one would think as to what more can be expected of a person who couldn't live in harmony with his siblings. If he didn't think for a minute in breaking off from his relatives, would he spare the country.

Wondering what this picture is about? It is the picture of a road that I normally take to my home. It reminds you of a well, right? It did remind me too.
This road was just fine when I went to office in the morning. I drove my car through this road and was happy that my elected MPs are concerned about my country. It was a smooth ride and I loved taking this road because I cared for my car and have never dared to take a bad road. It was drizzling when I went to office in the morning. It drizzled for most of the day that day. But let me assure you it was not like rainfall in Cherapunji. The total rainfall for the day would have been about 1/10th of the rainfall in a normal rainy day in New Delhi. The weather was fine and I was enjoying the weather.
It was a bit late when I left office that day but was happy that I would have a good night's sleep. As I took a turn to this road, I had the shock of my life. My car jumped into a pot hole and came to a halt. I couldnt believe it. When I got out to see what had happened, I was shocked. The smooth silky road in the morning had turned to a disastrous road full of gutters.
I wondered if a slight drizzle could lead to this, what would a heavy rainfall do? What is the quality of work going into these constructions. Poor quality material, inappropriate proportion of mixtures and what not. Everybody from my MP to the babus in the PWD, has to be involved in it, else the condition of the roads would not have been like this.
Are we punishing these people involved in the construction of these roads? If not, why aren't they being questioned as to why a road that is suppossed to last for years deteriorated in just a day, after a slight drizzle. It doesn't happen so, because if questioned there would lots of names that would become party to the corruption.
I once defined "democracy" differently after a similar incident. I feel what I defined out of frustration then is what actually democracy is. Democracy is a confused state of mind, where you feel that you are the master as you ride the chariot, only to find that the horse can pull you down anytime and then you curse yourself for selecting that horse.
But that is what development is all about, my friend.

It's a pity that the most mineral rich state of the country is in such an agonizing state. In less than 3 months, a third MP from Bihar has been convicted for murder. Surajbhan, an MP and the general secretary to the Lok Janshakti Party, was convicted for murder of a farmer. The other 2 MPs being, RJD MPs Mohammad Shahabuddin (Siwan) and Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav (Purnea).
Just imagine the quality of people we have in politics today. These are the prospective ministers of tomorrow. What is even more surprising is the fact that we citizens of India, elect these corrupt politicians to these positions. It is not new to see a few people setting out on to the roads, setting fire to public property, destroying them and causing inconveniences to others. Such are the citizens of the country. Then electing these murderers to these positions are not worthy of surprize.
Our judiciary was not brave enough to hand over a death sentence to these corrupt ministers, probably because they too, have a soft corner for them.
As responsible citizens of this beautiful country, let us not just vote blindly for these politicians and give them the authority to destroy our country. Today it was the poor farmer who was killed, tomorrow, it could be any one of us.

Blogging has been an excellent medium for interaction between businesses and its customers and clients. Now blogging has reached new heights with even ministers taking to blogging.

So here is our "blogger minister". It won't be surorising to know that this blogger minister is none other than our very own "Management minister", Shri. Laloo Prasad Yadav. This effort of his is worth appreciating because his first blog itself has generated quite a huge response and has a lot of readers commenting upon aspects of the railways that require improvement and attention. In a way this blog would help our railway minister, to gather feedback from the general public, who till a few days back had no means of approaching our dear railway minister.

All said and done, what is worth wondering is the fact that this "blogger minister", Shri Lalu Prasad Yadav, had once made the famous comment 'yeh IT-YT kya hota hai', meaning 'What does this IT-YT mean?'.

But as it is, Lalu is a politician and all politicians and ministers have the right to take a U-turn from what they said. They have the right to refuse, deny and accept. They have the right to say that they were misquoted and misinterpreted. Let Lalu be one of them. Yes, my minister.

This is a killer minister in the UP government ministry. He is a new variety of a killer. He doesn't do things himself, but makes others do these things for him.
One would say that is "great influence". You would probably be right, because that is how this democracy with the most citizens function. Ministers are influential people and they can influence people to do anything. This innocent faced minister also did the same thing.
Jamuna Prasad Nishad is the fisheries minister in the UP government. He led a group of people, we would normally call the "mob", to a police station protesting against the rape of a Nishad girl. It is learnt that our minister provoked the mob to attack the police station and in the mob-attack, a police constable was shot dead. Our minister pleads innocence saying he had no part in the shooting. But what one would wonder is, how and where did this firearm come from in a group that were followers of such a, self-proclaimed nice and clean minister.
Incidental is also the fact that he is the 5th minister to be sacked from the UP ministry, on grounds of murder or, sex and rape. I am amazed at what a ministry this is and what are the quality of minister that we as citizens vote for.