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Khoon ki dalali : Why “Special” Rahul Gandhi was the star of Taare Zameen Par

Abhishek Banerjee
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Khoon ki dalali : Why “Special” Rahul Gandhi was the star of Taare Zameen Par

So, Rahul baba has done it again. He was mocked and tortured by a world that didn’t understand him. The shy, introverted little prince was deprived of his birthright by vicious street bullies. Until he could no longer bottle up his anger against the bullies and ended up calling them “khoon ke dalal”. You know, like this:

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The meat-headed and ham-handed bullies have responded to his outburst by charging back at poor Rahul baba with twice the intensity. They want the system to come down on him twice as hard, to hit him like a ton of bricks. They want to scream at him, rail at him and howl at him. They don’t want to understand him, they just want to punish him because they think that punishment is the answer to everything. As if that can do any good.

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Their imagination is limited by living for far too long in a straitjacketed, ruthlessly competitive world  with unforgiving rules of engagement. Now they think it is their turn to hit back at the Vice President of India’s oldest political party. This is the plane they live on: a world without compassion or consideration. What they refuse to see, or should we say, what they don’t dare to see  is the exotic world inside Rahul baba’s mind.

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I can’t help shaking in anger. When will people realize that every politician develops in her/his own way and becomes her/his own person? They want to fit everyone through the same entrance and just push them into the rat race. Yes, political parties have their compulsions. There is cutthroat competition on the political scene. Every political party wants their leader to sweep elections: 73 out of 80, 67 out of 70. Anything less is considered a grave sin. If political parties are so keen on racing each other, then why do they ask their current leaders to give birth to their future leaders…if they want to race, they should just breed race horses…damn it!

Has any political party stopped to think that the fingers on one hand are not all of the same length? No, they are engaged in pulling at each finger and trying to make them all equal. The average Congress cadre may look at the statement on “khoon ki dalali” and ask: what is the gain? How will this help Congress win elections? Because that is all it comes down to: winning elections. Has anyone paused to think about Rahul baba’s bold brush strokes with his use of language, the power of his feelings and the depth of his emotions? No!

But fortunately for Rahul baba, he has finally found good mentors who understand.

Exactly! We have to understand that when it comes to “special” politicians like Rahul baba, we cannot go by what their handwriting, or their spelling or their words. We have to go by our instinctive understanding of his feelings so as to properly appreciate his intelligence.

So true! “Special” politicians tend to roll things out the wrong way all the time. Instead of questioning them, we should roll with them. That is another enlightened person right there!

Even the principal of the school agrees:

Folks, this can be the moment. This can be the turning point when we extend a hand of compassion towards our “special” politicians. It will help us become a better nation, a better democracy and a better society. We can give them the understanding they need, so that we can finally see them for the gems they are:

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Kho na jayein ye taare zameen par.

Is miracle worker Prashant Kishore running away from the Congress campaign?

Abhishek Banerjee
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Is miracle worker Prashant Kishore running away from the Congress campaign?

Prashant Kishore is a political genius. Prashant Kishore can turn water into wine (or, in Bihar…turn wine into water). Prashant Kishore is the mastermind of Narendra Modi’s electoral victory in 2014. Prashant Kishore is the mastermind of Nitish Kumar’s electoral victory in 2015. Prashant Kishore can win any election anywhere. Which must be precisely why the greatest electoral mastermind in history is running away from the Congress campaign in Uttar Pradesh.

You know what they say about who flees first from a sinking ship:

Click on that article and you will be treated to a litany of complaints about how PK can’t get this or that of his choosing, how other Congressmen are not cooperating, about uncleared payments and what not…

For weeks now, we have been treated to source based reporting on how Prashant Kishore is irritated with the Congress over this or that. Come on Prashant, you are the finest electoral mind this nation has produced and the best face saver for you is rumors of being “unhappy”? Come on, that routine has been done before. India’s best election strategist reduced to copying tired old UPA strategies? Are these Acchhe Din or what?

If Prashant Kishore knows that he can’t make the Congress win in Uttar Pradesh, he should have the courage to stand with the defeated side on results day and accept the impact his failures will have on his career. He accepted the charge, he tried and failed. PK should deal with it. No rational person will be convinced by the source based reports that are trying to shift the blame now. And I am pretty sure we can all guess who is trying to shift the blame and why.

But then again, Prashant Kishore  has had greatness thrust upon him. The ruling establishment in 2014, desperate to stop Narendra Modi, decided to wager it all on a newcomer with a remarkable record of shirking responsibility. That was Arvind Kejriwal. Again, after Modi’s massive victory, the establishment was desperate to give the credit to anyone but Modi and Shah. And Prashant Kishore was the right man at the right place at the right time : they offered him the crown of India’s greatest election strategist and he grabbed it with both hands. No questions were asked when Nitish Kumar, the man around whom PK had drawn up his Bihar campaign, actually finished 10 seats behind Lalu Yadav. For the media, PK had to be an electoral wizard, because otherwise they will have no choice but to give the credit to Amit Shah for 73/80 in Uttar Pradesh.

By the way, PK has no excuse that Congress is too weak in Uttar Pradesh. Here are the vote shares from Uttar Pradesh in the Lok Sabha polls of 2009:

Indian National Congress: 18.25%

Bharatiya Janata Party: 17.50%

Ok, so the BJP was a miserable fourth from Uttar Pradesh in 2009. Today Congress stands at a miserable fourth in Uttar Pradesh. We hear that great strategist Prashant Kishore singlehandedly managed to lift that poor 17.50% to a massive 43% for the BJP, giving it a landslide of 73/80. So, why doesn’t PK do the same for the Congress party now? Have the siddhis and mantras of the great electoral master failed him?

I don’t think I say this enough (no one says this enough) but I respect politicians. Politics is a rough game and you have to be hard as nails to keep playing it day after day after day. Even a dynast like Rahul Gandhi who did not have to fight his way through the lower ranks, is persevering with his yatra in Uttar Pradesh. And when he loses badly in February next year, as he inevitably will, there will be nowhere for the Congress party to hide. There is some nobility even in that. The real losers are those who had been hoping to feast on the victory had it been forthcoming, but are now trying to escape quietly through a “patli gali” in a haze of rumors.

This is how a politically correct surgical strike will be carried out by Indian Army

Mahesh Jagga
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This is how a politically correct surgical strike will be carried out by Indian Army

Following is a leaked transcript of briefing for the ‘Operation Saboot’ – a televised strike in P0K to make sure so-called liberals and opposition leaders are happy and satisfied.

Commanding Officer: At ease, officers. We have been tasked to do another mission, another strike inside Pakistan. And it gives me immense pride to inform that our unit has been selected for the task.

Cries of “Yesss…”, “Je Baat.. “ and other exultations filled the room.  

Commanding Officer (over the din): Important thing is that strategic objectives have changed. Colonel XXXXXX from our Media Relations Cell has come to brief us about it.

Colonel:  The objective of this strike is to provide a video, audio, pictorial & documentary evidence of the strike, clearly demonstrating that Indian commandos began from Indian soil, crossed Line of Control, went across to Pakistan, struck the terrorist camps and came back to unit HQ, in India.

Major: And I suppose you are going to tell us how to do it?

Colonel: Sure I do. Here it is. There are several sub objectives of the strike, I explain in chronological order and you can ask question after each one.

First task is to establish that the strike or raid emanated from India, the operative word here, is documentary proof. Operation begins with the unit watching the movie ‘Border’ and rejoicing when Sunny Deol uproots that hand pump when you get the call for mission briefing.  That would irrevocably prove that you began from Indian territory.

Second task is to prove that you crossed the Line of Control.

Captain: That should be easy, we can show the barbed wire fence and the Pakistani towers across it.

Colonel: No. We need to establish beyond doubt.  Barbed wire & towers can be disputed and claimed to be staged. So, find the NDTV reporter lurking around LOC and ask him to confirm that this is LOC. No one would be able to deny that.

Next is to prove that you are in Pakistani territory. On your way, enter a village, any house would do, ask for their identification. Only government identification would do, no identity cards issued by private organizations, schools, colleges or any such. Obtain two copies of the proof, get it attested by the Gazetted Officer to establish the nationality of the Pakistani.

Major: Errr… Where would we get a Gazetted Officer?

Colonel: He would be accompanying you.

Colonel: Next is to get to a terrorist camp, catch hold of two terrorists, obtain a confession from one that he is a terrorist, get it printed on an affidavit, get the same verified by the Oath Commissioner. Second terrorist has to sign as a witness.

Major: Why affidavit? He is a terrorist, na?

Colonel: You know that, terrorist knows that. But who else would believe it?

Major: Where would we get a … Okay, forget the question. Carry on.

Colonel: It is important that you don’t use force to obtain the confession; you appeal to his conscience, his feelings of brotherhood & humanity, his craving for peace, development, his children’s need for education and jobs to obtain his confession. Any use of force would negate the moral ground we wish to claim.

Also please ensure that the reasons given by terrorist for becoming one are poverty, lack of economic opportunities etc. Even family disputes would do, but ensure that there is no religious bend given to affidavits. We need a secular confession, not a bigoted one.

It is also important that you take group photographs of the unit with terrorists, for the sake of secondary evidence.

Final act before you get out. Go to a post office, send a packet of pictures taken, one copies of affidavits, identity proofs by registered post to United Nations Military Observer Group for India Pakistan, stationed in Kashmir so that they can directly observe the evidence. Please obtain a receipt.

And then, come back home.

Colonel (continued): Now, on composition of teams:

Each commando would be accompanied by two video photographers, one still photographer, one lightman, one audio expert, one oath commissioner, one first class gazetted officer, one judge of sessions court, their assistants, attendants and orderlies. Any questions?

Captain: (sarcastically) Any other requirement, sir?

Colonel: Yes. The composition of the team; it has to have proportional representation, from upper castes, dalits, backward classes, minorities etc. We can’t be questioned on our commitment to social justice.

Major: Do you think that while doing all this, carrying a cavalcade of civilians along, in such inhospitable terrain, in enemy territory, at night, we won’t be discovered? Pakis would find us in minutes and wipe us out.

Colonel: It hardly makes a difference. No one asked you to join the Army, you did because you could not get another job. Didn’t you?

Major: Did you not miss the important part, Colonel? About eliminating the terrorists?

Colonel: Well, that is left to your discretion. Killing terrorists is not the primary objective. You may, if you are so inclined. Just ensure that no one from a family belonging to a school headmaster is among those you neutralize. And don’t kill anyone without an confession under oath, taken in presence of a Judge.

Captain: But why go to such lengths to prove that we did a strike? We can simply leave such a huge pile of dead terrorists that Pakistan cannot refute the claim.

Colonel: You are missing the point completely, officer.

Pakistan believes you. They know you can decimate them when you want.

It is India who does not believe you. The objective of this mission is to convince Indians.

Disclaimer: This is a piece of fiction and a figment of my imagination. Any hurt caused to any individual or institution is regretted.

Pakistanis trend #PakStandsWithKejriwal on Twitter to support Arvind Kejriwal over surgical strikes

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistanis trend #PakStandsWithKejriwal on Twitter to support Arvind Kejriwal over surgical strikes

Arvind Kejriwal’s demand of providing video proof of surgical strikes carried out by the Indian Army has found backers across border. Realizing that this is exactly what they want, Pakistanis have come out in support of Kejriwal.

Yesterday Pakistani mainstream media termed Kejriwal a “hero”, and today was the turn of Pakistani social media. Hordes of Twitter users from Pakistan posted messages on the microblogging site in support of Arvind Kejriwal earlier today. The frequency and magnitude of these messages were so high that the hashtag #PakStandsWithKejriwal was on the top among Twitter trends in Pakistan.

Interestingly, most of these Pakistani Twitter users were supporters of cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, who is often called “Kejriwal of Pakistan”, and their messages had rhetoric that resembled those found in messages posted by Indian supporters of Arvind Kejriwal.

Take a look at some of the tweets posted by Pakistanis in support of the Delhi Chief Minister:


Arnab Goswami is often the target of attack by Indian supporters of Arvind Kejriwal, and coincidently he was attacked by Pakistani supporters too.


Arvind Kejriwal himself had claimed that he could be assassinated by Modi government, and the same rhetoric was repeated by the Pakistanis supporting him.


Ink attack was seen as a “proof” of intolerance in India and as truthfulness of Kejriwal


It was funny coming from resident of a country that has seen killings for questioning and for holding different beliefs.


Pakistani Twitter users didn’t fail to raise the Kashmir issue.


Statement by Arvind Kejriwal was used as proof that Indians were liars.


The Pakistani support for Kejriwal was top thing on Pakistani Twitter today.


And a note of thanks from Pakistan to Kejriwal.


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A common man who spoke what a common Pakistani wanted?

A soldier explains why “proofs” of Surgical Strikes need not be released

rohitagarwal
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A soldier explains why “proofs” of Surgical Strikes need not be released

The Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) is the most important appointment in the Indian Army and amongst the most important in the government as a whole. He is custodian and executor of the operational plans of the country. Even within the tri-services milieu, he can be considered as Primus Inter Pares (first among equals) – the Airforce and Navy both have their counterparts in Air Operations and Naval Operations, but the DGMO heads Military and not Army Operations – a nuance that reflects the traditional primacy of the ground arm of the forces due to size and nature of operations so far. One of the better known aspects of his role is the fact that he and his counterpart in Pakistan have a direct hotline, used for a routine weekly talk and on special occasions to avoid unplanned escalations due to ‘noise’ in flow of information.

On 29th September, Lt Gen Ranbir Singh, the present incumbent, picked up the hotline and spoke to Maj Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza, his Pakistani counterpart, to inform him of Indian Army’s operations against terrorist launch-pads across the Line of Control in PoK. Shortly afterwards, he addressed a press conference to give out the details of the operations to the media and through them, the nation. The operation, ever since being referred to as ‘surgical strikes’, has since generated varied reactions within the country and across the world. From complete denial, as expected, by Pakistan, to varying degrees of approval, support and disbelief from across the world.

The overwhelming response within the country has been one of pride and jubilation. Not because violence of any kind is a cause for celebration – but the people of this country had become accustomed to news of terrorist attack after another with no apparent response from our side except ‘strongly worded statements’. There is only so much beating people’s pride can take.

In the Bollywood movie ‘A Wednesday’, a middle aged common man, played by Naseeruddin Shah, hatches a devious plot to ensure just retribution to some notorious terrorists. He succeeds, and goes back to his ordinary life without ever being discovered. The immense popularity of the movie reflected the sentiment of majority of the people who were hungry for such revenge. And coincidentally, it was a Wednesday when the country did finally get its retribution.

New Delhi: Director General Military Operations (DGMO), Ranbir Singh salutes after the Press Conferences along with External Affairs Spokesperson Vikas Swarup, in New Delhi on Thursday. India conducted Surgical strikes across the Line of Control in Kashmir on Wednesday night. PTI Photo by Shirish Shete (PTI)
DGMO telling the nation what happened on a Wednesday night

It was no wonder that in the face of such overwhelming public approval for the action, all opposition parties expressed strong support for the government and army. Not only would it be extremely churlish to do otherwise, it would also be extremely damaging politically. Yet, in the low brow world of Indian politics, such uncharacteristic civility has a short shelf life. It hasn’t taken various opposition parties to climb down from the bonhomie in the flush of immediate aftermath of the operations, and initiate murmurs of disbelief while also trying to play down the significance of the operations.

The first, initiated by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in his typical sly and indirect manner, was the demand to release the footage of the operations as proof to the doubting Thomases in “Pakistan and international media”. It was school-boyish ploy (Teacher, I’m a good boy but he’s asking… can you answer him?) aimed at being politically correct and remaining on the right side of popular sentiment while trying to simultaneously plant doubts about the government in their mind. The thread was taken up by Sanjay Nirupam, an ex Shiv Sena and current Congress member and former MP, albeit in stronger language. Politics apart, such voices are truly inimical to the country’s interests. The fact that both these statements have since been played up in Pakistani media as evidence that the strikes never took place is ample indicator of this.

It’s not clear whether the two ‘leaders’ in question don’t really understand the issues involved, or whether they do but disregard them in the hope of political advantage. Possibly they don’t know the difference between a military operation and a sting operation – something that they’re definitely more familiar with. Hence the demand to release the video footage to ‘prove’ the claims.

Do they even realize that such footage, if released, has the potential of giving away critical operational and tactical information to the enemy, which could jeopardize similar operations in the future? Why should Indian Army provide ready-made training videos to their own enemies – showing them the mistakes they made, and what to look out for in the future?

If at all the army clears the release of any footage, it will have to be after detailed analysis and editing to avoid giving away any such information. And any edited footage would be open to question of being doctored. So, if the DGMO’s word isn’t good enough for these leaders, they should be allowed to remain in their skeptical world without any further attention being paid to them.

The other narrative being built up now is ‘This isn’t the first time such strikes have taken place.’ The Congress has given out dates on which similar operations were carried out under their regime. The difference, they say, was that they weren’t publicized. Fair enough. It’s for the army to do its job as per political direction and clearances, and for the government to decide what information to make public. This would depend on its policy and strategic imperatives, which are dynamic due to external and internal factors. And it’s an incumbent government’s prerogative whether to follow in the footsteps of its predecessors or blaze a new trail. And in doing the latter, if the past governments look weak and indecisive in retrospect, so be it.

Since the last word on this is far from having been said, we will witness many more twists and turns in the days to come. It would be prudent for the opposition to weigh their options and words carefully for two reasons. First, of course, it’s national security which is in question. And second, which should be of greater interest to them, in what seems to be an attempt to prevent the government from getting political mileage from military actions, they shouldn’t end up harming themselves irreparably.

(Author Lt Col Rohit Agarwal (Retd) is an Armoured Corps officer commissioned into 74 Armoured Regiment in 1989. Rohit took premature retirement from the army in 2010 to pursue writing and consulting. This article was first posted on his blog.)

Fact-Check: Did PM Modi ‘admit’ that surgical strikes were not carried out, as claimed by Pakistani propaganda?

OpIndia Staff
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Fact-Check: Did PM Modi ‘admit’ that surgical strikes were not carried out, as claimed by Pakistani propaganda?

Ever since India retaliated with the surgical strikes in Pakistan, some people have been extremely perturbed. Pakistan first denied any such attack by India, yet we saw their “experts” promising vengeance. Then they claimed that it was a minor LoC skirmish in which 2 Pakistani soldiers died. Finally, in a case which fits the bill for state-sponsored propaganda, Pakistani agencies shuttled journalists to an area along the LoC, to prove that the surgical strikes did not take place.

The comical part was Pakistan took this media contingent to an area of their choice, after a few days had elapsed, and expected the world to believe that this was undeniable “evidence”. The world, of course, did not fall for this as even the European Parliament today backed India’s surgical strikes. The only one who seems to have got influenced was Delhi CM Kejriwal who demanded proof “so that Pakistani propaganda was countered”. He, however, did not fail to share the very propaganda he was trying to counter.

Now, some Pakistani media outlets have begun a new narrative. Some reports claim that India and PM Modi have admitted that the surgical strikes never happened:

ARY News
ARY News
A viral news site
A viral news site

These articles have been seen shared by some in India, especially those with leaning towards Congress and AAP, in an attempt to embarrass Modi.


So did Modi actually admit to this? Did Indian media completely miss this? All these Pakistani media stories are based on the Prime Minister’s statement at the inaugural ceremony of the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra. The PM said:

This country has never been hungry for land. We have never attacked any other country. We are a nation that has laid down lives for others. During the two World Wars, more than 1.5 lakh Indians became martyrs. Unfortunately, we have not been very effective in telling this to the world

The second sentence in the above statement has been deviously twisted by Pakistani media. They claim that by saying India has never attacked any other country, Modi has admitted that the surgical strikes did not happen. What they deliberately do not highlight is that the statement was firstly not made in the context of the surgical strike. It was meant to show that India has a history of never being the aggressor country.

Even if one were to take it in context of the surgical strikes, the choice of words needs to be seen carefully. Modi says India has not attacked any “country”. This remains a fact even with respect to the latest surgical strikes. The attack was conducted across the Line of Control i.e. in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, which is very much a part of India. The army did not venture across the international border into Pakistan’s territory.

Secondly, the DGMO himself has clearly mentioned that India attacked “terror launch pads” and in the process, anyone who was defending the terrorists within these pockets. This was never an attack on Pakistan or its army. Hence, the PM’s statement is not at all contradictory.

But how can we expect Pakistan to comprehend English? Pakistani school textbooks replaced “Good morning” with ‘Assalamo Alaikum’ to satisfy radicals. But can we expect some decency and thoughtfulness from our own Indians, be it from the Congress supporter base or AAP supporter base, before sharing highly misleading Pakistani media reports?

Questions that somehow our media and intellectuals never ask

arun rai
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Questions that somehow our media and intellectuals never ask

The foundation of credible journalism consists of various ethics which I don’t want to discuss here. I am concerned for just one aspect that is asking the right questions to the right persons. Are the tough questions really being asked to expose the hypocrisy of so called liberals or these questions are only reserved for the particular political leanings. Just one example I want to mention –

A few months ago in the mid of JNU row, India Today Conclave invited Kanhaiya as guest with a few other young budding leaders from ABVP and NSUI. As very likely, Kanhaiya was asked to explain the JNU incident. But one particular question which caught my attention was about Afzal Guru. He was categorically asked whether he believed Afazal as terrorist and, if he was indeed, why the programme was organized to celebrate his death anniversary. His answer was on a typical communist line. He replied that Afzal was convicted by the apex court so he did respect the judgment but was against the capital punishment. He further reiterated that he would oppose each and every capital punishment irrespective of the political ideology of the convict. The instinctive counter question came in my mind whether he wanted to celebrate the death anniversary of all the convicts of capital punishment including Nathuram Godse. Why the leftist opposition to the capital punishment had remained limited to only Makbul Bhatt and Afzal Guru? Anyone can imagine how uncomfortable this could prove. But this important question wasn’t asked at all.

We, by not asking some crucial questions, not only give the hypocrites (leftists in particular) an easy escape route but also serve as a catalyst to their political as well as ideological hegemony. This kind of journalistic generosity is more towards those forces which openly challenge the cultural and political unity of our country. The worst example of this partiality is Jammu & Kashmir. No one is willing to question the basic foundation of separatism in the valley.

The very first question must be asked why the separatist sentiments are prevailed only in the valley not in Jammu and Ladakh. The history of the accession is as much same for Jammu and Ladakh as much for the valley but why only the valley is suffering from the separatist syndrome? Is religion not among the major factors? Everyone talks about a political solution of the problem but I am waiting for someone who can tell what precisely the political solution is. What the Pakistani with ISIS flags and the slogans like “KASHMIR BANEGA PAKISTAN” (Kashmir will be made Pakistan) are doing to achieve the political solution?

There are three major voices heard in the valley. First one is of the ultra separatists who insist that Kashmir should be given to Pakistan , second one of the separatists who demand for an Azad Kashmir from both India and Pakistan and the third one of the political class which demands to strengthen Article 370. The voice of ultra separatists are Pakistani so I don’t have any question for them. I want to ask those separatists who demand for freedom what their dream about independent Kashmir is. Do they want to make it an Islamic nation or a secular one? What is the composite nature of their so called freedom struggle , secular or based on Islamic ideals? Where are Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhist in their struggle? Is it a freedom movement or a religious movement? Why there was a need to drive away Pundits from the valley and what purpose did it serve?

The political class which is the most beneficiary of the constitution of India often demand more liberty under Article 370. But will it ever tell us what benefit the article serves for the betterment of the Kashmiri people? Has it helped them to generate more economic and social opportunities? They often talk about political aspirations of the people but why their political aspiration is different from that of those who live in other parts of the country? Why I as a Bihari don’t have the same political aspiration? I also want to ask those Kashmiri leaders who (pretend to) request the Pundits to return their homeland whether they are ready to punish the perpetrators of the ethnic cleansing of 1990.

We know the Muslims of the valley in spite of being in majority opted India as their country ( which, I think, wasn’t the appropriate justification of the accession) but is it the valid reason for their distinct political aspirations. Have they done a great favour to India by opting it as their country? They demand everything, more or less, on the behalf of this factor as if India has a debt to pay. Have Muslims , Dalits , Buddhists and many other sects of Indian society done something wrong by not having the same political aspirations as the people of the valley have?

Kashmir has been facing a massive unrest for last 70 days after the killing of a terrorist. Many intellectuals have raised their eyebrows over the manner in which the forces are handling the violent mob. It is well within their right to raise questions but they also should question the manner as well as the goal of the protest. If it all is not sponsored then what do the protesters want to achieve? And above all can India, the largest democracy in the world, afford to institutionalise stone pelting as a democratic way to protest?

These are some questions which need to be asked before reaching to any conclusion of the Kashmir problem. I am not the expert who know all the right answers but I hope some day I will get the right answers. Only then we will be able to find the root cause of the problem. But the biggest question-

“Are the deaf ears listening?”

Kejriwal adopts Pakistan’s stand to attack Modi

OpIndia Staff
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Kejriwal adopts Pakistan’s stand to attack Modi

It was just a few days back when Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal had to face the ignominy of being rebuked by Pakistani and Bangladeshi citizens for toeing and anti-India line in respect of the tense relations between India and Pakistan after the Uri attack. Kejriwal had tweeted a farcical article by a little known author, which claimed that rather than Pakistan, India was getting isolated world-wide.

Not only did Kejriwal get severe criticism for this from Indians, a Pakistani journalist and a Bangladeshi activist also rebuked him:


 


Of course, as all SAARC nations boycotted the SAARC meet to be held in Pakistan and as countries from all over the world censured Pakistan and backed India’s surgical strikes, Kejriwal’s foolish stance was exposed.

As if that embarrassment was not enough, Kejriwal tried another trick, this time trying to be too clever. He put out a tweet saying he fully supports the PM, but his sugar-coated message in the attached video could be seen plainly:


In the video, Kejriwal referred to Pakistan’s move to ferry media outlets to the LoC in an attempt to prove that no surgical strikes had taken place. Kejriwal, very cunningly tried to portray it as if he wanted Modi to counter Pakistani propaganda, but it was obvious, that Kejriwal had once again strayed into anti-India territory from being anti-Modi. Even the principle national opposition party Congress, along with unbiased experts, have repeatedly said that India does not need to prove anything to the Pakistani side whose credibility is zero. But Kejriwal chose to play a different tune.

Even as AAP’s IT cell was busy trending hashtags which tried to demonstrate that Kejriwal was backing Modi, Kejriwal was busy tweeting videos which were shot under ISI supervision by journalists who were ferried by the Pakistani Government. If indeed Kejriwal wanted Pakistani propaganda to be destroyed, why was he tweeting and sharing exactly such propaganda videos?

Kejriwal tweeting anti-India video
Kejriwal tweeting anti-India video

No sooner did Kejriwal adopt the Pakistani stance, albeit using sugar coating, social media users from Pakistan began backing him:


Pakistani media also jumped at the opportunity of using an “Indian”, that too the  elected CM of the National Capital, to humiliate India.


This is the same Kejriwal who had demanded that PM Modi apologise to the nation for calling Pakistani investigators to Pathankot, when India was showing them the evidence of a Pakistani hand in the attack. Pakistan of course later denied any wrong doing inspite of voluminous proof presented by India. This time, Kejriwal is the one saying India should provide proof to the same Pakistan. This clearly shows that Arvind Kejriwal, in his blind hatred for Modi, is ready to take any extreme position even if it is siding with Pakistan, just to try and embarrass Modi.

Kejriwal gives Satyendra Jain a clean chit, but can Jain deny this?

Gaurav
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Kejriwal gives Satyendra Jain a clean chit, but can Jain deny this?

The Income Tax department recently issued a summons to Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain, asking him to appear before it in connection with its tax evasion probe against certain Kolkata-based firms. The summons came after the IT Dept found a link between some firms being probed for black-money in Kolkata, with some firms in Delhi with which Satyendra Jain was linked.

Satyendra Jain on his part has made the following statements: “As an investor, I had made investment in these companies four year back, but I have nothing to do with these companies since 2013. Everyone knows it. It is a conspiracy “. In another statement, Jain even made a remark that he also held shares in Reliance Industries, hence his links with that company also need to be checked.

Delhi CM Kejriwal also was quick to issue a clean chit, much like the time he backed former AAP Minister Tomar in the fake degree scandal: “I summoned Satinder this morning. Saw all papers. He innocent, being framed. If he ws guilty, we wud have thrown him out. We stand by him”. In Tomar’s case, once guilt was proved, Kejriwal claimed he was shown fake documents by Tomar, hence one wonders about the credibility of such clean chits.

Satyendra Jain never denied links with the companies, nor did he deny owning shares at a point in time. But he painted a picture as if he was just a passing investor, with no say or control in any of the companies. And further he added that he had no connection with the companies since 2013. So are these statements tenable?

Four Delhi-based companies were named in the media, which were allegedly linked to Jain, three of which are: Akinchan Developers Pvt Ltd, Indo MetalImpex Pvt Ltd, and Paryas Infosolutions Pvt Ltd.

Akinchan Developers Pvt Ltd

According to documents filed with the Registrar of Companies (RoC), Jain was the founding promoter-director of the company, owning 25% of the company when it was formed. He himself signed the company formation application, and also signed the first audited Final Accounts of the company. Even the address used to register the company is the exact same address declared by Jain as his residential address in his election affidavit:

Address match
Address match

Jain continued to be a Director until July 2013, when he resigned due to “personal reasons”. In Feb 2015, Jain sold off his shares to his wife Poonam Jain, probably after he became a Minister in the Delhi Government. The address of the company was also changed in May 2015. According to the latest documents available on the RoC site, Poonam Jain continues to be a shareholder in ADPL and holds approximately 19% of the shares issued.

So when Satyendra Jain says he was just an “investor” at least in case of ADPL, he is plainly lying, and when he says he has “no connection”, it may be legally true, but the shares which he held, are now held by his wife.

As for ADPL itself, it is in the business of real estate and properties as per the MCA filings. The revenue from operations for the years 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 is Nil. Income from other sources for the year 2014 is INR 3,08,90,001 which drops to INR 98,080 in the year 2015. As per the Balance sheet the Company holds an investment in agricultural land which costs INR 6,64,79,464. On 15th December 2015 1,00,916 shares were allotted for a premium of INR 190 per share to 7 Companies which are situated at Kolkatta or Howrah, one of which was raided by the IT Department.

Paryas Infosolutions Pvt Ltd

Satyendra Jain was first involved in Paryas Infosolutions Pvt Ltd (PIPL) from August 2007 when he was appointed as a Director. The Final accounts dated 31 March 2007 were signed by his wife Poonam. From August 2007 itself, the registered address of PIPL was changed to Jain’s residential address, the same which was used by ADPL. PIPL used this address till August 2015. In 2008, Jain and his wife owned the entire 10000 shares of the company. Both of them later extended loans to PIPL too.

As in the case of ADPL, Jain transferred his shares in PIPL to his wife in February 2015. Owing to shares being issued to other people, Poonam Jain’s net shareholding as on March 2015 was 1.74% in PIPL, yet even the latest Balancesheet was signed by her in her capacity as a Director.

Although the company’s name suggests otherwise, the Directors’ report of March 2015 stated that the main business activity of the company was pursuing investment in immovable properties. PIPL reported NIL turnover for the year ending 2014 and 2015. The only significant part of the balance sheet is that it holds agricultural lands costing INR 4,54,72,229.

Again, Jain cannot claim he was just an “investor” nor can he morally claim that as of now he has no connection with the company since even the latest available Balancesheet has been signed by his wife.

Indo MetalImpex Pvt Ltd

In Indo MetalImpex Pvt Ltd (IMPL) Jain and his wife were issued shares in March 2011. After this issue, they together held 23.53% of the shares of the company. In legal parlance, any share holding above 20% is considered to be of “significant influence”. The Final Accounts of March 2011 were signed by Satyendra Jain himself.

Again in February 2015, Jain transferred his shares to his wife Poonam. With this, at least till March 2015, Poonam was the single largest shareholder having 22.78% of the total shares of the company.

Again although the name suggests the company deals in import-export, the Directors’ report for March 2015 states that the main business of the company is to deal or invest in all kinds of properties. The balance sheet for year 2014 and 2015 shows Nil revenue from operations. IMPL owns agricultural land costing INR 6,90,49,527. The other significant point being it holds shares worth 56,00,000 in PIPL as per Balance sheet for the year 2015

IMPL also has about 31 other shareholders and most of which are based out of Kolkatta. 13 of these shareholders are companies sharing the same address: 85 Netaji Subhashchandra (NS) road. This was the address that was raided by the Income Tax Department in Kolkata.

Shell companies?
Shell companies?

All the above companies combined hold 18.33% in IMPL. Are these shell companies formed just to create a web of companies to avoid tracing the real person owning the company?

Again Satyendra Jain cannot claim to be a mere investor nor can he morally claim he has no connection with the company anymore since, his wife is the single largest shareholder, as per the latest data available.

Summary

Going by just the records available to public, one can say this: Satyendra Jain is intimately connected with these companies. All the companies are purely into the business of owning land properties in Delhi. Companies with the address 85 NS road, which were raided by the Income Tax for black-money and hawala transactions, own some portion in the above companies, either directly or indirectly. So if these Delhi-based companies are found to be involved in wrong-doing, it would be very hard for the Jains to avoid responsibility.

With inputs from @muglikar_

Income Disclosure Scheme – a “Tax” Surgical strike? Or is this just the lull before the storm?

Gaurav
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Income Disclosure Scheme – a “Tax” Surgical strike? Or is this just the lull before the storm?

“Hi, boss is quite worried. He feels he should do something. You know na those guys are roaming all around the city”.

“Those guys” aren’t robbers, thieves, rioters, or terrorists. “Those guys” are Income Tax sleuths who were undertaking “surgical strikes” via raids at random business houses, during the tenure of the Income Disclosure Scheme, and the conversation is a real conversation which I had with a CFO of a firm.

A mission which lasted for 4 months just ended. The Income Disclosure Scheme of the Income Tax Department officially ended last night with reports saying more than Rs 65000 crores was reported as undisclosed income by various people in India, until 8pm on 30th September, and the amount is expected to increase. This is a very large amount, especially considering the scheme didn’t have a great start. This marks the end of scheme wherein the Income Tax officers used all tactics, saam, daam, dand, bhed.

The Income Disclosure Scheme was a scheme wherein people who had undisclosed income or assets (commonly called as black money) could come clean, pay tax and buy peace with the IT Department. The main benefits of this scheme were:

1. The tax rate was 45% on the amount voluntarily disclosed as opposed to a possible 60% (excluding interest) when the Income Tax Department detects tax evasion and issues penalty
2. Taxpayers were given the opportunity for staggered payment of tax in order to reduce hardships due to cash-crunch
3. It included an assurance of privacy to the people who came forward
4. Most importantly it promised immunity from prosecution and a few other laws, which would have been applicable if the Department had detected evasion on their own

So in a way, this was a welcome scheme for crooked businessmen, where they could buy peace of mind by paying a concessional rate of tax. But such schemes hinge on one crucial factor. When businessmen choose to evade taxes, they are playing the percentages game. They are betting that:

A. The Department will not be able to trace them and catch them
B. If at all they’re caught, they will get away cheaply either by hiring a hotshot tax professional or by bribing or a combination of both

Most crooked businessmen never even get detected or caught by the Tax Department. So the lure of an amnesty scheme would be low. Why give up my black money when the chances of getting caught and penalised are minuscule? Hence initially the scheme saw a lukewarm response. But then, some “surgical strikes” were required. The Tax Department played multiple cards to lure people to comply with the scheme:

1. They started off with a massive education cum awareness drive, with each officer being given a target of conducting at least a fixed number of meetings with tax professionals as well as businessmen, educating them about the scheme.

2. Businessmen were informally called to IT Department offices where the officers would flash the evidence they already had. The message was clear: We know everything about you, once the window closes, we will come for you. Better you get in line now and file under the IDS scheme. In some cases this might have even been bluffs, but it was a tactic.

3. Finally, as the deadline loomed, we heard news of raids being conducted, not only on the usual mid and large size suspects but even on roadside food stalls etc whose income would almost entirely be unaccounted. There were some concerns among the public that such small eateries were targeted, but reports say such people have declared over Rs 50 crores as black money, within Mumbai itself! Such raids have a ripple effect: You raid 1 guy and 10 other guys are woken from their slumber.

And all these efforts bore fruits, the kitty surged as the deadline neared. Some of the effect may not be captured in the IDS figures since many businessmen have chosen not to go for IDS, but just clean up their books, showing a truer picture rather than going with the same fudging which was going on for decades.

The key here is fear. For the first time in recent memory, the business community was actually scared that the Tax Department will screw them post the closure of the IDS scheme. How did this happen? It is obviously the impact of a clean no-nonsense leader, who is backing his tax sleuths to the hilt, who in turn know that they are being watched, because of which usual under the table settings wont work. The tax officers were also given targets, and would be held responsible for not meeting them, so any out-of-office “settlement” would mean trouble for the tax officers. Mind you, this is not a permanent shift in behaviour of businessmen and tax officials, but at least its a start.

With the IDS scheme and the way collections were augmented, by using fear as a tool, the Modi government has made its stand on black money crystal clear. At the same time, it is a huge political gambit from Modi. The business community is a traditional vote base and funding source for the BJP, which is seen to be a pro-business party. Already one can see some disgruntled voices in the medium-sized business lobby, the group which is not big enough to be fully clean, and not small enough to be immaterial, basically the prime target of the Tax Department.

And the amusing part is, all these complaints and grumblings came up during an amnesty scheme! Here a Government is giving crooks an opportunity to renounce their sins, pay up, and move on without getting penalised heavily, and on the other hand, a section of the crooked businessmen is crying foul. What they do not realise is that the real game will start now. Now that the window is closed, it is time for the IT Department to act on all the information they claimed to have. This was precisely the fear driven into the minds of the crooks, and now it is time follow-up on it.

Will the department do it? Does it really have all the information needed to go after the corrupt? They probably do have the information, since in today’s highly networked world, data flows seamlessly from sector to sector and the Tax Department has also sharpened its data mining tools. The only question remains will the Tax Department act? If they do act, will the cases be settled by “amicable settlements”  or will we see a new uncompromising side to the IT department?

The worst part of the upcoming storm would be the collateral damage. In trying to nail the crooks, one can easily expect a few honest businessmen being harassed. This will give rise to “Tax terrorism” and may affect the  ease of doing business in India, another pet project of PM Modi. It may very well become “Na khaaoonga, Na khaane doonga” vs “Ease of Doing Business”. This is where “surgical strikes” are needed, where the crooks are identified, isolated and brought to book without unduly harassing the honest taxpayer. One thing is for certain, if the Department decides to act on the massive information it claims to have, then business folk would have to endure a long and chilly winter. And if GST is on track for a release on 1st April, then the summer will also be painful for the tax evaders.

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