Prime Sinister – Too Low For Zero

I am not talking about the French metal group but the words are from an Elton John song. In my career I have come across many resumes in which an applicant has claimed to be ‘honest, sincere and clean’. My response has always been that being honest, sincere and clean is normal and it doesn’t get anyone a ‘premium’. You do not get a special increment or raise because of honesty or sincerity. So why is it that a lame duck PM gets to hang on to office because of these very personal traits? Along with character there is something called ‘Conscience’. You can read it as conscience or con-science, whichever way suits an office. For consistently heaping corruption on the nation I would think in the PM’s case it would, indeed, be ‘Con-science’!

Manmohan Singh has brought nothing but indignity to the high office of PM. The latest Supreme Court ruling on the appointment of  P.J. Thomas as CVC being illegal is the proverbial last straw for this honest and clean man. No matter who his boss is, no matter what the compulsions of a coalition government, one can still choose to act on one’s conscience. If anything, his conduct increasingly appears to be sinister in the manner in which the corrupt have been shielded.This is not a Prime Minister in office, this is Prime Sinister!

I have often called him a ‘head-in-sand’ PM. And with good reason. There can be no excuse or reason for condoning a string of corrupt practices under his rule. Whatever his loyalty to Sonia Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi he has failed to put the nation first. That’s the least expected of a PM. And these words from the Elton John song seem to reflect his current predicament quite appropriately.

Head-in-sand - Prime Sinister?

I'm too low for zero
I'm on a losing streak
I got myself in a bad patch lately
I can't seem to get much sleep
I'm too low for zero
I wind up counting sheep
Nothing seems to make much sense
It's all just Greek to me...

Manmohan Singh has sunk to such levels of ineptness that he is too low for even zero. He might want to wonder why he even has to be defended so often by tainted Congressmen. It is time he quit honourably and let some one else take charge. I don’t care about his legacy or that of the Congress. He has already earned the title of ‘India’s worst PM’ and there is nothing more to add to his legacy. His leaving might help bring out the truth about all the misdeeds of the UPA.

Mr. Prime Sinister, please leave!

Corruption: First The Tears Of A Clown, Now The Puppet’s Tears...

They say public memory is short. It probably is. Ordinary citizens cannot spend time tracking the deeds of those in power. They trust the mainstream media to do that job. But the Indian msm has turned itself into a propaganda machine for the rulers and the corporate world. Those who use words like ‘truth’, ‘fair’, ‘fearless’ are some of the biggest crooks and liars amongst us. I must add, don’t expect the corrupt to expose the corrupt. Every newspaper and TV channel has screaming headlines that proclaim they were the ones to first break this or that scam. So when they are constantly caught up in this race of who was first, truth will always be the first victim. Haven’t we seen, say an Aamir Khan ‘Exclusive’ interview at the same time on three different channels? Or haven’t we seen gutter mouth Manishankar Aiyar ‘live’ on two different channels? They have even destroyed the very concept of ‘Breaking news’. How else can you explain ‘DMK chief meets Sonia Gandhi’ as breaking news? How else can one explain every news channel claiming credit for the exposures made by the CAG on various scams? Our mainstream media is utterly corrupt and that is the greatest danger to a democracy than any corrupt politician, individual or entity. And it is because the public has a short memory that journals and news channels are supposed to keep them reminded. They won’t!

After the Tears of the Clown Prince, it was the turn of the Puppet’s Tears on corruption. Rahul Gandhi’s sermons on corruption ended a few days ago and now we have the PM sermonising us about it. He should be the last man talking about corruption in this country. And our media faithfully reproduces the stupid utterances of these people without telling them the truth. Not a single editorial or opinion piece tells Rahul Gandhi or the PM to stop their ‘onion tears’ (crocodile tears are too easy!) Rahul and Manmohan sermonising on corruption is quite akin to a bunch of criminals in prison lecturing their jailors on ethics. Let’s first see some recent utterances of the PM.

 

“Corruption dents India’s image...It demeans us before our own people. Corruption strikes at the root of good governance... Along with legislation, the necessary revamp of administrative practises and procedures needs to be fast-tracked. A systemic response that reduces opportunities for corruption needs to be put in place”. These statements can be attributed to Moses, Jesus Christ, Krishna or any spiritual leader anytime you want. Even the honourable roadside cobbler will tell you all this. Only one thing’s wrong. It doesn’t ‘demean’ YOU or the officers you addressed Mr.PM, it demeans and insults the people of this nation. Innocent, honest people.

Like Rahul Gandhi, the PM sermonises as if he was some independent observer or a panelist at some TV discussion or a UN watchdog. All of it rings hollow. Under the cloak of ‘honest’ and ‘clean’ this PM has been a silent watcher of some major corrupt practices in this nation. The recent scams are not stray incidents; it is a pattern with Manmohan Singh.

To start with MMS should have called the lies in the media that he was the one to implement economic reforms in India. That is what propaganda does. Not once has the PM acknowledged he acted as instructed by Narasimha Rao and there were other compulsions for the reforms, including those by the IMF. We need to recall that he was the Finance Minister when Rao was involved in the JMM bribery scam to help his government survive. So what’s new with Manmohan Singh? If he were honest and had a clean conscience he should have quit that government following the JMM bribery case. He watched in silence!

In his own tenure as PM and for survival of his government in UPA-1 he watched money playing a role in the confidence vote following the nuclear deal fall out with the CPM.  He watched in silence! He survived! So why is it surprising to anyone that this man has consciously watched in silence the actions of the Rajas and the Kalmadis? In some parts probably was even a party to it. Suddenly, the black money issue is all over the media as if this was some great secret for ages. Yet, MMS seems to be unable to do anything about it.

The likes of MMS and Rahul Gandhi will talk to officials, students, media and everyone about corruption and related issues. Why aren’t they making statements in the parliament? Why is the Congress not agreeable to a JPC on scams? In an earliest post I had written that ‘Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi should be held criminally liable...” for all the scams. One sheds tears and the other comes up with silly five-point something programmes to tackle corruption. And our foolish media does the propaganda. No questions asked, no holding their feet to fire.

MMS takes self-righteous offence at being called a ‘weak’ prime minister or a ‘puppet’. Not once has he proved himself to be anything else. Therefore, this is his chance to shut up and stop sermonising and ‘act’. To use his own words, ‘fast-tracked’ action will do a lot more than repeated sermons. The recent cabinet reshuffle hardly showed any sign that he is acting on it. I am tempted to call MMS the ‘Raj Kapoor’ of politics. Mera Naam Joker,  the one that will fit anywhere in a (political) card game. Commenting on the continuance of one tainted minister, Vilasrao Deshmukh, in the cabinet the Supreme Court has frustratingly called it 'shameless'. So much for your tears on corruption, Mr. PM!

There is a bright side to everything. This will probably be the last term of MMS as prime minister. He will go down in history as having overseen the most corrupt government in the history of India. He can still act and alter that course, but that is seriously doubtful. The down side is the Puppet will go and they might send in the Clown. One way or the other, for the media, the circus will go on. MMS should remember ‘puppets’ don’t shed tears.

Rahul Gandhi - The Tears Of A Clown Prince

Some recent headlines seem to reflect the deep anguish and sorrow that Rahul Gandhi feels over various issues confronting the nation. Times Group: “Cash abroad belongs to poor, bring it back.  Indian Express: “Give me ten years of your life and I'll make you proud”. DNA: “Black money must come back”.  NDTV: “Don't complain, change the system”.  CNN-IBN: “Rahul Gandhi urges the youth to act on corruption” and there are many more. All this from a recent press conference the Clown Prince held at Aurangabad. So let’s sample some more stupid utterances from this man and understand the meaning.
 

"The way I see this is that corruption is a serious issue. It (the burning of the official) is a symptom. We haveto see that the symptom does not spread. I believe we have to change the system. We have to go deeper into the systems as to what is there in the system that makes this happen.." he said. On the issue of black money stashed abroad, he said, "First of all, it is not true that government is not putting in enough efforts. I think we should put as much efforts as possible to ensure that what is Indian money, what is the money of the poor people of India, comes back."
 
The first drops of tears. By the way, who is WE? If I were to be in grade 4 and reading newspapers I could have made those statements too. And I would still claim to have a clean conscience. Trouble with Rahul Gandhi is that he cannot recognise that his own party is the symptom. His own Congress is the virus of corruption and he would like us to believe he is outside the system as some independent observer and not part of the corrupt ruling coalition. And what systems is he talking about? The very systems that his party is unwilling to cleanse.  “Corruption is taking place because doors of the political system are closed and the average person who wants to do good is not allowed in.......Common people feel politics is corrupt... it is not working the way it should work. We believe the only way to change this is to look at the way parties are structured," he said.
 
Hmmm! More tears from the prince. For a party that has seldom had any democracy within and is rich in its sycophant population he makes a startling discovery that “common people feel politics is corrupt”. Politics is not corrupt, politicians are. Those who do not raise voices against their own partymen and women hardly have the moral authority to sermonise others. This child needs some growing up. 
 
"What disturbs me is that everybody points to corruption but few people actually look at the political system where the problem lies”. Well, what exactly is the political system? And is he a part of it or from some UN or International watchdog? This is the guy who is sitting close to the bull ring of the system and educates us on where the problem is. The system is one of this clown and his Congress who have tarnished every institution and system in this country to escalate corruption. Unless he means that all other political parties should disappear since coalition creates a lot of systemic problems for his party. Without coalition his party would have an even greater monopoly on corruption and destruction of any system.
 
On religious terror: "No religion in this world recommends the murder of innocent people... terrorism is no different than murder, in fact worse as it targets innocent people..” What wisdom indeed. One has to wonder how many religious books the clown prince has actually read. I agree with him on one point though. Terrorists, if at all they want to target someone, they should target corrupt politicians, not innocent people. I assure you such terrorists would be overnight national heroes.

On the gruesome murder of Additional District Collector Yashwant Sonawane by the Oil mafia Rahul says: "Cannot allow this to happen again... we need to look at why it's happening and figure out the problem in the system." Is there any wonder why this kid reminds P. Chidambaram of Rajiv Gandhi? Anyone remember the lines of “Hamey dekhna hain, Hum dehk rahein hai....” from Rajiv Gandhi? And I still wonder who the hell is WE? Every line from this prince starts with WE! If by that he means his own party and the clowns in it, well and good. If in all of his 40 years he hasn’t been able to SEE, I wonder who he is expecting to see by WE!

"We need to look for the cause of corruption. The money that is meant for development is being stolen by vested interests..." Guess what? After over 60 years WE need to look for the cause of corruption. Don’t ask the people asshole, ask your own party men and women. Ask your own family which has held power for many years. Answer the charges that you and your family hold Swiss bank accounts before pointing fingers at everyone else.

The most laughable one from the clown prince has to be this one: “...The current political structure is based on family and relations, even while making appointments..” All one can say is, look who’s talking! This child is from the very party that is accused of lying to the Supreme Court about the CVC. That under an emblem that states 'Satyameva Jayate'. Why shouldn't we accuse this party of having turned that slogan into 'Shityameva Jayate' for the all the misdeeds of over 60 years?

Jesus Christ, Moses and Netaji Bose move over... The final river of tears is this one : “Give me ten years of your life and after that you will be very proud of your contribution.." Sure, we will give you TEN YEARS happily, IN PRISON! All of your party men, including those turned a supporting blind eye to corruption like your PM, Sonia Gandhi and You, should be in prison for TEN YEARS. If we give you those ten years we will be proud of our contribution.

Media Corruption: Indian Media Urgently Needs A Watchdog...

If there is one domain that seriously and urgently needs a watchdog like the CAG or the CVC it is the Indian media. It is easy to point fingers at politicians as the most corrupt but that is just half the truth. Politicians can be voted out, can be dismissed, can be prosecuted. What about the media though? Barkha Dutt, Vir Sanghvi and others from newspapers like Economic Times happily continue at their jobs and happily continue to peddle influenced opinions.

Any effort to seek accountability and responsibility from the media has faced the most vehement protests from them. All this under the guise of protecting “freedom of speech and freedom of the press”. The Press Council Of India and the Editors Guild are nothing more than coffee shop organisations with no binding guidelines whatsoever. In effect, the media has an extraordinary free run to mis-report, spread lies, and indulge in corruption without any liability. For an industry wielding such extraordinary powers, ability to influence policies and the course of a nation who exactly is the media responsible and accountable to? Nobody!

There is hardly a single newspaper or TV channel which has not claimed credit for exposing all the recent scams. This in itself is a blatant untruth. And they don’t stop at that. They even claim “exclusive” reportage of scams. The media IS the scam. It is agencies like the CAG or the CVC which still have some honest workers who have really exposed the corruption and not the media. The last pieces of investigative journalism in my memory have to be pieces like “Indira as Commerce”  by Arun Shourie or the “Bhagalpur Blindings” by the Indian Express. For comic relief, I can even offer a long list of plagiarised pieces passed off as editorials or reports. Laughable among them has to be the Times of India’s report on Aishwarya Rai on the Jerry Springer show or more recently Arun Poorie of India Today who blamed a plagiarised piece to “jet-lag”! The very integrity of mainstream media is “dubious”, to use kind words.

If there is a need for a JPC for the 2G spectrum scandal there is also an urgent need for a JPC to investigate the media, its funding and its collusion in the massive frauds perpetrated on the country. Here are excerpts from a report by the Global Financial Integrity (Read the full report here. Thanks to Vaidya who sent this in):

• From 1948 through 2008, India lost a total of US $213 billion in illicit financial flows (or illegal capital flight).  These illicit financial flows were generally the product of: tax evasion, corruption, bribery and kickbacks, and criminal activities.
• Adjusted Estimates: The present value of India’s total illicit financial flows (IFFs) is at least US $462 billion.
• Based on the last five years of the study, 2004-2008, India lost assets at a rate of US $19 billion per year.
• Total capital flight out of India represents approximately 16.6 percent of India’s GDP as of year-end 2008. In present value terms, India lost an equivalent of about 36 percent of its 2008 GDP which represents a staggering loss of capital.
• Some 68 percent of India’s aggregate illicit capital loss occurred after India’s economic reforms in 1991, indicating that deregulation and trade liberalization actually contributed to/accelerated the transfer of illicit money abroad.
• IFF Drivers: High Net-Worth Individuals (HNWIs) and private companies were found to be the primary drivers of illicit flows out of India’s private sector. 
• IFF Trends:  From 1948 through 2008 the Indian private sector shifted away from deposits into developed country banks and moved more of its money into offshore financial centers (OFCs).  The share of OFC deposits increased from 36.4 percent in 1995 to 54.2 percent in 2009.

There are high net-individuals in the media too. Much of the country’s corruption receives major support from such media crooks.

To borrow Rajdeep Sardesai’s words the Indian media has turned from “watchdogs to lapdogs”. Protestations of “freedom of press” cannot wash anymore. In a survey in TIME magazine in 2009 it was found most Americans turned to Jon Stewart of The Daily Show for credible news. What’s the surprise? The Jon Stewart show is actually a comedy show on a comedy channel. So much for mainstream media’s credibility in democracies.

Deep Throat of the infamous Watergate scandal advises Bob Woodward to “Follow the money”. It is probably time a body like the CAG or the CVC also followed the money and funding of the media houses. It is not just politicians, the Indian media urgently and desperately needs a watchdog. The media cannot be anymore given the luxury of having its own watchdog. Coffee shops like the PCI or the Editors’ Guild cannot be watchdogs.