Who is Aam Aadmi ?

As of now , Planning Commission has not come out with any official definition of Aam Aadmi

And given the controversy surrounding its earlier definition of a Poor Aadmi ( Below the poverty line ? ) , don't expect the Commission to come out with one , anytime soon

But some of our media ( Newspapers / TV Channels ) have just concluded that , 5 out of 6 candidates fielded in Mumbai by Aam Aadmi Party , are no Aam Aadmi  !

Why  ?

These 5 have declared assets of more than Rs ONE crore each  !

Media seems to be asking :

"  How can a Crore-pati , be called an Aam Aadmi  ?  "

Going by that definition , how many of the 8,000 + candidates contesting the Lok Sabha elections are Aam Aadmi  ?

Latest info on the web site of Association For Democratic Reforms ( ADR ) , gives following figures :

Of the 1,594 candidate-affidavits analyzed , 456 ( 29 % ) were found to be Crore-patis

If this ratio holds ( I expect it to go up  !  ) , then expect some 2,500 candidates out of some 8,000 likely to be contesting , to be Crore-patis  !

And believe me , this ratio will further go up when ADR counts the number of Crore-patis amongst the 543 elected MPs  !

Expect it to be around 50 % , ie  270+  Crore-pati MPs

None of them , Aam  Aadmi  !

Now , fast - forward to 2019  !

By then , the remaining 273 Aam Aadmi MPs would have ceased to be so  !

Possibly , leaving out a lady candidate of AAP to be the only Aam Aadmi in Lok Sabha , by the time 2019 arrives  !

Amen  !

*  hemen  parekh  (  06  April  2014  /  Mumbai  )

A Secular Party ?

Is BJP a  SECULAR  party  ?

Its detractors never tire of saying that it is a COMMUNAL party ( - meaning , of the HINDUS , by the HINDUS , for the HINDUS )

On the other hand , BJP leaders keep shouting :

"  We are not a " HINDU - ONLY " party

   We are a SECULAR party

   Our membership is open to people belonging to ALL religions "

Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi adds ,

"   We welcome MUSLIMS into our fold with open arms

    We are happy for MUSLIMS to become our party - members  "

For those who think this is a bluff ( - and I suspect that most MUSLIMS do ),  there is only one way to find out

Call the bluff  !

In our country , there are 160 million Muslims

Let 20 million Muslims line up in front of BJP offices all over the country , with Rs 5 membership fee ( or whatever ) , and demand their Membership Card

One of the following scenarios will take place :

#   If BJP does admit , even 2 million MUSLIMS as Members , BJP  has

     proved that they are truly SECULAR

#   After admitting 2000 MUSLIMS , if BJP offices say , they have run out of

     Membership Forms / Cards , you would have proved , BJP is COMMUNAL

As simple as that  !

Why keep debating endlessly when it can be proved so easily / conclusively ?

If Indian Muslims want any change in BJP's policies , the only way to bring it about , is from " Within "

Incidentally , US English Thesaurus defines :

*  SECULAR    =    Worldly / Material / Lay

*  COMMUNAL  =  Shared / Common / Public / Collective / Joint / Mutual

*  POLARIZE  =  To divide into sharply opposing factions , political groups

Do I see an irony somewhere  ?

COMMUNALS  are  POLARIZING  ?

Or , is it other way around  ?

*   hemen  parekh  ( 05 April 2014 / Mumbai )

E - Governance ?

Can e-Governance help eliminate corruption  ?

Most certainly

Look at the following , partial list of Central and State Agencies set up to fight fraud , money-laundering , corruption , tax-evasion , economic crimes etc :

>  Public Accounts Committee           (  PAC  )

>  Central Vigilance Commission        (  CVC  )

>  Central Information Commission     (  CIC  )

>  Research and Analysis Wing           (  RAW  )

>  Serious Fraud Investigation Office   (  SFIO  )

>  Information Bureau                        (  IB   )

>  Economic Offence Wing                   (  EOW  )

>  Central Bureau of Investigation        (  CBI  )

>  Department of Revenue Intelligence (  DIR  )

>  Comptroller and Auditor General       (  CAG  )

>  Anti Corruption Bureaus ( States ).... (  ACB  )

>  Enforcement Directorate                    (  ED   )

>  Lok  Ayukts    (  States   )

>  Lok Pal           ( Central  )

 

Despite such an army of Agencies , how do corrupt manage to get away  ?

Or , in case caught , manage to delay delivery of punishment for years  ?

No doubt , there must be several reasons , including , inter - agency rivalry to get credit - something difficult to eliminate altogether

But , I believe , the most important reason is :

Lack of a COMMON  / COMPUTERIZED database of all offences / cases / persons being investigated

And , which is readily " Accessible " to all of these Agencies , all over the country ( 24 * 365 )

Already , every Agency compiles huge dossiers on " Suspects " in its own 

" Departmental Database " , which is never shared with other Agencies ,

leading to ,

>   Huge amount of duplication of efforts / information

>   Fractured / scattered profiles of " Suspects "

>   Enormous waste of time / resources

What will help  ?

>  Dismantling of individual departmental databases

>  Merging of all Agency-wise databases into a SINGLE / UNIQUE database

>  All Agencies to enter their findings / data / info into this COMMON

     database , with nothing preserved on local computers

>  All data-entry FORMS to be ONLINE . No paper forms at all

>  All local computers connected to ultra-secure Network ( Encrypted )

>  " Access Rights " to individuals , based on Biometric Identification

Will BJP want to make this , a prominent promise in their Poll-Manifesto , likely to be released on 7th April  ?  ( Congress /  AAP missed this boat  ! )

It is high time political parties stop talking of motherhood in vague terms and start telling the voters ,

" If you vote us to power , this is precisely what we will do , to bring about E-GOVERNANCE  - and do it within 6 months of assuming power "

*  hemen  parekh  (  04  April  2014  /  Mumbai )

  

Can they be trusted ?

It would be worth reading the Poll Manifestos of different political parties to find out what each promises in the matter of Women's Representation Bill , which is pending before the Lok Sabha for over 40 years

May be, all of them promise that , if voted to power , they will expedite the passage of this bill , which guarantees to women of India , 30 % representation in the Lok Sabha

I urge the Women Voters ,

When any candidate of any party turns up at your door , asking for your vote , first ask him / her :

   "  Will your party publicly declare that it will fight for 30 % seats to be reserved for Women  ?  "

If he says ,  " Yes , of course " , then ask

>  for a copy of its manifesto

>  an explanation for the following :

Party      / No of Candidates Announced   /  Women Candidates  /  % 

>    Congress   /   417   /   53   /  12.7  %

>    BJP           /   409   /   35   /   8.5  %

>    AAP          /    385  /   57    /   15   %

Next  tell him / her  :

"  Get lost  /  We don't trust  you  /  We won't vote for  you  !  "

*   hemen   parekh  (  03  April  2014  /  Mumbai  )

Sun Never Sets

A few decades back , it was said ,

" The sun never sets on the British Empire "

No matter where on Earth the sun shined , there was a piece of land that was part of the British Empire

In modern day India , soon it will be a case of ,

" Sun never sets on the Election Commission's Empire "

Not difficult to see why

>  Out of 545 MPs , some 163 ( 30 % ) are facing criminal cases

I go on to assume that ,

>  Out of a total of 4131 MLAs , a similar 30 % are facing criminal cases

That is , some 1,239 MLAs

A grand total of 163 + 1239 = 1,402 legislators

Now , let us further assume that , only 30 % of this 30 % , are facing " Serious " criminal charges , where , if convicted , they will get a prison term of 5 years or more

That is 1402 * 30 % = 420  ( believe me , a sheer coincidence ! )

Once convicted , they will be disqualified as MP / MLA , creating that many vacancies  ( just wait for NaMo / Lok Pal to assume office and for the " Caged Parrot " to become a " Soaring Eagle " )

All of this ( simplistic ) arithmetic translates into following election scenario :

QUALIFYING  ELECTIONS  ( ONCE IN  5  YEARS )

>   545 MPs

>   4131 MLAs

REPLACEMENT  ELECTIONS  ( THROUGHOUT  5  YEARS )

>  48  MPs  ( Serious Crimes - 30% of 163 )

>  372 MLAs ( Serious Crimes - 30 % of 1239 )

Rejoice , my Countrymen ( and Women ) ,

You will get to exercise your birth-right ( to Vote ) , everyday  !

Voting is the opium of the masses  !

*  hemen  parekh  (  02  April  2014 / Mumbai  )

Poor Zhou Yongkang

71 year old , Zhou Yongkang is the retired Domestic Security Chief of China

He wishes he was born in India  !

Why  ?

Here is what happened to him in China :

Anti Corruption Agency interrogated him - and his 300 + family members / relatives / friends / associates etc for over 4 months

Found - and seized - his ill-gotten wealth consisting of

 ,

>   Bank Accounts ( mostly , Benami ) / Deposits........  37 billion yuans

>   Local / Foreign Bonds / Stocks .............................  51 billion yuans

>   300 flats + Villas  ..............................................   1.7 billion yuans

>   Antiques  /  Paintings  .......................................... 1.0 billion yuans

>   60 Vehicles

>   Gold  /  Silver

>  Cash ( local + foreign )  .....................  etc

Altogether , a neat sum of 90 billion yuans ($ 14.5 billion/Rs 87,500 crores )

What would have happened to him in India  ?

>  Central Govt would have never given CBI , permission to investigate him

>  If , by mistake , permission

 was given , " Caged Parrot " would have

     taken 5 years to investigate - only to " Close the case for want of

    sufficient evidence "

>  If , by chance , he could not " hide in plain sight " , those vehicles

    flats / villas / FD receipts etc , CBI would have filed a Charge-Sheet in

    another 5 years

>  If , he got arrested , he would be out on bail within a week and continue

    to destroy evidence / influence the witnesses , for ever

>  Court would have taken 10 years to hear arguments to pronounce guilty

     and award punishment

>  His lawyers would have kept ready , their appeal to the higher court

>  In the worst case scenario , if all the higher courts were to uphold the

    verdict of the trial court , he would have the options of

 ,

    *  Feigning heart attack and spend the rest of his life in a 5 Star hospital

       from where , he would continue to guide his son in " Business Affairs "

   *   Ask his family members to fall " Seriously Ill " ( in rotation , of course )

       and be let out of the jail on permanent parole , on humanitarian

       grounds

Poor Zhou Yongkang ,

Rejoice

Don't despair

Believe in re-birth

Your Karma of this life will ensure that , in the next life , you will be born in

holy Benaras ( Varanasi )

*  hemen  parekh  ( 01 April 2014 / Mumbai )

Nothing But Despair ?

Do forthcoming Lok Sabha elections hold anything but despair for the women of India  ?

Unfortunate , but I don't think so

Optimists may want to look at the following statistics  :

Lok Sabha of  /  No of Women Contestants  /  Winners  /  Percentage

>    1957   /   45   /   27   /      60 %

>    1967   /   67   /   30   /      45  %

>    1980   /   142   /   28   /    20  %

>    1998   /   274   /   43   /    16  %

>    1999   /   296   /   52   /    17  %

>    2004   /   355   /   45   /    13 %

>    2009   /   556   /   59   /    10 %

>    2014   ?   600  ?   60  ?     10  %  ?

My reasons for despair  :

>  Even though marginally more number of women may contest in 2014 ,

    the percentage of women winners may either remain same or decline

>  Apparently - and sadly - women voters ( nearly 400+ million ) will

    continue to vote for male candidates

>  With a male-dominated Lok Sabha , Women's Reservation Bill , which is

    pending for the past 40 years , will continue to remain pending for next

    40 years

>  With 11 % women in Lok Sabha , India ranks 111th out of 185 countries

    when it comes to women representation in parliaments of these countries

>  Criminalization of politics will continue as before , despite the fact that ,in

    the current Lok Sabha , only 6 women MPs have " Criminal Cases "

    pending against them , as against 161 male MPs who have such a

    reputation  !

Is there any hope  ?

Yes ,

>  If all women members of 7 National level and 34 Regional level political

     parties resign en-masse from their current parties and come together to

     form WAR ( Women And Rights ) party

>  Accept only women as members of this WAR party

>  Put up women candidates for all 543 Lok Sabha seats ( too late for 2014 )

>  Persuade women voters not to vote for any male candidate

WOMEN  OF  INDIA ,

If you think , by some magic , male-dominated Lok Sabha will hand-over to

you  EQUALITY  on a platter , then forget it

You are fooling no one but yourself   !

Don't expect the males to gift you , your RIGHTS

You will need to forcefully snatch away what is rightfully , yours  !


Empower  Yourself  !





Stop self - pity and ask yourself,


" How come a developing African country like RWANDA , has 60 % members of its parliament ,
women  ? "

*   hemen  parekh   ( 30  March  2014  /  Mumbai  )

Who all are scared of NaMo ?

You don't need to be a Psycho-Analyst to figure out , who all are scared to death of Narendra Modi

Obviously , all those who abused him over the past few months

I figure , the more they abused and the lower they stooped , the more they were scared  !

As if this was some competition where your own getting a ticket depended upon how foul you can get with your language  !

Here is a  ( no doubt , partial )  list of  " who " called  Namo , " what "  :

>   Sonia  Gandhi.................... Maut ka Sodagar

>   Salman Khurshid...............  Impotent / Monkey

>   Mani Shankar Ayer............. Chaiwala / Snake / Scorpion

>   Rashid Alvi ....................... Yamraj  riding  a Buffalo

>   Digvijay Singh  ...............    Ravana

>   Hussein Dalwi  .................  Mouse

>   Beni Prasad Verma  ..........  Dog

>   Manish Tiwari ..................   Dawood Ibrahim

>   Shantaram Naik  ..............   Hitler / Pol Pot

>   Renuka Chowdhury ..........   NaMonitis Virus

>   Naresh Agarwal  ..............   Chaiwala

And to top this all , 2 days back , Imran Masood threatened to cut up NaMo into pieces  !

I wish , all of this name-calling was nothing more than a symptom of their nervousness .

 

Voters would have treated such nervousness as natural human reaction to impending disaster - and might have , even forgiven them

But , I suspect these outbursts are no mere " Symptoms " 

This is the  DISEASE  itself  !

Godse killed Bapu physically in 1948

But those claiming to be Bapu's " Moral Heirs " , continue to kill his spirit everyday , 66 years later  !

VOTERS   OF   INDIA  ,

When you are about to press that button on the EVM ( Electronic Voting Machine ) , do recognize the disease  

!

*   hemen  parekh  (  29  March  2014  /  Mumbai  )