Hi Friends,

Even as I launch this today ( my 80th Birthday ), I realize that there is yet so much to say and do. There is just no time to look back, no time to wonder,"Will anyone read these pages?"

With regards,
Hemen Parekh
27 June 2013

Now as I approach my 90th birthday ( 27 June 2023 ) , I invite you to visit my Digital Avatar ( www.hemenparekh.ai ) – and continue chatting with me , even when I am no more here physically

Saturday 9 November 2013

Who is confused ?


Who is more confused ?


Is it CBI , Central Government or the Supreme Court ?


Yesterday , Supreme Court granted a stay to the Guahati High Court order declaring CBI unconstitutional / illegal


Reason ?


Chief Justice of India , P Sathasivam said ,


"  Many people are seeking stay of their trials based on HC verdict ..... We are concerned about all other cases "


SC will now hear the case on 6th Dec


Till then , CBI can continue with its 9,000 trials and 1,000 cases under investigation


And , Department of Personnel and Training ( DoPT ) will get ready with its defense by :


>     Removing entire reference about CBI from the Lokpal bill , already
       passed in the Lok Sabha on Dec 27, 2011


>     Cancelling proposed amendments to DSPE Act(1946), regarding
       procedure for the appointment of the CBI Chief


>     Delinking amendments in DPSE Act from the Lokpal Bill and move these
       separately in Rajya Sabha


>     Amend the DSPE Act with fresh provisions and explanations related
       to CBI's functioning


>     Providing for a fixed tenure of not less than 2 years and for the
       prosecution of CBI Director


>     Providing legal backing to commitments given by the Government
       to SC , on financial autonomy and non-interference in cases being
       probed by CBI



If SC accepts DoPT proposals on 6 Dec, CBI may continue to exist but confusion will only get confounded  !


But then Governments , Courts and the lawyers thrive on keeping laws complex and people confused  ! Their survival depend upon that  !


The UPA - 2  government seems to be telling the citizens :


"  When we are doing all the thinking for you , why do you wish to exercise  your little brains ?


In our Poll Manifesto , we have clearly stated that , if you vote us to power in the forthcoming elections , you will never need to think again  !


Why trouble your little brains , thinking about


>    Roti  /  Kapda  /  Makan  /  Pani  /  Sadak  /  Bijlee

>    Rapes  /  Murders  /  Suicides  / Dowry deaths / Honor Killings

>    Dengue  /  TB  /  Polio /  Malaria

>    Garbage / Open Gutters / Dirty Drinking Water / Air Pollution

>    Poverty  /  Starvation /  Unemployment

>    Land Mafias  /  Scams  /  Floods  / Droughts



Why  ?  Why  ?  Why  ?



If you must think , then think about the heavenly Nirvana under UPA-3  "




*     hemen  parekh   (  10  Nov  2013  )



Friday 8 November 2013

Supreme in Soup !



Two days back , Guwahati High Court said ,


"  CBI is illegal "


And placed Supreme Court in a soup - along with the Central Government and the CBI ( - in that order )


Today , Central Government will appeal to Supreme Court for a stay against HC order


V. Narayanswamy , Minister of State for Personnel ( to whom CBI reports ) will argue :


" CBI has been around for last 50 years. So it should be allowed to continue. This will affect its functioning "


But thousands who have been investigated , arrested , tried by CBI Courts and sent behind bars , will counter-argue :


" Immediately release us , cancel all cases against us and compensate us for your ' Illegal ' actions of past 50 years "


Irony is :


In 2G and Coalgate scams , Supreme Court itself ,


>    Directed CBI to investigate


>    Submit regular Status Reports ( without showing to Ministers )


>    Arrest the suspects and chargesheet them



So , to save its own face , Supreme Court will , no doubt , grant a stay


But , simultaneously , it must direct the Central Government as follows :


>    Today , there are 3 wings of the government , viz: Legislative / Judiciary
       / Administrative. Amend the Constitution to create a 4th wing , called
      AUDIT WING


>    Make it an independent / autonomous wing under LokPal


>    Make CBI - CAG - CVC - CIC , report to LokPal


>    Make LokPal report to the President of India


>    Under this AUDIT WING Act , retrospectively , validate / legalise , all  
      actions taken by CBI since 1963


>    Empower central LokPal to appoint State Lok-Ayukts , without refering
       to the State Governments (  ala , appointments of State Governors  )


In any case , Rahul Gandhi wanted to grant LokPal , the status of a Constitutional Body ( remember his brief speech in Lok Sabha ? )


He can save UPA - 2 , a lot of embarassment by announcing above-mentioned points in a hurriedly called Press Conference !


And silence the Opposition Leaders who keep repeating that CBI is ,


>      A " Caged Parrot "


>      Hand-maid of the Government


>      Implements " His Master's Voice "



Forget 1000 tons of Unnao gold


Start digging the Constitutional Gold , to reverse all Opinion Polls findings !





*   hemen   parekh   (  09  Nov  2013 / 9 am ) 

Thursday 7 November 2013

Opinions are subject to change !



Including opinions of political parties about " Opinion Polls "


In the following cases , what were our opinions - before and after ?



>   Ordinance after Rahul Gandhi Press Conference



>   Asaram Bapu before arrest


>   Rape Law after Nirbhaya


>   Kejriwal after Maulana meeting


>   Satyagraha before Gandhiji


>   RTI coverage of political parties before Supreme Court ruling


>   CBI before CAG audits


>   Lalu Yadav as Railway Minister and after Fodder Scam


>   Jan LokPal after Anna Hazare


>   Elections after T N Seshan


>   Inflation after Onions


>   ASI after Unnao gold digging ....... etc



We are all humans - not some computer algorithm.


so , as we grow up and get influenced by people and events around us , we do change our opinions


After each event , a new perspective emerges


We learn to judge people in new perspective


We also try to change other people and future outcome of events , by influencing them with our own opinions




So what is wrong in both , Congress and BJP having changed their opinions about " Opinion Polls " over time ?


Of Course , nothing !


Only thing they won't admit ( at least , publicly ) , is :



"  At any point of time , the prevailing circumstances dictate our opinions .


   We reserve the right to modify our opinions from time to time , in order
   to suit the circumstances


   In politics , just as there are no permanent friends ( or enemies ), there
   are no permanent virtues ( or vices ) - nor permanent opinions  !


   We are " Rational " people who must , for ever , consider what is in our
   best interest , at a point of time ( ala " Game Theory / Nash Equilibrium "  
   of John Nash ) "



   End of the controversy  !



   So be it  !





   *    hemen  parekh   (  08  Nov  2013  ) 

Wednesday 6 November 2013

When will People win ?



>     BJP leaders are saying,


     "  On our own , we will win 272+ seats in Lok Sabha  "



>     AAP says ,


    "  We will win 47+ seats in Delhi  "



>     Congress says ,


    "  We will form the next government at the centre  "



>     Regional parties are saying ,


    "   Third front will win and come to power  "



>     Herr Gobbels , propaganda minister of Hitler , said ,


    "   Tell a lie a hundred times and it will get accepted as truth  "



>     Sundry " Pre-poll Opinion Surveys " predict ,


    "   Saffron will lead everywhere but they will fall short of
        absolute majority

        NDA - 2 will suffer from the same debilitating disease as
        with UPA - 2 , viz : Coalition Dharma "



>      Voters are saying ,


    "   Stop mud-slinging , name-calling , abusing each other


        Stop trying to bribe us by offering free rice , tablets ,   
        smartphones etc


        Stop begging us to vote for you


        For a change , listen to what WE are telling YOU


        We will vote to power , only that party , which firmly commits
        itself in Poll Manifesto , following :


       

        
          ' Within 100 days of coming to power , we will amend the Representation of Peoples Act , enabling voters of any         constituency to RECALL its elected MP / MLA , if they are   unhappy with his / her performance , at the end of 6 months of being elected '

                        
          For a change , We , the People , want to win - and permanently  !


Once every month , we want our elected Representative to hold a public meeting in our locality and tell us what he has done for us during the preceding 30 days - against the TARGETS that we set for him / her  !

If MPs / MLAs want to triple their salaries - no problem  !


No Minister ever obliges  opposition members, who go around, demanding  resignations !


We want to be in a position to " sack " non-performing MPs/MLAs 



But no more " Fixed Tenures "  !




*    hemen   parekh   (  07  Nov  2013  ) 

Tuesday 5 November 2013

A Political Blunder ?




No , it is worse !



It is nothing short of stabbing in their backs , 12 million voters of Delhi  !




At some or other time in their political careers , politicians do make a mistake




But , for Arvind Kejriwal , at this early stage of his career , meeting Maulana Tauriqee Khan and soliciting his support for AAP , is nothing short of a suicidal blunder !




He can still salvage the future of AAP , by :




>      Publicly owning up his terrible mistake



>      Seeking forgiveness of Delhi voters



>      Promising never again to commit such a gaffe in future





May be , people of Delhi will still forgive his FIRST mistake




If he fails to do so , they will realize that  there is no difference between AAP and others !




Both , AAP and Arvind , will get consigned to history's dust-bin of  failed Messiahs !



Arvind ,



Your " Holier - than - Thou " days are over !



You have time till today evening  !




*    hemen  parekh  (  06  Nov  2013  )



What will they think ?


As they walk to the polling booths over the next few months , what will 725 million Indian voters be thinking ?


Here are some guesses :


>    2G Scam...............................   Rs. 176,000   Crores


>    Coal Scam  ..........................    Rs. 185,000   Crores


>    Wakf land Scam  ...................   Rs.  200,000  Crores


>    Mining Scam ........................    Rs.  150,000  Crores


>    Irrigation Scam  ...................    Rs.  70,000   Crores


>    NHRM Scam  ........................    Rs.  10,000   Crores


>    Foodgrain  Scam ....................  Rs.  35,000   Crores


>    Highway  Scam  ...................... Rs.  16,000  Crores


>    Bihar land Scam....................... Rs.   20,000  Crores


>    Fodder Scam............................ Rs.   50,000  Crores


>    Commonwealth Games Scam...... Rs.  70,000   Crores


>    Forgotten Scams  ....................  Rs.   500,000  Crores



Even on their way to the polling booths , will the voters be conducting a " Pre-poll Opinion Survey  " of their friends and relatives , by asking :


"  Which candidate listed on the EVM will deliver us from the " Scam-Raj " and usher us into a " Surajya "  ?  "


If Congress - and other sundry political parties have their way , they would persuade the Election Commission to ban all such pre-poll , wishful exchange of  " Opinions "  on part of the voters !


They are convinced , that any such pre-poll  opinion-exchange that may lead to Surajya  is,  by definition , " mis-leading "  !


Where does our Constitution provide for " Freedom of Thinking "  ?




*    hemen  parekh   (  06  Nov  2013  )


Monday 4 November 2013

Selling Dreams ?



Yesterday , on ABP TV , Arvind Kejriwal ( Aam Aadmi Party ) promised to Delhiwallas , unbelievable improvements in ,


>   Healthcare


>   Education


>   Electricity Supply & Prices


>   Safe drinking water ,       etc


Apart from a Jan LokPal


Provided , Delhiwallas vote AAP to an absolute majority ( he expects 48 seats ) , on 4th Dec


At the moment , it appears that he has succeeded in selling a dream  !


That is one kind of ability that most politicians do possess


But most of them woefully lack the second kind of ability , viz:


>   Management of expectations raised , thru delivering on promises made


It does not take a genius , much hard work or a lot of money , if your promise is :


>   35 Kg of free rice per month to each poor family


I hope 71 constituency-wise manifestos that AAP promises to publish by this week-end , do not contain such " Insults " to people suffering for so long  !


Delivering on promises made by AAP , will require :


>     A time bound ACTION PLAN ( Roadmap ) with quantitative Achievement
      Targets ( Milestones )


>     A " Resource Mobilization Plan " which clearly spells out ,


       *   How much money will be required for each initiative ( budgetary
         allocations )


  
     *    How ( from where ) this money will be raised ?


           Raising taxes is bad !  Borrowing is worse  ! Begging Central Govt is
           worst  ! Can you save from " leakages " ?


>      Transparent procedures , open to public scrutiny


>      A honest / corruption-free / committed bureaucracy to implement


>      Non - interference by elected MLAs


>      How will public be involved ?


>      Which third party will measure the " Actual vs Targetted " performance
        and publish the audited results, and  how often ?


Surely ,drawing up and monitoring such a Project Plan , cannot be a Rocket Science for  IIT /  IIM whizkid volunteers of AAP , when their classmates at ISRO are launching Mars Orbiter Mission ( MOM ) today  ! 



If AAP manages to display this second kind of post-election " Performance Ability " , then it will truly herald  an " Indian Spring " and re-write the rules
of how elections will get fought in State / National elections


Good Luck , Arvind !




*    hemen  parekh   (  05  Nov  2013  )

Sunday 3 November 2013

Ban Pre-poll Opinion Surveys ?



Congress has asked Election Commission to ban pre-poll opinion surveys of voters


Congress says , these are inaccurate , manipulated , misleading


What it failed to say is ,


"  We are frightened to death  ! "


What Congress refuses to believe is that these surveys are confirming that the UPA has failed to come up to the expectations of people  , who are , now looking for an alternative


For UPA , this is a self-inflicted wound  !


-    by refusing to ,


*     Accept CAG findings in umpteen scams


*     Asking concerned ministers to resign immediately


*     Offering the entire Government machinery for CBI inquiry


Can you believe that this is the party which claims " legacy " of Lal Bahadur Shashtry , who resigned , within hours of a train accident when he was Railway Minister  ?


 -    by taking moral responsibility


-    without waiting to appoint an " Inquiry Commission " ( ala 1984 Delhi / 2002 Godhra riots ) , to submit its report within a few years , fixing the blame on faulty equipment / human error


When Nehru died , Lal Bahadur was the first choice for the post of PM


Without any Opinion Survey  !


When will Congress re-learn its lessons in forgotten art of " morality "  ?





*   hemen  parekh  (  04  Nov  2013  )