15 March, 2011 (English) - Bharatiya Janata Party
15 March, 2011 (English) - Bharatiya Janata Party 15 March, 2011 (English) - Bharatiya Janata Party
Continued from page 15...it lowered the national prestigeand image in the internationalarena.An investigation of theDefence ministry into the AdarshSociety scandal itself underlinedthe nexus between the builder,bureaucrat, politician and a fewsenior army officers. Theimpunity with which defenceland meant for war widows wasusurped for private purposeswithout a thought about itssecurity implication is serious.The ISRO- Devas has severaldimensions – a cabal driving afraud within the ISRO, a scarcenational resource given for free,diversion of public fund forbuilding custom-made satellitesfor private commercial use, etc.But the most frightening is thefact that a ‘golden band’ ofspectrum -2.6 GHz- used by theCoast Guard and Intelligencewas for the first time given forprivate commercial use! And thishas happened, withoutfollowing a transparent andaccountable procedure.The Department of Spaceunder who the ISRO functionsbelong to a Ministry held by thePrime Minister himself. It isunacceptable that the PM doesnot seem to care for the principleof first among equals to take theultimate responsibility for thecabinet decision. But in the S-Band scandal, it is a ministrydirectly under him. His silenceon this matter too raises seriousquestions of complicity andculpability.Just when the UPAgovernment was about towithdraw a case against OttavioQuattrocchi, an Income TaxAppelate Tribunal came out witha tax claim on the money earnedthrough the Bofors transaction.March 1-15, 2011 28In other words there werekickbacks given and taken.Media produced witnesses on MrQuattrochhi had unquestionedaccess to the first family of theCongress Party. The people ofIndia are still waiting foranswers on Bofors!In each case, we find that invarying ways, the checks andbalances built in the system havebeen by-passed or evaded. In afew cases, they have even beenbrazenly challenged! Butnothing made the UPA to assertor correct course. Till date theyhave no coherent answers fortheir failures. They are either ina denial mode or completelysilent. Their ministers speak outof turn, confuse and mislead –all aiming at covering up thescandals.Clearly, only a JointParliamentary Committee (JPC)can identify where the omissionsand commissions have takenplace- systemic failures, policyfailures, the role of lobbyists inre-designing regulations andexecuting policies, and their rolealso in taking away whatessentially is the prerogative ofthe PM-choosing his cabinet.Infrastructuredevelopment paralysedDuring the NDA ruleinfrastructure was given highpriority. The GoldenQuadtrilateral was built andcompleted in record time.Together with this the PradhanMantri Grameen SadakYojana (PMGSY) was alsotaken up as top priority. All thishas come to grinding halt, underthe UPA. In fact, the Congressmanifesto 2009 did not even talkabout rural infrastructure.At the end of UPA I nearlyconstruction of nearly 33000kmsunder the National HighwayDevelopment Project (NHDP)was stalled, as private investorsstayed away. The minister hadpromised 35000kms of highwaysin five years. This could havebeen achieved only if at least20kms/day was completedevery day. Now, not even 8kms/day is being completed. Therunning feud between theSurface transport and thePlanning Commission on targetachieving capability of theministry is well documented.Building of minor ports hasalso suffered, everywhere;Gujarat alone due to itsdynamism has succeeded incompleting several minor portsin the state.It is common knowledge thatAir India is suffering and it is asif it is left to suffer with onlyoccasional life saving cashinfusions. A comprehensivepackage to revive the nationalcarrier is absent. Even the privateairlines have seen strikes and airsafety continues to remain amatter of serious concern. It isreported that the IndianRailways, the largest employerin the world, is in deep financialcrisis. Freight charges are goingup but again passenger safetyhas been a continuing concern.The number of new linesawaiting clearance is growing,while those sanctioned are beingbuilt at snail’s pace.Indian Business PartlyMoving Out?The flip-flops in decisionmaking and the disconnectbetween the concernedministries such as Industries,Environment, Home and Financeis sending out wrong signals.Obstacles to obtainingpermissions are now becoming
insurmountable. Policycommitments made in theparliament are altered or beingnewly nuanced. Stategovernments’ decisions arebeing selectively questioned andsometimes even quashed.There is a clear lack ofcohesion in the government.Procrastination and staggeringof decisions on matters of criticalimport are confusing investors.The time for furthering secondgeneration reforms is runningout. Corruption and nepotism athigh levels are holding backinvestors. Absence of an enablingenvironment and lethargy ininfrastructure development arecasting doubts amongindustrialists.Industries which are tryingto set up manufacturing unitsare unable to get litigation-freeland. Investor friendly states arebeing given step-motherlytreatment. Unwritten taboosprevent PSUs from benefittingfrom vibrant economies withinIndia.In the words of an eminentbanker, “The big boys arelooking outside because it iseasier to do business; it is simplerto do business…”While it will be welcome forIndian business to expandoutside India, they should notbe discouraged from operatingin India due to our corruption,nepotism or red tape.Observing the recent trend,both agricultural andmanufacturing sector haveshown a decline in their growths.This again is a matter of worryand does not augur well for theinvestors.“Ethical and GovernanceDeficit”?These are the words of theMarch 1-15, 2011 29Home Minister P Chidambaramin an interview. As he rightlypoints out even if these concernshave existed for a long time, theefforts put in place by the presentgovernment to address themhave been totally inadequate.There is a complete lack ofgovernance.Government’s decisionslack credibility. Policies areframed too loosely and approvalsobtained are being questionedsubsequently. The appointmentof the Chief VigilanceCommissioner (CVC) wascontroversial and is now subjectof legal scrutiny. However, hisstubborn continuation in officeand the government placingmisleading half-truths in theapex court are worrisome.Leaders of Oppositiontreated unlawfullyLeaders of Opposition in thetwo houses of the parliament,Smt Sushma Swaraj and ShriArun Jaitley who went to Jammuto address a rally were not evenallowed to get off their aeroplane.They were without proper papersor authority made to wait in thetarmac of the airport andsubsequently late in the nightbundled out of the state of Jammu& Kashmir. The NationalConference and the Congress ledalliance government in J&Kclearly denied their rights andwere highhanded in mistreatingleaders holding constitutionalpositions.The ban on the BharatiyaJanata Yuva Morch (BJYM)Tiranga Yatra and the hoistingof the national flag at the LalChowk is a shame. Clearly, it wasan attempt to yield to the pressureof the separatists. This justifiedthe very call for the yatra itself,which wanted to question thispsyche of those who appease theseparatist and suppress thenationalists. They object to everysymbol of national pride from theKashmir valley.Phone tapping on anunprecedented scaleThe disclosure by a privatetelecom operator on the scale oftelephone tapping in thecountry is very serious.Telephones of individuals aretapped with due permission,only under securityconsiderations or when issuesof national security are involved.But tapping in this scale andnumber is frightening andraises serious questions aboutunder what considerations theyare being undertaken. The BJPdemands a comprehensiveofficial response from thegovernment on this matter.This government is sufferingfrom a leadership deficit. The BJPcharges the Congress led UPAgovernment as totallyresponsible for the prevailingsituation. It is unable andunwilling to lead and govern;sadly it wants only to remain inpower! It does not takeresponsibility; it does not feelaccountable except to itself andworse, it does not want even toanswer.The BJP demandsA Joint ParliamentaryCommittee to investigate thecorruption scandals of thisgovernment. A statement fromthe Prime Minister specificallyon the ISRO-Devas dealImmediate steps toreduce food pricesAn official statement fromthe Government of India on thetelephone tapping revelationswhich a private telecom operatorhas come out with. •
- Page 1 and 2: CONTENTSFortnightly MagazineEditorP
- Page 3 and 4: India needs a strong, not ahelpless
- Page 5 and 6: BJP punches a stunning defeat to Co
- Page 7 and 8: Janathaa Vandan-Karyakartha Abhinan
- Page 9: Coalition dharma doesn’t meanouts
- Page 12 and 13: Indian democracy and institutionsup
- Page 14 and 15: sport14Il NuovoYoung Volley on the
- Page 16 and 17: Navjagran Yatra rally, Kolkata (WB)
- Page 18 and 19: CVC and SIT (Special Investigative
- Page 20 and 21: Gadkari launches ‘WaterManagement
- Page 22 and 23: Atal Khadyan Yojana launched in Utt
- Page 24 and 25: Prime Minister’s media interactio
- Page 28: Continued from page 18...corrupt re
insurmountable. Policycommitments made in theparliament are altered or beingnewly nuanced. Stategovernments’ decisions arebeing selectively questioned andsometimes even quashed.There is a clear lack ofcohesion in the government.Procrastination and staggeringof decisions on matters of criticalimport are confusing investors.The time for furthering secondgeneration reforms is runningout. Corruption and nepotism athigh levels are holding backinvestors. Absence of an enablingenvironment and lethargy ininfrastructure development arecasting doubts amongindustrialists.Industries which are tryingto set up manufacturing unitsare unable to get litigation-freeland. Investor friendly states arebeing given step-motherlytreatment. Unwritten taboosprevent PSUs from benefittingfrom vibrant economies withinIndia.In the words of an eminentbanker, “The big boys arelooking outside because it iseasier to do business; it is simplerto do business…”While it will be welcome forIndian business to expandoutside India, they should notbe discouraged from operatingin India due to our corruption,nepotism or red tape.Observing the recent trend,both agricultural andmanufacturing sector haveshown a decline in their growths.This again is a matter of worryand does not augur well for theinvestors.“Ethical and GovernanceDeficit”?These are the words of the<strong>March</strong> 1-<strong>15</strong>, <strong>2011</strong> 29Home Minister P Chidambaramin an interview. As he rightlypoints out even if these concernshave existed for a long time, theefforts put in place by the presentgovernment to address themhave been totally inadequate.There is a complete lack ofgovernance.Government’s decisionslack credibility. Policies areframed too loosely and approvalsobtained are being questionedsubsequently. The appointmentof the Chief VigilanceCommissioner (CVC) wascontroversial and is now subjectof legal scrutiny. However, hisstubborn continuation in officeand the government placingmisleading half-truths in theapex court are worrisome.Leaders of Oppositiontreated unlawfullyLeaders of Opposition in thetwo houses of the parliament,Smt Sushma Swaraj and ShriArun Jaitley who went to Jammuto address a rally were not evenallowed to get off their aeroplane.They were without proper papersor authority made to wait in thetarmac of the airport andsubsequently late in the nightbundled out of the state of Jammu& Kashmir. The NationalConference and the Congress ledalliance government in J&Kclearly denied their rights andwere highhanded in mistreatingleaders holding constitutionalpositions.The ban on the <strong>Bharatiya</strong><strong>Janata</strong> Yuva Morch (BJYM)Tiranga Yatra and the hoistingof the national flag at the LalChowk is a shame. Clearly, it wasan attempt to yield to the pressureof the separatists. This justifiedthe very call for the yatra itself,which wanted to question thispsyche of those who appease theseparatist and suppress thenationalists. They object to everysymbol of national pride from theKashmir valley.Phone tapping on anunprecedented scaleThe disclosure by a privatetelecom operator on the scale oftelephone tapping in thecountry is very serious.Telephones of individuals aretapped with due permission,only under securityconsiderations or when issuesof national security are involved.But tapping in this scale andnumber is frightening andraises serious questions aboutunder what considerations theyare being undertaken. The BJPdemands a comprehensiveofficial response from thegovernment on this matter.This government is sufferingfrom a leadership deficit. The BJPcharges the Congress led UPAgovernment as totallyresponsible for the prevailingsituation. It is unable andunwilling to lead and govern;sadly it wants only to remain inpower! It does not takeresponsibility; it does not feelaccountable except to itself andworse, it does not want even toanswer.The BJP demandsA Joint ParliamentaryCommittee to investigate thecorruption scandals of thisgovernment. A statement fromthe Prime Minister specificallyon the ISRO-Devas dealImmediate steps toreduce food pricesAn official statement fromthe Government of India on thetelephone tapping revelationswhich a private telecom operatorhas come out with. •
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