Sunday, 03 March 2013

National Council Meeting

New Delhi

02 March – 03 March 2013

POLITICAL RESOLUTION

Rampant corruption defining feature of UPA Government

The UPA led by Dr. Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister and Smt. Sonia Gandhi as the head of UPA will, in few months enter its 10th year in the Government. This indeed will be the last year of this Government before election. Each passing day once again reinforces the impression that Dr. Manmohan Singh Government is the most corrupt union Government since independence. It is not a coalition Government but is indeed a coalition of the corrupt.

Big scams, scandalous corruption, instances of bribery, kickbacks and gross financial impropriety appears and reappears with such alarming regularity that it becomes difficult to keep even a count of the same. All this happened because there is collusion at high level and operators and middle-men conspicuously patronised by the political leadership of the Government have managed to swindle lacs of Crores of public money in scam after scam. In majority of the cases there is not only connivance but active involvement of important elements in the political leadership of this Government. Infact both the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Smt. Sonia Gandhi have repeatedly maintained “conspiracy of silence” “culpability of inaction” and gross indifference when nation’s wealth was being systematically plundered. Scam after scam has indeed stunned the nation.

Series of Scam

The list is indeed endless. The massive corruption in the allotment of 2G licences in the Ministry of Telecommunication would remain the most shameful saga in the history of independent India in which scam a huge amount of Rs. 1.76 Lacs Crores is involved. Even though the Supreme Court has cancelled the licences and the trial is going on yet senior Minister of Government still insist that there has been no wrong doing. The Prime Minister has continued to give certificate of innocence to the Finance Minister Mr. Chidambaram even though substantial evidence exists against him. The CBI was not allowed to examine his role and that of the PMO in this massive scam. Disturbing reports about prosecutor of CBI being in league with accused has given rise to further apprehension about fairness of investigation and trial.

In the Common Wealth Games organisation scam though Mr. Suresh Kalmadi along with many of his associates are facing trial yet the buck obviously does not stop with him. He is only one of the players and the rot runs deep. Every file was approved by the cabinet, cabinet sub-committee, Group of Minister, Expenditure Finance Committee and lastly Even the Prime Minister. The Shunglu Committee appointed by the Prime Minister himself has very severely commented against the Delhi Government headed by Smt. Sheila Dikshit. The Committee has noted that “there was a method in the madness and undue delay on projects was perhaps a deliberate attempt at higher levels to create a sense of panic with a view to giving undue advantage to all concerned”. The scam is worth Rs. 70,000 Crores and inspite of PM assurance on floor of the Parliament no investigation is being done by the CBI against the Sheila Dikshit Government.

The Coalgate where 142 coal blocks were allotted, many to the kith and kin of Congress leadership and to those who were favourably disposed towards the Congress coffers in the most unfair and arbitrary manner has cost the nation a huge amount of Rs. 1.86 Lacs crores. The CBI is being denied the relevant files to have proper investigation. The reason is obvious because during most of the time this scam happened Dr. Manmohan Singh was also the Coal Minister apart from being the Prime Minister. Therefore Dr. Manmohan Singh is politically and morally responsible directly for the coalgate scam and what is truly unfortunate is that even a fair enquiry is being denied.

Reluctance to bringing black money (25 Lacs Crore approx) stashed away in foreign banks, Devas-Antrix deal (Rs. 2 Lacs Crore), scam in the commercial allotment of prime land worth thousands of crores in the privatization of International Airport, Delhi, the Adarsh Housing Scam; the list remains endless. In most of these cases an investigation was possible only because of aggressive campaign by the BJP, the media and intervention by the Courts. The Government has no role what so ever because it always tried to shield the corrupt with impunity.

Bribery in the purchase of helicopters – the latest scam

As if the various scams involving plunder of lacs of crores of public money were not enough, payment of huge bribery and kickbacks in the purchase of VIP helicopters from AgustaWestland and its principal Italian company Finmeccanica is the latest chapter of loot under the UPA Government. Serious question were being raised for the last more than one year in this deal involving public money to tune of about 4,000 Crores. The matter was raised in the Parliament by the BJP last year itself. Even the Income Tax Department had sought to make inquiry and serious allegation has come in public domain that huge commission to the tune of nearly Rs. 350 Crores have been paid as kickbacks. Yet the Government of India did not inquire into the matter and the Defence Minister even told the Parliament that there is nothing wrong. The entire contract was finalised and executed by the UPA Government.

The Italian authorities were investigating the corruption charges against the supplier company Finmeccanica and ultimately arrested even the CEO of this company on bribery charges in the helicopter deal. After national uproar once again the Government was compelled to act. Now the CBI has acknowledged that middle-men allegedly routed bribes to several Indian national through Tunisia and Mauritius routs. Employment of any middle-men is a crime with serious consequences under Indian law. The record of this Government in the bribery cases relating to Arms deal is notorious. It is too well known that every attempt was made to bail-out Ottavio Quattrocchi in the Bofors bribery scandal because of his well known Italian connection.

The BJP would like to caution that the helicopter scam should not be allowed to follow the same fate. In this case few facts are evident – who paid the kickbacks is well known, what was the amount paid is also known, the only investigation needed is to identify the beneficiaries in India. Obviously such a huge scam cannot be confined to a former Air Chief and his associates. There were influential people high in the Government who were patronising and facilitating it. The country wants that their names be made public and they must be prosecuted and the Government must ensure that quickly. Inaction for one year has already eroded the credibility of this Government. Someone somewhere was trying to save someone having high connection. There are too many suspicious circumstances to show that the Government is not interested in a fair investigation.

The recent debate in the Parliament (Rajya Sabha) has confirmed once again that the Government is not serious in identifying those who are the bribe takers. For the last more than one year the Government did not take any proper inquiry. The issue was in public domain even the income tax department wanted to investigate the role of middle-man. In Italy the investigation went on for the last one year yet the Government kept quite. Even now no formal FIR has been lodged by the CBI. Those who received the bribe are certainly in India because they influenced the deal in favour of the Italian company. With an FIR much earlier proper police investigation could have been done, accused arrested, interrogated and documents formally requisitioned and some of the middle-men sought to be extradited. Till date even an FIR not been lodged inspite of almost unanimous demand nor did the Government give any assurance in this regard. Therefore, the sudden insistence to have a JPC by the UPA Government was nothing but designed to deflect and buy time knowing fully well that JPC has no powers of police investigation, arrest interrogation etc. Such an inquiry by the JPC even otherwise cannot be completed in three months and with the Lok Sabha entering its last year soon the Government intention looks suspect. The Government seems determined to give long ropes to the accused so that they are able to destroy evidence. The BJP demands that if the names of those who gave the bribe are known, in what transaction it was given is known then prompt investigation, arrest, interrogation and prosecution of all those must be done who have received the bribe money including their patrons who influenced the deal.

The institution of an effective Lokpal and an autonomous and accountable CBI are important institution to check corruption and the BJP stands committed for the same.

India’s image has suffered a serious dent

Never before the Government of India being repeatedly questioned on its credibility as now. The country’s image has suffered a serious dent globally because of series of corruption which has become the most notorious feature of the UPA Government. Public perception about India world over is at an all time known because of policy paralysis and mal-governance of the UPA-II. The slew of administrative decision being labelled “reform measure” obviously cannot make any impact because the mood of hope is over and the dream of India becoming an important global player is being seriously questioned. All this is happening inspite of extraordinary potential of this great country and infinite promise of its people. In its place now there is gloom and despair.

Threat of Terrorism – Serious challenge to India’s security

The recent bomb blast on February 21, 2013 in Hyderabad left about 16 people dead and 90 seriously injured. The ugly head of terrorism is again playing havoc with our security. Since July 2005 about 25 major terrorist attacks have happened in different parts of the country in which about 500 innocent Indians have been killed. Obviously this does not include security forces and many elected sarpanches who have been killed in J&K because the people elected them through democratic process. Terrorist have targeted New Delhi the political capital of India, Mumbai the commercial capital of India, Bangalore and Hyderabad the knowledge capital of India, Varanasi the spiritual centre of India and Pune a well known cultural and educational centre of India besides many other towns and even the rural areas. Terrorists who are main planners and conspirators enjoy safe sanctuary in Pakistan because of the patronage they enjoy from the elements of ruling establishment and the armed forces in the Pakistan. Both state and non-state actors play their own part in Pakistan. Lashkar-e-Taiba(LeT), enjoys enormous patronage from ruling establishment of Pakistan a fact too well known. The Indian Mujahideen (IM), the prime suspects in the Hyderabad blast has over the years evolved as country’s most lethal terror outfit whose rationale is revenge and prime motivation gruesome attacks in crowded places. Its main proponents are also enjoying safe sanctuary in Pakistan.

BJP firmly believes that normalcy in relationship with Pakistan is not possible unless it takes decisive action against terrorist elements operating from its soil against India – a commitment which Pakistan acknowledged in the January 2004 agreement between then Prime Minister Sh. Atal Bihari Vajpayee and President Musharraf. The UPA Government almost forgot this agreement. Though in the wake off 26/11 attack in Mumbai it took a tough stand against Pakistan but subsequently it kept diluting its position. At Sharm el-Sheikh in July 2009 it reversed its position and the demand for action against the perpetrators of Mumbai carnage became a mere ritual.

The UPA during most of the time focused more on politicising terror. When the NDA Government enacted the Prevention of Terrorism Act the Congress Party opposed it as anti minority and not anti terrorism even though the Supreme Court has upheld it. Mr. Sushil kr. Shinde the current Home Minister having a dismal record raked up the bogey of saffron and Hindu terror forgetting completely that terrorism has no colour or religion and that saffron and Hindu tradition represent the finest strands of our civilisational and cultural heritage. Obviously his comments gladdened the hearts of terrorist in Pakistan. Hafiz Saeed the mastermind of 26/11 Mumbai attack publicly welcomed it. The fact that Mr. Shinde expressed regret that he had no intention to hurt either the BJP or RSS will not deny Pakistan and terrorist there to point baseless accusing fingers.

The capital punishment to Afzal Guru was deliberately delayed again for vote bank inspite of the Supreme Court having upheld it more than seven years ago. The Government ought to have taken adequate measures to prevent any terrorist revenge in its wake. Home Minister Mr. Shinde’s statement that the Government had information about a potential terrorist attack does not mitigate the failure to prevent the Hyderabad blast. Obviously the Government has a lot to explain as to why it failed to act in time when it had to knowledge? Unfortunately rank politicisation of terror for vote bank politics has only weakened the nation’s resolve and capacity to combat this menace. BJP firmly believes that there must be zero tolerance and compromise against terrorism because not only the security and integrity but even the sovereignty of the country is involved. If hard decisions are needed it must be taken regardless of consequences.

There is a need for capacity building in the fight against terror. It is the combined responsibility of the centre and the state to combat terrorism. Under our constitutional scheme defence of India is the responsibility of the Central Government. Public order and police fall within the domain of states. The fight against terrorism can and must co-exist with federalism. It would be meaningless to debate an imaginary federalism verses terrorism issue. There is no objection in principle to a National Terrorism Counter Centre but its powers and jurisdiction must be within the constitutional framework.

The threat of Maoism and Naxalism remains serious as ever. They continue to kill with impunity innocent mostly in the rural areas as well as large number of security forces in different parts of the country. It is a national problem but the Government lacks the vision and direction as to how to tackle it?

Barbaric attack on Indian Soldiers by Pakistani Army

The recent killing of two brave Indian soldiers by Pakistani Army on the J&K border in the most inhuman and barbaric manner has created national outrage. The way their bodies were beheaded is totally unacceptable and deserves strong condemnation. We must recognise and respect the discretion of our brave Armed forces to give a suitable reply at an appropriate time. Obviously with all this and its sponsorship of terrorism against India, it is high time certain clear boundaries must be drawn in any engagement with Pakistan. Obviously meaningful engagement is not possible if innocent Indians continue to die because of terrorism sponsored from across the border.

The BJP is deeply concerned and condemns the recent attack on minority Hindus in Bangladesh by activists of the fundamentalist forces there. Many places of worship and houses have been destroyed of Hindus and even they have suffered physical assault. The BJP demands that the Government of India must take up the matter seriously at the diplomatic level with the Government of Bangladesh and ensure safety and security of the Hindus including their habitation and temples.

Women security in the centre of India’s political discourse

The unfortunate and inhuman gang rape and murder of a brave daughter of India in the capital recently has shocked the country. This has happened right in the capital of India is indeed a matter of shame and deserves strong condemnation. There was a very justified indignation in the entire country. The way peaceful protest largely by young people was handled by police and administration in Delhi is reprehensible. Young boys and girls along with some of their parents were brutally lathi charged and made to suffer water canon in freezing winter. Such incidents against women continues and unabated. The recent rape and murder of three minor girls in Bhandara(Maharashtra) and inaction by the police deserves strong condemnation. If India has to grow its women must feel safe and secure and it is our collective responsibility. The BJP is willing to support all firm legal and administrative measures to achieve this. Mere tokenism will not help. What is important is to improve on a priority basis police, legal and judicial infrastructure to apprehend and punish the guilty quickly.



Explosive situation in Assam

The situation in Assam remains highly explosive. An inept Congress Government whose only concern is vote bank politics and shelter to lacs of infiltrators from Bangladesh who have illegally settled in various part of Assam is only adding fuel to fire. The tribal population of Assam has become the biggest victim of this deadly combination. Recently about more than 20 tribal people were killed in Goalpara district who were rightly opposing the rural Panchayat election in Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council. The Gogoi Government was compelled under pressure from the illegal immigrants to force such election in spite of legitimate objection by the tribal people. Earlier nearly 50 people have been killed and over 2 lacs people rendered homeless in prolonged communal ethnic violence in and around Kokrajhar district. Violent clashes had broken out between native Bodos and illegal Muslim migrants from Bangladesh which is changing the states demographic profile especially of the district close to border. In Bodo populated areas this flood of illegal immigrants has caused large scale usurpation of tribal lands and made Bodos feel that they are being marginalised in their own land. Dr. Manmohan Singh who is a Rajya Sabha Member from Assam for the last more than 20 years must understand the gravity of the situation which indeed is a national problem. The Tarun Gogoi Government has totally failed to give security and safety to the tribal people of Assam. The interest of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh is more important for the Congress Government than the interest of tribals and others communities of Assam and North-east.

Any tampering with Ram Sethu is not acceptable

The BJP is strongly opposed to any move to tamper with Ram Sethu under the Sethu Samundram project. The UPA Government has recently rejected the Pachauri panel report which has raised serious ecological and economical concern. With an objective approach surely an alternative route can be found for the project. However, the very intention of the Government of India is seriously suspect. It had filed an affidavit earlier in the Supreme Court questioning the very existence of Lord Ram and was compelled to withdraw it only after a nation wide uproar. Any damage or tampering with Ram sethu is plainly not acceptable. Lord Ram epitomises the essence of India’s cultural, spiritual and civilisational heritage of India. The identity of India is incomplete without him and the story of Ram is incomplete without Ram Sethu. In this connection the BJP appreciates with assurance the initiative of the present Tamilnadu Government to declare it a monument of national importance.

Ganga and Yamuna are not only river but are the very life line of our country and represent its heritage. There present condition is a matter of deep concern. Its should be a matter of national resolve to restore these two rivers to its original glory in terms of cleaniness and uninterrupted flow.

Historic third continuous victory of the BJP in the State of Gujarat under Sh. Narendra Modi

The National Council warmly congratulates the people of Gujarat for giving the third continuous victory to the BJP in the state under the able leadership of CM Narendra Modi. His record of good governance which has brought remarkable growth and all round development in the state was ably supported by the people which a gave massive mandate for the third time. The Congress Party could not give even a serious fight with its many top leaders defeated convincingly.

We are confident that with their extraordinary performance the BJP Governments of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh under the leadership of Sh. Shivraj Singh Chauhan and Sh. Raman Singh will also register their third consecutive win when elections are held there in few months.

While we rejoice in our victory in Gujarat there is a need to introspect and draw the right lessons for our defeat in Himachal Pradesh. The state of Jharkhand is presently under President Rule and election must be held at earliest to enable the people to elect a popular Government. Any attempt by the centre to bring in Congress control indirectly through the President Rule will not be acceptable. We compliment the re-election of Naga People Front Government in Nagaland with which the BJP was in alliance. It is high time that the political resolution of Naga problem is expedited within the Indian Constitution.

Time to redeem India – NDA under the leadership of BJP the only credible alternative

The people of the country are truly fed up with rank corruption, mal-governance, price rise and unresponsive record of the UPA Government which has made the life of the common man utterly miserable. They recall fondly Sh. Atal Bihari Vajpayee led NDA Government which has left a great legacy of hope, enthusiasm, participation, tangible growth, good management of price rise and overall feeling of general goodwill which in turn has propelled India on the high road of an emerging big league player. In its place now there is gloom and despair. The UPA is leaving a legacy of “insecure India” and “suffering India”. India needs to be redeemed by the NDA under the leadership of BJP. Its a matter of great pride that when the nation’s growth rate is at below 5% under the UPA, most of the BJP and NDA ruled states like Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Punjab are recording an impressive growth rate of 10% plus. This has been possible because of good governance and a clear focus of growth with equity. It is time to awaken the country, expand the NDA and generate a hope for decisive change whenever election is held. The BJP wants to assure the people particularly the youth of the country that it will give India its rightful place – An India of hope, an India that is safe and secure, an India where there is all round progress which is inclusive and pervasive. The choice is clear - to relieve the country of the misery and misrule of the Congress led UPA, the BJP led NDA with its exemplary record of good governance is the only alternative. The National Council calls upon all the party workers to dedicate themselves fully towards this goal and spread out in every parts of the country for a decisive change for the country.
http://bjp.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8596:political-resolution-at-national-council-meeting&catid=68:press-releases&Itemid=494

Ram Setu in danger!

By Sandhya Jain on March 2, 2013

The Ram Setu, a land bridge between our southeastern coast in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka, and a valuable civilisational heritage, is being endangered by the UPA coalition, which, frightened by Andimuthu Raja’s move to testify before the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the 2G spectrum scam, has revived the Setusamudram Shipping Canal Project to appease its DMK ally.

Indians who pretend that the Setu’s sacredness is a figment of the political imagination of a segment of society may note that the structure has fascinated non-Hindus for centuries. Al-Beruni in the 11th century noted, “Setubandha means bridge of the ocean. It is the dike of Ram, the son of Dasarath, which he built from the continent to the castle Lanka. At present it consists of isolated mountains between which the ocean flows.” The 13th century Venetian adventurer, Marco Polo, mentions ‘Setabund Rameshwara’, a bridge related to Ram.

Early European travellers have recorded that a few hundred years ago, at low tide, the Ram Setu still served as a land bridge to Sri Lanka. Temple epigraphs and travelogues recorded in the Madras Presidency Gazetteer of 1893 state that this was possible up to 1799, after which the choppy waters and changing tide patterns rendered it difficult. A 16th-17th century map shows a land-link between India and Sri Lanka.

In the 18th century, Sir William Jones observed that the Devanagri script held sway “from the borders of Cashgar and Khoten, to Rama’s Bridge, and from the Sindhu to the river of Siam…” Speaking of Rama and his quest to rescue his wife from the clutches of Ravana, Jones added, “He soon raised a bridge of rocks over the sea, part of which, say the Hindus, yet remains; and it is probably the series of rocks to which the Muselmans or the Portuguese have given the foolish name of Adam’s (it should be called Rama’s) bridge” (Discourses delivered before the Asiatic society)

Interestingly, the Sinhala people have always believed that king Ashoka’s son Mahinda and daughter Sanghamitra came over the bridge. Hence Colombo’s puissant struggle to save it.

NASA satellite images clearly show a broken bridge on the ocean floor with unique curvature and composition that reveals it to be man-made, about 1,750,000 years old. Archeological studies confirm that the first signs of human habitation in Sri Lanka date back to about 1,750,000 years ago, and that the bridge’s age is almost equivalent. In March 2012, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa urged the Prime Minister to declare the Setu a national monument on account of its “immeasurable historical, archaeological and heritage value”.

The idea of a shipping channel across the Palk Strait was first mooted in the British in 1860 as a short-cut for ocean-going ships sailing between the west and east coast of India. From 1956, the Government of India set up several committees to examine its feasibility. The Setusamudram project was formally launched in 2005; dredging began in 2006. The same year, Hindu leaders met the President of India to protest destruction of the Ram Setu.

Ram Setu falls within the Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere; an international campaign to save this unique and fragile ecology readily included the Setu as a cultural heritage of mankind. The RK Pachauri committee appointed to study the issue in 2012 noted that shipping lanes in the Gulf of Mannar could cause oil spills and marine pollution, and ravage the rare soft-coral reefs, marine turtles, and rare endangered sea animals such as Dugongs and Green Turtles, besides adversely affecting the livelihoods of fishermen. (The report was summarily rejected when it found the project economically and ecologically unsound).

In 1989, the Government of India established the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere as South Asia’s largest protected marine ecosystem. It has 3,600 species of plants and animals, including sperm whales and dolphins, 117 species of corals (in Indian territorial waters alone), besides many varieties of fish and crustaceans. Any damage to these violates India’s commitments under the UN Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (Bonn Convention).

The marine life on the Sri Lankan side, which is better protected, is even richer. The Bar Reef off the Kalpitiya peninsular alone has 156 species of coral and 283 of fish; there are two other coral reef systems around Mannar and Jaffna. There are extensive banks of oysters, as well as Indian Chank and Sea Cucumbers, especially in the seas adjacent to Mannar.

The ocean floor between India and Sri Lanka is too shallow for ships, so vessels sailing from India’s west and heading to Bangladesh or Indian ports on the east coast have to go around Sri Lanka. It was thought that a channel at Mannar would save nearly 780 km of sailing distance and 30 hours of sailing time for ships, and benefit the Indian Navy and Coast Guard.

But Sri Lanka’s National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency noted that this would increase the water flow from the Bay of Bengal to the Gulf of Mannar, disturbing the inland water balance and Mannar eco-systems. It would hurt fishermen, who are vociferously resisting the project as shipping and fishing cannot coexist in that narrow waterway.

Moreover, cyclone data from 1860 to 2000 shows that cyclones cross the region and its neighborhood once every four years and severely erode the coast. Tsunamis can be even more lethal; the 2004 tsunami has not even been factored in.

The project has failed to study the sedimentation pattern of Palk Bay, which would quantify how much sediment would need to be removed each season, which impacts feasibility. The Information Memorandum of UTI Bank (now Axis Bank) pegged dredging costs at Rs 200 million in the first year. Experts say it will be higher as the open sea constantly brings sand, which could keep the channel effectively closed much of the year. The Suez Canal was cut through land, but needs to be annually desilted.

Experts feel the channel will be unviable as it will involve reducing speed, switching fuels, and extra costs like canal charges and pilot navigation assistance to negotiate it. Also, for security reasons ships must keep a distance of 200 nautical miles from the Sri Lankan coast; the channel does not address this concern.

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear the matter and may be our last hope.

http://www.niticentral.com/2013/03/02/ram-setu-in-danger-51508.html

As Europe goes down, we need to be prepared for consequences

March 4, 2013 · by Prof Vaidyanathan

The European economic and social crisis is becoming worse with each passing day. One business channel asked me in 2008 how long it might take to recover and I responded saying 40 quarters — they never came back to interview. But now I forecast it may never recover.

Sri Aurobindo said that India will rise on the ashes of western civilisation and it seems to be coming true. It is important to recognise that the dominance of the West has been there only for last 200 odd years. According to Angus Maddison’s pioneering OECD study, India and China had nearly 50 per cent of global GDP as late as the 1820s. Hence India and China are not emerging or rising powers. They are retrieving their original position. In 1990, the share of the G-7 in world GDP (on a purchasing power parity basis) was 51 per cent and that of emerging markets, 36 per cent. But in 2012, it is the reverse. So the dominant west is a myth.

Europe is facing three types of crisis – economic, demographic, civilisational and it is not in a position to come out of these. All three are not recent ones; they were developing over a period and are now culminating into a catastrophe.

The Debt to GDP ratio of most of Europe is at unsustainable levels with our own Britain having above 500 per cent — I say our own since we are going to have to help them run their country sooner than later. There are three major constituents of debt — Government debt, corporate debt and household debt. Of the three, we find household debt has reached nearly 80 to 100 per cent of GDP in most of these countries. The reason is simple — unlike India, households in Europe and USA have forgotten one simple word — savings. They live on debt and are interned by debt.

The situation is made worse by the unemployment situation. Youth unemployment has reached 55 per cent in Spain and hovering above 30 per cent in most of the other countries. Youth is defined as being between the ages of 16 to 24, unlike in India where even a 43-year-old is a ‘youth icon’. The overall unemployment is at more than 25 per cent in most countries and it is creating social turmoil.

Along with this is the demographic crisis. The population of Europe during the First World War was nearly 25 per cent. Today it is around 11 per cent and is expected to become 3 per cent in another 20 years. This is mainly due to low reproductive rates and in some countries is as low as 1 when 2.1 is considered as equilibrating rate. Europe will disappear from the world map unless migrants from Africa and Asia take it over. That is why Europe is being referred to as Eurobia and London as Londonistan.

The root cause of the issue is the attempt in Europe to nationalize families and privatize business. Old age issue/ health issues/ child care issues are all normal family activities that have been taken over by the state and the state is broke. Funded security schemes are facing crisis since not enough numbers are getting in to labor force due to low reproductive rates and unfunded security system is in difficulty since taxes are not adequate due to low population growth.

Coupled with economic and demographic crisis is the crisis of civilization in Europe. It has renounced the Church and has become secular. Church attendance has fallen significantly and churches have become tourist attractions rather than places of worship.

Most of the migrants, particularly those doing ‘brown colour work’ – like garbage removal, cleaning plates in restaurant, porter jobs, and grape-picking — are people from Mauritania/ Somalia/ Algeria etc and most are Muslims by faith. Due to a high degree of unemployment, there is resentment against migrants and this anger is turning into anger against Muslims. Added to this is the new front started by France in Mali to fight Islamic fundamentalists. Africa may become a new Vietnam for Europe.

Europe is sitting on a time bomb and any small spark could ignite it. Remember that all conflicts in the last 2000 years have started in Europe and became ‘world’ conflicts. India has already given $10 billion or Rs 56,000 crore – nearly one per cent of GDP to help Europe. Not a single European paper or leader has thanked us openly. One can only hope that we need not give more of our GDP or become cannon fodder in anglo-saxon conflicts.

We can never be certain about our Government. It may involve us in the emerging conflicts since our foreign policy is generally subservient to the anglo-saxon interests and we muddle along instead of doing strategic thinking. The sooner we evolve a strategy, the better, and it should be de-coupled from conflicts and focus on the eastern front.

Author is professor at IIM-Bangalore --Views are personal

http://prof-vaidyanathan.com/2013/03/04/as-europe-goes-down-we-need-to-be-prepared-for-consequences/

http://www.niticentral.com/2013/03/04/as-europe-goes-down-we-need-to-be-prepared-for-consequences-51804.html

March 4, 2013
How should India react to the economic decline of Europe?

See the blogpost where Prof. Vaidyanathan presents the dismal state of the European Community and asks India to be prepared for the consequences of future turmoil in Europe.
http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.com/2013/03/as-europe-goes-down-india-needs-to-be.html As Europe goes down, India needs to be prepared - R. Vaidyanathan

India has an abiding interest in the fate of Europe since India had been led by a colonial regime for over 200 years until Independence in 1947. The colonial regime was a regime of loot of the nation's wealth, resulting in famines and impoverishment. The post-colonial regime has also seen loot of the nation's wealth of unprecedented magnitudes impeding the nation's progress to its true role in the global economy. Vaidyanathan rightly notes that both China and India are retrieving their position of 1820s when they had nearly 50 percent of the global GDP. "In 1990, the share of the G-7 in world GDP (on a purchasing power parity basis) was 51 per cent and that of emerging markets, 36 per cent." This role reversal is the dominant characteristic of the global economy.

Economies of G-7 nations including many members of the European Community which were once imperial powers are now in a dismal state.

What should India do? India giving $10 billion will not be adequate to redeem the ex-colonial states. India and China have to relentlessly pursue the goal of retrieving the status they had in the global economy of 1820s.

India should sets its economic house in order by ridding the state of intolerable levels of corruption leading to flight of wealth into tax havens. Vigorous efforts should be made to ensure restitution of India's wealth stashed from such corruption sanctuaries.

India polity should be restored to its healthy state of a nation led by dharma, eternal, univeresal ethical order devoted to the attainment of abhyudayam, welfare for all the peoples. This necessitates weeding out anti-national elements governed by their own personal interests, now ruling the state. The economic policies of the state should be such as to be in conformity with the civilizational traditions and ethos and restoring family values which are the hall-mark of the civilization promoting family savings and family-based social security systems.

I thought that it was remarkable that states which fought two world wars in Europe finally saw reason and constituted themselves into an European Community to realise their destinies. It appears that the Community is not cohesive enough financially given the mismanagement of public debts of the European states and the failure of the Germans to truly reach out to the other states to make the European monetary union meaningful beyond simply having a common currency, the Euro. The nation-state model of allowing the states to run their own independent fiscal policies has not worked effectively leading to the situation of the PIIGS withhin the European Community. PIIGS is an acronym which refers to Portugal, Italy, Greece, and Spain – as states in a mess created by sovereign debt markets, with people living beyond their productive means.

This holds a lesson for the Indian Ocean Community (IOC) as and when it is formed as a counterpoise to the European Community. IOC can be a powerhouse which can be an effective reaction to the decline of Europe while restoring China and India to their rightful share of the global GDP.

More on the Indian Ocean Community in the links provided at http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.com/2012/12/indian-ocean-community-book-review-by-v.htmlIndian Ocean Community -- A book review by V. Sundaram IAS & Praveen Shanker Pillai

http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.com/2012/11/rastram-is-indian-ocean-community.htmlRāṣṭram is Indian Ocean Community -- Kalyanaraman (Nov. 2012)

Kalyanaraman

NARENDRA MODI & INDIA’S FUTURE
The time for soft options is over.
By Gautam Sen (4 March 2013)

London: Narendra Modi is evidently a very dangerous man, so dangerous that some within the nationalist fold incited the Shiv Sena to identify Sushma Swaraj as their preferred candidate for nomination as the Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime-ministerial candidate. The somewhat jaded K.Govindacharya pointedly added his two pennies worth against Modi, no doubt a manoeuvre he hoped might restore his rightful place within the Sangha fold! Indeed there are grounds for suspecting that even the redoubtable Nitish Kumar received not dissimilar encouragement to undermine Narendra Modi by threatening support for Sonia Gandhi’s preposterous caravan that is proving so utterly disastrous for India. Indeed, it is significant that one of the candidates they all wish to choose was smilingly endorsed by Digvijay Singh, that great patriot, preoccupied with the threat of global saffron terror, who refers to jihadi terrorists with the respectful suffix ‘ji’. So what if they have copious Indian blood on their hands; this is Indian secularism in action. No doubt Voltaire and those great luminaries of the Enlightenment and secularism would have approved.

Without Narendra Modi, the BJP is guaranteed defeat and India the manifest calamity of a Parliament utterly divided among the most venal politicians anyone could inflict on it. And the 2014 Lok Sabha elections would be followed, in order to form a government, by an auction for endless opportunities to plunder, of which India has already had a grim foretaste. Is this what the great patriots and part-time cultural nationalists are willing to countenance by opposing Narendra Modi? It is not outlandish to suggest that the vehement campaign from some on his own side to scupper him actually originates from within the Congress. Some of them may have been prodded to oppose Modi because of the devastatingly compromising information of their corruption and related peccadilloes held by the ruling establishment. Narendra Modi himself is apparently rather unblemished and has managed to survive the most sustained calumny experienced by any Indian politician since independence. But all the fabrications and deceit, which made even hardened sceptics of Indian media shenanigans occasionally waver, failed, with the Supreme Court and SIT dismissing them unambiguously.

This is the fateful moment when the future of India will be decided and it appears to hinge on the solitary issue of whether or not Narendra Modi leads as the Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime-ministerial candidate in 2014. The party’s credibility is at a nadir despite some remarkable performances by regional BJP governments, most notably Chattisgarh’s Raman Singh and Shivraj Singh Chauhan of Madhya Pradesh. The BJP’s internal divisions and failure as the Opposition and, worse still, apparent complicity in the bitter legacy of rule by the UPA, have destroyed the high expectations that brought it to power in 1998 and 1999. Having cynically played the Ayodhya card, which is all it was for most of the leadership, who privately regard it as incredibly droll, they are in danger of becoming a proverbial busted flush. In fact, they are poised to end up with significantly fewer than 100 seats in 2014. Narendra Modi could change all that. He brings with him an enviable track record of success that all the ludicrous lies from the Congress camp, about Gujarat’s economic and social indices during his time, cannot repudiate. The nomination of Narendra Modi will instantly expunge many of the post-Ayodhya sins of duplicity and betrayal, the deep horror at the bankrupt UPA, and its abominable real and faux leaders. He will also galvanize urban India, the natural constituency of a nationalist party that the BJP miraculously all but managed to annihilate. With Narendra Modi, the BJP and its allies will have a fighting chance of becoming the single largest party by a reasonable margin, and indeed achieve a number that will attract support from the few others that will prove necessary to form a government.

Narendra Modi is going to disappoint the Hindutva camp by concentrating on economic development and good governance. In fact, he will likely practice genuine secularism because he will not be pandering to vote banks. Relations with Pakistan will be corrected where cricket may become a distant memory. Narendra Modi would also need to make the hard choice of intrusive interdictions of terror suspects, the only way to make a serious attempt to curb it. It will offend some sections, but experience everywhere shows that high-grade intelligence-gathering, combined with determined pursuit of potential suspects, are a minimum first step if terror attacks are to be minimized. One may boldly hazard a guess that much of the bureaucracy will rise to the challenge to perform, once the worse of the on-going rot is smartly reined in, since many do in fact wish to deliver. In the somewhat unlikely event that Nitish Kumar really wishes to sell his soul and, with it, India for some additional money for Bihar and act as spoiler, the BJP should walk out of the Bihar coalition government and fight every seat in Bihar to ensure his political oblivion. The moment of truth is here and there are no soft options. The future of India is at stake.

Dr Gautam Sen has taught Political Economy at the London School of Economics.

http://www.newsinsight.net/NarendraModiAndIndia%E2%80%99sfuture.aspx#page=page-1

See also: http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.com/2013/01/citizens-petition-for-action-against.htmlCitizens' petition for action against perpetrators of the Great Rare Earths' Robbery in India
To: "secy-mines@nic.in"
Sent: Monday, March 4, 2013 10:33 AM
Subject: Himalayan Loot of Precious Minerals in the Coastal Districts of Southern Tamilnadu - Prayer for immediate action to stop the loot.
4th March 2013

Dear Shri R. H. Khwaja,

I tried to contact you on the telephone at least half a dozen times on two consecutive days during official working hours last week.

I did succeed in talking to two members of your Personal Office Staff and they gave me an assurance that they would pass on to you my request for talking to you over the telephone.
I have no personal business to be officially transacted with you. I only wanted to talk to you over a very important and impersonal PUBLIC INTEREST ISSUE. I wanted to invite your kind attention to the gigantic loot of precious atomic minerals like Ileminite, Rutile, Zircon etc, apart from Garnet, being carried out in the three Southern Districts of Tamilnadu namely Thirunelveli, Thoothukudi and Kanyakumari by an Organized Gang of Mafia Business leaders.

I perhaps failed to reach you on the telephone either because of my illuck or bad destiny!
I know you have a high public reputation for Unimpeachable integrity. I request you to initiate action on a WAR FOOTING TO PUT AN IMMEDIATE END to the uncontrolled plunder and export of Precious Atomic Mineral wealth taking place in Tamilnadu.

I belong to the 1965 batch of the I.A.S. I took my B.A (HONS) and M.A degree in Economics from St. Stephens College of Delhi University in 1963. I worked as Lecturer in Economics in Delhi University from 1963 – 1965. I joined the I.A.S in July 1965. I sought voluntary retirement from the Tamilnadu Cadre of the I.A.S in March 1994 at the age of 52. I am praying to Almighty that I Should get an opportunity to talk to you about the PUBLIC INTEREST ISSUE which I have detailed above.

With Warm Regards and Profound Respects

Yours Sincerely,
V.SUNDARAM I.A.S

What is the big deal about an event run by a student body? I agree with Sandeep: Modi doesn't need Wharton.

Kalyanaraman

How Wharton Scored a Huge Self-Goal
March 5, 2013
By Sandeep

The most important thing before we begin is to call things by their proper name. One, our clever-by-half media and secularati have twisted the retraction of Wharton School India Economic Forum’s invitation to Narendra Modi as a “snub.” Two, it was Wharton that had invited Modi. Modi hadn’t sought it out.

Two pithy and succinct commentaries nicely sum up this shameful incident. The first is a tweet by Rajiv Malhotra: “Wharton snub of Modi is meddling in Indian democracy. Like Oxford training East India Co. officers. Except now Indian sepoys are professors.” The second is a blog post by Pamela Geller:

American stalwart institutions giving up our most basic freedom to Islamic supremacists, goons and thugs….The loss of our most basic freedoms without firing a shot is stunning.

Wharton’s fault is not so much as cancelling Modi’s invitation but cancelling it in the face of bullying tactics by a handful of fascist bigots that includes both professors and students. With this, Wharton has accomplished two things together: it has demonstrated that it’s no longer a stalwart institution, and it has violated the spirit of the American First Amendment.

Rajiv Malhotra’s point is closer home, and a deeper examination of the folks and forces who orchestrated the invitation-revocation reveals disturbing things.

The first point is that the Government of India is a sponsor to this event. As we note, the Government hasn’t uttered a single word of condemnation against the band of bigots who got Modi’s invitation revoked. As a Constitutionally-elected (thrice) Chief Minister, it becomes the Government’s responsibility to refuse to kowtow to this ragtag group of muckrakers. Whatever the ruling party’s politics at home, it should realize a basic fact when abroad: it needs to strongly condemn people of other countries who try to dictate who gets invited or whose invite gets cancelled. And when such a thing occurs, it needs to unilaterally withdraw from the event on moral grounds. As we see, it hasn’t done so. Why? The simple answer: the current dispensation doesn’t mind being held hostage to a group of virulent Narendra Modi-haters even if it means India’s image abroad takes a beating.

The longer answer lies precisely in the composition and agenda of these Professor-Sepoys. But first, here’s the Facebook group that lists more than 900 people who wanted—and got—the cancellation of Modi’s invitation. What also unites these folks is the fact a whole lot of them supported mercy petitions for the Indian Parliament attack mastermind Afzal Guru, and the Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab who mowed down innocent Indians in cold blood on 26/11/2008 in Mumbai.

But when we distill this group to get to the key players who assiduously worked towards and pulled off this shameful deed, we get the following key names:

Ania Loomba and Suvir Kaul—Professors of English at University of Pennsylvania, they were two of the three professors who kickstarted this free-speech-violating petition.
Toorjo Ghosh—Assistant Professor of English, the third kickstarter. Here’s how he gloats about the cancellation: “It is the result of the pressure that we were able to bring over the organisers… in the last two days. I am very very proud of Wharton as well as the Penn University.” In other words, he’s proud that Wharton and Penn acquiescence in choking free speech and democracy.
Shabnam Hashmi—No surprises here. Owner of the highly communal NGO named ANHAD, she’s been one of the key players in the Gujarat Riots Cottage Industry, and continues to be highly active in demonizing Narendra Modi.
TV18—A sponsor of the IEF. This is the same group that owns the news channel CNN-IBN, headed by Rajdeep Sardesai, a known Modi-baiter. He was also caught with his pants down in that shameful Cash for Votes scandal of 2008.
Adani Group—Another sponsor, which withdrew after Modi’s invite was cancelled.
Indeed, the name of that Facebook group is very telling of the attitude of these academic fascists and the students and others who supported them: Ban Narendra Modi From Speaking At Wharton. A terminology typically representative of the free-speech-hating Left. Nobody is denying them their right to criticize Modi, yet what is their first response when they hear that Modi is invited to speak at Wharton? BAN him, muzzle free speech, and murder democracy. However, something else also becomes clear when we look at a partial list of participants at the IEF:

Montek Ahluwalia
Dilip Cherian
Milind Deora
Javed Akhtar and his wife, Shabana Azmi
Rajeev Masand
Samir Mitra
Suresh Prabhu (who dropped out after news of Modi)
All of these except Suresh Prabhu are in one way or the other related either to the ruling Congress party or supportive of its brand of twisted secularism. But it doesn’t end there. Here’s what the note sent out by the IEF Organizing team says:

our goal as a team is to provide a neutral platform to encourage cross pollination of ideas as we all work towards contributing to India’s success…We do not endorse any political views and do not support any specific ideology.

I suppose the neutral and “not endors(ing) any political views” part doesn’t apply to Union Minister Milind Deora.

The strident opposition to Narendra Modi stems from two reasons. The first is the obvious desire to push a Leftist agenda that thrives on India-baiting. The second is the string of successes that Narendra Modi has recently achieved beginning with his third consecutive, thumping electoral victory and his massive show-stealer at the BJP National Council in Delhi yesterday. These have decisively set the stage for a larger role in national politics. Except a few motivated folks, nobody has really been able to dispute his stupendous Gujarat Development Story that has consistently delivered quality governance and economic development. This precisely is the fear of the fascist professors and other fellow travellers: a scenario in which Narendra Modi had spoken at Wharton. There’s little doubt that he’d be the undisputed giant in that assemblage of the aforementioned pygmies who simply cannot think beyond spurious secularism and socialist platitudes. Indeed, that cancellation note explicitly records all these achievements of Modi.

Equally, the fact that the fascist pressure group was led by Left academics is also consistent with their decade-long record of Modi-baiting. It’s both symbolic and symptomatic of the rot that pervades almost all humanities departments in universities worldwide. These Left-infiltrated universities actively discourage critical thinking by substituting reason with theory and rhetoric. Be it the Jaipur Literary Festival or the current disgrace at Wharton, we see the same or familiar faces. What business does Javed Akhtar and Shabana Azmi have in a Business School? And why were they even invited? Which exposes—yet again—another facet common to events where the Left is involved: preying on taxpayer money.

But what’s clear is this: Wharton and indeed, UPenn itself has scored a massive self-goal by giving in to these Left Professors’ bullying tactics. A goldmine of a sponsor like Adani has pulled out. The former Union Minister, Suresh Prabhu has pulled out. And they haven’t taken this lightly. The social media world began to slam Wharton almost as soon as news of the invite cancellation was reported, and the slamming torrent hasn’t abated. More importantly, Narendra Modi doesn’t need Wharton.

We end this with a self-explanatory and highly revealing snippet:

Curiously enough, not a single professor from the Wharton School, one of the most prestigious business schools of the US, which is part of the University of Pennsylvania, was a signatory to this letter.

http://www.sandeepweb.com/2013/03/05/wharton-scored-a-huge-self-goal/

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/147677264/Protect-Ramasetu-(Vedantam-80th-birthday-meet-Trichy-March-4-2013)

manadu page

Hope EC will not goof up on their promise. ECI watch should continue because the story of 2009 Lok Sabha polls rigging results of about 90 constituencies tampering with EVM is as yet uninvestigated, unresolved: http://government.wikia.com/wiki/Review_the_2009_Lok_Sabha_Election_Process:_Promises_and_Reality This is a remarkable account of expose by MD Nalapat and Anupam Saraph.

Kalyan

05 MAR 2013
Wisdom dawns at last on the poll panel

A Surya Prakash

It is satisfying to note that the Election Commission of India has finally agreed to the demand that electronic voting machines must issue paper receipts to voters. This is needed, because EVMs are not tamper-proof

After standing on false prestige and even becoming vindictive against those who suspected the integrity of electronic voting machines, the Election Commission of India has finally acceded to the demand that the machines must issue a paper receipt to voters.

The commission’s decision — made known to the Supreme Court in February in response to a petition filed by Mr Subramanian Swamy, president of the Janata Party, that EVMs be scrapped — is a major victory for all those who were campaigning against electronic voting machines because the latter lacked transparency.

Mr Swamy had argued that EVMs must be scrapped because they are not tamper-proof. They could be retained only if there was transparency via a paper trail, so that every voter knew that his vote had been registered correctly. Even Japan, which started the process of electronic voting, has reverted to paper ballots. Many other countries have also fallen back on paper ballots for the same reason.

The commission, which had stubbornly resisted the demand for either scrapping EVMs or introducing a paper trail, began to display some reasonableness in the matter after Mr Swamy moved the Supreme Court and a Bench comprising Justices P Sathasivam and Ranjan Gogoi declared that it would hear the matter on a priority basis, so that the proceedings concluded before the next parliamentary election.

The commission signalled its readiness to consider the plea when it told the court last September that it was contemplating “foolproof methods” to ensure that EVMs were not misused or tampered and that it was consulting technical experts and political parties in this regard.

Finally, some weeks ago, the commission informed the court that it was willing to incorporate the paper trail in order to remove doubts about the integrity of EVMs. The commission told the court that it had done a trial of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail in EVMs in 180 polling stations in various States. This system could be incorporated after it received the opinion of an expert committee that is examining the issue. The commission proposes to use the paper trail first in some by-election and later incorporate the same in the general election. It has already asked EVM manufacturers to fine-tune the paper trail system.

The debate on the integrity of the EVMs was started three years ago when a group of public spirited NRIs headed by Satya Dosapati of New Jersey organised workshops in Delhi and Chennai under the aegis of ‘Save Indian Democracy’ and invited national and international experts to speak about the vulnerability of these machines to hacking and fraud. Among them was Till Jaeger, a lawyer who got the Federal Constitutional Court in Germany to ban the use of these machines in that country; Rop Gonggrijp, a computer hacker from the Netherlands who demonstrated on live television how the machine could be hacked, and Alex Halderman, professor of Computer Science, University of Michigan, USA, who is an authority on electronic voting security. The most prominent Indian expert at these workshops was Hari Prasad of Hyderabad, who spoke about the ease with which EVMs could be tampered with and on how, irrespective of voters’ preferences, the machine could be pre-programmed to produce a result.

The argument against EVMs is that the machines can be tampered with at the manufacturing stage or at places where they are stored in State capitals. The biggest drawback of these machines is that, since the vote count happens inside the machine, there is no way by which the result can be cross-checked. Given the extent of corruption and fraud in various facets of governance in India, it would be foolish to discount the possibility of EVMs being manipulated by political parties in power or by pliant election authorities.

Mr Hari Prasad demonstrated the vulnerability of these machines to the Election Commission some months prior to these workshops. However, such was the commission’s fear of the truth that it abruptly stopped Mr Prasad and his colleagues midway through their demonstration. Later, the commission became very vindictive and even launched criminal prosecution against Mr Prasad and had him arrested in August, 2010, for demonstrating the EVMs’ vulnerability to fraud on what the police alleged was a stolen machine! In fact, the alleged theft of the machine itself constituted an indictment of the commission. It showed how EVMs could be taken out of the commission’s custody and, thereafter, even tampered with. The commission learnt of the so-called theft only after Mr Prasad demonstrated on television how the machine could be hacked.

Thus, the Election Commission resorted to punitive action against a whistleblower, whose only intention was to protect the sanctity of the electoral process in the world’s largest democracy.

As a public body which has the responsibility of superintendence, direction and control of elections, the commission must function in a people-friendly and transparent manner. It must first convince us that those who man it are democrats who are willing to see and listen. It must also convince us that it has no political axe to grind, although all the commissioners are appointed by the Government of the day through an obviously partisan process.

As former Chief Justice of India MN Venkatachalaiah often says, democracy is not just about statistics — “there are over 700 million voters in India”. The members of the commission must demonstrate their deep and abiding commitment to democratic ideals, and their non-partisanship should be beyond doubt.

Given the fact that the commission was headed at one time by Navin Chawla — a man indicted by the Shah Commission for conduct “unbecoming of a public servant” during the Emergency — the attitude of the Election Commission against Mr Prasad was no surprise. When persons like Mr Chawla, whose commitment to democracy is suspect, are appointed Election Commissioners, it is no surprise to see the commission running away from the truth on an important question which concerned the integrity of the electoral process and, as a consequence, of the Election Commission itself.

In any case, now that Mr Chawla has retired, the commission must redeem itself in the public eye. Since it has, in principle, accepted the argument that a paper trail is a must if EVMs are to be used, it must gracefully withdraw the criminal proceedings against Mr Prasad.

It must also speed up the technical clearances needed to give voters a paper receipt when they vote in the next Lok Sabha election. 2014 is a high stakes parliamentary election and the Election Commission is duty-bound to ensure the sanctity of the results of that poll. The commission must act with efficiency and grace.

http://www.dailypioneer.com/columnists/item/53544-wisdom-dawns-at-last-on-the-poll-panel.html

Fiasco of Modi at Wharton

Rajeev Srinivasan

March 5, 2013

Now that it is official – Narendra Modi is no longer invited by the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School to their India Economic Forum to be a keynote speaker – it occurs to me that the whole thing could have been foreseen.

Indeed, I was mildly surprised when I first heard Modi had accepted the invitation – what about his visa, I thought to myself. In fact, I thought this whole thing was going to end in a fiasco, remembering how Subramanian Swamy had been summarily despatched by Harvard, and how Witzel has mocked Indians.

The outcome could not possibly have been any different, considering the dramatis personae – the Left-lib types in academe, the religious fundamentalists, the US Government, and the Government of India. All of them have acted perfectly rationally, as per their points of view and their objectives.

First, the leftists. The Left-lib types are on the ascendant in US universities, and they are feeling their oats as their favorite, Barack Obama, handily won election last year, and has appointed two Atlanticists as Secretary of State and Secretary of Defence. It is not a conjecture that the halls of academe tend to be full of very Left-leaning people, who are far more leftist than the average citizen. This is as true of the US as it is of India.

In India, I have been appalled at the kinds of opinions held by faculty at one of the most prestigious colleges in the country, where I taught for a while. These people were dismissive of points of view that did not fit with their comfortable axioms; I also suspected they got their views by just listening to some TV anchor – it was so superficial and incoherent. And this at a top-rated school; I dread to think of what it must be in lesser schools.

At Stanford, I have found a palpable hostility to Indian, specifically Hindu, interests. Now Stanford, partly because of the gravitational pull of the conservative Hoover Institution on campus, is relatively less leftist. Yet, there too there is animosity – it is perhaps the conservative Christian hostility to anything other than its own dogma. In any case, a clique of far-leftists, including an execrable group of Indian communists, have hijacked the agenda there. Most Indian-origin people invited to lecture there are fiercely anti-Hindu, if not anti-India too.

So you can’t win. It is either the holy-rollers intent on ‘saving’ the pagans by taking their land away from them; or it is the leftists intent on spreading their wacky ideas for world conquest. Christopher Hitchens, in another context, quoted Dante Allighieri who said that “the Pope was fornicating with the Emperor”. Similarly, here it is the communists fornicating with the fundamentalists. India is the easiest target as it is full of fifth columnists.

Second, the Islamists. They, too, see themselves on a winning note in the US, as they have an immense, and rather baffling, ability to intimidate, browbeat, or guilt-trip people, as and when required. There are entities such as CAIR that forcefully push the Islamist agenda. Besides, if the stick doesn’t work, there is always the carrot. Just look at how much petro-money Islamists are willing to throw around, especially on campuses – Faigate, anyone?

Let us also remember that it was a Hyderabad, India-born Muslim librarian at MIT who spearheaded the earlier campaign to deny Modi a visa to the US. He was attached to the Aga Khan Foundation.
[ COMMENT : (late) Omar Khalidi ]

The idea of keeping the Modi/Gujarat riots issue alive is to reinforce their positioning of Muslims as ‘victims’ almost by definition. And we all know that Westerners, ignorant of the situation on the ground, can be induced to support ridiculous positions if these positions are well-marketed: As happened in the case of Binayak Sen, saint and healer.

Third, the US Government. Obama has decided that all his vaunted bipartisanism is for the birds, now that he never has to stand for election again. His brinksmanship on the sequester, as well as his naming of John Kerry and Chuck Hagel shows that Obama does not plan to compromise (of course except where he is forced to).

It is a fact that America has been defeated in Afghanistan, or is pretty close to it. They have to declare victory and run like hell. It has become a tar baby for them, and they simply want to exit, having accomplished nothing other than spending a trillion dollars and having thousands of their soldiers die. They want to walk away, and the simplest thing to do is to leave Afghanistan to the tender mercies of the Pakistanis.

Of course, the Americans brought about their dependence on Pakistan through their own orneriness. If they had not been so dogmatic about Iran (okay, admittedly Iran is a dubious ally, but it is not possible to find a more dubious ‘ally’ than Pakistan) they could have cut Pakistan out of the loop entirely by approaching Afghanistan from the west. As things stand, they have to swallow their pride, even though it is plain as daylight that Islamabad is playing a double game, and mollify Pakistan.

And what is the Americans’ favorite mechanism to please Pakistan? Why, giving them Kashmir (that was Chuck Hagel’s preferred solution as he held forth in a Press conference). The small matter that Kashmir is not theirs to give away is a minor detail. Nor does it matter to them that, like Oliver Twist, Pakistan will never be satisfied, but will keep asking for more.

Finally, the Government of India. In many respects, it is the real culprit. It may well be happy that this issue is diverting attention away from the many scams coming to light, and also from the rather brutal Budget that was presented just a few days ago. Very convenient to act all pristine and chaste and feign injured innocence. It may even have initiated this diversionary tactic. Well, even if it didn’t, it is quite capable of diversionary tactics – remember how the gravely ill rape-victim was flown to Singapore to divert attention.

The Government of India, specifically the Congress, is also demonstrating that it remains deathly scared of Narendra Modi. They have tried every trick in the book, and even set up an official Dirty Tricks Department (or words to that effect) to denigrate Modi. Their attempts at tejovadham are going nowhere, but they do not let up on the constant propaganda. They have at their service a truly motley crew of characters: Angry Dancer [ Malika Sarabhai] , Police Officer 1.0 and 2.0 [ Sanjeev Bhat & Rahul Sharma] , Ex-Babu-Now-Saint [Harsh Mander] , and the allegedly Witness-Coaching Activist[ Teesta OH! Teesta Setalvad] who was told to keep away from their locality by the victims who were allegedly being helped.

The irony is that this may become one of those stories with unintended consequences. The real losers may well be the Left-lib types. I am reminded of Oliver Goldsmith’s ‘Elegy on the Death of a Mad Dog’: This may come back to bite the Left-libs’ posteriors. Here is what the elegy says:
But soon a wonder came to light,
That showed the rogues they lied:
The man recovered of the bite,
The dog it was that died.
That may well be the epitaph of the story. It is Wharton, and the Left-libs and their fundamentalist pals that are facing the fallout. The serenely unconcerned Modi may well benefit from this incident, wherein he was plainly wronged.

http://www.niticentral.com/2013/03/05/fiasco-of-modi-at-wharton-52433.html

2 March 2013

Dark side of Lanka

India Drove Rajapaksa To Become A Ruthless Dictator

sam rajappa

WHEN the chilling new photographs of LTTE supremo Velupillai Pirapaharan’s 12-year-old son Balachandran captured and held in a sandbag bunker of the Sri Lankan Army and executed in cold blood and photographed again were published in the media recently, the international community was shocked but official India was unmoved. Unlike his older brother Charles Antony and sister Dwarka, Balachandran never joined the LTTE, never bore arms against the Sri Lankan armed forces or anyone else. He was executed in cold blood because of his ethnicity and parentage. It was an extremely barbaric act. The photographic evidence is part of the third documentary by Britain’s Channel 4 titled No War Zone: The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka, which will be screened in Geneva in March ahead of a second resolution sponsored by the USA against the island nation at the UN Human Rights Council.

While most of the civilised world rallied behind a similar resolution last year to fix accountability of Sri Lanka’s war crimes and to take reparative steps, India made sure the text of the resolution was watered down to make it virtually ineffective.

As the 22nd session of the UNHRC begins in Geneva this week, it is important to keep in mind that Sri Lanka has ignored last year’s resolution and that it is not at all committed to implementing the recommendations prescribed by its own presidentially appointed Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission. Human Rights Watch has called for the UNHRC to authorise an independent, international investigation into war crimes committed during the final months of Sri Lanka’s armed conflict. It is of the opinion the Commonwealth community of nations may have some leverage because Sri Lanka is scheduled to host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in November, a prestigious event for a small country.

A UN report compiled by its former spokesman in Colombo, Gordon Weiss, had said that about 40,000 people had been killed in the closing days of the civil war in May 2009. The Sri Lanka government, backed by a handful of nations with dubious human rights record, has been defiant even after the UNHRC resolution and has done precious little to implement it. In fact, it has become more brazen in muzzling free speech and civil liberties, and stripping down its constitutional institutions, including the judiciary.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, said recently that the Sri Lanka government was indulging in triumphalism in the Northern Province. She said that no mechanism had been established to trace people who went missing in the aftermath of the civil war and that investigations of disappearances had not led to any arrest or prosecution.

Civilians in the north have been prevented from commemorating victims of the war and more than 20,000 Tamil graves have been razed in the Vanni area where war museums and war memorials hailing Sinhala soldiers have been erected, Navi Pillay said. She warned the triumphalist images would create a strong sense of alienation among the Tamil population.

The Sri Lanka government has launched a systematic campaign to destroy Tamil culture and identity in the island nation. Names of 89 Tamil villages and towns have been changed; they now have Sinhala names. Three hundred and sixty-seven Hindu temples have been demolished to make room for army camps. In the small district of Mullaitivu alone, there are 148 small and 13 large army camps.

Although the war ended four years ago and the LTTE was decapitated, the defence budget for 2013 has been raised to Rs 290 billion from Rs 230 billion in 2012, representing 11.5 per cent of the budget. The budget allocation for education is only 1.86 per cent of the GDP, which is the lowest in South Asia and one of the lowest in the world. The crisis in the education sector is compounded by closure of rural schools, particularly in Tamil areas, and militarisation of the education space.

When Mahinda Rajapaksa was elected President of Sri Lanka for the first time in 2005, he wanted to go down in history as the man who resolved the festering ethnic crisis which had already taken a heavy toll. He was also fully aware that without the active support and cooperation of India he could not accomplish his mission. From the early days of his presidentship, he was sending emissaries holding the olive branch to New Delhi to build bridges only to be rebuffed contemptuously. He was keen on India constructing the Hambantota all-weather port in southern Sri Lanka. India’s then High Commissioner in Colombo would not even forward the proposal to New Delhi.

Where India failed, China moved in with alacrity. Not willing to give up, Rajapaksa chose the back channel to find a solution. As it was beginning to show results, the Prime Minister’s Office in New Delhi intervened and promised all assistance ~ moral, material and physical ~ to annihilate the LTTE. Rajapaksa found the offer tempting.

The turnaround in India’s Sri Lanka policy was brought about by a group of civilian officers ~ most of them diplomats ~ whose primary objective was to promote the sphere of influence of China in the Indian Ocean rim States and keep the USA out. The PMO played along with this group. They played a crucial role in reversing India’s time-tested Sri Lanka policy enunciated by Nehru and carried forward by Indira Gandhi.

The foundation of that policy rested on the belief that the Tamils in Sri Lanka are the natural ally of India while the Sinhalese are fair weather allies. This was proved time and again, most notably during the Bangladesh war. Shortly before that, Sri Lanka faced its worst-ever internal threat by the JVP insurrection. Unhesitatingly India pressed into service its Air Force and Navy to save the government of the day.

When the Bangladesh war broke out soon after, Pakistan found itself handicapped to rush troops and arms to its eastern wing as India refused right of its skies. Sri Lanka offered Pakistan use of its territory for trans-shipment of men and material and thereby delayed the liberation of Bangladesh by a few days.

The powerful group within India’s foreign affairs establishment in the name of fighting ‘international terrorism’ helped train and equip Sri Lankan armed forces to wipe out the LTTE and along with it the Tamil movement for autonomy.

Pirapaharan too was killed in cold blood after taking him into custody like his son Balachandran. The official announcement of his death with TV clips showed his eyes were wide open indicating his shock at execution from close range and blood from gunshot wounds on his neck had not yet clotted. Had he been killed in sniper fire the previous night as claimed by Sri Lanka, blood would have coagulated long before dawn. The closing stage of the war was conducted without witnesses.

India has much to answer for the atrocities committed by Sri Lanka, because Rajapaksa constantly maintained that he was fighting India’s war only and New Delhi never denied it.

The Northern and the Eastern Provinces, traditional homeland of the Tamils, have come under the virtual suzerainty of China.

While Sri Lanka has not yet revoked the Indo-Sri Lanka Agreement of 1987, which promises autonomy to the provinces, Rajapaksa declared on the occasion of the Sri Lanka Independence Day recently that it was not practical for his country to grant autonomy to any province or ethnic group. “Equal rights to all communities” is his new mantra under which the Sinhala community is more equal than the rest.

The writer is a veteran journalist and former Director of Statesman Print Journalism School.

http://www.thestatesman.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=445912:special-article&catid=38:editorial&from_page=search

Mirror: http://www.scribd.com/doc/128882434/Sarasvati-found-underground-India-Today-March-6-2013

Sarasvati-found-underground-(India-Today-March-6-2013) by

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/147933958/Sarasvati-found-underground-(India-Today-March-6-2013)

Saraswati

'Many example of rock art near Vindhya range'
TNN | Mar 6, 2013, 11.10 PM IST

VARANASI: "A number of examples of rock art are available in abundance near Vindhya range as well as in areas near Mirzapur, Allahabad and Chandauli," informed Prof JN Pal, department of Ancient History, Culture and Archaeology, Allahabad University. He said this while delivering a lecture on 'Prehistoric Art in the Vindhyas, Uttar Pradesh and North Central India' held during a rock art exhibition jointly organised by Bharat Kala Bhawan, Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts ( IGNCA) at BKB premises on Wednesday.

Prof Pal further informed that about 300 sites have been excavated in these regions, which give strong relevance of rock art. He also said that beautiful examples of rock art are also discovered from Belan and Sone valleys. He said that archaeological excavations are necessary in determining the dates of rock art and their different levels and laid emphasis on archaeology of rock art studies in India. Notably, the exhibition on rock art will remain open for visitors till March 28.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/varanasi/Many-example-of-rock-art-near-Vindhya-range/articleshow/18837026.cms

March 7, 2013

http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.com/2013/02/sethusamudram-project-pachauri.htmlSethusamudram project: Pachauri committee punctures Government claims

http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.com/2013/02/ramasetu-goi-withdraw-affidavit-in-sc.html

http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.com/2013/02/setuchannel-why-is-goi-pushing-through.html
Setuchannel: Why is GOI pushing through a high risk project without tsunami safeguards and detailed evaluation of transport options?

http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.com/2013/02/setu-channel-makes-no-nautical-sense.html
Setu channel makes NO nautical sense - Capt. H Balakrishnan (Retd). GOI, withdraw affidavit filed in SC for Setuchannel.

Hon'ble SC had given a stay order to the Setuchannel project and the stay continues. In the face of this, GOI is trying to please the irresponsible demand of an UPA ally, DMK and tells the Court that GOI intends to pursue the project which has been declared by Pachauri committee to be economically, ecologically unfeasible.

A project that has been studied again and again for nearly 150 years does not make any nautical sense, as Capt. Balakrishnan has effectively demonstrated.

The GOI is dodging the Court and not answering the plea of the petitioners in the transfer Petition from Madras HC seeking declaration of Ramasetu as national monument.

GOI is clearly playing games with its own standards environmental impact analyses, and standards set in declaring national monument status (for e.g. Brahmasarovar and Majuli island are recognised as heritage sites by a HC judgement and recommendation made by GOI to UNESCO).

This is a clear insult to the justice system and the SC should declare Ramasetu a national monument based on the arguments set forth by the petitioners in the face of GOI intransigence and failure to respect obligations under international law (to consult with Sri Lanka and respect UNESCO criteria for underwater cultural heritage sites), respect for the federal system in consulting the state government and respect for its own standards for ecological and environmental evaluation of capital investment projects.

SC should surely have noticed that GOI is playing games with the justice system by once denying the memory of Sri Rama, and now stubbornly rejecting its own Pachauri committee report. SC should notice that enough is enough and bring GOI to orderly behavior while dealing with a project which could impact nation's coastal security in case another tsunami strikes.

Time has come for the people of India to tell GOI that it is out of order denying the memory of Sri Rama represented by Ramasetu national monument and its continued persistencewith a project of zero nautical value is unacceptable to the people of India.

The following is a report of Karuna's swansong which could also be a signature tune to the impending defeat in the next Lok Sabha election of a family-dynasty-led UPA regime which cares little for peoples' sentiments and is governed only by foreign honors such as Medal of Leopald and allowing select bunch of looters to stash away illicit wealth in tax havens.

Kalyanaraman

Press Trust of India | Chennai March 7, 2013 Last Updated at 18:00 IST
Karuna decries efforts to stall Sethusamudram project

Decrying efforts to stall the multi-crore Sethusamudram Shipping Channel Project, DMK chief M Karunanidhi today said it had been in consideration since the days of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru-led government but 'Ramasethu' was causing roadblocks now.

He said various technical studies since 1955 had argued for feasibility of the project in the Palk Straits and that National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) was in 2001 handed over the task of taking up new studies by then BJP government.

In a letter to party workers, the 88 year-old leader, a strong supporter of the project, said NEERI had recommended Alignment No.6 which he said included Adam's Bridge (Ramasethu).

"BJP which had approved the alignment then, is opposing it now," he said referring to the March 3 BJP National Council meeting where the party had said any tampering with the ancient structure would not be acceptable to the party.

He said the Environment and Forest Ministry had given its clearance in 2005 after various studies, adding "it is clear that the area around Adam's Bridge had no geographical evidence to show the existence of a man-made structure." Neither was there any archaeological proof.

While AIADMK general secretary and chief Minister J Jayalalithaa was now opposing the project in the light of Ramasethu, the party's election manifestos in 2001 and 2004 had argued for the project, he said.

Karunanidhi said that in 1998 then Prime Minister A B Vajpayee had promised to implement the project.

At various points of time, the term Ramasethu never found a mention and was only known as Adam's Bridge, he said and pressed for the implementation of the project.

http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/karuna-decries-efforts-to-stall-sethusamudram-project-113030700350_1.html

Published: March 8, 2013 02:48 IST | Updated: March 8, 2013 02:48 IST
Post-Wharton snub, Modi finds taker in U.S. House member

Special Correspondent
It is time America opened a dialogue with Modi, who may well be India’s next PM: Eni Faleomavaega

After the Wharton Economic Forum scrapped Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s video address, he has drawn support from a member of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs. Eni Faleomavaega, a member of the Subcommittee on Asia and Pacific, has appealed to the U.S. to open a dialogue with Mr. Modi.

Mr. Faleomavaega, in his statement, opined that “it was time for the U.S. to open a dialogue with Chief Minister Narendra Modi of India’s Gujarat State who may very well be India’s next Prime Minister.”

He said: “The U.S.-India relationship is significant. It is one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century, and CM Modi is a leading figure.”

“CM Modi’s philosophy of bringing development to ‘the doorstep of every poor person, every farmer, every worker’ is a philosophy that transcends caste, culture, regional and religious differences and has led to a decade of unprecedented growth and development in Gujarat — a key State — which has contributed considerably to India’s economy,” he added.

He cited the recently concluded Vibrant Gujarat 2013 summit and several international automobile majors setting up factories in Gujarat and said: “It could be argued that Gujarat — an economic powerhouse — is now the global gateway to India.”

On the 2002 riots, Mr. Faleomavaega argued that while he was aware of the “2002 communal riots and sees eye to eye with the national and international community that what happened calls for justice and accountability, the fact remains that after an investigation that has been ongoing for almost a decade, India’s Supreme Court has not found any evidence against CM Modi. So I question the Supreme Court’s recent decision to allow for a new petition to be put forward.”

“I believe such action is politically motivated and that the U.S. should shift its attitude and extend the hand of friendship to CM Modi, just as the European Union and the U.K. are doing, given that CM Modi is the frontrunner among the Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime ministerial candidates,” he stated.

“Now is the right time for engagement and I sincerely hope we will begin to engage sooner rather than later,” Mr. Faleomavaega said.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/postwharton-snub-modi-finds-taker-in-us-house-member/article4485652.ece

Narendra Modi's right to 'free speech' hurt by Wharton, says USIBC
PTI Posted online: Wed Mar 06 2013, 13:38 hrs

Washington : Questioning the decision of Wharton India Economic Forum to cancel its invitation to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, US India Business Council today termed it as a missed opportunity for the students of the prestigious business school.

"Unfortunate and disrespectful. Since when is an American University against free speech?" asked USIBC president Ron Somers.

"The Wharton Forum would have given the students a chance to ask the Gujarat Chief Minister hard questions," he said.

Expressing his dissatisfaction over the decision taken by organisers of the Wharton - which is run and managed by the Wharton students - Somers said he gives Modi credit for being willing to submit to a 'no ground rules' grilling.

"The fact this was cancelled by Wharton is a missed opportunity, and condescends the students in that why should Wharton Faculty or the Wharton Administration assume that Wharton students would have given the Chief Minister a free pass?" he said.

Representing more than 350 top US companies including those in the Fortune 500, USIBC is one of the three media partners to the annual Wharton India Economic Form event on March 23, while Somers is one of the keynote speakers.

USIBC is not withdrawing from the event and Somers intends to deliver his key note address to make his point.

"I still plan on attending to make this point about free speech, and about how young people in India and the United States share common ground, similar values: where your last name shouldn't matter, and that freedom and liberty bring with them the responsibility to insist on better governance and for active and participatory democracy," he said.

"Such a 'no holds barred' dialogue between future business leaders and a leader of Chief Minister Modi's capability and stature would have expanded the plane of hope and progress, on which the future rests. Do we stand for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? Such questions asked and answered only advance democracy," Somers said.

Modi was initially invited by Wharton to deliver a keynote address via video conference on March 23.

However the students organising body of the Wharton school decided to cancel the invitation following a "furious" petition by a group of professors and students from University of Pennsylvania.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/narendra-modis-right-to-free-speech-hurt-by-wharton-says-usibc/1083928/0

The Pope and the Spy Who Loved Him

The butler did it! That was the tabloid take on the unprecedented breach of security that shook the Vatican last year, when a trove of secrets plucked from one of the most impenetrable places on earth—the pope's private quarters—was leaked to the media. But why did he do it? And did he act alone? Sean Flynn digs around the Vatican's strange, cloistered world and unravels a cloak-and-dagger scandal that's a lot more layered than the Church would have you believe—and that may be just the beginning.

BY SEAN FLYNN ILLUSTRATIONS BY JOHN RITTER
February 2013

The whole thing began, as many cryptic scandals do, with an apparently innocuous phone call. In the spring of 2011, a friend that Gianluigi Nuzzi hadn't heard from in quite some time asked to meet for coffee in Milan. Nuzzi's friend didn't work in journalism, which is Nuzzi's business, and he didn't mention that he might have the seeds of a story.

At the café they exchanged pleasantries, caught up. But then Nuzzi's friend announced his true intention: He had another friend—he wouldn't say who, exactly—who wanted to share some secrets from inside the notoriously leakproof walls of the Vatican. Nuzzi didn't find this particularly surprising. People often want to tell him things: He's on television, the host of an investigative news show called The Untouchables. But he didn't find it particularly interesting, either. Though he'd written a well-received book in 2009 about the Vatican bank's history of shady dealings, Nuzzi had no desire to become a specialist in the inner workings of the world's smallest sovereign nation. And who knew what an anonymous source might be offering.

Still, his friend was insistent. Nuzzi told him to pass along Nuzzi's cell-phone number.

Sometime later, Nuzzi got another call, this time from a man he did not know. He doesn't know his real name, so he refers to him as The Contact. The Contact told Nuzzi that, if he was interested, he should take a train from Milan, where he lives and broadcasts his show, to Rome and then go to a bar near Piazza Mazzini. Nuzzi still didn't know if he was interested, but this was the sort of thing—shadowy encounters with strangers—that Nuzzi enjoys. He has been a journalist for almost twenty years, mostly in print before moving to television a few years ago, and prefers working with confidential sources and documents. He likens himself to a submarine, prowling beneath the waves and surfacing only when he has something to report. Think of how many fish have yet to be discovered, he says, how many trenches still are unexplored!

Two men, both Italians in their forties dressed in conservative suits, met Nuzzi at the bar. They asked him many questions— about his professional interests, his tactics, how he keeps anonymous sources anonymous. They were affable and polite, but Nuzzi guessed they weren't clerics. "They let slip a few words," he later wrote, "that recalled the barracks more than the sacristy." They offered no secrets. Rather, Nuzzi realized, they were assessing him, gauging whether he could be trusted.

Apparently he could be. A second meeting was arranged—another bar, the same two men. After some small talk, one of them pulled from his pocket a folded sheet of paper. He handed it to Nuzzi, who smoothed it out, read quickly. On it was a list of grievances involving two well known monsignors inside Vatican City. But the complaints were anonymous, which reduced them to gossip. These were the dark secrets—nameless trifles?

Nuzzi handed back the paper. "No, thank you," he told the men.

Both men smiled and said nothing.

Nuzzi was confused. But the men seemed satisfied, and then he understood: The tip had been a bluff, a test to see if he'd grab any silly slander or if he was a serious journalist interested in a serious story.

"Let's go for a walk," one of the men said. Nuzzi followed them outside, where a van was parked. They drove for almost an hour, but in circles, looping through the streets, making sure they weren't followed. Then they stopped in front of an apartment building not far from where they'd started. The men had a key to a vacant unit. They led Nuzzi inside, down a hallway, and into a room empty except for a single plastic chair.

A man was sitting in the chair. He told Nuzzi he had worked inside the Vatican for about twenty years. He professed to be a devout and pious Catholic, which Nuzzi would come to believe because the man quoted Gospel passages and His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI from memory. The man was uncomfortable meeting with a journalist, but he said his conscience left him no alternative. There are scandals in the Holy See, he told Nuzzi, hypocrisies and frauds practiced upon the Church, and even upon Benedict himself, that he could no longer abide.

The man said he had documents that would prove the truth. He had collected memos and letters for years, and he would give them to Nuzzi. But their meetings could never become known. They could never speak on the phone or communicate by e-mail. They would meet only in person, on a prearranged schedule. Also, the man wanted a code name.

"Maria," the man suggested.

Nuzzi smiled. He liked it. Maria, he thought. The messenger above suspicion.

···
The man in the plastic chair would appear to have been Paolo Gabriele, who until his highly publicized arrest last spring was the pope's butler. Nuzzi will neither confirm nor deny this, but there are obvious similarities. Gabriele, like "Maria," had worked in the Vatican for about twenty years, and he is a devout and pious Catholic who often quotes Gospel and the pope. He told Vatican police and the Vatican court and Nuzzi, in his one public interview, that he for years had collected private papal documents that did not reconcile with Church teachings, at least as he understood them. "Hypocrisy reigns unchecked in the Vatican," the man in the plastic chair told Nuzzi. "Hypocrisy, well, there's a lot of that," Gabriele later told Nuzzi. "We could say that it is the realm of hypocrisy."

However, Gabriele was not the only source. "Maria," Nuzzi tells me, "is a collective." He says there were about twenty moles in all. There were the sources who preferred to meet in the bright aisles of La Feltrinelli bookstore on the north side of the Area Sacra ruins; others he met in the dining room in a hotel with a view of St. Peter's and in a restaurant that serves small portions of expensive food on Via Luigi Settembrini. "When I told you about walking in the park and it was snowing, that was with one person," Nuzzi says. "When I told you about another meeting, that was another person."

From those sources, Nuzzi collected hundreds of documents that became the foundation of what is now called, rather cheaply, VatiLeaks. Nuzzi put some of those documents on television, and other reporters printed some in newspapers, and, last spring, he published far more in a best-selling book called His Holiness: The Secret Papers of Benedict XVI. This was all considered an epic scandal. In the first half of the year, the international press had the Vatican variously "rocked" or "reeling" or just generally "in chaos."

Nuzzi's first installment aired on the January 25, 2012, broadcast of The Untouchables, and it explored charges of systematic corruption in the Vatican, centering on the efforts of Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, who had instituted a number of successful financial reforms as secretary-general of Vatican City. Yet almost three years before his term was to expire, Viganò was reassigned to be the Vatican's ambassador to Washington. "Holy Father," he wrote in a pleading March 27, 2011, letter to pope Benedict, "my transfer right now would provoke profound confusion and dismay for those who believed it was possible to clean up the many cases of corruption and abuses of power that have been rooted in the management of so many departments.

That letter and several others written by Viganò were the spine of Nuzzi's broadcast. It was a straightforward story, the apparent reformer seemingly punished by more powerful people with no interest in being reformed. Yet it was only the beginning.

Two days later, the newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano published additional leaked information about Viganò. More documents found their way to more reporters. In February, a confidential memo surfaced that recounted an Italian cardinal apparently reporting to the Vatican that he'd learned of an alleged assassination plot that would leave the pope dead within the year. Officials in the Vatican bank, according to other leaks, were pushing back against reforms designed to make it as transparent as Europe's other financial institutions. In March, Nuzzi aired parts of an interview with a Vatican leaker—face obscured and voice muddled—who is now known to be Gabriele.

In all of this, though, the true scandal wasn't the particulars of the leaks but rather the fact of them. The documents slipped to Nuzzi and others in 2011 were an unprecedented breach of the Vatican's secrecy. Moreover, most of the papers were letters and memos smuggled out of the Apostolic Palace—that is, from the pope's own offce and apartment, one of the most intensely private suites on the planet. "Even during the toughest years of the Cold War, when the CIA and the KGB had agents inside the Vatican, nobody got close to the papal family," says Marco Politi, an Italian journalist who's written about the Vatican for more than twenty years. "This is the first time that, on purpose, someone within the Vatican was sending material to the outside world with the goal that the political struggle would be played out in the media."

Paolo Gabriele rides shotgun with His Holiness in the popemobile in October 2011
···
In the narrative of the Vatican leaks, Gabriele has been cast as the punch-line villain (the butler did it!), a possibly delusional simpleton who betrayed the Church and the Holy Father, albeit out of misguided altruism. Yet he is also an unlikely villain.

Gabriele grew up in a middle-class neighborhood three metro stops west of Vatican City, but his eventual employment there was a matter of either happenstance or divinity, depending on the degree of one's faith. He was raised Catholic, of course, but he never aspired to a religious vocation, never heard the call to the priesthood or even served as an altar boy. Still, he was devout.

"If you really want to put a label on it, he was more like an evangelical," says a friend who's known Gabriele since their days in a parish youth group. "He believed in the Gospel, that Jesus taught that you will be known by the love you show for others. And in his mind, the Church was always supposed to be a family." (In that one TV interview of Gabriele's, Nuzzi asked him what he thought was the most beautiful verse in the Gospels. Gabriele paraphrased John 13: 34-35. "Love one another as I have loved you. From this they will know you are my disciples.")

Mostly, though, Gabriele was an artist. He studied at the fine-arts high school in Rome—where he met his wife, Manuela—and made a little money selling his paintings. Later he found work assisting a priest at a Polish church. Part of his job was scrubbing toilets, which he did conscientiously and apparently with great vigor. "A Vatican bishop comes in one day," the childhood friend says, telling the story the way Gabriele told him, "and he says, 'Who cleaned this bathroom, and cleaned it so well? I want to meet him.' "

Gabriele was hired soon after to work in the Secretariat of State, the department that governs the city-state. He was well liked, dutiful, and his performance reviews were exemplary. In the late '90s, when one of the assistants in the papal apartments retired, Gabriele's patron, the bishop impressed by his toilet scrubbing, encouraged him to apply for the job. A position in the Apostolic Palace, the regal tan building on the edge of St. Peter's Square from which the pope waves out his window to the faithful below, is one of the most coveted in the Vatican, especially for a layperson like Gabriele. There are more than a billion Catholics in the world, but only 450 of them live in Vatican City, and perhaps ten spend their working life in intimate proximity to the man the faithful believe is Christ's vicar on earth. Gabriele was truly awed, two friends say, by his blessed fortune. (There were advantages for the bishop, too, since the pope is both the spiritual leader of the Church and the absolute monarch of his own wealthy little nation: Having an inside man is shrewd for any ambitious cleric.)

John Paul II was pope at the time. He liked Gabriele—he called him Paulus, an endearment Gabriele so appreciated that he used it for his e-mail address—and Gabriele adored the Holy Father. Hours before the pontiff died in the spring of 2005, according to the friend, Gabriele stood at his bedside, softly singing a Polish hymn about the Virgin Mary.

When John Paul II died, his butler retired and Gabriele was promoted to serve the new pope, Joseph Ratzinger. Until last spring, Gabriele, who was 45 when he was arrested, lived with his wife and three children inside the Vatican. For seven years, he made the short commute from his apartment to the Apostolic Palace, where Gabriele readied the quarters for the day. Over the years, one of the friends says, his duties involved an increasing amount of secretarial work, vetting correspondence and such, but primarily he was a butler, with the basic butler mandate of tending to His Holiness. He helped Benedict with his robes, and he often prayed with him at the pope's private morning Mass. He held his umbrella in the rain, and he rode in the front right of the popemobile when Benedict was on tour. Gabriele stayed most days until lunch was prepared (four laywomen cook and clean for the pope), took the afternoons for himself, then returned before dinner.

Gabriele respected Ratzinger, whom he considered a fair and just man. A native of Bavaria who'd been ordained in 1951, Ratzinger had been in Rome for almost twenty-five years as the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which made him essentially the Catholic Church's chief theological enforcer. He is a very different pope from his gregarious, globe-trotting predecessor. He is in poor health—rumors of his impending demise were perpetually whispered even before he announced his retirement on February 11—and extensive travel is uncomfortable.

Unlike John Paul II, who dined with guests most evenings, Benedict XVI usually has dinner either alone or with a select few intimates. He lives, in some ways, an almost monastic life, preferring to study and write, which he does prolifically. (He caused a minor, Grinchy stir last fall when he suggested in his third scholarly volume about Christ's life that livestock were not, in fact, mooing and bleating around the manger.)

Journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi was specifically sought out by Gabriele.

He, too, apparently was quite fond of Gabriele, calling him by the affectionate diminutive Paoletto. Gabriele liked it, as if it deepened his personal bond with the Holy Father. "If I could have picked the pope," Gabriele once said, "I would have chosen Ratzinger." And over the years, Gabriele came to love Benedict XVI.

Unfortunately, he most recently professed that love in a Vatican courtroom, where he also was confessing to having sneaked private papers into the hands of a journalist. "I feel guilty for having betrayed the trust that the Holy Father gave me," he told the court last fall, "whom I love as a son would."

Gabriele began copying documents a few months after the white smoke from the conclave that elected Ratzinger in April 2005 had dissipated over the Tiber. He did so only sporadically at first, and his motive appeared to be simple curiosity. Though he'd worked in the Vatican for more than a decade by then, Gabriele's new position would have given him a more intimate view of the machinations of running the place, both in terms of bureaucracy and palace intrigue. Presumably he knew his copying was overstepping his bounds, but he took no elaborate measures to conceal what he was doing: He just ran documents through the photocopier in the offce he shared with the pope's two secretaries. He never passed those early documents to anyone, and he eventually destroyed them all; if anything, he seemed to be assigning himself papal homework.

There was a considerable amount to learn about the way Vatican City was run. The tourists are confined to the museums and St. Peter's, but behind the walls is a bustling little city-state of 109 acres. There is a railway station and a post offce, a grocery store, a pharmacy, a bank. The Swiss Guards protect the pope, both in their ornate uniforms and in plainclothes, like the Secret Service shields the president. There is also a small police force, the Vatican gendarmerie, and a courtroom and even small holding cells. There are landscapers and maintenance workers and men to haul away the garbage and keep the streets clean, and there are contractors to be hired, managed, and paid. It's not the most complicated operation, but there are a lot of moving parts, and those parts are moved by men who, almost by definition, are ambitious and driven. Plus, there are far-flung personnel issues to deal with, which are inherently political—which priests will become bishops, which bishops will become archbishops—and a steady supply of scandals to contain and clean up, notably but certainly not exclusively the Church's decades-long scourge of pedophile clergy.

Gabriele stopped copying documents after a few years, his curiosity apparently satisfied. But he began again in 2010, after Archbishop Viganò instituted those financial reforms and upset the status quo. Viganò put in place tighter accountability controls and he purged what he considered waste and, at times, corruption. Under Viganò, the Vatican stopped paying favored contractors twice the going rate for the same jobs outside the walls. Not surprisingly, this annoyed some of the people accustomed to the way things were. Gabriele saw Viganò as the victim of a smear campaign.

Worse, he later testified, Benedict would often ask him questions about particular issues in which Gabriele believed His Holiness should have been well versed. He came to suspect the pope was being misinformed by his underlings, that malfeasance and misfeasance were being kept from him. "I became convinced," Gabriele said in court, "that it's easy to manipulate someone with such enormous decision-making power."

Yet he didn't believe it was his place to speak of such things directly with the pontiff. So he started copying documents again—still in the office, but now two copies, one to leak and one for his files. "Seeing evil and corruption everywhere in the Church," he told Vatican investigators, "I was sure that a shock, even in the media, might be just the thing to bring the Church back on the right track." He believed the Holy Spirit was at work within him, that he'd been called to save the Church from itself.

"The situation has worsened," a source told Nuzzi. "The scandals multiply."

Still, he didn't intend to slip a sheaf of secret papers to just any journalist, though there undoubtedly would have been many willing takers. He chose Nuzzi, whom he had never met, because he had been impressed with Vaticano S.p.A., Nuzzi's 2009 book about the Institute for Works of Religion, more commonly known as the Vatican bank and less commonly known for its alleged history as a tax-shelter-and-money-­laundering operation for unsavory characters. That work had been based on confidential sources and documents—two suitcases full of them that Nuzzi flew back from Geneva in a private plane—but it was also sober and evenhanded. Indeed, Gabriele had been so taken by Vaticano S.p.A. that he bought copies to give as gifts. "Nuzzi gave me confidence," Gabriele told investigators, "because he seemed concerned with providing information without mud-slinging and slandering people."

Such praise pleases Nuzzi. He seems custom-built for broadcast journalism, particularly for an investigative program with a noir title like The Untouchables. He speaks in a bourbon-smooth baritone, and he's solidly built with a big shaved head and a scar scrambling down his right cheek. The Untouchables produces serious journalism, but Nuzzi's proudest of what he's published. "I always like it better when people say, 'I read your book,' instead of, 'I saw you on television,' " he says.

Contacting Nuzzi, however, apparently took several months. Gabriele's version is that after his initial meeting with Nuzzi—presumably the one orchestrated in the empty apartment—they met once a week for a while, then every two weeks into January 2012. On each occasion, Gabriele would wait outside the door of Nuzzi's offce on Via Sabotino, and the two of them would walk a few blocks to a flat Nuzzi kept on Viale Angelico for when he was working in Rome. Once there, Gabriele would give Nuzzi documents he'd smuggled past the guard at St. Anne's Gate, the narrow opening that lets pedestrians and vehicles through Vatican City's towering walls.

···
Winter settled over Rome, and Nuzzi's pile of documents grew. Archbishop Viganò's letters were an obvious set piece, broad allegations of ongoing corruption and cronyism. But Nuzzi also had papers involving the Vatican bank's struggles with transparency and a score of complaints about heavy-handed management in the city-state. There were obsequious letters from rich people offering fat checks and ostentatious gifts (a 100,000-euro truffle!) and asking for an audience with Benedict. There was darker material, too: the disappearance, in 1983, of Emanuela Orlandi, the 15-year-old daughter of a Vatican worker, for instance, or the purported sex-slaying of a missionary in Ecuador.

Nuzzi realized the story was bigger than he'd expected. He began outlining a book, sorting the documents into chapters. He also began to worry. He remembered that the Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal described the Vatican as the best and most effective intelligence apparatus in the world. He was not physically afraid, but he assumed his cell phone was being monitored, and he worried his Rome apartment might be burglarized. A farmhand at Nuzzi's grandfather's place in Trentino, where he spent summers as a boy, used to scatter crumbs on the stable floor so he'd know if any of the locals were messing with the livestock in the night. Nuzzi started scattering crumbs on his floor, slipped a toothpick between the door and the jamb, checked to see if either had been disturbed. He saved his manuscript to a USB drive that he wore around his neck.

Despite his daily proximity to the pope, Gabriele felt he could not bother Benedict with the scandals.

Nuzzi imagined it was worse for Gabriele, behaving like a spy, maintaining a loyal facade in the daylight, sneaking out after dark. But he was sure no one suspected any of his sources and especially not the pope's butler. In February, Nuzzi recorded that interview with Gabriele, his face blurred and his voice altered. It aired in March, and there were no repercussions. Gabriele appeared to be safe.

His Holiness: The Secret Papers of Benedict XVI was published on May 19, and it was immediately and immensely popular. (An English-language e-book will be released this spring.) Nuzzi did not write it as an attack on the Church, nor does it read as one. In fact, it's quite sympathetic to Benedict. "I'm not hiding the fact that I have sympathy for the pope," he says. "The more they were describing him, the more I was feeling for him."

The Vatican, of course, was not pleased. "The latest publication of documents of the Holy See and private documents of the Holy Father," the Vatican's spokesman announced, "can no longer be considered a debatable—and objectively defamatory—journalistic initiative, but clearly assumes the character of a criminal act."

···
On May 21, the papal household, with the exception of the pope himself, convened a meeting to discuss Nuzzi's book. Eight were in attendance, including the four housekeepers, one of the pope's secretaries, Monsignor Georg Gänswein, and Paolo Gabriele.

Gänswein asked if any of them had delivered documents to Nuzzi. Everyone said no. Then he spoke directly to Gabriele. The monsignor told him he knew Gabriele had been asked to prepare responses to two of the letters in the book and that those letters were no longer in the papal offce. Again Gabriele denied leaking anything. He seemed taken aback, according to Vatican investigators, and asked Gänswein "with great surprise" how he could suspect the Holy Father's loyal butler.

Gabriele realized that was not an effective tactic. Three days later, with the investigation intensifying, he turned himself in. "The first step was spiritual," he later testified. "I went to a confessor and explained what I had done." Then he surrendered. Four Vatican investigators searched his apartment the same day. They found about a thousand papal documents—some marked "to be destroyed" in German—among reams and reams of research Gabriele had accumulated on past Vatican scandals and religion and Freemasonry and other topics. "See how much I like to read and study?" one of the investigators quoted Gabriele as saying.

Nuzzi's phone rang at about the same time, a source telling him about the arrest. "The first reaction was almost like pain," he says. "I never thought they'd make such a radical choice."

But Nuzzi couldn't react, not noticeably. For one, he was in a meeting from which he couldn't excuse himself. And what if it was a bluff, a lie to gauge his response, to feel out his relationship with Gabriele? Maybe it wasn't true. Then his phone rang again, and again, and again—reporters calling for comment. It was a strange sensation, being on the receiving end of a press frenzy. "I could not consider myself prey," he says. "I had to respect other people's work."

From there began what Nuzzi and many others consider a campaign by the Vatican to discredit Gabriele, to cast him as a mental simpleton, an emotional adolescent, and, possibly, a degenerate kleptomaniac.

The Vatican's brief against Gabriele is laid out in the lengthy indictment that was handed down on August 13. It is very thorough, recounting the investigation and Gabriele's confession and his contention that he felt compelled to expose the "evil and corruption" in the Vatican for the good of the Church. There is also a lengthy exposition about why, in the Vatican's legal system, a confession isn't enough evidence to convict. (The Church, as is duly noted in the indictment, had some unfortunate experiences with confessions during the Inquisition.) Layered throughout, however, are several elements that tend to make Gabriele look like a loon.

One is a list of three items—other than the trove of documents—found in his apartment. The first was a check, payable to the pope, for 100,000 euros from a Catholic university. The second was "a nugget presumed to be gold" that had been a gift to the pontiff from a Peruvian mining magnate. And the third was a 1581 translation of The Aeneid, also a gift to the pope. Gabriele explained that his oldest son had been studying the poem, and he'd asked to borrow it to show his teacher (access to 400-year-old manuscripts being a perk of working in the Vatican). Of course, he could have pilfered all three. But the indictment quotes Gabriele saying the items were in his apartment because of "the state of my mess," and he often took care of gifts to the pontiff. In court, however, he denied knowing anything about the check and nugget.

The indictment also included summaries of two psychological examinations, by the prosecution and the defense. Neither concluded that Gabriele suffered from a major psychological disorder. That said, the prosecution expert characterized Gabriele as a man "of simple intelligence in a fragile personality with paranoid tendencies to cover a deep personal insecurity." The report from the defense psychologist was even less flattering. He determined that Gabriele's sense of identity was "incomplete and unstable" and that he suffered "suggestibility, feelings of grandiosity...as well as a pervasive need to be valued and appreciated," all of which made him "grossly inadequate to perform the duties of his job." All that mental fragility supposedly absolved him of responsibility for the leaks, a sort of incompetence defense.

Left unexplained, of course, was why such an untrustworthy and unstable head case was allowed anywhere near Christ's vicar on earth, let alone two in succession.

A man who knows Gabriele well shakes his head at the portrait painted of his friend in court. He does not recognize the person in the Vatican indictment. He's not sure how the Vatican can recognize that person. Twice Gabriele has taken his friend on tours through Vatican City. "To walk a half mile, you have to make twenty stops," he says. Everyone knew Paolo, everyone was Paolo's friend. "If you have a chance to know him," the friend says, "you can't help but like him."

That man has been Gabriele's friend since they were teenagers in the same Roman parish. They don't see each other as often as they used to—the friend lives in Milan now—but they still share "a deep friendship." He particularly objects to the passing reference, just a fragment of a sentence from another suspect,* to "the painful childhood of Paolo Gabriele." No details are provided, and the passage immediately moves on to other matters. But considering what came before—the psych evaluations, the gold nugget, and the uncashable check—the phrase seems a potential clue to understanding all the Vatican has alleged. "No," Gabriele's friend says. "No, it's not true."

As he remembers it, there were two incidents in Gabriele's life that, while certainly traumatic, do not add up to a childhood that can in total be considered painful. His mother died when he was 3, leaving his father to raise Gabriele and his older sister alone until he remarried a few years later. And as a teenager, he didn't get along with his father, a strict man who hated the way his artsy son grew his hair long. The arguments and the tension got bad enough that Gabriele moved in with a friend's family for a while—a few weeks or a few months—but they have long since reconciled. Gabriele named his third child, a son, for his father.

The friend says Gabriele had no real vices, no smoking or drinking, no sex before marriage. He was honest and funny and tried to live the Gospel, and there is nothing really more complicated to say than that. "He is a simple man," the friend says. "Not simple-minded, but just a simple man."

He also believes that Gabriele's motive in leaking documents was just as he explained it. "He had a very high level of expectation for the Church," the friend says. And when he saw the mortal side of the Vatican, the fallible human elements, he was terribly disillusioned, and he wanted the world to know so the Church could right itself.

"He knows so much," the friend says. "But now the moment he decides to talk, he's just a gold-nugget stealer."

···
After some preliminary hearings, Gabriele's trial commenced on October 2, and the panel of three Vatican judges kept it a brief and straightforward affair. Straightforward because, though he tried to explain himself several times, "to speak some truths," as Nuzzi puts it, neither his motives nor his perception of the Vatican's sins were on trial. And brief because he didn't dispute that he'd done exactly what he'd been accused of doing, which was stealing documents. As a legal proceeding, it was open and transparent and very effcient. He was convicted on October 6 and sentenced to eighteen months in custody, to be served in a secure and modest room in the offce of the Vatican gendarmes.

After he was arrested, according to the childhood friend, Gabriele's wife asked what he thought would happen now that he'd been accused of betraying the Holy See. "I started out scrubbing toilets," he told her, "and I'll probably go back to scrubbing toilets." He told Nuzzi, "My conscience is clear."

So he went to Vatican jail to do his time. His wife came to see him once a week, and he was allowed out for Mass in a small chapel on Sundays. He passed his days by painting, and he joked to Manuela that maybe he'd hold an exhibition of his canvases when he was released. "But they're all so dark," she told him, "like Munch."

The narrow legal machinations might have been eminently fair, but in a broader sense Gabriele's motives do matter. Rightly or wrongly, he believed he was exposing misbehavior in his beloved Church, willingly risking his cherished career and his family's security. "So who's the bad guy?" Nuzzi asks. "Is it the butler? Or is it the guys in all these documents?"

He feels terrible for Gabriele. Nuzzi told him there were risks, but he never expected his source would be arrested, would be sent to Vatican jail. "He can't spend Christmas in there," he told me in early December.

In the end, though, Gabriele will be a footnote to his own story, because it's not about him anymore. In fact, on the first Sunday in June, the Italian paper La Repubblica published leaked Vatican documents it reported had been delivered after Gabriele had been arrested—along with a note that claimed the butler was merely a scapegoat.

"It's a story now," Nuzzi says, "of, for the first time, this wall of silence that's always been protected and has now been pierced. And that sets a precedent."

···
Though Pope Benedict's retirement was startling—he was, after all, the first pope to retire in six centuries—it almost certainly was not because of the leak scandal. He is old and ill and never really enjoyed the public pomp of being pope anyway; retiring, rather than lingering and deteriorating, was not unreasonable.

But the Vatican is more than the pope, and for the greater institution the leaks were never primarily about the betrayal of Benedict. The scandal was always about a breach in the cloistered secrecy of a tiny sovereign nation. The palace gossip and the allegations of corruption that seeped out were merely evidence of a larger, more fundamental problem, much like rivulets of water trickling from the face of a dam about to burst. No matter who is elected pope this spring—a reformer from the Southern Hemisphere, an Italian traditionalist, a Filipino!—the institutional Vatican will surely spackle the cracks. The Vatican's business is not to be shared.

It's a curious perspective. In early December, when one of his sources was doing time in Vatican jail, Nuzzi tried to explain it. He told me a story, in the same way that he'd been told, about an elderly monsignor who lived in the Vatican not so many years ago.

One warm night, when the monsignor had guests for dinner and the window open to catch the breeze, the cats that prowl the tiled roofs were making a racket, howling and mewling in the twilight. The monsignor despised those cats. So he got up from the table, retrieved an antique carbine, and fired a few shots out the window. Then he sat back down as if nothing unusual had occurred.

The next morning, two nuns climbed to the roofs with buckets, into which they deposited a few dead cats. And nothing more was ever said about the incident.

The point, Nuzzi said, the key to understanding everything else, was what never happened: No one suggested taking away the monsignor's rifle. The real problem was what was left littering the rooftops. And so it was enough, it was proper, to simply cart away the bodies.

"Gabriele told me that story," he said. "I think Gabriele told me." He shrugged. "You can say Gabriele told me. It was one of them."

The pope pardoned Gabriele three days before Christmas and expelled him from the Vatican for eternity.

* On May 25, Vatican police also arrested Claudio Sciarpelletti, a 48-year-old computer technician in the Secretariat of State, after they found a sealed envelope in his desk drawer with "P. Gabriele" written on it. The documents inside—mostly letters and e-mails—weren't of any interest. Sciarpelletti initially gave investigators three different explanations as to how the envelope got into his desk. At his trial in November, Sciarpelletti testified he simply couldn't remember how he'd gotten it or why. He was convicted of obstruction of justice, though his role apparently was so minor he received only a two-month suspended sentence.

http://www.gq.com/news-politics/newsmakers/201303/spy-in-the-house-of-lords-march-2013?printable=true

8 MAR, 2013, 02.06PM IST, PTI
Subramanian Swamy asks US to work with Sri Lanka on resolution at UNHRC

"Because Sri Lanka, being a democratic country, stands on a totally different footing from Bosnia and Zaire," he said.

WASHINGTON: Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy has asked the Obama Administration to undertake bilateral consultations with Colombo to work out a consensus on the draft of the alleged human rights violations in Sri Lanka proposed to be tabled in UNHRC in Geneva.

Swamy, who met Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Robert Blake, conveyed his point of view on the American move to introduce a resolution at the ongoing UN Human Rights Council session.

Noting that this is his personal initiative, Swamy, during his nearly hour long meeting with the State Department officials, cautioned the US that the resolution should not be seen as a victory of the "divisive" forces close to 'Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam' as that could result in revival of the LTTE, which is not in the interest of anyone.

Expressing satisfaction over his meeting with the US officials, Swamy argued that any investigation into the alleged human rights violations should be taken by the democratically elected government of Sri Lanka and not by any internationally appointed bodies.

"Because Sri Lanka, being a democratic country, stands on a totally different footing from Bosnia and Zaire," he said.

"Under no circumstances the resolution has any indication that Rajapaksa (Sri Lankan president) and others are guilty of war crimes. Whatever has to be done has to be done by the Government of Sri Lanka and not by international agencies. The demand for international agencies essentially comes from supporters of LTTE," Swamy told PTI after the meeting.

Swamy told US officials that there is no probability of setting up an internationally-appointed "intrusive" probe which Sri Lanka will be compelled to comply because Russia and China will veto such a move.

"Thus no resolution not acceptable to Sri Lanka can be ever enforced in the UN framework," he said.

"I therefore urged the US to undertake bilateral consultations with Sri Lanka to work out a consensus resolution to adopt within the framework of the proposed US draft, and based the submissions of Blake to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs recently, rather than to repeat the divisive resolution of last year, which has remained sterile and a dead letter, except for enthusing the financial legatees of the LTTE to continue to finance disinformation in the media," Swamy said.

Based on his feedback from State Department officials, he said that US resolution is unlikely to dictate terms to Sri Lanka or call for an international agency.

"This would be big setback to the pro-LTTE forces. The emphasis would be more on reconciliation and devolution of powers," Swamy said.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/subramanian-swamy-asks-us-to-work-with-sri-lanka-on-resolution-at-unhrc/articleshow/18862548.cms

http://on.wsj.com/Zvf9qSBusinesses have been targeting China's growing middle class, but it may be some time before this strategy pays off. The WSJ's Wei Gu tells us why China's middle class isn't in a spending mood.

An Unhappy Middle in the Middle Kingdom

Wei Gu

March 7, 2013

China has the world's largest number of billionaires and 700 million peasants. In between is a surprisingly thin and unhappy middle class, which poses a big social and economic challenge.

Among the 3,000 delegates of the 2013 National People's Congress, the percentage of blue-collar workers and peasants has risen to 13% from 8% in 2012. The number of migrant workers has jumped to 30 from just three last year. Wealthy Chinese continue to be well represented. China's richest man, Zong Qinhou, is attending the annual powwow for the 11th time.

The squeezed middle class deserves more love. As many as 51% of Chinese working professionals suffered from some level of depression, the Ministry of Health said in 2011. They blame pressure from a rapidly changing society, increased competition, long work hours and high property prices.

"The biggest risk in the world is China's middle class not being happy," said Shaun Rein, the managing director of China Market Research, a consulting firm. "They are the most pessimistic group in the world."

"The truly rich can afford to live anywhere, and the poor get double-digit wage increases every year," Mr. Rein, author of the book "End of Cheap China," said. "China's middle class has hopes to own a car and home and be rich one day. But as their salary growth slows, they realize they will never be able to get there."

The Chinese government has made it a priority to help migrant workers. In 2012, 25 provinces raised minimum wages by an average of 20%, official data show. But wage increases for managers at multinationals, private and state-owned companies have slowed or stalled.

At present, the great majority of the Chinese are working class, living in households with annual disposable income of between $6,000 and $16,000, just about enough to cover basic needs, according to consulting firm McKinsey & Co.

The middle class, with annual disposable income of between $16,000 and $34,000, make up only 6% of the urban population. A tiny group of upper-middle-class to rich consumers, whose disposable income exceeds $34,000, comprises only 2% of the urban population.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development defines the global middle class as those households with daily spending between $10 and $100 per person in purchasing power parity terms.

The OECD reckons the U.S. has the biggest middle class in the world, with some 230 million people, or 73% of the population. It puts China's middle class at up to 10% of the population, but expects the number to rise to 40% by 2020.

China has 408 billionaires, more than the 317 who live in the U.S., according to Hurun Global Rich list 2013.

Although basic goods in China are still relatively cheap, it is costly to lead a middle-class life in China. A Starbucks SBUX +2.01% grande latte costs $4.81 in Beijing, compared with $3.55 in San Francisco and $3.87 in Hong Kong. A locally made Volkswagen VOW3.XE +0.89% Passat sedan retails for up to $50,000 in China, versus up to $33,000 in the U.S. Goods that are made in China, including clothing and electronics, are often more expensive there than they are abroad, partly due to inefficient distribution.

The middle class in China also suffers from high housing costs. Average rent jumped 9% in Beijing in January, according to the Statistics Bureau. "If only because of rent, it is hard to save a lot of money in top-tier cities for the middle class," said Jeff Walters, a partner at Boston Consulting.

In some ways, middle-class status in China doesn't confer the same privileges as in the West. In China, basic things such as uncontaminated baby formula, clean air, top-quality schools and private hospitals are luxuries, out of reach of many members of the middle class.

Usually, the middle class is the stabilizing force in a society. But China's nascent middle class, which is increasingly demanding better health and more freedom, marched on the streets of the prosperous Ningbo city in 2012 to protest a chemical project.

The authorities have said they want to develop an olive-shaped society, with a fat base in the middle. The 18th Party Congress in late 2012 came up with a new plan to double average income by 2020 by changing the economic growth model and income distribution system. But they may be missing something.

"The government hasn't addressed the core of the issue," said Wang Xiaolu of the China Reform Foundation and one of China's leading academics on income distribution. "Without reforms of the fiscal system, land policies, social welfare and the administrative system, mere income growth can't resolve China's middle class problem."

Write to Wei Gu at wei.gu@wsj.com

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323628804578345342201524964.html?mod=WSJ_hp_us_mostpop_read

An excellent manifesto for a peoples' budget prepared by MR Venkatesh.

I commend it for adoption by all political parties in their forthcoming poll manifestos.

To start the debate, I suggest that a five-year goal-post should be delineated and an underlying foundational principle underlined.

India should reach the goal of 27% contribution to the Global GDP, a position which existed in 1820, that is roughly two hundred years before the colonial loot and later post-colonial loot by politico-s began

Any budget should be judged by the contribution it makes to dharma which is the foundation for abhyudayam (social welfare). For example, there shold be provisions for strengthening the core family and extended family values of the people of Bharat in ensuring financial RESPONSIBILITY in the households, with adequate savings and providing for the education and health of the family or extended-family members. Fiscal measures should promote the strengthening of dharma, for example, by providing for tax exemptions to heads of undivided families who spend for education and healthcare of their kith and kin. This principle means that the Government should be taken off the backs of the people.

Remember, the nation's core economy is not run by stock markets but by free family and extended family enterprises, be it in agriculture, be it in industrial production.

Kalyanaraman


If I were the Finance Minister...
February 28, 2013 08:20 IST

In a developing county like India [ Images ], the role of the Finance Minister is a crucial one, specially when the country is going through it's worst period in recent times. M R Venkatesh, has a few valid suggestions for Mr Chidambaram.


At the outset I will ensure that my Budget speech will not last more than fifteen minutes - not the customary hundred minutes of my illustrious predecessors. That would compel people to read through the Budget documents analyse and then criticise me rather than instantly rating it!


The broad theme, thrust and trajectory of my economic policies for the next five years shall be to:

Eliminate Hunger and with it, associated malnourishment.
Improve business environment and instil confidence in businessmen
Maintain stable simple predictable tax laws
Improve Infrastructure
Reduce deficits and improve overall efficiency
Given this paradigm, now let me take you through with my proposals.

A. Direct Taxes: I will attempt to do away with Personal Taxes. In this connection:

1. Salary Income will be brought out of the tax net but disallowed as expenditure in the hands of the Employer. Partner’s Salary Income shall be also be disallowed in hands of firms and LLPs (limited liability partnership). Self employed will have an exemption of Rs 5 lakh which will be increased substantially over the years. Income above this will be taxed at 20% flat rate of tax.

2. Corporate to pay tax at the rate of 30%, firms and LLPs at 20%.

3. In the alternative Corporate will be encouraged to pay 25% on MAT (Minimum Alternate Tax) basis This scheme will be offered first to listed companies, then to other companies in which public are substantially interested and then to other companies.

4. Interest income will be exempt for deposits in bank exceeding 3 years in line with exemption to Long Term Capital Gains Tax on shares (which will be available only if held for more than three years). This will improve Indian holding in our share markets. Senior citizens shall be exempt from tax on such income out of deposits up to Rs 50 lakh.

5. Deductions for repairs and maintenance for one house to be raised to 100%.

6. Depreciation Rates to be uniform for all assets - at 25%.\

7. Dividend Distribution tax to be at 20%.

8. Education Cess to be done away with.

9. Will work for abrogating the Indo-Mauritius DTAA.

Anti-Avoidance / Revenue raising measures:

S 68 of IT Act [seeking source of Income] shall not apply to a National Infrastructure Bond – an open ended tax amnesty scheme. Consequently any one with untaxed money can invest in this bond which will be redeemed at its face value at the end of five years of investment.

Participatory Notes shall be abolished. Existing PNs will be nationalised and given back to those who are not residents, NRI, PIO and OCBs with more than 60% Indian shareholding.
STT will be extended to all derivative transactions in commodities market, Forex markets and other such transactions on same rates as applicable to Stock markets.

A levy of 40% on tax at source will be levied on gross rental of second house, STCG in any asset, income from modelling by persons who are not professional models, lottery, profit on sale of second house and other such “unearned” incomes.

Chapter VI A of the Income-Tax Act to be eliminated.

STRs and CTRs generated by the Financial Intelligence Unit shall be used along with AIR to bring in new assessee to the tax fold. The target for IT department from these information shall substantially hiked.

Administrative measures

1. GAAR will be introduced forthwith. Any transaction emanating or passing through a Tax Haven will be deemed to be a tax avoidance scheme and the onus shall be on the tax payer to disprove this allegation.

2. Tax payers paying 30% incremental taxes over previous five years will be by statute exempt from the scrutiny provisions of S 143 (3), 147 r/w 148 and 263.

3. S 144C [Dispute Resolution Panel] shall be set up to look into all tax disputes.

4. National Tax Tribunal [NTT] to be set up. Appeal on the order of the NTT to be made only to the SC.

5. Settlement commission will be abolished. Instead a Tax Ombudsman to be created.

6. Wealth Tax will be abolished.

7. Prevention of Money Laundering Act to include concealment of income as a predicate crime. This would instantly mean seizing concealed wealth from tax evaders and mandatory visit to the prison.

B. Indirect Taxes

Will attempt to seek consensus on GST and usher it in by 2014.

Strengthen Anti-dumping and Safeguard mechanism against Chinese exports into India.

Peak Customs to be held at the current rates. Customs for Crude and LPG will be eliminated.

Excise on Diesel will be lowered to less than Rs 2 per litre and this benefit will be passed on to the consumer.

State Government will be directed to lower VAT on all petroleum products to below 20%.

C. Governance

Since our bureaucracy is over paid and highly unaccountable, the salary of the government officials shall be rearranged to reflect national per capita income.

Police and army will be modernized. Expenditure on armed forces to be a minimum 3% of GDP.
All children of those drawing salary from the Consolidated Find of India shall necessarily be required to go to Public schools, government officers must travel by public transport and their immediate relatives take to public health institutions.

Food grain production to be increased to 450 MT from the existing 250 MT in the next five years. Farmers will be encouraged to use modern technology to improve yields. District collectors shall be responsible to improve yields.

As the economic cost of food grains supplied is double the procurement cost and eight times the selling price of food grains through PDS, this mechanism will be disbanded over the next five years. As food will grow in abundance, market forces will take over.
Government however will hold strategic food stock and continue to supply to the BPL families for the next five years. Also states must contribute equal quantity for withdrawing equal allocation from central pool from this year. This will prevent fiscal irresponsibility by states and also encourage agriculture at the state level. Further, all subsidies will be phased out in the next 5 years. Prices of Urea will be fixed at a percentage of international prices and aligned to the same in the next five years.
All our 600-odd districts will have a centrally sponsored Health centres that will take care of primary health care.

Supreme Court shall have more than six benches across the country in Coimbatore, Nagpur, Patna, Shillong, Udaipur and Goa [ Images ]. All states with more than 30 million population to have one additional bench of High Court than the existing ones. Courts to work on two shifts between 8 30 AM and 1 PM and between 2 30 PM till 6 30 PM. Within five years, it shall be my endeavour to bring down judicial backlogs significantly.
A Judicial Accountability Act and Right to Services Act shall be passed. RTI Act will be repealed.

The government shall encourage extensive use of technology on all matters. And every department shall provide time limits for services to be expected. Any violation shall be viewed as criminal misconduct under the Prevention of Corruption Act. All budget allocations will be accompanied by physical targets. Concerned secretaries of the department will be accountable for the same. Failure to do so will be viewed as criminal misconduct.

All government sponsored institutions, ministries and departments that serve no constructive purpose shall be identified and abolished.

I will demonitise Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency notes.

D. Infrastructure:

Government shall have a mission to double railway tracks in the next five years. These tracks will be state of the art technology and support train travel at speeds in advanced countries.

I will introduce a plan to inter-link all rivers in the country. This will improve irrigation in the country. As a first step all water bodies will be cleaned and repaired by Panchayats out of direct allocations made to them.

Infrastructure development shall be the effective employment guarantee scheme. Physical targets shall be fixed and monitored on a daily basis for every infrastructure project.
Road encroachments will be tackled on a war footing through the Urban Reneval Mission.
Government shall convert NADARD into a Grameen Bank.

Environment shall be treated on par with infrastructure.
E. Finances:

The 14th Finance Commission will be mandated to explore direct transfer of a portion of Central Taxes to Panchayats. Likewise States may be compelled to part a portion of their revenues to the third tier of the Constitution who will necessarily have to assume some functions for the funds given.

Government shall undertake massive disinvestment.

Government to bring in Inflation linked bond. Physical gold can be traded for these bonds. Source for Gold [S 68] will not be questioned by IT Authorities.

FRBM Act will be reviewed and practical targets set.

Under Article 292 of the Constitution, Government will have a ceiling on debt.

The author is a Chennai-based Chartered Accountant. He can be contacted at mrv@mrv.net.in

http://www.rediff.com/business/report/budget-special-if-i-were-the-finance-minister/20130228.htm