The best way to know the self is feeling oneself at the moments of reckoning. The feeling of being alone, just with your senses, may lead you to think more consciously. More and more of such moments may sensitize ‘you towards you’, towards others. We become regular with introspection and retrospection. We get ‘the’ gradual connect to the higher self we may name Spirituality or God or just a Humane Conscious. We tend to get a rhythm again in life. We need to learn the art of being lonely in crowd while being part of the crowd. A multitude of loneliness in mosaic of relations! One needs to feel it severally, with conscience, before making it a way of life. One needs to live several such lonely moments. One needs to live severallyalone.

Sunday 30 April 2017

O CHILDHOOD

O childhood 
I was again lost in your innocence 
When you didn’t ask me why 
Your anger looks so complete
For both of us 
That it doesn’t need words
Like that expression on your face
As natural, as reactive, 
As life is supposed to be 
You speak when you feel
You react when you have to 
A freedom so natural to us 
Yet we have to crave for it 
In a life, driven by compulsions 
We have almost forgotten 
What it is about being a human 
Our broken souls do cry inside 
But in a painted world
Where we selectively cry
As it is invitational to its semiotics 
And so to our inhibitions 
When I see you o childhood 
I realize what I have lost in life 
And I go through this grind so often 

©SantoshChaubey

Saturday 29 April 2017

....HOW HISTORY IS MANIPULATED

The Holocaust is the biggest example of our recent times that shows how history is manipulated. 

The world, more or less, is in agreement that the Holocaust was one of the most horrific genocides of humankind and ran though an unparalleled regime of brutality in our modern times which killed millions of humans. 

They were simply wiped out from the face of the earth – as they should have never existed. 

The world believes in this Holocaust and observes remembrances to revisit the horror, so as to remain on the path of sanity. 

Yes, on the path of sanity – but for them only who want to remain humans. It is good for our habitat that majority of us are ‘humans’ in that sense. 

But not all of us are. 

Naturally, they are from the insane breed that has reddened the earth in every generation.

And has derived its sanctity by manipulating history – in order to get that high pedestal in society first – that would enable them to perpetrate terror in the garb of legitimacy and would further push them to rewrite history – as Adolf Hitler did – as his sycophants did – and as Benito Mussolini did. 

We all know that a wide cross-section of Germany was complicit in Hitler’s crimes against humanity. They all benefitted from bodies and ashes of Jews and others who their mad warlords didn’t like. But when it came to trials and punishment, almost of them were let off – in order to begin the process of reconstruction. To a lesser extent, but the same was the case with Mussolini’s Italy. 

True, prosecuting hundreds of thousands of Germans would be unwieldy (and time and resource consuming) for a geopolitics that was interested in slicing and dicing the world that would give us the Cold War and geopolitical camps in the future.  A war gives winners and losers and winners can rewrite everything as they wish. 

Those Germans (or Italians) who were let-off, yes many of them had a conscience crisis for what they had done, but many of them still justified or tried to justify their stand, going as far as to deny the whole Holocaust history as mere propaganda of winners, as some Nazis then and neo-Nazis now, among them have been doing. 

Holocaust deniers have had a consistent presence for decades and their propaganda has been there all along, and they have significant number of takers, especially in non-Christian societies, or in the generation that doesn’t care to read history. 

As Hitler had got the upper hand in Germany, exploiting the humiliation that Germany faced at hands of the winners of the First World War, manipulating history and records, any autocratic power would do, if it gets the throne. Yes, that is the first thing power gets autocrats to do – they scramble to capitalize on their efforts to rewrite history that they had been trying for years – in order to further legitimize their stay and further consolidate their grip on power. 

Nazis, Fascists, neo-Nazis, Neo-Fascists and all other like them have revered the likes of Hitler and Mussolini and they would do all to install them on the highest pedestal of societies when they get a chance to do so. History tells us so. 

©SantoshChaubey

Friday 28 April 2017

I AM STILL LIVING IT AS MY SOUL

Let’s go there today, beyond those inhibitions 
Life has taken so long and yet there is no word
Wait is a good experience only when it speaks 
It sucks when silence forgets how to express 
It might have been your soulful decision once
But it has betrayed you for so long that it hurts
You may not express it, but I, too, share its pain
We had walked together when life had a story 
We are still walking together, trying to rewrite it
I have my words in place, but it is your time now
Come along the words our souls weaved then 
In the worlds where the story had a conscience 
I lived my part and I am still living it as my soul  
You could not but I never felt any inhibition 
It was not that I was strong and you were weak
Probably, words could not fall in place for you 
I knew where our worlds were going to take us 
I lived your questions all along, like my echoes
But you found yourself trapped by inhibitions 
Yes, I was strong enough to see through them
I never asked for your reasons but now I say
Come beyond those inhibitions and reasons 
The story that you left there, is still speaking 

©SantoshChaubey

Thursday 27 April 2017

TTP REFUTES ITS EX-SPOKESPERSON CLAIMS OF INDIA FUNDING TERROR IN PAKISTAN, TERMS IT PAKISTAN'S PROPAGANDA

Here it is bit modified.

The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has refuted the Pakistani claims that India and Afghanistan fund the group and its various factions to perpetrate terror against Pakistan. According to an Associate Press report, TTP spokesperson Mohammad Khurasani, the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) is using a surrendered ex-TTP spokesperson to further its propaganda and drumbeat its agenda.

The ISI had released a video yesterday showing confession of ex-TTP spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan where he claimed that he surrendered after finding that India's Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security (NDS) were funding the TTP and its factions for terror activities in Pakistan.

Ehsan and many other disgruntled TTP commanders had split from the TTP and formed a splinter faction Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA) in September 2014, headed by Maulana Qasim Khorasani. Ehsan has also claimed that the JuA chief got treatment in India after he was injured in a terror attack in Afghanistan.

The TTP has called his confessional video a bunch of lies, something that suit the Pakistani establishment. Let's see what JuA comes up with.

Ehsan, who became the spokesperson of the breakaway faction in September 2014, had claimed that the JuA would work independently and would have no connections with the TTP headed by Mullah Fazlullah. According to Ehsan, the stated goal of the JuA was to implement Sharia globally and they began their campaign from Pakistan. Since its formation, the JuA has claimed responsibility of many deadly terror attacks in Pakistan including the Easter Sunday bombing in Lahore in 2016 that had killed over 70.

On April 17, the ISI had announced the unconditional surrender of Ehsanullah Ehsan. The Pakistani media has claimed that it is the most high profile surrender by a senior Taliban commander in Pakistan in years.  

©SantoshChaubey

Wednesday 26 April 2017

BUA WITH BABUA: LOVE-HATE RELATIONSHIP OF MAYAWATI AND AKHILESH YADAV

AKHILESH YADAV AND MAYAWATI SHARE LOVE-HATE RELATIONSHIP.

POLITICALLY, THEY HAVE BEEN LIKE “SWORN ENEMIES”, EXTREME POLLS IN THE UTTAR PRADESH POLITICS.
BUT AFTER THE UTTAR PRADESH ASSEMBLY POLLS, THEY ARE BEHAVING MORE LIKE “FRENEMIES”.

MAYAWATI DESCRIBES HER "LOVE AND HATE" FOR AKHILESH BY CALLING HIM BABUA (LITTLE BOY - IN AN AFFECTIONATE WAY/OR SATIRICALLY).

AKHILESH EXPRESSES HIS "LOVE AND HATE" BY CALLING MAYAWATI "BUA" (AUNT - FATHER'S SISTER/OR SATIRICALLY).   

MARCH 9, 2017: TWO DAYS BEFORE THE COUNTING OF THE UP ASSEMBLY POLLS - AND ON NEXT OF THE LAST PHASE OF POLLS - IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE EXIT POLLS GIVING CLEAR MAJORITY TO THE BJP - AKHILESH IS FORCED TO FEEL THE PULSE OF SECULAR POLITICS AGAIN - HINTS HE IS OPEN TO AN ALLIANCE WITH MAYAWATI TO KEEP THE BJP OUT OF THE LUCKNOW SECRETARIAT - MAYAWATI'S VAGUE REPLY SAYS SHE IS ALSO OK WITH THE GESTURE.

MARCH 11, 2017: THE BJP WINS A LANDSLIDE IN UTTAR PRADESH, BETTERING EVEN THE EXIT POLL PROJECTIONS - A DESPERATE MAYAWATI BLAMES EVMS - AKHILESH ACCEPTS THE DEFEAT BUT SEES A POINT IN MAYAWATI'S ALLEGATIONS....SO, THE GROUND FOR FUTURE ALLIANCE FURTHER TAKES SHAPE.

APRIL 14, 2017: MAYAWATI, DURING HER RALLY IN LUCKNOW ON DR. AMBEDKAR'S BIRTH ANNIVERSARY, ANNOUNCED HER VOCAL WILLINGNESS TO BE PART OF A LARGER ANTI-BJP ALLIANCE.....

APRIL 15, 2017: AKHILESH RESPONDS TO MAYAWATI'S CALLS, SAYS READY FOR HIS ROLE IN ANY "ALLIANCE AGAINST PROPAGANDA".

APRIL 20, 2017: MAYAWATI FURTHER FIRMS UP HER "ALLIANCE" PLANS, MAKES CHANGES TO THE BSP PARTY STRUCTURE AND DECIDES TO CONTEST THE LOCAL POLLS ON HER PARTY'S SYMBOL, UNLIKE HER PAST STRATEGY.

WITH THIS, MAYAWATI HAS MATCHED AKHILESH IN MAKING OPEN CALLS FOR AN ALLIANCE - TWO CALLS EACH - BUA AND BABUA ARE REACHING THERE.

LET'S SEE WHO COMES UP, WITH WHAT, IN THE NEXT STEP OF COALITION-MAKING PROCESS.

BUA WITH BABUA
LOVE-HATE RELATIONSHIP OF 
MAYAWATI AND AKHILESH YADAV

©RaginiChaubey/SantoshChaubey

Tuesday 25 April 2017

CHINA DOESN'T WANT A CHILD NAMED MUHAMMAD OR MEDINA OR ISLAM OR FATIMA

According to a report in the New York Times, the Chinese authorities have added another layer of restriction on the Muslims of the Xinjiang region, its westernmost province that borders with Pakistan, Afghanistan and India and is home to some 11 million Uighur Muslims and other small groups of ethnic Muslims among Tajik, Kazakh and Mongolian communities.

The New York Times report claims to have a copy of the “List of Banned Ethnic Minority Names" that has asked the Muslim parents to desist from choosing names like Muhammad, Medina, Mecca, Islam, Quran, Imam, Hajj, Jihad, Arafat and Mujahid. The directive has banned over two dozen such names which may be used to fan religious and divisive agenda. The list further expands the one notified in 2015 which banned names like Saddam, Hussein, Laden, Fatima, Amanet, Muslime among others.  

The New York Times report, quoting Xinjiang officials, says the directive is "part of an effort to “curb religious fervour” in Xinjiang."

A report in the Financial Times gives more details into this. It says that the Muslim families not complying with this directive will not get 'hukou', the registration of their households that gives them access to state benefits of childcare, health, education and employment. According to the report, the municipal authorities in Xinjiang have issued a notice which prohibits "overly religious or splittist names" for newborns. The directive doesn't stop at naming the newborns only. It further says that “if your family has circumstances like this, you should change your child’s name.”

Organizations like the Human Rights Watch and Uighur representatives living in exile have condemned this order. The Human Rights Watch has termed it the "latest absurd restriction imposed on people of Xinjiang" while the World Uyghur Congress has termed "China’s policies increasingly hostile".

Xinjiang, China's North-western province, that is also known as Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, borders eight countries including Pakistan, Afghanistan and India. It came on the radar of the Chinese authorities, especially after the widespread riots in its capital city Urumqi in July 2009 between the Uighur Muslims and Han Chinese that saw around 200 dead and some 2000 injured. Ethnic Han Chinese are around 40 percent of Xinxiang's population. China now considers Islamic terrorism emanating from Xinjiang destructive enough to convert into a full blown separatist movement and does all to curb its spread, especially after reports that the Islamic State (ISIS) is eyeing the region to recruit fighters and expand its base.

According to Amnesty International, mass arrests, arbitrary detentions, disappearances, shooting and torture followed the Urumqi riots. China maintains a strong vigil in the region with large rallies of security forces to intimidate the minds who dare to think otherwise. It has banned its civil servants in the region from taking part in religious activities, even if it means fasting during Ramadan, a ban that was extended to students as well. Muslim attire like veils and symbols like keeping beard are already banned. 

©SantoshChaubey

Monday 24 April 2017

NAXAL VIOLENCE: BIGGEST KILLER OF OUR SECURITY FORCES

Here it is bit extended to reflect further developments.

Another ghastly Naxal attack on our security forces has left 26 Central Reserve Police Force personnel (CRPF) killed. This is a developing news story and the toll may go up as 11 soldiers are critically ill and seven are missing. Details about the group of Naxals that killed are still sketchy. It is the worst Naxal attack on the CRPF since June 29, 2010, when a Maoist ambush had killed 26 CRPF personnel in Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur district.

According to the eyewitness accounts of the injured soldiers, a group of around 300 Naxals, organized in different teams, ambushed a road opening party of the CRPF in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district, that comes in the South Bastar region, among the worst Naxal affected areas. According to the injured soldiers, the group of 90 CRPF soldiers did respond to the indiscriminate firing by the terrorists, claiming to kill many of them but details are yet to come.

Left-wing extremism (LWE) or Maoist terrorism or Naxal violence, in fact, has been the biggest killer of our security forces if we go by the data of the past decade.

According to the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), a data driven website on terrorism in South Asia, since 2004, 3912 security forces personnel have martyred in India in different theatres of conflict, in Jammu & Kashmir, in our North-Eastern part of the country and in the Naxal corridors of India.

The portal has maintained records of the Naxal violence since 2005 and according to the data available here, 1885 security forces personnel have lost their lives in Naxal attacks. The data on the site is updated till April 16 this year. So, today’s death toll makes it 1911 lives lost in the Left-wing extremism in India.

That casualty count is much higher than even the most debated theatre of conflict in India – Jammu & Kashmir. In the same period, since 2004, according to the SATP, 1369 security forces personnel lost their lives in Jammu & Kashmir, a significantly higher numbers, but much lower when we see it in comparison with the 1911 lives lost in the Maoist violence in the same period.

The North-East of India comprising seven sister states, i.e., Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram and Tripura and Sikkim, is the third major theatre of conflict where the fatality rate of our forces is quite high. The SATP data since 2004 shows that till now, 609 soldiers have lost their lives in the North-East terrorist violence.

MAOISTS DEADLIEST IN INDIA

A 2016 report by the US Department of State found the outlawed CPI(Maoist) the deadliest terror outfit of India, joining the deadliest terror outfits of the world in terms of violence they perpetrate. Its violence was ranked fourth after the Taliban, the Islamic State and Nigeria’s Boko Haram. According to the report, the Maoist violence had killed 176 people in 2015 in 343 terror incidents.

©SantoshChaubey

Sunday 23 April 2017

TAMILAMMA TO PANNEERAMMA!

SASIKALA FEELS THE ‘PAIN’ JANAKI RAMCHANDRAN HAD FELT SOME 30 YEARS AGO.

THE DRAMA BEGAN IN DECEMBER 1997 AND ENDED IN FEBRUARY 1989 WITH JAYALALITHAA ESTABLISHING HER WRIT.

THEN THE RIVAL FACTIONS WERE INSIDER VS OUTSIDER.

THIS TIME, IT IS OUTSIDER VS OUTSIDER.

LIKE THE LAST TIME, IT IS A DECEMBER AGAIN FOR THE AIADMK. MGR HAD DIED ON DECEMBER 24, 1987. JAYALALITHAA DIED ON DECEMBER 5, 2016. THEY BOTH WORKED LIKE AUTOCRATS IN THE AIADMK. SO A SUCCESSION CHAOS IS NATURAL.

BUT UNLIKE THE LAST TIME, IT IS NOT GOING TO TAKE THAT LONG.

SASIKALA HAS BEEN BOOTED OUT. DINAKARAN HAS BEEN THROWN OUT. THE MANNARGUDI CLAN, IT SEEMS, IS DONE AND DUSTED.

BACK THEN, IN LATE 80S, AN OUTSIDER WON THE WAR. THERE WAS NO INSIDER THIS TIME.

BUT SASIKALA CLAIMED TO BE JAYALALITHAA’S EXTENDED FAMILY. LIVED WITH HER IN HER HOUSE FOR DECADES. HER FAMILY CONTINUES TO OCCUPY THE POES GARDEN RESIDENCE EVEN AFTER JAYALALITHAA’S DEATH.

GOING BY THOSE CLAIMS, EVEN IF DISPUTED, AN OUTSIDER AGAIN HAS WON THE SUCCESSION WAR IN THE AIADMK.

UNLIKE JAYALALITHAA, PANNEERSELVAM MAY OR MAY NOT BECOME CHIEF MINISTER.

BUT HE HAS CLEARY WON THIS ROUND OF BATTLE, THE FIRST STEP IN CLAIMING THE LEGACY OF JAYALALITHAA, WHO, IN TURN, HAD SUCCESSFULLY CLAIMED THE MGR LEGACY.

SO FOR THE MOMENT, IT’S FROM TAMILAMMA TO PANNEERAMMA!

TAMILAMMA TO PANNEERAMMA! 

©RaginiChaubey/SantoshChaubey

Saturday 22 April 2017

INCREASING XENOPHOBIA, BURDENED EARTH!

BIGGEST REFUGEE CRISIS SINCE WORLD WAR SHOWS THE UGLIEST FACE OF DISCRIMINATION

RAPID GLOBALIZATION OF 'NO TO REFUGEES, IMMIGRANTS' 

INCREASING GLOBALIZATION OF 'NO TO FOREIGN WORKERS'

AFTER COUNTRIES LIKE THE US, AUSTRALIA, SINGAPORE, NEW ZEALAND, EVEN SAUDI ARABIA TIGHTENS INFLOW OF FOREIGN WORKERS

INCREASING SPREAD OF RIGHT-WING POLITICS AND NATIONALIST RHETORIC, ESPECIALLY IN EUROPE AND AMERICA, THE CITADELS OF LIBERATED HUMANITY, UNIVERSAL NORMS AND FREE EXISTENCES

IT WAS ALWAYS AN UNEQUAL WORLD

BUT XENOPHOBIA, IN TIMES OF CIVIL WARS AND INTER-CONTINENTAL REFUGEE CRISIS, IS MAKING IT WORSE

AND THE THREAT IS, WORST IS YET TO COME, AND IT MAY COME ON ANY DAY

BURDENED, EARTH WAS ALREADY CRYING

SHE HAS, NOW, STARTED BLEEDING, AND SHE IS ANGRY

INCREASING XENOPHOBIA, BURDENED EARTH!

©RaginiChaubey/SantoshChaubey

Friday 21 April 2017

'SRI' TO 'SRI SRI'!

Sri is a polite way to address someone. It is also used for Deities in Hinduism.

So, in case of humans, when Sri is used multiple times (or twice, as is the case), it should be reflective of a great politeness.

Though what the most famous double Sri (Sri Sri) thinks about 'Sri Sri' is not clear, an official blog post on his website, from June 19, 2014 says, "A colleague who had been with me at Maharishi’s came up with the idea of Sri Sri. Everybody agreed that one Sri is very common, generic and confusing. My opinion on the matter was irrelevant in this animated discussion. I was just a silent witness. And so, I was rechristened at Waldorf."

Okay, so we don't know what actually Sri Sri thinks about 'Sri Sri' or probably, I didn't dug enough. Anyway that is not the point here.

The point is, ' Sri is very common, generic and confusing', so, 'Sri Sri' was adopted to avoid 'confusion' and give 'an uncommon and branded identity'.

So, in social parlance, 'Sri' is for commoners and 'Sri Sri is for greats, especially the spiritual uncommoners.  

And ideally that is the case. Our society runs like that and we are content with the system, even with its deviations and diversions.

Ideally, if 'Sri' symbolizes politeness, 'Sri Sri' should sent out an aura of politeness that is saintly, that is great, especially if it is about saints and gurus in our society who drive us, who guide us, who many a times, make us understand the meaning of life.

So, when we hear our constitutional bodies, the protectors of our legal systems, the courts, commenting about him like "You have no sense of responsibility. Who gave you liberty to speak whatever you want to. It is shocking", it only reinforces that this 'Sri Sri' may be about anything but it is certainly not about politeness.

This 'Sri Sri' says "fine should be levied on Delhi government, NGT for saying 'yes' to Yamuna event", as his website says, and not on him and his organization that made a constitutional court, the National Green Tribunal, came down heavily on him.

This statement may be reflective of anything, but certainly not of spiritual politeness and not of saintly greatness.

The events like the 'World Culture Festival' have takers in India and millions who descended in Delhi to join the three day long spectacle last year prove it. But had it been by someone else or some other entity than a person/entity with claims of being religious/spiritual guru of our society and who has achieved a saintly status for his followers, it was acceptable.

But not when you are a religious/spiritual guru of a society where millions still toil to earn their daily meal, where they don't know what is meaning of education and healthcare, where a government whip can be the only force to force them to have 'Aadhar', where they don't know what is quality of life, where they don't know if there is life beyond the life they are living.

Such spectacle events can feed millions of them. And the true peace will only come when they are fed, when they are aware of their rights to have a decent quality of life with education, health and a place to stay. That may sound utopian, but at least this is what that is expected from our saints, our gurus, our religious guides and our spiritual patrons. They  draw sanctity and strength from people and, therefore, they must justify their 'Sri Sri' here. 

©SantoshChaubey

Thursday 20 April 2017

WHEN FACED WITH CHARGES AND ALLEGATIONS, THESE GOVERNORS RESIGNED WHILE IN OFFICE


24 hours have passed since the Supreme Court decision came to revive the conspiracy charge against senior BJP leaders LK Advani, MM Joshi, Uma Bharti, Kalyan Singh, Vinay Katiyar and others in the Babri Masjid demolition case. After the Supreme Court ruling came, Joshi went to meet Advani; Uma Bharti said there was no conspiracy and everything was done openly and she was ready to go to jail or face hanging for the Ram Temple; while Vinay Katiyar put the CBI in the dock. Katiyar reiterated Uma Bharti's stand that everything was done openly and it was, indeed the CBI, that should be questioned here.

But Kalyan Singh, one of core pillars of the Ayodhya movement has not reacted yet. He was Uttar Pradesh's chief minister when the Babri demolition had happened and he is seen as a key figure here. But he will escape the trial because of the constitutional immunity he enjoys while being the Governor of Rajasthan. Now it is up to Kalyan Singh whether he resigns to face the trial or the central government asks him to do so.

But there are other state governors who had to resign while in office owing to allegations and charges, ranging from sex scandals to involvement in corruption and misuse of the Governor's office.

MEGHALAYA GOVERNOR V SHANMUGANATHAN: JANUARY 2017
Meghalaya Governor V Shanmuganthan was forced to resign on January 26 this year after a relentless campaign by his Raj Bhavan staff alleging him of indulging in sexual misconduct. His employees had sent a petition to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that had accused him of running a young ladies club in the Raj Bhavan.

GOA GOVERNOR B V WANCHOO: JULY 2014
Goa Governor BV Wanchoo had to resign after his CBI interrogation in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam. After West Bengal Governor M K Narayanan, Wanchoo became the second state Governor who had to quit the office due to Agusta allegations. Wanchoo faxed his resignation on July 4, 2014. A former IPS officer, he was hearing the SPG when the Agusta deal was finalized.

WEST BENGAL GOVERNOR M K NARAYANAN: JUNE 2014
Like B V Wanchoo, West Bengal Governor M K Narayanan, too, resigned from the office on June 30, 2014 after his CBI interrogation in the Agusta scam. Narayanan was the National Security Advisor and was part of meetings that decided on the bid criteria that allegedly helped AgustaWestland. He was quizzed as a witness.

ANDHRA PRADESH GOVERNOR ND TIWARI: DECEMBER 2009
His was a spectacle. The 86-year old veteran Congress leader and a multiple times chief minister was shown in a compromising position with three young women. TV channels ran marathon coverage of it that embarrassed the Congress leadership and it was certain that Tiwari would be removed from the Raj Bhavan. Forced and cornered, he had no other option but to resign on December 26, 2009.

JHARKHAND GOVERNOR PRABHAT KUMAR: JANUARY 2002
His past came to haunt him and finally forced him to resign on January 31, 2002. Prabhat Kumar was alleged of misusing his office while he was Cabinet Secretary during 1999-2000.   Controversial businessman and Flex Industries chairman Ashok Chaturvedi had alleged in his confession before the CBI that he had funded parties at Kumar's official residence in Delhi and had extended him hospitality regularly.

UTTAR PRADESH GOVERNOR MOTILAL VORA AND KERALA GOVERNOR P SHIV SHANKAR: MAY 1996
These both senior Congress leaders had to resign from their Gubernatorial offices after prima facie evidence against them in the Hawala scandal was found. Motilal Vora, senior Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister was Uttar Pradesh's Governor, while P Shiv Shankar, former law minister of Indira Gandhi, was Kerala's Governor. According to the book, Democracy in India By Shree Govind Mishra, Vora and Shiv Shankar faxed their resignations to the President of India in the night of May 1, 1996 after the CBI told the Supreme Court that the constitutional immunity was the only reason that they could not be charge-sheeted. Their resignations were accepted and May 3, 1996 was their last day in their respective Raj Bhavans though both of them, along with many others named, were later acquitted from the Hawala case due to lack of evidence.

HIMACHAL PRADESH GOVERNOR SHEILA KAUL: APRIL 1996
Sheila Kaul, Jawaharlal Nehru's sister-in-law and PV Narasimha Rao's Urban Development Minister, was forced to resign on April 21, 1996 after a PIL in the Delhi High Court alleged her of misusing her office to make monetary gains with out-of-turn allotment of government houses.

HIMACHAL PRADESH GOVERNOR GULSHER AHMED: NOVEMBER 26, 1993
Among many who faced the wrath of Chief Election Commissioner T N Seshan for breaking the law was Himachal Pradesh's Governor Gulsher Ahmed, a Congress parliamentarian. He had begun his Gubernatorial term on June 30, 1996 but it was cut short only after six months, on November 26, 1993, after it was found that he was misusing his office by campaigning for his son who was contesting from the Satna constituency in Madhya Pradesh on Congress (I) ticket. The Election Commission, headed by Seshan, cancelled the Satna polls on this ground.

MAHARASHTRA GOVERNOR KONA PRABHAKAR RAO: APRIL 2, 1986
The infamous Bombay University MD (Obstetrics and Gynaecology) exam scandal of 1986 forced both, Maharashtra's Chief Minister Shivajirao Patil-Nilangekar and Maharashtra's controversial Governor Kona Prabhakar Rao, to resign. CM's daughter Chandrakala had already failed the MD exam thrice and her father colluded with some university officials to get her through the exam. Objections on it were raised and a plea in the Bombay High Court was filed which found that the MD results were manipulated after interference of Patil-Nilangekar and his daughter.

Governor Rao pitched in, trying to influence the Bombay University vice-chancellor and other concerned officials to toe the line to save the CM. Governor Rao had had an already controversial run in the Bombay Raj Bhavan with widespread allegations that he misused his office for monetary gains. During his time, some senior Congress (I) leaders even termed him the worst Governor Maharashtra had ever seen. But when his name prominently figured in the MD exam scandal that cost the CM his office, he could not escape the heat any further and April 2, 1986 became his last day in the Raj Bhavan after a short tenure that he had begun on May 30, 1986. 

©SantoshChaubey

Wednesday 19 April 2017

MALLYA’BLY BANK’ABLE!

Vijay Mallya‏Verified account
@TheVijayMallya
Replying to @F1Racing_mag
No worries...I am continuing to lead my team and passionately
6:35 PM - 18 Apr 2017
https://twitter.com/TheVijayMallya/status/854319884863512580


MALLYA’BLY BANK’ABLE!

Vijay Mallya‏Verified account 
@TheVijayMallya
Usual Indian media hype. Extradition hearing in Court started today as expected.
4:54 PM - 18 Apr 2017
https://twitter.com/TheVijayMallya/status/854294437089902593

©RaginiChaubey/SantoshChaubey

MOTHER OF ALL BOMBS CAUGHT ON VIDEO: NO CASUALTIES, CLAIMS ISIS

Here it is bit modified to reflect the dateline developments.

The Islamic State (ISIS) was expected to deny any significant loss from the US bombing on its base in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province on April 13. And a day later, when its denial came, it confirmed that.

According to reports in the western media, the ISIS denied any casualty in April 13’s MOAB attack on its base in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province. AFP quoted the terse response of the ISIS that said, “Security source to Amaq agency denies any dead or wounded from yesterday’s American strike in Nangarhar using a GBU-43/B.” Amaq is self-styled news agency for the world’s deadliest terrorist group that operates through shady social media accounts.

On April 13, the United States had dropped the biggest non-nuclear bomb ever on Afghanistan. One of the largest US military aircrafts, stationed in Afghanistan, dropped the 21,600 pound GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb (MOAB) that is also called the ‘Mother of All Bombs’ on tunnels believed to be used by the ISIS’s Khorasan module.

The reports emerging in the aftermath said over dozens of the ISIS fighters were killed in the attack. An official Afghan government put the count at 36 ISIS fighter. Later, the Afghan officials came out with a higher death toll, capping the number of ISIS fighters killed in the MOAB attack around 100.

OFFICIAL BOMBING VIDEO RELEASED BY THE US

In a video posted by US Central Command’s official Twitter handle, one can see the exact moment of impact and the huge cloud of smoke that rises following the explosion.

US President Donald Trump said he was very, very proud of the US military action in Afghanistan while commander of the US forces in Afghanistan, Gen John W Nicholson justified the uses of MOAB saying, “As ISIS-K’s losses have mounted, they are using IEDs, bunkers and tunnels to thicken their defense. This is the right munition to reduce these obstacles and maintain the momentum of our offensive against ISIS-K.”

The GBU-43 is a GPS-guided munition that had never before been used in combat since its first test in 2003, when it produced a mushroom cloud visible from 20 miles (32 km) away.

The bomb’s destructive power, equivalent to 11 tonnes of TNT, pales in comparison with the relatively small atomic bombs dropped on Japan at the end of World War Two, which had blasts equivalent to between 15,000 and 20,000 tonnes of TNT.

U.S. Central Command ✔ @CENTCOM
.@USFOR_A releases GBU-43 #MOAB strike video against #ISIS-K cave complex, #Nangarhar, #Afghanistan #DefeatDaeshhttp://www.centcom.mil/MEDIA/PRESS-RELEASES/Press-Release-View/Article/1151115/us-forces-targets-destroys-isis-k-stronghold/ …
5:24 PM - 14 Apr 2017
https://twitter.com/CENTCOM/status/852852576743763968

©SantoshChaubey

Tuesday 18 April 2017

WHY VIJAY MALLYA'S CASE IS NOT LIKE SAMIRBHAI VINUBHAI PATEL, FIRST INDIAN EXTRADITED FROM BRITAIN


It had taken Britain 23 long years to extradite someone wanted in India when it had extradited a Gujarat riots accused, Samirbhai Vinubhai Patel, on October 18, 2016 to face trial in India after a Red Corner Notice was issued against him. He is currently in a jail in the Anand district of Gujarat and is facing trial in the case of riots in Anand's Ode village where, on March 1, 2002, 23 people of a community were burnt alive.

India had signed extradition treaty with Britain way back in 1992 and it came into force in 1993 but in spite of India's repeated demands, Red Corner notices and warrants, Britain had not extradited or deported anyone before Samirbhai Patel. And he is still the only one.

Be it musician Nadeem who is wanted in Gulshan Kumar's murder case or Tiger Hanif who is wanted in a 1993 Gujarat blast case or naval war room leak case accused Ravi Shankaran or former IPL Czar Lalit Modi who is wanted for committing financial crimes, arguments of the Indian authorities could not convince the British government or its courts to rule in favour the Indian government.

So when Samirbhai Patel's extradition was finally approved from Britain, Indian agencies felt a sense of achievement, in spite of the fact that Samirbhai had not opposed his extradition and, in fact, his consent had helped the British authorities to take a decision in the matter.  

While everyone else on India's most wanted list has fought tooth and nail to oppose his extradition from Britain, be it Nadeem or Tiger Hanif or Lalit Modi or Vijay Mallya who was arrested today and granted bail within an hour as a part of his routine extradition case hearing.

And going by the historical precedent as well as the legal technicalities of the extradition process that the UK follows, it may take years before Vijay Mallya exhausts his legal options. If the district court, where the case hearing began today, rules against him, Mallya has options to move to the British High Court and place an appeal before the UK Home Secretary. In case of a negative ruling, Mallya will then move to the UK Supreme Court. And no one can say what time this whole process will take.

Then the Indian agencies will also have to ensure the sanctity of criminal charges against Mallya assuring the British authorities that there is no political vendetta involved and there will be no compromise with Mallya's human rights.

Dawood Ibrahim's aide Tiger Hanif is a classic example of this labyrinthine process.  A UK district court had allowed his extradition in May 2012. The UK High Court upheld the district court ruling in April 2013. He then appealed to the then UK Home Secretary Theresa May, who is now the prime minister, against the court ruling. And his application is still stuck at that level, waiting for May's Home Secretary Amber Rudd's approval or disapproval. If Rudd rules against him, he will certainly appeal against it in the UK Supreme Court.

Vijay Mallya knows it. That is why they keep on challenging and daring Indian agencies that there are no cases against them and they are victims of witch hunting. That is why, after today's court hearing, Vijay Mallya is tweeting that he is not worried and is "thanking God for an impartial and robust justice system in the UK".

Vijay MallyaVerified account
@TheVijayMallya
Replying to @andrewbensonf1
Thank God for an impartial and robust justice system in the UK
7:37 PM - 18 Apr 2017

Vijay MallyaVerified account
@TheVijayMallya
Replying to @F1Racing_mag
No worries...I am continuing to lead my team and passionately
6:35 PM - 18 Apr 2017

Also, when India has not been able to convince the British authorities to extradite people charged with serious criminal offences like terrorism, murder and espionage, what chance the financial crimes have. 

©SantoshChaubey

Monday 17 April 2017

PUTINISM TO ERDOGANISM: CIRCA 2017

Its official  now.

Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan is the next dictator-cum-strongman of Europe – in fact the only one after Vladimir Putin in Russia.

As ‘Putinism’ is used to describe the dictatorial run of Vladimir Putin, another dictatorial style complete its gestation period today – ‘Erdoganism’ – with his designs for an all power presidency in Turkey.

Today, Erdogan killed the Turkish parliamentary system and gave his coronation as Turkey's undisputed, unbridled, unchallenged (and hardliner) ruler a presidential makeover. Today, Turkey, the only Muslim country with a modern cultural outlook today completed its journey to become a man's fiefdom.

Today's referendum has given unparalleled (and unquestioned) powers to Erdogan. Now he will appoint and sack his cabinet as he pleases. Now he will choose who will deliver justice in Turkey's courts. Now he will dissolve the parliament, that has already been reduced to a nominal existence, when he feels so.

And it is not without public support. The 2016 Turkish coup against Erdogan failed because public opposed it. And swathes of public could be seen in long shots of Erdogan's victory celebrations today. He is riding high on a nationalist fervour.

Something that Putinism has done with a panache.

Putin has been 'democratically' elected dictator of Russia since 1999, 18 year now and is poised to remain there for decades. Erdogan has ruled Turkey's power corridors since 2003 and with today's move, he also cemented with position for decades to come. They both have abused democracy to give democratic sanction to their ruthless power grabbing acts.

The 2016 Turkish coup, in fact, was the last remnant of the secular thought process – the hallmark of the Turkish military once – that saw its disoriented expression on July 15 last year.

Tens of thousands have been arrested and purged and it is still ongoing - with ruthless finesse. It is expected to last till every voice against Erdogan is effectively silenced. Erdogan was doing it for long but the coup (or the failed coup) exacerbated it. With today's coup, Erdoganism has tried to give it a sort of democratic garb.

Would the European community act? Would the European nations take note of it?

Well, this question was raised every time Putinism displayed itself and it will continue its tradition with Erdoganism, as has been the case when signs became visible that Europe's next dictator had arrived in Erogan.

The answer never came. Turkey has become the next Russia for Europe. And European nations cannot do anything about it. Today, the only secular Muslim country of the world initiated its journey back to religious fundamentalism under a ruler who is a Islamist and was jailed for hurting Turkey's secular credentials. Today, the right wing politics prevailed in yet another country.

©SantoshChaubey

Saturday 15 April 2017

GUIDED BY 'WARRIOR MONK' DEFENCE SECRETARY, DONALD TRUMP TAKES ON AFGHANISTAN, SYRIA. NORTH KOREA NEXT?

Here it is bit modified.

The United States yesterday dropped the biggest non-nuclear bomb in the history of humankind. A C-130 aircraft dropped the massive 21,000 pound Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb (MOAB) that is also called the 'Mother of All Bombs on tunnels believed to be used by the ISIS’s Khorasan module. The reports emerging in the aftermath say over dozens of the ISIS fighters have been killed in the attack.

Today, it is in Afghanistan. Last week, it was a Syrian military airbase was targeted by the US with 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles after it was suspected that the airbase was used by the Syrian regime to launch chemical attack on civilians that killed over 100.

Then the US has warned North Korea of unilateral action if other global powers don't come in its support and pre-empting a US action, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has ordered to immediately evacuate Pyongyong, the North Korean Capital city. To cap the tension, there are reports based on satellite images that North Korea is preparing for another nuclear test while the US has clearly warned a pre-emptive strike if North Korea goes ahead with another nuclear test.

Welcome to the command of James Mattis, the US Secretary of Defense who is known as a 'warrior monk' and one of his favourite quotes are, "Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet."

US President Donald Trump who said he was very, very proud of the US military action in Afghanistan and congratulated ‘great military men and women of the US for doing so well in the Syria attack’, had said, while announcing James Mattis as his Secretary of Defense, “All I can say is he is the real deal. The real deal”.

And going by the recent US action, it seems Trump, indeed, is getting returns on his real deal and Mattis, indeed, has a plan to kill or punish everybody who doesn't fall in line, be it the Syrian regime or the ISIS or North Korea or anyone else labelled to be hostile to the US national interest or to create disorder in the world.

General Mattis was with Marine Corps for over 40 years and retired in 2013 when he was heading the US Central Command (Centcom). known for his controversial decisions and tough wartime approach, he is revered for his career among his supporters and is nicknamed 'mad dog' for his uncompromising attitude and views in the theatres of conflict and with quotes like the one mentioned above and many more that have come to be known as 'Mattism'.

He has had extensive experience of handling command operations in the 1991 Gulf War, in 2001 Afghanistan War and in 2003 Iraq Invasion. And, going by the state of affairs, we are going to see more and more of Mattism that believes that "The first time you blow someone away is not an insignificant event. That said, there are some a**holes in the world that just need to be shot.”

And North Korea fits in that line of thinking. In a London conference on March 31, Mattis had said about North Korea, “Right now, it appears to be going in a very reckless manner in what its conduct is portraying for the future and that has got to be stopped.” And days after it Donald Trump tweeted to reiterate that stand, “North Korea is looking for trouble. If China decides to help, that would be great. If not, we will solve the problem without them!” 

©SantoshChaubey

Friday 14 April 2017

THE MOTHER OF ALL BOMBS BY GENERAL 'MAD DOG' MATTIS

The United States has just dropped the biggest non-nuclear bomb in the history of war craft and it may be just the beginning. Today, it is Afghanistan, with the Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb (MOAB) that is also called the 'Mother of All Bombs'. A C-130 aircraft dropped the 21,000 pound bombs on tunnels believed to be used by ISIS.

Last week, it was a Syrian military airbase that was targeted by the US with 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles after it was suspected that the airbase was used by the Syrian regime to launch chemical attack on civilians that killed over 100. Then the US has warned North Korea of unilateral action if other global powers don't come in its support and pre-empting a US action, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un today ordered to evacuate Pyongyong, the North Korean Capital. 

Welcome to the command of James Mattis, the US Secretary of Defense who is known as a 'warrior monk' and one of his favourite quotes are, "Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet."

And going by the recent US action, it seems he, indeed, has a plan to kill everybody who doesn't fall in line, be the Syrian regime or the ISIS or North Korea or anyone else alleged to create disorder in the world.

Mattis was with marine corps for over 40 years and retired in 2013 when he was heading the US Central Command (Centcom).

General Mattis is revered for his career and is nicknamed 'mad dog' for his uncompromising attitude and views in the theatres of conflict and with quotes like the one mentioned above and many more that have come to be known as 'Mattism'.

He has had extensive experience of handling command operations in the 1991 Gulf War, in 2001 Afghanistan War and in 2003 Iraq Invasion. And, going by the state of affairs, we are going to see more and more of Mattism that believes that "The first time you blow someone away is not an insignificant event. That said, there are some a**holes in the world that just need to be shot.”

©SantoshChaubey

Thursday 13 April 2017

PAKISTAN ARMY REITERATES HIS STAND OF NO COMPROMISE ON KULBHUSHAN JADHAV

Pakistan's Army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa today held a conference of top army commanders at Pakistan Army's General Headquarters in Rawalpindi (GHQ).

According to the Facebookpage of the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), Pakistan Army's media wing, Gen Bajwa and other commanders were briefed on Kulbhushan Jadhav issue and 'it was concluded that that no compromise shall be made on such anti state acts'. Pakistan Army's 201st Corps Commanders' Conference was held to 'review national security environment and recent developments in the region'.

It was Gen Bajwa only who had sentenced Jadhav to death. A military court in Pakistan had found Jadhav guilty of espionage and sabotage activities and of waging war against Pakistan by fomenting unrest in Balochistan and Karachi and had sentenced him to death which was confirmed by Gen Bajwa.

The first reaction by the Pakistan's civilian government came hours letter after it was made public by the ISPR. Though Pakistan's civilian government, including its prime minister Nawaz Sharif, has toed the military line, a Samaa TV report makes it clear that Pakistan Army acted unilaterally on Kulbhushan Jadhav.

"A meeting took place between the Prime Minister and the Chief Of Army Staff during which the latter took the former into confidence regarding the issue of Indian spy Kulbhushan Yadav", the Samaa TV report said yesterday.

India alleges that Jadhav is innocent and there is no evidence against him and that's why a sham trial was held in secrecy in a military court where no information on charges and evidence was given. India has warned Pakistan of 'dire consequences' equalling Jadhav's death sentence with pre-meditated murder and has again asked for the consular access to him, 14th time since his arrest on March 3, 2016.

Kulbhushan Jadhav is a formal naval officer turned businessman who was on a routine business trip to Iran when he was abducted by the Pakistani intelligence. Reports also say that he was captured by the Taliban and later sold to the Pakistan Army. Pakistani claims Jadhav, who allegedly used the alias Hussein Mubarak Patel in Pakistan, was attached to the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

©SantoshChaubey

Wednesday 12 April 2017

SECTION 59 OF PAKISTAN ARMY ACT UNDER WHICH KULBHUSHAN JADHAV HAS BEEN SENTENCED TO DEATH

Here it is modified and extended.

Section 59 of the Pakistan Army Act sounds like a death knell for anyone whosoever is tried under it. Defined as the Section for Civil Offences, it categorically lays out conditions for it to become an overarching legal intrusion into the fundamental rights of humanity.

And when read in conjunction with other supporting sections and sub-sections of the Pakistan Army Act, we find a lethal tool that Pakistan’s Army so indiscriminately uses to suppress voices of human rights activists, lawyers, journalists, its own members who go against senior officials or against Indians, as has happened with Kulbhushan Jadhav. Kulbhushan Jadhav is a formal naval officer turned businessman who was on a routine business trip to Iran when he was abducted by the Pakistani intelligence. A Pakistani statement claimed Jadhav, who allegedly used the alias Hussein Mubarak Patel, was attached to the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

According to an ISPR press release, a Field General Court Martial (FGCM) found Kulbhushan guilty of espionage and sabotage activities and of waging war against Pakistan by fomenting unrest in Balochistan and Karachi. He was tried under Section 59 of the Pakistan Army Act 1952 and Section 3 of the official Secrets Act 1923 and was found guilty of all charges in a secret trial in a military court where no information on charges and evidence was shared.

According to Pakistan Army Act 1952, the Section 59 defines Civil Offence as,

SECTION 59: CIVIL OFFENCES

(1) Subject to the provisions of sub-section (2), any person subject to this Act who at any place in or beyond Pakistan commits any civil offence shall be deemed to be guilty of an offence against this Act and, if charged therewith under this section, shall be liable to be [dealt with under this Act], and, on conviction, to be punished as follows, that is to say,

(a) if the offence is one which would be punishable under any law in force in Pakistan with death or with 1[imprisonment for life], he shall be liable to suffer any punishment 2* * * assigned for the offence by the aforesaid law or such less punishment as is in this Act mentioned; and

(b) In any other case, he shall be liable to suffer any punishment 2* * * assigned for the offence by the law in force in Pakistan, or 1* rigorous imprisonment for a term which may extend to five years or 1* such less punishment as is in this Act mentioned [:]

[Provided that, where the offence of which any such person is found guilty is an offence liable to hadd under any Islamic law, the sentence awarded to him shall be that provided for the offence in that law.

The sub-section further defines the powers of court-martial:

The powers of a Court martial [or an officer exercising authority under section 23] to charge and punish any person under this section shall not be affected by reason of the fact that the civil offence with which such person is charged is also an offence against this Act.

Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act or in any other law for the time being in force a person who becomes subject to this Act by reason of his being accused of an offence mentioned in clause (d) of sub-section (1) of section 2 shall be liable to be tried or otherwise dealt with under this Act for such offence as if the offence were an offence against this Act and were committed at a time when such person was subject to this Act ; and the provisions of this section shall have effect accordingly.

Now, let’s see what clause (d) of sub-section (1) of section 2 of the Pakistan Army Act says:

SECTION 2: PERSONS SUBJECT TO THE PAKISTAN ARMY ACT 1952

CLAUSE D OF SUB-SECTION 1

Persons not otherwise subject to this Act who are accused of__

·         Seducing or attempting to seduce any person subject to this Act from his duty or allegiance to Government, or

·         Having committed, in relation to any work of defence, arsenal, naval, military or air force establishment or station, ship or aircraft or otherwise in relation to the naval, military or air force affairs of Pakistan, an offence under the Official Secrets Act, 1923, and

·         Raise arms or wage war against Pakistan, or attack the Armed Forces of Pakistan or law enforcement agencies, or attack any civil or military installations in Pakistan; or

·         Provide or receive funding from any foreign or local source for the illegal activities under this clause shall be punished under this Act.

The Pakistan Army Act sounds like a convoluted document that gives unbridled power and illegitimate secrecy to military courts in Pakistan and these are some of its legal jargons that Pakistan has used against an innocent Indian.

Pakistan has also invoked the Official Secrets Act 1923, a British era document that has been the subject of intense debate in India for its archaic provisions. Both countries have inherited many colonial legacies like this. But Kulbhushan Jadhav’s sham trial and punishment show Pakistan uses it with impunity.

Section 3 of the OSA 1923 defines penalties for spying that can be upto fourteen years of imprisonment and goes on to say,

“It shall not be necessary to show that the accuse person was guilty of any particular act tending to State, and notwithstanding that no such act is proved against him, he may be convicted, if from the circumstances of the case or his conduct or his known character as proved, it appears that his purpose was a purpose prejudicial to the safety or interest of the State.”

Pakistan had established military courts in 2015 with a constitutional amendment to try people for terrorism and related offences committed in civilian areas after the December 2015 Peshawar school massacre and only last month, in March 2017, its parliament voted for another two years extension to them. Since their establishment, the military courts have an absolute record of convictions with no acquittals. According to the Pakistan’s military, the military courts have convicted 274 people in last two years, 161 of them being sentenced to death and 113 to varying prison terms.

India has strongly protested the sentence likening it to murder and claims that the only evidence against Jadhav is his forced confession and is expected to raise the issue internationally to expose the Pakistani sham. Since Jadhav’s arrest in March 2016, India has repeatedly asked for consular access to him but the way he has been arbitrarily and summarily sentenced to death by its Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa, tells us that Pakistan was never serious about the Indian demands and about the established norms of international jurisprudence.

©SantoshChaubey