Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Gaft law and ravenous vultures

The graft law implies asset growth of corrupt is inversely proportional to that of the government bodies.

In the last five years, the net worth of one of the sons of H D Deve Gowda went up from some Rs. 10 crore to Rs.500 crore.

A petition admitted in the Lokayukta court said H D Balakrishne Gowda, eldest son of the former prime minister, had amassed wealth disproportionate to known sources of income. When he took VRS as a KAS officer, in 2005, his monthly earnings did not cross Rs.75000. Then how could he become so rich by 2010? Rs.500 crore is just an approximate figure and the petitioner has said it could even be more. The Lokayukta police are probing. Let us wait for the result.

When Balakrishne Gowda took VRS to take charge of the family administration, his younger brother H D Kumarsaswmy took charge of the state administration as the chief minister. The Gowda family prospered under the big brother’s stewardship; each member’s wealth grew to touch the sky. Only NICE man Ashok Kheny knows what the total worth of the family is. Even Deve Gowda can’t tell.

And how did the state fare under the statesmanship of the small brother? Here is a sample. The BBMP attained bankruptcy, in the period. Its reserves that were at Rs. 500 crore, in 2005, came down to nil at the beginning of the current fiscal year.

With its coffers were empty the BBMP delayed its budget presentation by three months and it had to borrow heavily to foot salary bill. Forget about the pending payments for the finished works, there is no money to take up the new projects. Hence you are riding on bumpy roads full of pot holes. The council officially passed a resolution to stall some 1700 works citing shortage of funds.

The BBMP’s budget for last year was ambitious. The estimated size went up from previous year’s Rs.4246 to Rs.8488.54 crore, but it was revised to Rs. 3856 crore at the end. While they could not even reach half of the estimated targets, the abysmal figures were only achieved after market borrowings. The assured amount of Rs.1500 crore as special grant from the state government did not come. The bankruptcy of the BBMP is piggybacking on that of the state.

This year, with a projected outlay of Rs. 9,196 crore, the budget is carrying forward an opening balance of Rs.85.25 crore. Can you find a magician to turn it around? Is there any trickster who can do a work worth Rs.9, 196 crore with Rs. 85.25 crore on hand?

The state government could not extend financial assistance to the BBMP because the finance department did not approve it because there were no funds in the government. After Kumaraswamy took over the chief minister, B S Yeddyurappa took charge of the finance department and he continued as the finance minister till he had to step down as the chief minister facing graft charges, last month. And his good friends Katta Subramanya Naidu and R Ashok were the in-charge of BBMP. Do you want any more reason to explain the bankruptcy?

The change the Karnataka witnessed after it became the gateway for the BJP rule in South India is this: The party that could not even feed lemon rice to its polling agents has grown into a money bag that can spend Rs. 1000 crore to win an assembly polls. A party worker toiled hard to grow from a rice mill accountant to the level of opposition leader could amass such a wealth, after becoming the chief minister that he could build his own republic in Shimoga. And two obnoxious weeds, who divided the city with equal shares to rule it as in-charge ministers, grew into ravenous vultures devouring BBMP and any thing that looked like asset.

One vulture is in jail now, while the other is still at large to guttle the carcass of the dead BBMP.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Modi medicine for Lokayukta malice

Lokayukta Justice Shivaraj V Patil’s premature exit has thrown up a rather cynical question: do we really need the ombudsman? If a wolf comes in to herd sheep, better avoid the shepherd.

It’s not a question of Patil availing a site from a fraudulent house building society or the illegalities behind it. Nor his resignation can bail him out of his misconduct. The question is how you can bring in a fool-proof system when you are handing over the role of a watchdog to an individual.

When he was the Lokayukta, Santhosh Hegde insisted on suo-motto powers to prosecute anybody including chief minister, while the others were demanding absolute powers for the Lokayukta. We need to thank Shivraj Patil for providing us with a case study for the perils of such powers bestowed on one individual. He had clarified he didn’t want absolute power as the Lokayukta, but his gesture only added to the suspicion that he had come in to safeguard the interest of the ruling party.

His very appointment was ominous with the chief minister Yeddyurappa neck deep into corruption choosing his fellow Lingayat to be the Lokayukta, while the incumbent Santhosh Hegde engineered his fall through his tricky report on illegal mining just before his retirement. So dark was the caste shadow cast on the appointment of Patil that the government brought in a Brahmin R Gururajan as the second Upa-Lokayukta because S B Majjigi, Upa-Loakyukta in place, was a Lingayat and a balance act was called for.

The rot was in the root of the appointment and it took its toll on Patil even before he could complete 47 days in the office, and Vyalaikval House Building Society scam just came his way as an escape route. Smart guy he is, Patil jumped at the opportunity and resigned. Otherwise, his position was awkward; a watchdog assigned to guard the thief and bite the house owner.

Lokayuka Act is a state act and the chief minister is the authority to appoint the ombudsman. Opinion of the chief justice of the High Court and leaders of the legislative houses are just notional with dominant presence of the leader of the ruling party. Did you not hear Chief Justitice Jagadish Singh Kehar cribbing over ignoring him in Patil’s appointment? He said, “Patil’s appointment was government’s unilateral decision. I was not heard.” Who cares?

H D Kumaraswamy, when he was the chief minister, appointed Santhosh Hegde as the Lokayukta and was naturally possessive of him. Hegde broke his heart by calling L K Advani a father figure and took back resignation he had tendered in rage at his behest. Kumaraswamy was further shattered when his name was figured in the report on illegal mining. He didn’t expect it for two reasons; first, he had furnished incriminating documents against BJP and Congress that were vital for the report and second, he thought the report was only meant for cornering Yeddyurappa.

The possessiveness gave rise to a slang match between him and Hegde in public. Kumaraswamy questioned Hegde’s night life and Hegde asked how many wives Kumaraswamy had.

Hegde’s predecessor N Venkatachala was even more dramatic. He used to take camera crew of TV channels with him while trapping corrupt officials. His dialogues for the camera had made reigning silver screen stars dimmer. He was a rock star and people chose him the man on the year, year after year till his retirement. And what did he do at the end? He joined the BJP soon after his retirement, begging for a party ticket to contest assembly polls. The party didn’t find him worth and denied the ticket.

Has the team Anna advocating absolute powers for the Lokpal and Lokayukta for all the states taken note of Karnataka’s example? Hegde is the super star of the team and it should know it from him well.

Anna had no hesitation in seeking Patil’s resignation after he was caught in site scam, but can he approve any one of them in the queue to fill the vacancy? The names of Ravindran, N K Sodi, and S R Bannurmatt are doing rounds. Better not talk about their background now.

Or why doesn’t somebody advise Anna to support Narendra Modi? Modi knows it better and that is why he didn’t bother to appoint any Lokayukta for seven years. Leave Anna alone, an old-fashioned Gandhian. We can bet on the new chief minister D V Sadananda Gowda. He can follow the footstep of Modi; after all, he is the one wants to adopt Modi formula for Karnataka.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Look for battle of brahmacharis

Sushma Swaraj first disowned her political kids from Bellary and then distanced from them. L K Advani resorted to embark on his trade mark rath for another yatra with Anna Hazare’s theme of anti-corruption. Now Naredndra Modi is doing the other part of Anna: fasting.

Methods of these BJP stalwarts are distinctly different, but the target is the one: prime minister kursi. With any one of them is allowed to hit the bull’s eye, as the rule of the game, we see the top leaders scrambling.

As such there is no vacancy at the top. Vacancy can be created if they put concerted efforts to humble UPA in the next general elections that is due for 2014. Then, why is the hurry? The hurry is not to fill the vacancy now, but to be eligible for it. Chair of the prime minister is the final destination; the fight is now for the first step: prime ministerial candidature.

They know concerted effort is required to defeat the UPA. But, each one wants a concerted effort under his or her leadership. This is how the Janatha Parivar failed to overcome the Congress post emergency. Their concerted effort brought them to the power, but the government didn’t last long. Indira Gandhi’s Congress looked inevitable. Now, the Sangh Parivar is doing the Janatha Parivar even before the power is seen in the vicinity. The Congress has a reason to smile, no matter how many scandals dogging the government at the centre.

The enthusiasm is evident in the Congress. It inducted its scion Rahul Gandhi into its central election committee. He will lead the party in the Uttar Pradesh to face the assembly polls and it will be a do or die battle for him to keep his prime ministerial aspirations alive.

The booster dose has come for him from the US. The US Congressional report has predicted that the 2014 parliamentary polls in India would be a face-off between Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi. It’s a double booster dose for Modi because it is an indicator that the US that had once denied him a visa for his fundamentalist image is now ready to accept him as the prime minister.

Buoyed by this, Modi Bhai is into complete make over from ‘mouth ka soudagar’ form to messiah of secularism. See how his apology-like public letter reads; It said ‘Indian history is a witness that casteism and communalism have never done any good to society. This is also my own firm conviction.’ If you feel like Modi stealing words from the Congress, it is not your fault. But don’t recall the over used adage ‘devil quoting scripture’ because scriptures are meant for quoting and anybody can quote it.

Another transformation seen in Modi is equally significant. He was known for keeping an arm's distance from the media. His don’t-care attitude towards the media had in fact earned him accolades. But, what did he do on Saturday before launching his three-day fast? He made sure that all news channels were there when he prostrated to his mother, who handed over him a copy of Tulsi Ramayana as a gesture of blessing, and made sure the Muslim participants are seen prominently at the venue of Sadhbhavan Mission.


While there is no apparent resistance for the metamorphosis from any cornrer, Modi’s new gesture is definitely a dampener for the chariot master of the BJP. The patriarch made sure his presence at the venue of fasting to call Modi Bhai “a phenomenon”. Before that, he even blogged : “ Now, American lawmakers and the state deportment are being primed for the return of BJP to power in New Delhi, with Modi at the helm as Prime Minister, following what US analysts say is a ‘precipitous’ decline in the Congress party’s fortunes due to a string of corruption scandals.”

But, his efforts are on in Gujrath to see the BJP government facing embarrassment in the issue of the Lokayukta appointment and corruption cases referred the ombudsman. This was the formula he adopted in Karnataka to get rid of Yeddyurappa. But, he has little chance of success this time around with the RSS backing Modi. He is not even encouraged for his chariot excursion.

Another contender Sushma Swaraj is busy in finding an escape route from the mess that her problem kids have created. As such there is no challenge for Modi within and he is free to take on the Congress.

So you can look for the fight between two bachelors: Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Hail jail and bail

Jail and bail are the words of the year 2011. The next in the pecking order might be ‘anti-corruption’ that was in the highest decibel thanks to Ramlila.

It is difficult to find a politician, who was not somniloquous about these words, while they had turned them insomniac. People wanted to see them in the jail and the corrupt chanted the word bail.

Both were the pet words for the top lawyers, for they enjoyed a windfall gain from them. But, the Supreme Court was the show stealer putting the impossible behind bars.

Twice the Supreme Court struck. After managing to get bail from a lower court Ramalinga Raju could not live happily for ever after. He barely spent two days with his family before the apex court cancelled the bail. The cancellation did not come before the Supreme Court asking the Andhra Pradesh High Court to take up the slack before releasing the kite. Its ultimatum to the accused in Satyam case to surrender before trail court came as tempest to wipe out cynicism prevailed. People were complaining the powerful would getaway with their fraud. Raju’s case was the first case to bring smile on their faces after proving them wrong.

The Supreme Court was more scathing on the Mumbai High Court for granting bail to the master tax evader Hasan Ali. Terming the High Court’s judgment erroneous, the Supreme Court bench observed it was "deeply disturbed" over the way the trail court judge conducted the proceedings. Till then dead in the eyes of a common man, the judiciary suddenly turned alive to roll out like juggernaut.

They way the Supreme Court sent A Raja, Kanimzhi, and Suresh Kalmadi to jail was a leson for the lower courts and it made the judges double cautious. As a result, the Kattas, Yeddys, Reddys started falling in line. Remember how Katta Subramnaya Naidu, who was dodging the Lokayukta special court, made a return trip from a foreign country to India to appear before the judge, who threatened to send an arrest warrant, and joined his son en route to Parapapna Agrahara Jail. No bail for him despite spending crores on the lawyers.

Yeddyurappa is also spending crores on his lawyers. He knows, like others knew, that a jail term before getting bail is the only punishment that an accused get at the given situation as the trail goes on for years and the courts take ages to decide on a case. The under trails out on bail can rule the roost, while their court appearance will be as routine as their attendance in their daily work. The media forgets about their cases once they get bail and they enjoy freedom. The glowing examples are Jayalalithaa and Lalu Prasad Yadav. Nobody knows what happened to their cases. We heard the trail is on.

Y Samapangi, Haratalu Halappa, and Renukacharya are now free birds enjoying life. Can you remember these politicians once made headlines in Karnataka when they were booked under criminal charges? Their lawyers got bail for them and they slipped out of the media glare. Who knows whom Sampangi is extorting, whom Halappa is trying to rape, or whom Renukacharya is romancing with?


This is the reason why the Yeddys and Reddys are betting on the lawyers and investing hugely on them. But, the courts are giving run for their money.

The ever-elected representative of Lingayat masses, a man used to think the chief minister chair his own property, is making trips to the court. The Lokayukta court is to decide on B S Yeddyurapap’s bail plea.

The ever-elected representative of Bellary’s toiling masses, a man ignoring even court summonses, is suddenly behind bars. The CBI court in Hyderabad remanded G Janardana Reddy to CBI custody after rejecting his bail application.

The trend is so pertinent that even film stars are facing the heat. See how challenging star Darshan’s heroism was challenged? He is now learning dishum dishum can earn applause only on screen and beating wife in real life will bring a jail term. He is the son of a great actor, who was loved by the audience as a villain. Tugudeepa Srinivas led an austere life and his wife donated her kidney to him. His son is a hero and he could not win his wife’s heart.

The court yet again played a leveler and proved people can still believe in judiciary.


Then, how could Kumaraswamy get bail? He can achieve anything because he is the son of Deve Gowda. And Deve Gowda is Deve Gowda, the real Rajni Kanth.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Advani said he knew it

L K Advani’s rath is set to roll out for a fresh leg of yatra after a lapse of twenty-one years.

The theme is not temple or Hindutva this time around. It is anti-corruption. The objective is not only to bring back the BJP to power but also to push himself to the prime ministerial candidature, for he is sure the post is no longer reserved for him.

And that is the real hitch.

It starts from the very theme. Anna Hazare might have provided amphitheater for all those who can spiel on anti-corruption, but what Advani has to say to the audience with Yeddys, Reddys, and Modis in to his ranks and files?

He has dared the UPA government to arrest him in the cash-for-vote scam, for he was aware of the sting operation carried out by his party men. He knows no one can arrest him for the crime of knowing the sting operation. But, what about knowing the misdeeds of the Yeddys, Reddys, and Modis, and keeping silent on them? Can he ask for a jail term for himself for this crime?

In fact, it will catch imagination of the audience, if he makes this as the theme of his rath yathra.

Leave alone Bangaru Laxman, who caught in camera while collecting wads of currency notes from deal masters. Advani knew the poor chap was only accepting donations for the party fund. The money collected by his two MPs could have also been converted into the party fund had it not aimed at the stabilization of the UPA government. The sting operation conducted by Tehalka was politically motivated, and the sting operation done by the BJP MPs is done to do a great service to democracy. And Advani knew it better.

He knew B S Yeddyurappa could win elections for his party in Karnataka and he was happy to handover the leadership to him. How jubilant he was when he came down from Delhi to Bangalore to bless the new chief minister, who took oath on the steps of Vidhana Soudha. He knew the Karnataka poster boy could establish the first BJP government in South India only due to money and muscle power of the Reddys, who have despoiled Bellary. So he congratulated the mining lords for inventing ‘operation lotus’ to poach MLAs from the opposition parties. He knew they could have achieved it by spending money like water.

He also knew Sushma Swaraj, his successor as the leader of the opposition in the Loksabha, making annual trip to Bellary on Varamahalakshmi festival to collect ‘lakshmi’, and he knew the Reddys presenting luxury gifts to his party president Nitin Gdakari. But, we don’t know whether he knows about what Janardana Reddy has singed in the CBI custody.

He knew Narendra Modi dodged for seven years without appointing Lokayukta in Gujrath. Still he and his party are the patent holders of Anna Hazare’s ant-corruption manthra.

He knew his son-like Santhosh Hegde sitting in the position of Lokayukta could come handy in getting rid of Yeddyurappa in Karnataka, while there was none in Gujrath. The row over the appointment of the Lokayukta there, and the corruption charges against the state government might help him in getting rid of a contender for the PM post: Modi.

He has to say all this in his rata yatra.

Now consider the question of his prime ministerial candidature. It is a pity that the patriarch, who is credited to have brought the BJP from two seats level to the ruling party status, had to say he had taken the permission of Gadkari for his proposed rath yatra. And what was Gadkaris’ reaction? The BJP president said, “There is no question of the party going under an individual leadership. It is collective leadership we are thinking about.”

Another prime minister in waiting Sushma has bluntly thrown water on Advani’s enthusiasm by saying rath yathra wouldn’t produce a prime minister.

We know Advani knows all this and that is why we are doubtful on the take off of his yatra.

Friday, September 9, 2011

Dance of demonocracy

Anna might have once orchestrated dance of democracy, but who is there to stop an unrelenting dance of demonocracy?

The demons are our speakers and governors conniving with the power-hungry party leaders.

Speaker of the Karnataka legislative assembly K G Bopiah is demonstrating an extreme fairness in case of Sriramulu, who resigned as a BJP legislator last Sunday. He is taking time to decide on the resignation. It is a due diligence to make sure that the Bellary MLA had acted on his own will without anybody’s bad influence, and it was not a hasty decision. A speaker has to do this, in the interest of democracy, because it is a question of an elected representative, while it involves the popular sentiment of the electorate.

So far Bopiah has relieved fourteen MLAs after they resigned. All are from the opposition parties- the Congress and the JD(S) - and he took maximum of fifteen minutes to accept their resignations. The average speed of response was five minutes. It was ‘operation lotus’ launched to poach legislators from the opposition parties adding to the strength of the ruling party. The swiftness was very much required, in the interest of democracy, because it was a question of stability of an elected government, while it involved the popular sentiment of the electorate.

Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa was fortunate to have a speaker, who knew his business as a guardian of democracy. Bopiah was sensible enough to understand the sensitivities of the ruling faction of a ruling party. Remember how he disqualified sixteen MLAs a few minutes before they could topple the government. His conduct was so saintly on that day that the abuses hurled at him in the house did not fell on his ears. He was so courageous that he did not show a sign of fear even when the floor turned gang war zone between the ruling and the opposition members prompting police entering the house.

Great service he rendered to democracy. He denied voting right of the rebel MLAs by disqualifying them lest they would have pulled down the government doing disservice to democracy.

The Governor H R Bharadwaj is no less a valiant guardian of democracy. He guarded it by denying voting right of these rebels after the Supreme Court reversed Bopiah's decision disqualifying them. He didn’t allow the assembly session to happen till he was overcome by the BJP legislative party resolving to show confidence in Yeddyurappa. Even the Congress frowned on his antics as more loyal than king.

The sixteen MLAs wanted to throw out Yeddyurappa government before Bopiah disqualified them because they were assured of money and power by the JD(S). By the time Supreme Court restored their membership they wanted to support the government because they saw greener pasture in the ruling BJP and promptly came back to Yeddyurappa’s fold. In fact, this was the real dance of democracy. The rock stars were the speaker and the Governor. They rocked at the Rock and Roll party with the rebel legislators ably essaying the role of summersault clowns.

Now that rebel in Sriramulu is vanished with his leader G Janardana Reddy landing in CBI dragnet. He has apparently dropped the idea of launching his own political outfit up against the BJP as leaving the party no longer suits his needs. Protecting his interest is in the interest of the BJP now. And a loyal party man he is, Bopiah is just doing what the party wants him to do.

He could have rejected the resignation had rules permitted. Rules say, a speaker can reject resignation of an MLA if it is reached him through a third party or by post or by fax. Sriramulu, when he had a high, had chased him all the way to Medikeri to handover the resignation letter in person, and Bopiah has no excuse to reject it.

Only way left is: Sriramulu has to withdraw resignation. He is expected to write to the speaker shortly, but there is no guarantee Bopiah returning the resignation letter immediately. He has to wait for the party signal. And the party still doesn’t know what exactly is in its interest.

The dance drama will continue.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Jobs gone, and jobs gone

‘Jobs’ was the obsessive word of August in the US; when the Steve Jobs called it a day, the month recorded no jobs in the market.


The employment report, released on last Friday, shows the economy adding no jobs in August - zero - and the anemic numbers for June and July were revised downward. The unemployment rate is stuck at 9.1 percent, but it would be 16.2 percent if it included the swelling ranks of those who find only part-time work and the millions who have given up looking for jobs that simply do not exist. Alarmingly, the White House said the unemployment rate was expected to stay that high through at least 2012.

While the report leaves no doubt that the United States is in the grip of a severe and worsening jobs crisis, it has lent a sense of urgency to the speech on jobs that President Obama plans to deliver, on Thursday.

Alas, politics in America is no different than that in India. Obama had to address the joint house on Wednesday, but the speaker turned down the request citing a procedural lapse. The fact is that two Republican presidential candidates are scheduled for a debate, on Wednesday, and John Boehner, a loyal Republican he is, didn’t want presidential address overshadowing the performance of his fellow party men.

Didn’t it remind you of our K G Bopiah, who jumped to disqualify 17 legislators in a bid to save Yeddyurappa government? Party blood is thicker than parliament water. Although speaker is the second in the US presidential line of succession, Boehner chose to defy the White House.

While it is unprecedented and shameful, the development reflects on the vulnerability of Obama. Perhaps he is the weakest president in the history. The White House immediately seized on the report to bolster the president's impending call to action. Republicans countered that the numbers were further proof that the stimulus policies of Mr. Obama, whom they quickly dubbed "President Zero," were not working.

The main cause of unemployment now is a lack of consumer demand. Americans -unemployed, underemployed, underwater in their debts, and understandably anxious about the future - are unwilling or unable to spend.

This is worrisome back in India because the parameters in the US are indicating the possible double dip recession. It has already cast shadow on our job market with exports already down sliding is tending to hit further low.

But, the internal situation is not so bleak. The fundamentals are still strong and the markets are doing well with the foreign institutional investors are finding India more safe given the global situation.

It is interesting to note that the consumer spending peaked in India in August, when it was traveling valley side in the US. Indian retailers managed to mop up their highest sales ever in a month as consumers splurged on daily household items, apparels and durables during the Independence Day week sales clubbed with the end-of-season sale discount last month. The spur can not be dismissed attributing to end-of-season sale discounting as the discount was no longer bait with the inflation continuing to be unbridled.

The sluggishness of the US economy and the bullishness showing up in India can prompt the Indian businesses to turn inwards and tap the domestic markets. While it would be better bet for them, the move will help improving supply side dynamics that in turn helpful in containing inflation.


The end of Libya crisis is expected to result in falling of oil prices that would further eases out inflation.

So, it’s time to rejoice, if you are not looking for a job in the US.