Drama Continues with "Honest PM"

The drama over the JPC demand with reference to the 2G drama still continues unabated on the Telly.

It has reduced to nothing more than a detergent soap advertisement with each proclaiming that his/her shirt is cleaner than the other.

Every evening you have Congress guys shouting on top of their voice that their PM is cleaner than that of NDA's. A lot of accusations start being hurled at each other.  The host of the programme believes that more the participants shout, better is the level of debate.

Yesterday, I saw the debate/fight, whatever you may wish to call on Timesnow with the angry not so young man of Indian news channel, Arnab Goswami conducting the debate.  Thankfully with Salman Khurshid from Congress, the level was a bit better.  Manish Tiwari and Jayanthi Natrajan should be jailed for the debating IQ.  Doesnt exist at all.

Vinod Mehta, Outlook; Swapan Dasgupta, former India Today, representative from BJP and one Mr Swami (dont remember the full name - pardon me), a legal luminary were debating the need for JPC.

Vinod Mehta was filling Manish Tiwari's shoes by giving most illogical arguements.  He has pro-left and pro-Congress leanings.  Much more pro-left than a few in Ajoy Bhawan and much more pro-congress than many at Akbar Road.

He is one person who defended Sharm-al-Sheikh fiasco of PM on a NDTV programme marking completion of 100 days of UPA-2.  Even congress guys do not defend it whole heartedly.

Congress is making all the right noises about being magnanimous, respecting instituions, stern action by the PM and congress on corruption, PM is honest etc etc.

Different Channels, different speakers (many times same also) but same noise.

Lets look at each one of them.

1. JPC not required PM has offered for PAC and it is only BJP asking for it.
Going by this logic remove the provision of JPC because if scam of 1.76Lacs Crore rupees cannot get JPC attention, nothing will.  The demand for JPC is from entire opposition and not only from BJP. Vinod Mehta conveniently forgets it.

2. Opposition is shying away from debate
This issue has been discussed in parliament 3-4 times in last 3 years but to no avail. Last being July-Aug 2009.  PM and Congress made the right noises but did it result in any concrete action - NO.
Did Raja get removed - No.  Did CBI question him - no.  Were the erring companies brought to book - no. 

When did it happen - when Opposition starts blocking parliament en-masse and demands JPC.  Moral of the story - Congress believes nobody is interested in good debate and people will forget the debate and the government can continue peacefully.

3. BJP should respect the institutions.
This one is dear to my favourite Congress joker - Manish Tiwari.  In his heavy but irritating voice, he always claims BJP doesnt respect the institutions.  A few pointers for him and you all.

a. Who imposed emergency - Congress
b. Who altered Constitution provisions to save Indira Gandhi from Supreme Court trial in 1975 - Congress
c.  In Shah Bano's case, who overturned judgement of Suprement Court, thanks to their obscene majority in Parliament - Congress
d. Who has reduced the Commission of Inquiries to nothing more than a way to pass time and put the issues in cold storage - Congress.  How often we say "Commission Baith gaya hai - ab kuchh nahin nikelega"
e. Who has abused article 356 maximum number of times by dismissing Elected State Governments - Congress
f. Who was the one to coin the slogan of "Dedicated Bureaucracy" - Congress (Dedicated bureaucracy means - Babu dedicated to leader & party and not to the constituion and rule of law)

4. Congress took stern action
We sacked Kalmadi - Only from some stupid Congress office post.  The scandal broke out in July and till December nothing has happened.  If the Congress was so concerned why did they not remove Kalmadi right away and sealed all documents and files.  Now you find in newspapers that so many files went missing.

Raja is out of cabinet - Thank Karunanidhi for asking him to resign since he had made enough money for self and Karunanidhi.  CBI took over a year to question Nira Radia.  Had the tapes not been released - nothing would have moved. 

How many high profile corruption cases reached its logical conclusion - none.

The list is long.....

The concern is PM knows he is there to keep the chair warm for the Yuvraj.  He is not a man of high integrity. He may not have been involved in corruption cases himself but has seen the loot of exchequer right under his nose. He allowed to have exceptionally tainted ministers in cabinets both UPA1 & 2.

Should have taken a stand then - no he did not do, he loved the chair and still he is high on integrity.

This is day and age of making heroes out of mediocres and hence you have the "Clean PM"

The Clean, Honest PM drama will continue

Bharat Ratna Sachin - More than just a cricketer

Day before yesterday the genius created a record which will take some doing to break.

Suddenly there were quite a few voices demanding the government to confer Bharat Ratna on the greatest batsman of this era.  TV, newspapers everywhere it was Sachin Aala Re type programmes.  I too switched channels to try and take in the views of 3 channels at a time.  Than god for the remote control. 

There are a few questions which continue to raise their head after any batsman breaks some record.  I am trying to put my views forth on some of them.

• Is Sachin the Greatest Batsman of all times ?

The Answer to this question is no because a cetain Don Bradman is sitting at the top. whatever may be the reasoning, we should just give one look at his average and then keep the counsel to ourselves.  Don averaged 99 when his contemporaries (facing same conditions and playing on same pitches) scored in mid 50's.  Sachin averages mid 50's and is comparable with his contemporaries. There are many players in same average range.  You can open any trivia site to study the records.

• Is Sachin the next best after Bradman?

The answer to this question is more difficult.  It is easier for the averages to speak for Don when compared with others. Even if we discount Don, he occupies 7th spot in terms of averages for those players who have played over 50 tests.  In such a case, would you crown him the next best - I will leave it to the opinion of Fans.  Fans are a different breed.

• Is Sachin best batsman since 1970's.

The answer to this question is even more complicated than the previous one.  He ranks third as per above list after Sobers and Sangakara (Sobers played till 1974).  If we discount Sir Garry since he played for the maximum period before 1970 then it would be a fair assessment to say that Sachin has the best average.  I am not including Sangakara here because the number of test matches that Sachin has played are a lot more and the difference is less than 0.4.  But the averages do not still give the complete picture.  As per averages Chanderpaul of Windies is a better batsman than the legendary opening combination of Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes.

Best Batsman in which category. (comparisons)

Destructive - Our own Viru and one certain Sir Vivian Richards.
Opener - Our own Sunny sir, Mathew Hayden
Middle Order - Sir Vivian Richards and Lara
Technique - Sunny bhai, Sir Vivian Richards, Rahul Dravid

Then what makes him unique :

1. His humility and his hunger to score more and more
2. His clean image and conduct
3. His ability to bring smiles to 1 billion Indians
4. His longevity and the sheer volume of runs he has scored
5. The sheer volume of runs will not be overhauled in quite some time.
6. His ability to come back after injuries and become a better batsman.
7. His ability to excel in all forms of game be it Test, One Dayer and 20-20.
8. His presence in the team has a calming influence on all.
9. He stands for all good things in life
10. He is one person who stands out like a light tower in the midst of so many scandals and corruption cases.

People had conferred Ratna of Bharat on Sachin long long time ago.  Government can do whenever they please.  Going by the standards, it is either for 70+ or for those gone.

What a Joke : PM Offers to appear before PAC

Our Great Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, the one with unimpeachable integrity and honesty decided to offer to appear before PAC.  What a great offer from such a magnanimous man.  No PM in the history of the country has ever offered to do so.  This is the Congress culture at its very best.  Mrs Sonia Gandhi also concurs with the righteous approach and his concern to safeguard the moral and ethical values of public propriety.

I am sure all of you would have heard something more or less on these lines on Indian Television since yesterday.  I was all but tempted to believe what was being offered by our PM.  The one sitting on high horse of integrity and honesty.

A few key points make me wonder what the charade is.

1. It is like choosing the question paper.  He doesnt want to constitue JPC and hence offer the fig leaf.

2. Unnecessarily try to take the moral high ground when the deeds are much different.

3. He (I include Mrs G also in this since he cannot do anything without her permission) allowed the 2G Raja to continue to plunder and allowed men of questionable integrity to continue in his cabinet.

4. We all know the illustrious characters in his previous cabinet and how Shibu Soren created a record of being India's first absconding Cabinet Minister.

5. He kept on warming the chair for Rahul Baba rather than taking tough stand on corruption.

6. Kalmadi has been fired from Congress post only. The first reports were out in July 2010 but the Honest PM did nothing much till date.  No questioning of Kalmadi till now. 

7. Poor Kalmadi is being shown as fall guy with nothing much happening on investigation front.  But nothing on other possibilities of doubtful acts of Delhi Government, MCD,DDA etc.

8. The Honest One chooses to keep silent on crucial issues and turn blind eye to everything possible.

9. In true Congress tradition, made an "earpleasing" announcement with no merit.

10. Rest trust the Media and the coterie for ensuring that none questions PM and SG and Rahul Baba.

I wish I had the liberty to set my question paper, perhaps I would have been an IIT and IIM.

Will in subsequent editions elaborate on the whole charade of Congress governments

Straight Bat

The Straight Bat is not only confined to the game of Cricket but is applicable to every walk of life.

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Vineet