Censoring the Internet to protect my bosses

We all love Chinese food, don’t we? But that doesn’t mean, like the Chinese in China, we will forgo our freedom of speech and expression because the government of the world’s largest democracies, wants to control what we say and how we say it. It’s just impossible to believe that the man, who promoted and rolled out the landmark decree of giving every child their fundamental right to education, has proposed to control and monitor the fundamental right of speech and expression of the people. Despotic, I must say! But then, one can’t blame Kapil Sibal alone for this reckless proposal. He is only a messenger carrying the dictatorial message from his high command, which believes that censoring free content is the only way to silence people from public debate and criticism.

Citing reasons for his dictatorial verdict, Communication and IT Minister, Kapil Sibal defended his stand saying that he wants to put down guidelines to monitor content on social media platforms and remove ‘objectionable’ content from it. Now how does Kapil Sibal define objectionable content? Each individual has his/ her perspective of looking at things. What is objectionable for one, not necessarily is objectionable for the other. No doubt pornography is objectionable and should never be made legal in India, but expressing oneself cannot be measured with the same yardstick. It is our constitutional right for God sake.

To prove his point to social media giants like Facebook, Google, Twitter, and others, Kapil Sibal evidenced offensive photoshoped images and content of his bosses floating on the Internet. Well, big deal! Tomorrow if my pictures are offensively photoshoped by XYZ, will Kapil Sibal and his team of like-minded tyrants propose to pre-screen internet content then? And even if the pictures and content are malicious and objectionable, the Constitution of India under Act 19(2) allows individuals to invoke their right of Defamation. Why can’t Kapil Sibal’s bosses as responsible individuals exercise their right of defamation and sue people maligning their name on the internet. Nobody stops them from doing that!

Censoring the communication platform itself is an unconstitutional way to silence people. Rather, government needs to take lessons from the content being generated, and subsequently devise corrective and preventive actions to correct their administrative failure, which only gets worse every single passing day. Today the government has proposed to censor and pre-screen internet content...tomorrow Kapil Sibal may decide to ban shoes, because shoes are thrown at politicians to express anger and frustration. And then, our hands will be chopped to prevent Sharad Pawar slapgate like incident from reoccurring. Grow up my government servants. When an organ in a human body is diseased, the doctor operates upon that organ or gets rid of it...the practitioner does not put the patient to death.

Recently, even United Colors of Benetton’s new worldwide communication campaign had pictures of US President Obama and Chinese Prime Minister Wen photoshoped to lip-lock. The unhate campaigns are still displayed on the internet and have not faced the axe of censorship. Wonder when are we going to learn? The government of India needs to stop wasting its time throwing stones at every dog that barks.

The United Nations has strongly condemned Kapil Sibal’s proposal to pre-screen internet content and has said that, no one can take away people’s rights unless they allow them to. Just hope Kapil Sibal and his bosses have heard this message from the United Nations loud and clear. People must learn to protest loudly and stop taking it lying down. We can’t afford to allow history repeat itself. We cannot afford another Emergency like situation in India, similar to the one Madam Indira Gandhi imposed for two long years during her regime.

Post script:
Going by the internet censorship diktat proposed by Kapil Sibal, our tweets/ messages will first have to pass through pre-screening government filters before it is published on micro-blogging sites. And looking at the bureaucratic process that the government already has in place, even non-objectionable messages will enter the non-prohibited side of the filter only after the message has long lost its essence and timeliness. Phew! God save us!

Insha’Allah (God willing)

It was a Eureka movement for women not only in Saudi Arabia but women all over the world when Saudi King Abdullah declared that women in the Middle Eastern country will have the right to vote in municipal elections. Not only that, Saudi women will also be allowed to run in future municipal elections, and will be appointed as full members to the Kingdom's Shura Council, which is the King’s advisory board.

A pat on the back of King Abdullah who stunned the ultraconservative nation with a daring reform like this, that nobody ever expected for decades to come. Wish that, along with the right to vote, run for local office, and representation at the Advisory board, King Abdullah would also remove the ban imposed on women driving their vehicle. Recently the world was outraged when a Saudi court sentenced 10 lashes for a woman found driving her car. Well the King pitched in to overturn the courts order, but for how long can this go on? Hopefully with the recruitment of women in the Kings advisory board, this law would soon be scrapped, and women will be free from the bondage of being dependent on their drivers or male counterparts.

Reigning since year 2005, it must be really difficult for King Abdullah to make revolutionary reforms like this without upsetting conservative hardliners who oppose reform of any kind...sometimes even making women scapegoats of their prejudice. But this surely is a step forward in the right direction. In the rest of the world where women not only drive, but are also employed as drivers by car rental and public transport organisations, it is really difficult to assimilate this discrimination. Women make a huge contribution to society and it is women who can take up issues and causes concerning their lives and communities. The whole world welcomes King Abdullah’s decision of giving women the rights they deserve. But hope this decision last not only in King Abdullah’s supremacy but also for generations to come.

Since we are on the page of reviewing progress and development of women in different countries across the globe, it is very encouraging to know, how Australia has opened up their armed forces for women in combat roles. Australia joins Israel, Canada and New Zealand with this strategic move.

Even recently, the Indian army has broken this barrier by including the first woman in combat role. Although women have been a part of the Indian armed forces for a long time now, they are kept out from combative functions, being primarily recruited as officers in non-combat units. But recently 35yr old and mother of two, Sapper Shanti Tigga hit a sixer by outperforming her male colleagues displaying better fitness levels, better run timing, and better firing skills. The Indian armed forces couldn’t resists but recruit her in a combative role that Shanti was enthusiastic to join. With her dream of joining the armed forces coming true, Shanti credibly also won the title of being the first Indian woman recruit in a combative role.

With this credit in her name, Shanti has made the defence forces – army, navy, air force – to stand up and take notice of spirited and courageous women who believe in themselves and are yearning to join the defence forces on their own stem and strength.

Insha’Allah (God willing) that will also be thrown up to her very soon.

Post script:
Talking about women walking shoulder to shoulder with men in all walks of life, I don’t really think India should complain...because we can boast about so many women at the helm governing and making important administrative decisions for this country. Starting with Congress President, Sonia Gandhi and President of India, Pratibha Patil, to the Chief Ministers of four states – Jayalalitha, Sheila Dixit, Mamata Banerjee and Mayawati, among others.

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A rare faceoff

Although Julian Assange is famed for his timely and startling revelations of secretive cables exposing dishonest and unlawful acts perpetrated by nations across the globe...this mysterious stern looking man strangely also has a funny streak to him. In the midst of business as usual, Assange’s recently released US diplomatic cables on the Wikileaks website, makes one such revelation that the Chief Minister (CM) of Uttar Pradesh State in India, Mayawati, had sent an empty jet to Mumbai to pick her favorite pair of shoes.

Undoubtedly there is no strong evidence to anything that Julian Assange reveals. On the face of it, the world denies to believe them calling it fake and all cooked up stories. But deep down, we still tend to pay heed to these cables. The Mayawati cables published recently put the entire nation in shame except for Mayawati herself who retorted back abusing Assange to the hilt. Nevertheless, Mayawati’s political rivals obviously exploited this situation to gain political mileage.

How can the CM of a State splurge taxpayer’s hard earned money for her personal use…that too for a mere pair of shoes. Even if those shoes were embellished with gold and diamonds and worth more than the price of the jet plane, isn’t that a real shameful thing to do.

A person very well known for her antics, Mayawati has committed many a similar blunders in her career span as CM. From spending crores of Indian rupees for erecting statutes of herself…to being felicitated with cash garland on her birthday year after year, Mayawati has done it all.

On release of these cables by Wikileaks, acerbic Mayawati hit back at Assange calling him a lunatic in need of immediate psychiatric intervention at an asylum. In a fit of fury, Mayawati even bit back saying that in case of occupancy shortage abroad, Assange could seek admission at the Agra asylum in India for treatment. The unruffled Assange willingly accepted Mayawati’s proposal and even passionately spoke about his love for India. So cool was Assange that he offered to gift Mayawati a range of specialized British crafted shoes and even promised to deliver it to India, provided Mayawati sent across her jet plane to England to collect it.

So far, Mayawati has been targeted by her political rivals who criticized her for her penchant for corruption. But one would never have imagined a verbal spat between two unlike personalities. It is a rare faceoff between a power-hungry acerbic political personality like Mayawati versus a daredevil whistleblower, Julian Assange.

This cable on Mayawati released by Wikileaks is nothing new. There’s nothing really startling about it. Mayawati is just a symptom. On the behest of power, Mayawati fearlessly does everything in public purview and hence is singled out. Unlike most of our top politicians and public servants who covertly rob the nation of its wealth.

However, looks like the judgment hour is here. With credit to the Anna Hazare's ‘India against corruption’ movement and the Supreme Court intervention, many of these greedy netas and babus are booked behind bars today. Critics debate saying that it is impossible to wipe out corruption with one Lokpal bill. True that! but we need to begin somewhere right? And the good thing is that we have booted up the anti-corruption movement already. If this momentum continues and the government makes this its key point in the national agenda, we surely will reach our goal of a corruption free India.

~*~Bungalaw, gaadi, bank balance, zameen, sona kuch nahi sab moh Maya hai ~*~

On a lighter note
Sadly Mayawati didn’t respond to Assange’s kind hearted proposal. Only wish Assange would send those classy England crafted shoes to me instead. The only hitch is that like Mayawati I don’t own a jet plane.

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Turning a deaf ear to public opinion can awfully backfire

The 74yr old cheerful and optimistic Gandhian, Anna Hazare, has surely set a precedent not only for the people and governing institutions of India, but also for democratic nations across the globe, testifying that, if you have a will, and that will is lead with honestly and perseverance, no power play can really stop you from driving oneself and the masses towards realizing that noble cause. More importantly, who says that it is impossible to adopt non violent means of protest to exercise freedom of expression? Looking at the peaceful means adopted by Anna and his team, we certainly can conclude that the Gandhian method of Satyagraha works wonders even in this 21st century of modernization and capitalism.

Anna Hazare defied the government’s toothless Lokpal bill which was hastily tabled in the Parliament without considering the anti-corruption workable draft by the civil society group lead by Anna. This was not the first time that the civil society warned the government about the namesake bill. The tug-of-war between the government and civil society has been on for over six months now with the government not relenting an inch to even listen to what the civil society has proposed. This was the first goof up that the government committed.

This lead from one error to another leading to the biggest blunders of almost mysteriously kidnapping the anti-corruption crusader, whose only fault was that he wanted to protest against rampant corruption that was rotting our system and dwarfing growth of its people. Sadly, the government didn’t foresee what was coming with Anna Hazare’s detention in Tihar prison. In a democracy, the government simply can’t stifle opinions of people using arrogance of power. No matter how big or small, you just can’t ignore public outcry.

And this is what democracy is all about. International media has wrongly likened India’s anti-corruption movement with the Arab uprising and the jasmine revolution. When in reality, the anti-corruption protest in India only reinforces the power of our democracy. What Anna and the people are able to do today, is only because we are the world’s biggest democracies. The people of a totalitarian regime can’t even think of adopting these means of protest.

With the domino of errors that the government has committed, it missed out on the opportunity to engage in some intellectual debate on civil society’s version of the bill. No doubt Anna Hazare is a leader of the masses, but the bill drafted by his team certainly is not error proof. Even the Anna team has never said that their version of the bill needs to be tabled in the Parliament. All they requested was for a healthy discussion, a debate, and most importantly a referendum on the anti-corruption bill. Agree that the Constitution does not have a provision for a referendum and it would be unconstitutional to have one. But in the same breath, the Constitution is a living document and it can be amended.

As I am writing my opinion piece, Annaji who is on an indefinite fasting protest is making his way from Tihar prison towards the Ramlila grounds surrounded by huge people frenzy who can’t stop raving about the Anna metaphor. The government must be shamed right now looking at the mounting followers of Anna Hazare…but unfortunately they got themselves there by making those many ungrammatical errors. Had our respected Prime Minister used his wisdom to anticipate the upshot of his acts, he would have a face to show. Sadly our PM rather listened to his ill advising coterie who left him faceless.

A strong anti-corruption bill will certainly not bring an end to corruption in days or a few years from now. It is indeed a sustainable process which should not only monitor and punish the bribe taker but also the bribe giver, who is equally accountable. As stated by PM, we agree that, there certainly is no magic wand to eradicate corruption. But had Mr. Manmohan Singh whirled his anti corruption wand 3-4yrs back, the problem would not be as big as it is today.

The magnanimous India Against Corruption (IAC) movement spanned out by Anna (our hero) gives a message to each one of us to stop stomaching discrimination and exploitation, but rather exercise our right of freedom of expression. More importantly the movement also scribbles the fact that the right to freedom does not give anyone the right to riot. The peaceful and Gandhian methods of protest used before our independence is pretty much promising even today.

Looking at what this 74year crusader has done, it certainly is time for all our retired friends to stop living a withdrawn life... rather gather themselves to awaken the masses to fight evil the Anna Hazare way. The youth are too busy in their hectic day-to-day lives and it is only our retired folks who can motivate the youth to pause and act against the evils ingesting our system.

Post script

Folks, did you catch visuals of Anna Hazare’s marathon run to protect himself from the crowds? After seeing those visuals, I have ditched Milind Soman as my Marathon mentor. I’m now going to follow Annaji all the way to Marathon 2012. He surely can give anyone a run for his money :-) Even more Anna lost 3kgs in 3days of fasting and am planning to take this as my dieting tip. Anna Sir, way to go!

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The Armageddon of Terrorism

Two successive terrorist attacks traumatized the people of the world recently. The financial capital of India, Mumbai, was blown apart in a matter of 10mins by bouts of serial bomb blasts on 13th Jul 2011, and so was the capital city of Norway, Oslo on 22nd July 2011. The attacks left the people of Mumbai shaken and stirred, arousing anger against the governing authorities demanding their right to security. While the people of Norway although were initially shocked by these attacks, remained calm and resilient.

So, why that difference in reaction to almost similar catastrophes? Mumbai which houses a population of approximately 20.4 million people accounting for about 20% of India’s population alone, has been struck by terrorism not once, not twice or three times...but this city that I love so much, has been brutally hit umpteen numbers of times. While on the other hand, for the people of Norway, which houses about 20% of Mumbai’s population of approximately 4 million people, it was a first and hopefully (and surely) the last kind of brutal attack after World War II.

No doubt that the whole wide world is being terrorized and neither you nor I really know about what’s in store for us tomorrow or even the very next minute. But then, in between uncertainty and cruelty like this, there is 'hope' and 'faith'. ‘Hope’, that similar attacks like these will not repeat itself, and ‘faith’, that the internal system will be strengthened and would be intolerant toward such ruinous mishaps from repeating itself.

The people of the United States of America may criticize the debt crisis and the rising figures of unemployment in the US...but I don't think a single American has or will ever complain about the feeling of insecurity after the 9/11 twin attacks in New York city. The twin attacks certainly jolted the people of the nation, but it surely didn't shake their faith in the government. The people are assured that henceforth, anyone trying to plan such attacks again on American soil will have to be a superhero with supernatural powers. So much is their faith in the security system of the nation! Each global citizen anywhere in the world wants to have that same feeling of security.

Instead of assuring people of better methods for curbing such attacks from revisiting us, a man who supposedly has inherited the right to become the future PM of India says that the centre can prevent 99% of terrorism but the remaining 1% of it is bound to happen. Now how would anyone react to the arithmetic justification of this situation…that to, when it is coming from a government representative? Did this supposed PM-prospect mean that the 13/7 attacks in Mumbai, which took 25 innocent lives and left so many limping (for life), belonged to the 'inevitable' category of attacks. Shameful justification! When you don’t know what to say or do in a hysterical situation, it is better to simply shut-up!

Why do these cruel bloody attacks happen in the first place? Why would any sane individual or cluster want to take innocent lives of people they have never met nor have anything to do with? Even if we suspect insanity to be the reason behind these attacks, how can such illogical people make flawless plans and execute them with sheer precision then?

Bridging inequality in society

Don’t we need to first stop pointing a finger towards a particular section of society as soon as a terrorist attack strikes anywhere in the world. Why are Muslims being stereotyped? Is it really fair? When the Oslo twin bombing happened, speculators all around the world tried to scrutinize Islamist group influence/ involvement in the attacks. When in reality, the lone terrorist who bombed this beautiful city was an anti-Muslim extremist and a contrarian to the local immigration policies. The more we pigeonhole our Muslim brethren, the more we isolate them from the rest of the world, and the more divide we create. Someone’s religion is certainly not an indicator to judge whether he/she is a terrorist. It is the circle that a person lives in and the way he is programmed to think and behave that makes a person do crazy things. Isolation and discrimination are also the two deadliest evils.

Ask the lone terrorist who took Mumbai to ransom on 26/11 - Ajmal Kasab - why he aimlessly shot down so many innocent people, and he spontaneously replies saying that he fought for ‘jihad’. Interrogators did ask him what is the meaning of jihad and he said, "It is about killing and getting killed and becoming famous". Muslim clergies rubbished this, saying that, anybody who says that jihad is a ‘holy war’ needs a life. Jihad instead broadly means, striving hard by putting in your best efforts to achieve a goal by overcoming one's own weakness.

Terror surely is growing not only in India but around the world and it is time that each nation comes together carrying a single agenda to fight terrorism right from its roots. It is easier to celebrate martyrdom than to fix responsibility or make changes, so that more people don't get martyred. We need to act now!

Increasing security and a joint global anti-terrorism plan is the way forward. No nation can fight terrorism alone. It has to be fought in consultation with each other. Fighting terrorism is not only the business of the nation that has become victim to frequent attacks, but should be a concerted effort across nation pan-world. Just like we aim to become a world with zero nuclear weapons and also aim to reduce global carbon footprints to zero, shouldn’t we also aim for ‘zero- terrorism’ as well?

God Bless our world!

Post script:

I have been to Norway once and the first and the last thing I remember of it is the sight of the landscape 30mins before touching landing strip. Just one word to describe it…“Heaven”. Besides that, Norway is the only nation in the whole wide world which has been uncontroversial with peace and equality being her topmost priority. Truly a country which not only bestows humanitarians with the Nobel Peace prize award for their outstanding contributions in Peace, but also a nation that walks the talk.

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When you say nothing at all

We love you Mr. Manmohan Singh. We love you and respect you for who you are and where you come from. But we are frustrated with the silence and the no-show policy that you have adopted since the beginning of your Prime Ministerial era. I can end up in a quarrel if anyone raised a finger at your morals and values. But what do I do Sir, when people say that you are unfit, you are a lame duck, that you are remote-controlled, and that you lack political authority? Sir, the gloom on your face, the truth in your eyes, the stillness on your lips, says nothing at all.

Your silence and nothing-to-say style of leadership says nothing to a billion people who are waiting to be a part of the growing economy. People of this nation do not understand what’s happening with the checks and balances that fuel our economy. All we see is an expose of a new scandal perpetrated by your most trusted officer at the top every single day. We find ourselves stuck in a puzzle of despair and isolation. Please speak to us Mr. Prime Minister.

I know chhoti-muh-badi-baat (small person giving intellectual suggestion), but Sir, you need to free yourself from the surrounding magnetic forces of your so-called advisors who are feeding you with information that is the maligning the prosperity of this nation both socially and economically. The officials you have trusted and you swear by have back stabbed you. In return the very same trusted ministers have made an empire of their own. We have no complains with ministers who have become cash rich through their hard work and the remuneration they earn. But swindling public money in hundreds of crores is certainly something that needs to be investigated and punished at the spur of the moment. Nonetheless, the checks and balances and action plan of these swindles need to be communicated to the people. Why don’t you speak to us Mr. Prime Minister?

Every time a Minister from your office is caught in a new scandal, you ask them to resign and subsequently shuffle your cabinet. Is cabinet reshuffle the only way to fight the menace put forth by your Ministers? To action upon anything, why do you have to wait for the Supreme Court to issue a notice against your administration or wait for the CBI to press an action against you? Why don’t you take proactive steps of intolerance in matters concerning public money. Get moving and talking Sir. You can’t walk the talk if do not talk in the first place.

Why are you axing your own feet Sir? Or like some say, are you in dire need to create negative publicity for yourself…so that you have genuine reasons to step down mid-term and surrender the PM’s chair to the legacy in waiting? Even if this is the reason, why are you putting the nation and its people at stake to take this political advantage.

Saat samunder paar (over seven seas), the President of the United States – Barack Obama – who won the elections by campaigning through the electronic media, is effectively communicating with his people almost every single day. Exploring the electronic medium, Barack Obama speaks to his people through You tube, emailer, Twitter townhall, and has also been tweeting to his people frequently. We understand that India does not have 100% internet connectivity and electronic medium literacy, but Sir, there are so many other effective channels of communication that you can explore to reach out to the masses across different strata of society. Why don’t you reach out Sir?

It was a happy moment when you recently pledged to speak to your people more often. But to our disappointment, you even attempted your maiden speech half heartedly. In this age of electronic media and live coverage, how could you call five print editors behind closed doors to do an interview with you Sir? Why couldn’t you speak to us as the cameras were rolling? Doing this would increase people’s faith in you and harbor a feeling of hope in their hearts. You even missed this chance Sir.

Post script
Shri Manmohan Singh admits that he works 18hrs a day, seven days a week. Well only wish he worked less and rested more…he would have communicated better. All work and no play makes Singh saab a reclusive man. Barack Obama on the other hand is seen spending time playing golf and dashing inside ice-cream parlours and fast food joints. In the same breath, Barack Obama also finds Osama and shakes up the terrorists outfits terrorizing the world. Hope very soon we all get to see Singh saab enjoying some pani-puri’s at a nearby stall. Just hope!

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Jumping jacks take centre stage

What on earth is happening, may I ask? What started with a noble effort to install an effective anti-corruption and grievance redressal system by the 15th Aug 2011 deadline, ended up in a fish market like ceremony, in which everyone including politicians, bureaucrats, aam-aadmi and spiritual leaders are resorting to the Satyagraha movement at the drop of a hat. Some leaders of course genuinely resort to Satyagraha, for bringing about a positive change for the betterment of the nation and her people. While some immature souls, misuse the fast-unto-death format of Satyagraha to fulfil their political and personal ambitions. And in the midst of all this mayhem, our leaders at the centre make the civil society’s cry look like a farce.

Without a wink of doubt, the man who was honoured by the highest civilian award (the Padma Bhushan), Anna Hazareji, is selflessly working towards introducing the Jan Lokpal bill and is fighting tooth-and-nail to lawfully also bring the Prime Minister and the higher judiciary under the ambit of the Jan Lokpal. But as they say, too many cooks spoil the broth. The civil society’s protests for enactment of a strong Jan Lokpal bill, which took off with great gusto nationwide, lost its fizz with Yoga guru Ramdev Baba’s jumping-jack act on the Ramlila grounds. I still fail to understand how did a spiritual leader cum yoga guru even think of frog leaping to the fast-unto-death format to fight black money. Isn’t Babaji better off teaching the world some asanas and prayanam for healthy living? Well, I don’t have my doubts to that question...he certainly is the best!

Detractors would dispute saying that every individual in a democratic nation - whether a soldier or a yoga guru or for that matter you or me – has the right to protest, as long as it is for the benefit of the masses. But then, shouldn’t the person leading the movement also know the A B C of law making. You cannot be a drop-out there right.

India shining or India bleeding (corruption)?

Every citizen of this nation is riding on the hope of a better life that has been promised by the elected government. The common man is intelligent enough to understand that a populated developing country like India needs a lot of planning and infusion of funds to correct the loopholes in the system. And that, there is indeed no magic wand to give India this makeover. But then, how would the so-called promising central government who needs time and public taxes to allow this change to happen, explain the filth of corruption scams that it is entangled into. How long will the government hold a blank cheque on people’s income and spend it as and where they like.

“In a fully free society, taxation—or, to be exact, payment for governmental services—would be voluntary. Since the proper services of a government—the police, the armed forces, the law courts—are demonstrably needed by individual citizens and affect their interests directly, the citizens would (and should) be willing to pay for such services, as they pay for insurance.”- As said by Ayn Rand.

It’s true that citizens willingly and voluntarily pay their taxes to be able to see the betterment of the nation. But citizens also want to know how and where are their taxes being utilised. In order to spare public money from being pocketed by crooked bureaucrats, politicians, businessman, and alike, there is a need of a transparent system devoid of any government representation that will look at the functioning of the system from a third party perspective.

Domestic distractions
The central government which has been rocked by allegations of corruption is busy submitting dossiers in response to the umpteen numbers of investigation cases filed against its name. Of late these distractions have paralysed decision making and stalled development projects, leading to increased inflation and lower growth. The Jan Lokpal is one such instrument which will bring fear in the minds of corruption seekers (and givers), guaranteeing proper utilisation of public funds.

Finally, fast-unto-death is surely not the right path to put forward people’s demands to the centre. But what else can the people who are riddled with a new corruption scandal every single day do then? Do civilians silently look at these high profile corruption cases being exposed in front of their eyes or do they need to react to this before things go out of hand and the nation goes back in time. The people respect the Parliament house and are proud of the nation’s fantastic democracy. There are lot of expectations from the Parliament and this is the time the parliamentarians in the house pull up their socks and start work. And if they cannot really do the tough job of cleaning up the mess and starting anew, it is time they step down.

Post script:
These days, the rich and the famous are busy raising funds through unconventional means. To get snapped with the first lady, Mrs. Obama is charging a whopping $10k as fundraising for her husband’s re-election bid for presidency, while Wikileaks has auctioned a chance to lunch with Assange on eBay. So, don’t you think it’s a good idea to auction a chance to dine with Kalmadi or Rahul Gandhi, in order to restock the repository (in India) that has been drained by corrupt ministers. What an idea Sir ji!

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