R.S.V.P  in invitation cards , is a French phrase, "répondez, s'il vous plaît," that means "Please reply." The “invitor” wo¬uld like you to tell him/ her whether you will be coming or not? This helps him/her in assessing the food requirement.  

The westerners are more etiquette conscious than Indians. Do we ever convey our acceptance or otherwise? Not even on phone, let alone in writing. We trust hospitality. 

A meal in Delhi costs anything between 1000 to 2000 rupees per “plate”.  The baraat needs “food unlimited”. The number always remains a mystery till the end. Many ‘suited-booted “professional baratis, maintaining anonymity ,join as uninvited guests and enjoy the feast. Wasting food is sinful. 

The  ‘Puranik’prayer  “Atithi , Devo Bhava”  needs to  be replaced by the appeal : “ Atithi, Tum Kab Jaogey “.

Don’t pay 20,000 rupees to Kejriwal for a dinner. He will swallow Service tax and Service charges.

Rank opportunism is a  typical Congress patented phenomenon .

Why was Sonia Gandhi in such a tearing hurry to constitute  Lokpal .

It was unethical on part of a lame duck government to plant  its own favourites as eight Members of LOKPAL, four judicial and four non-judicial.

Luckily, the resignation of Fali S Nariman followed by an ex- CJI from the so-called "Search Committee", came as a God send. Those,who did not resign, swallowed their self esteem. 

Sonia Gandhi  and Manmohan Singh are the most worried lot. Both will have their heads on the chopping board, once,  Modi ji becomes PM.The fear factor will run through the spine of the corrupt, the scamsters and chaatukars.

God has been kind this time. Come general elections, Decisions are now left to the next PM. 

What, if Mayavati comes? Selection  will be based on reservation quota for SC/ST /OBC. In case of Mulayam Singh Yadav, minorities like indian muslims, Budhists, Sikhs,Christians,Jains etc  will get preference. This will end up in a JOKEPAL. Merit and honesty take a back seat. Mediocrity and pliability will be perpetuated.

How divisive our leaders are ? 

The bureaucracy fails to advise the political executive.It merely takes orders from 10-Janpath.

May God bless the country.

The Delhi government spent Rs.13.41 lakh on the oath-taking ceremony of Arvind Kejriwal as Delhi Chief Minister( Rs.6.33 lakh on the Ramlila ground ceremony plus Rs.6.7 lakh on publicity).

I was tempted to ascertain causes of Kejriwal's psychological frustration. Sample this.

Kejriwal owns a split personality behind the mask of Narcisism.Some traits are reflected in his outlandish behaviour.

Without any achievements to his credit, he expects the whole world to endorse his absurd views. He is highly publicity conscious.

Highly opportunistic , he misused Anna Hazare's anti-graft movement as a spring board to create AAP and grabbed Delhi's Chief Ministership with Congress's support despite battery of corruption scams.

He makes tall promises and breaks them without remorse.

Very fond of himself and his speech. A snob and a haughty person.

He thinks ,the whole world is corrupt.

He makes friends and backstabs them in the realisation of his dreams.

Caste-based reservations upto 49%,is an electoral fraud in India. This must be scrapped forthwith.

The doctrine of stopping reservation beyond "third generation" as enunciated by the Paswans,is a farce for SC.ST,and OBC. The disadvantaged categories in these communities have remained untouchables even after 67 years.

There are wheels within wheels. Are we aware of hierarchies existing within SC/ST and OBC. The higher sub-castes within SC treat their lower sub-castes as untouchables. They do not marry intra-caste. Same in ST and OBC categories.

Is this not hypocrisy?

Do people like Meira Kumars, Sheljas, Poonias,Mayavatis deserve special privileges at the cost of public exchequer and national integration. Reservation has remained a tool for vote bank politics and dividing indian societies.

Every hindu is a "shudra" by birth. Any Shudra could become a "suvarna" or "brahmin" by hard labour , not by receiving undeserved , out-of-turn privileges.

The SC/ST candidates get unlimited chances for UPSC exams and separate cut-offs in merit. More or less, similar facilities for OBC. The mediocrity is perpetuated and merit becomes a casualty. The BSP advocates accelerated promotion through reservations in GOI. By this criteria , any junior could become senior to his/her seniors.

And then, we talk of "Governance deficit".

This is without prejudice to any class/castes or community.

I believe in a casteless society.

Milkha Singh’s  fulmination  against awarding Bharat Ratna to Sachin Tendulkar in Nov 2013, bypassing (Late) Major Dhyan Chand, deserves serious consideration.

Sachin Tendulkar,no doubt, is a national icon.  He  received several honours  in the past like :  Arjuna Award( 1994); Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award (1997); Padma Shri (1999); Padma Vibhushan (2008). He was the first sportsperson without aviation background to  have been  conferred the honorary rank of Group Captain in 2011.  Tendulkar was nominated  by the Congress as Member, Rajya Sabha in 2013. Against this background, Sachin Tendulkar   posing for BMW 18 Hybrid car at the Auto Expo 2014 held in Feb 2014, was  astonishing. He has been regularly endorsing commercial products even after conferment of Bharat Ratna and getting paid for it. Is this not an affront to the highest civilian award of India? Will the Govt of India (MHA) prescribe appropriate guidelines for stopping  the misuse.

The bureaucrats in India serve as excellent lapdogs to the political class. It was  disgusting  to watch an IPS officer , touching the feet of Ram Gopal Yadav .Some IAS officers of UP take pride in practising  shoe-shine sycophancy. A DG level police officer was clicked while cleaning the sandals of Mayawati,the then CM.Bihar officers are no exceptions. The bureaucrats  and politicians  in Tamilnadu  queue up to pay obeisance  by first prostrating  themselves and then toching the feet of Amma.

Is it not high time for the civil servants to take the call?

The entire print media of India presently comes within the purview of the Press Council of India (PCI) that acts as a watchdog over print media for maintaining the highest possible levels of journalistic integrity and conduct. 

The PCI feels that electronic media should also be brought under its purview and that the statutary body, should be renamed as the Media Council of India. 

The general perception  is that the Indian media, specially the electronic , can be easily influenced to be subjective, biased and partisan!  

Recall the Radia tapes. The two journalists who acted as go-between the political class and industrial houses , are back with full honours. 

The Indian express news targeting former General V K Singh ( now ,in BJP) about the possible “military coup” in Delhi due to routine movement of troops from Hissar/Agra to Delhi.Markandey Karkandey , Chairperson ,PCI did not utter a word of condemnation. 

V K Singh who was justifiably miffed,was forced to call the Media as "Presstitutes".He has not apologised .Nor ,has there been any self-critical analysis by the media.

The bureaucrats in India serve as excellent lapdogs to the political class. It was  disgusting  to watch an IPS officer , touching the feet of Ram Gopal Yadav .Some IAS officers of UP take pride in practising  shoe-shine sycophancy. A DG level police officer was clicked while cleaning the sandals of Mayawati,the then CM.Bihar officers are no exceptions. The bureaucrats  and politicians  in Tamilnadu  queue up to pay obeisance  by first prostrating  themselves and then toching the feet of Amma.

Is it not high time for the civil servants to take the call and make amends in their behavior ?

Chronology of Events

May 21, 1991: Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi assassinated at an election rally by an LTTE suicide bomber in Sriperumbudur near here.

May 20, 1992: Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the CBI files the chargesheet in the case before the TADA Designated Court at Poonamallee here.

Jan 28, 1998: TADA Court awards death sentence to all 26 accused.

May 11, 1999: Supreme Court sentences Nalini, Santhan, Murugan and Perarivalan to death; commutes death sentence of three others to life; frees 19 others.

Oct 8, 1999: Dismissing their appeals, Supreme Court confirms the death sentence awarded to Nalini, Santhan, Murugan and Perarivalan.

Oct 17, 1999: The four death row convicts send clemency petitions to Tamil Nadu Governor.

Oct 27, 1999: Governor rejects the clemency petitions.

Nov 25, 1999: Madras High Court quashes Governor's rejection of clemency petitions; directs the Governor to pass a fresh order after obtaining the state Cabinet's views.

Apr 19, 2000: State Cabinet chaired by then Chief Minister M Karunanidhi decides to recommend commuting the death sentence of Nalini alone.

Apr 21, 2000: Governor accepts Cabinet decision to commute death sentence of Nalini.

Apr 28, 2000: State government forwards clemency pleas of Santhan, Murugan and Perarivalan to the President.

Aug 12, 2011: Union Home Ministry communicates to state Government about President's decision to reject clemency petitions.

Aug 26, 2011: Execution of three convicts fixed for September 9, 2011.

Aug 30, 2011: Tamil Nadu Assembly adopts resolution urging the President to commute the death sentence of the three.

Aug 30, 2011: Madras High Court stays execution of Santhan, Murugan and Perarivalan on their plea. Petitions transferred to Supreme Court later.

May 1, 2012: Supreme Court says it would hear the petitions of three convicts.

Feb 18, 2014: Supreme Court commutes the death sentence on grounds of delay in disposing their mercy pleas. The court also says the state government may consider releasing the convicts under the powers vested with it.

February 19, 2014: State Cabinet decides to immediately release Santhan, Murugan, Perarivalan, Nalini, Robert Pious, Jayakumar and Ravichandran; sends its decision to Centre under Section 435 CrPC 

HUMANITARIAN AND POLITICAL CONSIDERATIONS BESIDES CENTRAL GOVT's DISCRETIONARY POWERS ARE INVOLVED.

FEB 20,2014 

SUPREME COURT STAYS TN GOVT MOVE TO RELEASE ALL RAJIV GANDHI'S KILLERS. STATUS QUO TO MAINTAIN TILL FURTHER NOTICE BY SC.

Chidambaram is a snob with poor credentials. His english is good but convoluted. But his biases are too obvious--anti-hindi, anti-UP.

He had no business insulting any officer at an inter-departmental or even one-to-one meetings.

Sudhir Krishna Secretary Min of Urban Development, acted appropriately as an officer. He chose not to take things lying down.Let the eggheads of India unite against the political class.

I understand that several Secretaries hold grudge against Chiddu for being impertinent at meetings.

The PM cannot help.He is the last among Equals.If he admonishes PC, he could get a dressing down from 10-Janpath.

He is a SARDAR, but, not ASARDAR !!!

Krishna’s protest to Cab Secy and Kamal Nath may not help due to high stature of Thiru Chidambaram Be that as it may, such ministerial shenanigans are on the increase, of late.

What has happened to the steel frame of bureaucracy? 

Why are Cabinet Secretary and Pulok Chatterjee,Pr Secy to PM,sorry, super PM at 10 Janpath, reticent about this 

Sachin Tendulkar is a national icon who was conferred Bharat Ratna in November 2013. 

Before that he had received several honours such as:  Arjuna Award( 1994); Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award (1997); Padma Shri (1999); Padma Vibhushan (2008). He was the first sportsperson without aviation background to be conferred the honorary rank of Group Captain in 2011.  Tendulkar was nominated as Member, Rajya Sabha in 2013.

Against this backdrop, Sachin Tendulkar posed for BMW 18 Hybrid car at the Auto Expo 2014 held in Feb 2014. He has been regularly endorsing commercial products even after conferment of Bharat Ratna and getting paid for it. This is simply disgusting.

Will the Govt of India (MHA) prescribe appropriate guidelines proscribing misuse of the highest civilian award of India.

BENI PRASAD VERMA (NOT FIT TO BE EVEN A PEON.) JUSTIFIES  DOLING OUT  FREEBIES TO JOURNOS FOR BUYING CHEAP  PUBLICITY. 

PAID JOURNALISM IS LEGITIMISED.PRESS COUNCIL CHAIRMAN,JUSTICE KATJU IS UNRUFFLED.  MOST REPREHENSIBLE.

THE INSENSITIVE AND LOUD MOUTH BENI  HOLDS CHARGE OF TWO CASH-RICH PSUs: SAIL and NMDC. THE PUBLICITY BUDGET OF BOTH IS PHENOMENAL. THE VISIBILITY OF PSUs'  CMDs IN MEDIA,IS EXCESSIVE. ALL AT COST OF PUBLIC MONEY.

THE MINISTER JUSTIFIES WASTEFUL EXPENDITURE IN THE FACE OF AUSTERITY MEASURES ANNOUNCED BY MOF. SURELY, INDIA IS  A COUNTRY OF HUGE PARADOXES.

EXTREME HYPOCRISY, WAYWARD, TAINTED MINISTERS, GOOD-FOR-NOTHING PM, POLICY & IMPLEMENTATION PARALYSIS, BAD GOVERNANCE, GROWING INFLATION, CORRUPTION SCAMS. 

ALL POWERS IN  HANDS OF  EXTRA-CONSTITUTIONAL  DYNASTY.

THE DIVISIVE  CONGRESS PARTY SURVIVES BY CREATING A DIVIDE BETWEEN INDIAN HINDUS AND MUSLIMS.IT IS THEIR STAPLE DIET.

 LET THE CONGRESS  STOP PRETENDING ABOUT IGNITING ANTI-SIKH RIOTS OF 1984 WIITH BRITISH HELP.  NO APOLOGIES.

THIS IS INDIA, THAT IS, BHARAT THAT PROFESSES EQUALITY, LIBERTY AND FRATERNITY.

FOR HOW LONG, WILL THE “GARIB AADMI” CONTINUE TO SUFFER THESE INDIGNITIES ?

CAN WE EXPECT A BREAKTHROUGH OUT OF THE IMPASSE ?

Caste-based reservations upto 49%,is an electoral fraud in India. This must be scrapped forthwith.  

The doctrine of "third generation" as enunciated by the Paswans,is a farce for SC.ST,and OBC. The disadvantaged categories in these communities have remained untouchables even after 67 years. 

 There are wheels within wheels. Are we aware of hierarchies existing within SC/ST and OBC. The higher sub-castes within SC treat their lower sub-castes as untouchables. They do not marry intra-caste. Same in ST and OBC categories.

Is this not hypocrisy? 

Do people like Meira Kumars, Sheljas, Poonias,Mayavatis deserve special privileges at the cost of public exchequer and national integration. Reservation has remained a tool for vote bank politics and dividing indian societies.  

Every hindu is a "shudra" by birth. Any Shudra could become a "suvarna" or "brahmin" by hard labour , not by receiving undeserved , out-of-turn privileges. 

The SC/ST candidates get unlimited chances for UPSC exams and separate cut-offs in merit. More or less, similar facilities for OBC. The mediocrity is perpetuated and merit becomes a casualty. The BSP advocates accelerated promotion through reservations in GOI. By this criteria , any junior could become senior to his/her seniors.

And then, we talk of "Governance deficit". 

This is without prejudice to any class/castes orcommunity.

I believe in a casteless society.

By ranking bureaucrats as " Most Powerful", are we not taking the entire bureaucracy for a ride? I would like to treat them as the "most manipulative, pliable,compromising" who are always eager to please the political class for their career progression.

They have always been holding coveted positions in the GOI by pulling the right strings at right time. 

They never seem to retire.They are fit to be addressed as the 'Field Marshals" of bureaucracy,ending up as MPs , Members UPSC, CEC or even Governors.

This way, the mediocrity is perpetuated,the merit takes the back seat. There are examples galore.I would not like to name anyone

Rahul Gandhi was at his worst while answering questions in Times Now interview. Even despite months of intensive tutoring by his mentors, the guy looked frightened, out of focus, dodging questions on serial scams ,inflation and corruption, invoking sympathy by citing successive killings in family. He memorized answers to questions framed by his mentors, not Arnab Goswami, Rahul Gandhi responded to questions that wer never asked. These were like RTI, Women empowerment, system, fundamentals. The Times Now gave extra-ordinary prior publicity  to Rahul’s interview as though something spectacular would emerge.But,it turned out to be a ” KHODA PAHAAD NIKLAA CHUHA”. A damp squib. The viewers were disillusioned. The Congress mentors must be cursing Ra Ga privately.

And all this lacklustre performance by Rahul Baba   after intensive tutoring, pre-recoding followed by editing .by  Congress chaatukaars. The grapevine has it that there  was  also a tele-prompter  also to assist him? Arnab Goswami merely succeeded in getting  the worst out of  Ra Ga..God save the country. One thing is clear that the TIMES NOW’s TRP got hit in the process.

The Supreme Court’s verdict on commuting death sentences of 15 murder convicts on ground of “inordinate delay in deciding their mercy pleas” (by the Executive) merits deep appreciation . These had earlier  been rejected by the President of India. The Court does not question the power of the President to reject mercy petitions. But, it can  go into the issue of whether the Executive violated the rights of the death row convicts due to the inordinate delay. The capital punishment has been on the Statute book for over 150 years.  The   terror-related cases like : 26/11 convict Ajmal Kasab and Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru ,were processed expeditiously and as per law of the land and  executions took place in 2012 and 2013 respectively. The Supreme Court concluded that those sentenced to death for terror offences could not invoke the argument about inordinate delay in disposing of mercy petitions. Former President Pratibha Patil  during her five year tenure , commuted  sentences of 35 death row convicts to life imprisonment. The execution rate in India has declined considerably during the past few decades.

In these circumstances, the moot point is : Whether  capital punishment should continue ? It has been there on the Statute for a number of serious offences for over 150 years. It is high time the Law makers had a re-think on whether to retain death penalty or abolish it save in terror-related cases. While,98 countries have abolished death penalty, 58 are retaining it.The  inordinate delay in  executing death penalty ( except in terror  related cases) amounts to  double Jeopardy. Waiting for death verdict  for long , is also a punishment. The extent of political pressures and those of  business houses exerted on GOI while processing  mercy petitions, is beyond  one’s imagination.GOI’s decision to seek a review of decision by SC, is misplaced.

After the UPSC aspirants staged a protest outside Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi's residence for demanding new UPSC exam pattern, Rahul Gandhi agreeing with the protestors said that the pattern of the UPSC civil services exam is wrong and he will take up the issue.

DOP&T headed by PM had approved the new pattern.Rahul Gandhi is the boss now.

I  served as Joint Secretary in UPSC and am familiar with ts functioning.

 it is learnt from a source claiming anonymity  that the situation is not hunky dory. 

The Commission is vertically divided against itself.There has been a face-off  between groups of former bureaucrats and academicians, both now now Members of UPSC.

Changes made by UPSC effective from  2013  Civil Services(Main) exam had excluded foreign languages from its course.The aspirants  alleged that they were left with little time to prepare and also the changes are discriminatory against students from the rural background.The charge is not without a basis.

Charges of arrogance,arbitrariness,extravagance and nepotism are flying thick and fast against the top echelons.The CBI is reportedly aware about this. 

The situation could reach the flash point any time.

This is the wake-up call for our good-for-nothing PM.It is due to his and MOS (DOP&T)'S non-application of minds that the IAS aspirants were forced to approach the political class for redressal of their grievances.

 India is presently ruled by the dispensation  of “ a ceremonial head”(President) , a de jure head of government     ( PM) and the de facto CEO ( Congress Supremo).Ministers are invariably appointed on political considerations irrespective of criminal charges slapped against them. Key positions are filled on extraneous considerations:  political loyalty, pliability, pecuniary etc. The problem of “dynasticism” has subverted inner-party democracy in the mainstream and regional  parties. 

A K Saxena (A retired civil servant)

The new CM of Delhi has turned all Delhiites into undercover agents to entrap corrupt govt. servants through sting operations. He has virtually crowd-sourced vigilance functions without ascertaining the legal admissibility of  evidences collected  through undercover operations. Consider other implications. What steps have been taken to: (a) Maintain the anonymity of sting operator; (b) Give protection to complainants; (c) Prevent blackmailing by complainants. How far would the populist scheme result in actual prosecution of corrupt officials is a million dollar question. Considering the scale of operations of undercover operations, one could see huge impact on  sale of hi-fi mobile phones. Covert operations by decoy officials of anti-corruption cell of NCT Delhi, would prove far more effective than entrusting the job to the poor, illiterate aggrieved who are non-professionals. The sting operation is  a complicated confidence game planned and executed with great care.

Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) ,a government funded 

autonomous body located at Mumbai, has become the refuge for civil 

servants.Former CEO ,one Pankaja Thakur was from the Customs Service and

the present ,one Ramesh Kumar from the Railway Accounts Service. 

To hell with this government.

Such positions should be reserved for eminent persons from the 

theatre/,Film world/ Writers/journalists fields.There will be many 

takers.

Selecting persons from the civil services ,is criminal.They merely follow orders from politicians. It is a man-made disaster.

Instead of simplifying the traditional tax structures, the GOI is imposing new taxes. Service tax was started with 1% with few services and now it is 10% in almost all services. Abolition of income tax is not feasible unless alternative sources of making up revenue deficit,are created. There are more income tax evaders than avoiders. The govt. will be well advised to demonetize 1000 rupee notes.But,this  will adversely impact  all political parties and builders mafia across the board. They will have to ferry the cash in trucks. This way, transparency will prevail.

Docks have not been cleared in higher Judiciary. After A K Ganguly, it is now Swatanter Kumar, former judge Supreme court in the dock. He has been charged with sexual felony by another intern. His offence is graver as the alleged  misconduct reportedly  took place while he was sitting judge of Supreme court.Strangely, several law interns have prepared affidavits discounting the possibility of such sexual misconduct by the accused. Is this character assassination or a reality?

The frequency of sexual innuendos against top judiciary has shaken  public faith . The LAWMAKERS  cannot mutely watch the paradigm shift from their comfortable cocoon of arrogance, insensitivity and know-all mindsets.

Eminent jurists must step in and assist the Supreme court in framing guidelines for sitting and retired judges.

Salman Khurshid’s chauvinistic remarks: “I will not return to Parliament, till I bring back Devyani”, was puerile, jejune and politically naive. While refusing to withdraw human exploitation charges,the USA has warned  that Devyani would be arrested on her return to US. Why should then MEA gloat over “conquering” the US ? While, the Indian and US media have locked horns on the issue , the Indo-US relations are reminiscent of cold war. Against this backdrop, could Devyani not be posted in AMS (Americas) Division in South Block that handles all matters relating to USA. A dose of retaliatory diplomacy is necessary.

Tarun Gogoi ‘s  recent demand for another time zone for Assam and other North-eastern states of India,is fallacious. Creating more time zones will rob the country of its psychological sense of identity. Having another time zone for North and North-east India, will result in chaos.  No wonder,Jammu&Kashmir could also revive its demand for an exclusive time zone. This could open a pandora’s box of demands from other regions. India’s neighbours: Pakistan, Myanmar, Bangla Desh have all got single time zone. China, much larger geographically than India, follows a uniform standard time. Srilanka follows the IST as its standard time. 

In this nuclear age of supersonic ballistic missiles, having more than one time zone in India, could adversely impact military operations by hampering receiving unified commands at same point of time during war.  A standard time for the armed forces across the country, is of the essence for strategic and efficiency reasons.Against this backdrop,the existing practice of ‘advancing the clock’, synchronizing with IST indicated by the Akashwani and Doordarshan, must continue. One hopes the Central government takes a holistic view in the matter by keeping the Indian Armed Forces, MOD,defence strategists , DoNER, DST,MEA in the loop.

This is not to defend recent terror attacks in France.. It is the most reprehensible and dastardly act by terrorists. No religion permits this. The present generation of european muslims has not been able to join the mainstream ,Their fast radicalisation could,inter alia, be attributed to intolerance in western democracies. Some attitudinal changes are called for on part of every one as the events could be game changer. Violence and backlash could escalate across continents and sub-continents. Sample some ground realities..Switzerland has banned construction of minarets; France has prohibited hijab and burqua in public places. This was upheld by the courts. Poland has forbidden export of halal meat. The Sikhs can't wear turbans in France and elsewhere,too. One wonders whether the CROSS is allowed to be worn by the christians in public..

After A K Ganguly's nightmarish experience , one cannot discount the possibility of a vindictive or career- ambitious  woman at the work place or elsewhere to make these allegations about sexual misconduct for multiple reasons leaving the accused to go through a terrible ordeal. 

I am not commenting on the authenticity of allegations against AKG in the face of Supreme court panel's  opinion of "prima facie" case to be taken forward.There was no judgement about AKG being found guilty of sexual misconduct,as a section of Media had misconstrued.

Who will protect the innocent menfolks from frivolous  complaints in the face of outrage-specialist political bodies  like the  NCW and big bindiwalli ladies, who are fond of seeking cheap publicity on TV Channels ? Is there any safety mechanism for men in place ?

No point gloating over the successful launch of GSLV.

It took ISRO about 20 years to complete the first stage of the cryogenic engine programme, which was promised to be over within 3-5 years. 

The claim about indigenousness seems a farce. 

Some indigenous scientists believe that the drawings of cryogenic engines purchased from Russia, were used. 

This caused delay. Indegenous fabrication would have been faster.

Be that as it may,kudos to ISRO on its success after two successive failures.

It is common knowledge that the GOI ( Read as Congress)was pressing ISRO for immediate launch for getting political mileage.

Kejriwal has often proved by his utterances that those who are not with his party, are against him and must be fulminated upon --- My way or Highway attitude.Let the M-TV generation of today be not misguided by the false promises of the AAP party. We cannot provide water to places without laying pipelines and installing outlets. Kejriwal is reportedly not a team man.His holier-than-thou attitude made him unpopular with his former peers in the income tax deptt.He is impractical and politically ambitious.His post-election tie-up with the Congress confirms his insatiable thirst for power-by hook or by crook.Means are not important for him; goals are! Under a secret deal with with the Congress,in return for outside support,Kejriwal &Co will not act against Sheila Dikshit,her son and former ministers involved in several corruption scams in NCT,Delhi. The Congress is a past master in running coalition government.

Manmohan Singh  must take voluntary retirement to pave way for Rahul Gandhi to take over as the time-pass PM  till May .  Chances of the Congress returning to power are negligible.  Rahul will, however, secure his future even with a short prime ministerial stint – getting a rent- free bungalow, Z+ security and several other perks.

Slamming Modi’s election as PM  as being  disastrous for the country exposed MMS’ wretched mindset .He was in a press conference, not addressing a rally of captive audience.

Dodging  all questions on corruption , MMS  extolled the “outstanding  credentials” of Rahul Gandhi. What kind of performance benchmarking he has followed, one wonders.

 He had the temerity to appreciate the advisory role  ( Read  interference) of 10-Janpath and Rahul Gandhi in day-to-day governance. 

“I sincerely feel what Narendra Modi says, will not materialize”, was PM’s closing remark at the abruptly concluded press conference. Some journalists were tutored.

The hit lists are fabricated by our intelligence agencies based on misplaced threat perceptions. To be in the hit list is like wearing a badge of honour. The  level of threat perception  determines the category of security cover : X,Y and Z . 

Z(+) is the ultimate level made available 24x7 to Nehru-Gandhi dynasty and even its extended family including Robert Vadra, The security cover continues  despite his dubious credentials and a fabricated "clean chit" given by the remote-controlled  State govt of Haryana. Even Sajjan Singh ,the alleged perpetrator of 1984 riots,is availing of  benefit at the cost of public exchequer, running into hundreds of crores of rupees on recurring basis.

The hair-splitting difference between the ‘Z’ category and ‘Z plus’ category is distinguished only by the word ‘very.’  Whereas the ‘Z’ category security refers to "Very High threat", the ‘Z plus’ category security refers to "Very Very High threat."These relative terms were coined by intelligence agencies to please the political class. The threat perceptions are not reviewed periodically and the cover ,once given, continues life-long.

What a tragedy !

The NDTV celebrated its 25th birth anniversary on Dec 15,2013 by inviting  25 living legends of India for honour by  President  Pranab Mukherjee. 

In an abnormal departure from  usual practice, the celebration took place  at  Rashtrapati Bhavan.Vigyan Bhavan is the legitimate  and earmarked venue for  all such functions on usual payment basis.

Who allowed misuse of the President’s house by a private TV Channel ? Who paid the bill?  Will the President’s Sectt throw open Bhavan to other industrial houses for holding their wedding functions? 

 Mukesh Ambani was among the 25 living legends. He, reportedly holds majority stakes in 27 News channels. What were the criteria for selecting  the 25 living legends. Many of them might not have cleared their outstanding income tax dues. 

But ,who cares? 

Pranab Da’s proximity to the Ambanis is  legendry. And, the NDTV is considered pro-Congress Dignity of Rashtrapati Bhavan has been lowered besides laying a bad precedent.

The missing  of files  by Coal ministry  amounts to stonewalling  the probe by destruction of evidences. This amounts to contempt of  court. Importance of fair investigation stands universally diluted by the UPA-II. One trusts, the Hon’ble Supreme will,  ensure widening the scope of investigation by CBI to cover the missing files. The Search Committee constituted by the Coal ministry in the wake of SC’s indictment, is a charade. It met only once. The custodian of files in  coal ministry, has not been show-caused,let alone quizzed.No penalty has been awarded to those responsible for safe custody of records. The Office manual of GOI prescribes detailed guidelines on Record Management including file tracking within ministry and  other ministries. The role of PMO, Law and Coal, is under the cloud. The officers in these departments have not been quizzed ,till date.Is the CBI under presuure?This is what ,the Apex court would like to ascertain, to avoid travesty of justice. The nee
dle of suspicion clearly points to someone ,at whose behest, the  entire cover-up operation has been carried out. If the authority, extra-Constitutional or otherwise, is not identified and punished, the public faith in the democratic and Constitutional mechanism would be shaken irreversibly. Coal minister’s excuse that details of missing files could not be known as the boxes containing the relevant records,are stacked “vertically” and not “horizontally”, exposes Congress’s hypocricy and naivete. The solution is simple. Let the Coal ministry   register the FIR at police station of Delhi Police followed by CBI’s interrogation of  all officers of Coal, Law and the PMO (including PM’s aides),without regard to their status.

The re-constructed coal gate scam files may not stand scrutiny in the court of law. The ruse seems to have been floated by the political class to hoodwink the public. Vested interests are active. The Media failed to see through the game. This column is a wake-up call in a super sensitive case like the Coalgate Scam. There is a reference to GOI Compendium on re-construction of missing files. Fair enough. But, the suggestion may not work in court matters. Complete reconstruction of missing files is impossible. Worse, the re-constructed files will always be scanty or incomplete with little or no evidentiary value. While the “Correspondence” portion of files could be recreated to some extent with photocopies collected from different sources. It is common practice in the PMO not to retain photocopies of communications received. These are merely forwarded to ministries concerned for action. The PMO, more often than not,works by receiving and giving oral directions .The position tu
rns bizarre when the PM doubles as  Coal minister.
Another point. The most important part of a file is the “Notes” portion carrying signed directions of competent authorities and observations of lower bureaucracy. Once lost, how these could be retrieved. One wonders whether the office of C&AG (as suggested in these columns)would be able to supply authenticated copies of “Notings” from all Coalgate scam related missing files. In the absence of “unethical orders” in  file notings, how could  chargesheets be framed against the offenders by  CBI for court’s approval ?Even if filed,it will be weak, liable to be rejected due to legal infirmity.
Consider the legal aspects. Jurisprudentially, an accused is presumed to be innocent till found guilty by a competent court. In giving its verdict the court will give “benefit of doubt”  to the coalgate scamsters  due to absence of material evidence. Will India’s tax payers allow the coalgate scam suspects to get acquitted and go scot free? This will be a travesty of Justice. Let us not get trapped.

I religiously watch News debates  on  satellite channels covering  a wide spectrum of subjects : Politics , Corruption  and Security related issues. The criteria of inviting the panelists has always been to me  a riddle,inside an enigma wrapped in mystery .

Some participants are politically charged to the point of absurdity, generating  more heat than light. Some attention - seeking TV  anchors take pride in eating into panellists’ time. They must  be held accountable  whenever debates  generate excessive acrimony  and remain inconclusive. Some anchors behave like tyrants with frequent interruptions  to the annoyance of panelists  and viewers  alike.

Arnab Goswami of Times TV ,has always been a delight to watch. His research is both intensive and extensive, constantly updated by backroom boys. An anchor par excellence,he is. He is at his best while slamming  politicians and particularly while interacting with  Pakistani guests.

Nidhi Razdan of NDTV (24x7) committed a faux pas  recently while talking with a British journalist. She, in her naivete, did not sound comfortable with UK's invite to Modi to address the House of Commons. Her anguish got a quick retort from the guest. This was embarassing.

Comments about my favourite Barkha Dutt, are reserved. Ravish Kumar of NDTV (Hindi) is an icon, mature and unbiased. I am scared of Karan Thapar and his habit of speaking  with hands. This was once objected to by Arun Shourie.

Among the defence strategists, Maroof Raza,Sushant Sareen, Bharat Verma and Maj General G D Bakhshi, are impressive. G Parthasarthy, K C Singh ,both former Secretaries in MEA , make substantive contributions to quality of debates.

Ms. Madhu Trehan has been my favourite since the “News Track” days.Matchless.

About the Congress spokespersons, less said the better.

I exercise  my right to Freedom of Speech as a TV viewer. And,of course,without prejudice to anyone.

The PM’s Independence Day address has always been brutally dull, spineless, stuffed  with hackneyed phrases. This time lacklustre and  boring  message to the nation, could,presumably be his last I-Day speech.The leadership paralysis was writ large in the  ghost-written speech that was apparently drafted at Congress Hq. It would be unfair  to blame Manmohan Singh for that. He is not cut out for politics. His forte lies in economics. But,the common man is interested in Roti,Kapda and Makaan at reasonable cost and a scam-free government, not in economic jargon.

Take the case of  Narendra Modi. His extempore  speech was inspiring, totally identified with the masses. It toched on  ground realities impacting the Aam Aadmi.

Miffed by the contrast, several Congressmen have challenged Modi for a one-on-one debate. Self-styled “100 % tunch maal” leader like Diggy Raja, tops the list followed by Salman Khursheed, Rajiv Shukla, Manish Tewari and other Toms,Dicks and Harries.These Chaatukars have been instructed by the “ Congress High Command” to  provide a collective shield to Rahul Gandhi,the PM-in- waiting, against Modi phobia that seems to have gripped the entire Congress.The insiders  confirm this.

India is at the Crossroad, passing through a grave economic and political crisis. Scams after scams, high inflation, low GDP, total absence of leadership to tackle border incursions, killing  and beheading of Indian soldiers, frequent  insults by China and Pakistan.

I  wonder: what will be the scenario after the  National elections in India. Will the electorate vote for change or will fall for allurements and populist slogans ? Will the Congress’s pet  game changer scheme ‘Food Security’ be able to woo the voters ? Who will hoist the national flag at the Red Fort on August 15,2014? Someone from the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty or else…?

With poverty rampant and corruption  remaining  a defining characteristic,there is despondency, all around. Disturbing news are coming from all corners.

 SP’s retort to Centre  for seeking repatriation of all IAS officers from UP, is unconstitutional and a Non-bailable offence. The Services have been created under Art 309 of the  Constitution of India.

SP’s outrageous statement is  down played by the Congress as it banks on their support for its continuance at the Centre. Besides, the Food Security Bill, the game changing flagship project of the Congress is also to be passed in Parliament.

The borders’s security  is porous. India has become the butt of  joke in international politics. Defence Minister’s irresponsible statement in Parliament(later U-turn) coupled with PM’s reticence is simply disgusting.

China’s incursions have increased manifold. Pakistan killing five Indian bravehearts within our territory, shows how much effete the leadership has grown. Retaliation (instead of  flag meetings or MEA’s demarche ) is required.

After Durga Shakti’s episode, the bureaucracy  is  demoralized, confused and directionless. Its role in relation to  the political class needs to  be  re-defined.The bureaucrats cannot remain political slaves. There is a growing public opinion in favour of change of guards both at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh.

Imposing President Rule in UP and holding General elections in the country are the only options before the Congress-led truncated UPA-II.

Appointment of Vinay  Mittal ,former Chairman Railway Board (CRB) as Member UPSC is startling particularly as his  credentials are under the cloud. Besides Pawan Bansal, ex- CRB Vinay Mittal, has been named as one among  90  prosecution witnesses  in  the chargesheet filed by CBI in the designated CBI court, for cash-for-post scam  in  Rail ministry. Serious doubts have been expressed against converting  suspects into witnesses.How could the bribery scam involving  a Member,Railway Board and Minister’s kins take place without the knowledge of former CRB and  former Minister-in-charge ? What is the motive behind former CRB’s appointment as Member UPSC within a month of  his retirement? Will this  give constitutional protection to Mittal? Is there a  conspiracy to absolve Pavan Bansal, ultimately?

Could the Coal ministry explain how it granted five ad hoc  extensions to the CMD of Western Coal Field Ltd (WCL), despite  several accusations by the  the CVC,CBI and without getting the approval of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet. According to insiders ,17 cases have been registered by the CBI against the present incumbent. The PESB may be directed by the ACC to initiate the selection process for the post instead of remaining a mute spectator. One wonders : Whether the Coal minister is getting  support from Super Cabinet?

A divided bureaucracy is the bane of all evils.How could  we expect  unity  in Indian bureaucracy when a majority of  self seeking civil servants subserve to  political Executive as willing partners?They indulge in unethical practices through Politico-Builders-Mining mafia by manipulating lucrative postings,  while in service  as also after retirement, by keeping  unscrupulous politicians on their right side. All governments --at  Centre,States and Local levels-- have vested interests  in keeping the bureaucracy  divided  so as to  keep  themselves in power-  by hook or by crook.The entire bureaucracy is not  bad. Performance of a majority is par excellence. Unfortunately, the law makers  have failed to rise to the occasion. Free media is our only hope. Hats off to it  for exposing  corruption.

The  Samajwadi party’s retort to Central government by seeking withdrawal of all IAS officers from  Uttar Presesh , is unconstitutional. It calls for exemplary punishment – nothing short of  declaring President rule in UP.

The Congress banks on outside support of SP for its survival.It also needs SP’s help in getting the Food Security Bill,its game changing flagship  project,passed in Parliament.This explains  Congress’s dilly-dallying- illustrated by Sonia Gandhi’s missive to PM, Centre calling for a report from UP govt followed by reminders after reminders, accusations and counter-accusations.

Naresh Aggarwal of SP in a sting operation, while casting aspersions on Durga Shakti’s integrity, charges Media hype as motivated and “ accepts” IAS officers  working for SP politicians. This reveals the feudal mindset of SP’s uncouth   leaders.The President, mutely watching the Constitutional violation ,was expected to be  pro-active .The Prime Minister,as always, is speechless.Total  governance paralysis. The bureaucracy is utterly demoralized, confused and directionless.The role of bureaucracy  in relation to the political class,must be clearly defined.They cannot be treated as political slaves.

There is a growing public opinion in favour of  imposing President Rule in UP and declaration of General elections in the country. The Judiciary must step in to save the country.

These attributes  will remain a far cry till the civil servants are  protected by Judiciary against political vendetta. Ironically,the UPSC has added a paper on Ethics, Integrity  from CS (Main) exam 2013. This  will produce  more  Ashok Khemkas and Durga Shaktis to suffer  browbeating, humiliations,frequent transfers and suspensions.Their fault : Failure to fall in line with political masters.

Can we expect a change when a majority of civil servants subserve to  political Executive as willing partners, indulging in unethical practices through Politico-Builders-Mining mafia- Bureaucratic nexus? They manipulate lucrative postings by keeping politicians happy. Shame on  spineless  bureaucrats prospering in all Indian States.The GOI is  mutely watching the spectacle. The Apex court  is urged to  step in and issue  guidelines for taming the unscrupulous politicians by taking suo motu cognizance and haul up UP govt for contempt . Hats off to  Media  for exposing the corrupt.

The Samajwadi party in UP, is twisting the real issue of Mafia Raj by giving it a communal colour. It is a lame excuse to ward off criticism against Durga Shakti's suspension. Strangely, suspension was ordered by CM's office without even calling for reports from the District Magistrate or Commissioner.Both are dumb like the Chief Secretary.No opportunity was given to the lady officer to defend herself under the principle of Equity and Natural Justice. Let the UP IAS Officers Association petition the Allahabad High Court for justice failing which a PIL by a social activist would be advised..