TUESDAY TEASER 'No Indian proof : Tobacco causes cancer' & Vadra "glad"

TUESDAY TEASER

'No Indian proof : Tobacco causes cancer'

By Amba Charan Vashishth

One great quality of democracy in India is the true freedom of opinion and expression enjoyed by individuals. One latest example is the assertion by a public representative that "there was no Indian study to confirm that use of tobacco products leads to cancer". His comments came  "strongly" urging the government to keep on hold its proposal to increase the size of pictorial warnings on tobacco packets from 40 per cent to 85 per cent.

He certainly has a right to his opinion and to express it. But we cannot ignore the fact that the allopathic treatment that is given in India in government and private hospitals is also based on experiments, studies and discoveries abroad. Similarly, the drugs and medicines we consume in India for various ailments too are the product of foreign studies even if many are now being produced within the country.

Those who are not inclined to studies made by others are very well at liberty to undertake their own study and experiment. They can start chewing tobacco and be chain smokers themselves. They can see for themselves whether tobacco is harmful or not. Haath kangan ko aarsi kya? Truth needs no proof. They can then enlighten the people.

'SAD' VADRA IS NOW  "GLAD" AFTER A DECADE

For more than a decade Congress President and UPA chairperson Mrs. Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra now stands relieved of his 'sadness'. The UPA government granted him a very special privilege of not being frisked at airports when he was to travel by air. This had created a heart burning among many VIPs who did not enjoy this privilege. But now that the present government has withdrawn this privilege from Vadra, he reacted saying, "I am glad that this formality is going to be removed, as this was created without my consent".

It certainly is wrong and a great injustice on the part of the then Manmohan government to extend such a privilege without the concerned person's "consent".  It was so gracious on Vadra's part that he continued to suffer "this formality" in silence for over a decade without a grudge. Now that he is "glad", that means he was sad because of this privilege 'forced' on him. Governments should refrain from imposing privileges that render persons sad. Government's intention should be to promote happiness and not sadness. This instance should also serve as a good lesson for future governments.

Tailpiece

A teacher asked his pupil in the class: "What is the full name of Bapu"?

"Asa Ram Bapu, sir" proudly replied the so well-informed student. 

(In circulation in the social media)

The 'TAINT' and 'CORRUPTION' - The 'TAINT' and 'CORRUPTION' Hypocrisy of Politicians & Media

The 'TAINT' and 'CORRUPTION'

Hypocrisy of Politicians & Media

That Bharatiya Janata Party National President Nitin Gadkari had to quit on grounds of 'taint' and charges of 'corruption' against him. It is an internal matter of the Party. The common man is not concerned with it. The rightness or otherwise of the decision will be determined in the days and months to come when the Party faces the electorate in the important State assemblies of Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka and the like later this year.

But what does the 'taint' and 'corruption' stand for? It cannot be the exclusive monopoly of the media and the politicians to brand anybody they oppose as 'tainted' or 'corrupt'. It is the same situation as is with 'secularism' and 'communalism'.  Every politician and political party claims itself to be 'secular' and, at will, dubs opponent as 'communal'. To a great extent the same is true with 'tainted' and 'corrupt'.

Our media and politicians have adopted different norms and standards to brand people and organizations as 'communal' and 'corrupt'. There is no denying the fact that the late Rajiv Gandhi was, directly or indirectly, intentionally or unintentionally, involved in the Bofors scam. Successive police investigations failed to nail his involvement yet the fact remains that the `64-crore Bofors corruption case was a reality although everybody involved got scot free.

Similarly, the 1984 anti-Sikh riots were communal in all its hue and for all intents and purposes. Sikhs are a minority community. Everybody recognizes this fact. In the aftermath of the unfortunate assassination of late prime minister Indira Gandhi in 1984, more than 5,000 Sikhs – and Sikhs alone – were killed (more than 3,000 in Delhi alone) only in Congress-ruled States all over the country. In States with non-Congress regimes the Sikhs remained safe and protected. Mr. Rajiv Gandhi himself justified the pogrom saying "when a big tree falls the earth shakes".  Yet, he remains the icon of 'secularism'.

 

There are numerous leaders who are facing criminal charges in various courts – like fodder scam, murder, rape, extortion, assets beyond known sources of income and corruption. RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav is facing criminal charges for his alleged involvement in fodder scam. BSP supremo Ms Mayawati and SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav are facing criminal cases for allegedly having accumulated assets beyond known sources of income. Aam Aadmi Party's Arvind Kejriwal had leveled charges not only against Mr. Nitin Gadkari but also against present Himachal chief minister Virbhadra Singh, 15 Union ministers including Prime Minister. The latter is involved in Coal scam too. Mr. Kejriwal has also levelled charges, more serious in nature than against Mr.  Gadkari also against Mrs. Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra. Yet, the media and politicians have reserved the epithet 'tainted' and 'corrupt' only for Gadkari and not against all those similarly placed and involved. Why? Can they explain it? 

The media is no exception. It too is not free from similar allegations. The Election Commission of India has expressed concern over allegations of paid news against certain newspapers and news channels. It has characterized this new phenomenon as a crime and threat to the spirit of  freedom of press. There is a case involving alleged extortion against a news channel. But, surprisingly, nobody uses the words 'tainted' and 'corrupt' against these members of the Fourth Estate. 

When certain Union ministers in Manmohan government were facing serious charges involving heinous crimes, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and Congress took the stand that nobody can be held guilty unless he has been declared so by any court of law. But, in the case of leaders in the opposition the Congress stand is quite the opposite. 

Do double standards enhance the credibility of  our politicians and the media and promote country's good?

KEJRIWAL – A CONGRESS MOLE IN OPPOSITION?

KEJRIWAL – A CONGRESS MOLE IN OPPOSITION?

How is Gadkari 'guilty' and Vadra 'innocent'?

It is normal in our kind of politics that whenever a person makes allegations we brand him our opposite political party's agent. Therefore, when, initially, Arvind Kejriwal of Nation Against Corruption (NAC) made certain allegations against Congressmen and ministers, he was branded as BJP agent by the party.

To erase this tage, Kejriwal on October 18, 2012 leveled certain serious allegations against BJP president Nitin Gadkari alleging wrongdoings in companies owned or managed by the latter. Gadkari was quick to respond with his readiness to face any inquiry by any agency. Despite the Manmohan government having acted in right earnest to undertake Income Tax raids on certain companies run by Gadkari, government appears, so far, to have failed to rake up any criminal case against him.

Allegations against Vadra

A week earlier on October 11, Kejriwal had made almost similar allegations against Congress President Mrs. Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra. It was the Congress and Manmohan government which came out with instant denial of the serious charges against Vadra as if it was not Vadra but Congress and Manmohan government which was running his business that they readily knew the ins and outs of the functioning of his companies. Vadra came out to deny the charges later calling his accusers as "orange boys" and branding our democracy of which we all, citizens, Congress leaders and government alike, are all proud of. The same democracy which has showered on Vadra the privileges and perks not available to people's representatives and people holding public offices. Vadra did not dare to expose his business doings to public scrutiny to let anybody peep into the facts. Manmohan government did dismiss any demands for any independent and impartial inquiry.

Vadra 'innocent'

Even to a notice to the office of Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, PMO  on November 28 gave a clean chit to Robert Vadra in an alleged land scam involving realty major DLF and told the Allahabad High Court that that the allegation against him (Vadra) "appear to be false, vexatious and based on hearsay". () In the affidavit, filed by Dheeraj Gupta, joint secretary in the PMO, it was stated that the case of Vadra and DLF was a matter between two individuals and a purely business transaction. It was also said that both parties have already explained their positions and hence the allegations made seem to be "false, vexatious and based on hearsay."  As per report, the PMO affidavit nowhere states that its contents are based on any examination of the allegations and the documents with Robert Vadra on the basis of which the PMO has come to this conclusion.  

On the contrary, in the matter of allegations against Nitin Gadkari the PMO or the Congress were not as gracious, as they were in the case of Vadra, that allegations against Gadkari too are ”a matter between two individuals and a purely business transaction". For them Vadra remains 'innocent' without inquiry and Gadkari 'tainted' and even 'guilty' of unexplained corruption, again, without proof and inquiry.

By coincidence – and more by design – the allegations against Gadkari were hurled 17 days before Himachal was to go to the polls on November 4. Kejriwal was sanguine to the fact that allegations against Vadra were not likely to have any adverse impact on Congress fortunes in Himachal polling.

Similarly, on December 4 Arvind Kejriwal again came out with some allegations against the Gujarat chief minister Narinder Modi at the height of electioneering to the State assembly going to polls on December 13 and 17. By coincidence these allegations were also made about 17 days (and 21 days for the second phase of polling) before Gujarat polls. According to Press reports, the allegations against Modi are a repeat and rehash of the allegations made by Congress against Modi in a memorandum submitted to the President of India a year back.

Kejriwal's choice of timing to make allegations against Gadkari and Modi clearly indicates a political design with an electoral punch. In both cases if there could be any beneficiary of Kejriwal's diatribes it could only be Congress and Congress alone because both in Himachal and Gujarat no other party matters. Since Kejriwal's own political outfit was not in fray in Himachal as also in Gujarat, the obvious conclusion is that he is just trying to make Congress derive as much electoral benefit as it can. The same Congress whom Kejriwal and party have been targeting as the fountain of corruption. With their conduct Kejriwal's Nation Against Corruption is only promoting corruption and helping the 'corrupt' Congress reap the bumper crop of electoral benefits.

Is then Kejriwal a Congress mole in the opposition camp?