Kudos to Anna Hazare:

Kudos to Anna Hazare:

Anna Hazare has taken up the crusade at the most appropriate time.The country is shocked at the massive 'common wealth games scam','ISRO Spectrum Scam' and '2G Scam'.The Supreme Court is also actively involved in unearthing the scams and the scamsters.It is most appropriate that the civil society also plays its role timely and effectively by building pressure on the government to act.Every Indian is behind Anna Hazare in his historic fight against corruption.Mahatma Gandhi lead the freedom movement against the British and brought freedom to the country.Now the time has come to free the country from the evil of corruption.We need a person of impeccable character to lead this new freedom struggle.Who else is best suited for this leadership position but for Anna Hazare? Kudos to you ANNA HAZARE!! Please carry on your [our] struggle. the entire country is behind you like a solid rock.We are also fasting here at our homes and offices as our support to you.Success will sure be yours[ours].

PROTECT WITNESSES

The death of Batcha, the trusted aide of Raja is really shocking news. Probably he was one of the most important links in the bribe money trail. In his death the CBI has suffered a great set back in its efforts to trace the entire money trail and the ultimate beneficiaries of the 2G scam. In the infamous ‘Fodder Scam’ too a number of witnesses either died mysteriously or possibly were bumped off to protect the ultimate beneficiaries of the scam. Before it is too late the CBI should take into protective custody all the possible witnesses not only to protect them from any possible harm but also to ensure that the real culprits and the beneficiaries of the 2G scam are unearthed and punished by the courts of law.

NATIONAL GOVERNMENT

This refers to the article ‘For a national government’ [BL- 7th March]. Every right thinking and patriotic Indian would whole heartedly endorse the idea of a national government as proposed in the article. In India what we are witnessing today is a ‘notional government’, which is unable to govern in the best interest of the nation due to its coalition dharma. It is compelled to sacrifice the interest of the nation to hold on to power at any cost.

In the backdrop of the adverse impact of the world’s worst economic recession on India and also keeping in mind the revolutions that the Arab world is facing due to the economic crisis it is high time that our political leaders urgently consider the idea of forming a national government of reconciliation before a serious situation arrives at our door steps.

But this calls for sacrifice, reconciliation and a strong patriotic spirit. Above all we need tall patriotic leaders to take the initiative and convince the rest of the ordinary leaders to follow them in their efforts. Unfortunately what we see today is a plethora of dwarf, selfish and greedy leaders in politics who are eternally trying to grab power at any cost to enrich themselves and their kith and kin at the cost of the nation. Small regional parties and independent MPs and MLAs are holding the governments to ransom. Therefore though ‘national government’ is most desirable, it may remain ‘utopian’ in the present circumstances. We may have to be contented with rather a ‘Notional Government’ which is unable to govern due to its coalition compulsions

AAM AADMI NEEDS RELIEF

AAM AADMI NEEDS RELIEF
The ‘Aam Aadmi’ is eagerly awaiting the Budget 2011. The rising prices of food and other essential commodities are denting a huge hole in the pocket of the common man. Like the Finance Minister, he is also finding it very difficult to balance his budget. While the Finance Minister can afford to either borrow or print money the common man can’t do so. Hence the Finance Minister must come to the rescue of the ‘Aam Aadmi’, the common man and provide substantial relief to him through the forthcoming budget.
1] Basic Exemption Limit. The present income tax limit for all the sections of citizens is very inadequate. Taking into account the galloping inflation, Basic Exemption Limit should be raised to Rs 3 lakhs. It should be Rs 4 lakhs for women and Rs 5 lakhs for Senior Citizens.
2] Savings Limit. Presently a maximum of Rs 1.2 lakhs can be saved under Section 80 C etc, to claim tax rebate, which is quite inadequate. As the money is losing its value very fast this limit should be raised to Rs 2 lakhs.
3] Interest Rates. The Small Savings Schemes like NSC, PPF, MIS etc, are very popular with the common man. They are very safe and secure. However they give very poor returns as compared to the various investment options provided by the banks. Presently the banks are offering over 10% per annum rate of interest whereas the Small Savings Schemes offer just 8% per annum. Hence the rate of interest on all Small Savings Schemes like NSC, PPF, and MIS etc should be raised to a minimum of 10% per annum.
4] Lock In Period. Under Section 80 C Bank Deposits are also eligible to claim tax rebate. But the lock in period is 5 years. This should be reduced to3 years to make them attractive as well as to bring them on par with Small Savings Schemes like NSC etc,.
5] Senior Citizen Age Limit. The age limit of 65 years to consider a person as Senior Citizen is very harsh on those who have crossed 60 years but are not treated as Senior Citizens. Almost all those who have attained 60 years are those who have retired from service. Their income is generally low but the medical expenses are very high. Therefore the age limit of 65 years should be brought down to 60 years to consider a person as Senior Citizen. The Finance Minister and the Prime Minister themselves are Senior Citizens and therefore know the problems of Senior Citizens very well. They therefore need to be more considerate towards the Senior Citizens.
6 ] Standard Deduction. While a businessman gets deductions for all the legitimate expenses incureed in conducting his business, a salaried person is deprived of any such deduction in connection with his job. The Standard Deduction should therefore be reintroduced with a limit of Rs 1 lakh.
7] Control of Inflation. Inflation and insufficient supply of food items and other essential commodities are main causes of concern to the common man. It therefore becomes matter of paramount importance to control the inflation and improve the supply of food items and other essential commodities through various budgetary measures.
It is hoped that the Finance Minister and the Prime Minister will do the needful in the forthcoming budget.

DISQUALIFY THE ERRANT LEGISLATORS

DISQUALIFY THE ERRANT LEGISLATORS
The sight of the Karnataka legislators eating and sleeping inside the Vidhan Soudha was not only disgusting but also nauseating. Mahatma Gandhi must be ruing in his grave saying ‘Hey Ram, did I commit a big mistake by getting freedom to the country? ‘The voters who voted these MLAs must be repenting for their mistakes. These people’s representatives were sent to the assembly to take care of the problems of their voters. The MLAs seem to be oblivious to their duties towards those who elected and sent them to the Vidhan Soudha. They are more concerned about politicking than bothering about the problems of the Aam Admi. They are unfit to be the people’s representatives. They should be disqualified from contesting the future elections. They should also be expelled from the proceedings for the rest of their legislative period for having lowered the dignity of the illustrious house. Exemplary punitive action is very much needed to bring seriousness in our democratic polity.

LET MAMATA STAY AT HOME

Mamata Didi has said that Delhi is not her home, so she would like to stay at Kolkata, which is her homeland. It seems that Didi is more concerned and worried about her brothers and sisters at her home in Kolkata than in the rest of the country. Fine. Nobody has any grouse if she wants to confine herself to Kolkata. Let her contest the Kolkata Municipal election, become a corporator and Mayor of the city as well, and look after the welfare of her brothers and sisters of Kolkata. Who prevented her from doing so? Nobody requested her to contest and win the election to the Lok Sabha, come to Delhi and become Railway Minister of India. Once she became a Cabinet Minster her responsibility extended to all the brothers and sisters of the country. The whole of India became her homeland. She is duty bound to stay at the nerve center of Railway Administration at Delhi and monitor, mentor and guide the administration during the crisis periods. If she can’t do that she has the option to resign and go back to the Kolkata Municipality. Mamata Didi ,you have not understood the responsibility of a Cabinet Minister even after one year in office. Better you go back to your homeland by vacating the Railway Office.

A RAJA AND A DACOIT

People look at the King to rule the state in the best interest of the state. All his decisions are expected to be fair, just and always in the interest of the state and the common man but never in the interest of a lobby. He is expected to take all the steps necessary to augment the resources of the state. On the other hand a dacoit is interested in looting the state. He acts in the interest of his own and of his master. Telecom minister A Raja, the king of Telecom Ministry, should have acted like a king in the best interest of the state and common man while allocating the 2G spectrum. Unfortunately, it is alleged that, he did not do so. Opposition parties are alleging that he acted in bad faith and in collusion with certain lobbies and has caused a loss to the exchequer to the extent of over Rs 70,000 crores as per the latest valuations of the 3G spectrum. In spite of several recommendations to auction the spectrum he did not agree. He even went against the advice of the week Prime Minister and the week Finance Minster, and allocated startup spectrum at a ridiculously low price without any justification. It is for the people to decide as to whether A Raja acted as ‘A King’ or as ‘A Dacoit’. He must be dismissed from the cabinet immediately. The illegally allotted spectrum should be recovered from the illegal beneficiaries and auctioned to the highest bidders thereby the genuine revenues of the state should be realized. As far as A Raja is concerned he should be booked under the anti corruption legislation.