Enough to worry about at home…

At a time when the Financial & Economic Tornado has devastated the world and when the Af-Pak Terrorism is sending dangerous signals to the world, every nation & every international organization seems to be busy. We here in India, are  in the midst of a crazy election and 20-20 cricket and obviously, we don’t have bandwidth to devote for anything else.

Meanwhile, it is important for us to understand this. Any struggle that promises freedom and power through violence (LTTE & Taliban are shining examples) is stupid and will never succeed. However, given a potent mixture of charismatic leadership, focused brainwashing and depressed community members, such groups tend to get a foothold in the society and become an unbearable pain in the neck. In the end, in the fight between the “good” and the “evil” (in generally accepted definitions: though there can never be a good or evil by themselves), it is the common man, who cares neither for the good nor for the evil and is worried only about the source of his food the next morning, who loses his everything: family, shelter, society and future.

The war between Sri Lankan Army and the LTTE is no better. This blog is one of the many thousands that exist in the Internet speaking up against the atrocities being committed against humanity in the island. The blog has gruesome photos and commentary after reading which I am more than shocked that nothing similar has ever been mentioned or reported by any major news channel or newspaper in India. And I am sure, there has not been any reporting elsewhere either. After all, we have enough rapists, molesters, actors, cricketers and politicians to hog our headlines right?

The LTTEis an aberration, that has succeeded to exist because of the shortsightedness of both world leaders (who preach “war on terror”) and regional satraps (who preach “regionalism”). Imagine: you enter a country that belongs to someone else (and your Government and its intelligence agencies sort of promise to back you up), then overpopulate that country and finally ask for the country to be divided!! Interesting plot? Throw in some superb turns in the story such as parties with vested interests arming he terrorist group (so that money can be minted through deals – remember bofors?), RAW, the intelligence agency of India training the terrorists themselves (a la Osama from CIA or Maulana Mashood Azhar of ISI), then withdrawing support and causing chaos in the name of peace keeping (IPKF?) to finally creating a huge depression – economically & socially in the country. Neighbour’s loss is always our gain right?

Today, when we talk about the mischief that the Pakistani ISI commits in India, we must understand that we Indians are no less capable. The situation in Sri Lanka is ample proof to our atrocities. Also, even in Pakistan, the situation is same as India because RAW has consistently worked on destabilising the country. And to have people like M. Karunanidhi, the senile Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu heading a population of over 6 crores rant on public television that Velupillai Prabhakaran (LTTE Chief) is his personal friend and his death would give him immense grief is a clear indicator of the deplorable politics we live with. Especially considering that Rajiv Gandhi was killed by these very terrorist he is close with and his party is in an alliance with the Congress (Rajiv’s Party) to rule the country. Such blatant opportunism can survive only in India.

Regionalism is not new to India either. Tamil Nadu has for a long time wanted to become a separate nation itself (and may be merge with Sri Lanka if the Karunanidhi’s Family are given due importance). The “sons of soil” campaigns run by Bal & Raj Thackeray, the Kashmir Hurriyat and North-East Conflicts have all proved one important theory – Indians are united only geographically. Every other front, there rises conflict. But such issues are deemed not important and we pride ourselves on our culture, heritage and lineage (things that cease to matter when humanity is in shambles) to sweep them under the carpet. I have been saying this and I hope it doesn’t turn out to be true: one day Mumbaikars will fight with Punekars and Iyers with Iyengars (they already do – but it is yet not an armed battle).

What do we elect Governments for? The bijlee, sadak & paani (though not having reached everyone) has been replaced with finance, religion & security for quite some time now without any notable progress. If LTTE has survived for 25 years, the battle for Kashmir has existed for decades and cost thousands of lives. As common people, do we ever ask if these issues are irresolvable? Never. We are happy as long as we can watch cinema & cricket safely.

What about international organizations like UN, Amnesty or Red Cross? Have they succeeded in achieving even 10% of what they were set up to? They continue to remain toothless and produce voluminous reports on how people lost their lives, how many children were murdered in cold blood, how many families were wrecked and how many litres of blood was shed. For them, it is about the numbers.

When people tell me that we as human beings have evolved, I am surprised. We continue to remain barbarians fighting for land, money, women & power when life itself is not permanent.

A joke comes to my mind. Once, a British traveller visits a native African village where they practice cannibalism and is shocked. Later, when he is boasting about the modern weapons and warfare England has developed and how the press of a button could kill thousands, the African Tribe’s Chief asks him in wonder: “What do you do with all the people you kill?” The Brit is amused and says “Well, we mostly cannot find proper bodies after an attack but if we do find any, we give them a full military salute, medals and they are cremated with honour.” The Chief is disgusted and says “What a waste! We at least eat them! England must have too much food!”

Only, it is no more a joke.

The 26/11 Investigations & Other Actions…

As expected, the 26/11 Terrorist Attack Case is moving at snail’s pace. The concept of giving Kasab a trial in itself is ridiculous considering he has murdered 50+ people and has a clear hand in the loss of another 130+ lives. No idea what point we are trying to prove to the world. He should have been executed long back to set and example. Instead, I won’t be surprised if this case drags on for another 5 years and then one faint hearted judge would even call him “innocent” because “he did not know what he was doing” a la Sanjay Dutt. May be then Kasab will try an election against Modi. Ridiculous.

It is atrocious how Governments come and go, with scant regard for the safety of the citizens. It is 5 months since the attacks and there is not a single action that can be called decisive. And I am also sure there never will be. Politicians from both sides will stick to empty rhetoric and we fools will continue to watch news channels twist and turn every remark into breaking news. Such a pity.

Meanwhile, check this document on the Attacks by the Indian American Task Force. Pretty neat. Guess it is in the hands of NRIs and the Indian Lobby in Washington DC to get things on track. May be Obama will do a la Iraq + la Bush on India.

You may also like to see the concrete evidence collected by the Investigating Team: Check this, this & this. And pray that such attacks are never repeated in the world.

Know Sonia Gandhi – Article by Dr. Subramanyan Swamy

I have known Dr. Subramanyan Swamy as a personality from the village next to mine, as a senior to one of my Uncles at the Indian Statistical Institute and as one of the intelligent, but often irrelevant politicians of India. For those who read my articles (1, 2) on the Nehru – Gandhi Dynasty (now into it’s 5thGeneration of representatives), you would be well-versed with some of the falsehoods on the foundation of which the current 10, Janpath stands.

This is the election time and am sure you will all wince reading what is written below in Dr. Swamy’s own words. But please make an exception this elections. Get this rotten dynasty out of India.

“Patriotic Indians should thank the then President of India, Bharat Ratna Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam for having the courage by citing a legal hitch to dissuade Ms. Sonia Gandhi from staking her claim to form the Government in May 2004. She therefore did not as expected (which she later twisted to her favour by citing it as a sacrifice, when she actually had no choice!) on May 17th become the Prime Minister of 1 billion plus people of India. It can now be said that the nation has been saved from a monumental, devastating, and permanent injury to India’s national interest and patriotic psyche of Indians. And therefore every effort that can be made in a democracy should be made to ensure that Ms. Sonia Gandhi is permanently out of reckoning for any public office. For those who instinctively understand that, this Note is to explain the factual basis for this conclusion, and suggest what patriotic Indians can do now.

My opposition to Ms. Sonia Gandhi is not merely because she is Italian-born. In other democratic countries, including in Italy, such an issue [of foreign-born aspiring to be head of government] would not even arise at all because the issue has already been settled by law, that a person cannot hold the highest public office unless he or she is native born. In India there is no such law, but the President according to my knowledge, correctly acted on a proviso to Section 5 of the Indian Citizenship Act[1955] which empowers the Union Home Ministry to lay down conditions that apply to Indian citizenship acquired by foreigners by registration, which conditions would be based on the principle of reciprocity, viz., in Ms Gandhi’s case such of those conditions that apply to Indians on becoming citizens of Italy would apply to her. The President reportedly told her that if she insisted on being invited to form the government, he would want first to clarify, on a reference to the Supreme Court, whether in view of this proviso her appointment as PM could be successfully challenged in the court. It is fair to assume that this report of the President’s decision, is correct since the President had before him my petition dated May 15, 2004 making just that point- that Ms. Gandhi’s citizenship is conditional, and in particular she cannot be the PM legally. The President had also given me an appointment at 12.45 PM on May 17, 2004 to explain my submissions in person, which I did. I also told him that I would challenge such a constitutional appointment in the Supreme Court just as I had in 2001 when the Tamil Nadu Governor illegally swore in Ms Jayalalitha as Chief Minister. In that case, the Supreme Court had after hearing me and many other institutional luminaries, upheld my contention that mere majority in the House is insufficient for being sworn in to a constitutional office. There must be no disqualification as well. Ms. Jayalalitha had therefore to step down because she was disqualified by a conviction handed by a trial court in the TANSI corruption case filed by me as private complaint [she subsequently was acquitted by the Madras High Court, and hence became eligible the next year]. I also cited to the President a 1962 Allahabad High Court case, which held that this proviso in the Citizenship Act was binding and lawful.

The nation in the Sonia matter has thus got an unexpected but temporary reprieve, a reprieve received not only because her citizenship of India by registration is not equal to one by birth even by Indian law, but also a reprieve more because of what national security risk was averted. To comprehend that risk, we must first understand who Sonia Gandhi really is and what danger she, her family and her friends in Italy hold for India’s national security. Even for an Indian born citizen, we find it difficult to know a person’s true background, but for an Italian born it is extremely hard because of the remote access for most people to Italy in language and familiarity. This note is about that danger that Sonia represents to the nation, which the people need to know.

Ms. Sonia Gandhi’s background as is publicized by her and her Congress Party today, is based on three lies to hide the ugly reality of her life.

First, her real name is Antonia not Sonia. The Italian Ambassador in New Delhi revealed this in a letter dated April 27, 1983 to the Union Home Ministry which has not been made public. Antonia is Sonia’s real name in her birth certificate. Sonia is the name given to her subsequently by her father, Stefano Maino [now deceased] following his return from Russia where he had been a prisoner of war. Stefano had joined the Nazi army as a volunteer. Sonia is a Russian not Italian name. While spending two years in a Russian jail, Sonia’s father had become quite pro-Soviet; especially after the liberating US army in Italy had confiscated all fascists’ properties including his.

Second, she was not born in Orbassanoas she claims in her bio data submitted to Parliament on becoming MP, but in Luciana as stated in her birthcertificate. She perhaps would like to hide the place of her birthbecause of her father’s connection withthe Nazis and Mussolini’s Fascists, and her family’s continuing connections with the Nazi-Fascists underground that is still surviving since 1945 in Italy. Luciana is where Nazi-Fascist network is headquartered, and is on the Italian-Swiss border. There can be no other explanation for this otherwise meaningless lie.

Third, Sonia Gandhi has not studied beyond High School. She has falsely claimed in her affidavit filed as a contesting candidate before the Rae Bareli Returning Officer in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, that she qualified and got a diploma in Englishfrom the prestigious University of Cambridge, UK. The truth is that Ms. Gandhi has never studied in any college anywhere. She did go to a Catholic nun run seminary-school called Maria Ausiliatrice in Giaveno [15 kms from adopted home town of Orbassabo]. Poverty those days forced young Italian girls to go to such missionaries and then in their teens go to UK to get jobs as cleaning maids, waitresses and au pair. The Mainos were poor those days. Her father was a mason and mother a share cropper. Sonia thus went to the town of Cambridge and first learnt some English in a teaching shop called Lennox School [which has since 1970 been wound up]. That is all her “education” is-learnt enough English language to get domestic help jobs. But in Indian society education is highly valued. Thus, to fool the Indian public, Sonia Gandhi willfully fibbed about her qualifications in Parliamentary records [which is a Breach of Ethics Rules] and in a sworn affidavit [which is criminal offence under IPC, severe enough to disqualify her from being MP]. In popular parlance, this is called 420 or 10 “numberi” [not to be confused with 10 Janpath].

These three lies indicate that Ms. Sonia Gandhi has something to hide, or has a hidden agenda for India. We need to find out more about her.

Ms. Sonia Gandhi upon learning enough English became a waitress in Varsity Restaurant in Cambridge town. She first met Rajiv when he came to the restaurant in 1965. Rajivwas a student in the University, but could not cope withthe academic rigour for long. So he had to depart in 1966 for London where he was briefly in Imperial College of Engineering as a student. Sonia too moved to London, and according my information, got a job with an outfit run by Salman Thassir, a debonair Pakistani based in Lahore, and who has a export-import company headquartered in Dubai but who spends most of his time in London. This fits the profile of an ISI functionary.

Obviously, Sonia made (or was given) enough money in this job to loan Rajiv funds in London, who was obviously living beyond his allowances [Indira herself expressed anguish to me on this score in late 1965 when she invited me to a private tea at the Guest House in Brandeis University]. Rajiv’s letters to Sanjay, who was also in London then, clearly indicate that he was in financial debt to Sonia because he requested Sanjay who obviously had more access to money, to pay off the debt.

However, Rajiv was not the only friend Sonia was seeing those days. Madhavrao Scindia and a German by name Stiegler are worth mentioning as other good friends of Sonia. Madhavrao’s friendship continued even after Sonia’s marriage to Rajiv. Scindia in 1982 was involved in a traffic accident near IIT, Delhi main gate while driving a car at 2 AM. Sonia was the only other passenger. Both were badly injured. A student of IIT who was burning midnight oil was out for a cup of coffee. He picked them up from the car, hailed an auto rickshaw and sent an injured Sonia to Mrs Indira Gandhi’s house since she insisted in not going to a hospital. Madhavrao had broken a leg and in too much pain to make any demand. He was taken to hospital by the Delhi Police who had arrived a little after Sonia had left the scene. In later years, Madhavrao had become privately critical of Sonia, and told some close friends about his apprehensions about Sonia. It is a pity that he died in mysterious circumstances in an air crash, which if investigated thoroughly, without biases, I am sure would eventually lead to startling revelations.

The circumstance under which Rajiv hastily married Sonia in a Church in Orbassano is controversial but that was his personal matter that has no public significance. But what is of public significance is that Indira Gandhi who was initially dead set against the marriage for reasons known to her, relented to hold a registry marriage with Hindu ceremonial trappings in New Delhi only after the pro-Soviet T.N. Kaul prevailed upon her to accept the marriage in “the larger interest of cementing Indo-Soviet Friendship”. Kaul would not have intervened unless the Soviet Union had asked him to.

Such has been the extensive patronage from the beginning extended to Sonia Gandhi from the Soviets. When a Prime Minister of India’s son dates a girl in London, the KGB which valued Indo-Soviet relations, obviously would investigate her and find out that she was the daughter of Stefano, their old reliable Italian contact. Thus, Sonia with Rajiv meant deeper access to the household of the Indian Prime Minister. Hence cementing the Rajiv-Sonia relations was in the Soviet national interest and they went to work on it. And they did through their then existing moles in the Indira Gandhi camp.

After her marriage to Rajiv, the Soviet connection with the Mainos was fortified and nurtured by generous financial help through commissions and kickbacks on every Indo,Soviet trade deal and defence purchases. According to the respected Swiss magazine, Schweitzer Illustrate [November 1991 issue], Rajiv Gandhi had about $ 2 billion in numbered Swiss bank accounts,which Sonia inherited upon his assassination. Dr. Yevgenia Albats, Ph.D [Harvard], is a noted Russian scholar and journalist, and was a member of the KGB Commission set up by President Yeltsin in August 1991. She was privy to the Soviet intelligence files that documented these deals and KGB facilitation of the same. In her book,The State Within a State. The KGB in Soviet Union, she even gives the file numbers of such intelligence files, which can now be accessed by any Indian government through a formal request to the Kremlin. The Russsian Government in 1992 was confronted by the Albats’ disclosure; they confirmed it through their official spokesperson to the press [which was published in Hindu in 1992], defending such financial payments as necessary in “Soviet ideological interest”. When the Soviet Union disintegrated in 1991, things changed for Ms. Sonia Gandhi. Her patrons evaporated. The rump that became Russia was in a financial mess and disorder. So Ms. Sonia Gandhi became a supporter of another communist country to the annoyance of the Russians.

The national security ramification of this ‘annoyance’ is now significant: The President of Russia today is Putin, a former dyed-in-the-wool KGB officer. Upon Dr. Manmohan Singh’s government taking office, Russia called back it’s career diplomat Ambassador in New Delhi and immediately posted as the new Ambassador a person who was the KGB station chief in New Delhi during the 1970s. In view of Dr. Albats confirmed revelation, it stands to reason that the new Ambassador would have known first hand about Sonia’s connections with the KGB. He may have in fact been her “controller”. The new Indian government which is defacto Sonia’s, cannot afford to annoy him or even disregard Russian demands coming from him? They will obviously placate him so as not to risk exposure. Is this not a major national security risk and a delicate matter for the nation?

Of course, all Indians would like good normal and healthy relations with Russia. Who can forget their assistance to us in times of need? Today’s Russia is the residual legatee of that Soviet Union which helped India. But just because of that, should we tolerate those in our government set up having clandestine links with a foreign spy agency? In the United States, the government did not tolerate an American spying for Israel even though the two countries are as close as any two countries can be. National security and friendship are as different as chalk and cheese.

In December 2001, I had filed a Writ Petition in the Delhi High Court with the photocopies of the KGB documents, and sought a CBI investigation, which the Vajpayee Government was refusing. Earlier, Minister of State for CBI, Vasundara Raje [now Rajasthan CM], on my letter dated March 3, 2001, had ordered the CBI to investigate. But after Sonia Gandhi and her party stalled the proceedings of Parliament on this issue, the then Prime Minister Vajpayee cancelled Vasundara’s direction to the CBI. The Delhi High Court issued a direction to the CBIto ascertain from Russia the truth of my charges. The CBI procrastinated for three years, and finally told the Court without an FIR registered the Russians will not entertain any such query. But who stopped the CBI from registering an FIR? The next hearing of the case is on September 8th.

After Sonia married Rajiv, she went about minting money with scant regard for Indian laws and treasures. Within a few years the Mainos went from utter poverty to billionaires. There was no area that was left out for the rip-off. On November 19, 1974, as fresh entrant to Parliament, I asked the then Prime Minister Ms. Indira Gandhi on the floor of the House if her daughter-in-law, Sonia Gandhi was acting as an insurance agent of a public sector insurance company [Oriental Fire " Insurance], giving the Prime Minister’s official residence as her business address, and using undue influence to insure all the officers of the PMO while remaining an Italian citizen [thus violating FERA]? There was uproar in Parliament, but Mrs. Indira Gandhi had no alternative but to cut her losses. She made a rare admission that it was so, and that it was by mistake, but that Sonia had resigned from her insurance agent status [after my question]. But Sonia was incorrigible. Her contempt for Indian law continued to manifest.

The Justice A.C. Gupta Commission set up by the Janata Party government in 1977 came out with a voluminous report on the Maruti Company then owned by the Gandhi family, and has listed eight violations of FERA, Companies Act, and Foreigners Registration Act by Sonia Gandhi. She was never prosecuted, but can be still prosecuted because under Indian law, economic crimes not subject to the statute of limitation. In January 1980, Indira Gandhi returned as Prime Minister. The first thing Sonia did was to enroll herself as a voter. This was a gross violation of the law, enough to cause cancellation of her visa [since she was admittedly an Italian citizen then]. There was some hullabaloo in the press about it, so the Delhi Chief Electoral Officer got her name deleted in 1982. But in January 1983, she again enrolled herself as a voter! Such is her revealed disdain for Indian laws and that is her mindset even today.
 
The bottom line observed in Sonia’s mindset is that she can always run back to Italy if she becomes vulnerable at anytime. In Peru, President Fujimori who all along claimed to be “born Peruvian”, faced with a corruption charge fled to Japan with his loot and reclaimed his Japanese citizenship.

In 1977, when the Janata Party defeated the Congress at the polls, and formed the government, Sonia with her two children, abandoned Indira Gandhi and ran to the Italian Embassy in New Delhi and hid there. Rajiv Gandhi was a government servant then [as an Indian Airlines pilot], but he too tagged along and hid in that foreign embassy! Such was her baneful influence on him. Rajiv did snap out Sonia’s influence after 1989, but alas he was assassinated before he could rectify it. Those close to Rajiv knew that he was planning set things right about Sonia after the 1991 elections. She did too know of it because he had told her. Ever wonder why Sonia’s closest advisers are those whom Rajiv literally hated? Ambika Soni is one such name. Ever wonder why she asked the President of India to set aside, on a mercy petition, the Supreme Court judgment directing that Rajiv Gandhi’s LTTE killers be hanged to death, when she was not similarly moved for Satwant Singh who killed Indira Gandhi or recently for Dhanajoy Chattopadhyaya? The explanation for this special consideration for the LTTE lies in what Rajiv had told her in 1990.

Those who have no love for India will not hesitate to plunder her treasures. Mohammed Ghori, Nadir Shah, and the British scum in the East India Company made no secret of it. But Sonia Gandhi has been more discreet, but as greedy, in her looting of Indian treasures. When Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi were Prime Ministers, not a day passed when the PM’s security did not go to the New Delhi, or Chennai international airport to send crates and crates unchecked by customs to Rome. Air India and Alitalia were the carriers. Mr. Arjun Singh first as CM, later as Union Minister in charge of Culture was her hatchet man. Indian temple sculpture of gods and goddesses, antiques, pichwai paintings, shatoosh shawls, coins, and you name it, were transported to Italy to be first displayed in two shops owned by her sister [i.e., Anuskha alias Alessandra]. These shops located in blue-collar areas of Rivolta [shop name: Etnica] and Orbassano [shop name:Ganpati] did little business because which blue collar Italian wants Indian antiques? The shops were to make false bills, and thereafter these treasures were taken to London for auction by Sotheby’s and Christies. Some of this ill-gotten money from auction went into Rahul Gandhi’s National way into the Gandhi family account in the Bank of America in Cayman Islands.

Rahul’s expenses and tuition fees for the one-year he was at Harvard, was paid from the Cayman Island account. What kind of people are these Gandhi-Mainos that bite the very hand of Bharat Mata that fed them and gave them a good life? How can the nation trust such greedy thieves?

Since I failed to persuade the Vajpayee government to defend India’s treasures from plunder by the Mainos, I approached the Delhi High Court in a PIL. The first Bench of the court issued notice to the Government, but since the Indian government dragged it’s feet, the Court directed the CBI to seek Interpol’s and Italian government’s help. The Italian government justifiably asked for a Letter Rogatory for which a FIR is a pre-requisite. But the Interpol did oblige and submitted two voluminous reports, which the Court directed the CBI to hand over to me. But CBI has refused, and has claimed privilege! The CBI has also been caught lying in court by telling the judges that Alessandra Maino is a name of a man, and Via Bellini 14, Orbassano is a name of a village [not the street address of the Maino's residence]. Although the CBI counsel had to apologise to the court stating he made a mistake, he has been promoted to Additional Solicitor General by the new government! The Vajpayee-Sonia mutual assistance pact is in full view. The case now comes up on September 8th.

But the most sinister aspect of Sonia Gandhi’s character is her connection withterrorists. I am still working on it, but she has had long connection with the Habash group of Palestinian, and has funded Palestinian families that lost their kith and kin in a suicide bombing or hijacking episode. This, Rajiv Gandhi himself told me and was confirmed to me [the funding] by Yassir Arafat when I met him in Tunis on October 17, 1990 at the request of Rajiv Gandhi. Rajiv Gandhi and I were good friends from 1978, but became very close buddies after V.P. Singh had betrayed him in 1987. We met practically every day, mostly in the early hours from 1AM to 4AM. It was at my suggestion that he made Chandrashekhar the PM. And contrary to public impression, he was not mainly responsible for the fall of Chandrashekhar government in which I was a Minister.

Besides the Palestinian extremists, the Maino family have had extensive business dealings with Saddam Hussein, and surprisingly with the LTTE ["the Tamil Tigers"] since 1984. Sonia’s mother Paola Predebon Maino, and businessman Ottavio Quattrocchiwere the main contacts with the Tigers. The mother used the LTTE for money laundering and Quattrocchi for selling weapons to earn commissions. Sonia’s conduit to the LTTE has been and is through Arjun Singh who uses Bangalore as the nodal point for contact. There is a string of circumstantial evidence pointing to the prima facie possibility that the Maino family may have contracted the LTTE to kill Rajiv Gandhi. The family may have assured the LTTE that nothing would happen to them because they would ensure it is blamed on the Sikhs or the evidence so much fudged that no court would convict them. But D.R. Karthikeyan of the CBI who led the SIT investigation got the support of Narasimha Rao and cracked the case, and got the LTTE convicted in the trial court, and which conviction was upheld in the Supreme Court.

Although on the involvement of Congress Party in the assassination, DRK soft peddled on a number of leads perhaps because he did not want political controversy to put roadblocks on his investigation as a whole. The Justice J. S. Verma Commission, which was set up as the last official act of the Chandrashekhar government before demitting office on June 21, 1991, did find that the Congress leaders had disrupted the security arrangements for the Sriperumbudur meeting. The Commission wanted further probe into it but the Rao government rejected that demand. In the meantime under Sonia’s pressure, the Jain Commission was set up by the Rao government, which tried to muddy the waters and thus exonerate the LTTE. But the trial court judgment convicting the LTTE came earlier, and that sinister effort too failed.

Nowadays, Sonia is quite unabashed in having political alliance with those who praise Rajiv Gandhi’s killers. No Indian widow would ever do that. My investigations into Sonia’s involvement in Rajiv’s assassination is therefore still on. I am also author of a best seller titled Assassination Of Rajiv Gandhi,Unasked Questions and Unanswered Queries [published by Konark in 2000] in which I have given some indications.

Is it not significant that the political career of Sonia Gandhi advances concomitantly with a series of assassinations and apparently accidental deaths? How did Sanjay’s plane nosedive to a crash and yet the fuselage not explode? There was no fuel! Why was there no inquiry conducted? Is it not a fact that Indira Gandhi died because of loss of blood from the wounds and not directly due to a bullet impacting her head or heart? Then is it not strange that Sonia had insisted that the bleeding Indira be driven to Lohia Hospital – in the opposite direction to AIIMS, which had a contingency protocol set up for precisely such an event? And after reaching Lohia Hospital, did not Sonia change her mind and demand that they all drive to AIIMS thus losing 24 valuable minutes. The same kind of mystery surrounds the sudden deaths of Sonia’s other political roadblocks such as Rajesh Pilot, Jitendra Prasad, and Madhavrao Scindia. Such things happened in the dark ages in Italy. Should we allow it India like dumb cattle?

What Can We Do? We have to ensure that the Maino clan does not stay in power. Dr. Manmohan Singh may be PM, which is a small relief, but he is not a fighter. The real power in government today is wielded by the Maino mafia gang. Can they be dethroned?

In Indian democracy, only a shocking scandal can unseat a government other than by losing majority. Today’s priority is not for toppling the Congress government as such since Manmohan Singh is a decent and scholarly person, but in driving the Maino clan out of India. It will however not be long before Sonia will give Manmohan Singh marching orders, and he will march out meekly. We should not expect him to resist. With Sonia’s defacto government in place, it is also unrealistic to expect that I can get an early victory in the courts on the KGB and antique smuggling cases.

The most potent weapon therefore to dislodge the Maino clan [including Rahul and Priyanka] is by exposing their Italian citizenship. In 1992, Sonia revived her citizenship of Italy under Article 17 of the Italian Citizenship Law [Act 91 of 1992]. Rahul and Priyankawere born Italian citizens because Sonia was Italian when she gave birth to them [Italian law based on jure sanguinis]. Hence, they continue be Italians since they never renounced it. Both have been traveling abroad on Italian passports. They may now acquire Venezuela passports since Rahul’s girl friend Veronica is a Venezuelan. That means one more foreign bahu for us tolerant Indians. The Maino-Gandhis are certainly getting globalized.

So what can patriotic Indians do? There is an urgent need to document these facts on notarized paper, for which we need a network in London, Milan, Hongkong and Venezuela. Those persuaded by my above stated facts and arguments may join in and help set up this network.

What have I learnt?

I am not very proud about the fact that even after 27 years of mistakes and lessons, most of them repeated instances, I have not learnt a lot about life.

I understand the problems with bad habits, but I find them so attractive. That my wants are different from my needs and that they are even more different from what I can achieve is a difficult proposition. Sometimes I feel that even having unlimited resources (read: wealth) would not satiate me.

My biggest complaint is about the relationships in my life -and I am hating most of them. There is this feeling that is getting entrenched deeper in my mind by the day that relationships are restrictive. Any relationship that I make is immediately followed by a set of rules. Of course, I lay rules too, but that’s just because I have never learnt anything else. I have been told, brainwashed and programmed to lay rules too. But what is it? A memorandum of association? I hate this.

Then there are responsibilities. Spending time, talking, saying silly nothings, going out and the list just goes on. These are responsibilities. No leeway if you are not interested in talking. Irrespective of whether it is my ultra-conservative, south India, tam bram mom or the far from bram girlfriend, they need to ask on the phone – “what did you eat?” And as soon as I hear that, my blood begins to boil. Then things like, “I cut my nails”, “I put the bed sheets to wash”, “the ganesha photo glass has got a crack”, “I am making dum aloo” follow. By this time, my blood is boiling, I only want to keep the phone down, am already not listening and am most probably doing something by the side.

There are just so many times that I have felt I have reached utopia. It’s not even rare – spend some time with a few people for about two days and I start feeling that these are the people I would want to be for the rest of my life. And as days go, I would find myself working to keep the relationship going; ignoring things I don’t like, doing things I don’t like…you get it.

But over the last few days, I have understood this: if there is anything in this world, that is a true representation of the how transitory this world is, it is relations. Especially in today’s world of immense independence, at least I feel lacking in qualities like compromise, magnanimity and understanding. Given my nature of wanting everything in a certain manner, my heavily biased opinions and even worse views on almost everything in this world, I am incompatible with people.

Yes, I realise that. I actually have no problems without people or interaction. The TV or the Internet can keep me busy for long hours. And I understand that if everytime I have a problem, the problem is with me. And I am fine with that, rather than ignore and lead a miserable life.

Mumbai and Me…

I have been very proud of this city. If there is a place in this country where I have been most peaceful and happy, it was here – in Mumbai. I used to vociferously advocate Mumbai’s cause with everyone. But like all good things, my awe of this city has come to an end. I now despise not only this city, but everything that led to a disaster called 26th November 2008. And interesting turn of events ensured I was there in the city as the drama unfolded.

I did not see these terrorists myself; I was not shot at and did not lose any belongings. Hell, I was having a good dinner even as I was watching the TV. So I cannot and will not comment on how the situation was handled – I have no right to that and I am not qualified to do that.

But the circumstances leading to that? Yes, that is something I can comment on.

1) Government: It is a pity that a land once ruled by the great Vikramaditya, Ashoka, Akbar & Shivaji can be so spineless and toothless. The state CM was away in Kerala enjoying an undeserved (look at the status of roads, security, electricity & economy – Deshmukh shouldn’t have got leave for the rest of his damned life) holiday and other ministers (including the so-called, self-portrayed saviours of the Marathas, Bal & Raj Thackeray) underground, a lone and inefficient Dy. CM & Home Minister was left to defend the financial capital of India – needless to say, “bade bade sheheron me, choti choti baatein hoti rehti hai” (a popular SRK line from DDLJ), as is his stature. And what did we get? A globally acknowledged disaster! Well done Patil – you finally have put Mumbai on the Global map; how does it matter if it was for a major act of terror and not for good roads, quality of life or bang for the buck? And Manmohan, Sonia, Advani, Modi & Rahul were really busy – they had to calculate carefully their own security risks and the mileage they could eventually milk from such an event. I pray they are not hoping that such attacks should happen more often.

2) Security Forces: According to Ratan Tata three guys from Mumbai Police tried to fight the terrorists when the Taj management informed Mumbai Police that terrorists had entered the Taj. Result? One dead, second in hospital and one left to tackle (at least) 4 terrorists armed to the tooth. The weapons our forces had were a mockery – it was like David fighting the proverbial Goliath, except that Goliath had an entire arsenal to David’s sling. And anyways, how do the sacrifices of a few brave men matter? Even in movies the Police is depicted as losers. Tata’s revelation on red tapism to release the navy seals and commando forces is heart warming – at least the law is common for everyone! I am sure the Government would not allow any scrutiny into the tactics or plans adopted by the forces over those three days; and if it does, am sure there would be a few revelations.

3) Media: They had a home run with this stuff. From the ever-irritating Barkha Dutt to the usually sober Srinivasan, all had field days. This was literally lottery – a war-time coverage opportunity to every journalist in the city. And how do the channels ensure there is enough to cover for all their recruits? By revealing important details about the operation so that the terrorists can go on for long enough. “Maut ka aatank“, “Taj me Bomb” and several such c-grade titles made their way into our dressing rooms. Of course important stuff should be left alone on Government insistence – for example, how did officers of the caliber of Salaskar, Karkare & Kamte die all at one go at the hands of two terrorists? Did they not take enough precautions? What exactly happened at the location? Or for that matter, why does the combing operations of the commando force take more time than the entire operation itself? Why did Deshmukh put the number of terrorists at 20-25? If that is true, what happened to the remaining? Ok. Let’s not ask.

4) Us, the people: What is wrong with us? How do we let asses to be our representatives? Do we realise we pay for our (and their) security? If we argue for value delivered by the bhajiwala (bhaiyya 10 rupai ka maal hai 12 kyun bolte ho), why do we forget the road tax, income tax, service tax and all such evils? Do we know how to react in the event of a terror attack? Or for that matter, how to handle any calamity?

It point 4 that has disappointed me the most. How many of us pay our taxes in time? How many of us vote? How many of us would elect a “good politician” (if such a species does exist)? Hell, how many of us do our job properly?

I worked in an educational services company – but the service offered by the company did not really benefit about 95% of its customers; what did I do about it? Nothing. At best, I just told myself that this was the way of the world, that after all, everyone had to survive and that the competitors were doing no good either! How can I complain that MLAs, MPs, other Politicians, Police, Intelligence Agencies, Clerical Staff, CM, PM, HM, Hotel Staff or anybody for that matter was not doing their job properly? Of course they won’t! It is a bloody vicious cycle; and that is good for all sorts of calamities – with no one doing their job properly, hell with everyone agreeing to not doing their jobs properly as a way of life, calamities are bound to happen.

Reliance Communications rounds off Rs. 85.14 to Rs. 86 – isn’t that crazy? Especially since I can pay 85.14 through net banking (it’s not as if I can’t find the change) and even if it is to be rounded, 85.14 should be rounded to 85? It’s not just Reliance – you name any company, this is what they do. Haven’t you had Rs. 99.98 or Rs. 99.97 worth of Petrol filled for your vehicle when you paid Rs. 100 (why did they not get digital pumps – aren’t they mandatory?)? Or did you not get a chocolate that you hate as replacement for Rs. 2 change at a toll booth (if they can religiously purchase packets of chocolates, why the hell can’t they get change? Or for that matter, make the toll fee a round amount?)?

Some of you may want to read this. Not that I consider the results sacrosanct, but it is a decent indicator of the mess we are in. If a terror attack of this scale can be perpetrated in the best constituency amongst 534 others in the country, imagine what could happen elsewhere? So is the ranking wrong? No, I would rather say that the parameters were wrong; who cares about poverty ratio, female literacy, primary to upper primary school transition, marginal workers, immunisation of children, weight for age, household electrification, households with telephones and areas connected by pucca roads when the basis of life is threatened with such ferocity? Isn’t it a joke?

And how do we react? We write lengthy blogs (such as this), we particpate in peace marches (and stall traffic), we abuse politicians (forgetting that we elected them in the first place), we blame Pakistan (when we have the full right to defend ourselves), we blame the police (and yet refuse to cooperate with simple things such as walking through metal detectors at the CST or not rent premises to people without rental agreements and local police clearings) and we stereotype Muslims (isn’t that like a given?).

And Police. What can they do? After all, aren’t they just supposed to do only the Bandobast Duty and collect Hafta for seniors? The living conditions of Police Quarters are equivalent to a slum and their salaries won’t even get their households till the 15th of a month, given today’s inflation levels. And they have ACPs, DGPs, CPs, DCPs and god knows what many alphabets to answer to. What is authorised by someone is junked by the person sitting right in the next cabin.

Why am I ranting about all this? In summation, let me put forth my conclusion – NO ONE CAN & WILL CHANGE INDIA FOR THE BETTER; Period. Why would anyone even try, so long as “life goes on” comfortably as such? I can’t change this country, I don’t have the time to change its people and I neither have the responsibility to – after all, I strive to give my best at my work place, pay my taxes and walk through all metal detectors!

I will choose the easiest option – I will say that no one can save India and forget about it, knowing that India and Indians will continue to suffer even after my time. Somethings are just so bloody obvious that we need to accept them as a truth of this world and move on.