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Monthly Archives: November 2011
Subramanium Swamy prime minister material : Uma Bharti
Patna, Nov 29 (PTI) BJP leader Uma Bharti today said that Janata Party president Subramanian Swami was prime ministerial material, but clarified that it was her personal opinion. “Swami is prime ministerial material because of his integrity and honesty in the manner that he has pursued the 2G Spectrum scam,” Bharti said. Bharti, however, clarified that it was her personal view and the BJP was at liberty to pick a prime ministerial candidate of its choice. Speaking about the decision by the UPA to open up FDI in retail, she said “jab loktantra mein janata ki awaz nahi suni jati hai to woh thoktantra ka istemal karten hai. (The people will attack if their voices in a democracy is not heard),” she told reporters at a function here. Bharti also criticised the UPA government for delay in declaring the Ganga as a national river and said that it was as emotive to the people as opening of the retail sector to FDI.

TN: Former DMK minister’s houses raided
CHENNAI: The residences and business premises of D. Duraimurugan, former law minister in the DMK government in Tamil Nadu, and those of his close relatives were raided Thursday on charges of amassing wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income, officials said.
He is the sixth DMK minister to come under the vigilance scanner.The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) conducted the raids at his residence here and also his business premises.Earlier, the agency raided the residences and office premises of K.N. Nehru, T.M. Anbarasan, K. Ponmudi, N. Suresh Rajan and M.R.K. Panneerselvam.
http://expressbuzz.com/states/tamilnadu/tn-former-dmk-ministers-houses-raided/336607.html
Diamonds in Tirumala hundi
TIRUMALA: Over hundred diamonds were found in the Srivari hundi, when the temple parakamani staff took out the offerings from the hundi for counting on Wednesday evening.
The temple authorities said that an unknown devotee has offered the diamonds whose value can be known only after examination by experts.Confirming the offering of diamonds by an unknown devotee, Tirumala JEO KS Srinivasa Raju said that the diamonds have been sent to the jewellery section of the TTD in Tirupati for estimating their value, as no such facility is available in the temple. According to temple sources, they have not witnessed precious diamonds being offered to Lord Venkateswara since 2000 when a devotee from Sri Lanka had donated a precious emerald. However, the last time diamonds were offered in such large quantity was in 1995.
http://expressbuzz.com/states/andhrapradesh/diamonds-in-tirumala-hundi/336509.html
NARENDRA MODI INAUGURATES ASIA’S BIGGEST SOLAR POWER PLANT IN KANKREJ, GUJARAT
While the Centre could not start any solar plant even after announcing its solar power policy, Mr. Modi said, Gujarat has set up four such projects, including one at Charnaka.
Mr. Modi said the world’s largest solar park combining the vast stretches of land with ample supply of sunrays is also coming up in the region. The initiative should go a long way in solving the coal shortage. He said that Gujarat has already succeeded converting disasters into opportunities, as Kutch became the fastest growing district in the country during the last decade. Gujarat’s 1,600-km long coastline is humming with a number of seaports. And now it is converting the arid Kutch, Banaskantha and Patan districts into prosperous power producing regions.
While the Centre has been reduced to a power-corrupt government amidst zero development, Mr. Modi said, Gujarat has shown how power could be utilized for all all round growth. The state has undertaken new initiatives in recycling biomass and agro-waste.
Others present on the occasion included Social Justice Minister Fakirbhai Vaghela, Ministers of State Liladhar Vaghela and Parbat Patel, ex-MP Haribhai Chaudhry, MLAs and office-bearers.
October 14, 2011
Sharad Pawar slapped: Govt has to think about how to keep public anger under check, says Anna Hazare
He, however, asked the government to take appropriate measures to keep public anger under check. “There is no place for violence in democracy. I condemn the attack,” Hazare told reporters here.
“However, the government has to think about how to keep the anger of the masses under check. The people are angry. There is corruption and price rise….there is the issue of Jan Lokpal….people are angry over so many things,” he said.
When a reporter pointed out that BJP leader Yashwant Sinha had warned of violence if price rise went unchecked, Hazare said,”There should not be violence in a democracy.”
Kiran Bedi condemns assault
Team Anna member Kiran Bedi today condemned the attack on agriculture minister Sharad Pawar but said one should analyse why such things happen to public functionaries.
“While condemning assault on public functionaries, (one) needs to analyse why is this happening and what must done to contain this… “Assault on public functionaries calls for serious reflection at all levels of society including media forums,” Bedi said in a tweet.
At public function here, Pawar was slapped by a youth who claimed he was angry with corruption and price rise.
Pawar was slapped by Harvinder Singh, a transporter in his thirties who had assaulted former Telecom Minister Sukhram outside Rohini Court on Saturday after he was sentenced in a corruption case.
Political parties condemn incident
The incident of slapping of Union Minister Sharad Pawar today evoked wide condemnation from the political class, even as some opposition leaders warned the government that such incidents may increase if it did not take adequate steps to curb rising prices.
Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule, who was coming out of Parliament rushed to see her father after hearing about the incident.
Congress spokesman Rashid Alvi blamed BJP for the “unfortunate” incident saying, “the incident was a result of the opposition party leader’s statement made to incite the public.
“If the opposition party says that people will resort to violence due to rising prices, it means they are inciting the people of the country… If a political party incites the public like this, then it will have such results.”
Alvi said, “all political parties and their leaders should be very careful in giving their statements,” as they weaken democracy.
BJP spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad, while condemning the incident said it is unfortunate that Congress feels that the opposition party is trying to incite the public. “It is not proper. It should not have happened. It is a security breach,” he told reporters outside Parliament.
Reacting to the Congress comments blaming the BJP for instigating violence, Prasad said, “If Congress thinks it is because of opposition’s statements, we pity them for not being concerned about the public apathy and pain due to price rise. People are today helpless and are feeling the pain of price rise for the last 3.5 years even when an economist Prime Minister is running the nation.”
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Sharad-Pawar-slapped-Govt-has-to-think-about-how-to-keep-public-anger-under-check-says-Anna-Hazare/articleshow/10856358.cms
Chidabaram has bought 10,000 hectares in western Ghats
http://intellibriefs.blogspot.com/2011/11/chidabaram-has-bought-10000-hectares-in.html
2G scam: PC-Raja meetings, PC’s letter to Raja, April 21,2008. Swamy exposes PC’s role.
http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.com/2011/11/2g-scam-pc-raja-meetings-pcs-letter-to.html
22.11.11
2G scam: PC-Raja meetings, PC’s letter to Raja, April 21,2008. Swamy exposes PC’s role.
2. Allowing blacklisted firms (specified by Shivraj Patil then Home Minister) to enter telecom: Etisalat and Uninor — endangering national security interests
3. Allowing sale of licences (bypassing the 3-year lock-in period) by the backdoor of share ‘dilution’. Lifting corporate veil, the entire companies: Swan Telecom and Unitech get converted — control and ownership transferred — to Etisalat and Telenor (with dealings in Dubai/ISI and China respectively).
Missing minutes from files?
Documents on consultations between Chidambaram and Raja on 2G pricing
Nov. 22, 2011
Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy released documents at a press conference in Chennai on November 22, 2011 that throw light on consultations between then Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and Communications Minister A. Raja on the pricing of 2G spectrum. While one of them was a note titled ‘Spectrum Issues — Update’ from the Department of Economic Affairs of the Finance Ministry, the other was a letter from Mr. Chidambaram to Mr. Raja suggesting that they meet and discuss the issues and later present their conclusions to the Prime Minister.
Chidambaram guiltier than Raja, says Swamy
CHENNAI, November 23, 2011
Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy alleged that Union Minister P. Chidambaram was “more guilty” than the former Communications Minister, A. Raja, in the 2G spectrum allotment scam.
Releases document
Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, he released a document dated July 4, 2008 from the Department of Economic affairs, Ministry of Finance, which, he said, would “demolish the Congress claim that Mr. Raja alone fixed the price and Mr. Chidambaram had no role.”
According to the document, “meetings took place between Finance Minister and Minister of Telecommunication on May 29, 2008, and June 12, 2008, to resolve outstanding issues relating to allocation and pricing of 2G and 2G spectrum bands.” Then “it has been agreed that the ‘base price’ shall be determined by taking the entry fee of Rs. 1,650 crore (determined in 2003-04) for pan-India operation of UASL licencees as the price of spectrum for 6.2 MHz of bandwidth for GSM operators.”
“Far lower”
Hence, Dr. Swamy contended that they acted together and fixed a price which was nothing but that fixed by the National Democratic Alliance Government in 2001. Thus the final price was far lower than what it would have fetched had it been auctioned.
Dr. Swamy also released a letter from Mr. Chidambaram to Mr. Raja on April 21, 2008, suggesting that they could “meet and discuss and reach some conclusions. These conclusions could then be presented to the Hon’ble Prime Minister.”
The letter says based on Mr. Raja’s “non-paper” on spectrum charges, the Finance Secretary had held discussions with the Secretary, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.
Based on those discussions, Mr. Chidambaram enclosed a non-paper “containing our views relating to 2G spectrum and issues relating to 3G/WiMax spectrum” and suggested that after Mr. Raja examined it they could meet and discuss the issue.
“Equity dilution”
Dr. Swamy said Mr. Chidambaram allowed some companies to opt for “equity dilution” which was not permitted for three years. This had allowed some companies to get licences through a circuitous route. “What you are not permitted to do directly, you cannot do indirectly as well,” he asserted.
Also, even without telling Mr. Raja, two “blacklisted” companies were allowed to get licences by Mr. Chidambaram, Dr. Swamy added.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2651015.ece
Politics News | Updated Nov 23, 2011 at 12:30am IST
Chidambaram, Raja discussed 2G pricing: Swamy
CNN-IBN
Chennai: Janata Party President and 2G scam petitioner Subramanyam Swamy continues to bring out new facts against Home Minister P Chidambram in the 2G spectrum allocation scam.
Latest is a Finance Ministry note, which shows that a meeting took place between Chidambram who used to be the finance minister and former telecom minister A Raja on the controversial issue of spectrum pricing.
It states that on the 29th May 2008 and 12th June 2008, two meetings were held between Chidambram and Raja.
Swamy is using this statement to prove his case that Mr Chidambram was in agreement with the price that Raja had fixed as entry price.
“I am releasing these documents to demolish any argument that meeting between Chidambaram and Raja did not take place.
There is no ambiguity (that they met),” said Swamy, a petitioner in the case on the multi-crore scam, who has sought making Chidambaram a co-accused.
Releasing Finance Ministry documents dated July 4, 2008, he said at a press conference in Chennai that Chidambaram, then the Finance Minister, and Raja had agreed upon fixing the pricing of 2G spectrum.
The documents also show that they discussed spectrum usage charge and also the pricing for 3G bandwidth. The new 2G licences were distributed in January, 2008 by Raja who is facing prosecution.
“It has been agreed that the base price of 2G spectrum shall be determined by taking the entry fee of Rs 1,650 crore determined in 2003-04 for pan-India operation of UASL licensees as a price of spectrum for 6.2 mhz of bandwidth for GSM operators”, the document said.
This was the 2001 rate adopted by NDA government, Swamy said.
“The document shows it (pricing) was an agreement. It comes clear,” he said and claimed the two had met four times.
Swamy said he will file these documents before the court in Delhi on December 3 when the case comes up for hearing.
Asked if Chidambaram should resign, he replied in the affirmative.
(With additional information from PTI)
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/chidambaram-raja-discussed-2g-pricing-swamy/204774-37-64.html
Chidambaram, Raja acted together in 2G scam: Subramanian Swamy
By ANI | ANI – 12 hours ago
New Delhi, Nov 22 (ANI): Founder-President of the Janata Party (JP) and a key petitioner in 2G scam case, Subramanian Swamy, revealed a finance ministry document claiming that former Telecom Minister A. Raja and Home Minister P. Chidambaram were joint partners in the multi-billion dollar scam.
Addressing mediapersons here, Swamy said: “I am demolishing the idea that the price of spectrum was determined by A. Raja alone. I am showing that this document proves that it was decided jointly. And not only jointly, they (Raja and Chidambaram) met several times. Here it is two times but in the total they met four times. And therefore I think as far as this document is concerned, it completely demolishes the argument that Raja has acted alone. Raja and Chidambaram acted together to deprive the country of huge amount to revenue.”
Refusing to reveal the origin of this latest document, Swamy said that Chidambaram was the most crooked minister in the country, adding that he would urge the trial court in its next hearing on December 3, to make Chidambaram a co-accused in the case.
“December 3, the trial court is meeting to consider my arguments, whether Chidambaram should be made a co-accused with Raja. And I will be arguing that if Raja is accused, then Chidambaram is ten times more accused. He is more guilty; he is the most crooked minister in the country,” he added.
Chidambaram has been at the centre of an extensive political storm ever since certain reports revealed of his alleged role in ‘deciding’ the prices of 2G-spectrum during his earlier tenure as the Finance Minister, thus embroiling him in the telecom scam.
His name cropped up in a recent letter of Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee addressed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in which Mukherjee blamed his predecessor for not sticking to the established procedures in auctioning of the 2-G spectrum.
The letter stated that sufficient steps were not taken by Chidambaram to prevent the colossal scam from occurring in the first place, considering he could have ‘stuck to the stand’ of auctioning of the precious spectrum instead of giving it at throwaway prices.
The telecom scam, one of India’s biggest graft cases ever, may have cost 39.57 billion dollars in revenue to the public exchequer as per the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).
A. Raja was sacked in November last year and later arrested after being charged with giving away telecom licences in 2008 for a pittance, at meagre prices of 2001 in the CAG report. Raja is presently facing trial along with a group of telecom executives and DMK lawmaker Kanimozhi. (ANI)
http://in.news.yahoo.com/chidambaram-raja-acted-together-2g-scam-subramanian-swamy-113626573.html
See:
http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.com/2011/11/swamy-says-chidambaram-raja-discussed.html
Chidambaram, Raja discussed 2G pricing: Subramanian Swamy
PTI | Nov 22, 2011, 05.01PM IST
CHENNAI: Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy today released a set of documents to prove that Union home minister P Chidambaram discussed with former telecom minister A Raja in may-June 2008 the issue of pricing of the 2G Spectrum at 2001 rates.
Releasing finance ministry documents dated July 4, 2008, he told a press conference here that Chidambaram, then the finance minister, and Raja had agreed upon fixing the pricing of 2G spectrum.
The documents also show that they discussed spectrum usage charge and also the pricing for 3G bandwidth. The new 2G licences were distributed in January, 2008 by Raja who is facing prosecution.
“I am releasing these documents to demolish any argument that meeting between Chidambaram and Raja did not take place. There is no ambiguity (that they met),” said Swamy, a petitioner in the case on the multi-crore scam, who has sought making Chidambaram a co-accused.
“It has been agreed that the base price of 2G spectrum shall be determined by taking the entry fee of Rs 1,650 crore determined in 2003-04 for pan-India operation of UASL licensees as a price of spectrum for 6.2 mhz of bandwidth for GSM operators”, the document said.
This was the 2001 rate adopted by NDA government, Swamy said.
“The document shows it (pricing) was an agreement. It comes clear,” he said and claimed the two had met four times.
Swamy said he will file these documents before the court in Delhi on December 3 when the case comes up for hearing.
Asked if Chidambaram should resign, he replied in the affirmative.
Swamy says Chidambaram, Raja discussed 2G pricing
22 Nov 2011, 1705 hrs IST, AGENCIES
Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy today released a set of documents to prove that Union Home Minister P Chidambaram discussed with former Telecom Minister A Raja in may-June 2008 the issue of pricing of the 2G Spectrum at 2001 rates.
Releasing Finance Ministry documents dated July 4, 2008, he told a press conference in Chennai that Chidambaram, then the Finance Minister, and Raja had agreed upon fixing the pricing of 2G spectrum.
The documents also show that they discussed spectrum usage charge and also the pricing for 3G bandwidth. The new 2G licences were distributed in January, 2008 by Raja who is facing prosecution.
“I am releasing these documents to demolish any argument that meeting between Chidambaram and Raja did not take place. There is no ambiguity (that they met),” said Swamy, a petitioner in the case on the multi-crore scam, who has sought making Chidambaram a co-accused.
“It has been agreed that the base price of 2G spectrum shall be determined by taking the entry fee of Rs 1,650 crore determined in 2003-04 for pan-India operation of UASL licensees as a price of spectrum for 6.2 mhz of bandwidth for GSM operators”, the document said.
This was the 2001 rate adopted by NDA government, Swamy said.
“The document shows it (pricing) was an agreement. It comes clear,” he said and claimed the two had met four times.
Swamy said he will file these documents before the court in Delhi on December 3 when the case comes up for hearing.
Asked if Chidambaram should resign, he replied in the affirmative.
http://www.timesnow.tv/Swamy-says-Chidambaram-Raja-discussed-2G-pricing/articleshow/4389595.cms
Chidambaram, Raja acted together in 2G scam: Subramanian Swamy
NDTV Correspondent, Updated: November 22, 2011 14:13 IST
http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/chidambaram-raja-acted-together-in-2g-scam-subramanian-swamy-152009?pfrom=home-otherstories
See:
http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.com/2011/11/2g-scam-paper-hammer-strikes-again.html
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/104462661/Raja-Chidambaram-meeting-minutes-July-4-2008
2G Scam: CAG digs in his heels: it’s Rs. 1.76 lakh crore
Published: November 15, 2011 15:52 IST | Updated: November 16, 2011 01:28 IST
B. Muralidhar Reddy
In a staunch defence of the calculation of Rs. 1.76-lakh crore presumptive loss to the exchequer on account of the award of 2G spectrum in 2008 at the prices of 2001, the Comptroller and Auditor-General on Tuesday argued that a strong case for revision of prices was made by the Union Finance Ministry and concurred with by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
In a PowerPoint presentation to the Joint Parliamentary Committee, which is examining the telecom policy from 1998 to 2009, CAG Vinod Rai dwelt at length on the criteria adopted by his office in calculating the presumptive loss. He pointed out that the Finance Ministry and the PMO, in their separate communications in 2007, recommended revision of the methodology adopted by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
The nearly six-hour presentation, followed by a question and answer session, came a day after the then Director-General (Post &Telegraph) in the CAG, R.P. Singh, explained the basis on which he had pegged the ‘actual loss’ at Rs. 2,645 crore.
Mr. Rai said Mr. Singh, in the same note in which he calculated the loss at Rs. 2645 crore, also gave some estimations of loss for further consideration such as Rs.10,2000 crore and Rs.65,000 crore. In his May 31, 2010 letter addressed to the CAG, Mr. Singh suggested that further audit be carried out if required.
The presumptive loss of Rs. 1.76 lakh crore, in the final report in 2010, has been a subject of intense debate for several months with senior leaders of the ruling UPA contending that the CAG has overstepped its mandate by getting into a policy matter while its role is restricted to audit.
Quoting from the noting in the Finance Ministry files, Mr. Rai told the JPC that if spectrum were to be priced, the option before the DoT was auction or charging a market-determined price. “While the MoF [Ministry of Finance] gave two parameters for calculating the value of spectrum, neither was conclusively suggested. If so, how can the government itself thereafter orchestrate a “no loss” hypothesis?”
Communications Minister Kapil Sibal asserted, days after he took charge of the Ministry following the resignation of A. Raja, that there was ‘zero loss’ to the exchequer. In one of the notings in 2007, the Finance Ministry had maintained that economically there would be a case for increasing the entry fee for technology crossover and said the entry fee could be calculated on the base of the 2001 auction price weighed with the improvement in technology, and demand in terms of subscribers as well as per subscriber traffic.
Three-stage audit
Mr. Rai told the committee that different loss figures were projected in the three-stage audit process of the CAG. The Field Audit Report carried figures of Rs.48,000 crore and Rs.26,000 crore.
It was redrafted by the office of DG (P&T) and figures of Rs. 2,645 crore, Rs. 2,651crore and Rs.36,000 crore were incorporated in the report. The office also mentioned figures of Rs.1,02,000 crore and Rs. 65,000 crore.
In stage III of the audit done by the CAG headquarters after examination of ‘records not available earlier’, a range of figures from Rs. 58,000 crore to Rs.1, 76,000 crore emerged.
Elaborating on the term ‘presumptive,’ Mr. Rai said it was a term which was part of the Direct Tax Code, and the Income Tax Code recognised and used the terms ‘presumptive income’ and ‘presumptive tax’. Further, it was the normal practice of the office of the CAG to cite figures on the basis of presumptive losses.
On the criticism that the CAG had overstepped its mandate in preparation of the 2G spectrum report, Mr. Rai said the report only sought to examine implementation of the policy. “The entire implementation process does not withstand the test of scrutiny, and hence, the widely held belief that it has benefited a few operators and has not been able to maximise generation of revenue from allocation of such a scarce resource.”
The CAG said an adversarial role between Audit and the Executive was inherent in the structure of polity. There was a difference in the oaths of a Cabinet Minister and the CAG: A Cabinet Minister takes the oath to conscientiously discharge his duties as Minster for the Union and to do right to all manner of people in accordance with the Constitution and the law. The CAG takes the oath that he will, duly and faithfully and to the best of his ability, knowledge and judgment, perform the duties of his office and uphold the Constitution and the laws.
Goat and fish as hieroglyphs of Indus script: Susa-Meluhha interactions. Meluhhan interpreter ‘may have been literate and could read the undeciphered Indus script.’
Update: Nov. 21, 2011
Susa-Meluhha interactions
http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.com/2011/11/mohenjo-daro-stupa-great-bath-modeled.html
This blogpost notes that the ziggurat shown on the Sit-Shamshi bronze compares with a ziggurat which might have existed in the Stupa mound of Mohenjodaro (lit. mound of the dead), indicating the veneration of ancestors in Susa and Meluhha in contemporaneous times.
continue reading this at
http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.com/2011/11/susa-ritual-basin-decorated-with.html












