Who are UPA's 10 Most Powerful People?

Who are UPA's 10 Most Powerful People?
Posted in: NewIndia Monday 12th, October 2009


http://blogs.siliconindia.com/Abhisrm/Who_are_UPAs_10_Most_Powerful_People-bid-go00H8tp23451410.html

Abhilasha Sharma
TSE(Technical Sup...

Power lists are always a contentious affair. Rating the country's finest sportspersons, richest businessmen or blockbuster filmstars is relatively easy. But, as with beauty, measuring power is a minefield of subjectivity. And when it comes to a power list of politicians and bureaucrats, it can get really slippery. There are those who love to flaunt the trappings even when they lack the real thing, and those who control the levers while staying in the shadows.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee
At 74, Pranab babu brings not just political wisdom but much-needed ballast to the UPA government. He is trouble-shooter-in-chief, repository of institutional memory, respected strategist, and for all practical purposes, the No. 2 man after Manmohan. At the end of almost every Cabinet meeting, the PM turns to Mukherjee for his views.


Home Minister P Chidambaram
Chidambaram was drafted into government by a Rajiv Gandhi eager to induct a new crop of professionals to break the stranglehold of old "power-brokers" on the party. Several assignments and a rich haul of experience later, the 64-year-old minister has earned his spurs as a deft trouble-shooter after his handling of the food-for-oil scam which splattered Natwar Singh, then foreign minister, as an alleged beneficiary of Saddam Hussain's largesse.

Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee
Impulsive, impossible - but to her legion of followers in West Bengal, inspirational. That's 54-year-old Mamata Banerjee - one of the mavericks of Indian politics, and remarkably enough, for all her whimsical ways, the future leader of "intellectual" West Bengal. The dichotomy is resolved if you see her for the person she is - upfront to the point of being in your face, without lipstick or foundation or a trace of guile. What you see is what you get, which makes the little firebrand endearing, never mind the warts.






Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh
Beyond ministries, Jairam has many uses - one of them is being a key associate of Rahul Gandhi. Jairam is not just a policy wonk, he's an implementer who can blend policy making with political compulsions. He was one of the key people behind the winning aam admi Congress campaign of 2004. His inputs are sought for the speeches of both Sonia Gandhi and Rahul.


Commerce Minister Anand Sharma
When Anand Sharma was named a Cabinet minister in UPA-2 , jaws hit the floor. Today, Sharma has a very serious assignment - to navigate India through the choppy waters of WTO. What's the secret of the rise and rise of this 56-year-old Rajya Sabha member from Himachal Pradesh?

Political Secretary To Congress President Ahmed Patel
He is the ultimate insider - unswervingly loyal and ever alert to the dangers of the spotlight. He sleeps four hours a day - between 2 am and 6 am - and when he does, he probably dreams of politics. He gives honest advice when it is solicited and is nothing if not discreet. Knife-sharp, he is an astute judge of people and situations, carries complicated messages and delivers them to the right people with the right nuance. No wonder then, that the 60-year-old Ahmed Patel is widely regarded as the most influential person in UPA-2 after Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh.

Defence Minister A K Antony
Everyone in the Congress knows Antonyji is important. But only Cabinet members know how important. Ironically, for someone who gained national prominence by defying Indira Gandhi in the Emergency, the 69-year-old minister is now known to be terminally loyal to the High Command. He rarely speaks at Cabinet meetings, but when he does - in his understated style - everyone listens. He is his master's voice, and to defer is wise. So, when he sounds downbeat about a proposal, people quickly lose enthusiasm for it.

Digvijay Singh, Congress General Secretary
Digvijay Singh is a quiet charmer. With his canny political sense, feel for the grassroots, clear articulation - both in English and Hindi - and winning smile, this former Rajput royal from the principality of Raghogarh in Madhya Pradesh's Guna district, has clawed his way back from political ground zero. He seemed to be down and out after the 2003 drubbing when the Congress, under his leadership, was reduced to 37 seats in an assembly of 230 in MP, but has re-emerged as one of the key political generals of UPA-2.

M K Narayanan, National Security Advisor
When Mayankote Kelath Narayanan took over as National Security Adviser (NSA) three weeks after J N Dixit's death in January 2005, many policy pundits shook their heads in disbelief. This was not a job for spooks, they said, only those with hands-on foreign policy experience (like Dixit and his predecessor Brajesh Mishra) could truly appreciate the intricacies of world politics and the myriad threat perceptions emerging from an imperfect world. Mike - as Narayanan is called by some friends - may be a great officer, they said, but his exposure was limited to the Intelligence Bureau.

T K A Nair, Principal Secretary to PM
Nair, 70, is not flamboyant like some big babus of the PMO have been in the past. But he's better than many of them when it comes to delivering results, often rolling up his sleeves and getting into the micro-management of things. When the PM is on an overseas tour, and every important sarkari functionary is out with him, Nair often stays home to hold the fort. He keeps a low profile, leaving the more outgoing NSA to deal with the press.

*Geelani Wants Kashmir To Be A Graveyard?* We’ll Never Become Part Of Pakistan* India Must Accept NC’s Autonomy Proposal*

At Sheikh’s mausoleum, Farooq hits left, right and centre
*Geelani Wants Kashmir To Be A Graveyard?* We’ll Never Become Part Of Pakistan* India Must Accept NC’s Autonomy Proposal* Mustafa Kamal Should Exercise Restraint
FAHEEM ASLAM



Srinagar, Dec 5: In a scathing attack on the Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman Syed Ali Geelani, the National Conference president, Dr Farooq Abdullah Sunday accused the senior separatist leader of “wanting Kashmir to be a graveyard and in ruins.” He reiterated that Kashmir shall never become a part of Pakistan and that India must accept the party’s “autonomy proposal” as a solution to the Kashmir issue.

“I want to ask Geelani that which Kashmir he wants. The Kashmir of graveyards and ruins?” Farooq said, speaking in the backdrop of the recent unrest in the Valley which led to killing of over 100 civilians. “Hartals, stone-pelting and burning down school buses only cause destruction and poverty. It is not going to work. In the past five months, the levels of poverty in Jammu and Kashmir have increased while other states continued to flourish and prosper.”

In a typical colloquial lingo, Farooq charged Geelani with “having chicken soup while depriving the people of green vegetables.” “The poor grew poorer due to hartals and stone-pelting in the recent months. The vendors suffered immensely. The schools remained shut. I want to ask people how their children would compete with their counterparts in Jammu and other states with schools shut?” he questioned.

Farooq didn’t stop there. “I have been saying this and I repeat. I remember I once visited Jamia Masjid here when Miwaiz Moulana Muhammad Farooq was alive. I said there that Kashmir can never become a part of Pakistan. India is not ready to leave an inch of Kashmir.”

He said India cannot develop Kashmir until Kashmiris participated in the process of development. “Just think where we are heading toward,” he told a gathering of hundreds of National Conference supporters, who had assembled at Sheikh’s graveyard to observe his 105th birth anniversary.

“We have to fight the elements who don’t want peace in Jammu and Kashmir. If you won’t do it, we will continue to remain poor and undeveloped. Our children won’t find a space anywhere,” he said.

Without naming any separatist, Farooq said: “They send their children for studies to Malaysia and America but deprive others of studies. I wish I could see how Geelani would respond on this before God Almighty on the Day of Judgment. He (Geelani) has the chicken soup while depriving the people of even green vegetables.”

Urging people to “introspect”, Farooq said they need better roads, water supply and electricity. “But you must think on how all these things are going to come amid shutdowns and stone-pelting. I want you (people) to understand that the government employees didn’t suffer due to unrest. They got their salaries in time. It is you who suffer,” he said

Farooq said hoopla vis-à-vis Kashmir was created over the US President, Barrack Obama’s visit to New Delhi recently. “It was presumed as if the solution to Kashmir has come. But Obama is back to America and Kashmir is where it was,” he said. “We have been hearing such a talk for the past 60 years. How long shall we continue to suffer? The only way out is that India must accept our autonomy proposal as a solution to the Kashmir issue. The rest is all a bundle of lies.”

Grappling to name the Peoples Democratic Party, Farooq said “that lady” (Mehbooba Mufti) just beats the drum of self rule. “But which self rule did they get when they were in power?” he asked. “I have been saying that if there is any solution other than autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir issue, it must be told to the public and should be acceptable to them. They (PDP) raised the pitch over the revocation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), but were not able to do it. Now they just issue statements from their courtyards.”

He asked his brother and senior NC leader, Mustafa Kamal, to “exercise restraint” while issuing statements. “We are in a coalition government. I want to tell Kamal that he must not issue undue statements which are deemed to have been issued by me. I want him to remain cautious because PDP is waiting for such opportunities to corner the government. They are waiting to take over the charge of the state. So our leaders will have to talk sense,” Farooq said. “Don’t give Soz (Professor Saifuddin) a chance to run to Delhi and say that all is not well with the coalition. Nothing will happen. The government will complete its full term and the promises made to the people shall be fulfilled.”

Farooq urged people to get ready for a “litmus test.” “You should be ready for the Panchayat elections. You must field the honest candidates. It is a different thing whether they would be honest at the end of the day or not. Women must also field candidates who are able to raise their issues,” he said. “The elections will have to be held soon. I suppose Omar Abdullah has already made it public that they would be held in January next.”

He asked the National Conference workers and activists “not to fear anything.” “Life and death is up to God,” he said. “So we must not fear anything. The past unrest has brought Kashmir to a grinding halt. The ponnywals, hoteliers, shikara runners all suffered. It brought us a bad name. This time a Kashmiri is finding it difficult to get accommodation in other states. The people there fear that he (Kashmiri) might drop a bomb. Geelani and Hurriyat leaders must see to this situation also,” he said, asking the National Conference leaders to “at least listen to the peoples’ grievances even if they can’t address them always.”

Farooq minced no words in showering praise on his son, Omar Abdullah. “He is fighting. It is his courage that he has been talking about the revocation of the Disturbed Areas Act and the AFSPA. Who has this courage?” he said. “There are forces which are bent upon demolishing National Conference. But as long as our flag will unfurl, we will continue to work for the welfare of the people.”

Farooq asked people to remain cautious of forces who are for ‘disintegration of Jammu and Kashmir.’ “We will have to pray that Jammu, Kashmir and Ladkah remain united,” he said.

Farooq asked people to “remain alert” to what is happening around. “Different developmental works are being undertaken. You will have to be alert whether the cement used in these works is okay or not. Most of the cement is sold in the market. And that is what is happening with our ration, which is being sold in black in the markets. So you will have to keep a check on this.”

Farooq said the National Conference leaders must understand certain things. “They must not feel that they can do anything while being in the government. That is not the case. Those days are over,” he said.

Senior National Conference, Congress leaders and government and police functionaries attended the function. Three-tier security had been put in place around Sheikh Abdullah’s graveyard.

Yoga with a mission to save country

Yoga with a mission to save country

riginal Source: NEPS


Baba Ramdev (left) giving Yoga Class at 16 Assam Rifles ground, Kohima on February 26, 2011. Pic. NEPS

KOHIMA, FEB 26 (NEPS): Noted Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev said he would continue his crusade against corruptions and asked citizens to join the movement. Talking to pressmen after his historic Yoga Class here at 16 Assam Rifles ground was over on Saturday, the Yoga Guru also hinted launching of his own political party in near future to fight the scourge of corruption in the country.

See more photos from the event >>

Asked about his reactions on the Congress leaders’ demand to probe to his assets, Baba Ramdev said the Government was free to do so any time anywhere. He however disclosed that Rs 400 lakh crore have been spirited away to foreign banks by “corrupt and the dishonest.” “If this money is brought back to our country, India will be ten times richer than the United States of America,” he said. “Each village in the country will get about Rs 100 crore each for development if we distribute this money spirited away in foreign banks.”

The Yoga Guru who launched his “Bharat Swabhiman Yatra (The Journey of India’s Pride)” from Dwaraka, Gujarat in mid 2010, disclosed that it would focus its fight mainly on five points: to eradicate corruption, black money and corrupt practices; to bring back the huge looted money of about Rs 400 lakh crore, hidden in foreign countries; to end conspiracy of foreign governments and their companies to loot the country and to build the character of the country’s citizens.

Baba Ramdev was happy to be here at Kohima for the first time to conduct Yoga classes and was thrilled to see massive participants. He recalled the Nagas contributions to the freedom struggle and also those who sacrificed their precious lives during Kargil war for the defense of the country.

Today’s historic Yoga class of Baba Ramdev was attended by government officials, army and paramilitary officials, hundreds of Kohima residents.

Baba Ramdev’s Yoga and visit to Nagaland unique

Baba Ramdev’s Yoga and visit to Nagaland unique

By Oken Jeet Sandham

Baba Ramdev Maharaj, internationally famed Yoga Guru, has done remarkable job by personally visiting Nagaland state to impart his rare “Yoga classes” to the Naga people. He has done this at State’s commercial hub, Dimapur and Capital, Kohima. Participants of his “Yoga classes” included VVIPs, Press personnel and ordinary citizens. Such rare opportunity has also come to the people of the State with free of charges and the only thing is they should have “Entry Pass” which, according to the organizers, is only for security reasons, as the “Yoga Guru”— due to his world-wide fame— has Z-Plus security cover.

Another great step the great Yoga Guru has done is his visiting to the Kohima Village where he is attending Model Village Program. His visit to this one of the greatest villages in Asia would surely show a very positive message to the rest of Naga people who are Christian. In fact, Nagaland is considered as a Christian State having over 90% Christian population. His visit to Kohima Village itself will make an indelible mark in the history of India in general and Nagaland in particular. He has plainly and sincerely shown that his coming to Nagaland is a message of universal brotherhood and nothing to do with religion, caste and creed. One of his main crusades is also fighting against “corruption.”

Here in the Northeast many consider that Sadhus and Gurus from mainland India are only to preach Hinduism and they could not bring any changes and understandings with the people in the region. Many also thought their wisdoms are not matched with that of regions’. Also many Indian Yoga gurus were not prepared to visit this part of the country in the past. Baba Ramdev’s extensive tours in the Northeast and Nagaland in particular have rather surprised many and this would really bring changes in the thinking of the people who are more gullible, simple and straightforward. Once the true message of life and the benefit of such “Yoga” are given to them, it will be there with them forever and even generations to come. We need many Baba Ramdevs to visit Nagaland and hope Baba Ramdev would visit Nagaland again in near future and stay here for at least few days.

Indians have Rs 500 lakh crore black money: Ramdev

Indians have Rs 500 lakh crore black money: Ramdev

Posted: Mon Feb 28 2011, 18:44 hrs
Shillong:


Claiming that black money to the tune of Rs. 500 lakh crore was stashed by Indians in foreign banks, yoga guru Baba Ramdev advocated for bringing those money back.



Continuing his tirade against corruption, he said if brought back, the huge amount of black money could change the economy of the country.


"The finance minister in his budget speech was categorical in admitting that black money and corruption were the two major concerns for the country. But the steps he pledged to take are not sufficient," he told a gathering here.


He said looters in high posts should be prosecuted and the money looted by them should be taken back.


"Unless exemplary punishment is given to these looters, such corrupt practices will continue," he said.


Questioning the rationale behind existence of branches of four Swiss banks and eight Italian banks in the country, he asked, "Who are the people who keep money in these banks? Of course, it is not the common man."


Alleging that the lawmakers themselves do not follow the law of the land, he said, "80 per cent of the budget is non-plan expenditure, while 20 per cent is for planned expenditure which is for developmental projects. Of this 20 per cent, 80 per cent is goes into corruption and the remaining little is spent for development."


On bills like the Right to Education (RTE), he said "When the country has a shortage of 20 lakh teachers, what can the RTE do in improving the education scenario?"


Ramdev, who arrived here today, will address a series of gatherings in Jaintia Hills district.

Curious story of Hasan Ali Khan by A surya Prakash

Curious story of Hasan Ali Khan by A surya Prakash
March 01, 2011 3:42:22 AM

A surya Prakash

http://www.dailypioneer.com/316247/Curious-story-of-Hasan-Ali-Khan.html 

Despite piles of evidence against this Pune-based stud farm owner, the UPA regime has failed to act against his wealth in Swiss banks.

One glance at the Second Report of the Task Force appointed by the Bharatiya Janata Party to probe black money stashed away by Indians in secret bank accounts abroad and you will wonder whether the Constitution we adopted in 1950 is still in operation; whether there is anything called ‘rule of law’ in the country; whether we have a Government at the federal level or whether it has just withered away.

Apart from providing citizens a comprehensive view of the illegal funds parked in tax havens, the report zeroes in on some specific cases which highlight the reluctance of the United Progressive Alliance regime to go after the wrong-doers. The case of Ottavio Quattrocchi is well known. But, there are others and among them the case that constitutes a damning indictment of the Government led by Mr Manmohan Singh is that of Hasan Ali Khan, a Pune-based stud farm owner with billions of dollars in Swiss banks and deep connections with the Congress.

The extraordinary case of Khan, who has been described by a national weekly as the “Billion Dollar Bandit”, gives us an idea of the rot that has set in. According to the BJP task force, Khan ventured into the hawala business in the 1990s and his bank balance grew from $1.5 million in 1982 to $8 billion in 2006. Among his associates and clients was Adnan Khashoggi, the international arms dealer who supplied weapons to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. He received $ 300 million from Khashoggi, which was identified as “funds from weapons sale” by a Swiss bank.

The big picture vis-à-vis Hasan Ali Khan emerged between January 2-7, 2007 when the Income Tax Department and the Enforcement Directorate carried out raids on his premises. Tax officials unearthed three secret accounts held by him in Swiss banks with deposits aggregating $8 billion (Rs 36,000 crore) and documents establishing Khan’s nexus with Khashoggi. They also concluded that Khan’s illegitimate funds were linked to heinous crimes such as terrorism, gun-running and bribes, and suspected that he was probably fronting forsome politicians.

What happened, or to be more precise, did not happen, pursuant to these raids, raises the suspicion that Khan has some political godfathers within the Congress. The documents procured by the ED showed that on the date of the raid, Khan had liquid funds totalling $6 billion in his accounts, which he could move right away. The remaining $2.04 billion had a lock-in period until January 15, 2007 (which was just eight days from the last day of the raid). The documents also established that the Swiss Government had acted suo motu and frozen an account with $300 million held by Khan because it suspected that this money related to “funds from weapons sale”.

As the task force report says, this should have resulted in the registration of an FIR immediately under the Unlawful Activities Prevention (Amendment) Act, 2004, so that India could have legitimately moved for freezing Khan’s accounts soon after the raids on the ground that these monies were terror-related. This was precisely what the VP Singh Government did when it directed the Central Bureau of Investigation to register an FIR in the Bofors bribery case and sent a request for freezing the bank accounts of the recipients of the kickbacks in the field gun deal.

That was under the anti-bribery law. In Khan’s case, the UPA Government ought to have acted under the anti-terrorism law. According to the authors of this report, Khan should have been arrested and taken in for custodial interrogation in regard to money laundering, arms deals and his possible links to unsavoury organisations. However, the Union Government took no action either to freeze the accounts or to prosecute him under the anti-terrorism law.

Surprisingly, the Income Tax Department, which customarily issues lakhs of notices every year to taxpayers with paltry salaried incomes, took no action at all on Khan, who had illegal funds amounting to Rs 36,000 crore. It accused him neither of tax evasion nor of money laundering. Instead, it sent a Letter Rogatory to the Swiss Government, merely complaining that Khan had not filed his tax returns in India. The Swiss Government dismissed the request for assistance and said non-filing of tax returns was no offence at all under Swiss law. This was how the Khan case was deliberately botched. Even more shocking was the Swiss Government’s declaration that the documents attached to the Letter Rogatory were forged.

Further, laughable as it may seem, the ED served a “show cause notice” on Khan a good two years after the raids and “demanded” that he repatriate $8.04 billion with updated interest to India.

Needless to say, Khan had cleaned out these accounts in the meantime and this has since been confirmed by the Finance Minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee. He informed mediapersons recently that there were no funds in these accounts. Khan, like Quattrocchi, must be laughing all the way to the new bank where he has shifted his ill-gotten wealth.

Thus far, despite clear evidence of money-laundering, involvement with international arms dealers, etc, Khan has never been arrested for any of these offences. He was, however, booked in a fake passports case (he has three passports). Thereafter, he obtained bail and did the disappearing act. But, the task force says, the police have a video recording of his interrogation done later, in which he confesses that while he ducked the police, he met a key Congress leader in Ms Sonia Gandhi’s establishment, the Maharastra Chief Minister, the State’s Home Minister, and the Commissioner of Police, Mumbai.

The Congress may cursorily dismiss these findings on the ground that this is a BJP report. But, that will not carry conviction because the main Opposition party has carefully chosen four citizens with impeccable credentials (Mr S Gurumurthy, a chartered accountant and a crusader against corruption, Mr Ajit Doval, former Director of the Intelligence Bureau, Prof R Vaidyanathan, Professor of Finance, IIM, Bangalore, and Mr Mahesh Jethmalani, a noted lawyer) as members of this task force. As the report says, this case is the “smoking gun” and there is so much loaded in this single bullet called Hasan Ali that it has the potential to prematurely terminate the life of UPA2.

Meanwhile, we must ask Mr Manmohan Singh, the ‘Mister Clean’ of yesteryears, as to why he was in cahoots with India’s biggest money-launderer?

What binds Hassan Ali and Congress together? by rajinder puri

What binds Hassan Ali and Congress together?  by rajinder puri

http://www.thestatesman.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=357016&catid=39

27 January 2011
rajinder puri

Finance minister Mr Pranab Mukherjee does not utter lies. He speaks half truths. Regarding black money stashed in foreign banks, he told the media that  secrecy had to be maintained in accordance with the provisions of the Double Taxation Treaty signed by the Indian government with 23 other countries. Mr Mukherjee told media: “Let us understand the issue. No information can be made available unless there is a legal framework.” What he did not say was that much of the money parked in foreign banks was not related to tax evasion but to crime. There can be no adequate legal framework unless the government launches criminal prosecution against the offenders. In fact the government does not want information from foreign governments. Foreign governments offer information that the Indian government refuses to accept. The German list of 26 names of account holders in Lichtenstein is much talked about. The finance ministry has provided that list to the Supreme Court (SC). Can Mr Mukherjee confirm under oath that there are not 18 other names on that list that have been withheld from the SC? Can he FM deny that the German authorities are willing to furnish four other lists of account holders in banks outside Lichtenstein which the Indian government has refrained from accepting? 

The most glaring case of the government’s cover up of criminal money stashed abroad relates of course to Pune-based stud farm owner Hassan Ali Khan. Three years have passed since the discovery of his astronomical cache illegally stashed in foreign banks. In January 2007, raids by the income tax department revealed he had US$ 8 billion deposited in just one account in the UBS AG bank, Zurich. He has several other foreign accounts. He had not filed income-tax returns since 1999. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) started probing him for suspected money laundering. After three years, Mr Mukherjee told the media last Tuesday that investigations were still continuing. Meanwhile Hassan Ali walks a free man. Meanwhile, Mr Mukherjee disclosed that the US$ 8 billion had been diverted from the Zurich bank to an unknown destination. Regarding information about black money Mr Mukherjee told the media: “As and when the income tax Authorities will be in a position to prosecute cases against tax evaders, you will come to know”. Hassan Ali is not a tax evader. His money in foreign banks comes from crime. 

Credible foreign banking sources have disclosed that in collusion with Saudi arms dealer Adnan Kashogi, some of Ali’s money came from gun running. Did Hassan Ali amass billions of US dollars that attract tax to the tune of Rs 70,000 crore in India from selling horses? If nothing else, could not the government have immediately slapped a disproportionate assets case in addition to money laundering and launched a criminal prosecution against him? 

The government did no such thing. Why not? Very simply, and bluntly, because the Congress party is most likely involved with Hassan Ali and has used his kind services to park its funds illegally abroad. That is why Mr Mukherjee must defend Hassan Ali. This is a serious charge but the circumstantial evidence to justify it is overwhelming. Readers might recall that on 3 May, 2010 it was pointed out in these columns that Hassan Ali held a secret meeting with Congress politicians including the political secretary to the Congress president. This was pointed out in the Maharashtra Assembly by the Opposition and subsequently confirmed after investigation by the state police. The question was posed: “During his interaction with Hassan Ali was (Congress political secretary) Ahmed Patel representing himself or his boss, (Congress president) Sonia Gandhi? If he was representing himself why has Sonia Gandhi not sacked him? If he was representing the Congress president how does Sonia Gandhi explain her party’s links with the nation’s biggest money launderer who is being protected by the finance minister?” 

There was no response in word or deed to the question raised. It is fair to infer therefore that Mr Ahmed Patel was not acting singularly but representing his boss, Mrs Sonia Gandhi. What other conclusion can one draw but that the Congress is guilty and the government is doing everything to protect its partner in crime, Hassan Ali? Today the Congress presents a strange picture. It reminds one of a sinking ship in which the captain, the first mate and the second mate all hate each other. However because the ship is sinking, fear binds them all. Let Mr Pranab Mukherjee know. All the half truths, the obfuscation and the bluster will not prevent the Congress ship from sinking. Its day is done. Smart Congress leaders should learn from rats. They should desert the ship before they sink with it.

The writer is a veteran journalist and cartoonist