In India, Journalists=Lobbyists?

Wiretap on lobbyists, journalists reveal links at top?

New Delhi, Nov 19 : Days after the resignation of A. Raja as communications minister over the 2G spectrum scandal, Open magazine has uploaded on its website what it claims are phone chats among leading lobbyists, industrialists, politicians and journalists, giving a sneak peek into what it says are the 'networks of power' reflecting 'how this country is run'.

The transcripts of conversations on the website -- both as transcripts and audio filed -- pertain to the time after 2009 elections when the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) was putting together the ministerial list.

The bulk of the conversations purportedly refer to the intense lobbying -- and even counter-lobbying -- that went into securing ministerial berths for members of the DMK and how each person in the fray was trying to outdo the other.

The introduction to what are called X-Tapes, on the website of the magazine brought by the RPG Group, says: 'The phone lines of the head of Vaishnavi Communication, Niira Radia, were twice placed under surveillance by the Income Tax Department (based on a tip-off by the Central Board of Direct Taxes) for a few months in 2008 and 2009. Niira Radia is a woman of formidable networking and PR skills, so much so that she represents both the Tata and the Mukesh Ambani group. Some of these recorded phone conversations are now available with Open; they were placed before the Supreme Court this week by petitioners Centre for Public Interest Litigation, represented by senior counsel Prashant Bhushan.

'He had moved the Supreme Court with a plea that the 2G spectrum investigation that involves Raja should be monitored by the Court in view of the mounting evidence.'

Quoting the petitioners, it said: 'These conversations were given by the Directorate of Income Tax (Investigations) to the CBI more than a year back. A copy of the taped conversations of Radia with Respondent No. 5 (A. Raja), other politicians, Ratan Tata, other corporates, senior journalists and certain middlemen in a CD are annexed as Annexure P35... Some of the transcripts of the conversations which relate to the lobbying for making Respondent No. 5 as Telecom Minister are annexed as Annexure P36.'

These recordings, which appear to be only a small part of the recordings made available by the IT department to the CBI, were made in the period of surveillance from May 11, 2009 to July 11, 2009, the magazine said.

It went on to say that the magazine was in no position to endorse the contents of the recordings. But as the material was now in the public domain, it was placing them on record. It said the transcripts formed 'just a small part of the information contained in the recordings submitted to the court'.

The magazine did not make any attempt to get the versions of the personalities named in the transcript.

In response to a mail from IANS, Open editor Manu Joseph said: 'I am confident of the authenticity of the tapes. Otherwise we would not have carried the story.

'Also, the transcripts are from a set of recordings that have been presented as evidence in the Supreme Court in a petition filed Nov 15 by the Centre for Public Interest Litigation.'

Time To Plug The Corruption

The Rot in Delhi

Three scandals suggest that India's corruption scourge is growing more serious.

India's corruption, always impressive, is reaching world-class levels.

Last month, Transparency International, the watchdog that ranks countries based on levels of corruption, downgraded India to 87 out of 178 countries, three notches below last year. And on Monday, a World Economic Forum panel in New Delhi fretted that graft is hurting business. So what are politicians doing about it?

A few are falling on their swords as bribe-taking is exposed. Last week, the ruling Congress Party removed Suresh Kalmadi, the man who presided over the kickback-plagued Commonwealth Games, as parliamentary party secretary. The party also replaced its chief minister in the western state of Maharashtra due to a housing scam in south Mumbai.

The biggest upheaval came late Sunday night, when Telecommunications Minister Andimuthu Raja resigned. Earlier this month a government auditor attacked his handling of a 2008 sale of mobile phone licenses—instead of a transparent auction, he offered the licenses to a few companies on a "first-come, first-served" basis.

This single decision cost the exchequer 1.76 trillion rupees ($39 billion). If it is proven that Mr. Raja was on the take, which he denies, the case will set a new record as India's largest case of graft.

Three downfalls in rapid succession might seem to bode well for the anticorruption fight. But it was actually India's free media and vocal opposition that finally forced the ruling party to act. While this shows how India's democracy is the source of its resilience, it also suggests that the government still lacks the institutional capacity to police itself.

Economic growth means that the spoils of corruption are growing commensurately. Corruption is no longer the grease that allows a socialist economy to function, and has become instead a systemic problem that threatens to derail development.

The creation of a truly independent and empowered anticorruption agency might stop the rot, but the Congress Party seems more interested in expanding welfare spending, which has a record of generating even greater corruption. It's a safe bet the record-breaking scandals will continue.

via Wall Street Journal India

Woman's Tale: Escaping Rape

How One Woman Escaped Her Rapist

By Khristina

Let me warn you; this is a spine-chilling tale of a woman escaping rape.

A little excerpt:

I walked into the apartment, placed the glass on the table, and told Marco I needed to head home. He had a small cigar box in his hand and offered me a hand-rolled cigarette from inside, presumably marijuana. “No. No, thank you,” I said. Then he came around the table and stood in front of me. Mumbling something I didn’t understand, he pulled me toward him and kissed my face hard, biting my lips. It hurt, and I tried to push away, but he held the back of my neck with his left hand, pressing my face to his. At the same time, he shoved his right hand down the front of my jeans, undoing my button in the process. I jerked back, but he put both hands on my lower back, pressing me into him. He shoved his hands inside my underwear, scraping me with his fingernails.

I couldn’t believe what was happening. “No! No! No!” I shouted. I stumbled and said again that I needed to go. I grabbed my purse and walked toward the door. “It’s locked. The door is locked,” Marco said. I pulled on the handle and it didn’t budge. Starting to panic, I grabbed a set of his keys off the kitchen table and fumbled through them, but Marco stepped toward me. “Those don’t open the door,” he said, an inch from my face. He had another set of keys that he dangled in front of me then threw toward the bed. “You’re not going anywhere,” he said. He grabbed the scarf off my neck and put it around his own. I reached for it, but he swatted me back. “You’re not going anywhere,” he said again. “I’m not joking.” Trying to appear calm, I told him Lynn would be waiting for me back at the hotel. “This is ridiculous,” I said. “Please open the door.”

The more I tried to reason with him, the angrier he grew. He stood in front of the open patio door and reached for the shutters. It was clear he was going to lock them. A surge of adrenaline flooded my body — it felt like I was going to wet my pants — and I thought, Oh, my God, I am going to be raped tonight. No one can help me. Oh, my God, this is what it feels like.

Read her incredible tale here.

Set to Sizzle

By Anita Aikara

Monikangana makes her debut in Guzaarish.

Monikangana, the dusky model from Assam, speaks about her role in Guzaarish, working with stalwarts and taking a break from modelling.

Launch Vehicle

I play Estella Francis in Guzaarish. I could easily relate to the character as it is very much like what I have been through in my personal life. When Sanjay Leela Bhansali narrated the character to me, I immediately agree to do it and took a sabbatical from modelling. I had to learn to perform magic for the film. During my childhood, when I was in Assam, I watched well-known magician P.C. Sarkar’s show on television. I thought it would be really difficult to perform the magical tricks but now after a little practice I will totally disagree. Performing magical tricks is like a child’s game once you get the hang of it.

Casting Coup

Sanjay had seen me walk the ramp for designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee. He had also seen a couple of my photos in some magazines. When I got a call from his office, I thought there would be an audition for the role. But when I reached the place, I was surprised to know that apart from the casting director and Sanjay, there was no one else. Sanjay asked me to enact a scene, which I successfully did. Soon after that I was chosen for the role.

Stepping-Stone

I have not done anything besides modelling before this. Guzaarish is my debut film, but I have received many plum and promising movie offers in the past. At that time I was not interested as I was very happy with the way my modelling career was shaping up. But when Sanjay called me, I decided to take a risk. I have always planned everything in my life. So for once I decided to go with the flow.

First Shot

It was a solo outdoor shot in Goa. There were no dialogues and all I was required to do was to look into the camera and give different expressions. I was a little nervous. My father used to tell me ‘do what you want but do justice to it’, so I gave it my best shot. But thankfully the scene went off well.

Stumbling-Block

Thanks to the support and encouragement, I received from my director and co-stars Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, I have only good things to cherish. I do not believe in destiny, but think it was my good karma that paid off and I got a chance to work with the trio. Hrithik is a beautiful person and helped me immensely during the shoots. I remember once when I reached the sets, Aishwarya was already there. When she saw me, she waved. I had not expected a superstar like her, to give any kind of importance to me. As for Sanjay, each of his films look like a painting. His vision is amazing and he is a one-man show.

Lessons Learnt

I have realised that fame is short-lived and one needs to work really hard to sustain in the industry. What stays with each one of us at the end of the day, is how you respond to people around you. Aishwarya and Hrithik taught me, by their actions, to treat people on the sets with respect. For me, this film has been like winning an Oscar.

Matinee Idol

I do not idolise any actor. But if given a chance, I would love to work with Shekhar Kapur in the future.

Future Projects

I have taken a break from modelling so that I would dedicate my time to acting. I will continue looking out for good roles in Bollywood, that is my agenda. I admit that I have taken a big risk by getting into acting. I was well-established as an international model, while in Bollywood, I am just a newbie. But, as of now I’m waiting for the right projects to come my way.

Don’t Retweet Or You’ll Spend 1Yr in Labour Camp in China

Chinese woman sentenced one-year in labour camp for retweeting

Beijing, Nov 19 : China has sentenced a woman to a year in a labour camp for "disrupting social order" by retweeting a satirical message urging Chinese protesters to smash the Japan pavilion at the Shanghai Expo, an international rights group said. Cheng Jianping, 46, re-posted a message from the social networking

site Twitter last month hinting that Chinese protesters should smash the Japan pavilion at the Shanghai Expo and adding on the message "Angry youth, charge!" according to Amnesty International, which condemned the sentence in a statement late on Thursday.

Amnesty said Cheng's retweet was meant as satire, mocking anti-Japanese protesters who had grown in number since tensions between the countries increased after a dispute erupted in September over islands claimed by both Japan and China.

"Sentencing someone to a year in a labor camp, without trial, for simply repeating another person's clearly satirical observation on Twitter demonstrates the level of China's repression of online expression," Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific Director Sam Zarifi said in a statement.

Government officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

source: AP

Manipur Women Vendors Dance With Joy

Women vendors take out a religious procession in Imphal on Thursday. Picture by Bullu Rajkumar

Imphal, Nov 19 : Women vendors danced with joy here today as the process of shifting them from temporary shades to the three new women’s markets was set in motion.

The scene was in stark contrast to the one seven years ago when they had put up a strong protest againt the Okram Ibobi Singh government’s plan to dismantle the old markets.

The women’s markets, which were constructed anew, were inaugurated by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on November 12 with fanfare.

The vendors are yet to shift to the new markets but they started the process by shifting the keithel lairemba (god of the market) and keithel lairembi (goddess of the market) in all the three market complexes with rituals. As a practice, the vendors seek the blessings of the god and the goddess before starting their day’s trading.

Chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh, works minister K. Ranjit Singh and irrigation and flood control minister N. Biren Singh attended the function. Handing over the market places to the vendors, Ibobi Singh said they could shift anytime on an auspicious day. He said the complexes would have all the basic amenities like uninterrupted water and power supply, canteen facilities and medical services, and appealed to the vendors to keep the places neat and clean.

When the government had planned to demolish the markets, the vendors had put up a strong protest, arguing that the move would destroy a place of historical importance. They kept round-the-clock vigil from July 13, 2003, to prevent the government from pulling down the markets. The government finally prevailed upon them and the three old buildings were pulled down on November 24, 2004.

Today, some of the vendors danced in joy as the rituals progressed. As a mark of celebration, two Shumang Leela performances were staged at the markets this evening.

“We are very happy today. We are grateful to the state government and the Centre for constructing the market places. Earlier, we were apprehensive that the new complexes would not maintain the status of the women’s market but we are happy that the government has done so,” Radheshana Devi, a leader of the vendors, said.

The three women’s markets have women vendors only. Altogether 4,000 vendors can trade at the three complexes. However, only licensed vendors will be allowed to shift there.

Assam Cultural Centre in Delhi

Guwahati, Nov 19 : Assam is yet to set up a cultural centre in New Delhi when states like Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal have all made a move in this direction to promote their cultures and traditions.

To fill this void, Asamiya Krishti Kendra, a socio-cultural organisation based at Dwarka sub-city of New Delhi, has taken the initiative to construct a permanent cultural centre in the national capital to promote and propagate Assamese culture, including Vaishnavite culture and the philosophy of Srimanta Sankardeva.

Surjya Hazarika, a member of the kendra, said, “There are almost 500 hundred Assamese families residing in Dwarka sub-city and its surrounding areas. Time and again we blame the rest of the country for being ignorant about Assamese society. However, even if anybody wants to, where is the scope to know about our society?”

The kendra has bought 850 square metres of land at Shyam Vihar adjacent to Dwarka. The project will cost Rs 3 crore approximately.

“Till now, the society has been able to pay Rs 10 lakh for the land. The rest — Rs 75 lakh — is yet to be collected. When we approached NGOs, they suggested that we first buy the plot and then they would provide funds for the building,” Hazarika said.

He said if the payments were not made within the stipulated date, the deal would be scrapped. “Hence, we appeal to the people of Assam to help us collect the money and reserve the plot as a permanent cultural centre,” he said.

The cultural centre will have an auditorium, a conference room, a library, a museum, an exhibition room for practising Vaishnavite culture, an office room and accommodation for caretakers. It will also impart training in art, dance and drama.

Mizo Women March Against Rape in Aizawl

Aizawl, Nov 19 : A wave of protests ripped through the quiet Christian state of Mizoram after two incidents of rape of minor girls in the state in the past two months.

Mizo Hmeichhe Insuihkhawm Pawl, an influential Mizo women organisation in the state, observed a black week, that began last Friday to register their anger and dismay against the recurring incidents of rape, molestation and harassment of women, particularly of minors. The members of the organisation marched through the main streets of Aizawl.

According to Mizoram police, there were around 357 rape cases filed in Mizoram since 2006 till November 17 this year, thus underlining the gravity of the crime.

The latest complaint of rape was filed on November 11 when Myanmarese-Mizo migrant, Henrty Venneichung, raped and killed a five-year-old girl in a jungle near Muallungthu.

This incident sparked a furore in the state and the village councils under the constituency served a notice on Monday asking all the Myanmarese nationals living there to quit the area.

Protesting the incidents of rape in the state, the Mizo Hmeichhe Insuihkhawm Pawl, an NGO, organised a rally in Lunglei today. The president of the organisation, Lalthlamuani, termed the act the “most heinous crime committed by the sexual perverts”.

The superintendent of police, Aizawl, Lalbiakthanga Khiangte, said the police investigation revealed that in most of the rape cases the victims were between the age of 10 and 15, and those involved in the crime were over 40.