Court summoned Sonia-Rahul in Criminal Case

NEW DELHI : A city court on Thursday summoned Congress president Sonia Gandhi, vice-president Rahul Gandhi and four associates accused in a criminal case, almost one-and-a-half years after BJP leader Subramanian Swamy filed a complaint alleging cheating and misappropriation of funds in the takeover of the now defunct National Herald newspaper by a company owned by them.

Besides the Gandhis, metropolitan magistrate Gomati Manocha issued summons to Congress treasurer Moti Lal Vohra, general secretary Oscar Fernandes, veteran journalist Suman Dubey and technocrat Sam Pitroda, and a representative of Young Indian Ltd.

The Congress leaders and associates are all directors of Young Indian Ltd (YI), a company incorporated in 2010, which took over the "debt" of Associated Journals Ltd (AJL), the publisher of National Herald.

Swamy has alleged that the accused conspired to cheat and misappropriate funds from the Congress party and appropriate at least Rs 2,000 crore worth of properties of National Herald in cities such as Delhi, Mumbai and Lucknow.

By paying just Rs 50 lakh, YI obtained the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore which AJL had owed to the Congress party, which later wrote off the entire loan. In effect, YI became the owner of all the Herald properties by spending just Rs 50 lakh, Swamy has alleged. Sonia and Rahul hold 76 per cent of the shares of YI, and the rest are with the other accused.

Since the time Swamy moved the court, it held around 15 hearings, with seven adjournments. Among the witnesses in the case are complainant Swamy, Chartered Accountant R Venkatesh, Gulab Chand from the office of registrar of companies and journalist J Gopikrishnan.

In his petition, Swmay has alleged that AJL was closed down in 2008 due to financial crisis, and printing of National Herald and sister publications Navjivan (Hindi) and Qaumi Awaz (Urdu) was suspended.

"Complainant has established a prima facie case against the accused under section 403 (dishonest misappropriation of property), 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating) read with section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC. Hence, let the accused Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Moti Lal Vohra, Oscar Fernandes, Suman Dubey and Sam Pitroda be summoned for August 7, 2014. Let the Young Indian be summoned through its authorised representative for the same date," said Manocha.

However, the court clarified, "This is only the stage of summoning of the accused. When the accused appear before the court, they shall be at liberty to refute the allegations of (Swamy) and cross examine the witnesses."

Congress said it would respond vigorously to the allegations. Party spokesman and senior lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, "Dr Swamy is known for his personal, motivated campaign against the Congress and you can take it that as and when we receive the papers and take the full legal advice a very vigorous response will be filed in respect of this completely false and motivated complaint."

Another party leader Manish Tewari questioned the court's decision to issue summons. "With due respect to the magistrate, the order is wrong," he said, adding that the party would prove that all the actions related to the Associated Journals were above board.

Dr Swamy told TOI that his was a watertight case. He said the case has been going on for some time now, and all the documents have been cross-checked. "These are not ordinary people," he said. "I am confident that there are enough documents to convict her (Sonia Gandhi) and others in the final trial," he said.

Singhvi pointed out that the issuance of summons "over a stale complaint made a year ago is not something to be excited about. Let's seek comprehensive legal advice and you will see how all allegations are legally demolished."

From Dr Swamy's "complaint and the evidence led so far, it appears that YI was in fact created as a sham or a cloak to convert public money to personal use or as a special purpose vehicle for acquiring control over Rs 2000 crores worth of assets of The Associated Journals Ltd.(AJL)," the court said. "Since all the accused persons have allegedly acted in consortium with each other to achieve the said nefarious design, there are sufficient grounds for proceeding against all of them."

The court said the funds entrusted to the accused by the Congress party "were to be utilised to advance the purposes for which the Congress party was formed". And "these funds could not have been advanced in the form of an interest-free loan to AJL, as no provisions exists in the Representation of the People Act or the constitution of the party permitting grant of any such loan to a company engaged in commercial activities," the court said.

"The accused, prima facie appears to have committed criminal breach of trust on the existing shareholders of AJL as well as against the company," it added. The court also said the accused appeared to have cheated the state exchequer by claiming tax exemption on donations meant for the party, but diverted to commercial activities.

After the court hearing, Swamy demanded that the court should impound the passports of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi so that "they do not run away from the country".

BJP spokesperson Siddharth Nath Singh said, "Since the judicial magistrate has said that prima facie evidence is there against all accused which includes Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, it is a serious matter, because apparently it looks like there is a conspiracy to get assets of the National Herald estimated to be worth Rs 1600 crore. It is a case where a public firm has been morphed into a private firm."

In 2010 when the new ownership structure was brought out ,there was widespread speculation that the Congress party was set to relaunch the newspaper. It refurbished its landmark building on Bahadurshah Zafar Marg, where several newspapers including the Times of India, are situated. However, the newspaper never relaunched, but now has become the reason for both Sonia and Rahul to be summoned in a criminal case.

Senior RSS Pracharak in Vishwa Vibhag Ramprakash Dhir expired today at Yangon, Myanmar

 Yangon Burma June 21: Senior RSS Pracharak Ram Prakash Dhir, 88years, who had the responsibility of Vishwa Vibhag of RSS, expired last night at Yangon of Myanmar.
Senior pracharak in Vishwa Vibhag Ma Shri Ramprakash ji Dhir passed away today morning ( June 20 0120 IST ) at Yangon
Of late, Shri Ram Prakash Dhir ji was staying at Mangal Ashram, a student hostel at Syrium near Yangon. He kept himself busy with writing about the history of sangh work in Myanmar, Buddha Pradarshani etc. On 19th June, he was admitted to Yangon General Hospital on the complaints of cough and sleeplessness.  He breathed his last at 0220 AM (Myanmar time) on June 20, 2014 due to heart and lung infection. His antim sanskar will be held on 21st June at 1400 (MST) at Hindu Cemetery, Yeway, Yangon.
About Ram Prakash Dhir:
Ram Prakash Dhir ji (Sayaji U Sein Tin) was born in Monywa (Upper Burma) on 16th November 1926.  His father Shri Nand lal was a reputed businessman and govt contractor. After studying upto 9th std at Wesley Missionary school at Monywa, he shifted to Bharat along with his parents in 1942. In August 1942, he finished his matriculation from Burma and in 1943 also did the matriculation from Punjab University. He completed his graduation in Arts with Burmese as an optional subject from Punjab University in 1947.
During the college days in Jalandhar during 1942, he came in contact with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).  Gradually he imbibed the philosophy of sangh , became an active worker and a pracharak in 1947-48.
He visited Burma briefly in 1948 and then again returned in 1956 at the behest of Dr. Mangal Sen ji for the work of Sanatan Dharm Swayamsevak Sangh (SDSS, then Bharatiya Swayamsevak Sangh ) which he continued to do till his last breath.
Ma Dhir ji is considered to be the doyen of sangh work in Myanmar as he was instrumental in inspiring countless youngsters to join and work for sangh, spreading shakha network  and other activities viz establishing hostels like Seva Ashram at Kyauktaga, Preparing and disseminating religious and language education via Hindu Dharm Shiksha Samiti etc. Almost all the karyakartas and pracharaks of SDSS today have been inspired and initiated in Sangh by Dhir ji.  He was also looking after Thailand as a pracharak for a brief period.
His pioneering efforts in organizing Buddha exhibition which traced the origin and spread of Bhagwan Buddha and Buddhism were widely appreciated by Bhikkhus, Buddhist scholars and general public alike and made a lasting impact in the Buddhist world.  The exhibition made up of sand models and lights was displayed first at Kaba Aye Pagoda hill Yangon in 1956. It was then displayed throughout Myanamr and also in countries like Thailand besides Bharat.
Of late, Shri Dhir ji was staying at Mangal Ashram, a student hostel at Syrium near Yangon. He kept himself busy with writing about the history of sangh work in Myanmar, Buddha Pradarshani etc. On 19th June, he was admitted to Yangon General Hospital on the complaints of cough and sleeplessness.  He breathed his last at 0220 AM (Myanmar time) on June 20, 2014 due to heart and lung infection. His antim sanskar will be held on 21st June at 1400 (MST) at Hindu Cemetery, Yeway, Yangon.

Unknown things about Ajit Doval-New NSA of India

(Moneylife)

Col Karan Kharb
Ajit Doval, the National Security Advisor of India, is not a run-of-the-mill officer.  He comes packed with abilities to conceptualise strategies and plans that shall realise Prime Minister Modi’s dreams and national goals

Ajit Doval-Top spy and New NSA

Just as Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumes office after a blitzkrieg electoral offensive that saw Congress and its allies vanquished as never before, the dishonest and inefficient bureaucrats in the South and North Blocks are scurrying for cover. At the same time, there are officers of unimpeachable integrity and enormous potential who were thus far ignored by a scam-ridden, dysfunctional regime headed by a gentleman who would perhaps be remembered as the most unheard and unseen Prime Minister of India. Whereas there would be many brains of excellence in the Modi Team, India’s new National Security Advisor (NSA), Ajit Doval distinguishes himself from the rest in many ways. His appointment as India’s NSA sends a clear signal – nationally and internationally. It is a pointer to the Modi government’s resolve to free India from the internal and external anxieties so as to create an environment of peace and progress on which the idea of ‘good governance and development for all’ shall flourish.

Ajit Doval is a man of exceptionally high IQ and uncanny abilities. He is doer, a fighter and achiever who has ventured and accomplished missions where few would dare. And it is not just ‘one of’ type of successes in his case.  The chain of his incredible success stories runs through some of the most dangerous and unlikely situations. Here is one incident that explains how he stunned us by giving a simple solution to a complex problem fraught with far reaching ramifications. The National Security Guard (NSG)—widely known as ‘Black Cat Commandos’ was flown in at night to flush out the terrorists from the Golden Temple Complex at Amritsar in May 1988. There were conflicting reports about the number and identities of terrorists inside the Golden Temple complex. There was no clarity as to what weapons they had and how many innocent civilians were inside the premises. Our initial brief from the local police and state administration left crucial questions unanswered. This irked us. Nevertheless, operational plans were drawn up and by late night, we were readying to storm the complex. Just as the assault was about to go, it was suddenly cancelled.  “Tiger for Two, Billa cancelled. Stand down and get back to your cordon positions,” Tiger (the Group Commander) ordered the assault squadron commander. (Billa was the code word to signal ‘launch’ of phase I of the operation). The operation was called off even before it took off because the Force Commander had received a rider from the Home Ministry – “No civilian casualties and damage to buildings will be accepted!”

Back to my position atop Temple View Hotel overlooking the Parikrama, we went into a huddle. All of us were eager to finish the operation as soon as possible and did not relish these restrictions being now imposed upon us from Delhi. Officers were now required to tell their Hit commandos – equipped with high precision shooting lethal weapons and trained to kill – to shoot but not kill! When Ajit Doval arrived there, not everyone knew him. Only a select few of us knew about this super cop’s incredible role in this operation. He gave us a first-hand account of all that was going on inside the Golden Temple Complex – the terrorists, sevadars, civilians, women and children; their falling morale, waning resistance, duels over options to surrender or fight and die and so on. These were valuable inputs. He had been inside the Golden Temple Complex rubbing shoulders with the most dreaded terrorists like Surjit Singh Penta, Karaj Singh Thande, Bhag singh, Chanchal Singh (all self-styled ‘Lt Generals’ of Khalistan Commando Force or KCF) and Gurjit Singh, the All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) leader. In utter disregard to personal safety, he moved around all over the complex even as bullets were raining from all directions. Much later, we learnt that he had disguised himself as an agent of ISI sent for their aid.

After explaining the situation, the task and the restrictions imposed from top, we sought his views. He heard our predicament attentively. “Now, tell us”, the Force Commander asked him, “How the hell can such an operation be accomplished without collateral damage?”

After listening to our problem silently, Ajit Doval smiled and looked around. His affable countenance, cool glance and naughty smile indicated he had something funny to say – and he did. He offered a solution that appeared too simple to be operationally effective. What would stun everyone later, however, was not the spectacle of battle but the simple, subtle tactics that culminated into a success that was lauded all over the world. Not only did we compel all the terrorists to surrender but also ensured zero collateral damage. There was no casualty or injury to any commando either. Doval became the first IPS officer to be honoured with ‘Kirti Chakra’ (a peacetime equivalent of the second highest military award ‘Mahavir Chakra).

Op Black Thunder is but one of a long trail of incredible feats accomplished by Ajit Doval.  Idiosyncratically propelled from within, he has frequently endangered himself going beyond the call of duty and jumping into the jaws of Death. So often, he has infiltrated into the core of militant organisations and delivered crippling blows to disintegrate them. His role in disintegrating the Mizo National Front (MNF) Army humbled the ferocious Lal Denga, who himself attributed his defeat to Ajit Doval’s shrewd moves. His idea of befriending and converting terrorists in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) into counter-terrorists was another unorthodox masterstroke that was initially criticised but proved to be a very effective measure in suppressing the rising tide of militancy there. Kuka Parray and his pro-India outfit Ikhwan-ul-Muslemoon were borne of this out of the box strategy launched by Ajit Doval in the terror torn state. Often described as a super spy, he does not reveal all he has been through including the years he spent in Pakistan. The humility and the ethical code he has followed all through will perhaps never allow us to peep deeper into all corners of his secret world. (NOTE: Specific details of Doval's subtle advice and operational plans are part of official secrets, which cannot be revealed even today.)
 
Thanks to his diplomatic proficiency and deft crisis handling abilities, India has often retrieved many a critical situation from the verge of catastrophe. He was the Chief Negotiator to rescue the hostages aboard Indian Airlines flight IC 814 that was hijacked to Kandahar in December 1999.  His deft negotiating skills resulted in safe return of the aircraft and the hostages from the clutches of hijackers enjoying connivance of Taliban.
   
In his retired years, Ajit Doval has led a very fulfilling engagement as founder Director of Vivekananda International Foundation, New Delhi where you would find him always surrounded by a galaxy of research scholars, writers, retired bureaucrats, defence officers, diplomats – foreign and Indians alike. Workshops, seminars, panel discussions, book launches and presentations are the routine activities at this Think Tank.  A voracious reader, thinker and analyst himself, Doval is a storehouse of knowledge. His personal library at home would be envied even by academic institutions. To hear him speak on subjects as diverse as national security, international relations, socio-religious matters, trade and commerce, economy, energy, development and so on is always an enriching immersion from where participants emerge adding a new dimension to their knowledge.
 
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a man with vision and dreams for a prosperous, powerful Bharat.  He is no run-of-the-mill politician. He has the capacity to visualise a distant lofty future and the will to achieve it. Ajit Doval, the National Security Advisor of India, is likewise no run-of-the-mill officer.  He comes packed with abilities to conceptualise strategies and plans that shall realise the Prime Minister’s dreams and national goals. Undoubtedly, India is in safe hands on its way to a glorious future.

(Author and social activist Col Karan Kharb is a military veteran,who commanded an Infantry battalion with many successes in counter-terrorist operations.He was also actively involved in numerous high-risk operations as second in command of the elite 51 Special Action Group of the National Security Guard—widely known as ‘Black Cat Commandos’.)

Assam BJP gives 15 days ultimatum to illegal migrants quit the state

(Deccan Chonicle)

Sarbanand Sonowal Assam BJP Chief

Guwahati: The newly elected Assam BJP MPs have issued an ultimatum to


illegal immigrants to start leaving Assam voluntarily.

Announcing to start the campaign to drive out illegal Bangladeshi migrants from his Jorhat constituency, BJP MP Kamakhya Prasad Tasa said, “The campaign will be initiated by the youth wing of the party within next 15 days. In the first phase of the campaign, we will appeal to illegal immigrants to leave our land voluntarily in next 15 days. We will also launch a house-to-house campaign urging people not to engage the immigrants in any kind of work.” Mr Tasa, added, “The decision was taken at the meeting of the office bearers which was chaired by union minister of state, Sarbananda Sonowal.”

Mr Sonowal, who is also the chief of Assam BJP, said, “I had a meeting with Kiren Rijiju, the MoS for home affairs regarding flushing out of illegal immigrants from Assam.”

Informing that the Centre will establish more foreigners’ tribunals to deport immigrants, Mr Sonowal said, “The party selected Kaziranga deliberately for its officer bearers meet to send a strong message to illegal

Kiren Rijiju-MoS Home

migrants who are encroaching the park for quite some time.”

AASU reminds Modi on promises made in Assam

(Assam Tribune)

 GUWAHATI, June 1 – The people of Assam voted for a change of Government in Delhi and it is time for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to translate his poll promises into reality within a specific time-frame, demanded the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU).
Talking to The Assam Tribune, AASU adviser Samujjal Bhattacharya demanded that the Assam Accord should be implemented within a specific time-frame and the Prime Minister’s Office and the Home Ministry should directly monitor the process of updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC). He said that a special constitutional status should be given to Assam with right over land and natural resources. Constitutional protection to the indigenous people of Assam and reservation of seats in the Assembly, Parliament and local bodies under provisions of Clause 6 of the Assam Accord should be given immediately.

Bhattacharya demanded that the international border with Bangladesh should be sealed on a war-footing to prevent further infiltration of Bangladeshis and a second line of defence with indigenous youths should be created immediately. At all the election rallies, Narendra Modi promised to take immediate steps to detect and deport Bangladeshi nationals and after assuming office of the Prime Minister, he should give priority to the issue. All the foreigners who came to Assam on or after March 25, 1971 should be expelled along with members of the fundamentalist forces who managed to establish roots in the State, he added.

The AASU demanded that the Government should declare floods and erosion as national problems and effective steps should be taken to deal with those, which crippled the rural economy of the State. There should be a time-bound action plan for dealing with the problems and immediate steps must be taken to protect Majuli river island, the student body demanded.

Modi victory: Congress 'communalism' derailed UPA

By Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

"What appears is not and what does not, is." This ancient saying aptly describes the Indian political scenario.

The Congress-led UPA claims to be secular; peel a few layers and you will find it is steeped in communalism. The BJP-led NDA, accused of communalism, does all that it can to get rid of this label and walk that extra mile. No doubt scams, price rise, all pervading corruption, negative industrial growth and unemployment played a major role; but above all it was the communal attitude of the Congress party chief and her overt tilt towards the Muslim minority that derailed the UPA.

Perhaps, the Congress did not expect the Hindu majority to join together since they have always been divided on linguistic and caste lines. Soon after assuming the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), Manmohan Singh openly declared that minorities had the first right on India's resources, driving a dagger through the hearts of Hindus who had stood by him. Not once during his tenure did he even acknowledge the magnanimity of the majority community. While many complained that they were not treated with dignity, sops were doled out for minorities to the tune of thousands of crores.

Principals were asked to identify minority students and open bank accounts through which scholarships were given. In some states ruled by UPA allies, a child gets Rs.30,000 just for being from the minority community. This created a wedge in the classroom psyche and caused heartburn to other poor students from the majority.

However, no such facilities were extended to the Hindu minority in Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast. Poverty and illiteracy have no religion. Giving benefits based on religion is unconstitutional and such practices by political parties angered people.

Many decisions by the UPA proved destructive for institutions that are the foundations for the country's democracy. Pranab Mukherjee, the rightful choice for the post of prime minister, was overlooked. Sonia Gandhi chose P.J. Thomas as Chief Vigilance Commissioner in spite of his bad record. The ruling alliance showed little respect towards the Supreme Court. The government machinery through agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate was made a tool for vindictive politics. The first family was quick to take credit at every possible opportunity but ended up denigrating the PMO. There are a lot of honest and well-intentioned people in the Congress but they felt suffocated, sad and disheartened as everything was controlled by a small coterie.

The proposed Communal Violence Bill presumed that the majority community was always the culprit and its members could be arrested with a non-bailable warrant. The UPA came up with several such discriminatory laws. The government also directed public sector banks to be liberal while sanctioning and writing off loans to religious minorities.

The excesses in corruption under the UPA kept becoming more and more embarrassing to explain and difficult to hide. Never before have so many files gone missing from important offices. It seems fire had a great affinity for the files of the Congress government - the last fire accident happened in its last days while leaving office.

The UPA also showed utter disregard for Indian ethos. India, where the cow has been considered sacred since time immemorial, silently became the number one exporter of beef. This notorious development came as a big jolt. Subsidies were liberally given to beef exporters while farmers were committing suicide.

The nation witnessed such discrimination under the garb of secularism. People were fed up with leaders who read out scripted speeches containing the same old rhetoric without delivering on any promises. Rahul Gandhi barely attended parliament and was never available during any national crisis. In sharp contrast, the conviction and confidence with which Narendra Modi spoke about development was just the change people were looking for. He proudly proclaimed his faith and expressed his commitment to the entire nation. While the Congress tried its best to portray him as the perpetrator of the 2002 Gujarat riots, it became clear 10 years later that the local Congress head was involved in triggering this violent episode.

Pictures of Mahatma Gandhi feature prominently on Congress hoardings all over the country, but two of his most important ideas - prohibition and banning cow slaughter - have been implemented only in Gujarat under Modi's leadership. With a solid record in good governance, what further endeared him to the masses was that he spoke from the heart and thus became the natural choice for the people. Coming from a very poor background where his mother was a domestic help, his rise to the highest office of the world's largest democracy has instilled hope in the country's poor.

It is not that the Congress has not done any good at all - it took some very progressive initiatives but the volume of wrongdoings washed them all away. It is time for the grand old party to rethink its strategy, get rid of sycophancy and be true to democracy.

(31.05.2014 - A leading Indian spiritual guru, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar heads the Art of Living Foundation. The views expressed are personal. His Twitter account is @srisri.)