Wednesday, December 24, 2025

Will Swami Chinmayanand’s victim be given justice after 14 years?

By
Mudit Mathur
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Her quest for justice continued against a saffron-clad, high-profile powerful politician and present BJP member of Uttar Pradesh, despite all the obstacles that influenced her way to justice.

The issuance of bailable warrant against Swami Chinmayanand by the chief judicial magistrate of Shahjhanpur, Shikha Pradhan, in an alleged rape and kidnapping case has sent ripples in the corridors of power. The entire government machinery was trying to shield him from being a close associate of RSS family who was three times BJP MP and minister of state for internal security during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in 1999.

Swami Chinmayanand was successful in evading his arrest even after a Sadhvi of his Ashram registered an FIR under charges of rape and kidnapping against him. His arrest was stayed by the High Court and he roamed freely during the slow pace of the investigations. Despite his indictment in the charge sheet filed before the trial court, the trial did not proceed in view of the orders of the High Court dated 14.12.2012 that stayed further proceedings in the case. After Yogi Adityanath assumed office of the Chief Minister, an over-confident Swami Chinmayanad withdrew this case from the High Court on 16 February 2018, believing that the BJP-led state government will withdraw the criminal case against him.

True to his expectations, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath kept his promise and issued instructions to law and justice department to withdraw prosecution in the case against Chinmayanad soon after visiting Mumukshu Ashram situated at Shajhanpur on 25 February. The CM had attended the concluding ceremony of ‘Mumuksh Yuva Mahotsav’ on the invitation of Swami Chinmayanand and shared food with him and his close associates. Swami Chinmayanand is also the founder of Mumuksh Ashram Degree College. Also, Chinmayanand and Yogi Adityanath are the disciples of the same guru (master).

The BJP government withdrew the rape and kidnapping case against Swami Chinmayanand on 6 March 2018. In compliance with the government’s decision, a public prosecutor moved an application under section 321 of CrPC (withdrawal from prosecution) before the court on 12 March 2018. Aggrieved by the decision of the government, the rape victim approached various authorities including the Chief Justice of India, Allahabad High Court and Governor Ram Naik opposing the withdrawal of the pending case of rape and kidnapping against Chinmayanand. Governor Ram Naik took cognizance of her complaint and wrote a letter to the chief minister to review the government’s decision but to no avail. The victim filed objections before the court too.

Considering facts and circumstances including material produced before it after investigations, the court rejected the government’s application for withdrawing the case against him-pending trial since 2011 and found sufficient material to initiate a trial. The court then issued a bailable warrant against Swami Chinmayanand on May 25, 2018, and also, directed him to be present before the court on the next date of the hearing,  July 12, to face further trial proceeding.

Mukesh Gupta, counsel for the rape survivor told Tehelka, “the court has accepted our application in which we have mentioned that the state government cannot withdraw this case as the complainant is not willing to withdraw it. The court has rejected the state government’s application. The crime had affected the life of the complainant and the state government doesn’t have the right to withdraw it.”

The worst was when the victim alleged getting pregnant because of Swami Chinmayanand who forced her to undergo an abortion.

The victim, in a telephonic conversation through her husband told Tehelka, “My mother is a staunch religious, so we used to listen to Bhagwat Katha for days at the Haridwar ashram. Subsequently, the ashram started calling us and the Sadhus became part of our family functions. Finally, they approached me and indoctrinated me to become a Sadhvi.”

Narrating her ordeal further she said, “When finally I conveyed my decision to become a Sadhvi to my family, they were shocked.”… “In 2004, when I went to Haridwar, I was asked to shift one of their Shahjahanpur college and ashram for further studies. The main reason for shifting me to Shahjahanpur was that the disciples from other places used to visit the crowded Haridwar ashram. The Shahjahanpur ashram has only employees and a group of criminals…There I was threatened, held captive and made to totally cut-off with my family.” 

“The situation gradually started changing after 2009. Several people would ask me why I was still at the ashram even after completion of my studies? Therefore, they appointed me as the secretary of the college. I then started sharing my painful nightmares with the people who used to come to the ashram. I then planned to escape from the hell with the help of people whom I trusted. They assembled on that day to ensure safe passage for me. Seeing so many people around, the employees could not stop me. And, that is when I met my future husband to whom I narrated my story,” she told Tehelka while recalling the memories.

After she escaped, the ‘victim’ faced the accusation of stealing cash and ornaments from the ashram. “They tried to prove that my husband was a blackmailer, and I had political aspirations and thirst for name and fame,” she explained.

The rape victim who spent considerable time in the captivity of the ashram alleged that at least, 20 victims like her are made to stay in different ashrams.

“There were many women who stayed there and were forced to marry employees after five years. They were mum because their husbands were weak and dependent on the ashrams. A 15-year-old Nepali girl told me that Chinmayananda had touched her. I contacted her mother and she took her away,” said the victim.

The government never reached to her for her version before deciding to withdraw the case. “Yogi Adityanath had lunch with Chinmayananda at his house in Shahjahanpur and there was a photo session too. It clearly shows their good relations. There is a difference between withdrawing a rape case and one related to the demonstration,” she quipped, referring to the UP government’s December 2017 decision to withdraw 20,000 cases of breach of peace and violation of prohibitory orders against politicians across party lines.

It is important to note that on 22 December 2018, UP assembly passed UP Criminal Law (Composition of offences and Abatement of Trials) Amendment Bill, 2017, that also facilitated withdrawal of pending criminal cases against the chief minister himself from various courts of justice.

Apprehending threat to her life from the former minister, she said, “I feel serious threat to my life from Chinmayanand and his aides. They can attack me or my child anytime. I want this case to be transferred out of the state at the earliest.” Despite several attempts, the former union state minister could not make himself available for comments in his defence. Even his disciples are tight-lipped to refute the victim’s charges.

Political observers have drawn a parallel between Asaram Bapu case of Gujarat and Swami Chinmayanand case.

“Despite a favourable government of Narendra Modi, the government never thought of withdrawing such serious criminal charges against Asaram but, the UP CM crossed all limits of fairness and justice to the rape victim,” said social scientist Prof. Harshvarhan expressing his concern.

Samajwadi Party leader Mohd. Azam Khan taking a jibe at the ruling BJP government questioned, “Why only Chinmayanand? The government should withdraw rape cases lodged against Asaram and Gurmeet Ram Rahim. People should stop taking cognizance of rape cases.’’

The UP plans to withdraw rape and kidnapping cases against Swami Chinmayanand. Opposition parties are questioning the intent of the government. “The much-publicised Beti Padao-Beti Bachao (Educate Daughter-Save Daughter) is merely a hollow slogan of BJP to play with people’s sentiments and it has no faith in rule of law,” said UP Congress spokesman Amar Nath Agrawal.

letters@tehelka.com

Now principles seems to have no place in politics

By
Vipin Pubby
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A long time ago, the leaders of the Congress party would swear by principles and lead an exemplary public life. That was the time when leaders like Lal Bahadur Shastri would resign as Union Railway Minister owning moral responsibility for a train accident. Over the decades, the party lowered the standards and went about misusing power, including dismissal of legitimate state governments, declaring emergency and compromising on reforms to remain in power. After its hegemony began to wane, it forged opportunist alliances and rode roughshod over the conventions and principled politics.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and its earlier avatars, also did not compromise on principles for long. Former deputy prime minister Lal Krishna Advani tendered his resignation after allegations were levelled against him. Former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, likewise, resigned rather than engage in any horse trading when he could not muster enough support to run the government.

The proliferation of smaller and regional parties has further eroded the high moral standards as these parties changed sides virtually at the flip of a coin. The culture of Aya Ram and Gaya Ram further vitiated the political scenario and now few eyebrows are raised if various political parties indulge in manoeuvring and setting up alliances which appeared impossible at one stage.

The political uncertainty caused by the unclear mandate emerging from the recent Karnataka Assembly elections reflects the changing times. We now have the strange, and perhaps unparalleled, spectacle of a party leading the government even though it emerged as the third largest party. The Janata Dal (S), led by HD Kumaraswamy, has earlier vowed not to take support from either the Congress and the BJP. He had declared in TV interviews that he and his party would rather sit in the opposition than to have any alliance with the two national parties.

All his protests went for a toss when the Congress offered its unconditional support just to keep the BJP at bay. He suddenly found so many virtues in the Congress and personally went to the UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and the Congress president Rahul Gandhi to invite them to his swearing in ceremony. The line-up of diverse political leaders and sworn rivals like Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party leader Mayawati, or those from across the political spectrum like West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, stood united with just one ambition — to prevent the BJP led by prime minister Narendra Modi from retaining power in the next year’s general elections. A perfect example of enemy’s enemy is a friend.

The Modi-Amit Shah combine deserves all credit for its winning streak and registering victories, barring the exception in Punjab, and establishing BJP led governments in over 20 of the 29 states. However, in the process, it too compromised on principles and raked up controversial and unnecessary issues. In Karnataka, for instance, it projected BS Yeddyurappa as its chief ministerial candidate even though he was asked to quit following corruption charges in the previous BJP government that he led. The party also did not have any qualms about taking support of the infamous Reddy brothers who are known to head the ‘mining mafia’ in the state.

After failing to get the majority by merely a handful of seats, the party adopted unholy means to grab power. In this regard the role of the NDA appointed governor rightly came under criticism. He not only acted in haste in inviting Yediyurappa but gave him a fortnight to prove majority. It was evidently meant to provide an opportunity to him to indulge in horse trading as there was no way he could have proved his majority. Credit must also go to the Supreme Court which asked Yeddyurappa to prove majority within 24 hours. With the Congress wiser from its experiences in Goa, Manipur and Meghalaya, its leaders acted with alacrity to prevent any poaching of their MLAs by the BJP.

Thus sworn rivals, the Congress and the JDS, joined hands to form the government with the larger party offering unconditional support to the smaller party to keep the BJP at bay. In the process all political parties, including the BJP and the Congress, have lost credibility.

The broader political picture that has emerged from Karnataka elections is that while the BJP continues to dominate, it is losing its sheen. After a virtual bull run across the country, except the South, it got stuck at the gateway of southern India. The party shall have to rethink its strategy and possibly lean over some of the regional parties to get their support.

The photo op at the swearing in ceremony of Kumaraswamy, with top leaders from an array of parties (including sworn political adversaries), reflected a renewal of spirit to take on the Modi-Shah juggernaut. It was after long time that one could see smiles on the faces of opposition leaders. The get-together at the event certainly signalled that most of these parties were ready to join hands to contest the next general elections.

For the Modi government, which just completed four years and entered the last year of its rule, this is not good news. Even before the Karnataka verdict, the party had suffered setbacks in a series of Lok Sabha by-elections in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh – where it is the ruling party — besides other states.

By now it is almost clear that the NDA is unlikely to retain its strength in the next Lok Sabha although it remains a strong contender to emerge as the single largest party. In such a scenario it shall have to work with coalition partners and give them their due. It is well known that some of its existing coalition partners are feeling uneasy. The TDP has already moved out, the Shiv Sena has been threatening to do so and the Shiromani Akali Dal has made its annoyance public. Yet, the Modi-Shah team has the capability of turning the tables. It has launched a massive advertisement campaign with the slogan : Desh ka badhta jaata vishwas…… Saaf niyat, Sahi vikas. At present, Shah is having long discussions with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), from where it draws it cadres, to evolve the party’s strategy during the run-up to the next general elections. Although the RSS leadership shall not like it, the party would do well to tone down its Hindutva campaign.

For the Congress and the numerous other parties lined up on the stage in Bengaluru, it would be a fatal mistake if the thinking is that opposition to BJP or Modi as prime minister could ensure them deliverance. Firstly, the diverse parties shall find it difficult to sort out their own differences and the very survival of some of these parties could be at stake. Secondly, a negative campaign against Modi government is unlikely to yield good results for them.

If these parties have to challenge the BJP, these shall have to prepare a joint manifesto highlighting the developmental agenda. There is a general sense of unease among the people due to unfulfilled promises held out before the elections. Issues of unemployment, better deal for farmers, foreign direct investment and better infrastructure would emerge as the major issues. The NDA government has already started publicising its achievements while the Congress and other opposition parties are yet to utter a word on their vision for the future. One can only hope that the political rivals would refrain from stoking communal fires during the run up to the elections.

letters@tehelka.com

BJP gears up with new strategy post Karnataka debacle

By
Anil Sinha
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems to have a new strategy for BJP in 2019 polls. The party now appears to be concentrating on isolating Congress and Rahul Gandhi from other opposition parties by targeting them individually. The saffron party is apparently working on a plan that would enable it to form a government even if it does not get an absolute majority in the next Lok Sabha elections. This could be done only in a situation where regional parties side with the BJP when it confronts Congress and its allies in post-poll scenario in 2019.

The change, obviously, has come after the party’s failure to install a non-Congress government in Karnataka. The Congress did only successfully block BJP’s way to power in the state, but also effectively generated a hope among regional parties that they could capture power in the Centre if they join hands in opposing Modi and are able to prevent splitting of anti-BJP votes. The BJP is now apprehending potential threat from Rahul Gandhi as far as mobili singof diverse political forces against BJP is concerned. The BJP was expecting a slow and timid response from a Rahul led Congress in Karnataka as had been the case in Goa and Manipur. However, Rahul Gandhi acted with speed and stitched an alliance with the JDS without losing any time. This move changed the scenario at the state as well as at the national level. All the important regional formations came together to celebrate the installation of a non-BJP government. This was meant to send a loud and clear message of Opposition unity.

BJP’s targeting Congress has more than one reasons behind it. It fits into a broad narrative that India has lost almost its six decades under an “inept family rule”. It is easy to hold Congress responsible for all that which India has failed to achieve. It helps Modi build an image of the saviour of the country. His campaign during celebrations on completing his four years of rule testifies the changed strategy of Modi. Addressing a rally at Cuttack in Odisha he alleged that the Congress was pursuing  a policy of “family first instead of country first.”

“During UPA regime, the Congress party was running the government through remote control. It only gave the slogan of ‘garibi hatao’ but did not serve the poor.  Half of the population does not have gas electricity or road connection,” Modi said.

Modi also accused the Congress of not reali singthat poor are not getting access to banks. “Why didn’t the Congress ever see that the lives of poor people also hold value and they also need life insurance?”

When it came to the poor health infrastructure in Odisha, he refrained from directly accusing the state government which is in power for over one and half decade and held UPA government responsible for it. Modi said, “Situation is worse here in Odisha. I wonder what were the previous governments doing? If the state governments do not carry out their responsibilities properly, the centre does it.”

Odisha Chief Minister has been following a policy of equidistance from both BJP and the Congress. He did not attend the oath-ceremony of HD Kumarswamy, the Karnataka chief minister. The BJP became ambitious in 2016 when it had increased its vote share in panchayat polls. However, it soon realized that this was premature to celebrate the success because the party had to face a drubbing in an assembly poll which was held soon after the panchayat polls.

In another public meeting in Uttar Pradesh, he targeted the Nehru-Gandhi family. This seems to be a part of the fresh campaign the Sangh Parivar has launched against the first prime minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru. The same old allegations of purported disrespect to Sardar Patel and Subhash Bose are being made.

However, it is yet to be seen that how far personal attacks help BJP in getting votes to win the battle. The weapon has been used more than once. At least, the poll results in Gujarat and Karnataka showed that these attacks only marginally affected the polls. True, Rahul could not defeat Modi-Shah combine, he certainly performed well  in both the states and saved his party from humiliating defeats. The party increased its percentage of votes.

In addition to attacking the Congress, Modi-Shah is trying to find regional allies to force Congress to go to the polls without allies. However, the party is hardly finding it easy. Most of the dominant regional parties have by now gone away from it. Even in the states where the Congress is better placed and in a direct fight with the regional forces, the BJP is being considered the real threat. In these states, regional parties are not averse to some kind of arrangement with the Congress. Here, they do not find any scope of joining hands with the BJP. They consider BJP as their main enemy.

The BJP is finding it difficult to retain existing allies as well. If TDP has left National Democratic Alliance, its other allies are also showing uneasiness. Its pre-poll allies in Bihar, Lok Janshakti Party of Ramvilas Paswan and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party of Upendra Kushwaha are exhibiting discomposure. The post-poll alliance with JDU is also showing strains. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has started attacking the partner. Once a supporter of demonetization, Kumar has turned out to be a critique of it. He is also unhappy with the amount sanctioned for the flood relief. The Chief Minister has indicated that he might agitate for Special Status for the state.

The tension has been brewing in Uttar Pradesh as well. Smaller parties like Apna Dal are also not happy. They are asking for more seats to contest and BJP is in no mood to oblige them. The BJP is also trying to bypass these parties by directly addressing the social segments they are representing. There is a talk of change in the reservation formula to provide separate reservation to other backward classes under the quota for backward classes. The party had won a huge number of seats with the help of other backward classes in 2014 and if it is able to change the formula it can hope to repeat the same without smaller parties. 

On the other hand, Congress has been winning allies. The regional parties are too joining hands with each other. Till recently, the SP-BSP alliance was considered to be the most difficult, but it has not only become a reality but also proved to be effective after it won the Lok Sabha by-polls of Gorakhpur and Phulpur in Uttar Pradesh. 

If Congress’ open arm policy is giving sleepless nights to BJP leaders, the attack from opposition on issues like unemployment, price rise, high price of petrol and diesel is also causing discomfort to the ruling party.

“The ruling party before coming to power made big promises such as employment to 2 crore youth every year, remunerative prices to the farmers, bringing back black money stashed abroad, eradication of corruption so on and so forth. There were 42 big promises made but none of the promises has been fulfilled,” said senior leader Sharad Yadav who has just launched a new political party-Loktantrik Janata Dal.

letters@tehelka.com

YOGI’S ‘RURAL OUTREACH’ CHANGES GEARS

By
Kulsum Mustafa
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There is an old saying but still very much in vogue,“Those who eat together, stay together.” In the caste and religion riddled political scenario of the present-day Uttar Pradesh, this saying has necessitated the addition of another angle to it “to eat together, stay together and also stay at a Dalit household overnight” if you wish to reap rich harvests at the hustling.

In phase one of the now renamed Gram Chaupal Abhiyan, which lasted till May 5, there was a mandatory clause of ‘night halt’ attached to the directive. But from June 1, when the second phase starts, this condition has been done away with from the ambitious rural outreach programme.

Under this 15-day programme Chaupal Abhiyan, the state government will cover around 50,000 village panchayats and  13,500 villages. The various schemes of both the State and Central government will be monitored and reviewed. Also, enrolment of eligible persons for various government schemes will be done on the spot.

Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on BR Ambedkar’s birth anniversary, the first phase was not without hiccups. These chaupals were designed to assuage the feelings of the Dalits hurt after the Supreme Court order diluting the SC/ST Act.  Through this rural outreach programme the BJP hoped to kill two birds with one stone. While it would address the public grievances it would, at the same time, campaign for its flagship schemes both of the state and the Centre and explain how the people could benefit from them.

Yogi-led government put it to practice in the state supporting it with total state machinery. The ministers were directed to cover at least two districts and as many villages as possible to make the party’s inroads into rural pockets. The ministers had to make night halts in pre-selected villages of OBC Dalit households. The media found it good writing material, but the coverage was mostly negative. Pictures of the ministers partaking of multi-cuisine dinners at the humble abode of poor, undernourished Dalits were splashed in all local media. Complaints of mosquito menace and foul odours made by ministers like Anupama Jaiswal leaked to the press inviting ridicule and disgust.

Taking heed from these negative reports prior to the two-day visit of Yogi Adityanath to Pratapgarh and Amroha on April 26, the chief minister’s office ensured that none of the earlier mistakes were repeated. Instructions were sent to authorities not to make any special arrangements for the CM’s visit. The CM also ensured that he partook of frugal meal in leaf plates sitting on the floor of the thatched hut.

Here I am reminded of a story told by a retired bureaucrat who said that all throughout his career, including when he became the district magistrate he ensured that he landed in the city of his posting a day or two in advance of his joining. He spent in taking a round of the city incognito and learning about the city and its people. The next day when he donned the mantle of the officer he knew the place like the back of his hand. He was able to do justice to his work and none of his juniors could take him for a ride.

Something on the same pattern has been on the mind of politicians who started the trend of getting officers to spend a night or two in the rural areas. These camps are meant to be a good learning experiences for the officers and can come handy in dealing with the day to day issues of rural folks. But over the years the same has been given the color of ‘ barra sahibs accompanying  the politicians ‘  and shallow effort to strike a chord with the Dalits, to send across the messages that the government treats all with the same yardstick and that this is to stress that there is no difference between them and the poor and the downtrodden’

letters@tehelka.com

Development or Betrayal: Know four years of Modi Government

By
Bharat Hiteshi
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As Narendra Modi Government completed four years on May 26, 2018, the Prime Minister tweeted with the hashtag “saaf niyat, sahi vikas” with a series of charts, graphics and video to underline the achievements of his government. Congress President Rahul Gandhi was quick to give his report card A+ for self-promotion and F for job creation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi -led NDA Government highlighted its achievements, saying that over the last four years, development has become a “vibrant mass movement.”

To further highlight the excellent work of his government, PM Modi tweeted, “On this day in 2014, we began our journey of working towards India’s transformation.” “Over the last four years, development had become a vibrant mass movement, with every citizen feeling involved in India’s growth trajectory. 125 crore Indians are taking India to great heights,” he said. “I bow to my fellow citizens for their unwavering faith in our government. This support and affection is the biggest source of motivation and strength for the entire government.”

The Prime Minister stressed that his government would continue to serve the people “with the same vigour and dedication”. “For us, it is always India First,” he wrote. Modi said with complete integrity and the best intent that his government had taken “futuristic and people-friendly decisions” that was laying the foundations of a new India. The BJP President, Amit Shah, echoed similar sentiments and said that with the 2016 surgical strikes conducted across the Line of Control (LoC), the government exhibited its political willingness to take on the country’s adversaries.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ended politics of appeasement, dynasty and casteism, and ushered politics of development,” Shah said.

The government has also resolved the long-pending issue of One Rank One Pension (OROP) within a year of coming to power. He also said that several measures such as the constitution of an Special Investigating Team (SIT) to curb black money were taken by the government. The black money issue was one of the main poll planks of the BJP during the 2014 election campaign. “Modi dispensation is sensitive and committed towards development of villages,” Shah said, noting that while focusing on the rural areas, the due emphasis was also given to urban areas.

Congress not amused

As the BJP government completes four years in power at the Centre, the Congress described the period as that of ‘treachery, trickery, revenge and lies’. Releasing a booklet titled ‘India betrayed’ on the occasion of the fourth anniversary of the NDA government, Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ashok Gehlot and Randeep Surjewala said people now know that the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah duo was harmful for the country. They said that an atmosphere of fear and hatred has been created under the NDA rule. “People now know that Modi-Amit Shah duo is harmful for the country. Four years of the Modi government can be defined in four terms — treachery, trickery, revenge and lies,” said Surjewala.

Referring to alleged atrocities on Dalits, tribals, minorities, and women, Azad said that nobody is safe in the country under the BJP rule. Everyone is getting sleepless nights. “Atmosphere of fear, hatred, and violence was created in the last four years of the Modi government,” AICC General Secretary Ashok Gehlot said at the joint press conference.

The Congress released the booklet ‘India betrayed’ on the four years of BJP’s “misrule”, both in English and Hindi, and asked a set of forty questions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They also released and showed a short-film describing the prevailing atmosphere in the country. A senior Congress leader Oommen Chandy also posed a barrage of questions to PM Modi on issues ranging from the fuel price hike to the Lokpal Bill. In a tweet, Chandy requested the prime minister to “be kind enough to answer.”

Ecstasy & gloom

The government claims to be free from corruption. Though opposition has leveled unsubstantiated charges against the government, the greatest achievement of this government is to provide a corruption free regime. It is remarkable that there is no allegation of corruption against the Modi government in this period. It claims 100 per cent electrification of the villages in the country.  The government has increased the total LPG Consumer base to over 20 crore in 2017 from 14 crore in 2014. The Modi Government ended the VVIP culture by doing away with beacons for everyone. It got crores of people in the banking net under its financial inclusion programme by allowing them to open Jan Dhan accounts with zero balance. The government continued with alacrity with the UPA government’s much touted scheme of direct benefit of subsidy and brought all welfare and subsidy schemes under Direct Benefit Transfer to prevent theft, leakage of subsidy to fake and fictitious persons.

The government has done well andkept it simple: do away with redundant and obsolete laws. In 2016, the Lok Sabha repealed 1,175 of 1,827 laws that were identified as obsolete, and many other steps were taken to make lives of common people easier. Many of these reforms went unnoticed in the four years of Modi-led NDA government.

However, the government failed to pass the Land Acqusition Act and Lokpal Bill which has adversely affected the Make-in-India campaign of the government. You cannot acquire land for any development purpose under the current law. It has failed to create as many jobs as it has promised leading to Congress President giving him a report card of A+ in self-promotion and F in job creation.

The government has also failed to bring peace in Kashmir, which is passing through one of the worst phases of disturbance. It has not come up to expectations to contain the fringe parties of Hindutva brigade who are flaring up peace and harmony in our country thus giving rise to slogans of intolerance.

Small reforms

In 2014, the government decided that there was no need to get documents attested by a gazetted officer or file affidavits for government-related work. After the decision, applicants only need to self-attest the copies of their birth certificates, mark sheets or other documents.The Modi government did away with birth certificates as a mandatory document for availing passport. The government simplified the 1980 rule of securing passports by Indian citizens. Now, Aadhaar and PAN card are among a host of documents that could be used to establish proof of birth. Indian Railways is  the lifeline of the country. About 23 million passengers use the services of Railways every day. One of the most important services is Tatkal booking, which allows people to book tickets for immediate travelling. The government launched Rail Connect app last year to ensure Tatakal booking in less than a minute. Moreover, Tatkal booking timings were changed to facilitate hassle-free booking by reducing the load on the server.

A joint report by World Bank and PwC said that the reforms in the area of paying taxes in 2016 made data gathering increasingly automated. The IT Department started using modern enterprise resource planning (ERP) software to make the process automated. With the introduction of electronic payments of state insurance contributions and social security contributions, the time required to comply with tax liabilities came down significantly.

Ease of transaction greatly improved with the launch of mobile wallets and ultimately the Unified Payments Interface or UPI, which was launched just months before demonetisation. UPI allows a user to transfer money from one bank account to another instantly using a cellphone and is set to trump the popularity of e-wallets that shot to fame right after demonetisation. E-wallets allow you to make payments without using internet banking, but the wallet itself needs to be loaded first.

According to data updated on Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana’s website, there are about 316 million beneficiaries with deposits of around 81,203.59 crore. If  Jan Dhan got the economy banked, insurance through the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (life insurance) and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (accident insurance) have given financial comfort at rock bottom prices.

The big bang reform has been the announcement of the National Health Protection Scheme which has the potential to reform the health industry. The insurance cover of 5 lakh is more than what an average individual buys. The scheme will not only increase longevity of citizens of India as it will make medical care affordable and accessible, its biggest boon will be an upliftment of the medical infrastructure in rural as well as urban areas.

One of the big steps forward for better order in the real estate market was the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act (RERA). On 1 May 2016, the sector got its first regulator. RERA focuses on transparency and safeguarding home buyers’ interest by curbing the rampant practice of siphoning off funds from one project to another by the developers leading to construction delays. But the dampener has been in implementation. Even after two years, many states have not implemented the Act completely, which is affecting homebuyers’ confidence and expectation.

The implementation of goods and services tax (GST) is yet another move to increase transparency. GST collapses many taxes into one tax and the idea is to reduce the tax burden and also increase compliance. This is a step towards formalising the economy and a result of efforts such as these has been an increase in the tax base. In the last four years, there has been a substantial increase in the number of returns filed and the amount of tax collected. According to the income tax department, while 37.9 million ITRs were filed in FY14, 68.4 million ITRs were filed in FY18, an increase of 80.5%.

Reforms undertaken by the government focus on creating better infrastructure, streamlining economic activity and simplifying transactions, the impact of which will percolate to individuals in times to come. But the reforms have not yet created progressively more jobs and there are few signs that black money has been brought back into the system or redistributed.

Concerns remain on the job creation front and curbing of black money. The direction is right, but the journey has been bumpy.

Modi mania

The BJP is now ruling alone or with allies — Jammu and Kashmir, Jhar-khand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Manipur, Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.

One often claimed reason is the rise of BJP under the charismatic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. From Kashmir to Arunachal to Karnataka and Gujarat, the saffron party has spread its footprints in most of the states of the country, while the Congress has effectively shrunk to three — Punjab, Puducherry, and Mizoram .

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Kapil Mishra Files Petition Against CM Kejriwal In Delhi High Court

By
Tehelka Web Desk
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Kapil Mishra, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA, on Monday, filed a petition in Delhi High Court (HC) against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, for his 10 % attendance in Delhi assembly.

AAP MLA moved HC on June 11 and his plea against chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s low attendance was immediately accepted and HC is likely to hear the petition on June 12.

While commenting on CM’s absence Mishra said, “This showed how serious the CM was in discussing matters related to the people of Delhi and their development and performing duties expected of him.”

He also said, “CM needed to inform the people how well he performed against indicators like attendance in the assembly, the number of questions he replied, and his understanding and appreciation of different policies and laws that he made.”

MLA Mishra also sought an annual performance report from the AAP convener and directions to the LG and the speaker to ensure the presence of Kejriwal.

However, AAP-led Delhi government spokesperson refused to comment on the same.

Kabul Suicide Attack: 12 Dead, 31 Injured

By
Tehelka Web Desk
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At least 12 persons were killed and 31 got injured when a suicide bomber blew himself in front of government employees at the main gate of the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development in Kabul. Women, children and employees of the ministry were among the casualties, according to Najib Danish, spokesman for the interior ministry.

“Bomb blast took place when employees were gathered at a compound and were waiting for a bus” Rural Ministry spokesman Faridoon Azhand revealed.

“The attacker had targeted the employees as they waited for the bus at around 1pm (0830 GMT),” Police spokesman Hashmat Stanikzai

The Islamic State group has claimed the responsibility for the attack in Kabul. The attack comes in the wake of government announcement of ceasefire with the Taliban that is due to run for three days during the Eid al-Fitr later this week.

This was Taliban’s first ceasefire since the government toppled by the 2001 US-led invasion.

“Most of my colleagues were leaving for the day to go home. I am worried about my colleagues. We are told to stay inside for now,” an employee said reportedly.

Former PM Vajpayee Admitted To AIIMS For Routine Check-Up

By
Tehelka Web Desk
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Former Prime Minister of India and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stalwart, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, 93,  was on Monday admitted to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for routine check-up and investigation.

Vajpayee was taken to the hospital on the recommendations of doctors. He will undergo the check-ups under the supervision of Dr Randeep Guleria, a pulmonologist and currently director at AIIMS. Dr Guleria has served as personal physician to Vajpayee for over three decades.

Recipient of Padma Vibhushan and Bharat Ratna awards, Vajpayee’s journey with politics began during the Quit India movement in 1942. He was a five time Lok Sabha member from Lucknow in 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2004 and served a full five year term as Prime Minister of India from 1998 to 2004.

ECI yet to resolve VVPAT glitches with 2019 polls round the corner

By
Charanjit Ahuja
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The large scale failure of several VVPAT EVMs during recent byelections has once again put the blame squarely on the Election Commission of India. Polling in the fiercely contested Lok Sabha byelections in Kairana in Uttar Pradesh where Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party had joined hands in the wake of success tasted by the duo earlier was married by reports of malfunctioning of VVPATs. Similarly, polling in Bhandra-Gondiya and Palghar in Maharashtra and Nagaland and other Assembly constituencies witnessed unruly scenes because of technical glitches in the EVMs in many booths. The saving grace for ECI is that byelections were held for just four Lok Sabha and nine Assembly seats and it was not a general election. Large-scale malfunctioning of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail has put a question mark over the functioning of ECI as general election is less than an year away.

The ECI was expected to be battle-ready and provide foolproof mechanism in view of allegations that some EVMs used for voting in recently held Karnataka Assembly election were brought from Gujarat and were rigged. The VVPATs facilitate voters to verify if their vote has indeed gone to the intended candidate by leaving a paper trail of the vote cast. It is an adjunct machine connected to the ballot and control units of the EVM and slips from a randomly selected polling booth from each constituency can be matched during counting to check the veracity and credibility of the voting. The purpose is to bring in transparency. The VVPAT EVMs failure may be lack of training given to the field staff or due to rising temperature but the incident is enough to generate enough heat among political parties as ECI plans to deploy 16 lakh VVPAT EVMs during the 2019 general election. The ECI has dismissed reports suggesting that claims of large-scale malfunctioning of VVPATs were “exaggerated” but admission by Chief Election Commissioner of Uttar Pradesh that complaints were received from 384 polling stations in Kairana alone, points to glitches in several machines. Little doubt that the opposition demanded re-election and returning to the old system of ballot papers. The VVPAT replacement rate, due to glitches in the machines that were deployed, was as high as 20.82 per cent in Kairana, 19.22 per cent in Bhandara-Gondia and 13.16 per cent in Palghar. There is an urgent need for ECI to fix glitches in the functioning of VVPAT EVMs ahead of 2019 general election so that its integrity remains intact. The Election Commission of India must remember the moral in William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar that “Caesar’s wife must always be above suspicion”!

Monsoon In Kerala Kills 13

By
Tehelka Web Desk
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Monsoons and rainfall related incidents in Kerala have claimed 13 lives in the last two days.

Authorities claim nine people died in the related incidents in Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasargod and two people died in Thiruvananthapuram and one each at Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha district. Most of the deaths occurred due to the uprooting of trees and drowning in rivers.

The rains resulted in the huge devastation of crops and property in Idukki, Kozhikode, and Kannur districts, officials added.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has asked officials to be alert as Met department has raised a warning regarding strong winds with speed of 40-50 kmph, gusting to 60 kmph, which are likely along and off Kerala coast and over Lakshadweep islands in the next 24 hours.

He tweeted, “People living in hilly taluks need to be extra careful. The government has taken necessary precautions to meet any exigency. Control rooms have been opened across the state.”

The monsoon also hit Maharashtra on June 8 resulted in numerous incidents of waterlogging and traffic jams. However, India Meteorological Department has withdrawn heavy rainfall warning, accordingly city to receive only a few spells. Moderate rains are expected to continue over Mumbai.

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