Tulsi-based medicine by Indian scientists

From grandma's home remedies for cough, cold and other ailments, 'tulsi' ( Indian Basil) is now being tested by Indian scientists for treating people exposed to harmful radiations and initial tests have shown some positive results. 


Scientists at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) have developed a tulsi-based herbal medicine for treating people exposed to radiations. The medicine is already in the second phase of trials. 


According to scientists, tulsi has anti-oxidant properties and can repair cells damaged by exposure to radiation. 


"Tulsi-based medicine is already in second phase of clinical trials. It has to undergo some more trials before it is finalised and goes for commercial production. Animal trials have also been conducted and their results were quite encouraging," DRDO's chief controller (R&D) W Selvamurthy told reporters. 


Selvamurthy was speaking at the 99th edition of the Indian Science Congress held here. 


Besides tulsi, sea-buckthorn and podophyllum hexandrum were other herbs chosen to develop medicines to not just treat those effected by nuclear radiations but also as a precaution for those going for rescue work in radiation-affected areas. 


Selvamurthy said it is for the first time in the world that tusli is being used for treating harmful effects of exposure to radiation. 


The same medicine can be used for treating humans and animals exposed to radiation. The cost of this project is around Rs 7 crore. 


"The medicines used for treating radiation-related ailments are very toxic in nature. These herbal medicines would change the way radiation treatment takes place as they would be quite safe," he added. 


Listing out other innovations by the research organisation, Selvamurthy said a special Aloe Vera based anti-frostbite cream - Alocal - has been developed for soldiers deployed at higher altitudes. The medicine prevents frostbite and five lakh jars of that cream have already been supplied to the armed forces. 


Scientists have also developed several other herbal medicines, some especially for the Indian Army. 


"We have developed a special herbal drink for army personnel posted at high altitude areas. This drink is made from 15 herbs and it will help the soldiers in acclimatising fast to those tough weather conditions," Selvamurthy said. 


While the frostbite cream is already in the market, the herbal drink is in the testing phase and will be commercialised soon.

Cyrus Mistry named Ratan Tata's chairman

Tata Sons, the holding company of over $80 billion conglomerate Tata Group, on Wednesday announced that Cyrus P Mistry, the 43-year-old managing director of Shapoorji Pallonji Group, will succeed Ratan Tata. "The Board of Directors of Tata Sons at its meeting today appointed Cyrus P 

Mistry as the deputy chairman. He will work with Ratan N Tata over the next year and take over from him when Tata retires in December 2012," Tata Sons said in a statement.

This is as per the unanimous recommendation of the selection committee, it added.

Shapoorji Pallonji Group holds 18% stake in Tata Sons.

Commenting on the appointment, Ratan Tata, chairman of Tata Sons, said: "The appointment of Cyrus P Mistry as deputy chairman of Tata Sons is a good and far-sighted choice.

"He has been on the Board of Tata Sons since August 2006 and I have been impressed with the quality and calibre of his participation, his astute observations and his humility."

Tata further said: "I will be committed to working with him over the next year to give him the exposure, the involvement and the operating experience to equip him to undertake the full responsibility of the Group on my retirement."

Mistry has been a director of Tata Sons since August 2006. A graduate in civil engineering from Imperial College, London, he also holds a management degree from the London Business School.

world cricketers about sachin Tendulkar

WHY HE CALLED AS GOD???

Andrew Flintoff:

When you bowl at him you are not just trying to get him out, you are trying to impress him. "I want him to walk off thinking 'that Flintoff, he's all right isn't he? I feel privileged to have played against him.



Shane Warne:

"Sachin Tendulkar is, in my time, the best player without doubt - daylight second, Brian Lara third."

Viv Richards:

He is 99.5% Perfect.. I'll pay to watch him play. I think he is marvellous. I think he will fit in whatever category of Cricket that has been played or will be played, from the first ball that has ever been bowled to the last ball that's going to be. He can play in any era and at any level.





Sir Don Bradman:

I saw him playing on television and was struck by his technique, so I asked my wife to come look at him. Now I never saw myself play, but I feel that this player is playing much the same as I used to play, and she looked at him on Television and said yes, there is a similarity between the two...hi compactness, technique, stroke production... it all seemed to gel! in reference to Sachin Tendulkar.





Barry Richards:

Consensus is that Sir Donald Bradman was the best batsman ever to play Cricket. Sir Don did not play One-Day Cricket but if he did, he could easily be Sachin Tendulkar.



Allan Donald:

"In my several years of international cricket, Tendulkar remains the best batsman I have ever bowled to. It's been a pleasure to bowl at the master batsman even though one hasn't always emerged with credit from the engagements."



"During our team meetings, we often speak about the importance of the first 12 balls to Tendulkar. If you get him then you can thank your stars, otherwise it could mean that tough times lie ahead."





Harsha Bhogle:

In the recently concluded IPL when Sachin drove Ishant Sharma to a straight drive, he said- "Open the text book..turn to page no. 32"



Andrew Symonds:

wrote on an aussie t-shirt he autographed specially for Sachin. " To Sachin, the man we all want to be "





A.R.Rhaman

Well, I’m no Sachin Tendulkar you know, whenever he takes the field, people expect him to score a century before he loses his wicket. I can only give in my best and I always strive to live up to fans expectations, but it’s not possible to get an Oscar every time.





Virendra Sehwag: Both of us have come a long away and it is a great honour that Tendulkar thinks I come close to resembling him as a batsman. It is a great honour, like a dream come true. If I die tomorrow I'll be the happiest man because I played this game because of Tendulkar, and Tendulkar himself saying that I resemble him - there is no bigger compliment than that.

Mathew Hayden:

I have seen GOD , he bats at no.4 for india in Tests.



Ravi Shashtri: He is someone sent from up there to play cricket and go back.


Mark Taylor:

We did not lose to a team called india...we lost to a man called Sachin.



Brain Lara: Sachin is a genius , i am a mere mortal!


Barry Richards:

Sachin is crickets GOD



Martin Crowe: The shot played on this ball is only possible for the GOD of cricket.

Paul Strang:

What we [zimbabwe] need is 10 tendulkars.



Steve Waugh: There is no shame losing to such a great player(sachin).

Shane Warne:

I would go to bed having nightmares of sachin dancing down the ground and hitting me for sixes.

Mathew Hayden:

His life seems to be a stillness in a frantic world... [When he goes out to bat], it is beyond chaos - it is a frantic appeal by a nation to one man. The people see him as a God...

Dennis Lillie: If I had to bowl to Sachin I would bowl with a halmet on. He hits the ball so hard.



Steve Waugh:

After being defeated in the Coca-Cola Cup finals in Sharjah) "It was one of the greatest innings I have ever seen. There is no shame being beaten by such a great player, Sachin is perhaps only next to the Don''

Michael Kasprowicz:

Don't bowl him bad balls, he hits the good ones for fours."

Shane Warne:

I'll be going to bed having nightmares of Sachin just running down the wicket and belting me back over the head for six. He was unstoppable. I don't think anyone, apart from Don Bradman, is in the same class as Sachin Tendulkar. He is just an amazing player."

Wasim Akram:

Today, he showed the world why he is considered the best batsman around. Some of the shots he played were simply amazing. Earlier, opposing teams used to feel that Sachin's dismissal meant they could win the game. Today, I feel that the Indian players, too, feel this way. Wasim Akram, after game at Hobart, CUB series, 1999



Brett Lee: You might pitch a ball on the off stump and think you have bowled a good ball and he walks across and hits it for two behind midwicket. His bat looks so heavy but he just waves it around like it's a toothpick. Brett Lee, on Sachin Tendulkar's batting, 1999



BBC Sports: Beneath the helmet, under that unruly curly hair, inside the cranium, there is something we don't know, something beyond scientific measure. Something that allows him to soar, to roam a territory of sport that, forget us, even those who are gifted enough to play alongside him cannot even fathom. When he goes out to bat, people switch on their television sets and switch off their lives.



Wasim Akram: "I dont know what to bowl at him. i bowled an inswinger n he drove me through covers of d front foot. then i bld an outswinger n he again punched thr covers of d backfoot(for tamil fans-dai avan eppadi pottalum adikaranda). he is d toughest batsmen i 've bowled to.

He shold live long n score lots of runs, but not against pakistan(smiling) "- on 24th april 2004 on espn Sachin's 30th B day program.

Sunil Gavaskar: India's fortune will depend on how many runs the little champion scores. There is no doubt Tendulkar is the real thing.


Richie Benaud:

He has defined cricket in his fabulous, impeccable manner. He is to batting what Shane Warne is to bowling.

Geoffrey Boycott:

Technically, you can't fault Sachin. Seam or spin, fast or slow nothing is a problem.

Eddie Barlow: He is Sachin Tendulkar. I hope he stays Sachin Tendulkar. We need a new player, a player in his own way. He has a technique which is the hallmark of a great player. Everything indicates that he will be a great player and I am sure he will prove me right. Reminds me of Barry Richards.

Greg Chappell:

He is a perfectly balanced batsman and knows perfectly well when to attack and when to play defensive cricket. He has developed the ability to treat bowlers all over the world with contempt and can destroy any attack with utmost ease.

Abdul Qadir: I Was fielding in the covers Tendulkar came out to bat in his debut Test at Karachi. I still remember Waqar Younis was at his peak form at that time. Tendulkar tried to drive Waqar through the covers off his very first ball in Test cricket but was beaten all ends up. But I walked to captain Imran Khan and told him 'this kid looks very good' and Imran agree with me.

Sir Garfield Sobers:

I have watched a lot of Tendulkar and we have spoken to each other a lot. He has it in him to be among the very best.



Peter Roebuck: Sometime back I had written a piece that said that Sachin's the master and Lara a genius with his head high up somewhere. That's it!

Jeff Thompson:

Sachin is an attacker. He has much more power than Sunny. He wants to be the one to set the pace. He has to be on top. That's the buzz about him.

Ian Healy:

Tendulkar is the most comouncy pitch with Hughes, McDermott and Whitney gunning for him he only had 60-odd when No 11 came in. I've seen him against Warne too.

Mike Coward: Sachin's the best. I've had this view since I saw him score that hundred in Sydney in 1992. He's the most composed batsman I've ever seen.

Hashim Amla:

Nothing bad can happen to us if we're on a plane in India with Sachin Tendulkar on it. Hashim Amla, the South African batsman, reassures himself as he boards a flight.

Shahrukh Khan:

"Maybe the country doesn't pray for me like they do for Sachin Tendulkar, but I know I'm on a good wicket as well. "



Martina Navratilova:

"Sachin was so focused. He never looked like getting out. He was batting with single-minded devotion. It was truly remarkable. It was a lesson." Tennis legend joins the Sachin Tendulkar fan club after watching him bat at Sydney.

Alistair Campbell:

After loosing to India in the Coca Cola Cup final at Sharjah in November '98

"He has everything a top batsman needs. Tendulkar is a classic example of a player being so good that his age is an irrelevance"

David Boon:

"Technically he stands out as the best because of his ability to increase the pace at will"

Cricket Historian Vasant Raiji:

"I have always felt C. K. Nayadu was the best. I now think sachin has the honour of being the most outstanding batsman of all time."

Steve Waugh:

"You take Don Bradman away and he is next up I reckon."

Adam Hollioke:

"In an over I can bowl six different balls. But then Sachin looks at me with a sort of gentle arrogance down the pitch as if to say 'Can you bowl me another one?'"

Tony Greig:

He is cool, has magnificent temperament, and is so mature you tend to forget his age. I can't think of any other example of a player who has so dominated the world before the age of 25.

Allan Border: (after India won the Coca-Cola cup )

"Hell, if he stayed, even at 11 an over he would have got it."

Ajay Jadeja:

"I can't dream of an innings like that. He exists where we can't."

David Gower:

"In the last session in Nagpur, when the Indian chase was still on, Tendulkar hit a reverse sweep, an orthodox sweep and a lofted cover drive to (Ian) Blackwell. They were all exquisite cricket shots. To play those shots deliberately in such quick succession, off almost similar deliveries, was genius. That was a little jewel, just those 3-4 minutes.

"It reminds you how very few people are special. It was a case of great thinking and good technique."

Gavaskar..back in 1988 to tom alter:

I sat in the office of Sportsweek magazine with that same Sunil Gavaskar. Ayaz Memon and I were listening to Gavaskar in one of his rare, priceless moods. The ?Little Master? was delving deep into his own experience, his own genius, and bringing forth pearls of wisdom as sudden, and as effective, as his straight- drives back past the bowler. Then Gavaskar came up with the following statement (remember, this was in 1988, when Dilip Vengsarkar was about to become captain of India): "The two best batsmen in Bombay today are Vengsarkar and Sachin Tendulkar." Full stop. End of statement. The ball crosses the boundary-line underneath the sight- screen.

Desmond Haynes:

In terms of technique and compactness, Tendulkar is the best: Desmond Haynes.

Mark Taylor:

He's a phenomenon. We have to be switched on when he plays allow him no boundries, for then he doesn't stop.

Wasim: "Cricketers like Sachin come once in a lifetime and I am privileged he played in my time"



"Tuzhe pata hai tune kiska catch chhoda hai?" Wasim Akram to Abdul Razzaq when the latter dropped Sachin's catch.

Allan Donald:

His shot selection is superb, he just lines you up and can make you look very silly. Everything is right in his technique and judgement. There isn't a fault there. He is also a lovely guy, and over the years I've enjoyed some interesting chats with him… Sachin is in a different class to Lara as a professional cricketer. He is a model cricketer, and despite the intolerable pressures he faces back home, he remains a really nice guy… Sachin is also the best batsman in the world, pulling away from Brain Lara every year.


Anil Kumble:

he's shy little gentleman.

I am very privileged to have played with him and seen most of the runs that he has scored. I am also extremely happy to have shared the same dressing room... He is a very reserved person and generally keeps to himself. He is very determined, committed and doesn't show too many emotions. He just goes about doing his job.


The thing I admire most about this man is his poise. The way he moves, elegantly without ever looking out of place in any condition or company, suggests his pedigree. I remember he had once come to New Delhi in the 1990s to collect his Arjuna Award (India's highest award to its top sportspersons) and he asked me if I would attend the function. He is a very sensitive human being….

Sometimes you feel he really hasn't felt the kind of competition in the world his talent deserves. I would have loved to see him perform against top quality cricketers of the previous generation. It would really have brought out the best in him.

Greame Pollock: Tendulkar is the best in the world at the moment. Why I've always liked him is that batsmen tend to be negative at times and I think batting is not about not getting out - it is to play positively. I think you got to take it to the bowlers and Sachin is one such player. When you do so, you change the game, you change bowlers because they suddenly start bowling badly because they are under pressure.


Ian Chappell:

Whenever I see Sachin play I am reminded of the Graeme Pollock quote of Cricket being a 'see the ball, hit the ball game.' He hits the ball as if it's there to be hit.



Ravi Shastri: "We always knew that Sachin Tendulkar is a great cricketer, but after the Coca-Cola Cup here, we have seen the birth of a legend. I can't think of anybody who has batted more authoritatively in one day cricket for India, or even in the world except for Vivian Richards."



Navjot Sidhu:

"His mind is like a computer. He stores data on bowlers and knows where they are going to pitch the ball."

Mark Taylor: "We did not lose to a team called India...we lost to a man called Sachin" - Mark Taylor, during the test match in Chennai (1997)



Dravid:

Playing in the same team as Sachin is a huge honour. His balance of mind, shrewd judgement, modesty and, above all, his technical brilliance make him my all-time hero... You can't get a more complete cricketer than Sachin. He has everything that a cricketer needs to have.



As a batsman, he has the technique, the hunger and the desire for runs. He always contributes with the bat as well as on the field. He also is a good fielder and bowls when needs. You really can't ask for a better cricketer than Sachin... He is a terrific person and has handled pressure brilliantly. He has handled his success very well and doesn't have any airs about him. He is a great guy and very good team man. In his heart of hearts, he is a very simple and down to earth person.

Azhar:

The more I see him, the more I want to see him.

Sunil Gavaskar:

India's fortune will depend on how many runs the little champion scores. There is no doubt Tendulkar is the real thing.



Harsha bhogle:

if sachin plays well... India sleeps well.



Saurav Ganguly:

The thing I like most about Sachin is his intensity. After being in the game for so long, he still has the same desire to do well for India in any international match.I tell you what, this man is a legend.


Kris Srikkanth:

"He is the only match-winning batsman we have"

Ranatunga:

"You get him out and half the battle is won"

Andy Flower: There are 2 kind of batsmen in the world. One Sachin Tendulkar. Two all the others.

Martin Crowe:

A flighted full toss on Leg stump by spinner. any other will play this shot on leg side by pull shot or glance or flick. but sachin made a space and played a perfect cover drive for four runs.

Shane Warne:

You have to decide for yourself whether you're bowling well or not. He's going to hit you for fours and sixes anyway. Kasprowicz has a superior story. During the Bangalore Test, frustrated, he went to Dennis Lillee and asked, "Mate, do you see any weaknesses?" Lillee replied, "No Michael, as long as you walk off with your pride that's all you can do".





Rudy Kortzen: "I never get tired during umpiring whenever sachin is on crease"


sunny gavaskar:

This was after a wonderful century by sachin(in england i guess in a test match..not sure)

Sunny: The other day i was just trying to think of a bowler who can go through sachin's defenses when sachin is in total defense. I am sorry but i could not think of even one name who could do that. If sachin decides he doesnt want to give away his wicket, he wont. be it any bowler in the world. Cheers to Sachin...


Ponting:

Ponting make comparisons btn sachin,Lara& jayasuriya.

Sachin is the best ever batsman in the world. He is brilliant in his technique. He is always hungry for runs.Sachin is better than Lara in his techniques & thats why he is No.1 among others.On his day,Lara wiil be more destructive. He is the only man 2 fight for west indies. Jayasuriya also played gr8 knocks 4 his team. But compared 2 them Sachin is the BEST.

Pradeep Mandhani -a Photographer:

“Barely two hours after landing in Johannesburg on the 1992-93 tour to South Africa, the team was to visit Tolstoy Farm, Mahatma Gandhi's first Satyagrahi Commune founded in 1910. It was situated 35 kms from Jo'burg and most of the Indian players showed little interest, longing to rest in the hotel after the long flight. But Tendulkar, still a teenager, looked keen and hungry to learn more about Gandhi. His volley of questions to the guide reflected his national pride.” NKP Salve, former Union Minister.


Saurav Ganguly:

SACHIN MADE 9 CENTURIES IN ONE YEAR BUT MANY CRICKETER DIDNOT MAKE 9 CENTURIES IN THEIR WHOLE CARRIER.

Ricky Ponting:

“Sachin is the most complete batsman I have seen. His technique is so good and he has played well in all conditions. To have 41 one-day international tons shows what an appetite he has for scoring runs.”


Harsha Bhogle:

There's no better sight on the cricket field than watch Tendulkar bat.

15 Famous Sayings by Chanakya india

 

15 Famous Sayings by Chanakya

1) "Learn from the mistakes of others... you can't live long enough to make them all yourselves!!"
- Chanakya

2)"A person should not be too honest. Straight trees are cut first and Honest people are screwed first."
- Chanakya

3)"Even if a snake is not poisonous, it should pretend to be venomous."
Chanakya

4)"There is some self-interest behind every friendship. There is no friendship without self-interests. This is a bitter truth."
- Chanakya

5)" Before you start some work, always ask yourself three questions - Why am I doing it, What the results might be and Will I be successful. Only when you think deeply and find satisfactory answers to these questions, go ahead."
- Chanakya

6)"As soon as the fear approaches near, attack and destroy it."
- Chanakya

7)"The world's biggest power is the youth and beauty of a woman."
- Chanakya

8)"Once you start a working on something, don't be afraid of failure and don't abandon it. People who work sincerely are the happiest."
- Chanakya

9)"The fragrance of flowers spreads only in the direction of the wind. But the goodness of a person spreads in all direction."
- Chanakya

10)"God is not present in idols. Your feelings are your god. The soul is your temple."
- Chanakya

11) "A man is great by deeds, not by birth."
- Chanakya

12) "Never make friends with people who are above or below you in status. Such friendships will never give you any happiness."
- Chanakya

13) "Treat your kid like a darling for the first five years. For the next five years, scold them. By the time they turn sixteen, treat them like a friend. Your grown up children are your best friends."
- Chanakya

14) "Books are as useful to a stupid person as a mirror is useful to a blind person."
- Chanakya

15) "Education is the best friend. An educated person is respected everywhere. Education beats the beauty and the youth."
-Chanakya

How Gandhi surname came to Indira Nehru

How "Gandhi" surname came to Indira Nehru even after marrying Feroz Khan?


Feroz's father was a Pathan Muslim & mother a Parsi, both were married after love affairs & his mother embraced Islam.

Indira's nikah with Feroz Khan was solemnized at Jama Masjid, at Clock Tower Chowk mohalla of Allahabad, UP, where earlier Nehru's sister Vijai Laxmi Pandit too was married to Shri Syed, an eminent journalist , after changing her name to Aisha.

Later with Gandhi's intervention Syed was posted as Indian diplomat in USA . A little later, a new boy, Shri Pandit was grought, lived in Nehru's house, befriended Vijai Laxmi, both fell in love & married to each other WITHOUT DIVORCE of Vijai Laxmi from Syed. Syed never returned India & died in cairo. Vijailaxmi immediately went there alone & wept bitterly holding his grave for a long time.

Indira was married to Feroz secretly through love affair, changed her religion & converted to Islam & had a new Islamic name too. Also, when this created stir in Nehru's house, after a lot of infighting between her & father, the matter was presented to Gandhiji again, who after a lot of thought, put a condition for acceptance that Feroz should change his surname from Khan to Gandhi, of his mother's father's surname. He agreed M K Gandhi's condition. Every problem in Nehru family was being solved by M K Gandhi, mostly by tricks.

Well... more about Feroze Khan...

Feroze Khan was educated at the City Anglo-Vernacular High School and Ewing Christian College, followed by the London School of Economics. He abandoned his studies in 1930 to join the struggle for Indian independence.

Feroze grew close to the Nehru family, especially Indira's mother Kamala Nehru and Indira herself. Feroze helped nurse the ailing Kamala, and briefly traveled with Nehru, Kamala and Indira to Europe. Even before Kamala's death, Indira and Feroze had begun falling in love. There is some evidence that Kamala herself opposed the match, and Nehru was also known to be personally averse to Feroze. Indira and Feroze grew more close to each other in England. They married in 1942, after Feroze altered his surname to adhere more closely to the leader of nationalistic sentiment of the time.

Arrested and jailed during the Quit India Movement less than six months after their marriage, he was imprisoned for a year in Allahabad's Naini Central Prison. Indira was also imprisoned. In 1944, she gave birth to Rajiv Gandhi, a future Prime Minister. In 1946, Sanjay Gandhi, was born. Indira and Feroze settled in Allahabad with their two young children, and Feroze became editor of The National Herald, a newspaper founded by his father-in-law.

Feroze Gandhi contested elections to the Parliament of India in 1952, independent India's first general elections. His wife served as his campaign organizer, and Gandhi won. But Feroze soon became a prominent force in his own right, criticizing the Government of his father-in-law and beginning a tirade against corruption. His exposure of a scandal involving major insurance companies and the Finance Minister T.T. Krishnamachari caused the latter to resign, and caused Nehru a major embarrassment. Feroze began building his own reputation and small coterie of supporters and advisors, and continued challenging the government. He was re-elected in 1957.

The marriage of Feroze and Indira was tumultuous, as Indira began living with her father, who was alone, and cared for him personally and often acted as his private secretary. When he became an MP, Feroze started living in his own house in Delhi, away from his father-in-law and wife. This unwilling separation embittered Feroze, and it is speculated that he was having extra-marital affairs as a way of getting back at Indira.

Indira and Feroze were re-united in 1958, when Feroze suffered his first heart attack. Indira took him to recuperate in Kashmir, where with their young boys, they were together again. However, Feroze died in 1960 of a second heart attack.

Had Rajiv “Gandhi” retained his father’s surname, there was least probability that Hindu majority would accept him in that scenario.

Dr. Swamy complaint against Sonia Gandhi

Dr. Swamy files complaint against Sonia Gandhi on Communal Violence Bill 

To:

SHO/Insp: D.P. Singh, Sector 18, Rohini, Crime Branch, New Delhi.

Re: Registering of FIR u/s 153A & B, 295A & 505 (2) of Indian Penal Code.

Dated: October 24, 2011.

1. In public interest I am sending by Courier service a complaint in my name against Chairperson Ms. Sonia Gandhi of National Advisory Council, which has its office at 2 Motilal Place, New Delhi-110011, Tel: 23062582, and also against unnamed other members of the said NAC for committing offences of propagating hate against the Hindu community of India by circulating for enacting as law a Draft Bill described as PREVENTION OF COMMUNAL AND TARGETED VIOLENCE BILL OF 2011. This Draft Bill has been posted on the NAC official website, is dated July 21, 2011 and sent for adoption by Parliament. That this 2011 Draft Bill is mischievous in content of targeting the Hindu community, malafide, unreasonable and prejudicial to public order, is apparent from the second section of Explanatory Note [Annexed herein] to the Draft Bill titled “Key Provisions of the Bill”, thereby inciting crimes against the Hindu community with impunity, and thus committing offences u/s 153A & B, 295A and 505(2) of the Indian Penal Code.

2. The UPA Government in December, 2005 had introduced earlier a Draft Bill [2005] in the Parliament described as THE COMMUNAL VIOLENCE (PREVENTION, CONTROL AND REHABILITATION OF VICTIMS) BILL (2005).

3. The Draft Bill however did not find favour with any Party. Leaders of several political parties felt that the Draft Bill provided sweeping powers to the Central Government thus undermining the authority of the State Governments. But the most vocal opposition to this draft Bill came from the Muslim, Christian and so called secular quarters. Their contention was just the opposite of what the political leaders were saying. The view of Muslim and Christian groups was that the 2005 Draft Bill was "completely toothless". They demanded that the powers of managing communal violence be vested in non-government actors and make governments and administration at all levels accountable them for communal violence.

4. The All India Christian Council was in the forefront of this campaign against the 2005 Draft Bill as being "too weak". In a letter written to the Prime Minister, Ms Sonia Gandhi, herself a Christian, through the AICC had conveyed to the PM the Christian Council concerns about the 2005 Draft Bill, and then revised the same as the 2009 Draft Bill.

5. The Muslim bodies too joined in the protest campaign against the draft as being too weak. They wanted provisions to make police and civil administration and state authorities "accountable" to public bodies. The Joint Committee of Muslim Organizations for Empowerment (JCMOE) made the demand on behalf of these organizations. JCMOE also urged the government to convene a meeting of leaders of "targeted communities" to note their views on the Bill as follows:

"The Bill does not make police or administration or state authorities accountable and provide for timely and effective intervention by the National Human Rights Commission, if the communal violence spreads or continues for weeks, or by the Central Government under Articles 355 and 356 of the Constitution, duly modified. On the other hand, ironically, the Bill grants more power to the local police and administration, which, more often than not acts in league with the rioters by declaring the area as communally disturbed area JCMOE statement said.

6. It is interesting to note that these two statements, the Muslim and the Christian, come at around the same time as though they were premeditated. They probably were.

7. From their arguments in opposition to the Draft Bill, it is clear that they wanted a Bill that would consider only the Christians and Muslims as the "generally targeted" victims of communal violence; and that the word 'communal violence' be re-defined in such a way that only the Muslims and Christians are treated as victims and Hindus as predators, and that the local police and administration, including the State administration, considered hand-in-glove with the perpetrators of violence. Hence the Bill should empower the Central Government to invoke Art. 355 and 356 of the Constitution against any state in the event of such communal violence.

8.Since the Prevention of Communal Violence Bill (2005) does not discriminate between the perpetrators and victims of communal violence on religious grounds and also it does not envisage the State administration as committed in preventing such violence, these groups wanted the Bill to be withdrawn.

9.The National Advisory Council (NAC) was re-constituted in 2009 by the UPA Government again under the chairmanship of Ms. Sonia Gandhi. The UPA Government promptly handed over the re-drafting of the Bill to the newly constituted NAC and asked it to come up with a fresh draft.

10.The basic communally provocative premise of the re-drafted Bill is that: a) there is a non-dominant group in every State in the form of religious and linguistic minority which is always a victim of violence; b) the dominant majority (usually Hindus) in the State is always the perpetrator of violence; and c) the State administration is, as a rule, biased against the non-dominant group.

11.The object of the re-drafted Bill thus was the basic premise of the NAC that the majority community – read Hindus – are the perpetrators of communal violence in India and the minority – read Muslims and Christians – are the victims, clearly is incitement of religious strife.

12.What is more important is to conclude is that in all cases of communal and targeted violence, dominant religious and linguistic group at the State level is always the perpetrator and the other the victims. Similarly the conclusion that the State machinery is invariably and always biased against the non-dominant group is a gross misstatement of the sincerity and commitment of millions of people who form State administration in the country.

13. This dangerous premise is the incitement of communal strife in this Bill.

14. One can safely conclude that the script writers of this Bill are themselves blinded with religious biases. In India communal violence happens mostly because of politico-communal reasons. In many instances, as documented by several Commissions of Inquiry, it is the so-called minority group that triggers the trouble. We hence need laws that can prevent such violence irrespective of whoever perpetrates it. To argue that since the administration is always biased in favour of the dominant group we need acts that are biased in favour of the non-dominant group is imprudent and puerile.

15. The final Draft is available on the NAC website now. One is not sure when the same will be placed before the Parliament. However, a close scrutiny of the Draft is essential to understand the serious implications of and threats from it to our national integration, social harmony and Constitutional Federalism.

16. This Bill when it becomes an Act will apply to whole country except the State of Jammu and Kashmir. Note that J&K is one of the two States in India (excluding the North East and other tiny UTs) that has Hindus as minority – the 'non-dominant group' according to this Bill. Punjab is the other State where the Sikhs constitute the majority, while in the rest of the entire country it is the Hindus who constitute 'dominant group' and by implication the perpetrators of communal violence, according to this Draft Bill.

17. The mischief in the drafting primarily lies in the 'Definitions' part contained in Art.3 of the first chapter. Art. 3 (c ) defines Communal and Targeted Violence as under:-

"Communal and targeted violence" means and includes any act or series of acts, whether spontaneous or planned, resulting in injury or harm to the person and or property knowingly directed against any person by virtue of his or her membership of any group".

18. The mischief is centered round the word 'Group'. Art 3(e) defines what constitutes a Group.

"Group" means a religious or linguistic minority, in any State in the Union of India, or Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes within the meaning of clauses of the Constitution of India;

19. Having thus established that the individual member of the Minority community is always considered a part of the Minority group the Draft Bill goes on to add several detrimental clauses subsequently. Art.3 (f) defines ‘Hostile environment against a group thus:

"Hostile environment against a group" means an intimidating or coercive environment that is created when a person belonging to any group as defined under this Act, by virtue of his or her membership of that group, is subjected to any of the following acts:

(i) Boycott of the trade or business of such person or making it otherwise difficult for him or her to earn a living; or

(ii) Publicly humilitate such person through exclusion from public services, including education, health and transportation of any act of indignity; or

(iii) Deprive or threaten to deprive such person of his or her fundamental rights;

or,

(iv) Force such person to leave his or her home or place of ordinary residence or livlihood without his or her express consent; or

(v) Any other act, whether or not it amounts to an offence under this Act, that has the purpose or effect of creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment."

Note the Clause (v) – Any other act, whether or not it amounts to an offence under this Act. The intention here seems to be to make anything and everything an offence, even if it doesn't come under any definition of an offence. It is clear that the entire definition of hostile environment is malafide.

Clause (k) defines who is a 'victim'. Here the draft makers are very explicit:

"victim" means any person belonging to a group as defined under this Act, who has suffered physical, mental, psychological or monetary harm or harm to his or hr property as a result of the commission of any offence under this Act, and includes his or her relatives, legal guardian and legal heirs, wherever appropriate;

"Victim" can only be belonging to a 'group' as defined under this Act. And the group as defined under this Act is the Minority – the 'non-dominant group'. That means this act will consider only the Minority as the victims. And he or she will become a victim if he or she has suffered physical, mental, psychological or monetary harm Now, physical harm is measurable, mental harm is difficult to gauge, but how on earth can anyone define psychological harm? The Bill does not define it. Then how can be so-called psychological harm be one of the reasons for victimhood?

Similarly, Art. 4 (a) states as follows:

4. Knowledge. – A person is said to knowingly direct any act against a person belonging to a group by virtue of such person’s membership of that group where;

(a) He or she means to engage in the conduct against a person he or she knows belongs to that group;

20. Art 7 of the draft Bill defines 'sexual assault'. It is by far the most widely covered definition that is very much needed to protect women from becoming targets of sexual violence as part of communal violence. But against the problem is that this definition is applicable to the women belonging to Minority group and women of the Majority community cannot benefit from it. Secondly, it also states that in a case of communal violence sex by consent also can be construed as a crime.

21. Patriotic Indians now realize that the present draft Bill is a standing proof that neo Jinnah-ism – the belief that the minority is perpetually oppressed in India by the Hindu majority – is still poisoning our minds even today by mischievous minds.

22. The present Draft Bill will only promote disharmony. With these kind of laws the LeTs and Hujls across the border need not have to promote terrorism in our territory anymore. All that they need to do is to encourage a minor communal riot and they can achieve what they want – huge rift between the Majority and Minority communities.

23. Hence, the NAC, with Ms Sonia Gandhi as Chairperson, and other members have jointly committed offences under IPC Sections 153A & B, 295A, and 505(2).

24. It is significant that even well known persons of secular credentials have condemned this Bill as divisive. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Ms. J. Jayalalitha has in a Press Release dated July 29, 2011 [Annexed] has concluded that "the remedy sought [in the Draft Bill] to be provided against communal and targeted violence is worse than the disease itself".

25.Therefore, this complaint be taken as a basis to register an FIR and conduct investigation into the communal mentality of the NAC chairperson Ms. Sonia Gandhi and other members and take necessary action under the law to prosecute the offenders under the cited sections of the IPC.

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi facts

While these days Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi can’t speak a single sentence without mentioning Gujarat, back in 1998, as party general secretary, he had taken a pledge not to utter a word about his home state. A seasoned politician, Modi was clever to sense that any comment against his rivals would undermine his stature in the organisation. Instead, he regained the party leadership’s confidence — and the reins of the state — by distancing himself from the state. The BJP headquarters at 9, Ashoka Road, was his new home from where he carried out the work assigned to him.

“Mein ek shabd nahi bolunga,” he would often say, arguing, “I will confine myself to the job given by party.” His conferences would veer around India-Pakistan relations, the Kargil war or party programmes. He always exercised caution and clarity.

There was a reason behind his tactic. In 1995, Modi, known for his organisational skills and strategies, was almost driven out of Gujarat. The party was in turmoil in state. Senior leader Shankarsinh Vaghela had openly declared war against Keshubhai Patel. The relationship between Modi and Vaghela had soured. Rivals celebrated when he made his exit from Gujarat.

It made him more determined to display his capability on the national scene. But there was very little space for Modi to prove his mettle. And he always remained a low-profile leader who operated in the background. He was a shrewd politician. He made his moves cleverly without antagonising the power centres. He was clinical and methodical The party’s central leadership was clearly dominated by Atal Bihari Vajpayee and LK Advani. From 1995 to 1998, Modi was entrusted with the charge of five major states.

However, his organisational skills made the central leadership elevate him to general secretary between 1998 and 2001. 
During this time, once in a while, he would regale the media with popular jokes. Or make comments on issues related to national politics laced with sarcasm, but delivered with a straight face. As general secretary and chief spokesperson, he was often coaxed to comment on the state’s developments in vain. Endless questions asked in any form (in public or private) often ended with his favourite phrase: no comments.

In the early days, he occupied a small room in the headquarters’ backyard. Modi seated in his office penning down poems, with his assistant taking down notes was a common sight. He would spend several hours pursuing his passion for poetry and reading.

Getting any information out of him on intraparty matters was almost mission impossible. He would never deviate from his brief on the stated subject. Later when he became general secretary, he got a larger cabin that was done up with huge poster of a waterfall and greenery in the background.

He would receive individuals with a smile. But whatever the provocation, he would never disclose anything on Gujarat. “I can certainly offer you tea. But no information,” he would say.

Modi, who worked in isolation, always gave the impression of being a neutral leader. He was never tagged with the Vajpayee or Advani camps. As an organisational person, he shared an excellent rapport with Advani. At that time there was a perception that Arun Jaitley was his close friend and played a significant role in his Gujarat campaign.

After the 2001 Gujarat earthquake that exposed the cracks within the state BJP, leading to the exit of Keshubhai Patel, the central leadership took the decision to make Modi the chief minister. Life for Modi had come a full circle. And he broke his silence, renewing his pledge to devote himself to the people of Gujarat. And for last decade he has made Gujarat’sasmitha his mantra to ride to electoral success unchallenged in home turf.

2G note mystery Pranab offer to quit

When finance minister Pranab Mukherjee rushed down from Washington DC to New York to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on September 25, did he offer to resign?

Even as two of the senior-most cabinet ministers as well as the prime minister's office (PMO) were embroiled in the controversy surrounding a finance ministry note relating to spectrum allocation to 2G telecom operators, there is reason to believe that an exasperated Mukherjee said that he felt enough is enough and requested Singh to relieve him from the cabinet.

Official confirmation of this is unavailable.

Officially, the ministry of finance neither confirmed nor denied anything, although sources said that this was indeed the case.

Said Mukherjee: "Don't expect me to discuss with the media what transpired in my meeting with the Prime Minister." 

The finance minister is believed to have wanted to quit as he was upset over a section of the establishment's handling of the latest controversy.

However, both Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi swung into action to avoid a serious crisis that could have precipitated had events taken a different turn.

Gandhi met Mukherjee, a veteran Congressman and, by many measures, one of the most powerful and critically important ministers in the ruling UPA coalition's cabinet.

The two leaders had a 45-minute meeting during which Mukherjee is believed to have briefed Gandhi about the process behind creation of the note.

The party brass, said sources, asked Mukherjee, the leader of the ruling coalition in Lok Sabha, to concentrate on political measures to control and check any damage that could result as a consequence of the controversial 2G note.

Earlier, the finance minister had flown to New York, cutting short his stay in Washington DC, in order to specially meet the PM who was already there to attend the meeting of the United Nations General Assembly.

Top UPA sources claimed that Mukherjee expressed his dissatisfaction to Singh over the way a section of the top administration had dealt with the controversial background note that has now led to embarrassment for the government.

Mukherjee's meeting with the PM was followed by another meeting with national security adviser Shiv Shankar Menon, a key figure in the PMO.

After returning to New Delhi, the finance minister on Tuesday sent a letter to the PM that put on record what he verbally communicated to Singh about the process followed for preparing the background note.

The letter elaborates on how different meetings were held under the supervision of the cabinet secretariat and PMO officials.

It also points out one of Mukherjee's main area of disappointment: that the note is not a finance ministry document but a collective inter-ministerial effort.

2G scam a raja PM singh PC guilty

Former telecom minister A Raja continued to defend his actions in the 2G scam, alleging that he sought the opinion of the three highest government authorities, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, then Finance Minister P Chidambaram and then Solicitor General Goolam E Vahanavati before awarding licences to private companies.

Raja’s lawyer Sushil Kumar put forth the argument in the court of special judge O P Saini on Tuesday to counter the CBI’s primary charge of conspiracy and cheating against Raja.

Kumar argued that if the three top government representatives were aware of Raja’s actions ahead of the award of 2G licences, then how could he be the only accused in the ‘conspiracy’?

Bringing the focus back on the Prime Minister, Kumar said Manmohan Singh did not make any suggestions to constitute a GoM to examine the spectrum allocation issue. “In such case, PM Singh could also be held guilty of conspiracy and dereliction of duty for not forming a GoM to examine the spectrum allocation issue,” he said.

Raja’s counsel claimed his client had written to the PM on his decisions, and that the latter should not have approved if he thought there was anything wrong with the minister’s actions. “I wrote to PM Singh on background of all my decisions... So if he saw anything wrong in these decisions, he could have sat over it,” he said.

Claiming that he had only done what was required of him as telecom minister, Raja said, “Conspiracy is hatched only within a close- door. Whatever I have done are recorded on files. There are documentary evidences available in the department of telecom (DoT) files.

“The maximum I could be held responsible for is misconduct because whatever  decision I took was in discha­rge of my official duties as telecom minister,” he said.

He further explained why the conspiracy charge is not maintainable with the available evidences on record.

Kumar told the court that Raja joined the telecom ministry in May 2007. The TRAI recommendation for ‘no cap’ on number of applicants in a telecom circle came in August 2007 based on a reference made by the DoT before Raja joined the ministry. Of the two telecom companies under the scanner, Swan had applied for licence in March 2007 while Unitech did so in September that year.

However, the CBI had clubbed all four points into a conspiracy, without explaining how they are linked, Kumar argued in court.

“The dates of decisions taken to hatch conspiracy are not matching up. All the decisions are not linked up,” he said. “In such circumstances all those who have got 2G licences should be made accused,” he added.

Sachin can still score a Test ton at Lord's

 Having missed out on a century at the hallowed venue In his fifth attempt, it's highly unlikely that Sachin Tendulkar would ever feature in the famous Lord's honour board.

However, there's still hope for the little master. In 2013, the final of the inaugural World Test Championship will be staged at Lord's. If Tendulkar plays on till then, there's nothing to suggest he won't be able to, the maestro can still rewrite history.

When Tendulkar was trapped leg-before by James Anderson yesterday to end a scratchy 85-minute innings where he faced 68 balls and struck just the one boundary, the news feeds flung out headlines such as: 'Sachin misses last chance to score a 100 at Lord's' and 'Sachin fails to lord at Lord's, yet again' to name a few.

Tendulkar, who did score a hundred for the Rest of the World against MCC to raise money for the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fund in 1998, was left with a top score of 37 in nine Test innings at the 'home of cricket', made four years ago.

Ironically, Australia's Ricky Ponting and West Indies legend Brian Lara, the other two great batsmen of the last
twp decades, have also failed to make a Test century at Lord's.

Perhaps that's the motivation Tendulkar needs to play on till 2013? Only time will tell.

Tendulkar's record at Lord's (after five Tests)

Runs: 195, HS: 37, Ave: 21.66

Dayanidhi Maran resigns Union Cabinet

Union Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Maran, who was in the eye of a storm in the wake of the CBI's report to Supreme Court implicating him in the 2G spectrum scam, when he was the Telecom Minister, resigned from the Union Cabinet today. Maran met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after a Cabinet meeting and submitted his resignation.

Sun TV Network , which operates 20 television channels reaching 95 million households, saw its stock price plunge 6.62% to Rs 311 per share, while the SpiceJet stock fell 3.13% to Rs 30.95 per share on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). The companies are run by his brother Kalanithi Maran.

Maran is said to have persuaded former Aircel owner C Sivasankaran to sell his stake to Maxis. Malayasia-based Maxis Group is alleged to have invested over Rs 600 crore in Sun TV in exchange for awarding 14 telecom licences to Aircel.

Yesterday, the CBI placed a status report on the 2G scam probe in the Supreme Court in which it alleged that Maran had "forced" Aircel owner to sell its stakes in favour of a Malayasian firm which was granted spectrum licence.

Later, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni told reporters that Maran was present "like all of us were."

"There was no discussion about him or from his side," she said in reply to questions, adding that the press briefing was meant only to give out decisions taken at the cabinet meeting.

(With inputs from PTI)

Maran owns shares inRIL, RCom Ambani cos

Dayanidhi Maran, the Union Textiles Minister now under fire for allegedly favouring Malaysian telecom company Maxis with licences and spectrum and for running an illegal, free telephone exchange in Chennai for personal or family benefit, has declared assets  worth a meagre Rs 2 crore apart from significant shareholdings.

The disclosures follow a reminder from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) asking Cabinet ministers to declare their assets and business interests in the interests of transparency. Apart from Manmohan Singh, P Chidambaram, AK Antony, Pranab Mukherjee, Sharad Pawar, Murli Deora, Kapil Sibal, Kamal Nath, SM Krishna and Salman Khursheed, Maran is the other minister to disclose his assets so far, says a report in The Indian Express.

Maran and wife hold shares in companies owned by both the Ambani brothers. Reuters

The shareholdings declared by Maran are interesting. Maran and wife hold shares in companies owned by both the Ambani brothers, among them Reliance Industries, Reliance Natural Resources Ltd  and Reliance Communications (RCom), according to details given in the newspaper.

If Dayanidhi Maran is now under pressure to quit for his alleged sins when he was Communications and IT Minister from 2004-07, they largely relate to his actions in the telecom licensing and spectrum space.

It is not known whether he owned shares in RCom when he was minister, but if it’s true, that sends it own message of potential conflicts of interest.

Meanwhile, Maran’s misstatements and obfuscations are beginning to catch up with him. In a fresh disclosure on the free telephone exchange he gave himself when he was Communications Minister, the New Indian Express nailed him for claiming he had only one line.

Thursday’s story in the NIE quotes internal notes from Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) as disclosing as many as 323 lines, which were allegedly used by Maran and his brother’s Sun TV group illegally.

Maran’s days as Textiles Minister are numbered.

Jagan India’s richest politician lied

By Revathi Pogadadanda & VK Shashikumar, THL-Mediagrove

Last Friday, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, son of the late Andhra Pradesh Congress Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy, registered a thumping win over his hapless Congress rival in the Kadapa Lok Sabha by-election. Reddy, 39, polled 687,068 votes, yielding him an almost unheard of victory margin of 5,43,053 votes over Ravindra Reddy of the Congress.

Yet, this hyperpopular mandate – meant to prove that he is YSR’s true political heir – has been built on what looks like a fib. According to his election affidavit, Jagan Reddy is India’s richest Member of Parliament with declared assets (net of liabilities) valued at Rs 365 crore. His wife has properties, cash and jewellery worth Rs 47.25 crore (net of liabilities). That a mere MP can accumulate so much wealth is anyway cause for concern; that he has not disclosed all his assets – often held by proxies – shows how the powerful manipulate the system to accumulate wealth for their own ends.

What is going to earn him infamy is the fact that Jagan has misled the Commission about his assets. For example, he did not declare his palatial houses in Hyderabad and Bangalore worth over Rs 200 crore .

His house in HUDA Heights, Lotus Pond area of Banjara Hills, Hyderabad, is under construction. Jagan has cleverly concealed his ownership of a massive mansion in Bangalore, which has a private helipad. It is located in the Green Belt area of Yelahanka. This property is valued at over Rs 100 crore .

Jagan’s wealth would not have been problematic but for the speed with which he acquired it. In 2004, when Jagan’s father YSR Reddy was yet to become the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, he had only Rs 8.19 lakh of assets. Clearly, being the son of a Chief Minister is not injurious to one’s acquisitive streak.

Five years later (in 2009), by the time YSR completed his first term as CM, his son’s assets together with that of his wife had jumped to Rs 77.40 crore. Just two years later, he and his wife were worth Rs 410 crore. And we know he hasn’t disclosed everything.

While little is known about the Bangalore property, details of how Jagan acquired the plots in the HUDA Heights Lotus Pond area of Banjara Hills are now available with Firstpost.

The sale deeds reveal a well-worn style of operation used by people who have something to hide. Documents accessed by Firstpost investigation partner THL-Mediagrove reveal how four ‘front’ companies (companies that are typically created to shield against legal or tax liability without any seeming operations) of Jagan acquired six adjoining plots in this manner:

• Marvel Infrastructure purchased Plot 6 in Huda Heights for Rs 4.31 crore

Records show that Harish Chenna Veerappa Kamarthy is the key person in Jagan’s companies. He is a director in Marvel Infrastructure. The company came into existence on 31 January 2006 and the other director is Ramesh Babu.

Both the directors invested Rs 1,000 each and the capital is Rs 26.42 crore.

On 10 April 2008, the company purchased plot no 6 in HUDA Heights for Rs 4.31 crore (Rs 4,31,88,990 to be exact). Official records accessed on behalf of Firstpost reveal that Rs 20.24 crore was invested into this company by Classic Reality, while Sandur Power’s investment is Rs 1.35 crore and Silicon Builders invested Rs 4.80 crore. All the three companies are owned by Jagan.

Jagan directly invested Rs 3.05 lakh in shares of in this company.

• Harish Infrastructure purchased Plot 8 for Rs 4.10 crore

The company was created on 18 January 2007 with Harish Chenna Veerappa Kamarthy and Jagan’s wife Bharathi Reddy as its directors with an investment of Rs 4.98 crore.

On 28 January 2008, the company purchased plot no. 8 in HUDA Heights for Rs Rs 4,10,50,000 (Rs 4.10 crore). The shareholding pattern of this company, too, is interesting. While one of the directors, Harish Chenna Veerappa Kamarthy, invested just Rs 1,000, Jagan’s wife Bharathi Reddy invested Rs 98,000. Jagan’s Sandur Power invested Rs 4.97 crore.

The company lent Rs 40 lakh to an anonymous person in the 2007-08 fiscal year.

Documentation accessed by Firstpost’s partner THL-Mediagrove reveal that this company strangely does not have any operational expenditure that would naturally be incurred in running the company, including salary payment of its employees.

• Capstone Infrastructure purchased Plots 3 & 4 for Rs 4.47 and Rs 4 crore respectively

The company came into existence on 1 June 2007 with Harish Chenna Veerappa Kamarthy and AV Raju as its directors. Since inception, the company pays only Rs 25,000 towards the salaries of its employees, which is a poor reflection of the business operations of this infrastructure company.

Four months after its incorporation, on 13 October 2007, the company accomplished the purpose of its creation by purchasing plot no 4 in HUDA Heights for Rs 4 crore.

On 1 January* 2009, it spent Rs 4.47crore to purchase plot no. 3 in HUDA Heights.

Jagan’s Classic Realty has spent Rs 4.42 crore to acquire shares in the company.

Jagan’s Sandur Power – his key business interest apart from property – has invested Rs 1 lakh and Jagan’s Silicon Builders invested Rs 4.30 crore. The same company again invested Rs 1 crore and an anonymous company invested another Rs 70 lakh during this period.

• Utopia Infrastructure purchased Plots 2 & 7 for Rs 1.37 crore and Rs 3.76 crore.

Jagan’s uncle EC Gangi Reddy, aunt EC Suguna and his close associate B Ramesh Babu floated the company with just Rs 1 lakh on 12 June 2006.

Gangi Reddy and Suguna brought in Rs 50,000 each as their initial investment. A year after it was incorporated the company purchased a plot of land in HUDA Heights, Lotus Pond area of Banjara Hills, for Rs 3,76,63,000 (Rs 3.76 crore).

The company shows that in the 2007-08 fiscal year, it borrowed Rs 4.5 crore from ‘a’ company, the identity of which remains anonymous. In the year 2009-10, the company received Rs 1.80 crore as application money from Silicon Builders. But in reality, Silicon Builders is another front company of Jagan.

Except for Utopia Infrastructure, all of the above mentioned companies, which acquired the six plots of land in Banjara Hills, are mentioned in Jagan’s declaration of assets in his 2011 election affidavit. Capstone is indirectly mentioned through the ownership of Sandur Power and Classic Realty.

Jagan’s modus operandi is old-fashioned; open several companies, transfer funds from one company to another and use these front companies to acquire assets. In his 2011 election affidavit he has revealed his direct and indirect ownership of 11 companies. These are:

• Sandur Power
• Saraswati Power
• Carmel Asia Holdings
• Bharathi Cement Corp
• Kealawn Technologies Pvt Ltd
• Marvel Infrastructure
• Classic Realty
• Silicon Builders
• Swasti Power Engineering Ltd

Sandur Power Pvt. Ltd and Jagati Publication Limited (JPL) are Jagan’s flagship companies. JPL, in which Carmel Asia holds shares, operates his vast media business in Andhra Pradesh, including Sakshi TV Channel and Sakshi newspaper. At launch during the 2009 elections, JPL had managed to arm-twist many companies to invest in it, including Matrix Group, India Cement, Lanco, and, above all, B Ramalinga Raju, the Satyam promoter who is now in jail for mis-stating accounts and cheating investors.

A cursory glance at Sandur Power’s annual reports will show that it has several subsidiaries, such as:

• Classic Realty
• Harish Infrastructure
• Capstone Infra
• Silicon Builders

It is important to note that while Jagan has declared his shareholding status in all other companies in his 2011 election affidavit, he has not mentioned Utopia Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd.

It is clear from the manner in which these companies are structured that they are front companies of Jagan Reddy. Interestingly Jagan’s mouthpiece, Sakshi newspaper, on 9 September 2010 admitted the ownership of the HUDA Heights Lotus Pond (Banjara Hills) plots in the name of Jagan Reddy and Sharmila Reddy.

The newspaper report stated that Jagan owned 3,800 square yards (or 3,177.283 square metres) of the property in Banjara Hills, Hyderabad, and that his sister Sharmila Reddy owned 2,100 square yards (or 1755.867 square metres).

In effect, Jagan owns a 4,933.15 square metre plot in the poshest locality of Hyderabad. According to the current property rates in Hyderabad (if one goes by the current rate of Rs 5,737 per square feet in Banjara Hills) just the land price of this plot owned by Jagan Reddy is currently valued at Rs 30.46 crore.

But as mentioned earlier, the sale deeds of these plots show ownership in the name of four front companies of Jagan.

So Jagan’s fancy palace, rumoured to be the biggest house in Andhra Pradesh, is being constructed on Plots 2,3,4,6,7 and 8 of HUDA Heights, Lotus Pond (Banjara Hills).

Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy won from Kadapa Parliamentary Constituency and Pulivendula Assembly constituency respectively with record-breaking margins. PTI

The floor plans show 14 escalators, 10 lifts, a mini-theater of 200 seating capacity, libraries, squash court, gyms, marble flooring in about 60 rooms and bathrooms which are of the size of a single bedroom flat.

The current construction cost in Hyderabad’s Banjara Hills area is Rs 10,000 per square ft. So construction on Jagan’s 4,933.15 square metres, or 53,099.984 square feet, would cost Rs 53.09 crore.

Add to this the cost of the land currently valued at Rs 30.46 crore. According to the sale deeds the price paid for the acquiring the land is Rs 22.04 crore.

Jagan’s undeclared opulence is bound to taint his Kadapa by-poll victory because he deliberately with-held information on his massive properties worth hundreds of crore in Hyderabad and Bangalore.

Several political parties in Andhra have demanded a CBI enquiry. Senior TDP politician Yanamala Ramakrishnudu told THL-Mediagrove: “There should be a detailed CBI enquiry of his properties. He also resorted to a lot of Fema (Foreign Exchange Management Act) violations. Till 2004 he was a struggling industrialist with no profits from any of his companies; today he owns one of the biggest business empires in Andhra. His modus operandi is simple, abuse of power and benami transactions”.

Congress’s official spokesperson Tulasi Reddy feels Jagan’s property dealings are just the tip of a mammoth corruption iceberg. “His properties must be thoroughly investigated. No company has seen the share values increase so much. This is the heights of corruption. We demand a thorough investigation and necessary action has to be initiated”.

source-Thanks,
http://www.firstpost.com/