The Asian Chronicle Nov 17, Ist by The Asian Chronicle

Vol II, Issue XV November, 17 - Ist Issue Pages 08, Price Rs. 5/Faridabad (NCR)

Vol-1I, Issue-XV, Published for the period 01-15 November, 2017. Printed & Published by Virender for and on behalf of Karamvir Kamal (Owner) from 2569, Street No. 2, Jawahar Colony, N.I.T, Faridabad, Haryana and printed at Joy Printers, 3G-142, N.I.T. Faridabad-121001, Haryana. Editor Karamvir Kamal* (responsible for selection of news under PRB Act 1867). RNI No. HARENG/2016/67803. Executive Office: 431, Saraswati Vihar, Gurugram-122004, Haryana. Contact +91 9212 46 0446, 9899 73 1532, Email: asianchronicleindia@gmail.com.

email id: asianchronicleindia@gmail.com

Inside Pradyumna Murder Case:

Haryana Police failed to Clarify CBI The National capital and nearby area including the entire North India once again experienced the poisonous smog and smoke. The level of pollution is so high and lethal that people of Delhi fear to come out of home. By Anjan K Samal

Unprecedented killer smog terrorized the capital city again

CBI… is the Apex investigating Agency of our Country. When the common men look unsatisfied due to inaction of the Police and do not faith on the working style of the police department, then they opt and urge for the CBI enquiry. Politically CBI may be tagged as a caged Parrot of the sitting Government ,but still people of India have the ultimate faith on this biggest Investigating agency. CBI has proved its credibility once again by solving the Gurugram Murder Mystery of Pradyumna and proved it’s irony that Why is it different and better than the rest of the agency?

"Anti black money day is a joke..." -Swaraj Abhiyan Swaraj Abhiyan demands disclosure of action taken on big cases, SIT report on Black Money, cash deposits by political parties and leaders postdemonetization. ‘Anti Black Money Day’ is a joke, instead we need concrete action on black money, including on Paradise Papers expose.

travel

2 nation Haryana Police failed to Clarify CBI Haryana gearing up to Faridabad (NCR) November, 17 - Ist Issue

Pradyuman Murder Case:

Investigation of Haryana Police is in the pale

Karamvir Kamal CBI… is the Apex investigating Agency of our Country. When the common men look unsatisfied due to inaction of the Police and do not faith on the working style of the police department, then they opt and urge for the CBI enquiry. Politically CBI may be tagged as a caged Parrot of the sitting Government ,but still people of India have the ultimate faith on this biggest Investigating agency. CBI has proved its credibility once again by solving the Gurugram Murder Mystery of Pradyuman and proved it’s irony that Why is it different and better than the rest of the agency? At it’s absolute eagle glance completely reversed the case completely within just a few days of it’s investigation. Not only it reversed the case but also the Agency also searched out the culprit who is minor 11th class student of the same School. This findings of the CBI entirely refurbished the investigation Theory of the Haryana Police is quite laudable and spoken off.

The Police Investigation is also under the Cloud of Suspension

CBI investigation shows that Haryana Police has only investigated in a hurry and under pressure. Haryana Police arrested the Driver in hurry without investigating the matter in right direction to unveil the truth behind the Murder mys-

curb crime in the state and improve law and order situation

Dheeraj Kale

tery. The knife used in the murder as claimed by Haryana Police which was also recovered by them. The police again claimed that the knife was brought from Agra but it is shocked to know that the Driver had never gone to Agra. Police also questioned the boy who was convicted by the CBI. But the police could not catch his point.

Question marks on officials

Apart from SIT, top brass of Haryana Police also investigated the matter on their level. In addition to the inquiry officers, DCP- South Ashok Bakshi, DCPSumit Kihar, ACP ,Sohna -Bherhem Singh including the then In charge of Sohna Crime Branch Mr. Honeyf Qureshi also had interrogated the said

conductor. So, was this mere an eye wash to Media Houses by such Higher Police Authorities? Consequently this leads to suspicion on the functioning of SIT and so many officers involved with it.

CBI can take action against lax Police officials

The CBI claims that it has strong evidence of the accused and the driver is also an innocent .The CBI may approach the higher authorities of Haryana State Police department to take appropriate action against such lax police officials. In support of CBI probe, Gurugram's MLA Umesh Agarwal has also demanded strict action against these officials.

Over the years crime in Haryana has increased manifold including crime against women. The state government finally took some stern measures to curb crime and improve law and order situation in the state. The Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Manohar Lal, said that the government has decided to strengthen the police force by recruiting 4,500 constables, including 1,092 females, and fill up other vacancies of sub-inspector (both male and female) and DSPs. Speaking at the foundation stone laying ceremony of Haryana 100 Project, a Centralized Police Control Room at Panchkula, near here, today, he said the government has already recruited 6,100 police personnel through a transparent recruitment system (TRP) which was being appreciated by the

Haryana becomes Best farming technologies making the first state to agriculture profitable in the state treat Hepatitis-C TAC: Haryana Health Minister, Anil Vij said that Haryana has become the first state to treat Hepatitis-C patients of all categories through oral medicine. This has benefitted lakhs of patients in Haryana. Mr. Vij, who was speaking in a training workshop organised by the Department said that no patient in the state would suffer from HepatitisC disease. He said that for the first time, the State government has included oral medicine in government hospitals. This medicine would be provided free of cost to permanent residents of all categories at district level. The Minister said that Nodal Officers and Monitoring Officers have been deputed to ensure that Hepatitis-C patients would not suffer at any cost. He said that this medicine and treatment costs about Rs 28,000 to 30,000 in the market, but the State Government would provide this facility free of

cost. He said that this disease mostly spreads through infection and the blades used by barbers were also responsible in this direction. Therefore, efforts would be made to inspire barbers to use new blade for every customer. On this occasion, the Minister launched My State Health mobile application to provide information to doctors about health services. He also released a book titled ‘Standard Operating Procedure’ having detailed information about Hepatitis-C disease. The Minister said that Haryana would be first state where screening would be done of every person’s body and 35 to 40 necessary tests would be conducted by visiting houses of all residents. The full record of these tests would remain with the Department. Principal Secretary of the Department, Amit Jha also spoke on this occasion.

TAC Chandigarh: Emphasizing the significance of new technologies and experiments in agriculture and allied sector, Haryana Chief Minister, Manohar Lal said State government is adopting best farm technologies including micro-irrigation of Israel so as to make the agriculture profitable. A good combination of best practices of less land, less water and less cost can increase the productivity and make farming profitable. The Chief Minister was addressing the farmers after inaugurating country’s firsts ‘Integrated Bee-keeping Development Centre’ set up under Indo-Israel project under Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture at Ramnagar, Kurukshetra today. This project has been set up on 25 acres of land at a cost of Rs. 10.5 crore. Describing Israeli farm technologies as best, the Chief Minister said that four Indo-Israel Centre of Excellence in the areas of Vegeta-

bles, Fruits and bee-keeping had already been established in the state and two another such centres of fruits and dairy sector were under process. He urged the farmers to adopt best practices to make agriculture profitable. There are 13 bee-breeders in thise centre which would be increased to 32 by next year. State government is providing subsidy of Rs four lakh per bee-breeder He also appreciated the initiatives of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare Department under the leadership of Agriculture Minister, Mr O.P. Dhankar for replicating world’s best farm practices in Haryana for betterment of farming community. This would certainly help in realizing the vision of our Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi to double the income of farmers by year 2022, he added. The also exhorted the farmers let the traditional farming and adopt crop diversification as well as organic farming to earn more

profit on less land and increase soil fertility. Describing the present government as pro-farmer, the Chief Minister said that the state government had given Rs2450 crore as compensation to farmers during last three years, whereas about Rs1300 crore was disbursed by the previous governments during 48 years. Farmers are the backbone of our nation and it is our duty to empower and strengthen them, he added. The Chief Minister honoured 28 farmers on this occasion. He also invited the Ambassador to Israel to India Mr Daniel Carmon to participate in International Gita Mahotsav being observed in Kurukshetra from November 25 to 30, 2017. Speaking on this occasion, Ambassador to Israel to India Mr Daniel Carmon said that the objective to set up this centre was to empower the farmers. He said that Israel will hold a conference on Agro-technologies in May 2018.

people. Only eligible and qualified youth are being recruited, he added. The Chief Minister said at present, women constituted eight per cent of the total sanctioned strength of the Police Department and efforts were being made to increase it to 10 per cent by the end of this year. “We want to enhance this figure to 33 per cent,” he added. On this occasion, he announced the decision to give Rs.1200 in cash to the police personnel for buying woolen jackets, travelling allowance along with salary and free education facility to the wards of deceased police personnel in DAV Police Public Schools. Mr Manohar Lal urged the police personnel to suggest a name for the Centralized Police Control Room other than ‘Haryana 100’ or ‘Dial 100’. The best entry to be selected would get a prize of Rs 5,100.

China interested in investing in Haryana China has evinced keen interest in investing in Haryana in the fields of industrial infrastructure, steel industry, electronic and automobile projects. This view was expressed by a delegation from Hubei Province of China, led by the Vice-Governor, Mr Wang Xiaodong, which called on the Chief Minister, Mr Manohar Lal, in New Delhi. Lauding the state government for its achievement in the Ease of Doing Business in which Haryana reached second place, Mr Xiaodong said Haryana had emerged as one of the most preferred investment destinations for them in India. Chinese entrepreneurs, especially from Hubei, are getting more opportunities with the change of policies for the flourishing industrial and investment sector in Haryana.

Contact for Advt. 09212460446

issue

Faridabad (NCR) November, 17 - Ist Issue

Unprecedented killer smog terrorized the capital city again

Anjan K Samal The National capital and nearby area including the entire North India once again experienced the poisonous smog and smoke. The level of pollution is so high and lethal that people of Delhi fear to come out of home. Even the World Health Organization (WHO), NGT including the LG and Delhi High Court slapped the Delhi Government to act for providing relief to People from this killer Smog. As per the WHO guidelines the standard of Air Quality should be 2.5 but this year’s level accidentally increased to 10 times more than the minimum standard as prescribed. This thicken smog led to Air emergency in Delhi and NCR which turned Delhi into a Gas Chamber. Due to such extreme level of poor visibility Delhi seems stand still. The peak pollution level in the adjacent Ghaziabad also badly effects Delhi’s air. Many on going infrastructural constructions, Diesel Autos, Land fill sites including the nearby Sahibabaad Industrial Zone also have their above all contribution towards this worse condition level in Delhi. Visibility of Yamuna Express is so low that on last Wednesday(8th Nov) as

many as 20 got severe injured and hospitalized. When the killer smog speeded dangerously all over the sky of Delhi, Delhi turned to mute spectator by just following the lethargic style of Governance. Only after the strictures from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and Delhi High Court the AAP govt. started taking actions which is not at all enough to wipe out this killer smog. All most all the concerned agencies are in alert and alleged the Current Government in Delhi for such worst condition. Indian Medical Association (IMA) therefore declared the situation as the 1st ever Health Emergency in Capital and did instruct the honorable LG and the Chief Minister Arvind Kejariwal to close down all Public and Private Offices including all the educational institutes in Delhi and NCR. In this dangerous situation everyone’s breath in Delhi really stopped when coming out of home but how long you can wait sitting at home without going out of home. The situation is so worse that if you come out to breath on the streets of Delhi then you may be hospitalized or you may die. This is not new to for Delhi. It occurs every year during this particular period and leads to an extreme level and then only the gov-

ernment looks prompt in taking actions which is like when the bullet already fires out of your gun, it can not be reversed. As the trends of thick smog occurs on regular basis every year, why not the concerned authorities and the government show their promptness before it instead of laxity. Delhi government’s circular and guidelines also reach to all government institutions and private entities to come office with the precautionary masks and appeals the citizens of Delhi to roam with tightening the mask on face. This guide lines also effect many people’s livelihood and especially it effects the poor and down trodden. Delhi Govt’s directions not to come out of home if there is no such emergency effects badly to people who are home less, poor people in Capital’s Jhuggi Clusters including thousands in front of AIIMS who are living temporarily for their treatments. Vehicle emissions and dust from construction sites in Delhi have been blamed for the spike, besides firecrackers and farm burnings. The Delhi government blamed the centre for not stepping in to stop the burning of stubble of wheat and other grain in neighboring Punjab and Haryana. As per a little R&D of TAC, it is unveiled that common poor in Jhuggi-Clusters like in Kathputli Colony and another one opposite to the CNG-Petrol Pump, Lado Sarai who already have become homeless and living under the open sky by both PWD and DDA with their order of unwanted demolition in the name of Socio-

economic Development. These are not at all part and parcel of their illegal encroachment as these Jhuggi Clusters are authorized and these people have been living here with all of their permanent residential documents like Voter-ID and Ration Cards including Water and Electricity Bills. Team TAC , in search of such must effected part of this year’s killer smog when reached a Jhuggi Cluster opposite to the CNG Petrol Pump at Lado Sarai in South Delhi found a lady with her children and shocked by the statement given by this Lady named Mira. When TAC did ask the lady about their lives under open sky in an demolished Jhuggi Cluster, Mira replied that Yes, I along with as many as 100 of people are bound to live here as we have no home and we have no option but to live here breathing this killer smog because we are poor and no body listens us. He again looked us and replied with her crying voice that sir, this ‘patta’ (Mask) which costs minimum 30-50 rupees is a day long expenses for our livelihood. How can we able to purchase it to protect us from this poisonous air in Delhi. Therefore, Delhi government should think about these sections of people whose lives are also valuable like other human beings in this Capital City of India. If this government is really the government of common men, then why not the government is distributing Masks free of cost along with some precautionary

Medicines. Thousands of people come to Delhi everyday for their livelihood along

with many beggars and sellers roam near each and every Red light. Who cares them, Let them Die. The reality on ground that these sections of people are the most vulnerable groups. They barely need the help from the government and concerned government agencies. It is reported that not the government but some individuals and some social groups were seen distributing such masks free of cost to these unfortunate sections of people. This is not mere a situation but just like a tight slap on the face of good governance that always the AAP Government claims.

ASSOCHAM sends SOS to govt. seeking innovative solutions Toxic air might drive away highly-skilled expats from NCR Expressing anxiety over the dangerously unhealthy air quality levels in the National Capital Region (NCR), apex industry body ASSOCHAM today urged the Centre and governments of Delhi, Haryana and Punjab to establish a clear strategy for aggressively tackling air pollution. “Different ministries, departments as well as universities, research institutions and organisations alike must come together and also engage top-tier professionals to chart out a systematic, clear timetable and roadmap for tackling air pollution and curbing its causes thereby improving Delhi’s air quality,” said ASSOCHAM in a SOS message sent to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) along with government of Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. “Delhi is facing an emergency situation but there is hardly any intention or commitment seen to address the problem as such innovative solutions like using mist cannons, creating a special force to check construction activi-

ties, vehicular pollution, rubbish burning and other factors is the need of the hour,” said ASSOCHAM secretary general, Mr D.S. Rawat. “Increasing air pollution can take a toll on the urban economy by cutting short life span of people thereby increasing healthcare costs to the government, drive away top executives and talented people to other cities with better air quality thereby negatively affecting Delhi’s ability to attract highlyskilled expatriates, severely impact inflow of investments and hit sectors like tourism, hospitality, outdoor recreation and others,” said Mr Rawat. “Promoting use of more efficient and less polluting energy sources, restricting growing number of vehicles and stringent enforcement of pollution laws will help in smooth transition to a more environment-friendly economy in the long-term,” he added. The ASSOCHAM’s secretary general further said that cooperation across various fields is a must to achieve more targeted measures in reducing air pollution.

events/ party

Faridabad (NCR) November, 17 - Ist Issue

Arty Evening

Pushpa Bagrodia, Shekhar Sen Recently Inaugurated was a solo show ‘Shwet-Syam’ by a 75 year old artist Pushpa Bagrodia. The Ongoing show is presented by Creativity Art Gallery and Curated by Uma Nair. The Chief Guest for the evening was the eminent singer-actor-musician and Padma Shri recipient Shekhar Sen. Many other renowned artists were spotted at the opening to name a few were Sudip Roy, Bipasha Sen Gupta, Malvika Gaur, Shekhar Jhamb, Shovana Narayan.

Malavika Gaur & Sudip Roy

Sanjay Singh, Soniya Singh

Santosh Bagrodia, Mukul Agarwal

Stary Night

Sahil Malhotra, Resham Chawla & Anuj Lalwani

Shekhar Jhamb, Parull Mahaajan

Recently Spotted was the star cast of the upcoming Bollywood Film Ram Ratan. Actor Rishi Bhutani and Actress Daisy Shah Visited The Bottleyard at MGF Metropolitian Mall, Saket owned by Shashank Malik. The Actors went at the DJ Console and Danced on one of the track from the movie. Delhi’s Socialites were also spotted taking Selfie’s with the star cast to name a few were Amit Talwar, Mia Lakra, Preity Kapoor, Ratika Vaish.

Sumit Ghosh, Uma Nair

Miss and Mrs Glam Fit 2017 Recently Resham Chawla Hosted a Glamorous Sundowner Party at 52 Janpath Kitchen Bar and Courtyard with all her contestants, Groomers and associates for Curves Alive – Miss and Mrs Glam Fit 2017. She also took this opportunity to give small workshop sessions to the con-

Jacqualine & Kiara

Nishant Chawla, Kadambini Chawla

testants by Shikha Sharma and Anuj Lalwani. The evening was well enjoyed by all the guests with delicious starters and innovative mocktails. Many well known names from the industry were present to name a few were Varun Katyal, Juhi Krishnani, Edna Rose, Prashant Goel.

Resham Chawla

Shashank Malik, Ashutosh Kaushik

Rohit Chauhan

Shaloni Singh Aakash Deep

Prashant Goel

Kavita Motwani, Rahul Gandhi

Ankit Nagpal, Mayank Malik

Umesh Kapoor, Preity Kapoor

Rishi Butani, Daisy Shah

Sahil Malhotra, Shikha Sharma

Sarika Dhawan, Mannu Kalra

Mehak Karra, Srishti Juneja

travel

Faridabad (NCR) November, 17 - Ist Issue

Honeymooners' Delight Setting the wedding date is never an easy task and so is deciding the honeymoon dates and destination. This time of the year is the best time to get hitched. This is the ideal season and perfect time to begin your love journey. Winter Weddings are unique and special in many ways. One gets to explore the best treasures, glory and colors of our country during this season. Ideal time to unwind, relax and rejuvenate after a hectic days of preparation, family get reunion, endless mehendi and sangeet nights, cocktail parties and endless gossips with cousins and friends; not to forget the ‘ Shop till you drop’ wedding shopping before the ‘ D –Day’. Honeymoon Days is the beginning of a beautiful journey; it is a silent escape to tranquility and togetherness after hustles of marriage. So I have compiled a list of 5 winter honeymoon destinations that will guarantee a quixotic honeymoon amid the warm winter hues:

have been visiting ‘Lesser known places in Kashmir’ like Chatpal, Karnah, Watlab and Gurez.

2. Jaisalmer- Rajasthan, India

This 'Golden City’ is located close to the Pakistan border and in close proximity to the Thar Desert. This city is in the state of Rajasthan and Heart of Thar. Jaisalmer is for those who wish to celebrate their love and togetherness amidst art, culture and array of perky colors. For couples who believe in fairytales with royal touch and grandiose beginnings. Let the warmth of sand dunes mirages invoke the poet in you and make you paint a beautiful picture of love.

5. Munnar and Alleppey- Kerala, India

Munnar is an idyllic hill station, known for its tea estates, exotic scenery, misty mountains abundance of flora and fauna and luxurious resorts. These two gems in the God’s own country–Kerala, boast of some of the most ideal winter honeymoon experiences, besides their ayurvedic experiences.

Best Honeymoon Experiences: Explore the serenity of Tea plantations – especially the Kolukkumalai Tea Estate. Other than the famous safari to Eravikulam National Park, hike along the exotic wildlife in the hills ,trek to Anamudi Hills and backwater cruises in Kerala on a houseboat in Alleppey.

Best Honeymoon Experiences beaches, colonial forts and renowned churches. Couples could explore both beach and heritage attractions. Newlyweds can witness the captivating diorama of sun, sand and the sea. Couples could immerse themselves in the immense beauty and tranquility. Other than the forts and cathedrals famous attractions are Mirasol Lake Garden, Ghogla Beach, Jampore Beach, Jalandhar, and Chakratirth beaches. Couples could also take pleasure in sitting at side by the giant waterfall; take a tranquil walk through Island gardens in Damanganga Tourist Complex.

3. Kashmir- Jammu and Kashmir, India

No metaphors, no travel blogs, no stories can replace the experience of paradise in itself- Our Mini Switzerland- Kashmir. Srinagar is a hotspot hill station in India that fetches travellers from all parts of the world. With snow-covered peaks in the background and heavy snowfall, Srinagar looks amazing during the white glow of winters.

Best Honeymoon Experiences

Sandhya Pathak

One could experience the unique beauty of the Echo Point which marks the confluence of three mountain ranges, Mudrapuzha, Nallathanni, and Kundala For couples keen on photography, Photo Point is a quaint place away from the city, famous sightseeing and filming destination

4. Daman and Diu- Gujarat, India

Daman and Diu known as a twin island is known for its natural splendor. The massive forts, magnificent cathedrals, and other impressive monuments of Daman & Diu exude the subtle old world charm of its colonial era.

Best Honeymoon ExperiencesTourist attractions in Daman & Diu are comprised of picturesque sun-bathed

Laze around in a houseboat and soak in the panoramic beauty of snow clad Himalayas in Dal Lake, explore the Mughal Gardens and frozen lakes, learn preparing Kashmiri Wazwan, shop around for woolen and pashmina. Skiing in Gulmarg is another adventurous activity couples could be interested in. Other than popular spots like Pahalgam, Gulmarg, and Sonmarg, modern travellers

Other than desert safari, camping and bonfire among the sand dunes; couples feel the warmth of royal love in the quaint havelis, forts and palaces; celebrate your love amidst the festivals, folk music, dance, arts and craft of this mesmerizing winter honeymoon destinations in India. Famous tourist attractions include Jaisalmer Fort, Patwon Ki Haveli, Sam Sand Dunes, The Thar Heritage Museum and Gadisar Lake.

1. Coorg-Karnataka, India

Located in Karnataka, Coorg is also known as the Scotland of India. Embark on a journey to the misty Coorg, known for its aromatic coffee plantations. The romantic weather and beautiful landscape of this place will perfectly compliment your amorous mood.

Best Honeymoon Experiences Coorg is ideal for couples who enjoy trekking. They could get some splendid romantic pictures with plenty of backdrops at Iduppi and Abeyy Waterfalls. One could plan a homestay at the plantation to wake up to aroma of high quality coffee.Elephant Camp, Tibetan Monastery and Pusphagiri Wildlife Sanctuary is other popular spots. Other dream destinations in India are Shimla, Kohima, Nainital, Ooty, Darjeeling, Manali, Lakshadweep, Udaipur, Kovalam, Kodaikanal, Andaman, Agra, Gangtok, Pushkar, and Goa. Plan your honeymoon this winter in India and create happy memories that you will cherish forever.

opinion

Faridabad (NCR) November, 17 - Ist Issue

Patel: Life, Message and His Eternal Relevance “Work is worship but laughter is life. Anyone who takes life too seriously must prepare himself for a miserable existence. Anyone who greets joys and sorrows with equal facility can really get the best of life.” This statement can easily be mistaken as a thoughtful musing of a spiritual saint who has renounced the world, and has dedicated his life to a greater cause. It is difficult to believe that the aforementioned is one amongst many non-political quotes of the iron man of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

EARLY LIFE & PEASANT STRUGGLE

Guru Prakash The author is working as a Senior Research Fellow at India Foundation, New Delhi. Views expressed in the article are author’s personal. (Source”PIB)

Born as one amongst five brothers and sisters in a peasant family of Ladbai and Jhaveribhai Patel in village Nadiad in Kaira district of Gujarat, Vallabhbhai was set for a far greater cause of independence and integration of independent India. In his formative years, his mother has had a profound impact on his psychology. Like in a normal rural setting, the mother would gather all her children and narrate stories from Ramayana and Mahabharata. While it impacted the spiritual quotient of young Patel, it was his father who introduced him to the world of peasantry. Young Vallabhbhai used to accompany his father to the fields and eventually became an expert in land tilling and cattle tending, two important aspects of cultivation. Such was his affection to his peasant ancestry that once an American journalist asked him about his cultural activities, to which he retorted, “Ask me another. My culture is agriculture”. The first spate of struggle that brought Patel to public life was primarily his journey as a peasant leader. His foray into public life and eventually into the freedom movement was possible through successful satyagrahas in Barod and Kheda, wherein he through his exceptional skills in leadership and consensus building brought the British government on knees to agree to the demand for the withdrawal of exorbitant increase in revenue.

Statesmanship and Political Acumen

Sardar Patel belongs to the legion of leadership who effectively contributed both to the freedom struggle, and guided the project of national reconstruction following independence. “We worked hard to achieve our freedom; we shall have to strive harder to justify it”. Patel was clearly conscious of the fact that independent India needed a steel frame to run its civil, military,

and administrative bureaucracy. His faith in institutional mechanisms like having an organized command based army and a systemized bureaucracy proved to be a blessing. It was Patel who sent Indian navy to the port of Lakshadweep at an appropriate time, as Pakistan was equally keen to occupy the strategically important islands. One can only imagine what would have been the plight had our neighbours succeeded in her plans. He also pre-empted the relevance of Independent Tibet as a buffer state between India and China, as can be found in his correspondence with Pt. Nehru.

RSS and Sardar Patel

In a letter dated July 16th, 1949 to TR Venkatarama Sastri, Sardar Patel says, “I was myself keen to remove the ban at the earliest possible opportunity…. I have advised the RSS in the past that the only way for them is to reform the congress from within, if they think the congress is going on the wrong path”.

In another correspondence the second sarsanghachalak of RSS MS Golwalkar writes to Sardar Patel, “I have decided to meet friends like Venkatarama ji etc. After meeting him and after attending to preliminary details with regard to our work, I shall do my best to call on you. I have learnt with sorrow that there has been some deterioration in your health. This indeed has given me much anxiety. The country is in so much need of your able guidance and service. I pray god to grant you long and healthy life. I hope till the time I shall be able to meet you; you would have much improved in your health. Some innermost feelings of heart are inexpressible through the medium of language. I am having such experience while I am writing this letter to you. The communication establishes the fact that Sardar was open to the idea of ‘conversation without confrontations’. There is a pertinent need to move beyond rhetoric; which can only be made possible through independent research on the subject.

“Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is perhaps the only pragmatist in the Gandhi, Nehru, Patel trio who were the most important people especially in the run-up to independence and immediately afterwards. Most Indians do not realize that the map of India would not look anything like it does today had Patel not contributed to it. Without him, large chunks of India would have broken away through malicious intent. He almost single-handedly prevented this balkanization from happening. The one place where Patel could not entirely implement his wise policies is Kashmir, and we are paying the price for that even today. Next to Gandhi, and sometimes even better than the Mahatma, Patel understood the grassroots ethos and culture of India. If he would have lived even for a decade after independence, possibly many of India's persistent issues would have been resolved”, observes Hindol Sengupta, author of the upcoming Patel biography The Man Who Saved India.

nation

Faridabad (NCR) November, 17 - Ist Issue

"Anti black money day is a joke..." - Swaraj Abhiyan

Anjan K Samal Swaraj Abhiyan demands disclosure of action taken on big cases, SIT report on Black Money, cash deposits by political parties and leaders post-demonetization. ‘Anti Black Money Day’ is a joke, instead we need concrete action on black money, including on Paradise Papers expose “The government must rollback retrograde changes in political funding laws, instead make new laws to check black money. The ‘Paradise Papers’ expose carried out by the The Indian Express, in collaboration with a German newspaper and the International Consortium of Journalists (ICIJ), once again reveals the extent of black money menace and the lack of political will to take it on. By now it is clear that the Modi government that rode to power on widespread popular anger against corruption and black money has let the people down and is actively collaborating in covering up rather than uncovering black money. In this context, celebrating ‘AntiBlack Money Day’ on the anniversary of demonetization is nothing but a cruel joke on the people of this country”, Swaraj India Urges “Modi Government that rode to power on anti-corruption and antiblack money sentiment is interested in covering up rather than uncovering black money. Government has failed to act on documented cases of black money involving Sterling Biotech, Adani Power, Essar, Mukesh Ambani, Anil Ambani. Instead it has secured black money route for political funding by legalizing anonymous and unlimited corporate donations”, as Swaraj India alleges the NAMO Govern-

ment. Swaraj India Pointed out a set pattern by now. Instead of taking proactive and concrete action, the government reacts only to these leaks that come out from time to time “yelled by Swaraj India. Swaraj India again blamed the Union Government of India that whether it is the leaks about the account in the Liechtenstein banks or in the HSBC bank or the Panama papers or Paradise papers, every time the government defends its own people and says that it has set up some task force or the other. Thereafter we don't know what happens. We have not seen any details of any accounts of Indians abroad obtained by the government on its own proactively or any amount recovered or any culprits jailed. In the row of allegations, Swaraj India made some valuable points that the Paradise Papers, and Panama Papers earlier, present another example of how big corporate and the ultra-rich of various countries move their money to tax havens and out of their countries through shell companies and trusts created for this purpose. Siphoning off funds of corporations to tax havens in this manner is today arguably the biggest business in the world involving amounts in excess of $100 billion a year. It is a malaise, which lies at the root of corruption, black money. These two exposes reveal a standard modus operandi. Swaraj India also unveiled the failures of Modi Government by stating that the Modi government’s failure to tackle black money is quire evident from some of these cases: Indian power companies like Adani and Essar directly import the coal/equipment from the OEMs

(Original Equipment Manufacturers), based mostly in China. The foreign intermediary company is wholly controlled/ owned subsidiary of these Indian Companies, set up solely for the purpose of generating two sets of invoices for such imports. The invoices generated by the OEMs on the intermediary company reflect the actual price of the imports. The invoices generated by the intermediary company on the Indian Companies are inflated almost to the extent of 400%. The amount of over-valuation is the illegal profit generated by the promoters of the Indian Companies, in the garb of costs, which is siphoned out by their subsidiary intermediary foreign companies, into accounts owned by the promoters situated mostly in tax havens. The Income Tax Department is also unable to tax huge profits since such amount is absorbed by the foreign intermediary company, incorporated in tax havens such as UAE, Mauritius, leading to the evasion of of tax of thousands of crores of rupees. For more than 3 years since May 2014 the DRI sat over this matter, after the initial Show Cause notices which detailed the entire modus operandi of over invoicing through shell companies and money laundering to tax haven accounts owned by the relatives of the promoters. However after The Guardian UK published a detailed and very embarrassing story about this issue, the Adjudicating Officer of the DRI passed in order saying that this does not amount to over invoicing citing some absurd reasons.

Complaint against Mukesh Ambani The Indian High Commission in Singapore made a starting disclo-

sure to the Government of India in a letter dated 31st August 2011. The High Commission had stated that Rs 6,530 crores have come into India from Bio Matrix Marketing Ltd., a one room company in Singapore that does not do any business. It was pointed out that this is a company with no assets, no equity and does not file an income tax returns in Singapore claiming to be a small company. Yet, this huge investment by this company of Rs 6530 crores is the single biggest FDI into India from Singapore. The High Commission had stated that all this money has gone into Reliance group of companies in India with the major chunk going to Reliance Gas Transportation Infrastructure Ltd which is a company 100% owned by Mr. Mukesh Ambani personally. We had, therefore, made a detailed complaint on 8th July 2014 to the SIT on Black Money but still not action has been taken. (A copy of this complaint to SIT is enclosed as Annexure D)

Complaint against Anil Ambani CBI in its chargesheet in the 2G scam had confirmed that Swan Telecom was set-up by Reliance Telecom owned by Anil Ambani. We all know that as consideration of the transfer of Swan Telecom to Balwa and Goenka, they could not have directly transferred the money to Anil Ambani companies since that would have exposed the fact that Swan Telecom was owned by Reliance. Hence a circuitous route had to be followed. I had therefore found and complained to SIT on Black Money on 18th July 2014 that M/s AAA & Sons Enterprises (an Anil Ambani company) received a huge sum of US $750 million from a company EMITS Singapore in December 2007, which was later transferred to other Anil Ambani owned Reliance group companies. The entire amount transferred by EMITS Singapore was not used for any project by the AAA & Sons but only transferred to other group companies. (A copy of this complaint to SIT is enclosed as Annexure E). Though this was also a transparent case of money laundering by taking funds abroad and then bringing them back to India circuitously, no action was taken even on this complaint, which was backed by all documentary evidence.

Finance Act Amendments: Instead of taking action on such clear cases of siphoning of funds through over invoicing, and corrup-

tion and instead of using that money and bringing the culprits to book, the Modi government has made many retrograde amendments to the laws dealing with political funding in order to allow foreign companies and Indian corporates to donate unlimited anonymous funds to political parties.

Swaraj India demands: If this government is at all serious about the menace of black money, it should take some immediate steps and carry out some long-term changes in the legal framework instead of sham exercises like ‘Anti Black Money Day’. One of us (Prashant Bhushan) had, in fact, written a letter to Prime Minister Modi as far back on 23.06.2014 pointing out the steps that need to be taken to tackle black money. (A copy of the letter is enclosed as Annexure F). The letter had suggested the following changes in the legal framework. First, a new law, or an amendment to an existing law (such as the Prevention of Money Laundering Act), requiring all Indian citizens to disclose all their assets and liabilities, including their stakes in companies or trusts registered abroad, needs to be introduced. Second, any income or assets that are not disclosed in the required form would be deemed to be “proceeds of crime”, and included as ‘predicate offences’ defined under the UNCAC. Third, instruments such as participatory notes and anonymous investments by funds or shell companies need to be disallowed with immediate effect. In the case of investments made in the name of a company or a trust, the major stakeholders of the company, or the trustees of the trust, must be determined and duly recorded, before the investment is allowed. We therefore demand that The government must rollback the retrograde amendments made in the finance act of 2016 and 17 relating to FCRA as well as the funding of political parties, including Electoral Bonds. A law must be passed on the lines suggested above requiring all citizens to declare their foreign Assets and providing for confiscation of all undisclosed assets.

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Faridabad (NCR) November, 17 - Ist Issue

Whose Taj Mahal is it anyway?

Vikas Pandey | BBC The claim: An Indian MP and some right-wing groups claim that the iconic Taj Mahal is a Hindu temple. Vinay Katiyar from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) recently asked the government to change the name and identity of the monument and acknowledge that a Hindu ruler built it. His statement has been widely reported in the media, prompting many right-wing groups to support him. Reality Check verdict: There is no convincing evidence to back the claim. Instead the vast majority of historians and the Indian government agree that the mausoleum is a fine example of Indo-Islamic architecture.

Who built it?

India's official recorded history says that Mughal (or Mogul) ruler Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal in memory of his queen, Mumtaj Mahal. The Mughals, who originally came from Central Asia, ruled most of what is now India and Pakistan in the 16th and 17th Centuries. The Mughal empire consolidated Islam in South Asia, and spread Muslim arts and culture as well as the faith through the region. And the Taj Mahal epitomises their love for fine craftsmanship. The Archaeological Survey of India, the custodian of the country's monuments, describes the Taj Mahal as "the pinnacle of Mughal architecture". The government's official Taj Mahal website also says "the period of Mughal archi-

tecture best exemplifies the maturity of a style that had synthesised Islamic architecture with its indigenous counterparts". "By the time the Mughals built the Taj, though proud of their Persian and Timurid roots, they had come to see themselves as Indian," it adds. Historian Rana Safvi told the BBC that "there is no question" of revisiting the history of the Taj Mahal, and that there is no evidence a temple ever existed on the site. "There was a haveli [mansion] owned by Hindu ruler Jai Singh which existed before the Taj was built there. "Shah Jahan officially bought the haveli from him. An official farman [order] was issued about this and it still exists. The farman also shows that the Mughals were

very particular about recording their deeds and history," she said. Ms Safvi says a book titled Taj Mahal: The Illumined Tomb by WE Begley and ZA Desaihas compiled an anthology of these documents. "From such books I realised how well-documented the building of the mausoleum was. I use these translations to present my arguments that the Taj Mahal was built on the land where Raja Jai Singh had a mansion and that there is no mention of any religious building on that land," she said. Another noted historian, Harbans Mukhia, agrees with Ms Safvi. "Recorded history proves beyond any doubt that the Taj Mahal was built by Shah Jahan in memory of his queen," he said. School text books and various government websites also describe the monument as an example of Indo-Islamic architecture.

The temple theory So where does this temple theory come from? Mr Katiyar is not the first person who has demanded that the history of the Taj Mahal should be changed. The late right-wing historian PN Oak called the monument Tejo Mahal in his 1989 book titled Taj Mahal: The True Story. He argued in the book that the monument was originally a Hindu temple and palace built by a Rajput ruler. Mr Oak believed that Emperor Shah Jahan seized the structure after a battle, and later renamed it the Taj

Mahal. Writer Sacchidananda Shevde, who worked closely with Mr Oak, told BBC Marathi that the government should appoint a team of experts to "uncover the truth". "Taj Mahal is not a piece of Muslim architecture. It's original Hindu architecture," he said. But the government's official Taj Mahal website says the monument represents "a style that combines elements from Persian, Indian, and Islamic architectural styles".

The architecture question Both Mr Katiyar and Mr Shevde argue that the Taj Mahal comprises a number of Hindu architecture symbols. "There is a crescent moon on the pinnacle of the Taj. In Islamic culture, the moon is tilted, this crescent moon is not tilted, it's related to the Shaivaite [Followers of Hindu god Shiva] culture," Mr Shevde says. "There is also a kalash [pitcher] on the pinnacle, there are mango leaves and inverted coconut in it. These are all Hindu symbols. Flowers and animals are prohibited in Islamic culture, yet they are used in Taj's construction," he added. Mr Mukhia rejects these claims. "Architecture always evolves and imbibes influences from many cultures.

Mughal architecture is no different. The kalash is an important symbol for Hindus, but you also see it in Mughal monuments, including the Taj Mahal. Leaves and flowers have also been depicted in many Mughal buildings," he told the BBC.

Why now? For decades, the Taj Mahal has been used in official tourism campaigns to attract travellers from all over the world. The story of Shah Jahan and Mumtaj Mahal has been used by poets and writers to describe love. So what does Mr Katiyar stand to gain by his claims? His comment coincides with the rise of Hindu nationalism in India. Several BJP politicians have given provocative statements about restoring "Hindu pride" since the BJP came to power in 2014. Mr Katiyar's latest statement also appears to be targeted at the people who believe in Hindu nationalism. Such statements also help politicians deflect people's attention from real issues like job creation and the health of the economy. Though the government has not endorsed his views, rightwing groups are more than happy to follow his lead. One such group recently demanded that they should be allowed to offer Hindu prayers at the Taj Mahal.