And this is the Govt. that believes in Right to Information and Whistle Blowers Act!

I was watching the interaction of the present Telecom Minister on the TV channel Times Now and have to agree broadly on what the Minister said.  After all, it is difficult to argue with the Minister given his intellectual capacity, his verve and his politico-lawyer speak.  But then I do have certain points to make.
Before, let me put my personal beliefs (as on date) on record:

• This Prime Minister, MY PRIME MINISTER, is one whose integrity is impeccable and cannot be questioned by anyone.  I would gladly stand in front of him and take-the-bullet, if his personal integrity is questioned; God forbid, I’d even go as far as to stand in front of a Bench of the Supreme Court of India to guarantee his integrity.

8-O

• My quarrel with him have always been about his unutilised intellectual capacity for the good of the ‘common people’.  Note that I don’t say the nation, because what is good for the nation may not always be good for the common man.  This dude was the one who pulled us out of the financial mess in 1991 by pledging our Gold Reserves and my regret is that he is not making any such brilliant moves now that he is the PM - why I heap insult on his policies by calling him a ‘BuBu’ - Bureaucratic Bungler.
• Second, I still hold that the alleged telecom scam is ‘alleged’.  I still hold the former Telecom Minister to be innocent.  The reasoning is as follows:
  • The CAG report, as is all audit reports, is one of perfect 20/20 hindsight.   I’ve experienced, from people in policy making positions to people involved in less transformative but day to day jobs, people who have been involved in safety of cargo, safety of their own life and safety of life of others or safety of vessels, act in manner which have later turned out not to be the optimum solutions.  In such cases, I’ve seen that involved people have acted thus, following their training, or precedence or in their best judgement as the person-on-the-spot.
• Thus for me, the former Telecom minister is innocent until proven guilty - by investigation, and further in the court of law.  But then I also believe that the subject minister should have kept himself out of the picture, once allegations arose. 
  • Given that, if it was me (the former Telecom Minister), the day the allegations broke out, would have stated that I am not going to attend office, but will not give up the portfolio and hand over the charge to the junior minister, by a Power of Attorney, if needed - a precedence, but a novel mad.madrasi idea.

That said, let me rip my Sibu mama a few:
>:-E
Again, before that, a qualification: 

• Dr. Swamy indeed jumped the gun asking for ‘sanction’, and as reasoned above, and as the minister stated on TV, sanction can only occur or be accorded after an investigation and a charge/indictment.

To get back, In that interview Mr. Sibal said:

• Should a PM, CM or a Minister reply on every letter of a citizen (he qualified it with politically prejudiced person)?
  • Why not?  Isn’t that what democracy is all about?  The US President Obama, a very few weeks back, here in India, took questions from college teens, where he was specifically, pointedly asked about Pakis sponsoring terrorism.  What if he has said what you are saying Mr. Minister?
• Why should the PM act on press reports, internet reports or comments?
  • What is the whistle blowers act, Mr. Minister?  Who should a whistle blower blow his whistle to?  I am sorry, Mr. Minister, but you did yourself, your government, our party and all of us citizens great harm by taking that line. 
  • Since you are the education minister too, let me put it in perspective.  If there are rumours of a teacher (sexually) molesting a student, who should the ‘hearer’ complain to?  Not the Principal?  Should he straight go to the Police?  Shouldn’t he bring it to the notice of the head of the PTA and the Principal and allow them to enquire whether such doing did/does happen?  Your argument on TV has impact, but it is wrong!
• Do you know all the facts?  Do you know what the full letter stated?
  • Every time the anchor put a ‘hard’ question based on the CAG report, based on what the CAG has reported / quoted about the letters - you’ve asked this question.  Of course, neither the anchor, nor the public know what was in the letters or what was going on - hence our apprehension and the hype. 

I know that by even asking this question, I can be charged with ‘inducement to violate Official Secrets Act’, but as a debating point, and only as a debating point, I raise this question.  Mr. Minister, If you are so sure of everything being good, why don’t you put all those letters and correspondence in public domain - a sort of ‘Indileaks’? 
Again, I wish to make this very clear - I do not ask, request, endorse, demand or encourage release of any information of any nature covered by the Official Secrets Act, in public domain by anyone who is not authorised to do so by competent authority.  I raise it only as a debating point. 
There, my Ass is Covered.
O:-D
BTW - what happened to the spokesman Abishek Singhvi who was very competent?  One professional discretion doesn’t make him Voldemort!  Or Manish Tiwari? - he might bungle at times, (as we all do) but he is another guy whom you trust and listen to!  I can’t stand the shrill chirping (hooting?!?) of today’s spokesperson - the constant shrill howling is irritating, insulting and a complete turn-off - it is like hearing Ms. Swaraj all again - glad that the principal opposition party pulled her off the TV.  Mr. Rudy might occasionally make a howler, but you can listen to him as also the new spokesperson - Ms. Seetharaman.  But please, please, please, give me Singhvi/Tiwari versus Jaitley - As aptly put in Predator - anytime.


My Mischievous half mutters, ‘That’s it maddie, Your longest post yet, enough for one day (or night)!’

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