Has India failed to protect its minorities?

Syed Ali Safvi

Better late than never! The supreme court of India on Monday convicted 23 people for their role in infamous 2002 Gujarat riots. Although belated, the decision must be welcomed.

Over 2000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed in one of the brutal massacres of Muslims in India that will go down in the history as one of the worst examples of pogrom.

The father of the Indian nation, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, once said that India would be known by the way it treats its minorities. If Gandhi were alive today, he certainly would have hung his head in shame after seeing his dream of Hindu-Muslim-Sikh unity being tethered by some Hindu fanatics who are hell-bent on spreading communal animosity.

India boasts about its tenets of secularism and democratic values, but it is just empty rhetoric that is not reflected in the realities on the ground.

It has been proven time and again that the Indian state has failed to protect its minorities. The West Bengal riots, the Delhi riots, the Jammu massacre, the 1984 Sikh riots, the Babri Masjid demolition, the Baghalpur riots, the Gujarat pogrom, and hundreds and thousands of such communal riots in a span of 65 years have exposed the underbelly of Indian secularism.

The world has seen how secularism and the “age-old history” of religious tolerance were trampled upon by the successors of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar’s ‘ideology of hate’.

The seeds of communal hatred were sown by the members of the Hindu Mahasabha long ago, even before the very idea of Pakistan came into being.

Contrary to the common belief that Jinnah originated the two-nation theory, actually it was Savarkar who propounded the theory years before the Muslim League embraced the idea. Savarkar had commanded all the Muslims to leave ‘Bharat’ to pave the way for the establishment of “Hindu Rashtra”. When Jinnah introduced his two-nation theory, Savarkar announced, “I have no quarrel with Mr. Jinnah’s two-nation theory… It is a historical fact that Hindus and Muslims are two nations.”

“His (Savarkar’s) doctrine was Hindutva, the doctrine of Hindu racial supremacy, and his dream was of rebuilding a great Hindu empire from the sources of the Indus to those of the Brahmaputra. He hated Muslims. There was no place for them in the Hindu society he envisioned.” (Freedom at Midnight, by Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins).

So the hate campaign against Muslims was well in place even before the partition of erstwhile British India. This and many other significant factors forced Jinnah to demand a separate nation for Muslims as he believed that Muslims would not be safe in India -- a prophetic declaration indeed! There is no denying the fact that Jinnah was secular to the marrow and would never have wished to cut ties with India, but circumstances compelled him to do so. However, he had not harbored grudges against India or its leaders. He had kept his house on Malabar Hill, thinking he could weekend there, while running his country from Karachi on weekdays, but destiny had something else in store for the estranged neighbors of the Asia Partition.

When Nathuram Godse pumped three bullets into Gandhi, a section of the Hindu community compared him with Judas. The writing was on the wall. The divide was evident. In some areas people mourned the death of Gandhi, and in other areas they distributed sweets, held celebrations, and demanded the release of Godse. Gandhi’s crime was that he had demanded security for Muslims.

The seeds of partition were actually sown by the stalwarts of Hindu Mahasabha, primarily the quartet of Savarkar, Gawarikar, Apte, and Nathuram Godse. Independent India’s history is testimony to the fact that in a conflict between the forces of secular nationalism and religious communalism, the latter has always ruled the roost. Secular forces have more often than not ended up playing into the hands of communal forces. Such has been the history of independent India.

(The article first appeared in www.taghribnews.com/en/)

Can the world afford war on Iran?

Syed Ali Safvi

Safeguarding and securing Israel has always been one of the prime concerns of the United States of America (USA). The Uncle Sam has been using all its influence and might to to strangulate all those voices raised against its strategic ally Israel.

America and its allies are fighting what they have described (a misnomer) as "Islamic terrorism". However, the fact of the matter is that the US - self proclaimed champion of electoral democracy – has for long harboured an ambition to uproot Islam and Muslims from the face of this planet.

It is an established fact that the US invasions of Iraq was actually initiated by Israel for its “strategic benefit”, for securing its future and most importantly “to divert Iraqi oil to the Haifa refinery via the Mosul to Haifa pipeline”. The pipeline is used to send oil to Israel.

The US government’s horrible misadventure in Iraq saw thousands of innocent civilians being killed with cluster bombs and other horrific weaponry.

America’s claim that Iraq possessed Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) dangerous for the world peace (read Israel) proved a cruel hoax. Yet the whole world remained silent.

American-Israeli invasion of Iraq will long be remembered for the infamous Abu Gharib prison, which has became synonymous with the brutality unleashed by the American and its allied forces.

Now, Israel’s next target is Iran, the country that has threatened to “wipe Israel off the map” – an audacious statement by Iranian president Mehmoud Ahmedinejad, which excerbated the already strained relationship between the two countries.

Pertinently, Iran’s government does not recognise Israel as a country and it has severed all diplomatic and commercial ties with Israel since the 1979 Islamic revolution. The Islamic republic is also known for its sharp anti-Zionism stance.

There is a strong speculation that Israel might attack its traditional bête noire Iran, already reeling under the impact of economic sanctions.

It is not only the matter of Iran's 'peaceful' nuclear enrichment that is troubling the self-made global watchdogs – US and Israel, but the threat it entails for Israel.

The Israel is trying its best to mobilize Zionist lobbies across the world to launch a military strike on Iranian uranium enrichment facilities.

However, several countries including Russia, China, India, Australia, and even America are opposed to a strike on Iran.

But despite the worldwide opposition, Israel seems hell bent on attacking Iran as has become evident from the US intelligence report.

US Secretary for Defence, Leon Panetta, revealed last month that the intelligence reports have pointed to an Israeli attack on Iran in late spring or early summer of 2012.

It remains to be seen whether Israel’s strongest ally - US - will continue to stay aloof from Isarel’s possible military strike on Iran, or joins the Israel’s misadventure.

Ironically, the U.S., the country seeking to prevent Iran from achieving nuclear weapons capability, had no qualms when Israel, assisted by France, was making nuclear bombs. Israel is known to possess some 200 to 300 nuclear weapons in its arsenal.

America has been claiming ad-nauseum to make Middle East a 'nuclear-free zone'. This despite the fact that there is already a nuclear power existing in the heart of Middle East.

America's unflinching support to Israel's blatant policies is slowly and steadily transforming the political fabric of the Middle East, which could prove very costly for the US and Israel in the long run. The rise of Islam as a political force has sent a shaking and shocking message to the White House.

The Islamic political parties like Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Islamic Salvation Front in Algeria, Hezbollah in Lebanon have strongly established themselves in their respective nations.

With war couds hovering over Iran, the global crude oil prices have already shot up. Iran is not Iraq. Attack on Iran could prove distrous for the world peace and can escalate regional conflicts.

It is high time that world leaders get together and prevent the possible strike on Iran and resolve the issues amicably through mutual negotiation. Iran has also expressed its willingness to discuss its nuclear programme with the world powers.

The world leaders can not brush aside the truth in the statement of Iranian president, who once remarked while addresseing the world leaders, “You need us more than we need you.”

(The article first appeared in www.taghribnews.com/en/)

Kashmir: It's time to say goodbye to AFSPA

SYED ALI SAFVI

Amid growing clamour for withdrawal of the highly controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from Indian administered Kashmir and Northeast region, Indian government has said that it was willing to make partial amendments to the AFSPA.

The proposed amendments, pending before Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) - entrusted with analysing security related aspects of India – relate to “taking arrests warrants in advance, taking away the power of the armedforces to open fire causing death and setting up of a grievance redressal cell.”

Indian government has come under scathing attack from various human rights groups for its failure in upholding human rights in this conflict ridden Himalayan region that borders India, Pakistan and China.

The global human rights watchdogs and human rights defenders have long been demanding the repeal of draconian AFSPA from Kashmir. Pertinently, more than 100 civilians were killed by government forces in Kashmir in protests against AFSPA in 2010.

Chief Minister of Indian Administered Kashmir, Mr Omar Abdullah, has also joined the chorus for the repeal of the law that gives security forces the license to kill innocent civilians on mere suspicion.

The Indian Army on the other hand has been rejecting the demand for withdrawal of AFSPA, saying that it needs the legal cover to deal with militancy in Kashmir.

The human rights defendersin Kashmir say that AFSPA is the main cause behind all the crimes against humanity in Kashmir.
“AFSPA has given legal impunity to the seven lakh security forces operating in Kashmir,” says Advocate Parvez Imroz, a human rights defender and Co-convener of the International People's Tribunal on Human Rights and Justice (IPTHRJ).

In 2011, Jammu and Kashmir State Human Rights Commission (JKSHRC) had confirmed the presence of dozens of unmarked mass graves across 55 villages of north Kashmir, carrying over 2000 unidentified bodies.

The authorities claimed that the graves carry the bodies of foreign militants. However, the IPTHRJ, in its report, said the graveyards investigated have mostly the bodies of those murdered in fake encounters from 1990 to 2009.

“More than 8000 people have disappeared in custody after they were arrested by the law enforcing agencies. There is a relationship between mass graves and the disappeared people here,” Imroz added.

With over half a million Indian troops, Kashmir is the most militarized zone in the world.

Since their independence, India and Pakistan have fought three wars over Kashmir, which continues to remain the bone of contention for both the countries. Innumerable direct bilateral negotiations between India and Pakistan have failed to yield any result.

The Indian authorities have been maintaining that situation in Indian administered Kashmir has significantly improved, but when it comes to repealing of AFSPA and demilitarization, it says “the time is not ripe”.

There are umpteen evidences to prove that army has been misusing the AFSPA in Kashmir. The abundant powers given to them have escalated human rights violations in this picturesque Himalayan region.

Pertinently, the Indian authorities have rejected to prosecute those Indiantroops who were found to be involved in murder, culpable homicide, and rape in Kashmir.

Custodial killings, illegal use of force, fake encounters, rapes, illegal detentions, and disappearances have become the order of the day. Killing of thousands of young men is upsetting the sex ratio, economy is in depression, education has been affected, child labour has become rampant, and many other social evils have cropped up.

The paradise of Kashmir has not just been lost but ruined and peace in the Valley has been broken into pieces.

For a Kashmiri, living life itself has become like walking on a minefield. Anytime anything can happen. Each day is a new day of death and uncertainty. Few seconds can change the entire course of life and the world will not be the same place again.

Kashmir was the only place where Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, father of Indian freedom struggle, had witnessed 'sunshine' and 'sobriety' during the days of partition when rest of the sub-continent was painted red with blood of thousands of innocents. After more than 60 years, Kashmir is the only spot in the sub-continent bleeding amid impunity.

(The article firsat appeared in www.taghribnews.com/en/)

Bemina residents miffed at administrative callousness

Woman's death, cracks in house walls, protests fail to stir conscience of Budgam district administration

SAS

SRINAGAR, Mar 11: More than a year after work on 20 meters long Garipora bridge - connecting Srinagar with Budgam district including upper Bemina area – started, the Roads and Buildings Department (R&B) Budgam has failed to complete the bridge within the stipulated time, missing three deadlines set by the minister for animal husbandry, Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, minister of state for R&B, Javaid Ahmad Dar.
The R&B’s failure to meet the deadlines has added to the woes of residents of Bemina and adjacent villages, with the district administration acting as a mere spectator. Ironically, not a single top official of the district administration, locals said, has bothered to visit the site to examine the pace of work on the bridge. Locals have blamed R&B department for agonizingly slow progress of work on the bridge.
“DDC Sahab had assured us that the bridge would be completed within three months time. Now, more than a year has passed, the completion of bridge does not seem to be anywhere in sight,” locals said. “DDC has not even bothered to visit here.”
However, the ordeal of locals does not end here.
Before the start of work on Garipora bridge, the DDC Budgam had, as demanded by locals, thrown open Koolipora-Wanipora link road for small vehicles. He had also directed the concerned authorities not to allow heavy vehicular traffic on the Koolipora-Wanipora link road.
However, despite strict orders of the DDC, tippers, trucks, and even oil tankers, continue to ply along the link road which snakes through Wanipora, Koolipora and Mir Mohalla areas.
Barely a week after DDC had issued the order, an oil tanker crushed to death a septuagenarian woman near Koolipora bridge. This was not the first of its kind incident in the area. Eight persons, including a woman and three children, were crushed to death by recklessly driven tippers in the last two years alone on Mirgund-Sepdan-Bemina road, which has been described by locals as “the deadly stretch”.
The old woman’s death on Koolipora road, which the district administration had kept out of bounds for heavy vehicles, led to massive protest in the area. The protestors demanded that the tippers and trucks should not be allowed to ply along 12-feet wide Koolipora-Wanipora link road.
However, the old woman’s death and protest by locals failed to stir the conscience of the district administration.
The tippers, trucks, oil tankers continued to ply along the link road, making a mockery of the district administration.
“The road is 12-feet wide and when tippers and trucks come from both ends they get stuck in the middle, causing frequent gridlocks,’’ locals said. “If there is an emergency, the patients will not reach hospital on time and will, in all likelihood, die enroute.”
Residents of Wanipora, Koolipora, Mir Mohalla had protested against the district administration, claiming that the plying of heavy vehicles along the Koolipora link road had developed cracks in most of the residential houses.
In a fit of anger and lack of choice, the residents of Wanipora decided to involve themselves in restricting the movement of tippers along the link road. However, little did they know that this would lead them behind bars.
“When we failed to get positive response from the district administration including police, we decided to do something on our own. When we tried to stop the tippers, police arrested most of us and even registered FIR against one of us,” they said. “Ironically, the tipper drivers, who have been unauthorisedly plying along the link road, were allowed to go scot-free.”
The locals accused the Bemina police of having nexus with tipperwalas.
“Instead of solving our problems, the police is pressurising us,” they said.

Mrs Soz's NGO gets Rs 1-cr IDB assistance

SYED ALI SAFVI

SRINAGAR, Mar 12: Over a month after Jeddah-based Islamic Development Bank (IDB) revealed on its website that a Kashmir-based non-governmental organization (NGO) had received a whopping amount of Rs 1 crore as financial assistance from the bank, sources have revealed that the lesser known NGO namely Society for Promotion of Culture and Education is run by none other than the wife of state Congress chief and MP, Prof Saif-ud-Din Soz, and ex-Director of School Education, Mumtaz-un-Nisa.

The NGO has received the financial aid of US$ 185,000 under special assistance projects from IDB’s Waqaf Fund (formerly the Special Assistance Account) for the construction of school.

The NGO, according to the sources, is actually registered in Baramulla district, but it operates in central Kashmir's Budgam district - one of the most educationally backward districts in Jammu and Kashmir, with its head office at Humhama in Budgam district.

When contacted, District Development Commissioner Budgam, Mohammad Rafi, said that the district administration has not been able to trace the details of this organization.

“We checked all the records, by could not find any clue about this particular NGO,” Rafi said.

Interestingly, the same NGO is running Delhi Public School (DPS), a B-Ed college namely Kashmir School of Education Research and Training, Bright Horizon Higher Secondary School - all in Budgam district.

The NGO, according to the sources, intends to establish a 100-bed girls hostel at Humhama. The organisation is also working in collaboration with another NGO for promotion of Urdu language.
Pertinently, the IDB’s special assistance Waqf (Trust) programme is aimed at fostering economic development ad social progress of Muslim communities in non-member countries, with special focus on education and health sectors.

When contacted, Mumtaz-un-Nisa confirmed that she was running an NGO namely Society for Promotion of Culture and Education.

She also confirmed that the NGO had received financial assistance from IDB.

“I have received the funds, but it is in lakhs. The IDB team had recently visited Kashmir and they appreciated the work our NGO has done," she said. "We have received the financial assistance under Foreign Contribution Regulatory Act (FCRA) and with proper knowledge of Ministry of Home Affairs."

“To be honest, I did not approach any organisation for financial help. My only concern is with JK Bank. We have taken loan of Rs 5 crore from the bank,” she added.

The IDB is an international financial institution established in December 1973. The purpose of the bank, with 56 member countries, is to foster the economic development and social progress of member countries and Muslim communities individually as well as jointly “in accordance with the principles of Shari'ah (Islamic Law)”.

Taj-Vakil war of words still on

Vakil is a nuisance, a blackmailer: Taj

I've not spoken to Taj for years: Vakil

SYED ALI SAFVI

SRINAGAR, Jan 31: The war of words between two senior Congress leaders – Taj Mohi- ud-Din and Abdul Gani Vakil – refuses to die down with the two leaders continuing to level changes against each other.
Even as Vakil has demanded for sacking of Minister for PHE, Taj Mohi-ud-Din, the latter has “decided” to move court and has sought Vakil’s immediate expulsion from the party “as recommended by the Disciplinary Committee”.
Talking to Kashmir Times over phone from Jammu, Taj said, “He (Vakil) is a nuisance, a blackmailer. Disciplinary Committee has recommended his expulsion from the party. Let the party high command immediately take action on the recommendation so that he (Vakil) is shown the door. The party has been tolerating him for long.”
Taj said that 12 senior leaders of state Congress unit have written to UPA chairperson and president Indian Nation Congress (INC), Sonia Gandhi about the misconduct of Vakil.
“Tara Chand, Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed, GM Saroori, Haji Nisar Ali, Majeed Wani, Manzoor Ganaie are the signatories to the letter,” he said.
The PHE minister ridiculed Vakil’s claim that he was supported by all state Congress leaders in his “fight” against Taj.
“All the Congress leaders have denied supporting Vakil. Some of them personally called me and some have given written statements in newspapers,” he said. “They said they never attended the so-called meeting.”
Stating that Vakil can not dictate terms to him, Taj said that he has decided to move court.
“I have no skeleton in my cupboard. How can he (Vakil) level charges against me like this? I am collecting all the data, and will soon move the court. Let him (Vakil) prove the charges there,” he said.
Coming down heavily on Vakil, Taj said that Vakil has not won a single election all his life.
“He tries to blackmail all the ministers. He has this uncanny habit of leveling changes against his own colleagues,” he said, adding that before writing letter to him, Vakil had written a similar letter to Deputy Chief Minister, Tara Chand, accusing him of gross misconduct.
“We showed the letter to Ghulam Nabi Azad also. I talked with Azad sahib personally about the matter. He said he was not going to tolerate all this,” Taj said. Referring to the alleged corruption and mismanagement in his department, Taj said that all these allegations were examined and found to be baseless.
“Whenever news about any financial misconduct publishes in papers, departmental enquiry starts. We receive paper cutting from Information department,” he said, adding that Vakil does not understand the functioning of the government.
Taj said that when Vakil had made allegations against him and the departments he head, he had shot a letter to Vakil.
“Though it was not obligatory on my part to write to him, but I wrote a letter to him informing him about the departmental inquiries conducted from time to time,” he said.
Talking to Kashmir Times, Vakil refuted that Disciplinary Committee had recommended his expulsion.
“There are no such recommendations against me. Even JKPCC president, (Prof Saif-ud-Din) Soz sahib has denied making such recommendation against me,” he said.
Stating that he had not spoken to Taj for the last four years, Vakil rejected all the allegations leveled by Taj against him.
“It is his (Taj’s) frustration, which is forcing him to level baseless allegations against me,” he said. “I’m not on talking terms with him for the last four years so there is no question of having sought any favour from him,” he said.
“I will quit politics if he (Taj) will prove that I have send him any letter or even any slip recommending anybody during his tenure as minister,” he said.
“I have launched jihad against corruption. I don’t intervene in anybody’s affairs. Despite being a former minister, I don’t own a vehicle,” Vakil told KTNS.
Vakil reiterated that he would expose all the bungling and scams in PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control departments led by Taj Mohi-ud-Din.
“I will leave no stone unturned till all the scams are exposed,” Vakil said.
He claimed that he was following the mission of Sonia Gandhi and INC General Secretary Rahul Gandhi against corruption.
Vakil alleged that Taj was involved in corruption since he was minister for CAPD in the previous government and corruption case is pending against him (Taj) in State Accountability Commission(SAC), for which, according to Vakil, Taj had sought a High Court stay and that case is pending for investigation in the SAC.
Welcoming the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s decision of handing over Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed's case file to Crime Branch, Vakil said that similar inquiry should be conducted in the alleged corruption and bungling in PHE department.
Expressing surprise over the silence of opposition over the issues, Vakil said, "I wonder why PDP (People's Democratic Party) and other opposition parties have preferred silence over these important issues

Internal bickering in Cong gets murkier

Taj, Vakil lock horns

SYED ALI SAFVI

SRINAGAR, Jan 28: There seems to be no end to the internal bickering within the ranks of state unit of Congress party with the war of words among the Congress leaders only getting murkier day by day.
A serious war of words has erupted between two senior Congress leaders - Minister for PHE, Taj Mohi-ud-Din and MLC Abdul Gani Vakil. According to sources, Vakil had dispatched a letter to Congress high command in New Delhi, alleging that Taj was involved in scams in the departments under his portfolio.
Reacting strongly to the accusations, Taj today threatened to file a defamation suit against Vakil “for leveling false allegations” against him.
Talking to a local news gathering agency, KNS, the minister for PHE Irrigation and Flood Control came down heavily on Vakil, terming him “irresponsible person who would always level false allegations against others.”
“Vakil is breaching party discipline and has gone out of control now. He (Vakil) has no standing on ground and has lost all the elections he has contested till now. He is frustrated and disgruntled,” Taj said.
Reacting to Taj’s statement, Vakil has written an open letter to the minister, expressing his dismay over the “threat” of defamation suit to a “senior colleague”.
Talking to Kashmir Times over phone from Jammu, Vakil said that he had only demanded a probe into the alleged bungling and financial misconduct in the PHE department.
“Demanding enquiry into financial mess is everybody’s right,” he said. “I wonder how demanding an inquiry into the bunglings and brazen loot of tax payers’ money calls for defamation.”
“Not only as a Congressman, but as a citizen, I have all the legitimate right to raise the issues of corruption and bunglings by any ministry or bureaucrats in our state,” the former minister said.
Vakil said it was “absurd” and “ironical” that those who had defamed the Congress party were talking of filing defamation suits against those who are working like “watchdogs of the society” and had dared to raise a voice against corruption.
“You intend to file defamation case against those party leaders who have contributed 40 years of their life for building and strengthening the party in Jammu and Kashmir state. It is disgraceful, shocking and appalling that you ignored my forewarnings to bring in transparency and accountability in the system and now are trying to snub me, which is irresponsive, arrogant and uncalled for on your part,” he wrote in the open letter.
In the letter, Vakil accused Taj of maintaining a “criminal silence” over the revelations of reported financial bunglings in the departments under Taj’s portfolio.
“Your criminal silence speaks of your irresponsive attitude and lack of will to fight corrupt practices rampant in your department,” the letter reads.
Vakil said that the issues were brought into the notice of the minister by senior Congress leaders and were also reported in newspapers, but the minister never ordered inquiry into the reported fraud, which, according to Vakil, “speaks of grave injustice and brazen loot of public money”.
“My intention to bring it to your notice the alleged mismanagement in your department was aimed at setting the things right and bringing in transparency and accountability in the system but it is quite ironical that you preferred to threaten me and not get the matter investigated instead,” the letter reads further. “I have always been raising issues of public importance both inside the house as well as outside with the intention to set the system right and bring culprits to book, but in this case instead of appreciating my view point you have threatened me of defamation.”
Blaming Taj for showing “high-headedness”, “callousness”, and “insensitivity”, Vakil said that instead of threatening to file a defamation suit, Taj should have immediately ordered an inquiry into mismanagement going on in his department.
“This type of irresponsive attitude has already badly affected image our coalition government and Congress in particular,” he said.
Taking a further dig at Taj, Vakil said that corruption cases pending against him in State Accountability Commission (SAC), land grabbing case against him and his family pending in J&K High Court and various scams surfacing from time to time in various divisions of PHE and Irrigation departments have already done enough harm to the Congress party.
“And now, you are talking of defamation suits against those who have dared to raise voice against corruption, which is inopportune and regrettable,” he said. “It is undesirable that your dictatorial way of thinking which is evident by this action of yours that instead of talking cognizance of revelations made by media, party workers or senior colleagues of yours, you did not prefer to hold inquiry into the alleged bunglings but preferred to shoot a letter to me.”
Vakil accused Taj of shielding the corrupt officers in his departments by not holding inquiries.
“By not holding inquiries into the alleged bunglings, you want to encourage such malpractices and mismanagement in your department,” he wrote to Taj. “Now since you have taken to choose to take the issue in public domain, I would like to inform you that Congress party has suffered a great setback because of your continuous criminal silence on the allegations of corruption and bunglings in your department.”
“Your (Taj’s) conduct as a minister demonstrates your incompetence, insensitivity and connivance in department, which is why you are peeved and scared of a demand of inquiry by me,” says the letter. “You seem to be scared of getting exposed in public domain as well as in Congress party. As a minister and incharge of the departments under you, you should have been in the know of mismanagement going on but for your reference I would like to cite some newspaper clippings which might open your eyes and force you to act tough on corrupt and save tax payers’ money from going to drains.”