Tihar Jail was meant to house hardened criminals, thiefs, rapists, murderers, cheats and other gentlemen of similar caliber, and train them to become useful units of Society. But recent events in our country have brought eminent bureaucrats, leaders and corporate giants into Tihar Jail (or should I call it ‘Tihar Corrrectional Centre’) as M’me Kiran Bedi had aptly named it. 

The problems with the Tihar administrators have grown manifold. These new Five Star inmates have to be lodged in VIP Wing for which they were not fully prepared. To add to their woes, Tihar authorities were understaffed. They had to check and report what these inmates were doing on a day to day basis – for instance if Kalmadi was having tea with the Jail Superintendent then, this fact had to be reported to the Government as Government’s ‘further’ policies depended on these and other similar intel reports. 

An official there, who chose to remain anonymous, confessed that these VIP jail birds had very delicate feathers and had to be handled with utmost care, treated and fed well, and also kept at a safe distance from hardened criminals. And to compound their problems further, the administrators had to deal with a huge influx of VVIPs who were pouring in daily to meet these new ‘five star’ inmates. Due protocol had to be observed. No laxity in the ‘services’ permitted. 

Now with the 2G scam being blown out of proportions, the Tihar facility administrators do not know how many new blocks to be constructed for a separate VIP ward to accommodate those VIPs who are still in the queue to be sent to Tihar. It’s not the construction alone, these blocks will have to be furnished* properly and will have to be well equipped to provide facilities better than Five Star hotels. After all it is a question of taking proper care of our important ‘leaders’ and top officials. 

*These wards should have well furnished bedrooms, with attached baths, a visitor’s lounge, a living room, a colour TV – but no bar. The wards kitchen will have a multi-cuisine fare with hot and cold drinks, but as I have said, no bar.

That will save the authorities from dealing with drunken brawls, no throwing of microphones and furniture inside the Tihar as is their usual practice inside vidhan sabhas and similar venues. The provision of food and beverages can be outsourced to a Government run hotel. 

Then this new VIP facility inside Five Star Tihar should have a modern well equipped hospital also, as most of the leaders feign sickness as soon as they enter Tihar and are to be taken to AIIMS. Well equipped ICUs are also required as these elders start getting heart problems as these inmates have been deprived of spending their own hard-earned sack full of Dollars.

This medical facility would henceforth save the cost of security and transportation to AIIMS and other allied administrative difficulties.

The jail officials are also extremely scared that these new creed of jail birds may get bail quickly and may become Ministers again and come hard upon them with acts of vengeance. 

The biggest scare they have today is that their previous Boss, M’me Kiran Bedi, Director General of the Bureau of Police Research and Development, (who earlier held the post of Inspector General of Prisons) , may also be housed here on one pretext or another, as the Government is trying to rope her in, on charges of a DA case. M’me Kiren Bedi, an upright IPS officer had sought voluntary retirement from service and is now a Social Activist.

God only help Tihar Administration.

Ravi Matah.

Happy New Year 2011

The best part was that we have excelled in the areas of sports, athletics and Cricket to make us cheerful. The medals tally in the CWG and the Asiad tops the list of this year’s crowning achievements. Sachin Tendulkar’s double ton in an ODI was the best thing that could have happened to India followed by the Opening ceremony of the Common Wealth Games followed by the 101 medals at the CWG games.

In the disappointments India was challenged by the spiraling prices, the 2G scam and the PMs inaction to take the corrupt to task.

A.R.Rehman, who got an Oscar for his song ‘Jai Ho’ earlier, was a disappointment for the music he had composed for the opening ceremony. Add to this, the public by and large are disappointed with the numbers of scams they  read daily in the newspapers and the PMs inaction against corruption.

It was a year of scams – CWG, IPL, 2G spectrum, Adarsh, Karnataka land grab & UP food scam. The CWG still figures prominently in the list of scams of 2010 despite Adarsh and 2G dominating the news after it; as CWG was a very important event in the minds of the Indian psyche. But the anti-hero of the scams is not Suresh Kalmadi, the architect of the CWG games, but the Raja of the 2G scam who has become more popular hogging the lime-light daily.

The country was then shaken by the news of the Mangalore plane crash where the pilot almost over-shot the runway.

Somehow people react a lot on issues of national pride and have taken CWG issue more closely to heart than the 2G scams. On the bollywood news the Ranbir-Deepika and Kat-Salman split evoked more response that the Rakhi Sawant’s reality show ‘Rakhi ka insaaf’  was voted down by one and all. After the huge success of Kajrare kajrare it was the year of Munni budnaam hui which became seemingly popular.

Then Jullian Assange has been in the news for his big exposures in Wikileaks.

Barrack Obama’s visit to Mumbai and Delhi had taken away our attention from scams and brought our focus to his visit. Obama’s address to the Joint session of Parliament which was telecast live, was probably viewed the world over. Even though Nitish Kumar became the Indian of the year it was Saina Nehwal who stole the lime-light with her three consecutive international victories.

It was a year of revelations – the Ayodhya verdict and the Bhopal gas tragedy verdict.

Things that bring bad memories is the no-ball bowled to Sehwag by the Sri Lanka depriving him of a well deserved 100. Sehwag was on 99 and India needed one run for victory and Randiv bowled a big no-ball. This was a deliberate attempt to deprive a cricketer of international stature, of a well-deserved century and Sehwag had hit a six in the very next ball but his century was not entered in the record books.

And when I speak of  no-balls, how can I forget the spot-fixing incident by Pakistani cricketers at UK? Third over last ball will be a no-ball, eh? Think big – think dirty, appears to be the motto of some of the players.

Back home the terminal 3 opened at IGI airport but India is yet to contain the Naxalite threat and still to decide the Telengana issue. The stone-peltings at Kashmir is far from over, even though Bihar had had a peaceful election which was fought on a developmental agenda.

It was also a year of catastrophes – the Haiti quake and the Cambodia stampede and a possibility of military aggression between North Korea and South Korea during the military exercise.

Floods in  Pakistan and protests in Thailand were also gaining wide-spread concern. In this year only Obama was shaken but not stirred by the Gulf oil spill and Mukesh Ambani had a chance to boast about his massive residential complex.

The major break-through this year was that US has backed India for a permanent seat in the UNSC and India will have a wide range of nations to engage to secure it’s security needs.

Here’s wishing all my readers a very Happy New Year 2011. May it bring happiness and good health to your lives.

They were expecting a salary of approximately 80,001 per month, which is at least Re. 1/- more than that of a bureaucrat. Simultaneously, the Government has also doubled their perks, but the parliamentarians stalled the proceedings of the Lok Sabha, creating difficulties for the Speaker Meira Kumar to maintain calm in the House. 

The news is, that this hike is being reconsidered and might go up further. 

Salary 

An MP at present gets Rs 16,000 a month as salary; the Parliamentary Affairs Ministry suggested raising it to Rs 50,000 as against the Rs 80,001 recommended by a parliamentary panel. 

The government on Friday cleared a 300 per cent salary hike from Rs 16,000 to Rs 50,000 for MPs and doubled their perks. 

The Union Cabinet in its meeting here okayed the Bill seeking three-fold raise in the basic salary of MPs. But it is less than the Rs 80,001 as recommended by a parliamentary committee, which had said MPs should get at least a rupee more than top bureaucrats.  

The government also increased office expenses of parliamentarians from Rs 20,000 to Rs 40,000 per month. The constituency allowance has also been doubled from Rs 20,000 to Rs 40,000 per month, government sources said. 

The limit for interest-free loan for MPs for buying a personal vehicle has been hiked fourfold to Rs 4 lakh from the present Rs 1 lakh. 

The government has also hiked road mileage rate for vehicles used by MPs from Rs 13 per km to Rs 16 per km. Spouse of a parliamentarian can now travel any number of times in first class or executive class, the sources said. 

An MP also gets a daily allowance of Rs 1,000 for each day when Parliament is in session or taking part in House Committee meetings. This has also been doubled. 

Besides, a member is entitled to a constituency allowance of Rs 20,000 a month and an office expense allowance of Rs 20,000 each month. These perks have also been doubled. 

Their conveyance allowance has gone from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 4 lakh. Spouses of MPs are entitled to free train travel from their place of residence to Delhi. They also get up to eight free plane tickets from their place of residence to Delhi. 

The national carrier Air India and Indian Airlines are bleeding losses and free Airfares  to the tune of 36 Business class flights to MPs have been approved. 

The Bill seeking amendments to the Salaries and Allowances of Members of Parliament Act, 1954, will be now tabled in Parliament to be passed by both Houses before the hike is actually implemented. 

Is such an enormous hike in their salaries justified? We are just looking at the quantam of salary and if the perks are also taken in to account then the real  effect of increase is Rs. 60 lakhs. They are entitled to free elecricity, free telephone, free bungalow in Lutyen’s Delhi, Interest free Car loan upto Rs. 4 lakh and still they are cribbing. 

Would you like to compare their salaries with others? An Army Officer or a jawan, a civilian employee in the Goverment sector, get around 30.000 and Rs. 10,000 respectively and are entitled to pension after 40 years of service. Have we got different rules for different people? 

Income Tax 

Are our MPs under paid or poor? Out of 543 MPs, 315 are Crorepatis and still they are fighting for a raise. Surprising? 

And is this salary and perks taxable? God only knows. But a meagre sum of Rs. 20/- per month payable to Central government employees as re-imbursement of tuition fees is taxable. 

Pension. 

Pension benefits have also been increased from Rs 8,000 to Rs 20,000 per month. A point worth mentioning here is that MPs will be entitled for pension after rendering 5 years of service to the nation. The sixth Central Pay Commission recommended that all employees should be granted Pension on completion of 20 years of service. Good.

Another recommendation was that those employees who retire having completed a qualified service between 16 to 20 years, may be given proportionate Pension. This was not agreed to by the Government.

 Payment of proportionate pension to an employee  who has served more than 16 years was NOT agreed and payment of pension after 5 years to MPs is agreed? 

Can the Ministry of Public Grievances and Pension look into this also? Now is the time. 

Not only this, the case for grant of One rank – One Pension to the retirees of the Armed Forces is gathering dust with the Ministry for the last many years.

The best thing that happened on that day was that the Congress as well as the opposition was united on an issue for the first time, which was never seen before.

Ravi Matah.

Tiwari had the distinction of being the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh on four occasions and earlier he also had a stint as a legislature of the UP Assembly.The State of Uttar Pradesh had, for decades been the stronghold of the Congress Party.

N.D.TEWARI

Unfortunately, as a fall-out of this, the President, Mrs. Pratibha Patil, cancelled her tour to the Andhra State.

It had become absolutely difficult for Tiwari to face the first women President of India, and also Ms Sonia Gandhi, the President of the Congress Party.

Congress sources said that the party is concerned, as it is embarrassed by this incident because of Tiwari’s long association with it.

Prior to his stint as Governor of Andhra Pradesh, Tiwari was the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand,(a newly formed State, carved out of U.P.) where he had obliged many a female local leaders by granting them favours, as a quid-pro-quo.  Yes, people used to talk, but only in whispers.

Radhika, from Uttarakhand, whose name prominently figured as the female who sent three females into the Raj Bhawan also had an axe to grind. She was promised an iron ore mining license during his tenure as Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, but ‘resultantly’ not granted.

The sting operation was telecast on Friday, and thereafter, Raj Bhavan approached the Andhra Pradesh High Court and obtained restraint order on the channel from telecasting the film on TV.

For the last 48 hours, keywords related to Tiwari’s name have been the most sought after, since Tiger Woods, and became a trending  topic.  A tweeter suggested that ‘Tiwari can now go to Florida and stay with Woods’. For mutual sympathy sake, perhaps.

It is old saying that’ One is a company, two is a crowd and three is a gherao’. After being gheraoed, Tiwari, had no option but to prematurely press the eject button. Poor fellow, stuck between the devil and the deep sea, didn’t think of any other option, or rightly so, didnt have it.

Not much long ago, Rohit Shekar, a lawyer, fought a legal battle in Delhi High Court, claiming that he was a son of Ms. Ujjawala Sharma, daughter of a Minister from Haryana, and was born of a friendship between his mother and Tiwari.

His claim was considered  by the Court, rejected and, declared -’time-barred’.

Then, Tewari,  became the ‘Nauchami Narayan’.  A music video, sung by N.S. Negi, a Singer in Dehra Dun,  came afloat and thousands of copies sold. It was made in the local dialect – Garhwali. It was, in fact a political satire on the existing situation in the State, but the ‘young C. M.’ was happy.

This video became a popular weapon and a marvel, to diffuse the ‘BJP- combine’ opposition’. 

Nauchami in the local dialect means ‘naughty’- and naughty he was – till the day, he was gheraoed, and consequently sent his resignation to the President.

And, this bachelor boy, had had enough tumble throughout his life – and  tumbled out of it, perhaps with nowhere to go, as of today - but tomorrow, no one knows.

Ravi Matah

The name of the victim has not so far been revealed by the press.

The victim parked his taxi outside his girlfriend’s house on Collier Crescent in the early hours on Wednesday and rang her to get his dinner outside when someone approached his vehicle, The Age reported.

The paper  quoted the statmeent of the Police Officer that  ’his girlfriend heard the driver scream out over the phone as he was attacked’.

 The woman ran outside and found her boyfriend lying outside the car, bleeding with a stab wound to the chest.

Police do not believe the attack was racially motivated or an attempted robbery as the man still had cash in his pocket and his mobile phone, the paper said. They are examining whether another car was involved.

Why is the police trying to twist the direction of the investigation, is not understood? Since the victim had been stabbed in the chest, it is evident that the attack had been made with an ‘intent to kill’.

Why is there such an extreme amount of hatred in the minds of some Australians towards Indian students?

They have gone there to study and they also work there to earn their livelihood so also they contribute to the workforce and even then they are treated like third rate people for no apparent fault. Why?

 The taxi has damage to the rear of the vehicle and bits of a broken front headlight were found near the scene.

Ambulance was called to the scene and the para-medics took the man to Royal Melbourne Hospital where he remains in a serious condition. As per reports, intensive care paramedic Sean Lowell said they arrived within eight minutes to find the man on the ground next to his car.

“The man had been stabbed in the upper body and first aid was being applied by police officers,” Lowell said adding “When para-medics arrived, police were helping stem the blood flow by applying pressure to his wound.

“Given the seriousness of his condition, it was important for him to get further treatment at hospital as soon as possible.”

Police said officers were door-knocking the area and checking CCTV footage and any other clues which may prove helpful in identifying the attacker.

Since June this year, over 30 Indian youths have been attacked in various cities of Australia.

The Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was in Delhi a month ago and had talks with his counterpart Dr. Manmohan Singh on the issue of racial attacks on Indian students in Australia. Noting that Indian students had recently overtaken China to become the largest source of overseas students in Australia numbering close to 100,000, Rudd, pointed out that no government could guarantee that no acts of violence would occur.

Melbourne and Sydney have been comsidered as the most unsafe places, so far as international students studying in Australia are concerned.

About 100,000 Indian students live in Australia. More than 30,000 students go every year to Australia to study. After many racial attacks, some action now appears to have been taken by Australia.

The ‘first anniversary’ of Mumbai carnage is within a couple of days.The city was held to ransom by ten terrorists who created havoc. It was initially thought that Mumbai Police would round up the attackers within a couple of hours. It was never expected that the 26/11 siege would last for 62 hours.

The terorists were armed to the teeth, had weaponry and stamina enhancing doses to last for four days. It was the National Security Guards, who were flown into Mumbai, who ensured that the situation could be brought under control at hotels Taj Mahal and Trident and the Nariman House. 

Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus

Two of the terrorists reached CST, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, where 52 people were killed and 109 others injured in the indiscriminate firing. They are trained to work in pairs.

The Leopold Cafe, a popular restaurant and bar in South Mumbai, was one of the first sites to be attacked, after the C.S.T. Two attackers opened fired on the cafe on 26 November night, killing 10 people, and injuring many more. There were bullet marks left at Leopold Cafe walls, counters and show-cases.

The 26/11 attacks were well coordinated and conducted ‘shooting and bombing’ simultaneously across Mumbai.  There were explosions at Mazagaon, and in a taxi stand at Vile Parle. On 28 November, all sites except for the Taj Mahal Palace had been secured by Mumbai Police and security forces. 

Taj Mahal Hotel

The action by India’s National Security Guards on 29 November resulted in the death of the last remaining attackers, at The Taj Mahal Hotel ending the fight in the attacks. 

Hemant Karkare

The attacks which drew widespread condemnation, began on 26 November 2008 and lasted until 29 November, killing at least 173 people and wounding  308. 

In the process, several Police Officers namely Hemant Karkare, the Chief of anti-terror squad, and  Ashok Kamte, the brave-heart  cop, and the sharp shooter Vijay Salaskar, gave their lives to protect the people of Mumbai. They were courageous officers.  Ashok Kamte was known as a ‘one man Army’ in the Mumbai Police circles.

Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan

Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, of the NSG commandos deployed in that operation, also fell to the bullets of the terrorists.

Are we prepared? 

If an attack like 26/11 were to happen again today, Mumbai Police is not prepared for that. We have wasted 12 precious months in passing the buck and playing blame game. The State Police is neither trained for an attack of such a magnitude, nor do they have sophisticated weapons to rebuff such an onslaught. 

Candle light vigil

It was not an assault on the people of Mumbai, it was an assault on our traditions and values by those whose basic aim was to disrupt peace. 

Candle light vigils were held in all the cosmopolitan towns of the country. 

 The repair work of the damage caused to Taj Mahal Palace hotel has cost Shri Rattan Tata, more than three million Rupees. 

Nariman House

At the Nariman House, a three year old child named Moshe, was saved by his Nanny, who hid with him behind a closet during the entire operation. The child lost his parents in the shoot out and is now living with his grand-parents in Isreal. The Nanny has been hailed as a hero. She has protected this child without caring for her own life. Throughout his life he will have to live with the enigmatic fact that his parents were killed in a terrorist attack and died for no fault of theirs. 

On 7 January 2009, despite repeated denials that the attacks were planned in their country, Pakistan’s Information Minister Sherry Rehman officially accepted Ajmal Amir Kasab’s nationality as a Pakistani.  Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik, said that six people, including the alleged mastermind, were being held in connection with the attacks. 

What did the terrorists gain?  

They feel that they can kill in the name of God? Why? How do they get motivated to do such a heinous act? Is it money? Hunger? Unemployment or lack of education, or both?  But they knew that any amount of money paid would be insignificant if they are themselves killed. Why did they accept such an impossible proposal? 

Kasab

Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab, the only attacker who was captured alive, disclosed during trial that they were members of Lashkar-e-Toiba, the Pakistan-based militant organization and he has finally admitted in court  that he and his crew crash-landed their boat  in Mumbai with the express purpose of unleashing bone-chilling wave of terror. Hundreds dead, hundreds maimed and millions traumatized for life in that spine-chilling episode. 

Now that Kasab has confessed to his crimes against humanity, it’s time the special judge got busy and ensured that the trial was expeditiously completed.  I am aware that the case is sub-judice and the less said about it is better. 

But all the major charges against him merit the maximum penalty. He’s done it, let him hang for it. 

Those who live by the gun – should die by it. 

Ravi Matah

US President Barrack Obama addressed the joint session of the Congress on Wednesday pressing for the need to improvise the existing health care system in the country. This was perhaps his best ever speech ever made by him, before or after becoming the President of United States.

He said and I quote, “From the moment I took office as President, the central challenge we have confronted as a nation has been the need to lift ourselves out of the worst recession. But,  even as we have made progress, we know that the road to prosperity remains long and difficult. We also know that one essential step on our journey is to control the spiraling cost of health care in America since World War II”.  He further added that “Make no mistake: the cost of our health care is a threat to our economy. It is an escalating burden on our families and businesses. It is a ticking time-bomb for the federal budget. And it is unsustainable for the United States of America. Reform is not a luxury, but a necessity”.

He also said that the past Presidents had also tried to bring about reforms in health care but could not do so. He reiterated that he will be the last President to do so; there will be no need hereafter was amply implied. It was also made very clear to the people that he was confident and had come to the podium with a strong conviction and determination that ‘yes we can’ introduce this bill and get it passed.  He said that he would not sign any bill in which a dime will be spent from the government funds because of the fact that when he took over the reigns of this country – US had a deficit of three trillion dollars on account of the Iraq war and other issues.

His calculations, his logical conclusions, his defense for the reform and above all his concern for the welfare of the American people, were impeccable and were lauded by those present with the exception of few Republicans – who were seen waiving some pages in their hand. Until, Senator Joe Wilson shouted back ‘Its a lie”. Obama was unperturbed and went on to complete what he had to say on the issue and the sound of clapping rented the air throughout.

Two days later, Joe Wilson apologised to the President for his off the cuf remark and Obama said that he had pardoned him for his act of spoiling the decorum of the joint session of the Congress. Wow!! How magnanimus.

When will the Indian Parliamentarians take a leaf out of this episode and try to learn something? Time and again they have to be told that decorum should be maintained inside the Parliament house, but they dont understand. I still remember that on 22nd July 2008, the Parliament was in session and Dr. Manmohan Singh had to prove his majority in the House. Shri Somnath Chatterjee, the then Speaker of the Lok Sabha told the august members  to conduct themselves properly as the proceedings of the House were being telecast live. But despite his repeated requests the opposition leaders were unstoppable. When Shri L.K.Advani, the leader of the opposition rose to speak with the permission of the Speaker, he  said “Yeh jo Manmohan Singh baitha hai yeh Nikamma aadmi hai”. (This man sitting here, Manmohan Singh, is a useless person).  Not only this utterance, but examples of such behaviour are innumerable.

I can categorically say here that the BJP (Opposition parties) lost the 2009 general elections on 22nd July 2008 itself. How can you expect to become the Prime Minister of India when you dont even have an iota of decency to repect the present incumbent to the post?  It requires courage, commitment and charishma to get the electorate to your side and simple blame will not get you anywhere near the North Block in the foreseeable future

Your comments are most welcome.

Ravi Matah

Bill Clinton on Wednesday secured the release of two female American journalists held in North Korea for five months after the country’s top leader Kim Jong Il granted a “special pardon” to them following a surprise diplomatic mission by the former US President.  Clinton who spoke with the North  Korean Kim Jong II for three and a half hours.  North Korea  pardoned  Ling, 32, and Lee, 36, after Clinton helped secure their release during a  trip to Pyongyang.

It was stated that Clinton expressed his sincere apology to Kim Jong Il for acts committed by Ling and Lee against North Korea after intruding into it from China”. However US denied that any apology was made.

When news of their release were broke out Ling’s father said that “This is the best day of my life”.

“Kim Jong Il issued an order granting a special pardon to the two American journalists who had been sentenced to hard labor and releasing them,” North Korean state-run news agency KCNA reported..

Former Vice President Al Gore “met the freed journalists at Los Angeles after the plane carrying them with Former President Clinton landed at Burbank airport. The journalists were united with their families there. It was a tearful and emotional re-union.

“We feared at any moment that we could be sent to a hard labor camp and then suddenly we were told we were going to a meeting,” a tearful and emotional Ling said at a news conference in California shortly after arriving by plane with Lee and Clinton   Later the tearful Ling was hugged by Vice President Al Gore. A grand gesture indeed.

“We were taken to a location, and when we walked through the doors, we saw standing before us President  Clinton,” Ling said. “We were shocked, but we knew instantly in our hearts that the nightmare of our lives was finally coming to an end.” “These 140 days  were the most difficult period of our lives”.

Former Vice President Al Gore, on request from the two journalist’s families, also spoke to various journalists at a brief news conference. He expressed his gratitude to Clinton and President Obama and his administration who had been deeply involved in this humanitarian effort.
However, United States will not agree to the North Korean nuclear programs, said a spokesman of the White House.

Lee and Ling are employed by Gore’s California-based media company, Current TV. The women were arrested in March while entering North Korea from the border between North Korea and China.

Lee spoke minutes after the two women were reunited with their families at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank outside Los Angeles.

A US administration official said today that the North Korean regime had sought a visit by Clinton to their country as a pre-condition to the release of the journalists.

“Overjoyed” by the release, the families of journalists thanked Clinton for the mission and former Vice President Al Gore for his tireless efforts to bring Lee and Ling home. Al Gore also expressed his joy after the journalists employed by the television network he set up were freed.

Clinton walked off the plane minutes later but did not address the crowd. It was an act of   sheer magnanimity on the part of the former President.

At the White House, Obama applauded the release of the two journalists, saying, “We are very pleased with the outcome “Their release is a “source of happiness not only for the families but for the all Americans” he said.  Obama also thanked the former President Clinton and Vice President Al Gore for their roles in winning the release of Lee and Ling.

 Ravi Matah

It was a historic day today as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was the guest of  honour on France’s Bastille Day. It was a also a historic feat that the Indian Military Contingent took part in the Bastille Day parade in France on Tuesday, the 14th June 2009. The contingent was led by the Maratha  Light Infantry Regiment

Four hundred personnel were drawn from Army, Navy and the Air Force and  the contingent  led the parade to the sound of Indian military music played by a 90-member band. They marched very elegantly to the song played by the band which was ‘Saare Jahan Se Acchha, Hindustan Hamara’ meaning thereby that India is the best in the world.

Prime Minister Mr. Manmohan Singh was the Chief Guest at the function. He  was in Italy for the G8 Summit and was invited  by French President Nichoklas Sarkozyto attend the 14th July 2009 ,  French National Day Parade event as guest of honour. Sarkozy  had earlier attended India’s Republic Day celebrations in January 2008. This is the first time that the Prime Minister of India has been invited to be the Chief guest at this parade in France.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said, and I quote “India has a primary role on the international scene and we support India’s candidacy to become a UN Security Council permanent member. He also said “that India is one of the greatest democracies in the world.”

Inviting Indian soldiers to take part in the Bastille Day march for the first time shows that France wants to emphasize its close relations with India. This was an extraordinary moment of pride for India.  The Indian soldiers were interviewed by the TV journalists and one of them said that they have been treated so well in France that they are feeling sad regarding their return to India tomorrow. He further added that there was no language problem for them as they had a wonderful guide to interpret and explain  things throughout their stay there.

The parade, one of Paris’s biggest annual events, gives a chance to France to show off its military might. The show ended with parachutists being dropped onto the Champs Elysee.
 
The parade is held each year on  14th of July to mark the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille Jail in Paris by revolutionaries on July 14, 1789.

Ravi Matah

The oath taking ceremony of the new ministers was held in India’s Presidential palace called  Rashtrapati Bhawan on Thursday. In  totality there are 33 cabinet ministers, 38 ministers of state (MoS) and seven MoS who are likely to be given independent charge of their respective portfolios.

Numerous factors were  to be taken into consideration in choosing  the cabinet, as well as, ministers of state berths. Frstly  there are 28 states and seven union territories in India. Suitable representation has to be given selectively to all states and the union territories also. Secondly,  the caste and  religion factor  also needed to be taken into consideration. Thirdly the allies of the Ruling Party have also to be satisfied by allotting  berths to them.  This was by no means a task of simple arithmetic.

Mrs.Sonia Gandhi, Congress party President as well as Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister have literally burnt midnight oil, held several marathon  sessions and thus were able to   announce the list of Ministers.They have never tried to delay this important issue as has been alleged by their critics..

The critics, who are mainly from the television news channels as well as  newspapers had  averred that formation of the council of  Ministers had been deliberately delayed and  cited infighting as one of the reasons. They are only trying to earn brownie power. It must also be remembered that they are totally oblivious of the facts stated above.

Happily, the Prime Minister has also inducted some young blood into his Council of ministers .They are Jitin Prasada, RPN Singh, Jyotiaditya Scindia. They are all Doscos, students of India’s most famous  Doon School – including Mr  Kamal Nath who is also it’s ex student. The only other Doon School  boy elected to the Lok Sabha and not included in the Council is Rahul Gandhi. He had undertaken the organizational duties of the Congress party. Manmohan Singh has, thus, been able to create a unique blend of experience and youth,i.e. the experienced elders coupled with educated and intelligent youngsters.

There are 59 women MPs elected and out of which only 9 are in the new cabinet.

One must not undermine the magnitude of this task that faced Dr. Manmohan Singh and Mrs. Sonia Gandhi ; they have indeed done a splendid job.

Ravi Matah