Of rich men and erstwhile thieves
Our lingo is replete with ‘Dharmas’ of some and ‘Karmas’ of millions, says ANTHONY SIMOES
St Jerome once said, “If you see a rich man, you can be sure he is a thief or his father was a thief.” This does not apply to India, though. In India, thievery, chicanery, fraud, scams, cheating, misappropriation of funds and all kinds of financial skulduggery runs in families. Its not just ‘he is a thief or his father was a thief.’ In India, it goes on, ‘father, son, grandson, grandfather, great grandfather, and great grandson… right across generations.
It is quite probable that these ‘qualities’ are genetically transmitted from one generation to the next. There could be a corruption gene somewhere waiting to be found by some geneticist. Or a latent behavioural form, waiting to be triggered off by circumstances, environment, ideology of socio-cultural frameworks or some combination of two or more.
Unfortunately, we have belief-systems in place, which not only encourage, but also reinforce such exploitative behaviour. So some believe that such hierarchies are divinely ordained and have to be endured and accepted as a given norm. Or that it is someone’s ‘Dharma’ to accumulate wealth, at any cost, by using any means – fair or foul – and it is the ‘Karma’ of millions, to become victims, and suffer the consequences of someone else’s greed. Even at the cost of their own need. This kind of fatalism is enshrined in our language. For example: ‘dhanay, dhanay peh khanay vale ka naam likha hai’; or; ‘koi pasina ka roti khatey hai, aur koi taqdeer ka roti khatey hai.’
In the mid nineties, I was interviewed in Goa by Hamish McDonald who was then working for the Far Eastern Economic Review, and was based in Hong Kong. He had heard of the techno-economic, social, environmental and financial fiasco that was the Konkan Railway, which was still under construction. I was surprised at the amount of information, he had on the Konkan Railway, based on which he was convinced that this abortion of a railroad, was going to be one of India’s bigger scams of the 20th century.
Hamish McDonald was convinced that the Indian media was being manipulated by the KRC’s public relations machinery, to take everyone for a massive ride, on an unfinished railroad. So, he knew for a fact, that the KR dream would be a nightmare. He knew that what was being presented as a national project, was heading for the dubious distinction of becoming a national disaster. He saw clearly that this ‘wonder of the world’ was going to be one big ‘blunder of the world.’
Subsequent events, since the so-called ‘commissioning’ of the KR in January 1998, have vindicated his belief. Today, the KR is an unmitigated techno-economic, financial, social and environmental disaster that is costing the national exchequer Rs one crore per day, for the last 13 years. This will continue in perpetuity, in spite of all the KRC’s creative accounting, based on fraud. I was able to give him details of the fraudulent technical and financial tricks used by the fraudsters E Sreedharan, B Rajaram, Ambi Krishnaswamy Somnathan and S V Salelkar to pull the wool, over the eyes of the nation. That is why today, we have what is, at best, only an excuse for a railroad.
Hamish McDonald, for the last few years is based in Sydney, Australia – his home country – and works for the Sydney Morning Herald. He has written 2 books in recent times that chronicle the rise of India’s first financial family – the Ambanis. The first book was called ‘The Polyester Prince.’ The second one is called ‘Ambani and Sons.’ These 2 books are about the meteoric rise of the Ambani family in which Hamish McDonald brilliantly traces the rapid growth of the family fortunes. He has provided clear historical records as proof of St Jerome’s stated connection, between rich men and thieves.
Today, the names Reliance and Ambanis have become bywords for bribery, corruption, cheating, scams, frauds, misappropriation of funds and every other conceivable and inconceivable form of financial impropriety and skulduggery. Dhirubhai Ambani’s corrupting actions during the licence-permit raj, have fostered a culture of corruption in our bureaucrat-technocrat-politician nexus, that is unprecedented. If someone were to write a demonology of people in India’s high places, then surely Dhirubhai would be unchallenged for the role of Satan.
Unfortunately, for all their ‘education’ at home and abroad, the two sons of Satan have carried on with the ‘good work’ begun by the father. Even to the extent of stealing the country’s natural (gas) resources, and then fighting over it, as if they were dividing their inheritance of the family silver, gold and other ill-gotten wealth. The worst part of this drama is that their pre-selected audiences applaud every loot and theft. They have even claimed that this kind of ‘development’ adds to the public weal. Constantly pointing to the millions of shareholders, who have benefited from the grand larceny of the promoters. And all this loot is carried out in cahoots with the state machinery, headed by economists who act as pimps for the IMF/WB/Washington nexus.
The ‘troika’ of P Chidambaram, Manmohan Singh and Montek Singh Ahluwalia are the trojan horses of the first world and the IMF/WB nexus. Their job is to facilitate the plunder of state resources by the Ambanis, Agarwals, Tatas, and others of their ilk. This ‘troika’ of unpaid pimps do this for their self-aggrandisement and out of their greed for power. And like all weak humans, as soon as they got the drug of power in their hands, it addled their brains. They have been ably assisted by the Bandit Baron of Baramati who has used them as a cover for looting and feathering his own nest. BCCI and Lavasa are only the tip of the iceberg. Then, there are the Rajas, Kalmadis, Chavans, Deshmukhs and others who run their own scams, using the ‘troika’ for cover. This kind of arrangement makes the ‘troika’ an accessory before, during, and after the frauds, no matter what their claims of honesty, integrity and financial propriety might be. In the meantime, ‘Helen’ quietly exercises her power between 7 Racecourse Road and 10 Janpath. Gaddi ke peche kaun hai?
For the last couple of years, the Chinese have been saying that they find it difficult to invest and do business in India because of the high levels of corruption. So what do we do about it? Symbolism!!! On the day Wen Jiabao landed in India, the CBI carried out massive raids on Raja, all over the place. The CBI was all over Raja like a rash. So in one swoop, we insulted the intelligence, perspicacity and the business acumen of our Chinese visitor. What a diplomatic coup! Are you listening, Nirupama Rao?
We complained about our adverse balance of trade with China. How Chinese imports are hurting Indian jobs – especially in manufacturing. So, why are we exporting 60% of our iron ore to China? Why don’t we produce more steel from our iron ore? When Reliance built their 60 MTPA oil refinery at Jamnagar, they had 4,000 Chinese workers on site. Did we not have any Indian companies that could engineer, procure and construct the Jamnagar refinery? Especially since tens of thousands of Indian workers lost their jobs in the Middle East, because of the recession/financial meltdown?
Lastly, we have Mukesh Ambani going around saying that over the next 2 decades, he would like to see India produce another dozen Mukesh Ambanis. To this I say, “No thank you Mukesh! The one we have, is one too many!!!”
As the father of our nation said, “The earth can produce enough to meet everyone’s need. It cannot meet everyone’s greed.” Certainly not that of Mukesh clones!
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Was it worth it?
By Venita Coelho
Standing in the hot sun with a cranky baby on my hip, explaining the regional plan at a corner meeting, I remember wondering whether it was worth it. I was not the only one putting in sweat and hard work. Members of the GBA spent months trying to get villages to understand the issues at stake. We were amazed at the response. In my own village, after dozens of corner meetings, endless phone calls, detailed mapping of the village area, even the panchayat understood the importance of our efforts. Our villagers filled in questionnaires and overwhelmingly voted for a VP3 status. The final plan we filed with the TCP was backed by a Gram Sabha resolution for every single suggestion. And yet after all the time and effort, was it worth it? And those tough concepts you struggled with? And all those who convinced you to do the right thing?
The answer is ‘yes’. But, this final RP2021 is not the plan that we hoped for. Nothing will stop us from putting pressure on the government to give us what we want. Launching an agitation to scrap this plan, would be disastrous. That’s what all pressure lobbies would love. If this plan goes, then they get to continue with the RP2001 – with all its umpteen loopholes and its lax rules. Now that elections are round the corner, the plan could be scuttled after elections, as well. We need to knock the RP2021, into shape, quickly. If this is a people’s plan, then the government has no business ignoring the desires of the people, as expressed through their questionnaires and their legally valid responses. The government has a duty, both moral and legal, to listen to people’s wishes. As we study the plan, here is what is emerging:
There are large scale insertions of areas that did not feature in the Draft RP2021. Paliem and Mandrem have settlement areas suddenly appearing. Karasvorem has an industrial area that has appeared, Korgao has an industrial estate added on the riverside. There are flaws between maps and the final notified RP2021 document. Parsem and Caslem-Amberim are marked VP1 in the map and VP2 in the document.
The giant loophole left by amendment 16 and 16A remains – and is clearly demonstrated in this plan. Dhargalim is the site of the sports city – passed under this amendment. But it is not shown in the final plan. If shown, it would come over a mapped eco zone. The draft plan showed 89 mining leases and suggested their phasing out. The final plan gives mining a big bonus as mining leases has jumped to 129 – and the suggestions to the contrary, have vanished.
All ODP areas come under the PDA authority. But this final plan introduces areas that are ‘non PDA ODP’. In that case, what authority will they come under? Nowhere is this clarified.
We were told that VP status was linked to projected population growth. Virodna’s population is projected to decrease – and they have been given VP1 status. Cotigao area which is largely a wildlife sanctuary, is inexplicably projected to double its population.
The more we study the plan, the more such irregularities and contradictions emerge. It’s time to hold someone responsible. This is only one, viz., – the chairman of the Draft Committee, The chairman of the SLC, the minister for the TCP department – our Chief Minister. Across this festive season, CM had plenty of time to celebrate – and none whatsoever, to meet the GBA despite requests. The GBA had a list of errors, insertions and vague areas it wanted explanations for. It is easy to duck an organisation, but not so easy to dodge the people. The CM must explain the sudden surprises in the final RP2021. Why is this plan not the plan we spent time and effort responding to? What happened to all the work, we put in? Where is the transparency, you promised? Where is the people’s participation? Where is the plan we want, Mr Chief Minister?
