Spectrum displays its range – India acts against corruption..

Spectrum is a strong word in India  - it is actually a condition that is not limited to a specific set of values but can vary infinitely.   The most easily understood reference is the description of colours in visible light when separated using a prism – the rainbow that you see after a rain.  The word now encompasses wider range of conditions and includes behaviours.  The frequency spectrum of a time-domain signal is a representation of that signal in the frequency domain.  Any signal that can be represented as an amplitude that varies with time has a corresponding frequency spectrum. This includes familiar concepts such as visible light (color), musical notes, radio/TV channels etc.,

Protests do occur frequently – people react almost instantaneously – whether it be FDI in retail,  Mullaperiyar, Kudankulam or anything else…. But corruption, black money, taxes and rising prices  would perhaps remain issues for ever ! – Every now and then we would hear voices and protests, some party would take the lead and try to cash on the popularity while the ones ruling would try to put it in the backburner – over a period of time, people tend to forget or get clamoured by the issue of the day !

It was a very strong people’s movement when Anna Hazare was on fast and it appeared the youngsters of the Nation backed him firmly.  Govt appeared to budge, but it was only an appearance – then came attempts to tarnish the image of Hazare and targetting of his elite group with smear campaigns and personal vilifications.  Cracks appeared in the camp and suddenly the movement itself looks weak.

On Dec 7^th Anna Hazare again said at Ralegan Siddhi in Maharashtra that the government is not committed to a strong Lokpal bill. 'The government is not serious about fighting corruption,' he told reporters. 'There is rampant corruption in lower bureaucracy. To check the corruption, there is a pressing need to bring the Group C and D employees under Lokpal,' he said. Rejecting the draft Lokpal bill, Hazare earlier declared his decision to sit on a day-long symbolic fast Dec 11 at Delhi's Jantar Mantar to press for a strong Lokpal.

He also threatened to go on an indefinite fast from Dec 27 if a strong bill was not passed in parliament during the winter session. Hazare said that during the fast, he would request voters in states going to polls not to support the Congress.

2G has sliced some heads – the release on bail of Kani was celebrated by her party as she landed in Chennai and it appears that there could be more Tamilnadu connection.  A trial court in Delhi will today pronounce its order on a petition filed by Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy in the 2G scam case, seeking to examine two witnesses. Mr Swamy wants Union Home Minister P Chidambaram to be made a co-accused in the scam.  The Janata Party leader had recently claimed that he had proof that Mr Chidambaram, who was then the Finance Minister, and former Telecom Minister A Raja acted together in fixing 2G spectrum prices in 2008.

As part of the process of establishing Mr Chidambaram's alleged role, Mr Swamy is seeking the court's permission to examine two witnesses - a Joint Director of the CBI and a Joint Secretary in the Finance Ministry. He says he wants to confront them with certain documents, which, he says will help him prove Mr Chidambaram's alleged role. The court will today decide on whether permission can be granted to Mr Swamy to examine these officials. Mr Swamy says if he gets the go-ahead, it will be a major step forward in his case against Mr Chidambaram.  Mr Swamy has also moved the Supreme Court seeking a CBI probe against Chidambaram. An order on that petition is still awaited.

The 2008 spectrum allocation known as 2G scam has seen many politicians getting arrested. Mr Andimuthu Raja, the then Telecom Minister was arrested in Feb 2011 and 13 arrests followed.  Every one else other than Raja is out on bail now. 

If you are under the impression that the Govt. and people are not really against corruption – read this news item :

A stamp vendor and her salesman were  sent to two-year rigorous imprisonment by a Delhi court. The reason: they demanded a bribe of Rs. 5.  Manju Agrawal, 48, and her 26-year-old salesman Deepak Sharma were held guilty by Special Judge B R Kedia of entering into a conspiracy to sell stamp paper at a premium of Rs. 5.

The Judge is quoted as saying that he has no hesitation to safely conclude that in pursuance of the  criminal conspiracy hatched by both accused to sell stamp paper on a premium, they had demanded premium on sale of such stamp paper.  The court also imposed a fine of Rs. 15,000 on Agarwal and Rs. 5,000 on Sharma.

The case was filed on the complaint of Satish, alias Shish Pal, who had said he had gone to buy a stamp paper from Agarwal at the Typist and Stamp Vendor hall at Karkardooma Court Complex on December 4, 2003. He said Agarwal's salesman Sharma demanded Rs. 55 from him for a stamp paper of Rs. 50.

 

With regards

S. Sampathkumar.