The Great Indian Political Drama - 1 (Oct 2017 - Mar 2018)

[sanjayC]

telecom providers in india are notorious for doing this. even getting them to stop billing me for cancelled landline was hard work. after repeated cases were ignored and closed , i had to convince the korrupt munna at other end to finally close my a/c by claiming I was relocating to australia for good.
if you say you are relocating within the city or india they will keep pestering you to transfer it there. they are everywhere.

there is no way in hell i will authorize automatic debit for anything other than my planned SIP buys in mutual funds.

It is a well-known racket - if you try to surrender your phone connection, the phone company will refuse to do it, and keep sending you the minimum bill month after month, all the while trying to convince you to continue to be a subscriber. After six months, they unleash agents on you who will hound you to pay the six months dues. These guys will even come to your home to ask you to pay.

TRAI really needs to look into this unscrupulous practice of these leeches. It is always good to give cancellation request in writing at their customer service center and keep a stamped copy of the request with you as proof.

Over-billing is also a big issue. Hence, pre-paid connections are the safest - my mobile phone bill each month drastically came down once I moved to prepaid

[KarthikSan]

Karthik san ji,
What do you mean by 100 Big K?What is big K? Are you saying that local chieftains have 30000 crores? The grape vine was even stalin made only 4-5 k crores in Kalaignars last term when he was Deputy CM?

Yes Saar. These guys are looting like there is no tomorrow. A "big one" is a crore. Locals call it 1C. Deals are spoken of in Cs these days. Like I said, deals to the tune of about 1300 crores by the current mukhiya is widely believed and I have anecdotal evidence to believe that story. Every government office kicks back a percentage of their earnings to their department minister. e.g. tax assessment for a plan approved house is around 20000 in any corporation. Plan approval starts at 20000 and goes up depending on the budget of the house, how many codes you violate etc.

[SSundar]

A really good interview by Jaitley to Arnab.

Jaitley has been one of my favorite orators. He delivers the message at the level of the layperson and at the same time does not mince any words. In this interview, he addresses everything from DeMo, GST to Kashmir. Lots of potshots at RaGa and a few at Yashwant Sinha and Shourie.

[Marten]

Karthik san ji,
What do you mean by 100 Big K?What is big K? Are you saying that local chieftains have 30000 crores? The grape vine was even stalin made only 4-5 k crores in Kalaignars last term when he was Deputy CM?

Yes Saar. These guys are looting like there is no tomorrow. A "big one" is a crore. Locals call it 1C. Deals are spoken of in Cs these days. Like I said, deals to the tune of about 1300 crores by the current mukhiya is widely believed and I have anecdotal evidence to believe that story. Every government office kicks back a percentage of their earnings to their department minister. e.g. tax assessment for a plan approved house is around 20000 in any corporation. Plan approval starts at 20000 and goes up depending on the budget of the house, how many codes you violate etc.

TN GDP is roughly 13Lakh Crore. Believing that a bunch of politicians are making 30,000 cr each is giving in to hyperbole. Even Amma in power, forget INC was unable to do this.

[SSundar]

TN GDP is roughly 13Lakh Crore. Believing that a bunch of politicians are making 30,000 cr each is giving in to hyperbole. Even Amma in power, forget INC was unable to do this.

Please see the Swarajya article(s) on TN. In addition to a percentage (10-20%) on EVERYTHING the government pays for, these worthies also sanction many projects with World Bank/IMF loans and set aside a handsome 10-20% on the loan amount as well. This results in TN being one of the most investment inefficient states in India. The figure of Rs. 30,000 Crore is eminently believable. It didn't happen in a single year, but over the several years these guys have been in power.

Running the government in TN has been one giant pyramid scheme at least since the early 90s.

[Marten]

Sorry Sir, I don't see the numbers. Perhaps a tenth of that makes more sense. Even folks who have looted Maharashtra did not end up with that money, and they are truly all pawarful.

[Rvishwakarm]

Well, Madhu Koda, Independent MLA who became CM of Jharkhand (for only 6 months)with the support of RJD,JMM & Congi was supposed to make some 5000 cr.

[svenkat]

My paanwallah's chaiwallah's barber reports that western TN is abuzz with news of the current top man in TN buying everything in sight. There have been confirmed reports of him buying a lot of private bus routes pre and post demonetization. recently he is said to have acquired one of the country's largest starch processors for 250 big ones and is now in talks to acquire another tapioca starch processor for 100 big ones. All of this in his area. This is just one guy. There are similar stories about every other local fief. It's a free for all. Each of them is rumored to be worth well north of 30k big C's.

I wonder what IT, CBI, ED etc are doing. Is there a deal with the current top man in the country to let these scoundrels loot the state for RS votes? Things are getting really out of hand in TN. If the scheme of things continue for another 4 years TN will drown in it's own debt.

Let me go thro this again.

current top man made 250+100 crores in two deals.(Thats 'understandable',accepting that your chaiwallah is right)
But what about 30k big Cs for a local fief.
Can you clarify.

[svenkat]

Whether we like it or not,our linguistic/ethnic loyalties play a big role in this rentier/bribe system.

In India,the traditional trading/business communities are few in number and the biggest ones are from Hindi speaking north india.Also we have any number of sons of soil(open and cleverly concealed)movements.The state in order to bypass all the legal regulations does this back room negotiations(taking money from industrialists and passing it on to loyal party cadre from ministers to goondas).This keeps businessmen,big 'leaders' and activists happy.

[svenkat]

Sometimes the ministers are goondas with the right background.

[Singha]

kamal hassan seems to be "come out" decrying saffron terror ?

[sbajwa]

I think Kamalahassan is really a Kamal Hussain and has nothing to do with Dharma!

[Sachin]

kamal hassan seems to be "come out" decrying saffron terror ?

Kamal Hassan seems to be in the same mold as the MegaSusu awardee T.M Krishna (carnatic singer). He I feel is just trying get some political mileage and in TN at present BJP-bashing & Hindu-bashing gets the maximum benefit at the minimum cost. He also gets good round of applause in Kerala as well (where India Today has just exposed an Islamic conversion racket). But I still don't think Kamal Hassan can garner much votes and be a competition for the *MK parties. The hypocrisy of his statement can be clearly see when he like a Dhimmi allowed for scene cuts in the movie "Viswaroopam" based on the diktats of the Mullahs.

[KarthikSan]

Let me go thro this again.

current top man made 250+100 crores in two deals.(Thats 'understandable',accepting that your chaiwallah is right)
But what about 30k big Cs for a local fief.
Can you clarify.

Saar, it is 1000+250+100 crores is 3 deals since Nov. 8 2016 that my paanwallah's chaiwallah's barber can verify through anecdotal evidence from folks that may or may not be involved in said deals. There are rumors of other deals that cannot be confirmed. Other fiefs with crucial portfolios are also making such money. e.g. guy whose name translates to "Lord Muruga's weapon + bell" is known to have hundreds of acres of benami land bank in the second largest city in TN. He has even given 10-15 crores in cash to dozens of his benamis as per my p's-c's-barber. The property of another crucial fief that was attached recently by ED is rumored to be just the tip of the iceberg. There are atleast 10 people worth 30k crores as per my estimates.

Marten Saar... as SSundarji said, this is not all accumulated in the last year but over the years.

[jamwal]

Kapil Mishra @KapilMishraAAP
https://twitter.com/KapilMishraAAP/stat ... 9471901696
Today's AAP national council in nutshell - ऐतिहासिक मीटिंग की खास झलकियां

[Aditya_V]

WTF


http://indianexpress.com/article/in ... district/

[Hari Seldon]

With T(h)urkey hack @bainjal involved, hard to give this news any credibility but I do wish it is true.

DailyO‏Verified account @DailyO_ Follow Follow @DailyO_
Development won't cut it: Why #BJP may end up fielding Vanzara in #Gujarat | @bainjal | http://goo.gl/MBYCfp

https://twitter.com/DailyO_/status/926073836214263808

[Hari Seldon]

So much happening on the pol front on twitter, what better than posting images directly only... Wish it were easier to do so, 1 click types.

[sum]

Read news report that Haj Subsidy has been fully abolished w.e.f 2018 and all that money to be used in other schemes

[Hari Seldon]

Read news report that Haj Subsidy has been fully abolished w.e.f 2018 and all that money to be used in other schemes

Excellent if true. Kindly provide link as and when it becomes available.

Next on this line of agenda item would be total abolition of mujrai as well. I understand its a state subject but at least pass a central directive on the concurrent list stating the general principle that in line with true secularism, money donated to one faith's shrines cannot be used for anything other than that faith's shrines' benefit only. Period.

P.S. If wishes were horses ...

[Hari Seldon]

From twitter:

Dr Praveen Patil‏ @5Forty3 6h6 hours ago
Apart from Dhumal, @myogiadityanath has emerged as biggest crowd puller in HP; Yogi is now a serious BJP vote-magnate across north India!

[Hari Seldon]

And it happens, finally... after months of speculation. The former No.2 in TMC, 'Jiha-Didi ka Amit Shah' joins BJP formally in WB.

Former TMC leader Mukul Roy joins BJP (TOI)

Former Trinamool Congress leader Mukul Roy on Friday joined the BJP, in the presence of Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad
Roy was once West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee's right-hand man, but after a falling out with her, resigned from all party posts and gave up his Rajya Sabha membership

NEW DELHI: Former Trinamool Congress leader Mukul Roy on Friday joined the BJP, in the presence of Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and party general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya.

"Without BJP, the Trinamool Congress could not have established itself. In the near future, BJP will grab power in West Bengal," said Roy at the press conference where the announcement was made.

Roy added that the BJP is "not a communal force, it is a secular force."

Prasad echoed similar sentiments, saying that with "veteran political leader" Roy's entry into the saffron party, the BJP will do "great things" in West Bengal. He stressed that the former TMC leader had expressed his desire to join the BJP "without any conditions."

[Deans]

Read news report that Haj Subsidy has been fully abolished w.e.f 2018 and all that money to be used in other schemes

The Haj subsidy will be abolished only by 2022, but a beginning has been made. It is not the kind of subsidy many people think it is.
What Govt does is subsidise travel on Air India, such that it can match the price to Jeddah, offered by Gulf carriers. i.e. if Saudia offers a fare of 30,000 and Air India's cost is Rs 33,000, a subsidy of Rs 3000 will be provided to Air India, to lower fares to Rs 30,000. If the subsidy was absent,
Saudia would lift these passengers. Its a subsidy to Air India.

Govt should look at removing taxes on airfares to for e.g. Jammu, for travel to Vaishnodevi (and similar pilgrimage sites).
For the sickular media, the move can be justified on the grounds of boosting tourism, rejuvenating the economy of J&K etc.

[Rahul M]

I must say I am not pleased with mukul roy's admission into bjp.

[Sachin]

I must say I am not pleased with mukul roy's admission into bjp.

+1. Read this along with the Congress corrupt man Sukhram & his son now in BJP. The old mijjile man N.D Tiwari and his son is also in BJP. At this rate Congress Mukt Bharath essentially would become all these corrupt folks landing up in BJP.

It is not the kind of subsidy many people think it is. What Govt does is subsidise travel on Air India, such that it can match the price to Jeddah, offered by Gulf carriers.

To give the devil its due; I have noticed many sensible Muslims now clearly saying that the subsidy should be removed. For one; Hajj is not a mandatory religious need, and secondly the Hajji has to ensure that he is making the travel at his own expense. A subsidy is like a loan taken from others. One information I have heard is that this subsidy itself was introduced when air planes replaced passenger ships. Air planes were expensive (they still are) mode of travel. There was a news last year that GoI may actually buy/build a couple of huge passenger ships and run Hajj cruises using that (and cuts the subsidy completely).