tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57400731054572969902024-02-08T06:23:40.884+05:30Devaki's Ideas and OpinionsOn news and events, local, national and international. This is a very personal view--not associated with any organization, corporation or party.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709246044265053568noreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740073105457296990.post-50271604162603918302017-12-05T17:21:00.000+05:302017-12-05T17:21:06.151+05:30Electronic Voting Machines: A Deposition in Nagpur<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 24px;">Ravi Visvesvaraya Sharada Prasad's deposition in 2004-2005 on EVM in Nagpur High Court<br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 24px;">BEFORE THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 24px;">BENCH AT NAGPUR</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 24px;">Election Petition</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 24px;">Election Petition No. 01 / 2004</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 24px;">Shri Banwarilal B. Purohit</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 24px;">Versus</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 24px;">1)Shri Vilas Muttemwar</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 24px;">2)Returning Officer</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 24px;">3)Election Commission of India</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 24px;">DEPONENT</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 24px;">Shri Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 24px;">Son of Shri H.Y. Sharada Prasad</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 24px;">Resident of: 19 Maitri Apartments</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 24px;">Block A - 3, Paschim Vihar</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 24px;">New Delhi 110 063</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 24px;">AFFIDAVIT OF EXAMINATION IN CHIEF</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">I, Shri Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad, Son of Shri H.Y. Sharada Prasad, born on 07 September 1960 at New Delhi, and Resident of 19 Maitri Apartments, Block A - 3, Paschim Vihar, New Delhi 110 063, the deponent named above, do hereby take oath and state on solemn affirmation as under:</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">(1) I say that my professional and educational qualifications are:</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">(i) Master of Science degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15213, United States of America, acquired during the years 1982 to 1986.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">(ii) Master of Engineering degree in Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15213, United States of America, acquired during the years 1982 to 1985.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">(iii) Lead Assessor Diploma (with Honours) in System and Software Quality Assurance of the European Union’s BOOTSTRAP Programme of the European Strategic Programme for Research in Information Technology. The Honours Diploma was awarded in the year 1993 jointly by the University of Freiburg in Germany and the University of Graz in Austria.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">(iv) Master of Science in Physics, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, 208016, acquired during the years 1977 to 1982.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">(v) Member of the Research Staff at the Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15213, United States of America, during the years 1985-1986, working on projects sponsored by the American Association for Artificial Intelligence.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">(2) I say that I am a technical and engineering consultant in the fields of electronics, microelectronics, circuit design, computer software, hardware, telecommunications, and datacommunications. I further say that I have nineteen years of international professional experience in providing engineering and technical consultancy and advisory services in these fields to multinational corporations, international organizations, and leading Indian business houses.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">(3) I say that I have published several hundred articles on these subjects in leading international and Indian scientific and technical journals, scholarly journals, as well as mass media magazines and newspapers.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">(4) I say that I write frequently on technical and management policy issues in leading Indian journals such as Hindustan Times, Indian Express, Times of India, Economic Times, Telegraph, Hindu Business Line, Observer of Business and Politics, etc. I further say that I am frequently interviewed by various television channels in India and abroad regarding technical and management policy issues.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">(5) I say that at the invitation of the Hindustan Times newspaper, I wrote the following article on Electronic Voting Machines in April 2004 in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections in April-May 2004, based on my in-depth technical knowledge and experience:</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">In his article, "Press to Play" (Hindustan Times, Saturday, 17 April 2004), Kanishka Singh described the various ploys used by polling officials to have votes cast in favour of their preferred candidates by an electorate unfamiliar with electronic voting machines. Singh stated: “The problems experienced with EVMs in the December elections were many. None of them, however, are problems that can't be solved.” But, in fact, there are serious problems with EVMs which cannot be easily resolved, more fundamental than the psychological stratagems used by polling officials to influence a technically illiterate electorate.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The reliability of the electronic voting machines manufactured by the public sector Bharat Electronics Limited and Electronics Corporation of India Limited is doubtful. The software and circuits embedded in the EVMs could very well contain numerous flaws or deliberate backdoors for tampering.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">A maxim of software and microelectronics engineering is that all</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">regarded as error-prone unless rigorous testing proves them to be reliable. Significantly, neither BEL nor ECIL have disclosed details of the electronic hardware and software used in their EVMs for scrutiny by neutral experts.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">After the US election fiasco in 2000, USA passed the “Help America Vote” Act, which encouraged the use of electronic voting machines. Several companies, mainly Diebold Election Systems, Election Systems & Software, Hart InterCivic, Sequoia Voting Systems, Advanced Voting Solutions, and Unilect, manufactured EVMs which were used in local and state elections in USA.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Prominent technologists, mainly Peter Neumann of Stanford Research Institute, David Dill of Stanford University, Avi Rubin of Johns Hopkins University, Rebecca Mercuri of Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, and Erik Nilsson of the Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility, launched public campaigns questioning the reliability of EVMs manufactured by these companies. They proved that all these EVMs had serious flaws and could be used to rig elections without being detected.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">In an election in Dallas, EVMs made by Election Systems & Software failed to count 44,000 votes. In a local election in Iowa, EVMs made by Election Systems & Software produced a count of 4 million votes in a polling booth of 300 people. In Indiana, an EVM recorded more than 144,000 votes for an electorate of 19,000.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Diebold's EVMs turned out to be a major scandal with allegations of bribery. Diebold sold its EVMs to state and local governments even though it knew that there was no security on its tabulation software to prevent someone from changing votes and erasing any trace of the activity in the audit log. Anyone with access to the tabulation program during an election -- Diebold's employees, election staff or even hackers -- could change votes and alter the log to erase all evidence.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Requests to the Election Commission, BEL and ECIL to provide details of the reliability of their EVMs brought forth the following bland assertion:</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">“Tamper proof design</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">The EVM is designed to be totally tamper proof. Each EVM comes with a sophisticated programme in assembly language : a software fully sealed against outside influence. And the programme is itself fused on to a customised micro processor chip at the manufacturer's end. This ensures that the program is rendered tamper proof and inaccessible.” </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The Election Commission, BEL and ECIL did not provide any of the</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">circuit schematics, source code, or test vectors asked for.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The EVMs manufactured by BEL and ECIL could very well contain the following flaws, which would be practically undetectable without extensive testing by experts:</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">* Faulty logic, incorrect algorithms and data flows</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">* Errors in circuit design</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">* Errors in the software code, especially in the embedded software. Programming in Assembly language is notoriously error prone, even by experts.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">* Errors, or malicious backdoors, in databases</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">* Malicious trapdoors in the code to enable rigging</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Reliance should not be placed on the demonstrations provided by ECIL and BEL. Even without deliberate tampering, embedded software and real-time control software can behave very weirdly when they encounter situations that their programmers had not envisaged might occur. Any experienced engineer would tell you that electronic equipment containing firmware or embedded software frequently behaves one way during a short trial, and totally differently in actual field conditions.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">For instance, I can write a software module which would pass all trials but manipulate the results of actual voting. I could programme the EVM to accurately record votes for three hours. I could instruct it to then assign 70 % of all subsequent votes cast to whichever candidate was leading at the end of the first three hours, irrespective of whichever buttons the later voters actually push. Since trials and demonstrations would reasonably be expected to last less than three hours, my EVM would successfully pass all such tests. I could then have my favoured candidate get all his supporters to cast their votes first thing in the morning, so that he would be the leader after three hours of polling. This was alleged to have been done in a local election in USA but could not be proved since the audit trails had also been erased.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Or I could program the EVM so that at the end of five hours of polling, it would transfer 60% of the votes of the ten lowest candidates to my favoured candidate. Or I could program it so that it would, say, transfer every fourth vote for the Congress to the BJP.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Or I could manipulate the back-end databases during the counting</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">process, as was done in the Diebold cases where it was proved that any election could be rigged, totally without detection, by tampering with the back-end databases after the votes were cast.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Moreover, the EVMs could be broken into remotely after the election but before the counting. All electronic circuits are subject to electromagnetic interference. Even when the EVMs are kept physically sealed in a strong room, an expert who knows the resonant frequencies of the circuits could remotely send signals to the EVMs from several kilometres away. It is highly unlikely that polling officials would continuously transport and store each and every EVM in electromagnetically shielded Faraday cages.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">It is also not know what vibrations and physical shocks the EVMs can withstand. After the voting, when the EVMs are being transported over bumpy rural roads, the electromechanical components (especially registers and switches), relays, and physical connectors could be reset due to the jerks.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The Election Commission should pay heed to the warnings issued by the dozens of distinguished technologists who formed the Verified Voting Foundation in USA (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en-GB&q=http://www.verifiedvoting.org&source=gmail&ust=1512560621685000&usg=AFQjCNG0xuGTSc4je0vEH9w_qTp-0A3xSw" href="http://www.verifiedvoting.org/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://www.verifiedvoting.org</a><wbr></wbr>):</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">“Computerized voting equipment is inherently subject to programming error, equipment malfunction, and malicious tampering. All computer systems are subject to subtle errors. Moreover, computer systems can be deliberately corrupted at any stage of their design, manufacture, and use. The methods used to do this can be extremely difficult to foresee and detect.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">Unfortunately, there is insufficient awareness that these machines pose an unacceptable risk that errors or deliberate election-rigging will go undetected, since they do not provide a way for the voters to verify independently that the machine correctly records and counts the votes they have cast. Moreover, if problems are detected after an election, there is no way to determine the correct outcome of the election short of a revote.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">It is therefore crucial that voting equipment provide a voter-verifiable audit trail, by which we mean a permanent record of each vote that can be checked for accuracy by the voter before the vote is submitted, and is difficult or impossible to alter after it has been checked.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">Without a voter-verifiable audit trail, it is not practical to provide reasonable assurance of the integrity of these voting systems by any combination of design review, inspection, testing, logical analysis, or control of the system development process. For example, a programmer working for the machine vendor could modify the machine software to mis-record a few votes for party A as votes for party B, and this change could be triggered only during the actual election, not during testing.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">Most importantly, there is no reliable way to detect errors in recording votes or deliberate election rigging with these machines. Hence, the results of any election conducted using these machines are open to question.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">At this time, the only tried-and-true technology for providing a voter-verified audit trail is a paper ballot, where the votes recorded can be easily read and checked."</span></div>
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<i><span style="color: black; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">(end of quote from VerifiedVoting.org)</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Based on the three criteria of:</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">(a) Lack of a verifiable paper / manual audit trail</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">(b) BEL and ECIL not having provided the algorithms, source codes, embedded firmware, integrated circuit schematics, board designs and electronic component specifications, to neutral experts for independent assessments</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">(c) Meagre evidence in actual field conditions, as opposed to short demonstrations in laboratory conditions</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">it cannot be unequivocally asserted that the EVMs made by BEL and ECIL are accurate and reliable.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Thousands of hours of testing needs to be done, under actual field conditions, before their reliability can be proven beyond reasonable doubt.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers is currently formulating standards that EVMs should satisfy. The Open Voting Consortium, an international group of researchers, has spent over four years developing open-source voting systems. They intend to give away their technology for free.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The switch from manual voting to EVMs might turn out to be exchanging the known flaws of booth capturing, ballot stuffing, multiple voting, etc. for as yet unknown vulnerabilities.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">by Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">I further say that, after editing and shortening by the editorial staff of the Hindustan Times newspaper to meet the constraints of space, this article of mine was published under the title “Ghosts in the Machine” by Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad, on the Edit Page of the Hindustan Times newspaper, issue of Monday, 26 April 2004 (copy enclosed), and also posted on the website of the Hindustan Times.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">(6) I say that at the invitation of the Indian Express newspaper, I wrote the following article on Electronic Voting Machines in May 2004 during the Lok Sabha elections in April-May 2004, based on my in-depth technical knowledge and experience:</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The first two rounds of polling brought numerous reports of malfunctioning electronic voting machines. In Nunagapaka village of Andhra Pradesh, early voters complained that when they pressed the button of the Congress, the light of the Telegu Desam glowed. The presiding officer, K. Vijayalakshmi, stopped the polling process and replaced the EVMs, but 89 votes had already been cast in the first two hours. The Election Commission is to adjudicate on these 89 votes.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">In Sadasivapet in Andhra Pradesh, early voters complained that when they pressed the button of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, the light of the Bharatiya Janata Party glowed. Again the presiding officer replaced the EVM, but by then 138 votes had already been cast.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">In Wardhannapet in Andhra Pradesh, polling agents of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi alleged that after 75 votes had been correctly recorded, a long sequence of votes was continuously recorded in favour of the Telegu Desam. Finding this suspicious, the polling officer sealed the EVM.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">EVMs were also reported to have malfunctioned in Warangal, Khamma, Sattupalli, Takillapadu, and Karimnagar in Andhra Pradesh, but these instances appear to be more of breakdowns rather than deliberate rigging.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The EVMs manufactured by the public sector Bharat Electronics Limited and Electronics Corporation of India Limited could contain the following flaws, which would be practically undetectable without extensive testing by experts:</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">* Faulty logic, incorrect algorithms, and erroneous data flows.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">* Errors in circuit design.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">* Mistakes in the software code, especially in the embedded software.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">* Mistakes, or malicious backdoors, in databases.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">* Malicious trapdoors in the code to enable rigging.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Requests to the Election Commission, BEL and ECIL to provide the entire circuit schematics, source codes, and test vectors for scrutiny by neutral experts merely elicited the following laconic response:</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">“Tamper proof design</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">The EVM is designed to be totally tamper proof. Each EVM comes with a sophisticated programme in assembly language: a software fully sealed against outside influence. And the programme is itself fused on to a customised micro processor chip at the manufacturer's end. This ensures that the program is rendered tamper proof and inaccessible.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">A subsequent request brought the terse reply that even the Japanese manufacturer of the circuits would not be able to tamper with the voting or find out who voted for whom.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Reliance should not be placed on the demonstrations provided by ECIL and BEL. Electronic equipment containing firmware or embedded software frequently behave totally differently in actual field conditions from the way they behave during short trials. Even without deliberate tampering, embedded software and real-time control software can behave very weirdly when they encounter situations that their programmers had not envisaged might occur.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I can write a software module which would pass all trials but manipulate the results of actual voting. I could programme the EVM to accurately record votes for three hours. I could instruct it to then assign 70 % of all subsequent votes cast to whichever candidate was leading at the end of the first three hours, irrespective of whichever buttons the later voters actually push. Since public demonstrations would usually last less than three hours, my ‘tainted’ EVM would successfully pass all such tests. I could then have my favoured candidate get all his supporters to cast their votes first thing in the morning, so that he would be the leader after three hours of polling. This was alleged to have been done in a local election in USA but could not be proved since the audit trails had also been erased.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Or I could program the EVM so that at the end of five hours of polling, it would transfer 60% of the votes of the five lowest candidates to my favoured candidate. Or I could program it so that it would transfer every third vote for candidate 2 to candidate 10 after a certain sequence of buttons were pushed, say votes for candidates 3, 14, 11, and 9. Candidate 10 could then get four of his supporters to vote in sequence for candidates 3, 14, 11, and 9. Both these were alleged to have been done in local elections in USA. Even in response to lawsuits, the US EVM manufacturers refused to make their proprietary circuits and software codes public, stating that these were trade secrets of great commercial value. This is what might have happened in the Andhra Pradesh instances.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">If someone wanted to engineer a repoll, he could bring an electromagnetic pulse generator near an EVM and erase its memories. The EVMs could also be interfered with after the election but before counting. All electronic circuits are susceptible to electromagnetic interference. Even when the EVMs are kept physically sealed inside a strong room, an expert who knows the resonant frequencies of the circuits could remotely send signals from several kilometres away. It is highly unlikely that polling officials would continuously transport and store each and every EVM in electromagnetically shielded Faraday cages.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">It is also not know what vibrations and physical shocks the EVMs can withstand. After the voting, when the EVMs are being transported over bumpy rural roads, the electromechanical components, registers, switches, relays, and physical connectors could be reset due to jerks.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">An IIT alumnus and professor of electronics in USA, Satinath Choudhary, had filed Public Interest Litigation in the Supreme Court, pointing out technical flaws in EVMs and requesting that they include provision for an audit trail and a paper backup. Following several scandals, California recently passed legislation requiring all EVMs to have paper backups.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">On 30 April 2004, then Chief Justice V.N. Khare, present Chief Justice S. Rajendra Babu, and Justice S.H. Kapadia delivered the following order:</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">“Heard the petitioner, who is appearing in person.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">In case the petitioner files any representation, the Election Commission may consider his suggestions.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">With the observations made above, the writ petition stands disposed of.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> Several leading technologists, including IIT alumni and professors of engineering in North America, are planning to petition the Election Commission to open the EVMs to expert scrutiny, and to have them modified to include paper backups and audit trails.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">India can draw upon the expertise of the Open Voting Consortium, an international group of researchers, which has spent over four years developing open-source voting systems. They intend to give away their technology for free. The international Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers is also currently formulating standards that EVMs should satisfy.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Based on the three criteria of:</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">(a) Lack of a verifiable paper / manual audit trail</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">(b) BEL and ECIL not having provided the algorithms, source codes, embedded firmware, integrated circuit schematics, board designs and electronic component specifications, to neutral experts for independent assessments</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">(c) Meagre evidence in actual field conditions, as opposed to short demonstrations in laboratory conditions</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">the assertions made by BEL and ECIL that their EVMs are accurate cannot be accepted at face value.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Thousands of hours of testing needs to be done, under actual field conditions, before their reliability can be proven beyond reasonable doubt. The easiest method of doing this, while maintaining the anonymity of the voter, is:</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">(a) Modify the EVMs to include a printer.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">(b) After a voter presses the button of his candidate, give him a printed receipt which will verify that the vote is really recorded for the candidate he voted for.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">(c) Have the voter deposit this printouts in a ballot box.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">(d) Compare the results of the EVMs with the manual counting of the printouts to check whether they are identical.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">(e) In the event of any discrepancy, the paper vote should be regarded as the real one.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">This should be done for several dozen elections before it can be</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">asserted that the EVMs do not contain any errors or deliberate trapdoors for rigging. Otherwise, the switch from manual voting to EVMs might turn out to be exchanging the known flaws of booth capturing, ballot stuffing, multiple voting, etc. for as yet unknown vulnerabilities.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Meanwhile, during the next two rounds of voting, voters should take the following precautions.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I. Ensure that the “Ready Lamp” is lit before you cast your vote. If the “Ready Lamp” is not lit, then the EVM will not register the button you press, and the next voter or presiding officer can cast ‘your’ vote for a candidate of his choice.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">II. Ensure that you, and not the electoral officials, press the button next to the candidate of your choice.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">III. Ensure that the light flashes next to the button of your candidate that you have pressed and the long beep is heard, before you exit the booth. This ensures that the EVM has registered your vote.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">by Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">I further say that, after editing and shortening by the editorial staff of the Indian Express newspaper to meet the constraints of space, this article of mine was published under the title “We Need To Know More About EVMs” by Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad, on the Edit Page of the Indian Express issue of Wednesday 05 May 2004, (copy enclosed), and also posted on the website of the Indian Express.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">(7) I say that there were several news reports in the mass media about malfunctioning Electronic Voting Machines during the Lok Sabha polls in April-May 2004.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">(8) I say that according to information received by me and believed by me to be true, the Government of India had constituted a committee headed by Professor P.V. Indiresan, former Director of Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, and former Dean of Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, to investigate the reliability of Electronic Voting Machines. I further say that according to information received by me and believed by me to be true, the Government of India and the Election Commission of India have, to date, not made the report of this committee available to the public, in spite of repeated requests by members of the public and technical experts.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">(9) I say that according to information received by me and believed by me to be true, the Election Commission of India, and Bharat Electronics Limited, and Electronics Corporation of India Limited, have not allowed their Electronic Voting Machines to be independently examined by neutral experts.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">(10) I say that Shri A.N. Jha, Deputy Election Commissioner and Spokesperson to the Election Commission of India, wrote the following letter to the Editor of the Hindustan Times in response to my article which was published under the title “Ghosts in the Machine” by Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad, on the Edit Page of the Hindustan Times, issue of Monday, 26 April 2004 (copy enclosed):</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">MOST IMMEDIATE</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">BY FAX / BY SPECIAL MESSENGER</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">ELECTION COMMISSION OF INDIA</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Nirvachan Sadan, Ashoka Road, New Delhi - 110 001</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">No. 491/Misc./2004/MCPS</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Dated: May 14, 2004</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The Editor,</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Hindustan Times,</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Hindustan Times Building,</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://maps.google.com/?q=18-20,+Kasturba+Gandhi+Marg,+%0D+%0D+New+Delhi-110001&entry=gmail&source=g" style="color: #1155cc;">18-20, Kasturba Gandhi Marg,</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://maps.google.com/?q=18-20,+Kasturba+Gandhi+Marg,+%0D+%0D+New+Delhi-110001&entry=gmail&source=g" style="color: #1155cc;">New Delhi-110001</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Sir,</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad wrote on the EVM in the Hindustan Times issue of 5 May 2004. He had also later written in Indian Express issue of 26 April, 2004. He has raised various doubts about the fidelity and reliability of the EVMs. He referred to two villages of Andhra Pradesh where in the first day of poll on 20 April, 2004 some voters had complained that while they pressed the button for the Congress, the light against the TDP glowed and where, therefore, the polling was stopped and the machines were replaced. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">While it is not possible to take out these ‘offending’ machines at this juncture to find out the truth in the allegation because the election process is not complete as yet, it is possible, however to comment on this issue. It is noteworthy that the complaint came only from two polling stations in respect of one machine each. There was no similar complaint from any other place which went to poll on that day either in Andhra Pradesh or anywhere else in the country. There were no such complaints on the second day of polling in Andhra Pradesh. A similar ‘claim’ was half-heartedly spread in Bihar that on pressing the button for RJD, the button against BJP candidate glowed. But in Bihar unlike in Andhra Pradesh, there was no specific complaint concerning any polling station. It is noteworthy that on that day such a complaint did not arise from any other polling station across the country where polling had taken place.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">As a technologist Mr. Prasad should know that algorithm and software is not written for 2 machines. And if there had been such a problem of faulty logic or incorrect algorithm etc. the same complaint should have come from all across the country and in any case, at the minimum, from all places where machines manufactured in that batch were employed.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Mr. Prasad says that the machines could contain the following flaws:</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">* Faulty logic;</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">* Incorrect algorithms;</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">* Erroneous data flows;</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">* Errors in circuit design;</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">* Mistake in the software code;</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">* Mistake, malicious trapdoors in the code and so on.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">In order to eliminate such possibilities what Mr. Prasad wants are the circuit algorithms, schematics, source code and test vectors etc. As a technologist surely Mr. Prasad would know that for a scrutiny to ensure that the machine functions correctly, instead of seeking all that information the person raising doubt could himself provide the set of test vectors stipulating the input and the expected output for correct functionality and also another set of such test vectors establishing his apprehended incorrect functionality that would vitiate the polling namely vote against wrong candidate, non-registering of votes etc. He would need the circuit schematic, source code etc. only if there was indeed an acknowledged defect and only if he were called upon to debug the system!</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Shri Prasad lists out all that he can do with the software of the machines: write software Modules which would pass all trials and still manipulate the result of an actual voting; succeed in assigning 70% of all votes to a select candidate and thus making the chosen candidate win etc. etc. While the software writing capabilities of the Indians have received high praise all over the world, what Mr. Prasad has claimed is still stretching credibility to the breaking point. By implication Mr. Prasad would like us to believe that all that BEL or ECIL who are manufacturers of the machines for the Election Commission of India and all their R & D engineers are interested is to ensure that the same party or some chosen candidates win especially despite the fact that there are 543 constituencies with a different set of candidates contesting in each one of them!</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">It is necessary to mention here that in the scheme adopted by us the position of the candidate and therefore the location of the button to be pressed to cast a vote in his favour is decided not on the basis of the name of his party but is decided on the basis of where his name figures in the list of contesting candidates arranged in the alphabetical order. The software writer should be so exceptionally brilliant as to be able to define this in the software code he writes and arrange to have all the votes credited to one or the other party he fancies. Further he has to do it long before even the list of contesting candidates is known as the manufacturers send the machines to the States and districts even before the nominations are opened. Even if he is not inclined in favour of any party or parties, then Mr. Prasad would have us believe, that the Software Engineers of the two companies would merely do this to prove a point about their (destructive) capability!</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Mr. Prasad lists various methods by which after the poll EVMs could be interfered with like erasing the memory using a electromagnetic pulse generator, sending signals from remote terminals etc. Mr. Prasad would like us to believe that the country is crawling with ‘mad’ engineers and technologists whose only goal in life is to destroy the memory of all the EVMs all over the place after the poll and create a chaos!</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The EC had the machines scrutinized and evaluated by an expert panel headed by Prof. P.V. Indiresan. The Committee had examined all relevant issues and ‘noted that the programme embedded in the device is completely fixed and unalterable and therefore, there is no means or access by which the system can be modified from outside’. The Committee further noted ‘the major advantage of the EVM developed in India is the fixed programme nature of the system. The programme is permanently fused and hence cannot be tampered with even if it can be accessed’.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">EC is ever willing to open the EVMs for scrutiny again if genuinely concerned persons approach it, but not for people who try to draw a non-existent parallel from the US elections and certainly not to those scaremongers who are interested in writing science-fiction.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Yours sincerely,</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">(A.N. Jha)</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Deputy Election Commissioner &</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">(11) I say that Shri A.N. Jha, Deputy Election Commissioner and Spokesperson to the Election Commission of India, wrote an identical letter to the Editor of the Indian Express in response to my article which was published under the title “We Need To Know More About EVMs” by Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad, on the Edit Page of the Indian Express issue of Wednesday 05 May 2004, (copy enclosed).</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">(12) I say that according to several knowledgeable persons, the letter of Shri A.N. Jha does not credibly address or rebut any of the points that I made in my two articles published in the Hindustan Times and the Indian Express.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">(13) I say that the editors of both the Hindustan Times and the Indian Express consulted several knowledgeable persons about the letter of Shri A.N. Jha. I further say that the editors of both the Hindustan Times and the Indian Express decided not to publish the letter of Shri A.N. Jha, since it was devoid of substance and did not credibly address or rebut any of the points that I had made in my two articles.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">(14) I say that the international Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), which is the worldwide governing body of the profession, has formulated IEEE Standard number 1583 which sets performance standards for Electronic Voting Machines worldwide. I further say that the Electronic Voting Machines designed and manufactured for the Election Commission of India by Bharat Electronics Limited and Electronics Corporation of India Limited do not conform to the requirements of IEEE Standard number 1583.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">(15) I say that it would be easy for a saboteur to open the EVMs from the bottom side, bypassing the sealed and serially numbered top of the EVM, and either replace or reprogramme the circuits inside. This can be done within about fifteen minutes to one hour. I further say that many electronic circuit components, especially EPROMS, EEPROMS, and flash memories, can be reprogrammed even without physically removing them from the board. This could be done by a saboteur after the voting was over but before the counting.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">(16) I say that whenever I cast my vote during elections, I noticed that the EVM had a provision for a serial or parallel communications port. I further say that it would be possible for a saboteur to tamper with the contents of the electronic components of the EVM such as microprocessors, shift registers, adders, etc. by connecting a computer or other such device to the serial or parallel communications port of the EVM. This can even be done remotely from several metres away by using a wireless device to connect to the serial or parallel communications port. This could be done by a saboteur after the voting was over but before the counting.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">(17) I say that based on all the reasons and possibilities for inadvertent hardware and software errors or deliberate tampering or sabotage mentioned by me above, especially</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">(a) Lack of a verifiable paper / manual audit trail</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">(b) BEL and ECIL not having provided the algorithms, source codes, embedded firmware, integrated circuit schematics, board designs and electronic component specifications, to neutral experts for independent assessments</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">(c) Meagre evidence in actual field conditions, as opposed to short demonstrations in laboratory conditions</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">the reliability and accuracy of the Electronic Voting Machines used by the Election Commission of India is highly questionable.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">(18) I say that thousands of hours of testing needs to be done, under actual field conditions and under the scrutiny of independent experts, before the reliability and accuracy of the Electronic Voting Machines used by the Election Commission of India can be proven beyond reasonable doubt. I further say that the easiest method of doing this, while maintaining the anonymity of the voter, is:</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">(a) Modify the EVMs to include a printer.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">(b) After a voter presses the button of his candidate, give him a printed receipt which will verify that the vote is really recorded for the candidate he voted for.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">(c) Have the voter deposit this printouts in a ballot box.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">(d) Compare the results of the EVMs with the manual counting of the printouts to check whether they are identical.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">(e) In the event of any discrepancy, the paper vote should be regarded as the real one.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">I further say that this procedure should be followed for several dozen elections before the assertions of the Election Commission of India, BEL, and ECIL that their EVMs are reliable and accurate can be accepted beyond reasonable doubt.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">(19) I say that the Election Commission of India should also publicize the procedures and standards that it follows after the voting but before the counting to ensure the safety and integrity of the Electronic Voting Machines, and to ensure that the EVMs are not tampered with by deliberate sabotage, such as by replacement or reprogramming of the electronic components.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">(20) I say that the Election Commission of India should also publicize the procedures and standards that it follows after the voting but before the counting to ensure that the election results are not affected, either accidentally or deliberately, by electromagnetic interference, lightning, high voltages, etc.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">(21) I say that the Election Commission of India should also publicize the procedures and standards that it follows after the voting but before the counting to ensure that the election results are not affected, either accidentally or deliberately, by vibrations or jerks or dropping during transportation.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">(22) I say that because the reliability and accuracy of the EVMs used by the Election Commission has not yet been established beyond reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of independent experts, the results of all elections conducted by using such EVMs are open to question and challenge.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">Hence this affidavit. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">Shri Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">Son of Shri H.Y. Sharada Prasad</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">Resident of 19 Maitri Apartments</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">A - 3, Paschim Vihar</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;"><a href="https://maps.google.com/?q=A+-+3,+Paschim%0D+Vihar%0D+%0D+New+Delhi&entry=gmail&source=g" style="color: #1155cc;">New Delhi</a> 110 063</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">DEPONENT</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">New Delhi</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">Dated: Monday, 25 October 2004</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">VERIFICATION</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">Verified and signed at New Delhi on this Twenty Fifth day of October 2004, that the contents of the above affidavit from paras 1 to 21 are true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">Shri Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">Son of Shri H.Y. Sharada Prasad</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">Resident of 19 Maitri Apartments</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">A - 3, Paschim Vihar</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;"><a href="https://maps.google.com/?q=A+-+3,+Paschim%0D+Vihar%0D+%0D+New+Delhi&entry=gmail&source=g" style="color: #1155cc;">New Delhi</a> 110 063</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">DEPONENT</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">New Delhi</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">Dated: Monday, 25 October 2004</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">I know and identify the deponent.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">Advocate</span></div>
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--<br /><div class="m_3607192929426870466m_-2061099261460758022gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature">
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==============================<wbr></wbr>==============================<wbr></wbr>==============================<wbr></wbr>=</div>
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Ravi Visvesvaraya Sharada Prasad</div>
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<img class="CToWUd" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEgtXrfK4_e6P2u1xUCq4yeP16nrUmoZOh4yJX53mBH9zg52vHj7dBKkl8k079pMCP0gp3-CCK0nEwS4_ioMGAjaXNXSglcrZTTPe0u8mFqp_ohYBFN8bDe8JGomo6YflKVK9F7eGUAmcuW7UJsjwyWaYgAnDM5n7q3QhkQrM6ulE9gdKOZd6r5K8Jvu-DOx4VDf9uGDdwYoEdx1GcKxYX1DJjQb22FQbw_nSgukf5oDAEMqY85kqsDdXW77TkIMFvjwC99nzM3cEhOxuJBDPgvQC69D1krZzhMrg4T6F3GznoJ645o6oDOIJXubg2reYMaZPbL0P0Afhile9XI=s0-d-e1-ft" style="font-size: 12.8px;" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en-GB&q=https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bw8CGTWK6Xr3UWlIZFlfSXA0SkhSbmVVQnd1V2Q2WFB2Uktn/view?usp%3Dsharing&source=gmail&ust=1512560621687000&usg=AFQjCNEcSChJ8YAurUIxQWO0pPjK1qsfFg" href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bw8CGTWK6Xr3UWlIZFlfSXA0SkhSbmVVQnd1V2Q2WFB2Uktn/view?usp=sharing" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://drive.google.com/file/<wbr></wbr>d/0Bw8CGTWK6Xr3UWlIZFlfSXA0Skh<wbr></wbr>SbmVVQnd1V2Q2WFB2Uktn/view?<wbr></wbr>usp=sharing</a></span></div>
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<iframe d="" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en-GB&q=https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bw8CGTWK6Xr3UWlIZFlfSXA0SkhSbmVVQnd1V2Q2WFB2Uktn/preview&source=gmail&ust=1512560621687000&usg=AFQjCNE7qONHNgGg0HxxMmqQAJB3JS_YcQ" drive.google.com="" file="" https:="" preview="" src="<a href=" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank" w8cgtwk6xr3uwlizflfsxa0skhsbmvvqnd1v2q2wfb2uktn="">https://drive.google.com/<wbr>file/d/0Bw8CGTWK6Xr3UWlIZFlfSX<wbr>A0SkhSbmVVQnd1V2Q2WFB2Uktn/<wbr>preview</a>" width="640" height="480"></iframe> </div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Consultant in Telecom, Information Technology, Electronics, Software, Nuclear</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 12.8px;">New Delhi, India </span></div>
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Wikipedia Entry</div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en-GB&q=http://www.thefullwiki.org/Ravi_Visvesvaraya_Sharada_Prasad&source=gmail&ust=1512560621687000&usg=AFQjCNFESIkbTn93PNIN3SmewJJzfbM1eA" href="http://www.thefullwiki.org/Ravi_Visvesvaraya_Sharada_Prasad" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://www.thefullwiki.org/Rav<wbr></wbr>i_Visvesvaraya_Sharada_Prasad</a></div>
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Rated by @Onalytica UK as the 19th most influential individual in the world in the telecommunications sector </div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 12.8px;">Master of Science, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, 1982-1986. </span></div>
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Master of Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering & Materials Science, Carnegie Mellon University, 1982-1985. </div>
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Lead Assessor Honours Diploma, Software & Systems Quality, European Union ESPRIT Bootstrap Institute, 1993. </div>
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Master of Science, Physics, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, IITK, 1977-1982. </div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 12.8px;">Twitter: @rvp</span></div>
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LinkedIn</div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en-GB&q=https://www.linkedin.com/in/ravivsprasad&source=gmail&ust=1512560621687000&usg=AFQjCNFIosFlYhzNONyHaNBWErZZGuNv7g" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ravivsprasad" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/ra<wbr></wbr>vivsprasad</a></div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en-GB&q=http://rvp.tripod.com/&source=gmail&ust=1512560621687000&usg=AFQjCNFdkXl3VC5B-QutfWmumRJy2qTnCQ" href="http://rvp.tripod.com/" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12.8px;" target="_blank">http://rvp.tripod.com</a></div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en-GB&q=http://rvp.8k.com/&source=gmail&ust=1512560621687000&usg=AFQjCNHkqs4qeJW-MGJIBL0iFki61xIFqw" href="http://rvp.8k.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://rvp.8k.com</a></div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en-GB&q=http://rvp.8m.net/&source=gmail&ust=1512560621687000&usg=AFQjCNHzC_TZnQmQHqXsg1lIus27UzO0FQ" href="http://rvp.8m.net/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://rvp.8m.net</a></div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en-GB&q=http://42.4t.com/&source=gmail&ust=1512560621687000&usg=AFQjCNEgnOR2cHiY2Pulma9ug3vPQBmq8g" href="http://42.4t.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://42.4t.com</a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Ravi Visvesvaraya Sharada Prasad</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Mobile Phones</span></div>
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+{91} 70 42 63 01 23</div>
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+{91} 70 42 64 01 23</div>
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+{91} 98 10 91 12 34</div>
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+{91} 987 12 456 78</div>
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+{91} 85 120 196 30</div>
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Emails</div>
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<a href="mailto:ravi.v.prasad@gmail.com" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">ravi.v.prasad@gmail.com</a></div>
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<a href="mailto:rvsp60@gmail.com" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">rvsp60@gmail.com</a></div>
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<a href="mailto:r_v_p@yahoo.com" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">r_v_p@yahoo.com</a></div>
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<a href="mailto:r_v_p@hotmail.com" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">r_v_p@hotmail.com</a></div>
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<br />WhatsApp Messages</div>
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+{91} 98 100 10 351</div>
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+{91} 70 42 63 01 23</div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Ravi Visvesvaraya Sharada Prasad</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709246044265053568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740073105457296990.post-17548015396978982102014-05-21T21:28:00.000+05:302014-05-21T21:30:55.156+05:30Foxes Guarding the Hen House Yet Again?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We have heard, for the past five or six days, "<i>Acche din aane waale hain</i>." That's all very well, but, to quote <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Song_of_Ice_and_Fire" target="_blank">a very popular fantasy series partly based on real-life historical events and characters</a>, "Words are wind." Why is that so? Let's look at a few facts:<br />
<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>The Congress may have been ignominiously trounced but the virus of dynastic politics still infects the political system. <a href="http://scroll.in/article/664746/Was-this-a-vote-against-dynasty?-These-politicians%E2%80%99-kids-won-seats-this-election" target="_blank">There were many politicians who spoke out in the 1970s and 1980s against Mrs Indira Gandhi's decision to induct her sons into politics--it's interesting to see that so many of them have followed in her footsteps.</a> Imitation seems to be the sincerest form of flattery here. </li>
<li>Another major concern: <a href="http://www.hindustantimes.com/elections2014/election-beat/lok-sabha-elections-34-winners-have-declared-criminal-cases/article1-1221012.aspx" target="_blank">34% of the MPs in the 16th Lok Sabha have declared that they have criminal cases against them. </a>Why is it that parties persist in giving tickets to such people, who will eventually do little to improve governance or add to development? <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/10/opinion/indias-price-of-victory.html?_r=0" target="_blank">Could it be because fighting an election in India is increasingly expensive? Could it also be because many candidates offer handouts to the electorate to get elected?</a></li>
<li>We have modeled our parliamentary system on the UK--<a href="http://svaradarajan.com/2014/04/30/the-best-democracy-that-money-can-buy/" target="_blank">why can we not insist that political parties cap their total expenses per election at a certain fixed amount?</a> Our inability to limit party expenses on general propaganda enables people with big money power to call the shots.</li>
</ol>
<div>
So, what are the solutions to these problems? Here are a few suggestions:</div>
<div>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Ensure that each constituency (central and state) has a volunteer committee of party workers, who are not just career politicians but also work for a living, from which candidates for elections (central and state) are chosen.</li>
<li>Use the massive mandate given in this election to sweep out the 34% criminal elements out of the House. Otherwise, the 34% rotten apples will spoil the rest (66%) of the crop, and everybody will feel free to consider a politician corrupt, <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Section-144-imposed-outside-Tihar-Arvind-Kejriwal-in-jail-for-two-days/articleshow/35441502.cms" target="_blank">even though they might not say so, for fear of defamation charges</a>. <a href="http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Julius_Caesar" target="_blank">Lawmakers, like Caesar's wife, must be above suspicion</a>. Pass a law that prevents anyone with criminal charges of any kind (or their family members and friends) from fighting an election until said criminal charges are dropped after investigation or the person charged with the crime has paid a debt to society. </li>
<li>Come up with realistic estimates of how much an individual candidate must spend to fight elections at the state and central level, and how much each party must spend per candidate fielded. Get election accounts audited (by CAG if necessary) and submit these to the Election Commission--provide copies of these to all media houses upon request.</li>
</ol>
<div>
Unless such steps are undertaken, this vote for change will be nothing more than yet another mirage in the desert--or, as the French say, <span style="font-family: 'Linux Libertine', Georgia, Times, serif; line-height: 1.3;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/plus_%C3%A7a_change,_plus_c'est_la_m%C3%AAme_chose" target="_blank">plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose</a> </i>(The more it changes, the more it's the same thing).</span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709246044265053568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740073105457296990.post-18030148124042113812013-05-13T17:28:00.002+05:302013-05-13T17:28:47.969+05:30If Only...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://ibnlive.in.com/news/modi-should-have-been-projected-as-a-hindutva-leader-in-karnataka-polls-sena/391183-37-64.html" target="_blank">BJP ally Shiv Sena claims that the projection of Narendra Modi as a Hindutva leader would have led to a BJP victory in Karnataka</a>. They're wrong--because it was not the projection of Modi as a secular leader that put off voters, <a href="http://mjakbarblog.blogspot.in/2013/05/the-price-of-corrugance.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+mjakbarbylines+(M+J+Akbar's+Column:Bylines)&utm_content=Google+Reader" target="_blank">it was the BJP's association with Yeddyurappa and the Bellary coal scandal that put off Karnataka voters</a>. We are all sick and tired of ministers treating their offices of service as offices of profit. And the only way to teach them all a lesson, no matter which party they belong to, is to give them a drubbing at the elections. Let them lose their deposits; let them sit in opposition; let them repent of their sins and learn some humility. So far, they have only lost an election, not their lives. Let them beware, lest the people lose all patience and let loose a revolution, in which ministers and their kin, who have been fattening themselves at the expense of the country, lose not just their wealth but their lives as well.<br />
<br />
And talking of Hindutva--how does the building of a temple to Rama help at all, when not a single politician follows his values? We're far more interested in education, health care and livelihood than in building temples to gods whom we worship but do not emulate.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709246044265053568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740073105457296990.post-14588517153848709192013-05-10T17:45:00.000+05:302013-05-10T17:49:55.724+05:30The Ancien Regime Rides Again?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2013-05-07/news/39091152_1_venod-sharma-pawan-kumar-bansal-railways-portfolio" target="_blank">Stories of a top railway official willing to allegedly offer the railway minister's nephew a bribe of Rs. 90 lakhs for an even more impressive post on the railway board</a> have appalled those of us who have read of plum posts in Church and State being sold under the <em>ancien regime</em> in Europe. Perhaps we should not be surprised at this--the Congress suffers from a feudal/<em>durbari</em> mindset, and these stories of such impressive posts being sold for large sums of money, supplied by vendors, are but the tip of the iceberg.<br />
<br />
The question then arises--if a man is willing to pay more than 90 lakhs for a place on the railway board, after borrowing the money from a vendor, is he not likely to take decisions that benefit that vendor? In short, is he not likely to buy the cheapest materials possible for the railways, while billing the railways for more expensive goods? Remember that scene in <em>Jolly LLB</em>, where station house officers with a relatively clean image are required to bid for a post in the capital? Isn't it likely that, if a man has paid for a certain post in government, his first concern will be to repay the money he owes and make as much as he can (in whatever way possible) out of his investment? He's not likely to do an honest job or give an honest opinion--he's more interested in making a profit on his investment. Is that how our government is run?<br />
<br />
It is evident, from the stories that have appeared in the press, that <a href="http://www.indianexpress.com/news/bansal-firms-got-loans-after-ca-became-canara-bank-director/1113845/" target="_blank">companies owned by members of the minister's family have received crores of rupees in loans, after a certain CA was made a director in Canara Bank in 2007, when the minister in question was MoS in the Finance Ministry</a>. Evidently, members of the minister's family, whether close or extended, see his office in government as an office of profit. Does the minister in question see his government post in that light? And how many such men are there, who have entered politics because they had no marketable skills, and want to retire after making a killing?</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709246044265053568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740073105457296990.post-8724623867415558882013-01-29T13:11:00.003+05:302013-01-29T13:13:55.495+05:30The Justice Verma Committee Report: Law Minister's Response<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://english.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/MMOnline.dll/portal/ep/contentView.do?contentId=13322076&tabId=1&programId=11565537" target="_blank">Yesterday, Shri Ashwani Kumar, Law Minister, said he disagreed with the committee on its stand that politicians accused of a crime should be debarred from contesting elections.</a> He says that politicians should only be prevented from contesting elections when they are proved guilty of having committed a crime.<br />
What Shri Kumar fails to realise is that the Indian legal system moves slower than the mills of God and justice in India is truly blind. A case as grave as that of the 1984 gas explosion in Bhopal has left the victims at a serious disadvantage--those responsible for taking decisions that led to the accident were allowed to leave the country. So, people who are dying of illness or have been severely disabled due to the explosion have lost out on adequate compensation and on being given justice--they do not see those who took these decisions being punished for their crimes. <br />
The other danger with allowing a person suspected of having committed a crime to fight (and perhaps win) an election is that such an individual will use political power and political networks to evade justice. Not to put too fine a point on it--we've seen how the mere threat of a CBI investigation into various cases is used by parties in power at the centre to keep their coalition partners in line. <a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.change.org%2Fen-IN%2Fpetitions%2Felection-commission-india-derecognize-political-parties-fielding-candidates-with-criminal-records%3Fshare_id%3DxsvazRaZyX%26utm_campaign%3Dmailto_link%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_source%3Dshare_petition&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGzkN7457fI6JtKgSlX4d2SVG5OTw" target="_blank">Hence the insistence that political parties, which field such candidates, should not be permitted on the ballot rolls.</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709246044265053568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740073105457296990.post-42789373001711868642012-12-25T16:00:00.000+05:302012-12-25T16:08:22.481+05:30Get Criminals out of Political Life<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Much of the outrage associated with the Delhi gang rape has been directed at the political class, with good reason. <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/31-per-cent-MLAs-in-Gujarat-assembly-have-criminal-records/articleshow/17745523.cms">It appears these worthies continue to include criminals in their ranks--many politicians who recently stood for election have criminal cases pending against them. </a>Why do political parties continue to field such candidates? Hence, <a href="https://www.change.org/en-IN/petitions/election-commission-india-derecognize-political-parties-fielding-candidates-with-criminal-records?share_id=xsvazRaZyX&utm_campaign=mailto_link&utm_medium=email&utm_source=share_petition">this petition to the Election Commission</a>, requesting the Chief Election Commissioner to de-recognize political parties which field candidates with criminal records. Independent candidates with such records should not be included on the ballot rolls.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Delhi-gangrape-Juvenile-could-be-let-off-lightly/Article1-980392.aspx">Something else that's outrageous--it appears the person responsible for assaulting the Delhi gang rape victim is a juvenile and will therefore be let off lightly, with a three-year sentence in a juvenile home</a>. Why should the perpetrator be treated so gently, keeping his age in mind? Why not judge him on the basis of his crime and give him the punishment he deserves?<br />
<br />
The outraged response to the Delhi gang rape has not made India any safer for women--<a href="http://www.hindustantimes.com/homepage/Chunk-HT-UI-IndiaSectionPage-North/India-unsafe-atrocities-continue-outrage-grows/Article1-980443.aspx">stories of atrocities against women continue to fill the pages of our newspapers</a>. I think the only way the Indian governing class will actually take some action is when Western governments declare India an unsafe place for women visitors--there was the case of a foreign diplomat raped in a South Delhi car park, as well as the more recent case of a foreign tourist raped in Mumbai.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709246044265053568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740073105457296990.post-70085596837989600022011-06-05T16:09:00.003+05:302011-06-05T16:54:07.500+05:30Breaking Babaji's Fast<div><div>The government, as represented by its ministers, has found an unusual method of creating a popular opposition--by not doing its job. <a href="http://www.indianexpress.com/news/baba-ramdev-from-red-carpet-to-police-crackdown/799598/0">The civil society agitations </a>that have been in the news would have never occured had the government done its job--by controlling A. Raja and Suresh Kalmadi, making them accountable for their actions in office even as they worked on the rollout of the 2G spectrum and Commonwealth Games respectively. By not controlling these men, and then by refusing to react positively to the suggestion to bring black money stashed abroad back into India, the government gives the impression that, if not hand in glove with the corrupt, it is not exactly an administration that believes in punishing the guilty. </div><div> </div><div>And then of course, there is the Lokpal Bill, which is necessary, to ensure that our legislators and bureaucrats remember they are accountable to the people. It appears that when in office, they tend to forget--they then act in the interests of their party, their castes, their family, their community, perhaps their constituents and states, but certainly not for "we, the people". And yes, the PM and the Chief Justice of India should be under its jurisdiction. The police force in each state, and the CBI in particular, should no longer be under the purview of the state or central governments--we have seen how everything to do with the police, from their recruitment to the cases they investigate, tends to get politicized or used to make populist points. It's now a given that, if a regional party makes a pact with the party at the centre to support its government in parliament, the various corruption and criminal cases registered against it by the CBI will be dropped. Our cops, from the constable to those working for the CBI, need to be armed and trained to deal with a wide variety of law and order problems--Maoist and fundamentalist terror; the activities of criminal networks in India and the various criminal acts committed by individuals, whether for personal gain or for the satisfaction of sociopathic desires. However, they are poorly paid and barely looked after by their political masters, who use them as goon squads to crush their opponents.</div><div> </div><div><a href="http://in.news.yahoo.com/midnight-police-swoop-baba-ramdev-detention-ends-protest-000000434.html">Baba Ramdev</a> is only one man, as is Anna Hazare--as were Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela. However, they are not alone--they voice the rage of the people against an elected government that has not been doing its job, either of managing its ministers (the compulsions of coalition government be damned!) or of preventing the siphoning off of public money whilst undertaking public works to glorify the nation. I am sure Dr. Manmohan Singh is an honest man (and so are they all, all honest men) but can they now stop behaving like a bunch of ostriches with their heads in the sand? It took many months and a loud outry against his non-performance to get Kalmadi and his corhorts into CBI custody, and again, it took a media storm to get Raja and Kanimozhi where they are today. So can this government not understand that the people are heartily sick of their excuses? We want a government that is honest, neither casteist nor communal and prepared to act swiftly to defend the people of this country, whether against terrorist threats, crime networks, corrupt netas or babus and piracy. Government spokespersons keep talking about how fast the economy is growing--but it is of no use to the aam aadmi, whom this government claims to represent, if the fruits of this growth are devoured by a corrupt elite. So get moving on the Lokpal Bill; get ready to stand up and be counted.</div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709246044265053568noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740073105457296990.post-87337212470019555792009-04-12T13:30:00.001+05:302009-04-12T13:31:11.272+05:30Mirror, Mirror on the Wall...<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><a href='http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/SP-vows-to-abolish-English-computers/articleshow/4389164.cms?TOI_latestnews' target='_blank'>So now Mulayam Singh Yadav and his party want to drag us back by God knows how many years by abolishing English and the use of computers.</a> Then you have the BJP, which has been carrying out a religious progrom in Orissa along with other members of the RSS family, trying to get all the votes possible by being a party for all seasons. And of course, the Congress tops the list by fielding Tytler and Sajjan Kumar YET AGAIN, based on a "clean chit" from the CBI. Based on what evidence, I wonder? Or is it based on the fact that these two worthies belong to the ruling party? Is that the sole criterion? And then there is Mayawati, who could probably teach Robert Mugabe a thing or two about kleptocracy.<br/><br/>There are times when I think that the only difference between India and Zimbabwe is the fact that we have elections more frequently and there are occasional changes in the ruling party at the centre. However, we too are ruled by a bunch of thugs and kleptocrats, who, because of their lack of respect for the rule of law, have subverted every government institution to such an extent that we are vulnerable to terrorist threats from all sides. THIS IS TRUE OF EVERY PARTY, INCLUDING THE BJP. The latter used to pride itself on its discipline and its so-called cleanliness--but it has proved to be just as corrupt and equally uncaring. There's nothing to choose between Delhi 1984, Gujarat 2002 and Orissa 2008. Hence,<br/>Mirror, mirror on the wall,<br/>Who is the least evil of them all?<br/><br/><div class='zemanta-pixie'><img src='http://img.zemanta.com/pixy.gif?x-id=cee1e2d5-73ca-8503-b027-e09ae8c51ff2' class='zemanta-pixie-img'/></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709246044265053568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740073105457296990.post-23655025526580789722008-12-02T19:57:00.001+05:302008-12-02T19:57:13.858+05:30Begin with a Respect for the Rule of Law<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>As <a href='http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/46015,features,mumbai-the-fatal-delay' target='_blank'>this article makes clear</a>, what happened in Mumbai was a tragedy of errors--an ill-prepared state security apparatus uncer the control of hidebound bureaucrats and politicians better known for breaking the laws than abiding by them, up against a group that was professionally trained and motivated to create the maximum amount of havoc. Playing the blame game with Pakistan is a waste of energy--we have to begin with ourselves. <br/><br/>Why are we such a soft target for terrorists? Is it because our criminal justice system barely functions, and is held ransom to the whims and fancies of whichever party is in power? Evidently, Afzal Guru's mercy petition, submitted to the President of India, is still with the Delhi government, which has yet to express its opinion on it after four long years. Why the delay?<br/><br/>As we have seen with the Aarushi and Rizwan cases, our police force is not known for its investigative skills. And now the various terrorist attacks we have faced prove that is is incapable of protecting the lives of citizens. A news item in Headlines Today described the bolt-action .303 rifles issued to Mumbai policemen--they do not know how to fire these and were hopelessly outgunned by the terrorists. <br/><br/>So why not begin by freeing police forces of political control? Why don't our politicians and bureaucrats let the cops conduct their investigations without fear or favour? Why not give them world-class training, equipment and living standards, to attract India's best and brightest, instead of her most corrupt? If we begin by cracking down on ALL crime, we might not require a special terror law.<br/></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709246044265053568noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740073105457296990.post-27308982115760112792008-11-27T15:08:00.003+05:302008-11-27T15:54:34.181+05:30When will We Ever Learn?<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/27/world/asia/27mumbai.html?_r=1&th=&emc=th&pagewanted=all">There's been yet another terrorist attack in Mumbai, led by yet another outfit calling itself the Deccan Mujahedeen.</a> <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/26/mumbai-terror-attacks-india">This is very different from the standard bombs in rubbish bins modus operandi and its target are British and American passport holders. </a><br /><br />My question is: Why hasn't the Indian government woken up, even after the wake-up calls of the Ahmedabad, Jaipur and Delhi blasts earlier this year, not to speak of the Hyderabad blast of last year? Why don't we have a suitable intelligence apparatus in place? We need good, credible intelligence, which is based on facts and reasoning, not just the opinions of yes-men and time servers. We have had enough of people who will do and say anything to keep their political bosses happy.<br /><br />As for our politicians, when will these worthies wake up? When the entire nation is up in smoke? They don't care about the number of people killed, not just in terrorist attacks, but in traffic accidents that could have been avoided. Can they at least work at bringing our police and fire services up to a level so that the army does not have to be called in at every instance? This way, the army is used most often to quell civil emergencies that the police and fire services should be able to handle. Our policemen and firemen need world-class equipment and training, and they should enjoy a standard of life that would attract well-educated and intelligent people to the service, not just the dregs of society, who treat a government job as an excuse for collecting bribes.<br /><br />I feel the inaction of our political class--or their tendency to stand up for one Indian community against another--will lead to a situation very similar to that in the Balkans. We may not have broken up in 1948, but it could yet happen, if our political class does not wake up to its responsibilities and work in the national interest, not just in permanent election mode.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709246044265053568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740073105457296990.post-67409373593112485792008-09-30T16:30:00.000+05:302008-09-30T16:32:06.907+05:30Needed: A New Politics in India<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">We have just seen <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Tatas_to_pull_out_of_Singur/articleshow/3526370.cms">the Tatas ousted from Singur by Mamata Bannerjee</a> and her party, the Trinamool Congress. This, despite the fact that the Tata Nano project might have employed some of the farmers displaced by the creation of an SEZ in Singur.<span style=""> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">There are two rights that clash here—the farmers’ right to retain ownership of cultivable land and the industrialists’ right to set up industries as and where they see fit. It is a difficult compromise to negotiate. The farmers feel that cultivable land is being taken over by industrialists, with the help of the state. And industrialists feel that politicians are using farmers’ real or perceived grievances to make it difficult for them to set up industries.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Of course, the ideal setup would be to let industrialists buy the land directly from farmers, and draw their labour from the locality itself. The state should only intercede to the extent that it indicates suitable uncultivable land that can be used for setting up factories. However, it is unlikely that politicians and bureaucrats will give up their power to this extent. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Indian politicians appear to live in a bubble—many of them begin their political careers while still in college. Very few have actual experience of holding down salaried jobs or trying to make two ends meet. There is no tradition of combining political work with regular employment—the lack of public transport and other civic amenities mean that most Indians, even professionals, concentrate on their work and home life to the exclusion of almost everything else. It is only in the last fifteen years or so that an alternative to the five-star culture of the preceding decades has emerged for a class of people who now earn a lot better than their parents. And the middle class has begun to acquire a certain amount of political clout, because of its involvement in demanding justice in landmark criminal cases, such as the Jessica Lall case or the Nitish Katara murder. It is likely that this might herald a return of the middle class to Indian politics, which was a field that it gradually abandoned after independence. This was because political work acquired a bad reputation in the seventies, because of its association with hooliganism and criminality. Several Indian politicians, including <a href="http://www.hindu.com/2006/12/06/stories/2006120604630100.htm">the CM of a state</a>, have not only been accused of crimes but were actually let out of jail to vote in the recent confidence vote in Parliament. And the attitude that most politicians have towards criminal activity of any kind ranges from tolerance to outright encouragement—no less than a central government labour minister sympathized with a group of workers in Noida who had lynched their MD.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Industrialisation and the emergence of a powerful middle class, with its own values and world views, are essential for the survival and further development of democracy in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region>, since the middle class emphasizes a reliance on equality before the law. Most politicians, however, tend to see themselves above and beyond the law, rather like modern-day equivalents of the maharajas they deposed a few decades ago. They also tend to see themselves, not as Indians but as representatives of their caste or their region. In part, this is to gain votes in elections—and most Indian politicians are in permanent election mode. So it is not surprising that it is Mamata Bannerjee, and not the left parties (who are in power in <st1:place st="on">West Bengal</st1:place>) who opposes an SEZ in Singur, ostensibly because she supports the cause of landless farmers, but actually because it gets her the media and popular attention she needs to remain in politics. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Indian politicians need to develop a national perspective and they need to look long-term at various policies. We need industries to take surplus labour off the land. We have surplus labour on the land because the handicrafts were practically destroyed during the colonial era and the unemployed craftsmen had no other recourse but to become farmers or farm labourers. Hence, a viable policy needs to be worked out where the needs of industrialists and farmers are met fairly.</span></p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709246044265053568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740073105457296990.post-63472058012421183922008-07-26T18:13:00.001+05:302008-07-26T18:13:33.378+05:30Guilt by Association?<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><a href='http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct=in/3-0&fp=488b12a41da3a627&ei=nRiLSPvgM4Km6QPC2pyTBg&url=http%3A//www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx%3Fid%3DNEWEN20080057467&cid=0&usg=AFQjCNEJAEZNOghyYCd5s9cjjE8wkraB-w'>Why is it that those who are related to the accused or are unfortunate enough to be dragged into a police investigation in a capital crime feel the heat?</a> Why should they be blamed for assisting the police with their enquiries? <a href='http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct=in/4-0&fp=488b12a41da3a627&ei=nRiLSPvgM4Km6QPC2pyTBg&url=http%3A//timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cop_who_bungled_Aarushi_case_promoted/articleshow/3247144.cms&cid=0&usg=AFQjCNEQiXcbsc-CYRKjYcrR3Ob-yh_QmQ'>And what about cops who bungle cases--should they be promoted or asked to leave the force?</a> <a href='http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct=uk/1-1&fp=488b2450e0d905be&ei=jBqLSI2ZNKjs6gPBkNWFDA&url=http%3A//www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/madeleinemccann/2455745/Madeleine-McCann-case-Portuguese-police-admit-failings.html&cid=1229457019&usg=AFQjCNEHYlrUy3pRDMAdNhxaP1kx2jeEiA'>After all, the Portuguese cop who headed the enquiry into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann </a>lost his job when his investigation failed. Shouldn't the same rules apply to Indian cops also?<br/><br/></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709246044265053568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740073105457296990.post-83979763256493712882008-07-21T12:43:00.002+05:302008-07-21T12:54:47.761+05:30The Countdown Begins<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">So, Dr. Singh has finally moved the confidence motion in the Lok Sabha. He's finally rid of an enemy posing as an ally and the Left parties have lost their chance to show what they could have done as part of a Central government. They've shown themselves to be petty-minded and unable to break out of a Cold War mindset, despite the fall of the Berlin wall over 17 years ago. Well, it's their loss, not ours--but what surprises me is t<a href="http://www.hindustantimes.com/Redir.aspx?ID=d09acf79-4f1c-4cfd-af66-46554c10e036&SectionName=ViewsColumnsSectionPage">he double-faced nature of the BJP response</a>. They have worked hard to improve Indo-US and Indo-Israel ties while in power and have done their bit to end India's nuclear isolation, <a href="http://www.hindustantimes.com/Redir.aspx?ID=476979df-7c51-4052-b6a7-2952ce5b2be2&SectionName=ViewsColumnsSectionPage">which began in 1998, immediately after the nuclear tests</a>. But--and this is important, considering the fact that the party is ostensibly led by mature men like Vajpayee and Advani--they have chosen to come out against the deal. Are they now getting into election mode? Do they honestly think they will be able to make a dent in double-digit inflation, which has been caused due to a world-wide rise in petroleum prices? <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Columnists/S_A_Aiyar_N-power_for_energy_security/articleshow/3254609.cms">Don't they realise that India needs nuclear power for its energy security and needs to be recognised by the other nuclear states</a>? Or do they want the honour of signing the deal for themselves?<br /><br />Another interesting fact--none of the MPs who are supporting the UPA are doing so because they are animated by national interest--they all have their legal cases or petty little problems to be sorted out by the Central Government. So the law (and development) takes a backseat, while petty criminals exercise their power. Now that Mayawati is no longer persona grata in Delhi, plans for a Lucknow airport or the refurbishment thereof are on hold and ALL the cases against her have been handed over to the CBI. And since Mulayam is helping the UPA, cases against him have been dropped. If a professional dentist like Dr. Talwar or a factory worker like Mohan, the brother of his compounder, can lose their jobs because of the stigma of being involved in a criminal investigation, why can't our politicians be deprived of power unless they can prove themselves innocent in a court of law? If we abide by the rule of law, then that law should apply to all citizens, including Mayawati, Mulayam, Shahabuddin, Pappu Yadav et. al. And had the BJP been in this quandary, they would have also allied with the same people, despite ideological or electoral differences.<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709246044265053568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740073105457296990.post-81004492860727270882008-06-30T14:03:00.001+05:302008-06-30T14:06:32.490+05:30No Surprises from the Left<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><a href='http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct=in/0-0&fp=486876a59e40b30d&ei=P5VoSOroBI-egwPVp5iCCQ&url=http%3A//www.hindu.com/2008/06/28/stories/2008062859861200.htm&cid=1224896659&usg=AFQjCNFXxvC2JmvVIWIo6-wJxiRhgHrRPA'>As usual, the Left stands firm against the 123 deal, and also against any Indian attempts to discuss safeguards with the IAEA. </a>However, is their stand in the interests of the Indian people, especially the proletariat, whom they profess to represent? Considering the fact that the Indian public has to face double-digit inflation, much of it brought on by the rise in fuel prices, is it not a wise idea to look at nuclear energy as an alternative? I know most of our communist leaders live in the past--preferably the Maoist and Stalinist past--but if their parties have to follow policies that help the Indian people, <a href='http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Kakodkar--top-officials-to-brief-Left-on-IAEA-safeguards-pact/325009/'>then talking to the IAEA about safeguards and to the US (and the EU, Russia, and China) about using nuclear energy in the civil sector, is a must. </a><br/><br/>Let us hope Comrade Karat and Co. are at least prepared to give Mr. Kakodkar and other officials a hearing. After all, China, which is THE communist country in the world that Karat and Co. kowtow to, has also signed a 123 treaty with the US--of course, they had to agree to all kinds of conditions. If the Chinese communists can be so pragmatic, why can't the Indians?<br/><br/></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709246044265053568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740073105457296990.post-70067438483087754912008-06-08T21:26:00.000+05:302008-06-08T21:31:18.097+05:30Hooligans in Politics?<p>It appears that, even as <a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct=in/2-0-0&fp=484baaf0ab71036c&ei=__ZLSJ63Kqbc6gOguKnjAw&url=http%3A//www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx%3Fid%3DNEWEN20080052323%26ch%3D6/8/2008%25204%3A23%3A00%2520PM&cid=1220425231&npp=POP&usg=AFQjCNFuzGfOG2U67WeFtbvcdHa2JVmC9g" target="_blank" >the UP CM has asked one of her cabinet colleagues to resign because of his involvement in murder</a>, <a href="http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=fc97ceaf-613f-4a5f-baf6-bae3b5930b61&MatchID1=4705&TeamID1=10&TeamID2=7&MatchType1=2&SeriesID1=1188&PrimaryID=4705&Headline=Punks+and+Publicity" target="_blank" >yet another political career is being created in Maharashtra based on an attack on a journalist</a>. It seems that politics is now a refuge for all the hooligans, scoundrels and lawless elements in India. <a href="http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/--All-the-problems-have-been-solved--Now-let-s-build-a-statue--/319496/" target="_blank" >All that Mr. Ketkar did in his Loksatta editorial was to ironically comment that Maharashtra had evidently solved all its problems, which was why it could afford to build a statue of Shivaji to arise out of the Arabian Sea.</a> Evidently, one Mr. Methe thought that an attack on Mr. Ketkar was just what he needed to start his political career with a bang.</p><br /><p><a href="http://www.indianexpress.com/sunday/story/320076.html" target="_blank" >From the bending of rules to enable relatives of powerful politicians to get into business</a>, to <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Activists_come_under_attack_for_exposing_graft_in_jobs_scheme/articleshow/3110158.cms" target="_blank" >the attacks on and murder of activists auditing the NREGS programme in the districts of India</a>--it seems our politicians are capable of any crime under the sun. </p><br /><p>We cannot rely on any political party to be more honest than the last--the moment a party comes into power, it forgets the people. There are times when it even forgets the nation, in the interests of winning the next election. This is plainly the case with those parties that are organizing <em>bandhs</em> to protest against the recent rise in petroleum prices. Evidently, the nation’s coffers are to be sucked dry by politicians, who’d like everything to be subsidized, so that they can continue to win elections ad infinitum. Why on earth our 80-year-old prime ministerial candidates cannot show some maturity when discussing fiscal issues--especially when they have had a spell in power and know what it it is like to govern--is something that still causes wonder. Whenever there is a terrorist attack, the party in power is assailed. Why Indian geriatrics continue to act like juveniles when seeking political office is totally beyond comprehension. </p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709246044265053568noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740073105457296990.post-26289638139085797242008-06-02T20:43:00.000+05:302008-06-02T20:52:12.616+05:30Much Ado about Caste<p><a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct=in/0-0&fp=4844073505ad9a42&ei=jQlESKDcLIuY6wPmjOyvCQ&url=http%3A//www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Gurjjars-protest-in-Rajasthan-but-the-heat-can-be-felt-in-Punjab-as-well/316508/&cid=0&usg=AFrqEzdjPMNxt3FhoghV82hsG6khD4u5QA" target="_blank">So the Gurjjars have been on a rampage lately</a>--evidently, they want to be included in the list of Scheduled Castes, so that they also have a chance to get government jobs. Rajasthan saw a lot of violence, and Delhi saw a strike the other day. There are indications that this agitation will also affect neighboring states--Punjab, Gujarat and UP.</p> <p>I think we need to take a long, hard look at the system of reservations. Has it actually helped castes (or just select families of caste leaders) gain social mobility? Is this mobility greater in urban or rural areas? Has this mobility enabled castes to change status over the last three generations? Is reservation a substitute for a good system of primary and secondary school education for the working classes (urban and rural) ? Has the system of reservation helped people who got jobs in the reserved quota feel more or less professionally competent than their peers from the general category? And this is not something that can be left to the political class, because this class is quite content to throw government money and jobs to the people in an effort to retain power. This is a job that those who now ask for inclusion in lists of SC, ST or OBC groups have to ask themselves. </p> <p>Based on their findings, they will have to then decide whether or not the system of reservations is working. If only the families of caste leaders have gained social mobility, then there will have to be a cut off from the fourth generation--only three generations of an SC, ST or OBC family can benefit from the reservation system and the fourth generation has to be included in the general category. If it is found that SCs, STs and OBCs based in urban areas benefit more from the reservation system, then the place of residence and education has to be given due weightage. And at the same time, people have to set up schools for their locality--there's no point getting a seat reserved if education itself is unavailable.<br /></p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709246044265053568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740073105457296990.post-79290007226074491552008-06-02T20:17:00.001+05:302008-06-02T20:22:30.018+05:30Why the CBI?<p><a href="http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080051738&ch=6/2/2008%206:36:00%20PM" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3CA%20href=" target="_blank url?" sa="t&" ct="in/0-1-0&" fp="484316b973574624&" ei="qP9DSKrtKouY6wPmjOyvCQ&" url="http%3A//www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx%3Fid%3DNEWEN20080051738%26ch%3D6/2/2008%25206%3A36%3A00%2520PM&" cid="1216601719&" usg="AFrqEzfPUezgCucp29rBuH8stBevHo_ngg" news="" com=""></a><a href="http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080051738&ch=6/2/2008%206:36:00%20PM" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3CA%20href=" target="_blank url?" sa="t&" ct="in/0-1-0&" fp="484316b973574624&" ei="qP9DSKrtKouY6wPmjOyvCQ&" url="http%3A//www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx%3Fid%3DNEWEN20080051738%26ch%3D6/2/2008%25206%3A36%3A00%2520PM&" cid="1216601719&" usg="AFrqEzfPUezgCucp29rBuH8stBevHo_ngg" news="" com="">A young girl, the daughter of a dentist couple, gets murdered</a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3CA%20href=" target="_blank url?" sa="t&" ct="in/0-1-0&" fp="484316b973574624&" ei="qP9DSKrtKouY6wPmjOyvCQ&" url="http%3A//www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx%3Fid%3DNEWEN20080051738%26ch%3D6/2/2008%25206%3A36%3A00%2520PM&" cid="1216601719&" usg="AFrqEzfPUezgCucp29rBuH8stBevHo_ngg" news="" com=""></a>--and we not only see a media feeding frenzy, because of the plethora of 24/7 news channels--but we also see the Noida cops behaving abominably, with no reprimands forthcoming from the UP administration. So, as is usual with all cases that are bungled by the local police force. the CBI is called in.</p><br /><p>Why is it that our politicians and babus are unable to bring the local (state-level) police force up to scratch? Why are policemen, especially at the lower levels, forced to live subhuman lives so that they have little or no enthusiasm to do a professional job? Our politicians--who are far too busy managing their constituencies and remaining in permanent campaign mode (rather the way Scott McClellan described his ex-boss, the present President Bush)--have little or no time to pay attention to improving the administration or the crime-fighting apparatus. They’re too busy using the local police force to take on their political rivals, or using the lure of jobs to get recruits to pay for jobs in the police (very French <em>ancien regime</em>--I’m sure Louis XIV’s valet would have recognized the procedure!)</p><br /><p>When I look at modern India, I’m reminded of 18th or early 19th century Britain--the land of appalling maladministration (remember the novels of Charles Dickens) and political corruption (rotten boroughs--think of any political constituency in India). Also of the post-Civil War US, when corruption was a regular part of life, not only in the state government, but also at the federal level. However, all that changed with the gradual rise to power of the middle class, and on its insistence on law and order. Hence, you saw the setting up of the Metropolitan Police Force in the UK and Theodore Roosevelt’s support for the muckrackers (who exposed political and economic scandals) in the US. </p><br /><p>Let us hope--after the successful conclusion of the <a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct=in/2-0&fp=4844e018b318a136&ei=yARESKSZG6eM6APQgfnfCQ&url=http%3A//www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx%3Fid%3DNEWEN20080051451%26ch%3D5/30/2008%252010%3A42%3A00%2520PM&cid=1216502873&usg=AFrqEzewpfKGHLv5yuoE4beQG5BNJcA5gw" target="_blank">Nitish Katara</a>, <a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct=in/5-0&fp=484450ac515b0a76&ei=ZAVESL35OKTk6gOizZ2eDQ&url=http%3A//timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Delhi/Jessica_Mattoo_now_Nitish_Its_a_hat-trick_for_justice/articleshow/3081507.cms&cid=1216502873&usg=AFrqEzdlywL1ptrFb9LQKUPo_8Dt8ARYZw" target="_blank">Jessica Lall and Priyadarshini Mattoo</a> cases--that the middle class gets ready to fight for an efficient state police force, which can not only fight crime but also stave off terrorist threats, with federal help if required, but on its own if necessary. Such a police force should be able to use the law and scientific investigation, not just the lathi and third-degree methods, to win against crime.</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709246044265053568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740073105457296990.post-90078936918825072842008-03-08T15:25:00.002+05:302008-03-08T15:37:28.711+05:30Two Faces of the LeftDoes the Left have a coherent policy vis-a-vis the US? <a href="http://www.indianexpress.com/story/281799.html" target="_blank">On the one hand, they’re ready to end support to the UPA government over the 123 agreement, which will finally see India acknowledged as a member of the nuclear club.</a> This has led many others, some of them the good and the great and many wiser than yours truly to wonder if our communist parties are acting as a Chinese fifth column. Evidently, the Left is unaware that China has already signed this agreement.On<a href="http://www.indianexpress.com/story/281825.html" target="_blank"> the other hand, the West Bengal government welcomes a trade team from California.</a> Are policies that are good for West Bengal or China not good enough for India?<br /><br />This kind of blinkered vision is not restricted to the Left--it also operates elsewhere in Indian politics. <a href="http://www.hindustantimes.com/Redir.aspx?ID=d6a1b25b-4bd6-41f4-ba0d-cbecaa7216e9">It appears that, 60 years after Independence, some people have now decided it is time to break India. </a>They would like a status that is similar to that of our founding fathers, but alas, they lack vision!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709246044265053568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740073105457296990.post-68027353789576469762008-03-08T15:12:00.000+05:302008-03-08T15:15:26.153+05:30International Women's DayOn this International Women’s Day, we should really try to understand what the entry of women into the political and economic lives of their nations has meant. Many have reached the heights in their chosen professions and many women have also lead their countries. <a href="http://www.hindustantimes.com/storypage/storypage.aspx?id=0c935534-3370-4712-8eaa-7caf16f85753&MatchID1=4662&TeamID1=5&TeamID2=2&MatchType1=1&SeriesID1=1173&PrimaryID=4662&Headline=Women+take+sex+education+to+EMmadarsa%2fEM" target="_blank" >Others are trying their best to fight gender biases through education.</a> <a href="http://www.hindustantimes.com/Redir.aspx?ID=9bf0558f-f71a-43dc-807d-09b3f18a7884" target="_blank" >Many more have taken up careers hitherto confined to men, that too in traditional milieus.</a> This, in a society where there is little, if any, protection for women within the law. However, the very fact that most people now see the raising of children and the running of a home as being equally important as being a breadwinner is also a victory--these often thankless tasks have been solely a woman’s preserve. But men, too, feel a need to spend time with their children--they have no wish to be as distant as their grandfathers 60 years ago. Hence the demand for work-life balance and the need to spend more time with the family. The fact that more women choose to work from home is also a victory--they not only do the unpaid labour of managing the home and the children but are also economically productive. This issue has already become important in the West, where women retirees face a steep fall in their pensions because of time taken off to have and raise children.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709246044265053568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740073105457296990.post-50950664875118585882008-03-08T14:42:00.002+05:302008-03-08T14:59:37.206+05:30Taking a Leaf...Yesterday, I saw an interesting documentary on the History Channel, <a href="http://www.historychannelindia.com/schedule1.asp" target="_blank"><em>Bollywood mein Hindi</em></a>, which documents the impact that the use of Hindi in Bollywood movies has had on the status of the language worldwide. This documentary has been screened as part of the <a href="http://www.vishwahindi.com/eng_programme.htm" target="_blank">8th World Hindi Conference, in New York.</a> Of course, the Hindi used in Bollywood movies varies widely, from flowery Urdu, to down-to-earth Bhojpuri, Bihari and Mumbaikar-speak, to Hindustani--this is not really the Sanskritised Hindi popular with Doordarshan newsreaders of yore. While watching this documentary, I could not help but think over what Shyam Benegal had to say--that rather than make movies in a regional language, he preferred to make movies in Hindi, because the market was larger. I wonder why film-makers, who make movies in the regional languages, do not take this comment to heart. They should do what <a href="http://www.amazon.com/I-Have-Found-Kandukondain/dp/B0006J280U" target="_blank">Rajiv Menon, director of <em>Kandukondain Kandukondain</em>, did</a>--make a movie in the language of their choice but use subtitling so that it can be seen all over India. As it is, those of us living in the Hindi-speaking heart of India do not have easy access to facilities to learn regional languages--there are no school programmes to teach Gujarati, Tamil, Punjabi or Bangla to schoolchildren that I know of, nor do the various state governments fund Sahitya Sabhas to teach or propagate their languages outside their state boundaries. The only other method we can use to learn or understand regional languages is through music and films. If music companies were to issue music tapes and CDs with translations thrown in, that would also help. In fact, why don’t the makers of movies in languages other than Hindi get together and set up a channel on the lines of <a href="http://www.worldmovies.net/" target="_blank">World Movies</a>, which shows non-Hollywood and non-English language movies with subtitles?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709246044265053568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740073105457296990.post-23318911196440970112008-02-29T17:47:00.003+05:302008-02-29T18:04:17.793+05:30Left Hand vs. Right Hand<p>Why can’t our MPs and politicians act like adults? Yesterday, they allowed the Finance Minister to table the Economic Survey in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, then spent the rest of the day raising Cain in the house, which led to Parliament being adjourned. The excuse? <a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct=us/0-0&fp=47c7270430d4dc05&ei=z-DHR9vuIafm6gPtnr2wDA&url=http%3A//sify.com/news/fullstory.php%3Fid%3D14612110&cid=1136700255" target="_blank">They wanted their various electorates to know that they had raised the issue of waiving agricultural loans in Parliament, before the issue was raised in the Budget.</a> If they expect their electorate to be impressed by their childish tactics, they’re sadly mistaken. Those who have TVs will have seen the Lok Sabha Speaker, Mr. Somnath Chatterjee, reprimanding his charges, rather like an exasperated headmaster with a bunch of unruly children. However, comparing our not-so-honorable MPs to children is an insult to the latter--even the most unruly child would not deliberately behave so badly! </p><br /><p>Another piece of news that appeared in the Delhi edition of yesterday’s <em>Statesman</em>--it appears that the Kashmiri migrant families camped on NDMC land (the community hall at Bapu Dham in Chanakya Puri) have been asked to move, to their one-room DDA flats in Dwarka. Now, you may well ask--has the Delhi government been kind enough to give these flats gratis? Evidently not--the migrants have paid Rs. 72,000 and are supposed to raise sums of Rs. 2,000 a month when they receive no more than Rs. 2,400 a month as relief. <a href="http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?date=2008-02-25&usrsess=1&clid=2&id=219057" target="_blank">No wonder, then, that Panun Kashmir, the organization that voices the grievances of the displaced Kashmiri Pandit families, has criticized the government’s move to rehabilitate the kinsfolk of terrorists.</a> However, it appears from <a href="http://www.achrweb.org/Review/2008/204-08.html" target="_blank">this report</a> that not all internally displaced people (IDPs) are equal in India--the Kashmiri Pandits are better off than IDPs from Tripura. In fact, the Sikhs displaced due to the 1984 riots are demanding compensation levels equal to those given to Kashmiri migrants.<br /></p><br /><p>Which brings me to the issue of <a href="http://www.hindu.com/2008/02/14/stories/2008021460401300.htm" target="_blank">de-sealing commercial establishments in Delhi’s unauthorized colonies.</a> Evidently, the Supreme Court has issued an interim order to this effect. I hope this leads to a coherent policy on land use in the capital--we don’t want sealing and de-sealing operations to be carried on because of poll compulsions and not because of policy considerations. </p><br /><p>In fact, why can’t our politicians understand that the people want change and mature leadership? They are no longer interested in leaders who raise a ruckus in the legislature, but in people who can get work done in an organized and efficient manner. And the bureaucracy should also enable the creation of well-thought out and coordinated policies by getting various central and state agencies to work together. For instance, why not create a well-thought out policy on IDPs, whether they are from Kashmir, Tripura or any other state? Ensure that displaced people have access to housing, healthcare, welfare/work and education, and can participate in elections. And the same goes for land use--instead of the party in power changing its mind every time it faces the electorate. If such a policy is seen to be good and to produce results that benefit the people, it should not be changed just because the party in power changes. If we can come up with fairly consistent policies for economic development, surely we can come up with consistency on land use and the treatment of IDPs?</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709246044265053568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740073105457296990.post-42424830628132962382008-02-25T21:18:00.001+05:302008-02-25T21:21:16.115+05:30Irresponsible Car Advertisements<p>We’ve had the great and the good from the Mumbai film industry refuse, frequently, to accept responsibility for encouraging violent social behaviour, smoking and other vices through their doubtless well-performed appearances in films and advertisements. However, there are certain car advertisements that should be given a second look,<a href="http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Speed-alcohol-kill-two-at-India-Gate/276626/" target="_blank">keeping in mind the car accident near India Gate early this morning.</a> I’m referring to the car ads in which Shah Rukh Khan is shown racing against a female driver and another in which Saif Ali Khan tries all kinds of driving stunts to persuade Rani Mukherjee to join him for a coffee. Car makers should remember that:</p><br /><ul><br /><li>India has the world’s worst drivers--they don’t follow rules and use the horn indiscriminately.</li><br /><li>India also has, or will soon have, a high traffic density on its roads.</li><br /><li>India also has a large group of young drivers, who think nothing of drinking and driving. Look at the four young people involved in the accident early this morning--all of them college students!</li></ul><br /><p>Hence the need for car manufacturers to advertise responsibly. Please include a disclaimer (similar to that shown in the <a href="http://www.coca-colaindia.com/default.asp" target="_blank">Coca Cola India ad.</a>) advising drivers not to follow the stunts shown in television advertisements. Although I quite agree with the young lady in the ad when she hits the injured driver’s broken leg--he’d driven very dangerously indeed to lay his hands on a Coke bottle.</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709246044265053568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740073105457296990.post-46912827018436520282008-02-16T16:35:00.001+05:302008-02-16T16:46:58.422+05:30Balkanizing India<p><a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/SECOND_OPINION/Raj_Thackeray_is_really_a_freedom_fighter_in_disguise/articleshow/2786878.cms" target="_blank">So now Raj Thackeray wants the Indian constitution to be rewritten, to allow for both provincial and national citizenship.</a> He now claims to be an Indian <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/tj3.html" target="_blank">Thomas Jefferson</a> fighting for states’ rights. In my not-so-humble opinion, Bal Thackeray resembles <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_C._Calhoun" target="_blank">John C. Calhoun</a>, whose greatest claim to fame was as the inspiration for the secessionist Confederate States of America, whereas Raj Thackeray resembles <a href="http://www.civilwarhome.com/jdavisbio.htm" target="_blank">Jefferson Davis</a>, the leader of the Confederacy in the US Civil War. His diatribes against north Indian migrants working and living in Maharashtra have seen factory workers in Nashik voting with their feet. <a href="http://www.hindustantimes.com/storypage/storypage.aspx?id=57dffbc1-eebf-4330-baa5-734247410c1e&&Headline=Mumbai+losing+its+charm%3f" target="_blank">The fact that so many people flock from all parts of India to work in Mumbai or in Maharashtra should be a matter of pride--it means that there is more than enough work for everyone.</a> And frankly, I for one support the contention of our founding fathers that provincial citizenship should not be a part of the Indian constitution. Unlike the US, where the people were originally migrants from Europe, Africa and Asia, and where balkanization is not so likely, the people of India have very strong cultural and social ties to their province. If provincial citizenship became a part of the Indian constitutional set-up, it might well lead to the balkanization of the country. The policy of allowing Indian citizens to live and work wherever they please can only strengthen the country and add to the richness of its cultural heritage. Of course, the fact that Raj Thackeray was let off after posting bail makes one wonder if the Congress-NCP government is not trying to use the MNS to increase its vote bank at the expense of the Shiv Sena. Maybe the Congress has not yet learnt its lesson from the Punjab insurgency--encouraging a secessionist force can only lead to a cycle of violence, which can destroy lives and nations.</p><br /><p><a href="http://indiatoday.digitaltoday.in/clipped-wings-5.html" target="_blank">Indian politicians’ obsession with vote banks and wealth</a> is the reason why so many young people have no respect for politics. There was a time when politics was synonymous with self-sacrifice and nation-building--now, it is seen as a refuge for scoundrels or criminals, who use political power to amass unaccounted wealth for future generations or as a cloak for illegal activities. Why on earth should politicians expect to be looked up to by Indian youth, who are far more interested in working hard to better themselves? <a href="http://www.literature.org/authors/voltaire/candide/" target="_blank">They, like Voltaire’s Candide, are busy cultivating their own gardens, doing their own little bit to make this country better.</a> Where can we find the vision of an Asoka or an <a href="http://www.jodhaaakbar.com/" target="_blank">Akbar</a> to create a united and prosperous country? As the movie makes clear, both Jodhaa (never mind if that was not her real name) and Akbar have to work hard to create <a href="http://pmindia.nic.in/speech/content.asp?id=534" target="_blank">the Ganga-Jamuni culture</a> that our grandparents spoke of with pride and that our politicians are bent upon destroying for their narrow, selfish ends of setting up an unbeatable vote bank.</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709246044265053568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740073105457296990.post-58873414369491239902008-02-14T17:05:00.001+05:302008-02-14T17:12:14.321+05:30End Goonda Raj<p><a href="http://www.hindustantimes.com/Redir.aspx?ID=29573e4e-edf5-483f-b8ba-504ba5893f84" target="_blank">The Congress-NCP government in Maharashtra arrested Raj Thackeray and then released him on bail.</a>This did not prevent the departure of many non-Maharashtrians (10,000 at the last count) from Nashik and other cities in Maharashtra. It also failed to prevent the death of one Maharashtrian and the destruction of public property, such as buses, which were burnt, as is the ritual with ostentatious demonstrations of anti-government, if not anti-constitutional sentiment. Anti-constitutional, because the Indian constitution does not prevent a citizen of this country from settling in any part of this country. As a Punjabi from Delhi, I have every right to go to Chennai and take up a job there, as does any other Indian. We do not have a system of dual (national and state) citizenships, as exists in the US.</p><br /><p>Let’s be very clear about a few things. <a href="http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=47a08c12-2e3b-4e13-b963-f9e85c92774e&&Headline=The+real+Mumbaikar" target="_blank">The Thackerays, far from being the preservers of Marathi culture, are its worst enemies.</a> They have done much to make goonda politics the politics of Mumbai. And they have done much to bring about an association between their brand of uninclusive Marathi culture and the goonda method of achieving a goal. </p><br /><p>To bring an end to goonda raj, not just in Mumbai but all over India, those political parties that encourage their cohorts to damage public property, such as buses, hospitals and other buildings, should be made to pay for the replacement of said public property. Therefore, Bal Thackeray’s Shiv Sena, and not Vijaypat Singhania, should pay to replace the hospital at Thane that was destroyed by Sena goons when one of their leaders died there. And Raj Thackeray’s MNS, not the Maharashtra government, should pay compensation to the man killed in the riots that took place yesterday. He was, after all, a fellow Maharashtrian!</p><br /><p>Talking of an inclusive Indian culture reminds me of this interesting article on the impact that <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/When_South_Meets_North/articleshow/2780735.cms" target="_blank">Malyali women, who have married Haryanvi husbands, have had on their marital homes.</a> As the author points out, these women are well-educated and employed. However, they are unable to find suitable matches in their home states due to the demand for heavy dowries. Many are able to negotiate terms to suit their needs. They have refused to participate in polyandrous arrangements, live in a joint family set up or follow the practice of female infanticide. Small steps, but let us hope that this is enough to bring about a change in Haryana, which is famous as the state where the buffaloes are better cared for than the women.</p><br /><p>Maybe this is what our great regional satraps need to think about--that the creation of an Indian identity will bring about the union of opposites to create something better and richer than that which existed previously. If we think only of Maharashtra or Gujarat, Haryana or Kerala, we might very well end up with a disunited country--a situation very similar to the one that existed before Mahmud Ghazni’s or Mohammad Ghori’s invasions. It appears that the Thackerays, amongst others, believe with Henry Ford that "History is bunk"--if they inflict their belief on us, we will be forced to relive our history of repeated invasions and colonization.</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709246044265053568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740073105457296990.post-66029211605714956342008-02-02T17:19:00.000+05:302008-02-02T17:24:05.064+05:30Need for IPLs in Other Sports Too!<p><a href="http://www.moneycontrol.com/india/news/advertisingmarketing/taking-cricket-to-whole-new-league/14/40/324268" target="_blank">So BCCI has managed to get the rich and famous all over India to bid for the favour of owning their cricket teams.</a> Maybe this is a trend that other sports organizations in India should follow--<a href="http://sports.indiatimes.com/Hockey_women_chucked_literally/articleshow/2725991.cms" target="_blank">it might help the Indian women’s hockey team to free themselves of government control and state patronage, which is sometimes extremely irksome</a>. For instance, team members were not told of a dedicated grant of 5 lakhs given to the Indian Hockey Federation to purchase equipment. <a href="http://www.ibnlive.com/news/women-hockey-team-suffers-despite-chak-de-fever/57175-5-23.html" target="_blank">And members of the women’s team had to spend an extremely uncomfortable night in the Karnail Singh Stadium dormitories due to sheer negligence.</a> One is aware that the Ambanis, Mallyas, Juhi Chawlas and Shah Rukh Khans of this world do not patronize cricket out of a spirit of altruism--owning your own sports team does wonders for their image in the media--but it would be wonderful to see some of India’s rich and famous patronize our weightlifters, swimmers, tennis players, footballers, athletes and hockey players. Cricket might be the most popular sport at this moment, but other sports could also do with much public, not state, patronage and coverage by the media.</p><br /><p>And talking of cricket, it appears to be losing its lustre as a sport for gentlemen, as seen during <a href="http://desicritics.org/2008/01/08/011502.php" target="_blank">the recent Bhajji-Symonds spat</a>. It’s unusual to see grace, such as that displayed by Brett Lee and Alan Glichrist, who congratulated the Indian team on winning a test match. Aggression and competition have their place in sport, but so does the admission that your opponent is playing well and deserves to do as well as you do. I hope the Indian team and Indian players emulate the behaviour of Lee and Gilchrist when possible, not just the agression of Ponting, Clarke and Hayden.</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709246044265053568noreply@blogger.com0