Date: 19 Jan 2011
COURTESY: Organiser, New Delhi.\\\\ January 23, 2011\\\\ Page: 36/40\\\\\\ Home > 2011 Issues > January 23, 2011 \\\\\\\\\\ ABVP exposes Congress’s corruption bandwagon \\\\\\\ AKHIL Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) took to the streets from January 6 to 11 against the scam laden UPA government and Congress leadership. During these days mass protests were organised across the country. The ABVP unit in Kolkata organised a similar protest. The protest started from the College Square Complex, opposite the University of Kolkata, at around 11am. Some 150 ABVP activists and supporters marched with colourful banners, posters and a well decorated tabloid. The march culminated at Metro channel, Esplanade. At Metro channel, student speakers attacked the present Congress and UPA dispensation for being at cohort with the scamsters and for providing just lip service to the call for an all out war against corruption. Latter, effigies of Dr Manmohan Singh, Smt. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were also burnt. (VSK Kolkata) \\\\\\\\\\ Previous Page (35/40) - Next Page (37/40) January 23, 2011\\\\\\ Page: 37/40\\\\\\ Home > 2011 Issues > January 23, 2011 \\\\\\\\\ TogadiaSpeak\ \\\\\\ Where mind is corrupt, behaviour unethical By Dr Pravin Togadia\\\\\\\ If the same corrupt mind invents false or concocted allegations against the people of the ancient civilisation, with the intention to isolate a few who have been exposing this corrupt mind, then we all should stand up together to break the vicious cycle of this corrupt mind and its unjustifiable behaviour. \\\\\\\\\\ TWO calamities are on in Bharat off late. One is of corruption. Similar calamity is of targeting selected community. Both these calamities are man-made. In the 1st kind of calamity of corruption, the root cause is greed. Greed of a human being. And when this greed is supported by power being in various governments, government offices, departments, institutions and even judiciary, then this greed has no limits. In the 2nd type of calamity, the target is Hindus – Hindus of all castes and gender. But in this, Hindus are not the root cause. Even in this case, the root cause is greed. Greed to get power through a captive vote bank. Obviously if that vote bank is only 15 per cent but yet in total larger than the divided 85 per cent, then grabbing 15 per cent is easier than wooing divided 85 per cent. Simple logic. \\\\\\\\ But most simple things in life are not as simplistic. Especially when it comes to the ancient and yet living civilisation, it is not as simple as it looks or sounds. The oldest civilisation always has its own baggage – sometimes rich and ever-evolving – like art, culture, science, family-systems that flourish on serene religious traditions, etc. Sometimes the baggage is detrimental to the civilisation – differences in castes, gender bias, etc. The ancient civilisation, of which Hindus are the living representatives too have these two. But the very fact that this civilisation, along with its people and religion, survived many attacks and yet flourishing, proves that this ancient civilization has an intrinsic strength that is much stronger than the attacks and the upheaval aftermath. For spreading new faith or spreading empire, this civilization was attacked many a time and yet sprung up again and again evolving to adapt the new winds as well as respecting the ancient standards, values and norms. \\\\\\\\ The basic question: If so, then from the same rich, value-oriented civilisation, how can such corrupt minds spring up? So corrupt that they snatch poor children’s milk; so corrupt that they grab poor family’s roti-daal-onion to either stack or to surreptitiously sell somewhere! Greed! Saw a report that farmers who grow onions are today getting only Rs eight per kg, wholesale is Rs 20 per kg and by the time onions reach the retail markets, they are anywhere between Rs 60 and Rs 80 per kg! The minister in charge of handling this claims that by this the farmers are getting better prices. How so? Pakistan is getting business and duty cuts. Obviously, the ruling party’s shrunk vote bank of 15 per cent is being wooed even through onion! Such corrupt minds can never spring up from Bharat’s ancient rich civilisation; these minds are the imports from those countries that had no value-oriented conscience ever. Whether it is a big money in 2G or CWG or Bofors or alike – the corrupt mind is the root cause – the mind that knows no boundaries for greed. May be it is because of insecurity about the future that has been making these people do so. \\\\\\\\\\\ But then why force people of Bharat – even the government officers etc – to force to follow such corrupt mind? It is greed. And it is unjustifiable at any cost. So, corruption in any field here is not an action; it is a manifestation of a corrupt mind. \\\\\\\\\ Therefore, the moment such a corrupt mind senses that the root cause of corruption is getting exposed, it gets alerted. It is like the hibernating dinosaur. By the time he wakes up by the happening around – it is too late and then to protect oneself, such a corrupt mind runs berserk and starts making allegations on anybody and everybody about anything and everything! If such a corrupt mind, which has never had any root in the rich Bharat’s grand civilisation, is a centre of unlimited power, then the manifestation of this self-protection is attacking the very civilisation that has inner strength to expose such a corrupt mind! Whole hog attacks on Hindus, Hindu organisations, Hindu Sadhu Sants and even the common Hindus are just a glimpse of the unjustifiable behaviour of such a corrupt mind. Then such a dirty corrupt mind, full of greed and insecurity, uses all machinery at his/her fingertips to slap cases on all that represent this ancient civilisation. Giving booties and goodies to the 15 per cent and keeping 85 per cent population’s children away from food, milk, education, jobs, health facilities etc is also another manifestation of this corrupt mind. In a democracy, even the power centres need to face people. But then by such unconstitutional reservations for 15 per cent and by appeasing 15 per cent by hurting divided majority 85 per cent, this corrupt mind ensures some sure-shot winnable ground, albeit flimsy and shaky. So shaky that the insecurity never vanishes – then more and more persecution of the original people of the ancient civilisation goes on. \\\\\\\\\\\ It is a vicious cycle. Somewhere it has to break. Where and how? First of all, people in Bharat (And all over the world) who belong to the ancient grand civilisation of Bharat should wake up to the reality that they have been fast shrinking – somewhat by the global pressures but mostly by the internal apathy and western styled individualistic cynicism. Unless the 85 per cent stands up as one and undivided on any internal issue – howsoever pressing they may be – the vicious cycle of the corrupt mind that is at this moment ruling Bharat will not stop. There is no point in giving solace to oneself that – Oh! His/ her name is in allegations; nit mine. All Hindus are sailing in the same boat as long as the corrupt mind rules the nation and states. It is time for all Hindus, Hindu organisations, Sadhu Sants and supporters to stand united and stand for everyone that is being persecuted by the corrupt mind. Economic corruption is just a spoke in this vicious wheel. Social persecution of all that belong to the ancient civilisation of Bharat if also a spoke of the same vicious wheel. This civilisation survived up until now because of its tenacityand elasticity for own people and also due to the toughest fights it gave to the outsiders – Islamic invaders, looters or empire-greedy rulers from Europe. Now, the similar type pf calamity has struck upon Bharat’s ancient civilisation. Unjustified, cruel, illogical and majority hurting behaviour is a tool of a corrupt mind ruling Bharat. \\\\\\\\ Using government machinery, system, twisting law, forcing / luring many public communications systems like media, this corrupt mind is today hell bent upon destroying Bharat’s ancient civilisation once and for all. In such a calamity, one shrugging responsibility of saving the others who truly belong to this rich civilisation and therefore are being persecuted by the corrupt mind is also an unjustifiable behaviour springing out of greed of power, self-protection and so on. We all should be alert that we do not alienate people who belong to our civilisation as this gives tremendous strength to the ruling corrupt mind. If the corrupt mind snatches poor majority’s food, jobs, tax money, then we all should protest it; similarly, if the same corrupt mind invents false or concocted allegations against the people of the ancient civilisation, with the intention to isolate a few who have been exposing this corrupt mind, then we all should stand up together to break the vicious cycle of this corrupt mind and its unjustifiable behaviour. \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ January 23, 2011\\\\\\\\ Page: 38/40\\\\\\\ Home > 2011 Issues > January 23, 2011 \\\\ News Analysis\\\\\\\ Corruption as core poll plank\\\\\\\\ Retrieve stolen money from tax havens\\\\\\\\\\ By Shyam Khosla\\\\\\\\ WILL corruption in high places emerge as a core issue in the assembly and parliamentary elections in the coming years as envisaged by the Bharatiya Janata Party? The party’s strategy firmed up at its Guwahati National Executive Meeting is to focus on the scams exposed during the year 2010 - the year of scams - and to make it as number one poll issues in all elections, including assembly polls, during the next three years. Although it is too early to say how far the BJP would succeed in its objective, its success can’t be ruled out in the face of the stark reality that the Congress-led Government is rattled by a scam a day and the utter failure of the Prime Minister to take any concrete action to prevent the loot of huge public funds. \\ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ The tone and tenor of the Guwahati resolution is a measure of the party’s determination to make corruption a big issue. The party plans to hold mass rallies at all block headquarters in the country in the next two months and to subsequently launch a focused and sustained campaign against major scams like 2G, CWG and, of course, the Bofors kickback scandal that has been resurrected by the Income Tax Appellant Tribunal’s significant order based on facts on record that the Italian wheeler dealer Ottivio Quattrocchi had received kickbacks from the Bofors gun deal. \\\\\\\\\\ Corruption is eating into the vitals of the national economy and has brought shame to the nation. The renewed energy exhibited by the BJP on this issue of great public interest is a clear sign that the party has given up diffidence and uncertainty born out of its two successive defeats in parliamentary elections. That BJP is on the offensive is a measure of its resilience. This is not only good for the principal opposition party but also for democracy that requires a credible alternative to the ruling party/alliance. \\\\\\\\\\\\\ BJP’s long term plan of action is based on the premise that the massive swing in popular mood witnessed in late 1980s against the Rajiv Gandhi Government because of the public perception that the Prime Minister was personally involved in the scandal and that a massive cover up was launched to protect the Italian businessman close to the Gandhi family can be achieved if the scams that surfaced during 2010 and the resurrection of Bofors scandal are forcefully argued in public domain. The political climate in the country is conducive for a big swing as demonstrated in recent Assembly elections in Bihar and in local bodies polls in Karnataka and Himachal – states where BJP is in power. There was no sign of anti-incumbency in any of the three states. On the other hand, the Congress has been vanquished in Bihar and lost ground in Karnataka and Himachal. The BJP has closed ranks at the national level and has regained its self-belief. It is now attacking Sonia Gandhi, the power behind the throne, and has brought Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in the line of fire for his listless leadership and utter failure to prevent the loot of public funds. \\\\\\\\\\\ Veteran BJP leader LK Advani had in the run up to the 2009 parliamentary elections forcefully raised the issue of bringing back money looted by corrupt politicians, civil servants and business tycoons that have been kept in secret accounts in tax havens. Although the party briefly reiterated its demand in the political resolution, it needs to focus on the issue in right earnest if it is to convince the masses that the party is genuinely committed to probity in public life. BJP also needs to force the Government to ratify the United Nation Convention on Corruption that India signed in 2003 but has not yet ratified till date. It is intriguing that while 126 out of 148 members of UN have ratified the convention, India is amongst 22 countries that haven’t. Is the Congress-led alliance reluctant to ratify the convention because several of its top leaders have secret accounts in tax havens? BJP’s failure to strongly press for ratification may weaken its campaign against corruption. \\\\\\\\\\\ The fight against corruption on the global level was in focus in the special session of UN General Assembly held in New York in October 2010. Matthias Bachmann, Swiss representative in the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the UN, forcefully argued for a global fight against corruption and informed the house that Swiss Parliament had passed a law to further facilitate the return of assets to the countries from which funds had been siphoned off. Insisting that Swiss Government was focused on the issue, the Swiss representative said his country had returned large number of assets that were stolen by “politically exposed” citizens of countries that approached the Swiss Government. \\\\\\\\\\\\ He also made the significant observation that the countries that have political will to fight corruption had sought identities of persons holding stolen funds in Swiss banks. Shanta Kumar, a former Union Minister and now one of the vice presidents of the BJP who was part of the Indian delegation to the said special session, says India had not approached Switzerland and other tax havens for the identity of our citizens who have secret accounts there. After his return to Delhi, the BJP leader wrote to the Prime Minister asking why India had not ratified the convention and why no effort had been made to retrieve huge funds – estimated to be RS 70 lakh crore – deposited by corrupt Indian politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen in Swiss banks. The only response Shanta Kumar got from PMO was an acknowledgement of his letter signed by the MOS in PMO. \\\\\\\\\\ The saffron party’s ambitious plan to arouse people against corruption can, and will, succeed only if it is able to launch a movement like the one launched under the inspiring leadership of Jai Prakash Narain in 1970s. For that it must identify a leader with impeccable track record and unwilling to accept any public office. It is a tough call that has to be responded to. In the absence of a selfless leader of that caliber and credibility, the party may look up to an organisation committed to probity and social good. A major negative for the BJP is its failure to purge corrupt elements that have managed to occupy positions of power and authority in the party. It will have to do a thorough soul searching and weed out corrupt elements to regain its pristine glory of a party with a difference. The BJP needs to focus on fight against the corrupt in a forceful manner if it is not to give the impression that it is not serious on the issue. Yet another issue on which the Opposition must insist is the enactment of a law that must provide attachment of all properties, including bank accounts, of persons found guilty of economic offences. A corollary should be the setting up of a constitutional authority called Independent Commission against corruption on the lines of a similar commission in Hong Cong. \\\\\\\\\\\ January 23, 2011\\\\\\ Page: 39/40\\\\\\\\ Home > 2011 Issues > January 23, 2011 \\\\\ Media Watch \\\\\\\\\\ “$ 2.2 billion secret funds of the dynasty in Swiss banks” \\\\\\\\\\ SENSATION, sensation, sensation! A most damning indictment of Sonia Gandhi has been made by S Gurumurthy in an article in The New Indian Express (January 3) that every Indian citizen should read. It accuses Sonia Gandhi of controlling a secret account with a Swiss bank that in 1988 was to the tune of $2.2 billion kept in the name of her minor son, Rahul. The charge, it appears, was originally made by a popular Swiss journal, Schweizer Illustrierte. Writes Gurumurthy: “The $2.2 billion account must have existed from before June 1988 when Rahul Gandhi attained majority. The loot in today’s rupee value equals almost Rs 10,000 crore. Swiss banks invest and multiply the clients’ monies, not keep them buried. Had it been invested in safe long-term, securities, the $2.2 billion would have multiplied to $ 9.41 billion (Rs 42,345 crore) by 2009. If it had been put in US stocks, it would have swelled to $12.97 billion (Rs 58,365 crore)…. Before the global financial meltdown in 2008, the $2.2 billion bribes in stocks would have peaked at $18.66 billion (Rs 83,900 crore). By any calculation, the present size of the $2.2 billion secret funds of the family in Swiss banks seems huge – anywhere between Rs 43,000 plus to some Rs 84,000 crore”. \\\\\\\\\\\\ According to Gurumurthy, there has been another expose, this one from the Russian spy outfit, KGB. It seems in December 2005, KGB chief, Victor Chebrikov had asked for authorisation from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the then Soviet Union “to make payment in dollars to the family members of Rajiv Gandhi, namely, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Mrs Paola Maino, mother of Sonia Gandhi”. All this had been disclosed, according to Guruswamy, years ago by even the Indian media. \\\\\\\\\\ Based on leaks, The Hindu (July 4, 1992) reportedly wrote: “The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service admits the possibility that the KGB could have been involved in arranging profitable Soviet contract for the company controlled by Rajiv Gandhi family. Like The Hindu, other newspapers like The Statesman (December 31, 1988) and journals like India Today (December 27, 2010) have made disclosures about money stashed abroad by the Gandhi family. It now seems that Amal Dutta (CPM) also had raised the $ 2.2 billion issue in Parliament on December 7, 1991, but, says Guruswamy, “Speaker Shivraj Patil expunged the Gandhi name from the proceedings”. Additionally it would seem Subramanian Swamy had put out the photo copies of the pages of Schweizer Illustrierte in his web site along with the mail of the Swiss magazine dated February 23, 2002 confirming that in its articles of November 1991 it had named Rajiv Gandhi with a total of Swiss Franc 2.5 billion ($2.2 billion) in secret account. \\\\\\\\\\\\ Now, several questions arise. Are these stories correct or are they lies? If they are lies, will Sonia Gandhi take both Guruswamy and The New Indian Express to court for damaging her reputation? She would have every right to. When, years ago, a former Prime Minister, Morarji Desai, was charged with working for the CIA, he filed a libel suit in an American Court seeking $ 50 million in damages. In the present case, will Sonia Gandhi file a suit against Guruswamy? Or will she pretend that the story is so stupid that it would be below her dignity to fight it out in a Court? That would be a smart thing to do, especially considering that even the vilest crime gets forgotten within the bare space of thirty days! But suppose Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul maintain a discreet silence, what will Guruswamy do? Keep quiet? What should the public do? Also keep quiet? Consider this: according to published reports, one Hasan Ali, an alleged horse-breeder of Pune was found to have operated Swiss accounts involving over Rs 1.5 lakh crore! The Income Tax Department levied a tax of Rs 71,848 crore on. him for concealing Indian income in Swiss accounts. The case has reportedly been buried now! Guruswamy says that “some big names in the ruling circles” are reportedly linked to Hasan Ali, “and that explains why the government would not deepen the probe”. Adds Gurumurthy: “The request sent to the Swiss Government was deliberately made faulty to ensure that the Swiss would not provide details… it is Hasan Alis and the like who transport through hawala the bribes of the corrupt from India. If Hasan is exposed, the corrupt will stand naked. This is how the hawala trader and the corrupt in India are mixed up”. \\\\\\\\\\ So where do we go from here? No where. Sonia Gandhi will say that someone is deliberately trying to malign her and planting stories in the media; and the sycophants in the Congress and the party spokespersons will name BJP leaders as equally guilty. There the matter ends. Which reminds me the DNA (October 11, 2009) had published a report which said that the anti-corruption branch (ACB) Delhi had summoned more than seventy – right, seventy – journalists on charges that they were accepting bribes from a Sub-Registrar. The story said that the accused sub-Registrar (name mentioned) who was arrested in September 2009 by the ACB, was demanding a bribe for preparing a Sale Deed and other documents. The ACB, DNA reported, uncovered name of several journalists “we were on the Sub-Registrar’s pay roll and used to get paid Rs 1,000 to Rs 6,000 for not writing against him”. \\\\\\\\\\ According to DNA, the accused journalists belonged to various newspapers, channels and magazines. What happened to the seventy journalists? Were they released? Were they tried? The media is silent on the score. In the matter of the money stashed in Swiss Banks by Sonia Gandhi – allegedly stashed, shall we say – one shouldn’t be surprised if silence prevails in Congress circles. Incidentally, dishonest industrialists, scandalous politicians and corrupts IAS, IRS and IPS officers have allegedly deposited in foreign banks in their illegal personal accounts a sum of about $ 1,500 billion that was misappropriated, which is about thirteen times larger than the country’s foreign debt. Sonia Gandhi wishes to halt corruption. Very nice of her. The Prime Minister will support her. That is even more nice. But, as they say charity begins at home. So does admission of guilt. Charity means love of human kind. That is what Paul meant when he addressed Corinthians. Read the Bible Soniaji. Paul said: “Charity never faileth”. Please don’t fail us. \\\\\\\\\\ January 23, 2011\\\\\\ \\\\\\\\ Page: 40/40 Home > 2011 Issues > January 23, 2011 \\\\\\\\\\ Pravasi Bharatiya Conference\\\\ \\\\\\\\\\\ PIOs in Malaysia clamour racial and religious discrimination\\\\\\\\ By Pramod Kumar\\\\\\\\\\\ THE marginalised people of Indian origin in Malaysia, who lived there for about five generations, appealed to the participants of Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas International Conference organised in New Delhi from January 7 to 9, to save them from the racial and religious discrimination. They said the racist and religious extremist Malaysian Government robbed them of their fundamental rights and continues to deny them equal opportunities in every facet of their lives. \\\\\\\\\\\ Highlighting the plight of the Hindus in Malaysia at the Conference Shri P Waytha Moorthy, chairman of HINDRAF said complete neglect of the conditions of the vast majority of Indian Malaysians, both by the Malaysian Government and the elite of the Indian Malaysian community, has resulted in large-scale dispossession and marginalisation of majority of the Indians in Malaysia. \\\\\\\\\ He alleged that the current ruling coalition in Malaysian Government, dominated by United Malay National Organization (UMNO), party runs a racist, Muslim religious extremist and Malay supremacist Government. “By explicit State policies the vast majority of Malaysian Indians are excluded from the national mainstream development of Malaysia. We are systematically denied equality and equal opportunities in direct contravention and violation of Articles 8 and 12 of the Malaysian Federal Constitution. Covenants which were agreed upon by the founding fathers of the country now seem to have lost all meaning at the hands of the UMNO regime. About 70 per cent of the Indian Malaysians have been made to be and/or remain in the hardcore poor, poor and in the working class group with 90 per cent being in the daily or monthly wage-earning category. The poverty we talk about is relative poverty arising from exclusion of the racist/religious extremist system exclusion from proper basic life facilities, education at all levels, economic development programmes, social and cultural development programmes, equal opportunities in employment to name few areas,” said Shri Waytha Moorthy. \\\\\\\\\\\ He pointed out that the lopsided development in Malaysia has been facilitated and catalysed by a system which the Indians have come to call Mandorism. Mandorism’s primary manifestation is the employment by the ruling elite (UMNO at the Federal level and Pakatan at the State level) of the country, of a small layer of the somewhat successful Indian Malaysian entrepreneurs, professionals and politicians to subjugate the rest of the majority of Indian Malaysians in the country. “For our part, we as representatives of the large section of the Indians poor and marginalised like to drew the attention the NRIs and also the Government of India to the denial of very basic and elementary needs and necessities, minority rights, basic human rights, fundamental entitlements and development opportunities for Indians in Malaysia,” he said. \\\\\\\\\\\ He pointed out that the decision to outlaw the HINDRAF, which is a minorities and human rights movement championing the poor and the marginalised Indians in October 2008, has not been rescinded, even though there is not any indication of any threat from HINDRAF to any facet of Malaysian life, other than that it represents and effectively the oppressed and marginalised Indians. \\\\\\\\\\ Shri Moorthy appealed to the Conference participants that upon returning to their respective countries of residence especially in the USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Europe, Australia and New Zealand’s, they lobby their local Members of Parliament, country’s policymakers and decision makers, the European Parliament, United Nations, International Court of Justice, International Criminal Court, United Nations Security Councils, the international NGOs and the international community to register their protest and take action against the atrocities against minority Indians in Malaysia. \\\\\\\\\\\\ The HINDRAF further appealed to the participants to pressurise the Government of Malaysia to recognise it, discontinue the ‘Shoot to Kill Policy’ of any suspected individual particularly children, allow all detainees upon arrest and under the supervision of the State to have immediate access to their legal representative, conduct a thorough review into the supervision, handling, treatment and monitoring the well-being of all detainees whether on remand or serving sentence regardless of the nature of crime and bring an end to use of all forms of torture by state agents against the civilian population, provide full assistance, and support to all those who are able to provide reasonable proof of their citizenship rights under the Constitution, stop forced conversion into Islam, stop destruction of all places of worship unless relocation plans are agreed, allocate reasonable level of funding to address inadequacies in services, facilities and opportunities required or needed by the community, and fair allocation of land for purposes of schools and places of worship. \\\\\\\\\\\\ The HINDRAF further requested the participants of the Conference to take cognizance of the serious violation of the rights, gross discriminations and injustices to the people of Indian origin in Malaysia and exert their influence on the Government of Malaysia by writing a note of censure to Government of Malaysia for its Human Rights record with respect to people of Indian origin in a language consistent with the serious and urgent nature of the problem. Forced conversion \\\\\\\\\\\\ RANI, 56, has been struggling for the last 30 years to get her Muslim name and religious status changed to Hindu. She was only a 16-day old baby when she was given away by her Muslim biological mother to a Hindu neighbour family due to extreme poverty. Rani’s Hindu adopted father brought her up as a Hindu. Her marriage registration application was rejected and her Hindu husband was forcefully taken away, circumcised and converted. He agreed to the conversion after he was threatened with jail sentence if he refused to convert to Islam. As a consequence, Rani’s children as well as her grandchildren have all been denied their birth certificates even after 30 years of struggling as they are all practicing Hinduism. According to Rani, once when they applied to change their religion, the Islamic authorities told them that if they converted to Islam, they will get all the special privileges and if they refused their bodies would be snatched upon deaths regardless of them having lived their lives as staunch Hindus. \\\\\\\\\\ Brilliant, but if you are a Hindu no higher education \\\\\\\\\\\ UMAMAHESHWARI Teruvengedam scored 3.45 CGPA points in her Diploma course at Polytechnic Port Dickson. Nevertheless, she was denied a place in all the 20 public universities in Malaysia to further her studies in a degree programme. Similarly, Kuganesh Kuppusamy, also from Polytechnic Port Dickson and is Uma’s course mate, scored 2.79 CGPA in his Diploma course but was denied a place in all the public universities for further his studies in a degree programme. Of the total 15 Indian students at the Polytechnic Port Dickson, out of the total 4500 students, only one finally made it to the public university. \\\\\\\\\\ Denial of Hindu Birth Certificates \\\\\\\\\\\\ V Maruthai and V Punitha Devi, aged 39 and 32, (both are sisters) married to the same man, Vijayan, who is now languishing in prison and details of when he will be released or how long will his sentence last, whatsoever is not known by any of them. Neither of their marriages was legally registered. Maruthai has eight children ages 4 to 20. She applied for Birth Certificates for four of her eight children—Sangeetha (17), Sugentran (16) Abrirami (13), and Darshini (4). Her younger sister, Punitha Devi, has three children ages 10 to 13. She also applied for Birth Certificates for two of her three children—Sathia Seelan (13) and Vigneswaran (12). Due to the BC-less and IC-less problems, none of these children have ever set foot in secondary school. On September 26, 2010 the National Registration Department rejected their applications on the ‘lamest excuse’ of them not having the ‘right witness’ to certify the birth of their children. \\\\\\\\\\\\ http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=381&page=39 = ==================== 000000000