Politics: Sonia Gandhi Demonizes Income Tax Notice

Recently Sonia Gandhi stated. “Income tax notice is political witch hunting” about the National Herald controversy. The allegation is about misappropriation of funds. The complaint has been filed by Subramanian Swamy.

Sonia Gandhi has described the Income Tax Notice as a “political witch hunt” and as “political vindictiveness”. This really makes me wonder about two things:

1. If an Income Tax Notice to one set of citizens is “witch hunt” and “vindictiveness” should every citizen view Income Tax Notices in the same light, i.e. as an intrument of vendetta?

Politicans are as much governed by national laws, requirements, rights and duties as any other person of the country. The effort of the Constitution was to make every citizen equal irrespective of age, gender, geographical location in the country, caste, religion, class, race, social status or job. Anyone who saw the excellent show Samvidhan (which was telecast on Rajya Sabha TV) on the making of the Indian Constitution would have an appreciation of the effort that went into creating an equal State for all citizens. The Constitution mooted the “one Person = One Vote” which was a great equalizer. This was at a time when women in the United States of America were still struggling for the Right to Vote. (It was only in 1984 that women all over the US were finally granted this right. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_suffrage_in_the_United_States#Nineteenth_Amendment.) In United Kingdom it took 110 years for women to receive this right on the same terms as men (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_suffrage_in_the_United_Kingdom).

Call it idealistic or naive but I do have a faith in the Constitution and trust that the Independent Republic of  India offers equality to all.

Given that, if one person (Sonia Gandhi) or an organisation (Youth India Company, the firm that took over Associated Journals Ltd. Which published National Herald) feels victimised by an Income Tax Notice, is that what these Notices should be viewed as? After all in a state of equality what is good for the goose is good for the gander. So if an individual is served an Income Tax Notice can they claim social, race, gender, caste, religion-based or class vendetta? That would mean every person and organisation can do pretty much what they please and not be answerable. On the other hand, if a person is served an Income Tax Notice and has maintained their records properly and paid taxes correctly whould they have any hesitation in sharing the same?

By labelling the Income Tax Notice “political witch-hunt” and “political vendetta” Sonia Gandhi has questioned the sanctity and independent functioning of an agency that pretty much rules the lives of common citizens of the country.

Sonia Gandhi’s description of a notice from this department nullifies one of the most major forces of discipline in the country and raises the question whether Income Tax Notices should be viewed as investigative documents seeking information or as persecuting judgements sentencing the receiver?  

2. Are government agencies mere political (and/or personal) weapons used for hounding political counterparts?

Pop psychology claims that reactions and responses are usually (if not always) a reflection of the person reacting or responding rather than a commentary on an action or the person who has acted. In simplistic terms, if person A calls Person B an idiot and person B is hurt or shaken by it; it means that person B feels s/he is an idiot. Another example: if person A is criticising person C to person B and person B believes that the criticism is stemming from jealousy (rather than judge the criticism on stand-alone merit), it is likely that person B is the one who has the attribute of jealousy rather than person A.

If there is any truth in the pop psychology, Sonia Gandhi believing that the Income Tax department is a political weapon raises questions on what does / did she (and thereby her Party, Indian National Congress) view government agencies as?

In her speech about the Janlokpal Bill in August 2011, Sushma Swaraj had talked about the misuse of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) (Sushma Swaraj’s speech @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afsIMlDuRWE. The CBI point is around 36:05 and continues from 00:00 @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8f38XuG2Gw. For those who have the patience to read through, here is the transcript of her main points about the Bureau:

“Saare vipaksh ke netao ko dekh leejiye udhar (pointing to the Congress side of the Parliament) dekh leejiye; saare vipaksh ke neta kahin na kahin CBI ke shikanje mein phasaye jaa chuke hain...saara bhrashtrachar vipakh mein ho raha haiaur saare ke saare doodh ke dhule hue baithe hain (again pointing to the Congress presence in the opposite side of the House). Aur adhyakshji, ek taaza udaharan toh itna bhayanak; Jagan Mohan Reddy ka. Kal tak Congress ke saansad the; unke pita YSR Reddy Andhra Pradesh ke Congress ke mukhya mantra the; Congress netritva ke bahut chahite mukya manti the, nazdeek the, sabse pyaare the; lekin jaise hi Congress chodi -- le CBI ki raid aur le CBI ka case! Main poochna chahti hoon (interrupted by Congress)... (continuing after a pause) Adhyakshji marne ke baad bhi nahin choda. Jeete jee (uproar from Congress)  

(Sushma Swaraj continuing) “Adhyakshji jeete jee sambandh itne achche aur marne ke baad abyukt bana diya...marne ke baad; accused ke column mein daal diya. Main keval ek baat poochna chahti hoon: Yeh Congress kaunsi pavitra Ganga hai jisme jab tak dubki lagate raho tab tak saaf sutre aur doodh ke dhoole aur bahar nikle nahin ke bhrashtrachar ke putle.

“Log kehte hain ki Congress Bureau of Investigation hain...main keheti hoon CBI Congress Bureau of Investigation nahin, CBI Congress Bachao Institution hain.”)

Around the end of March in 2013, Baba Ramdev had labelled CBI as Congress Bachao Institution as an endorsement of what Swaraj had already said in 2011. Even discounting these statements and that of the Opposition and of an anti-Congress individual, no one can ignore the view of a court, the Supreme Court, no less. Around May 8^th 2013, the country was shamed by Supreme Court’s description of the Central Bureau of Investigation a "caged parrot speaking in its master's voice". This was the apex court of the country describing the most important investigative body of the nation.

If the accusation of a stalwart like Sushma Swaraj and the observation of the highest Court in the country are given credence, pop psychology seems to have nailed it on the head: reactions and response to an action indeed reflects the person reacting, not the action!

As an Indian citizen as equal as any other person of the country in the eyes of law and the Constitution, instead of politicizing the Income Tax Notice that she has received, Sonia Gandhi should produce the relevant records and receipts to prove that she is a law-abiding member of the nation.

Photo: By World Economic Forum from Cologny, Switzerland [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Bobby Jasoos Disappoints: Review

Vidya Balan is a fantastic actress. She is possibly the only Indian heroine who has had four back-to-back heroine dominated films that set the box office registers ringing. Ishqiya, No One Killed Jessica, The Dirty Picture and Kahaani – all hits, all without heroes, all with strong stories, all with fabulous characterisations. Kahaani was followed by Ghanchakkar with Emran Hashmi and Shaadi Ke Side Effects with Farhan Akhtar and both flopped. Clearly Vidya Balan with a traditional hero did not work.

Bobby Jasoos was exciting because it was a Balan-centric movie. It heralded the Return of Vidya Balan. Alas! It failed in its promise. It is not Balan who has failed, though – she has performed well; it is the film that fails.

Balan is Bobby (Bilkis Ahmed) a wannabe detective who seems to be surprisingly struggling and having plenty of clients at the same time. Her services are not offered cheap either. She has a couple of regular on-going jobs which pay her regularly too. In fact, she is shown to refuse jobs that come her way. This is an unfathomable flaw in conceptualisation.

Bobby has some die-hard acquaintances who set their jobs and lives aside to be at her beck and call. She in turn does not seem to offer any friendship, support or emotion to them. Ditto her relationship with her mother and the hero. The poorly etched out relations are a flaw in emotion.   

Bobby, the detective, is amateur at best. Her methods are random and frankly, quite silly. There is no method to her madness. Yet she seems to solve her cases with childish ease. This is a flaw in research and depth.

Plus there are issues in flow and narration.

The first half is a wannabe comic caper which takes an abrupt about turn mid-way. The second half flounders towards a tepid climax. There is only one truly funny scene in the whole movie: Bobby dragging her mom, aunt and sister to find a biryaniwalla. They don’t know that she is sleuthing under the guise of finding just the right biryani for her wedding and they have to eat biryani till they are in tears while she is doing her job all the while.  

Yet, Balan’s talent saves the film from being a washout. She is enthusiastic and endearing – but comedy is not her forte. All others have precious little to do. Would’ve said that this movie should be avoided but Balan makes it watchable (not riveting like Kahaani though).

Politics: The Curse of Being Narendra Modi

The entire BJP election campaign was built around one individual: Narendra Modi. The advertisements all appealed for vote for Mr. Modi. In the television spots, Modi appeared and exhorted voters to vote for BJP because every vote went to him. Unstated in these ads was a plea to vote for BJP and its allies irrespective of the candidate from the constituency because ultimately every vote counted to take Modi closer to becoming the Prime Minister. Even the tagline (that has since become a very popular catch phrase in conversations along with achche din...) proclaimed: Ab ki baar, Modi Sarkar.

The campaign excited a lot of debate. Dictatorial and despotic began being used for Modi. Even pro-Modi intellectuals were shocked by the hinging of the campaign on one individual. Everyone felt that BJP should have concentrated on its platform of development for the advertising blitz. Many change-seekers despaired that this campaign would backfire and Modi may actually lose votes by such aggressive self-promotion.

But the campaign proved successful and the election results are already history.

Since swearing-in on May 26^th, Modi Sarkar is probably the most watched government by regular citizens. The hopes pinned on Modi (note, the hopes have been pinned on this one man) are very many and very high. The expectation of delivery on all fronts doesn’t offer the leeway of time. Just over one month now, the government is quickly being judged, sentenced and hung by the common man.

Picture by Bharat N Khokhani (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or FAL], via Wikimedia Commons

It is true that the man, Narendra Modi, captured imagination. This election has been only about him. The votes have been cast solely for him. But the fallout is that Modi today is held personally responsible for everything.

If you surf the web, you will find sorrowful Modi-disappointment posts from the NaMos and gleeful Modi-bashing from the NoMos. Articles in the online versions of major publications report news – railway fare hike, HRD minister plans to have one IIT in every State, the VAT-LBT debate with a certainty of price rise, banks not offering lifetime free credit cards anymore...etc. Even when the media article is merely reportage (without a slant or bias) the comments posted by readers are illuminating. The comments indicate that everything -- from potholes and garbage to violence against women and Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar’s statement that one can get a filling meal for Rs. 5/- in the city – are considered a direct reflection on Modi. Many address their comments directly to “Mr. Modi” or “Modiji” asking him to fix the problem pronto.

If the election was a joyful coronation of Modi, today that very crown is getting heavier on the head and tighter around the temples. Just like is his ads he said every vote to BJP was a vote from him, today every voter expects his personal attention to their individual gripes. Today, the burden of being Narendra Modi is immense – which can only be contained with a good budget (this budget has been dubbed Super Budget by the media and is expected to wave a magic wand on the national economy as well as individual prosperity – thus adding greater pressure of performance on the new government) on July 10^th.

And at some point people will learn that the country cannot be set right in a jiffy and that Narendra Modi is just one man – he cannot do everything at once nor can he be everything for everyone.