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Indo American News • Friday, December 17 , 2010
Gutter Press at Work There is now more clarity about the delays in processing visas and OCI cards at the Consulate. As suggested in the editorial last week, these problems are not specific to the Houston Consulate, but are common to all the Consulates due to additional processing required as part of the renunciation of passports rules introduced a few months back. The meeting last week at India House and the 24-hour fast and dharna at VPSS have provided an outlet to the anger and frustration felt by the local Indo-Americans. Reports of these events have now been published locally as well as disseminated back in India. Houston Consul General Sanjiv Arora has characterized the newspapers reporting on the protests as the “gutter press” and is choosing to work with unquestioning media outlets and friendly organizations to promote his point of view. Since this is a free country, that is his choice. Indo-American News considers it our duty to report on the genuine frustrations experienced by the applicants and give voice to the unpriviledged. Nevertheless, we’re pleased that the Consulate has joined with GOPIO and its partnering organizations to host an information sharing meeting on Dec. 19. The problem for the protesters is that the new processes have been implemented by the Ministry of External Affairs and local CGs will not have the authority to circumvent the set policies. The protestors will either have to have the patience for the process to take its due course over the next few years for most Indo-Americans to renunciate their Indian citizenship and return their passports. Or they should apply pressure at the MEA, Prime Minister’s Office and Congress Party President Sonia Gandhi to renunciate these delay-inducing processes. It is interesting to see that the protests are being led by local supporters of organizations such as Ekal Vidyalaya and Gujarati Samaj. These are among the most law abiding, mild mannered individuals. Some of the Consulate supporters are criticizing the protestors as being anti-Indian. That is a mischaracterization. It is the right of a people to protest unjust rules. They have a precedence in the Boston tea party conducted the American colonists against their British oppressors, Mahatma Gandhi’s nonviolent protests against British rule and Martin Luther King’s marches against racial discrimination. The cause of the protestors led by Ramesh Shah is not as lofty, but it is, nonetheless, justified. Pramod Kulkarni
Quotable Quotes
“Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force; like fire, a troublesome servant and a fearful master. Never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action.” George Washington
editorial
ONLINE EDITION: www.indoamerican-news.com
Jaya Ho! Amma Knows Best By ShoBha De Let`s hand it to Amma — she is nothing if not a force of nature. Jayalalithaa, with her calm, Buddhalike expression and slow, measured speech, is a phenomenon in the murky world of desi politics. And... trumpets! Bugles! The Caped Wonder from Tamil Nadu is back in the game once more. With her entree, the stakes have suddenly gotten sexier. Written off, diminished and lying low for a while, she made a dramatic reappearance in the political arena by offering an exclusive interview to Arnab Goswami on Times Now. If her calibrated quotes were designed to cause major ripples in Delhi, they scored big, with partners in the UPA`s assorted breadbasket scrambling for cover. Ostensibly, Amma was after scam meister 2G Raja`s head. But was that her main and only objective? Analysts think not. The 2G scam has been around for a while. Amma had refused to get drawn into it at that stage. Raja brazened it out and laughed all the way to various banks, even as his critics thought the nation had been diddled out of close to two lakh crore rupees. It is a number most people would find next to impossible to fathom. How much those 122 licences issued during the auction could have fetched, or should have fetched, remains in the domain of conjecture. By demanding his sacking at this critical point (when the Congress party is sweeping its stables clean of notably corrupt netas), Amma caused a mini quake. Her serene and controlled demeanour as she outlined her plan to save the UPA and India from a possible mid-term poll, was perhaps this ex-actor`s most convincing performance to date. Not a muscle moved on her face as she went through her game plan without emotion, listing out her reasons for going public with her outrage. She spoke impassively while expertly crunching numbers and assur assuring everybody she could produce the 18 MPs needed to fill the gap if the DMK withdrew support to the UPA. She refused to reveal the identity of the `friendly parties` on stand-by, but
Jayalalithaa, with her calm, Buddha-like expression and slow, measured speech, is a phenomenon in the murky world of desi politics. And...trum And...trumpets! Bugles! The Caped Wonder from Tamil Nadu is back in the game once more.
it was abundantly clearAmma was on a roll! And there are very few politicians left who can match Jayalalithaa in full flow. She speaks eloquently and with complete authority that does not tolerate a single interruption (for once, the garrulous Goswami was rendered speechless). She refused to be cornered on any issue, including the prickly one involving her far from cordial relationship with Sonia Gandhi (Amma`s response was mild and philosophical). Jayalalithaa stayed resolutely focused on corruption — mega corruption -- and didn`t shy away from naming names (Ashok Chavan, Suresh Kalmadi). The message got through -- when Amma means business, watch out! What was remarkable about
Jayalalithaa`s scintillating interview (monologue is more like it) was the politically incorrect content she opted for. Blunt. To the point. Refreshingly outspoken, she delivered punches that were perfectly on target. Her bombshells had very little to do with Raja per se. This was Amma telling her admirers and opponents she`s done with sulking in the shadows and licking her wounds. She`s done with being pushed around and mar marginalized in her own state. And most importantly, she`s done with being petulant vis a vis the Madam in Delhi. Jayalalithaa is ready to rock! Andpeoplewhoknowtheladyinsist she is one tough customer. Known to be ruthless and unsentimental when it comes to decimating those who stand in her way (loyal friends included), this is Jayalalithaa`s moment to recover lost ground and reposition her herself at the state and national level. She candidly admitted she`d taken a few hits in the past, but asserted she was ready to go into battle with renewed ferocity. She spoke about `weak leadership` (Oh Manmohanji!), and our soft stand while dealing with Pakistan and China (hear! hear!). She also mentioned her desire to pump up defence budgets since our army was nowhere close to China`s in terms of strength and sophistication (too true). When was the last time we heard a politician state something as explosive on a national channel? Jayalalithaa`s decision to go public with her politics is a staggeringly bold one. In a single shot, she conveyed several messages that will be hard for the Centre to ignore. She also issued veiled threats in the bargain — suggesting the rise of people power that could trigger off an unstoppable protest movement. Amma grandly offered to lead it if Raja`s head was not delivered on a platter soon. While DMK bosses go into a huddle, and others wait and watch, Amma has already achieved her objective. “I am back!” is Jayalalithaa`s war cry. Weak-hearted ninnies are busy ducking and looking for places to hide. Oh, about Raja and the multizulti crore scam - all lines are busy on this route. Aap qatar main ho. TOI
IndoAmerican News Founder: dr. K.L. Sindwani editor: Pramod KuLKarni LK BuSineSS manager: Jawahar maLhotra marKeting manager: KriShna giri Community rePorter: KaLyani L giri Community editor: manaSi goKhaLe adminiStrative manager: vanShiKa K viPin Ka marKeting & Food rePorter: JaCoB david ProduCtion manager: huSSain mandviwaLa correspondents chicago: nand Kapoor ®All rights reserved. No material herein or portions thereof may be published without the written consent of the publisher. The deadline for advertising and articles is 5 pm on Monday of each week. Please include self-addressed, stamped envelope for return of all unsolicited material. Published at 7457 Harwin Drive, Suite 262, Houston, Texas 77036. Tel: 713-789-NEWS or 6397 Fax: 713-789-6399, email: indoamericannews@yahoo.com, website: indoamerican-news.com
INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 17 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM