Gujarat CM Modi demands for indigenous currency ink

At the inauguration session of 'India Chem Gujarat 2011' conclave, Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi asked, "Why do we need foreign ink to print Gandhiji's photo?" The CM was referring to the use of foreign ink for the printing of Indian currency. He said that there are Indian manufacturers who produce chemical ink for currency printing, which is used by many other countries but India prints its currency using foreign ink. Modi said that union government should encourage Indian ink.

Modi spoke about taking Gujarat to the next level of the chemical industry. He said, "We are interested in high end value addition products in chemical sectors in the state. We want to encourage product upgradation and environment friendly technological upgradation." Modi also emphasized on keeping chemical industries environment friendly. He said that more NGOs are set up than companies in one year. All these NGOs watch the processes in these industries carefully, so you should keep your plants, processes and technologies environment friendly.

Other than CM, minister of state for energy and petrochemicals Saurabh Patel, Neel Kamal Darbari, jt. secretary, department of chemicals & petrochemicals, ministry of chemicals and fertilizers, government of India and leading industrialists of various chemical industries were present at the event. Darbari applauded the progress of Dahej PCPIR (Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemicals Investment Region). She said, "Progress of Dahej PCPIR is an example for other states to follow."

Over 160 participants from across the world are attending the two-day conclave.

Khoon se khelenge holi gar vatan muskhil mein hai : Ashfaqulla Khan's 111 Birth anniversary

Ashfaqulla Khan was a loyal friend, a great revolutionary, a real martyr who sacrificed his life for the cause of freedom. By his unique sacrifice, Ashfaqulla Khan became an immortal revolutionary, an unforgettable name in the Indian freedom struggle history.

Born in Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh, Ashfaqulla Khan was the son of Shafiqulla Khan. In 1921, Mahatma Gandhi had called on all Indians not to pay taxes to the government or cooperate with the British. This non-cooperation movement kindled the fire of freedom in the hearts of all Indians. However, with the Chauri Chaura violence which resulted into setting ablaze of a police station and death of some policemen, Mahatma Gandhi called off the non-cooperation movement in February, 1922. The youth of the country were greatly disappointed with this calling off the movement and they themselves resolved that the country should become free as early as possible. Ashfqulla Khan joined the band of such revolutionaries. Ramprasad Bismil who also hailed from Shahjahanpur was the leader of the militant group of these revolutionaries. A friendship was cultivated between AshfaqullaKhan and Ramprasad Bismil. Ramprasad was a Aryasmaji whereas AshfaqullaKhan was a devout Muslim. They were so devoted to the cause of the nation that their religion did not come in the way of their firm resolve to join together for the freedom struggle.

Their friendship was so strongly fastened that they always moved together, ate together and worked together. They were called two bodies but one soul. An incident in this connection is worth mentioning. Once Ashfaq had severe fever and under the very high temperature he was muttering Ram, my dear Ram. Ashfaq's parents became much perturbed and thought Ashfaq had been overpowered by some evil spirit since he was uttering the name of Ram, the Lord of Hindus. They called their neighbor. The neighbor assured them explaining that Ashfaq was remembering Ram Prasali Bismil, his friend whom he is in the habit of addressing as Ram. Bismal was called. Asfaq's muttering came to a stop and both embraced each other.

They formed the Hindustan Republican Association. Shachindra Nath Sanyal was the founder of this organization. Their objective was to win freedom for the country through armed revolution. The association published a manifesto called Krantikari in 1925 advocating the elimination of inequality and slavery. For the purpose of carrying out the revolution they needed money. The famous Kakori train robbery was conceived with the sole objective of getting money for carrying out their revolutionary activities. The train robbery was conceived by Ramprasad.Once while travelling from Shahjahanpur to Lucknow he noticed moneybags being taken into the guard’s van and dropped into an iron safe. Ashfaq opposed the idea saying that it would be a hasty step and will expose the revolutionaries to direct attack by strong government who will use the entire machinery to crush the revolutionary activities. However the revolutionaries decided to go ahead with the plan. Like a disciplined soldier Ashfaq vowed to join.

On August 9, 1925, the train from Shahj ahanpur to Lucknow was approaching Kakori. Someone pulled the chain and the train stopped abruptly. Ashfaq got off the second class compartment with his friends Sachindra Bakshi and Rajendra Lahiri. The two revolutionaries fell on the guard and made him lie down on his face. Ashfaq was the strongest of the group. He entered the guard’s van and pushed the bags containing money to the ground. He dealt blows after blows on the opening of the box to open it and to take the moneybags out. The group consisting of ten young revolutionaries took the money and fled. For about a month, none of the revolutionaries could be arrested but the government was determined to arrest the culprits as it was a challenge to the safety and security of the British and it may give rise to such more incidents.

On 26th September 1925 Ramprasad Bismil was arrested. Ashfaq escaped from his home and hid in a sugarcane field. Later he managed to reach Varanasi and stayed for some time in Banaras University. With the help of his friends he went to Bihar and worked their as clerk in an engineering firm at Daltonganj. After that he went to Delhi with a plan to go abroad. In Delhi he met a Pathan friend who also hailed from Shahjahanpur and was a classmate of Ashfaq. Falling for greed of money which the British Government had announced on Ashfaq’ s head, the Pathan sounded the police and next morning Ashfaq was also arrested.

The police submitted charge sheet against him in the court. During the Court proceedings the Superintendent of Police who was a Muslim went to Ashfaq’s jail room and tried to break him from the revolutionaries. The S.P. said: “Ashfaq, I am also Muslim. I am very sorry for your arrest. I can have you released if you accept my advice. You Government approver and give testimony against Ramprasad Bismil. He is a Hindu and wants to establish the rule of Hindus. You should not be with him”. Ashfaq got enraged to hear the words of the Muslim S.P. and retorted, “I warn you, never utter such unholy words from your mouth. Ram Prasad is my brother. I would rather die under the rule of Hindus than to live under the British rule’

A committee consisting of eminent lawyers like Moti Lal Nehru, Jawahar Nehru, Sriprakasha, Acharya Narendra Dev, Govind Vallabh Pant and Chandra Bhanu Gupta was formed to defend the revolutionaries in the Kakori train robbery case. Their effort to save the revolutionaries, however, failed in the court of justice under the British rule which sentenced to death Ramaprasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan Rajendra Lahiri and Roshan Singh. The others were given life sentences.

The whole country protested against the death sentences. Petitions were made to the Viceroy to reduce their death sentence into life imprisonment. Even the Privy Council was also approached but all in vain, the British could not be moved down.

On 19th December 1927, Ashfaqulla Khan was hanged to death at district jail, Faizabad. When Ashfaq was brought to gallows he said, “My hands are not soiled with the murder of man, God will give me justice. “ He then prayed to the Almighty and went down the plank on which he stood after the hangman’s noose came around his neck.

The Last Journey : Rajiv Dixit

Though he is physically not present wit us now, his teaching, knowledge and the courage he gave us stays with us for ever, and the responsibility of fulfilling his dreams now lies with us. 

                                                                                                                 I salute to his dedication and commitment towards Swadeshi Bharat. Being inspired by that, we wish to move ahead towards our goal.

                                                          Rajiv Dixit's Dead Body in Plane

                                                        Bhai Rajiv Dixit Ji's Antim Sanskar

Modi exposes Centre's anti-people move, Gujarat alone can save 3.5 Cr cylinders per year

# CM expresses indignation over Centre’s unjust move of snatching the Gujarat government’s right for installing gas pipelines and distributing cooking gas through the state’s own gas network.

# Gujarat has spent Rs. 5,000 Cr for laying 2,200 km high pressure gas pipeline and Rs. 5,000 Cr for 8,000 km low pressure gas pipeline

# If the Centre allows Gujarat to lay gas pipelines, it would save 3.5 crore gas cylinders every year, and benefits of billions of rupees to the Centre exchequer, which would otherwise be used in giving subsidy

Chief Minister Narendra Modi has expressed indignation over Centre’s unjust move of snatching the Gujarat government’s right to distribute cooking gas through the state’s own gas pipeline network. “Gujarat is the only state which has set up a 2200 km. gas grid with a view to make available cooking gas at cheaper rates compare to LPG cylinder provide by the Centre. But, at one hand the Centre is multiplying the troubles of crores of women by rationing the LPG cylinders and on the other hand, from last two years, it is also not allowing Gujarat to lay more gas distribution pipelines and provide gas at cheaper rates”, he said.


Speaking at the Vivekanand Yuva Vikas Yatra the chief minister said, “The Centre itself does not have capacity to provide adequate gas cylinders and moreover, by rationing the gas cylinders, it compels people to buy gas at high prices from black market”. Gujarat has laid 2,200 km. high pressure gas pipeline at the cost of Rs.5,000 crore, as well 8,000 km. low pressure gas pipeline also at the cost of Rs.5,000 crore. Besides, about 10 lakh LPG connections have been given to the households at the cost of Rs.1,000 crore with partnership of government and private companies, he said.

Cooking gas is being provided to about 350 villages and cities of Gujarat at the cheaper rates compare to the Centre’s cylinder gas through the gas grid. This amounts to a saving of Rs.600 crore for the Centre in the form of subsidies. But since there is BJP government in Gujarat, the Centre keeps political enmity and has snatched from last two years the state’s right of laying gas distribution pipelines, he said.

“If Centre allows Gujarat to lay gas pipelines, the state government would be able to give 30 lakh cooking gas connections in the state in next three to five years. This means that Gujarat alone can save 30 lakh gas cylinders every month for the Centre. This amounts to saving of 3.5 crore gas cylinders every year, and benefits of billions of rupees to the Centre exchequer, which would otherwise be used in giving subsidy”, he said.But the Centre’s Congress government harbours perverted mentality of rendering troubles to Gujarat even at the cost of people’s money, he said.

Gujarat High Court gives UPA a lesson in 'education secularism'

Pursuant to Sachar Committee’s report on the social, economic and educational status of Muslims in India, the Prime Minister had launched a 15-point Programme for the Welfare of Minorities under which a scheme for awarding pre-metric educational scholarships to children belonging to five specific minorities was initiated.

The purpose of this Scheme was to “encourage parents from minority communities to send their school-going-children to school, lighten their financial burden on school education and sustain their efforts to support their children to complete school education”.

gujarat high court

The basic conditions of this Scheme are: (a) the student concerned must not get less than 50% marks in the previous examination; (b) the annual income of parents/guardian must not exceed Rs. 1 lakh; and, most controversially, (c) the student must be a Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist or Parsi.

Refusing to implement it in Gujarat owing to the fact that it discriminated between students on the basis of religion alone, the Gujarat Government stated that such a Scheme would cover only 52,260 minority students as against 6 lakh eligible pre-metric students falling within the income criteria.

This led a Gujarat Congress member Adam Chaki to file a Public Interest Litigation in the Gujarat High Court asking the Court to issue directions to the Gujarat Government to implement the Scheme. The Central Government, through the Assistant Solicitor General, supported the stand taken by Chaki.

One of the arguments of Gujarat Government was that the minority communities in Gujarat are more developed and educationally advanced as compared to minorities in many other States in the country and even compared to people belonging to the SC, ST, SEBC and EBC categories. Therefore, targeting a limited number of communities on the basis of religion will create ‘heart-burning’ and discriminatory feeling amongst the other low income students.

And, particularly when Gujarat was implementing as many as five scholarship schemes covering all eligible persons without limiting it to particular minority communities, this Scheme, according to Gujarat Government, created a class within a class and, that too, on the basis of religion alone, something clearly forbidden in the Constitution.

Interestingly, in an earlier petition challenging the Prime Minister’s 15 Point Programme, the Gujarat High Court had held in 2009 that “funds utilized by States for … providing education etc.” would not violate the Constitution. The Bombay High Court in 2011 ruled the same in an identical challenge.

Even the Supreme Court, in an unrelated matter but one raising similar issues, had held that when expenditure is incurred by Central and State Governments for other religions and economic classes, there is no ‘discrimination’ under to a scheme which also gives facilities to minorities on the basis of religion alone.

Nonetheless, the Gujarat HC Bench, consisting of the Chief Justice, disagreed with these findings and held that such a Scheme would violate the Constitution. It relied primarily on a 2005 Supreme Court judgment (by a larger five-judge Bench) which held that a “further classification by way of micro-classification” was not permissible under the Constitution.

The Central Government, through this Scheme, wanted to “make a micro-classification among the weaker sections of citizens on the basis of religion alone”. Article 29(2) of the Constitution clearly prohibited any citizen from being denied aid out of State funds on grounds only of religion.

According to the Gujarat HC, the following question was the yardstick when determining the constitutionality of such a Scheme:

“Will people from other communities whose annual income is less than Rs. 1 lakh and whose children are equally (or more) meritorious be deprived of Government patronage only because they belong to different religions other than five minority religions?”
If the answer was in the affirmative – which it clearly was – the Gujarat HC could not order the Gujarat Government to implement the Scheme. Since the earlier 2009 Gujarat HC judgment which upheld the PM’s 15 Point Programme was also by a two-judge Bench, this matter has been referred to a larger Bench for final adjudication.

How a larger Bench will decide on this issue remains to be seen. For the moment, however, the Gujarat HC has expressed its displeasure with the palpably blatant discrimination inherent in the Scheme which has the effect of depriving a poor child securing 90% marks just because he happened to belong to a religion other than the religion of a comparably poor child who secures 51% (and who, therefore, gets the scholarship solely because of his religion).

And, by ‘road-rolling’ minority welfare schemes such as these, the UPA has, in the words of Gujarat HC,

“exposed the idea that there is no necessity of socio-economic upliftment of persons of even the poorer and socially backward strata with the help of Government sponsorship unless they belong to the five minority religions.”
The Gujarat judiciary has, with this judgment, taught the UPA and various State governments a lesson or two on their version of secularism. Because the version they are practicing keeps drifting further and further away from the constitutional values our Founders thought India would cherish and preserve.

The Law that Protects Robert Vadra

The law that gives Robert Vadra, an ordinary yet highly controversial citizen, unfettered powers to cross Indian borders and security points unchecked, is the draconian SPECIAL PROTECTION GROUP ACT 1988.

In its brief history of Independence, free India wrote one of the most shameful acts of Parliament when it gave its approval to the SPG Act.

While certain portions of the Act are necessary to protect important citizens and the lives of their families, the fact that the SPG is unanswerable to anyone makes it a highly powerful yet unaccountable force in a democratic nation.

It is an unaccountable police force with the world’s best weaponry at its disposal. Not even the Supreme Court can call on it to justify its actions. How can this be allowed in a democracy, the creation of an unanswerable secret police?

Thus RTI applications asking for justifications that give Robert Vadra Security check privileges at airports are treated like barking dogs and ignored!

The SPG is not answerable and will not answer!

The conduct of the SPG itself is not above reproach. Why did it give Vadra such freedom in the first place?

Is Robert Vadra too ashamed that his wife, a woman, goes through without checks while he has to wait? Why do others travelling with the Gandhi family have to go through checks and Vadra cannot? Is it a macho ego issue or does he have other businesses that are helped by this exemption?

The US TSA (airport security agency) does not exempt anyone from checks, not even Presidents or Prime Ministers. The claim that SPG is styled on the US security agencies is hollow. Queries to it are replied immediately with the unequivocal answer that no one is exempt.

The US law allows state secrets but only for a limited period of time. However, the SPG Act and actions can never be questioned.

Does this not infringe with my rights as a citizen of this country. What if in an act of vengeance I am picked up by SPG and disappear. No Police Station will even approach the SPG for an explanation or with a query because they are not allowed by law. All employed by the SPG and the SPG itself are exempt from answering to any authority of the State or the Judiciary.

Will the Supreme Court hear my case in case I am picked up? No. It cannot summon the SPG.
Thus, how can the Supreme Court allow the SPG Act in this format? Can it accept this article as a PIL challenging the validity of these provisions of the Act that provide immunity to the SPG and its personnel and strike them down as illegal?

Imagine a scenario where a political party has an absolute majority and an ill motivated corrupt leader, (like Indira Gandhi trying with the Emergency). Cannot she/he expand the SPG scope and force from the present 3,000 and misuse the agency completely. Cannot they bully judges and political leaders into doing their will?

Most countries that overthrew Communist regimes continue to struggle with the new versions of the old secret police. Russian democracy is bogged under the jugglery of ex-KGB Vladimir Putin and its cronies and a weak judiciary and parliament.

Robert Vadra is inconsequential. Appealing to his sense of justice or intellect seems like a foolish idea. He is already enjoying the demoniac side of the SPG. Given his sorry personal life, appealing to him to do the right thing for the sake of posterity and a democratic future of the country, also sounds foolish.

Maybe telling him that the wrong he is doing to the SPG with his mother-in-law Sonia Gandhi’s tacit support is going to gobble him in the future may help!
Yevgenia Albats, the famous Russian journalist says that Glasnost in Russia was the idea of the KGB and Gorbachev was its tool. The powers of the KGB reduced the courts into clerical offices; none of the KGB was accountable. They even tapped the offices of the President and other official dignitaries. What about allegations that Pranab Mukherjee’s offices were tapped. Who had such access to them?

Even today, in India, we are still trying to nail the perpetrators of the horrors of the Emergency including our infamous President Pranab Mukherjee.

The Danger of Robert Vadra

Robert Vadra’s meteoric rise is a significant story in the collection of the most shameful stories of independent India. A nonentity, he has risen to the topmost heights of power and wealth by virtue of blatant nepotism.

His marriage into the most famous family in India would not have irked anyone had he not exploited this alliance in such a shameless manner and instead had shown grace and restraint.

The shady story of the Nehru – Gandhi clan continues in as much that Priyanka’s marriage did not redeem the family of its gory legacy. Thus, even while Indira paid for her sins of patronizing secessionists and Rajiv Gandhi the price of the war in Sri Lanka, Robert’s personal family story is as bloodied, yet more gruesome in nature. While his family feuds were well known, his brother was found dead mysteriously, his sister lost her life in an accident and his father subsequently “committed suicide”, again, in mysterious circumstances.

Sonia Gandhi and her children are willing puppets of particular coteries in the Congress that foist them on a desperate nation. Sonia’s persona of power is a hollow shell in the face of her political immaturity. She merely offers herself as a tragic, trapped Empress, to the Peshwas that run their writ in her name and make huge profits out of it.


It is a matter of time before the very family she seeks to protect lands in a worse soup.

Robert Vadra’s exceptional financial rise and political declarations show this rising danger. He knows well that the Rahul card has run its course in Indian politics.

Priyanka is probably aware of her husband’s ambitions and possibly fears that.
Robert Vadra has made no attempts to uphold probity in public life. His name stands out as a sore thumb and as a matter of national shame on security check notices across the nation’s airports where he is the only “individual” that is exempt from these checks. Yet, Vadra does not relent.

One wonders whether Mr. Vadra gets an inferiority complex from his wife, a woman, in the way he chooses to publicly display a macho persona and continues to maintain his immoral stand on the issue despite so much controversy.

The current Indian President is a woman and even her husband is not exempt from such checks.

The Military Chiefs of the nation did not enjoy this facility until the controversy raised its ugly head. The only two Field Marshal’s ever in the Indian army did not even figure on the Order of Precedence inasmuch that the funeral of Field Marshal Sam Maneckshaw was unattended by senior government office holders.

Vadra’s financial rise has been discussed in Opposition meetings in the Parliament as well. His murky connections with the DLF group have often been cited in the media. These are clear indications of what the nation can expect from him were he to openly enter politics.

Priyanka visiting Nalini, her father’s assassin in prison, was a heart wrenching story; yet the story of her family continues to unfold like a Shakespearean tragedy that threatens to destroy them completely.
What is worse is that the nation is paying a huge price too.

One wonders if the Gandhi’s can ever sum up the courage to resign totally from politics to avoid further hurt to their family, given their grievious personal circumstances. The fear of loss of status, security and imprisonment is the biggest fear. But that fear can be overcome by creating virtue and freedom within the family; a small price for being able to live as decent self-respecting humans. Yet an acute lack of a sense of history evades them.

The hoodlums in Congress are desperate. A rising politically conscious middle class in India coupled with assertive backward castes have forsaken the traditional allegiance of their forefathers to the Congress. The Gandhi family card has run its course as its successors struggle with mediocrity. Convoluted attempts are being made to reverse democratic and economic progress made in the years after Rajiv Gandhi.

Robert Vadra now sounds desperate to take on the mantle of the Gandhi family as this may be his only chance to grab power and to offer that desperate coterie a viable alternate.
The Gandhi’s need to learn as to when, and how, to call it quits. They need to break free of the Congress and their Italian/Catholic advisors that use them. Yet above all, and for their own sake, they need to keep Robert Vadra reined in.