Skip to main content

Anti-corruption rally in Delhi seeks investigation into Kalikho Pul's "dying declaration", Sahara-Birla diary

By A Representative
In an effort to create public opinion in favour of the campaign on charges of corruption in high places in the suicide diary of former Arunachal chief minister Kalikho Pul, several civil society organizations took out a rally in Delhi, culminating at Jantar Mantar, seeking “credible investigation” about facts mentioned in it.
Noted anti-corruption crusader and Swaraj Abhiyan president Prashant Bhushan, who is also a top Supreme Court advocate, told the rally that “there could be an ominous connection between Sahara-Birla diary and Pul's diary.”
Called Bhrashtachar se Azadi, the rally saw the late Arunachal chief minister’s widow, Dangwimsai Pul, saying that her husband in his dying declaration had “written in detail about corruption in politics and judiciary.”
“I'm not fighting for justice for only him but for all Indians”, she said, adding, “Instead of trying to suppress the evidence and dismiss it, we need a proper and independent investigation into it. BJP government is not investigating the allegations.”
A joint statement issued by civil society organizations in the wake of the rally by the organizers said, there is “lack of action on allegations of corruption contained in the Sahara-Birla diaries.”
It alleged, “The Sahara-Birla papers show that the Prime Minister was the largest recipient of black/bribe money (Rs 25 crore from Birla and Rs 40 crore from Sahara, as per the records presented to the Supreme Court.”
Anjali Bhardwaj, co-convenor of the National Campaign for People’s Right to Information (NCPIR), said, the Modi government has “not implemented” two anti-corruption legislations – the Lok Pal law and whistleblowers’ protection law – and has instead “diluted these laws.”
Well-known right to information activist Aruna Roy, who is also a winner of the Magsaysay award, insisted, “The government is trying to silence us and stop us from speaking, from questioning, from expressing our views. We must fight together to protect our right to protest and resist.”
Others who spoke on the occasion included Yogendra Yadav, well-known political analyst, who is with the Swaraj India Party, and CPI-M leader Prakash Karat.
The statement – jointly issued by NCPRI, Bhushan-led Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reform (CJAR), Medha Patkar-led National Alliance of Peoples’ Movements (NAPM) and the anti-corruption team of Swaraj Abhiyan – said, “Instead of promulgating rules to operationalise the whistleblowers’ law, the government moved an amendment bill in Parliament in May 2015.”
Amendment, it says, “seeks to severely dilute the Act by removing safeguards available to whistleblowers from prosecution under the Official Secrets Act”.
The statement further says, “The government has not reintroduced the Grievance Redressal Bill, which had the support of all parties including the BJP but lapsed with the dissolution of the Lok Sabha in 2014.”
Pointing towards “lack of action on allegations in the dying declaration of Kalikho Pul”, the statement said, Pul’s “shocking allegations of corruption against senior sitting and retired judges, lawyers and politicians need to be investigated in a credible manner.”

Comments

TRENDING

Adani coalmine delayed? Australian senate fails to pass crucial "reform" amendment for project's financial closure

Adanis' Mundra power plant, controversial in Australia By  A  Representative In what is being described as a new “new hurdle”, the proposed Adani coalmine in the Queensland state of in Australia failed to get the crucial Australian Parliamentary nod, essential for financial closure for one of the biggest coalmining projects in the world. The government lost the Senate vote 35-33, meaning the legislation won't pass until the Senate returns in mid-June.

Paul Newman wasn't just remarkably talented, he was anti-war activist, disdained Hollywood excesses

By Harsh Thakor*  On January 26th of this year, we celebrated the birth centenary of Paul Newman, one of the finest actors of his era. His passing on September 26, 2008, after a prolonged battle with lung cancer, was met with an outpouring of tributes and remembrances from artists across the film industry, all sharing their thoughts and memories of the legendary actor.  

Aurangzeb’s last will recorded by his Maulvi: Allah shouldn't make anyone emperor

By Mohan Guruswamy  Aurangzeb’s grave is a simple slab open to the sky lying along the roadside at Khuldabad near Aurangabad. I once stopped by to marvel at the tomb of an Emperor of India whose empire was as large as Ashoka the Great's. It was only post 1857 when Victoria's domain exceeded this. The epitaph reads: "Az tila o nuqreh gar saazand gumbad aghniyaa! Bar mazaar e ghareebaan gumbad e gardun bas ast." (The rich may well construct domes of gold and silver on their graves. For the poor folks like me, the sky is enough to shelter my grave) The modest tomb of Aurangzeb is perhaps the least recognised legacies of the Mughal Emperor who ruled the land for fifty eventful years. He was not a builder having expended his long tenure in war and conquest. Towards the end of his reign and life, he realised the futility of it all. He wrote: "Allah should not make anyone an emperor. The most unfortunate person is he who becomes one." Aurangzeb’s last will was re...

Health expert Dr Amitav Banerjee on commercialization of healthcare and neglect of natural immunity

By AK Shiburaj  In an interview with me, eminent health expert Dr. Amitav Banerjee has examined the impact of privatization on the healthcare sector, the implications of the World Health Organization (WHO) becoming a commercially driven entity, and the consequences of a pharmaceutical industry prioritizing profit over public health. He argues that an approach ignoring the importance of natural immunity fosters a drug-centric system that undermines the benefits of modern medicine.

Haven't done a good deed, inner soul is cursing me as sinner: Aurangzeb's last 'will'

Counterview Desk The Tomb of Aurangzeb, the last of the strong Mughal emperors, located in Khuldabad, Aurangabad district, Maharashtra, has this epitaph inscribed on it: "Az tila o nuqreh gar saazand gumbad aghniyaa! Bar mazaar e maa ghareebaan gumbad e gardun bas ast" (the rich may well construct domes of gold and silver on their graves. For the poor folks like me, the sky is enough to shelter my grave).

Trust, we (from People to PM and President) did not take a Holy Dip in some Holy Shit!

By Dr Mansee Bal Bhargava  I could see two deeply interlinked aspects between human and water in #MahaKumbh2025. Firstly, the HOPE that a ‘holy dip’ in the River Ganga (colloquially referred as dubki and spiritually as ‘Snan’) will cleanse oneself (especially the sins); and secondly, the TRUST that the water is pure to perform the cleansing alias living the hope. Well, I consider hope to be self-dependent while, trust is a multi-party dependent situation. The focus here is on the trust and I shall write later on hope.

Hyderabad seminar rekindles memories of the spark lit 50 years ago by students

By Harsh Thakor*  History is something we constantly remember and reflect upon, but certain moments and events bring it back to our memory in a special way. For the Telugu people, and Telangana in particular, the memorial seminar held on February 20–21 was a significant occasion to recall the glorious events, transformations, leaders, and heroes of past struggles. Thousands of students rewrote the history of people's movements in Andhra Pradesh, carrying revolutionary zeal and the spirit of self-sacrifice to levels comparable to the Russian and Chinese Revolutions.

4th Dalit literature festival to address critical issues affecting Dalits, women, tribals

By A Representative  The 4th Dalit Literature Festival (DLF) has been announced, with the theme "World Peace is Possible Through Dalit Literature."  The festival will take place on February 28th and March 1st, 2025, at Aryabhatta College, University of Delhi (South Campus).  Organized by the Ambedkarvadi Lekhak Sangh (ALS) in collaboration with Aryabhatta College, Dalit Adivasi Shakti Adhikar Manch (DASAM), and other organizations, the DLF aims to highlight the power of Dalit literature in fostering global peace and addressing social injustices.

Vadodara citizens urge authorities to adhere to environmental mandates in Vishwamitri River Rejuvenation Project

By A Representative   A coalition of environmental activists, ecologists, and urban planners in Vadodara has issued an urgent appeal to state and municipal authorities, demanding strict compliance with court-mandated guidelines for the upcoming Vishwamitri River rejuvenation project. Scheduled to commence in March 2025, the initiative aims to mitigate flooding and restore the river, but citizens warn that current plans risk violating National Green Tribunal (NGT) orders and jeopardizing the river’s fragile ecosystem, home to endangered species like crocodiles and Indian Softshell Turtles.  

Buddhist communities in Michigan protest for Mahabodhi Temple’s return to Buddhist control

By A Representative   Buddhist communities in Michigan have staged protests demanding the return of the Mahabodhi Vihara in Gaya, Bihar, India, to full Buddhist control. The Mahabodhi Temple, regarded as the holiest pilgrimage site in Buddhism, is currently managed under the Bodhgaya Temple Act of 1949, which grants a majority of control to non-Buddhists.