Saturday, January 22, 2011

Yeddi's Chaddi is off?

Dear Mr CM,
This morning I was hoping to begin this open letter with a reference to Mr Jaitley’s comments/ bits on your behalf, but I was robbed of that when I took my bike for servicing this morning. A small time mechanic whoes daily bread comes from servicing bikes was forced to shut down his tiny garage by a gang of BJP goons!! They went around on the streets of my locality forcing all the shops and establishments to down the shutters.

Well Mr CM why should we be punished for your sins, governor has given orders to file a complaint against you based on hard evidence that was all out on media. You have a problem with the governor you sort that out with him don’t make us party to your crimes and please don’t shoot keeping the gun on our shoulders.

What is that you are so proud of and sticking to the CM chair, what is that your government has done in the last 2 years?Your pet Bhaghyalakshmi scheme is a nothing more than an eye wash. Paying Rs 19000 odd towards a LIC policy for a girl child who will get an amount of Rs 100000 odd after 18 years?? Whom are you trying to fool? Please calculate the NPV of Rs 100000 of that 18 years, what will Rs 100000 be worth 18 years from now? Buying and flying down to distribute saris cost the exchequer more than the scheme Mr CM. Over 37% on people in Karnataka are BPL what good is it to cover only 11 lac BPL families in the scheme?

You have put your pictures on the buses and took credit for JNURM projects; KSRTC and BMTC are not the products of your government so don’t take credit without deserving it.

Over 200 MoU on investments have been signed but none seen any light. You have single handedly driven away Wipro and Infosys to Pune and Hyderabad. By giving KIADB land to your family members you have deprived the more eligible ones.

BJP roared when the JMM case happened few years ago, how different is ‘Operation Kamala’? Luring MLAs Corporators, ZP members after them getting elected on other party seats is NOTHING but horse trading and day light bribery!! Just to favor yourself you are force spending public money on re-elections of these defected representatives on your party ticket. You promised a minister berth to even people like Jaggesh and made him the Vice-Chairman of KSRTC!! What credentials does he have for this post?

The sex tainted ministers like Renukacharya and Halappa thrived in your cabinet; you do not have the moral responsibility to question them because of your own un-explainable relationship with one of your minister, so you keep mum. Katta Naidu and Reddy brothers looted and are still looting Karnataka, there is enough proof (not evidence) on their Land and Mining scams respectively, you were/are mum, because it was all ‘you scratch my back I will scratch yours’ type.

When the Reddy brothers drama was going on I truly believed that they were being unfair to you but reality is that you are hand in glove with them. You need them to fill the BJP party funds at the national level and they need you to keep the Lingayat in Karnataka happy (even Lingayats are disgusted with you).

Your temple visits are astonishing!! Who pays for all your personal glory visits? It’s the public of this state; you are burning public money to keep the gods in your favor!! You donate elephants to Temples in Kerala, you go flying to AP, TN temples seeking blessings, you hop in and out of all temples in Karnataka!!

When the RTI application exposed your nepotism, you confessed on camera and promised never to do it again, will you spare a murdered or a criminal if he/she confesses and says he/she will never repeat it? Your sons said that they will return the land, is all this NOT proof to file a case against you?

The BJP at the center commented on the PM that Creasers wife cannot choose the forum to be above suspicion?? You have chosen a retired judge to look into your land scams? Why is the same rule not applicable in your case? Why is that you are not handing over the case to Lokayukta? Why is that you took away the right of the Lokayukta to question elected representative and passed a resolution in the Assembly for the same?

Yesterday Mr Jaitely defended you by opening his statement “some people have asked to file a case on the CM…….ok Mr CM please tell Mr Jaitely that that “some people” whom he very casually referred are the one who voted for you, and you are the CM because of that “some people”.

Ms Nirmala Sitharaman on the Times Now show asked “what the hurry is and why is that Governor did not wait for the report to come”? What was BJP’s hurry in asking Mr Chavan to resign? Even in his case the report was not there, it was enquiry pending!!

Pot cannot call a kettle black, you please resign and prove your innocence if any in the courts of this land. Don’t insult the chair of the CM by sitting on it Chaddi less…have some SHAME and let the law take its course.

As I end my open letter your goons have destroyed public and private property of the citizens!! We had enough of you and your drama; you will get the place in history as the WORST CM of this state without any contest at all.

- Kavitha Reddy

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Say NO to Bribe


With country waking up to scams after scams on a daily basis, 11th Dec was marked as the anti-corruption day, a day to come together as citizens and as civil society and condemn corruption in this country. But there is a need to ask ourselves how much are we responsible?

I would like to narrate my story, being the child of the 70’s I grew up with idealistic values. The India I grew up in was just out of the wars, civil society was more patriotic, at schools and colleges we grew up hearing the stories of people who died for the country putting India first. The media revolution began with print and electronic becoming stronger than ever post- emergency. With the new right to vote @ 18 it unleashed more power and participation. It made me believe that we can make everyone in office that Indian voted for more accountable.

My 1st encounter with bribe was when I went for the vehicle driving test, it was a norm to go through an agent and anyone who applied directly was failed in the 1st attempt. Many who failed decided to opt for an agent just to avoid failing the test again. My 1st refusal to pay bribe stared there, I told the officer who was conducting the test that even if he fails me 10 times I will not pay him bribe through the agent, and I took up the test again and the same officer had no choice but to ok my DL.

When I bought a site and decided to construct a house, everyone who knew me warned about the corruption. They told me to close my eyes and hear nothing and let someone else manage the pay-out to various authorities.

We build a house in exactly 12 months; I have record of every single penny we spent on the house, neither the BDA or the BWSSB or the KEB or the BBMP asked me for extra money to pass my file. The only person who was scaring us out was either the Electrician or the Plumber who tried to make us believe that we need to pay.

I walked into every government office myself ever determined not to pay, the last in the house riddle was the Khata. With the application and relevant documents I walked-out of the revenue office at HSR BDA complex without paying a single penny.I had to follow-up 3-4 time for the same but never was asked a bribe, I followed the process and gave every letter every piece of paper I was asked.

My brother said it was a fluke, getting a Khata without paying a bribe is impossible, and I got the Khata for his house which was long pending again without paying. I had to go to their office more than 4 times, but when I was asked to call the officer, he promptly told me that he was held up in election duty and it will be done. I got the Khata for my brother’s house also without paying a bribe in fact the staff there offered me breakfast and coffee.

I have learnt five things:
1. If you make yourself aware of the basic process no one will dare to ask you for a bribe
2. Right approach and follow the process
3. Government work takes time, have patience if you are on the right side of the law
4. It’s we who want short-cuts most of the time
5. If you are determined not to pay bribe you don’t have to.

Being in adventure travel, I get to meet government officials from forest department and some time police but, I never pay money for permission to trek in the forest other than what is stipulated as fee by the government.

It does not mean that I was not asked to pay a bribe; I wanted to register my company under the SSI, after submitting the application I was ask to pay some Rs 3000 as expenses. When I asked if I would get a receipt or details of the expenses in writing the relevant officer said no.

I refused to pay, I am yet to get the registration certificate but I would no way pay to get it. I am no big crusader, I always believed in walking the talk, and never deterred from standing up to what my conscious says. I believe that taking bribe is a crime but paying bribe is a SIN.

Without getting carried away by bigger scams, if we are able to say NO even for that Rs 100 bribe it will go a long way in cleaning up the system.

- Kavitha Reddy