Gas, Gurudas, Moily and Reliance

I do not trust mega corporations, but before you jump to any conclusion on my political leanings, let me assure you that I am not a ‘commie’. But does that mean that I must accept, praise and defend everything that the mega corporations do? Being a human being, a common man whose life is dependent on the slightest shift in the economic and political landscape of this country, it is imperative that I keep an eye on the developments that tend to have an impact on my future and the futures of those like me. This is why the allegations of CPI(M) leader Gurudas Dasgupta on Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Veerappa Moily matter to me as much as it should to you (unless you are born with a silver spoon in your mouth or have children born with silver spoons in theirs).

The rest on corporate subterfuge is here:

http://www.newsyaps.com/gas-gurudas-moily-and-reliance/30597/

Edward Snowden has noble intentions but NSA is just doing its job

How would you react if someone told you that you are being spied upon by the people you trust? You may feel offended, perhaps angry, at the disclosure; you may also profusely thank the informant. The revelation may also make you paranoid of those around you. You may start acting in the most unusual manner and will, obviously, feel terrified of those you once trusted.

But there will be others who, instead of recoiling themselves in a cocoon, will protest in the most outrageous manner against the perceived injustice done to them. They will raise their voices in the most indignant fashion against the ‘betrayal’. At the same time they will also be thanking and supporting the one who told them of the betrayal in the first place because if it were not for that one individual, they would have never known the truth. The informant will be further elevated to a messianic stature if it becomes known that he is a whistleblower.

A whistleblower is someone who decides to reveal the dark secrets of his group for the sake of peace, humanity, righteousness or justice at a huge personal risk. Over the last couple of years, the term whistleblower has been used as a sort of honorific, an unofficial knighthood for those who disclose information hidden by a government or any of its various bodies from the general public. The term gained significance with the arrival of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange and has since been regularly used by the media to better describe the deed of such a daredevil.

A new name has just been added to the growing list of whistleblowers: Edward Snowden. Snowden is a 29-year-old American techie whose conscience made him tell his countrymen, and the world, that they were being spied upon by the National Security Agency (NSA) – one of the biggest spy agencies of the world meant to protect America’s interests. His revelation shook America and the world when it was learnt that the NSA used famous tech companies like Google, Facebook and Apple to spy on a vast network of people. The documents Snowden leaked to Britain’s Guardian newspaper also show that companies like Yahoo were forced to become part of the massive snooping program called PRISM by a court order. This shows that the PRISM had legal backing. NSA not only used the tech companies to spy on Americans but also citizens of other countries including India.

I argue that even if Snowden may be having noble intentions - ensuring right to  privacy - the NSA should not be blamed for its act because that is what a spy agency is supposed to do.

Read the rest of my argument here:

http://www.newsyaps.com/edward-snowden-has-noble-intentions-but-nsa-is-just-doing-its-job/28721/

Advani is wrong but should not be an object of ridicule

"How dare you challenge my authority?"

I am not a political expert, but today I cannot help but pat my back for recently vaticinating that the chances of BJP coming back to power in 2014 are weak. I cannot say for sure whether the Congress will continue in power but given the fact that there is practically no opposition, the chances of the country’s oldest party winning a third term are strong. The BJP had some chance of applying the brakes on the ruling UPA government given its pathetic governance coupled with unbridled corruption across all levels. But the recent decision of Lal Krishna Advani has definitely thrown away any hopes of BJP’s victory out of the window.

With BJP declaring that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi would be the one who will lead the party’s campaign charge in the 2014 General Elections, the 85-year-old Advani decided to hang his boots showing clear signs that he was unhappy with the decision. In his resignation letter Advani wrote that the reason behind his decision to quit from all the main executive bodies of the party was because he was “finding it difficult to reconcile either with the current functioning of the party, or the direction in which it is going”. He also alleged that “most leaders of ours (BJP) are now concerned just with their personal agendas”.

Apparently he is accusing Modi and his supporters within the party for harbouring “personal agendas” but it seems Advani himself is the one full of those. His personal agenda? To be the Prime Minister of India. Evidently, his self-centered action invoked the indignation of Modi’s supporters who vented their anger on Twitter. Most tweets took a jibe at Advani comparing him to a sulking young boy who won’t play cricket if he is not allowed to bat first because he owns the bat and ball. It appears that even with over five decades of experience in politics L.K. Advani has yet to learn the basic lesson: step-aside when the time is right or you’ll be pushed aside.

Read why Advani has blown up any chances the BJP had ahead of the 2014 General Elections here:

http://www.newsyaps.com/advani-is-wrong-but-should-not-be-an-object-of-ridicule/27858/

Thank you for being an inspiration Mr. Srinivasan

"Mention not"

Dear Mr. Srinivasan,

I write to you with thanks for not resigning from the post of BCCI president, something which your detractors were hell-bent on. I admire your tenacity and the tactic you used to ensure your power doesn’t wane during the course of investigations into the IPL spot-fixing scandal.

Yes, it is a shame that a few useless cricketers brought disgrace to the money-minting machine erected by Mr. Lalit Modi in 2008. Of course, your own son-in-law, Mr. Gurunath Meyiappan, is also an accused. But I agree with those who say that you should not be punished for the sins of a son-in-law and a bunch of unsuccessful blokes. And since the “sins” are yet to be proven, asking for your head is unfair.

Read the rest of the letter here:

http://www.newsyaps.com/thank-you-for-being-an-inspiration-mr-srinivasan/26464/