2. Manmohan Singh-Sonia Gandhi-The Mixed Signals

2

THE MIXED SIGNALS

The UPA Government on 2 June 2004 decided to permit 49 per cent Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the Delhi and Mumbai airports. This was the first major decision of Dr. Manmohan Singh. He had taken the decision within 10 days of assuming office and within three days of receiving the above letter from the present writer. This showed that he was under a contractual obligation to transmit public assets to private parties.

It may be recalled that when the employees of the public sector banks resorted to an all India strike, the National Democratic Alliance Government led by Mr. A.B. Vajpayee reduced the Government’s shares in the public sector banks to 35 per cent. The above decision could be compared to that.

Announcing the above decision, Mr. Praful Patel, Minister of State for Civil Aviation, said that the decision was taken after due discussion with the other parties- particularly the Left parties. He described this as restructuring and not privatization. He added that this step would make the airports modern and efficient. It was clear that the industrialists began to play a dominant role through the bureaucracy.

 However, “The New Indian Express” on 6 June 2004 said that the Left parties had been opposing the sale of land and infrastructure in the two airports. The paper said that it was not a sale but a lease only. This was the effect of the letter dated 31 –5-2004. But the word lease was used only to deceive the people because the Government privatized the airports later.

Mrs. Sonia Gandhi did not utter a word in this matter.

The developments reinforced over the first impression, that Mrs. Sonia Gandhi and Mr. Manmohan Singh would rule India in bad faith only.

During the pre-budget meeting of the Finance Minister with the economists on 5 June 2004, the latter asked the former to privatize the PSUs that would be vulnerable in future to global competition and redefine the “profit making PSUs” accordingly. The words were reminiscent of the words used by Mr. P.Chithambaram, Finance Minister, as soon as assuming power.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEC), was constituted on 7 June 2004.The team included Dr. Manmohan Singh, Mr. P.Chithambaram, Mr. Kamal Nath, Commerce Minister, Mr. P.M. Syeed, Mr. Sharad Pawar, Mr. Laloo Prasad Yadav, Mr. Ram Vilas Paswan, Mr. T.R. Balu, Mr. Raghuvansh Prasad Singh and Mr. Dayanidhi Maran besides the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission.

The Sterilite Industries on 8 June 2004 requested the Union Government to hand over the 49 % residual shares in BALCO. It must be noted that the NDA Government had either ignored or turned down this request, as the Sterilite was a disqualified company.

The budget for 2004-2005 was presented to the Parliament on 8 June 2004. The salient features of the budget were 0.15 transaction charge on share transfer, 49% equity sale of Delhi and Mumbai airports, 5% equity sale of the NTPC, 74% FDI on civil aviation, insurance and telecom and allotment of Re. 14,000 crore for strengthening the PSUs.

Evidently, the Government accepted the suggestion of the present writer to impose transaction tax. It was a positive decision. The other decisions were negative decisions. 

Obviously, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi and Dr. Manmohan Singh were giving out mixed signals.

Thus, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi indirectly said that she was doing her level best to accept the good suggestions of the present writer. This also showed that she was helpless in other matters.

The brokers and some corporate houses opposed the transaction tax.

The present writer considered the acceptance of Transaction Tax as a great victory for this writer. However, the tax was withdrawn after two years. Thus the success was a short-lived one.

The Left parties gradually opposed the 49% equity sale of the two airports and the 74% FDI on civil aviation.

Besides, the budget provided for a package for states lagging behind others. Bihar got over Re.3000 crore through this provision.

After more than ten days, people came to know that the Government had imposed 10.2 service tax on insurance premiums and 10%  tax on service charges in banks. The present writer gave this suggestion on 1-6-2001. It was a positive signal.

The Government on 17 August 2004 said that it had no plans to look into the alleged large scale “irregularities” in sale/disinvestments of public sector firms. This showed that the Government was indifferent to acts of corruption.

      

According to a public enterprise survey (2002-2003) released by the Government on 9 June 2004 the total turn over of 240 PSUs was Re. 5,44,390 crore with a profit of 32,141 crore. The profit of top ten PSUs was Re. 29,951 crore. The ONGC alone had a profit of Re. 10,529 crore. The Fertilizer Corporation of India recorded a loss of Re. 1,166 crore.

On 15 June 2004, Mr. A.P.J.Abdul Kalam, President of India, requested the devotees to take some vows. They were: educate five children, play a crucial role in activating one pond in the vicinity, remove enmity within the family and withdraw court cases, plant five fruit bearing trees, not succumb to the temptation of additive substances etc.

It must be noted that this writer was implicated in bad faith in a criminal case.

The letter No. 2 was sent to the President of India on 18 June 2004 at 7 A.M. Over all it was the letter No.33. The letter narrated how this writer achieved one half of the objective. The letter follows.

From

V.SABARIMUTHU

Thattankonam, Vellicode, Mulagumoodu, 629167

To

Mr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

His Excellency the President of India

Presidential Palace,

 New Delhi

Your Excellency

          Kindly consider how one half of the objective of changing the system was achieved.

1.       On 1 June 2001, when the National Democratic Alliance, (NDA), Government began to go astray, ten concrete suggestions were sent to Mr. A. Vajpayee, Prime Minister of India. The then Prime Minister prompted by  “Divine Spirit or Reason” decided to reject the bids received for the privatization of the AI and IA, issued a guideline to prevent tainted companies from bidding for the PSUs and initiated a series of meetings for four months. Thus, one tenth of the objective was achieved.

2.      The Government relapsed to privatization in October 2001. Then the letter No.3  onwards were sent to the President of India and the learned judges of the Supreme Court. The then President could have cleverly utilized the letters to his advantage. However, the “Divine Spirit or Reason” provoked him to go to the Supreme Court to talk to the learned judges. Thus, he sacrificed one more chance to remain as the President of India. Then, the only alternative before the NDA was to amend the Constitution of India. In order to achieve this, the Prime Minister and the media began to compliment and flatter Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, the leader of the Congress their plan did not work as she - encouraged by “Divine Spirit or Reason” - reversed the privatization policy of the Congress Party. Thus, two tenth of the objective was achieved.

3.      The industrialists wanted to choose their representative as the next President. The need of the hour was a man with two eyes in the Presidential Palace - one eye to render justice to all by protecting the Constitution and another eye to seek necessary bits of information to control manipulations. This writer was quite helpless as nothing could be done other than expressing the plight of the people to the leaders through the letter No.7 dated 3 February 2002. The “Divine Spirit or Reason” inspired the leaders to choose the present President. The former President also played a key role, as “success without a successor is not a success”. With this, this writer achieved three tenth of the objective. The left parties chose another candidate because they, with the sole exception of Chief Minister of West Bengal, did not receive the first seven letters.

4.     The letter No.9 onwards were not sent to the leaders of the TDP, DMK, PMK and the MDMK. However, there was a feeling that the DMK, PMK and the MDMK would come out of the NDA automatically. Their continuance in the NDA was a disturbing one because the NDA was counting on the support of these parties on one side and the AIADMK on the other. Previously, in 1989 a letter was dropped to Dr. M. Karunanidhi, then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, requesting him to give Rs.100/- per month to all people above 60 years. The Chief Minister increased the old age pension from Rs. 35 to Rs.50/- and removed the quota system for the old age pension in the budget. What is the evidence that he listened to this writer? After six months, the District Collector informed the decision of the Government through a letter. This remains as an inspiration. With this experience, the copies of the letter Nos 24 and 25-dated 1-12-2003 and 2-1-2004 respectively were dropped to the DMK President on 19 January 2004. On receiving the letters, the DMK President reluctantly went to the venue of the human chain taken in support of Mr. N.Ram of “The Hindu” and described the event as “ another scene”. Therefore, due to the “Divine Spirit or Reason” these two letters changed his perceptions. This was the crucial, actual, and vital turning point that paved the way to an alliance that led to the greatest electoral upset in the world. The DMK President duly acknowledged this with some similes in some public meetings. The Tamil Nadu Congress President had been contributing his share in his own way is another matter. Thus, four tenth of the objective was achieved. In this connection, it must be admitted that the role secretly played by the industrialists were not patent at that time.

5. The “Divine Spirit or Reason” prompted the President to utilize these letters to prevent the former Chief Justice of India from hearing the privatization case and thus one half of the objective was achieved.

6. According to “Divine Spirit or Reason” theory, each step taken by the “Divine Spirit or Reason” on its march through the world was more real than the one before. However, though the present system is more real than the preceding one, the Nation is still reeling under the “Stakecocracy” – a rule by industrialists. Addressing a meeting in Himachal Pradesh on 11 December 2002, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, Congress President said that the PSUs were set up with public money and they were not the property of any political party and that the Congress had never compromised on its principles and would never do that. The Congress President added that the Congress was not a party with leaders who change their stand everyday. On 18 December 2002, the present Speaker of Parliament said that he was stunned by the total ‘insensitivity’ of Mr. A.B. Vajpayee, then Prime Minister on the question of privatization. Now, the Government has decided to sell 49% equity in two major airports with the support of the left parties! Obviously, the old “Super Cabinet” continues to decide the direction of the Government. The public sector TV channel –DD - too is under the total control of the stakes. Apparently,  Mr. A.B. Vajpayee met the President for not less than 31 times for 31 letters. Similarly, the Present Prime Minister met the President on 31 May 2004 for the letter No. 32. The DD and the news media blacked out this as before. No nation has such a harmful, unfaithful, treacherous and mischievous telecasting and broadcasting services in the world. Now, the DD revels in telling concocted stories and showing false interviews. It has sent several Cabinet Minister into oblivion.

7. The expropriators now say that the airports are only for lease. The CBI would tell that some NRI companies in the UK want to convert their manipulated money into airports in India. Their profits in the UK according to the submission of the CBI in the Delhi Court are proportional to the manipulations in India. What all the expropriators want is that the present Government must sell 49 % share in the PSUs. If the present Government could sell 49% share, they would say that other Governments could sell 100% as well. This is the reason for this letter No.33.

8. Even if the 1000 million people of India remain passive due to the mirage created by the media, the Government is forbidden from selling even 1% of the shares of any PSU to anyone near or dear to anyone without amending the Constitution- more so when it is in private interest. The decision to sell 49% shares of two airports is perverted by private interest. It is the paramount duty of the President to protect the Constitution so long as it exists. The Government must be constitutional and limited in its authority.

9. The letters impelled the President to prevail upon the former Prime Minister to rescind or cancel hundred of decisions taken in favour of privatization. For instance, the Cabinet Committee on Disinvestments, which met on 10 July 2003, cleared the sale of the residual shares of CMC (26%), IBP (33.95%), IPCL (49%), VSNL (33.95%), BALCO (49%) and DCI (20%). The CCD also cleared the sale of NFL, HOC, HCL and the MEC on the same day. The decision to privatize the SCI was taken in 15 April 2003. The then Governor, RBI had to leave presumably due to the letters. The Prime Minister could also cooperate with the President to protect the Constitution. Further, the Prime Minister could give answer to all unanswered questions including the fate of the “cash rich” enterprises. So far, everything remains concealed. Apparently, the “Divine Spirit or Reason” is sleeping within the Prime Minister. However, if those who possess power wish to misuse it, in Plato’s view, irreparable damage has already been done.

10. It is said that in the general tenor of human life, in every heart, self-regarding interest is predominant over all other interests put together. Even if the letters are actuated by desire for glory, the letters did immense and incredible benefit to 1000 million people and hence to mankind. Therefore, the Nobel Prize for Peace for this writer cannot be far away provided the President of India is ready to reveal the truth.

Vellicode                                                                                                  Yours faithfully

18-6-2004.                                                                                                                         V.SABARIMUTHU

The letter apparently sent shock waves across Delhi. The Coordination Committee of the UPA met at the residence of the Prime Minister. Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, leader of the UPA presided over the meeting. The subject matter, apparently, was the above letter. However, the newspapers and the DD were conspicuously silent.  The DD and the news media described this as a meeting to discuss the impending Union Budget. It showed that the new system would be ruthless in blacking out news and views. The support of the news medium to the Prime Minister could be gauged.

On 24 June 2004, e new Prime Dr. Manmohan Singh, in his maiden broadcast to the Nation asked the professionals to join politics. He said that he himself was a professional and chose politics. The tone was that he joined politics to purify the system.  It appeared that he was sending an open invitation to this writer.

He, further, asked the people to face the problem head on. The themes of his speech centred round the 33 letters sent to the President of India. This writer felt that the Prime Minister was giving an open invitation to this writer to join politics. Therefore, a letter was immediately sent through ‘Speed Post’ to the Prime Minister. The letter follows.

                                                                                                         Vellicode

                                                                                                           25-6-2004.

From

V. SABARIMUTHU

Thattankonam

Vellicode

Mulagumoodu, PIN : 629167

To

The Hon’ble Prime Minister of India

Parliament House

New Delhi

Your Excellency

       With reference to the call of the Prime Minister of India yesterday, it is submitted that the Prime Minister of India could always utilize the services of anyone in India for any public service connected with nation building.

       The Prime Minister is free to utilize the services of this writer in any possible way.

       This is for the kind information and necessary action of the Prime Minister of India.

Yours faithfully

(V.SABARIMUTHU)