गांधी के हत्यारे नहीं जानते थे कि कुछ लोग गोली मार देने से मरते नहीं, बल्कि अमर हो जाते हैं। गांधी के साथ यही हुआ।
युद्धों के उन्माद में अंधी होती जा रही दुनिया में आज उनके विचारों की बहुत जरूरत है। मेरे भाई और विश्व प्रसिद्ध संगीतकार @rickykej की पहल पर 40 देशों के 200 से अधिक संगीतज्ञों ने "Gandhi- Mantras of Compassion" एल्बम बनाई है। हमारे इस एल्बम का ट्रेलर आपको समर्पित है। आपसे आग्रह है कि इसे देखकर अपनी प्रतिक्रिया दें।
Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, envisioned India's destiny & shaped it through his relentless pursuit of freedom, democracy & progress. He laid the foundation for a modern & self-reliant India, giving her the wings to reach for the stars.
Today, we honour his unmatched & exemplary legacy!
On Nehru’s birth anniversary today, there’s no better celebration than educating our children on what great statesmen, scientists and poet philosophers of the time thought of him. Here sharing Einstein’s letter to Nehru.
‘Generations to come, it may be, will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth." Albert Einstein 1939.. a full 43 years before the Gandhi film was made by Sir Richard Attenborough (note: a third of the film finances were sponsored by the GOI, Indira Gandhi was PM). MKG was, is and will always be a symbol of pride for India in every corner of the world (streets named after him and statues of Mahatma Gandhi in scores of countries). #Mahatma
In fifty years of observing Indian elections I have never seen such vile and hate-filled rhetoric. Every day the ruling party and its top leaders plumb a new low. It is for Hindus above all to stand up and say: These bigots do not speak in our name.
Here’s a quick first analysis of the Electoral Bonds data disclosure that the SBI put up last night, after weeks of attempting to postpone it until after the election:
•Over 1,300 companies and individuals have donated electoral bonds, including over 6,000 crores to the BJP since 2019
So far, the electoral bonds data exposes at least 4 corrupt tactics of the BJP:
1)Quid Pro Quo:
There are many cases of companies that have donated electoral bonds, and immediately afterwards gotten huge benefits from the government:
a.Megha Engineering & Infra has given over Rs. 800 crores in EBs. In April 2023, they donated Rs. 140 crores, and just one month later, they were awarded the Rs. 14,400 crore Thane-Borivali Twin Tunnel Project.
b.Jindal Steel & Power gave Rs. 25 crores in EBs on 7 October 2022, and just 3 days later, they won the Gare Palma IV/6 coal mine, on 10th October 2022.
2)Hafta Vasooli:
The BJP’s Hafta Vasooli strategy is simple – raid a target through the ED/CBI/IT, and then seek hafta (“donations”) for the company’s protection. At least 14 of the top 30 donors have been raided.
a.Earlier this year an investigation found that after ED/CBI/IT raids, companies were forced to donate to the BJP via electoral trusts. Many of the same companies have donated through EBs, like Hetero Pharma and Yashoda Hospital.
b.The IT department raided Shirdi Sai Electricals in December 2023, and in January 2024, they donated Rs. 40 crores through Electoral Bonds.
c.Future Gaming & Hotels, has donated over Rs. 1200 crore, making it the largest donor in the data so far. Here is the chronology:
2nd April 2022: ED raids Future, and 5 days later (7th April) they donate Rs. 100 crores in EBs
October 2023: IT department raids Future, and the same month they donate Rs. 65 crores in EBs
3)Kickbacks
A pattern emerges from the data, where immediately after receiving some handouts from the Central government, companies have repaid the favour through electoral bonds.
a.Vedanta got the Radhikapur West private coal mine on 3rd March 2021, and then in April 2021, they donated Rs. 25 crore in Electoral Bonds.
b.Megha Engineering & Infra got the Rs. 4,500 crore Zojila tunnel project in August 2020, then donated Rs. 20 crore in Electoral Bonds in October 2020.
c.Megha got the BKC bullet train station contract in December 2022, and donated Rs. 56 crore the same month.
4)Money Laundering Through Shell Companies
One huge issue with the electoral bonds scheme is that it removed the restriction that only a small percentage of a company’s profits could be donated, paving the way for shell companies to donate black money. There are many such suspicious cases, such as the Rs. 410 crore that has been donated by Qwik Supply Chain Limited, a company whose entire share capital is just Rs. 130 crores according to MoCA filings.
Another major issue is missing data
•The data provided by SBI only begins in April 2019, but SBI sold the first tranche of bonds in March 2018. A total of Rs. 2,500 crores in bonds are missing from this data. Where is the data of these missing bonds, from March 2018 to April 2019? For instance, in the very first tranche of bonds, the BJP bagged 95% of the funds. Who is the BJP trying to protect?
As the analysis of the electoral bonds data continues, many more such cases of the BJP’s corruption will become clear. We also continue to demand unique bond ID numbers, so that we can precisely match donors to recipients.
In these divisive times it is worth reminding ourselves that no matter what our race, religion or nationality, we all share one common identity—we all come from Africa.
On the occasion of the Festival of Lights #Diwali2023, we wish the Hindu community in #Zambia & across the world, joyous & vibrant celebrations as you share this auspicious day with loved ones. May the glow of the diyas fill your hearts with love & happiness. #ShushDeepavali 🪔