Connect the dots.
…The Interpol has removed the red-corner notice issued against Ottavio Quattrocchi, an Italian businessman who is being sought in India  for criminal charges for acting as a conduit for bribes in the Bofors scandal…The 12-year-long Interpol red corner notice…has been withdrawn by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
This comes just three weeks before the Congress-led UPA government’s term ends. [ News dt 28th Apr '09 ]
Next,
…The Supreme Court on Monday (27th) asked the Special Investigation Team to probe a complaint against Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi that he and …

Dear All, I am very pleased to share news about the latest initiative from friends at ADR: http://myneta.info/ 
MyNeta is a a phenomenal effort to empower voters and to make them more aware of their candidates’ background, assets and other details from affidavits…Besides being able to see profile of individual candidates, you can also make comparison charts by constituency e.g. here is the chart for Gandhinagar, Sh Advani’s constituency: http://myneta.info/gandhinagar
This time, make an informed choice – and pl. spread the word.
Related Posts:
“Jaago Re!” and ADR – Two Excellent Initiatives 
“Don’t Vote. Select” – brought …

“Freedom…(is)  looking a policeman in the eye…”
- a SEWA member, quoted in a profile of Ela Bhatt 
Related: A few past quotes here.
 

As some of you know, I have been organising a regular monthly get-together of like-minded fellow citizens and concerned Indians in London since the Mumbai Remembrance event that we did in December.
The meetings have continued steadily since the first follow-up in January. The mailing list now includes around 40 people…and we always run short of time (though rarely on food!).
In between the discussions and shared pizzas, we have also managed to raise funds for Loksatta and ADR (Election Watch).
The next meeting is on Monday (27th April) and the agenda is …

Start your weekend with Varnam on Einstein, Nehru and Israel. 
Next, read N Gopalaswami on poll process, Varun and Congress 
have a  look at another site that promises to inform voters…
read Brahma Chellaney on Pakistan’s Terrorist Windfall aka Fail, then reap rewards…
Nicholas D Kristof writes why there may be hope for moderate Islam in Islam, Virgins and Grapes…
and finally, Narayana Murthy on why ‘The Rich Can’t Live In A Make-Believe World In India’.
Enjoy the weekend. Stay healthy. keep smiling.
If you enjoyed this post, pl. consider subscribing to my Daily Feed or the Weekly Newsletter.
and don’t forget …

Courtesy Sunitha, this curious statement from Sh Veeramani of DK, as reported in the New Indian Express (emphasis mine):
The call of Dravidar Kazhagam  leader K Veeramani to “reject the Aryan leaders” in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections has been seen by many as a ploy to promote the politics of Dravidianism, particularly that of the DMK, in the State.
Thiru Veeramani is no stranger to controversy…and he is of course, far too well-read and educated to make this statement out of ignorance…
Sad to see people like him get down to this level …

This is a neat idea…Thanks to Sanjay for tipping me off about this…
As he wrote, it maybe “…worth creating one for each city of India…for corporators upwards to MPs…”
What do you think?

I am trying to get in touch with the team.
Related Posts:
“Jaago Re!” and ADR – Two Excellent Initiatives 
Empowering India and another small step towards change

Start your weekend with this great post by Kislay Chandra on Riots and “Firaaq“.
Next, read TVR Shenoy on Why Varun and why not Geelani? but more importantly - think about this question that he raises in the article:
Are the likes of Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mullah Sufi Muhammad correct in holding that Islam and electoral democracy stand at two ends of the spectrum? And if they are wrong — as I hope they are — where are the Muslim leaders that are telling them off?
Here is an unusual post on how Twitter can make …

This post was prompted by a question posed by Suresh in an email to me a few weeks ago. Suresh wrote:
I think Arun Gawali is a CONVICTED criminal, albeit he has possibly an appeal in process. Are such criminals permitted to contest elections in  India?
…grateful for explanation.
Suresh’s email had a link to this news-report: Arun Gawli to contest LS polls from North Central Mumbai
Now, as far as I know, the law relating to criminals standing for elections is clear. No “convicted” criminal can contest an election [I believe this is …

For the past several months, I have been thinking of digging up some old articles from this blog on the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi issue.
Then, this not-so-widely-reported news from last week finally forced me into action (Hat Tip: Sanjay)
From The Telepgraph story titled, Azad brother for Ram temple (the bit that caught my attention is in bold):
Srinagar, April 12: Top Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad’s younger brother today announced his entry into the BJP with support to the Ram temple. Ghulam Ali had joined the BJP some days ago allegedly after …