RSS talk of 'impartial probe', ominous signs for Nitin Gadkari's second term
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or RSS, which is the parent body of the BJP, distanced itself from the controversy today with an emailed statement that reads ominously for Mr Gadkari. "It has been an article of faith with the RSS that any individual or organization in any illegal activity must be subjected to impartial probe," the RSS said in an emailed statement today. "We are saddened with efforts to drag the RSS name into these allegations," it said, stressing that the charges have not been investigated by an authorized agency. (Read: RSS statement seeks distance from Nitin Gadkari)
By striding away from the controversy, the RSS has reinvigorated its frisson with the BJP. In 2009, the RSS conferred presidency upon Mr Gadkari against the wishes of senior BJP leaders like LK Advani. Just last month, the BJP's rules were amended, again under considerable pressure from the RSS, to allow Mr Gadkari a second consecutive term as president, a move that may soon be aborted. The shadowy credentials of his vast business empire, and the companies that have invested in it, were first reported on NDTV last weekend. Mr Gadkari had appeared in its studio to counter charges of ghost investors in Purti Power and Sugar Limited, co-founded by him in 2000. He quit as its chairman last year and now holds about 200 shares in the company.
Since then, a series of reports have exhumed other insalubrious details. Some of the companies that have bought equity in Purti share bogus addresses; their directors have included his former driver, an astrologer and a baker. Yesterday, another NDTV expose highlighted that a firm that bought stake in Purti was, a year later, loaned money by Mr Gadkari and his firm, a tactic normally used for money-laundering and round-tripping, which involves selling an asset with the understanding that it will be bought back, often used for tax evasion.
The allegations against Mr Gadkari have peaked just as his party was getting ready to pitch graft within the government as the anchor of its campaign, first in states like Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat, and eventually for the general elections in 2014. The force of the attack is severely undercut by the charges surrounding their top man.
Source: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/in-rss-talk-of-impartial-probe-ominous-signs-for-nitin-gadkari-s-second-term-284810?pfrom=home-lateststories
Also see: RSS statement seeks distance from Nitin Gadkari
NB: On October 25 Mr Mohan Bhagwat declared the allegations against Mr Gadkari to be an "internal matter of the BJP". But Gadkari was and remains an RSS member, and its choice for BJP president - and his installation proved yet again that the BJP is an RSS front. The RSS knew full well what he did for a living, and some of its members may have been his partners.
All of a sudden they are"saddened by efforts to drag the RSS name into these allegations"; and declare that his position is 'an internal matter' of the BJP! 'Drag the name'! They were the ones who dragged Gadkari into the post! Whence all this assumed innocence? If the very appointment of the BJP President is a concern of the RSS, why is his conduct now an internal matter? The RSS intervenes directly in politics (as it did during the NDA regime) but adopts a self-righteous distance and the mask of a cultural organisation when its chosen instruments run into trouble. Now it's Gadkari's turn to be thrown under the bus..
The RSS is a private army that despite the best efforts of its well-wishers in the Indian elite, has been banned three times, in 1948, 1975 and 1992. Through numerous front organisations, it exercises political power without political responsibility. At the same time it claims to be disinterested in politics. This is what is called 'chhal-kapat' in Hindi. Its adherents have discovered this deceit in due time and at their own cost.
Also see: Madhu Limaye describes What RSS is
And : Armies of the Pure: The Question of Indian Fascism
By striding away from the controversy, the RSS has reinvigorated its frisson with the BJP. In 2009, the RSS conferred presidency upon Mr Gadkari against the wishes of senior BJP leaders like LK Advani. Just last month, the BJP's rules were amended, again under considerable pressure from the RSS, to allow Mr Gadkari a second consecutive term as president, a move that may soon be aborted. The shadowy credentials of his vast business empire, and the companies that have invested in it, were first reported on NDTV last weekend. Mr Gadkari had appeared in its studio to counter charges of ghost investors in Purti Power and Sugar Limited, co-founded by him in 2000. He quit as its chairman last year and now holds about 200 shares in the company.
Since then, a series of reports have exhumed other insalubrious details. Some of the companies that have bought equity in Purti share bogus addresses; their directors have included his former driver, an astrologer and a baker. Yesterday, another NDTV expose highlighted that a firm that bought stake in Purti was, a year later, loaned money by Mr Gadkari and his firm, a tactic normally used for money-laundering and round-tripping, which involves selling an asset with the understanding that it will be bought back, often used for tax evasion.
The allegations against Mr Gadkari have peaked just as his party was getting ready to pitch graft within the government as the anchor of its campaign, first in states like Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat, and eventually for the general elections in 2014. The force of the attack is severely undercut by the charges surrounding their top man.
Source: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/in-rss-talk-of-impartial-probe-ominous-signs-for-nitin-gadkari-s-second-term-284810?pfrom=home-lateststories
Also see: RSS statement seeks distance from Nitin Gadkari
NB: On October 25 Mr Mohan Bhagwat declared the allegations against Mr Gadkari to be an "internal matter of the BJP". But Gadkari was and remains an RSS member, and its choice for BJP president - and his installation proved yet again that the BJP is an RSS front. The RSS knew full well what he did for a living, and some of its members may have been his partners.
All of a sudden they are"saddened by efforts to drag the RSS name into these allegations"; and declare that his position is 'an internal matter' of the BJP! 'Drag the name'! They were the ones who dragged Gadkari into the post! Whence all this assumed innocence? If the very appointment of the BJP President is a concern of the RSS, why is his conduct now an internal matter? The RSS intervenes directly in politics (as it did during the NDA regime) but adopts a self-righteous distance and the mask of a cultural organisation when its chosen instruments run into trouble. Now it's Gadkari's turn to be thrown under the bus..
The RSS is a private army that despite the best efforts of its well-wishers in the Indian elite, has been banned three times, in 1948, 1975 and 1992. Through numerous front organisations, it exercises political power without political responsibility. At the same time it claims to be disinterested in politics. This is what is called 'chhal-kapat' in Hindi. Its adherents have discovered this deceit in due time and at their own cost.
Also see: Madhu Limaye describes What RSS is
And : Armies of the Pure: The Question of Indian Fascism
