New Post (35) : One yard stick for giving, another yard stick for taking.
I AM UNABLE TO RECONCILE THIS DOUBLE STANDARD.
News item 1. (Current)
The main reason why the Tata group failed to start a private airline about 15 years ago surfaced on Monday when Chairman Ratan Tata said a bribe demand had scuttled the venture.
Speaking at a function in Dehra Dun on Monday, Mr. Tata said he didn’t re-enter the airline business, which was to be in a joint venture with Singapore Airlines, as he was not comfortable with the idea of bribing Rs 15 crore to a minister.
“We approached three prime ministers also. But an individual thwarted our efforts to form the airline,” Mr. Tata said, recalling how he spurned the suggestion. “A fellow industrialist had said: ‘You are stupid people. The minister was asking for Rs 15crore. Why didn’t you pay the money? “
News item 2. (Archive)
Telecom minister on Friday denied any corruption in the awarding of new licenses to telecom companies in the country last year after a raid by federal police on his ministry. Federal criminal investigation agency raided the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) on Thursday on suspicion that mobile phone network licenses were awarded to companies below the market rate.
Telecom Minister A Raja denied any "irregularities" during the sale while speaking to reporters in New Delhi on Friday.
"Licenses were issued in accordance with the law. I had no external pressure to deviate from the law," he said.
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered criminal cases against unnamed officials working in the department and company executives for conspiring to keep prices down, CBI spokesperson Harsh Bhal said.
Bhal said investigations had revealed the sale of the licenses in 2008 was conducted on a "first come, first served basis" at 2001 prices without competitive bidding or an auction.
The DoT also put a cap on the number of applicants, against the advice of the industry regulator, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, he said.
YOU CAN DRAW YOUR OWN CONCLUSIONS (from the above).
As this observer sees it :
On the one hand a Rs15 crore bribe “allegedly” requested 15 years ago by one minister is --- (now after all these years) claimed to have been refused to be paid for reasons of “discomfort”. Even going public with the story.
That's ONE yard stick for "giving" ................! ! !
On the other hand mobile phone network licenses were obtained “comfortably” and “free of any guilt”, from another minister way-way-way below the market rate. The collective loss to the Government of India is being estimated by some at Rs1,73,000 Crore. (as one observes no one is, not at least as yet, disputing the fact of the loss or the number)
If this is indeed so---quite understandably “all” telecom players must have benefited equally from this cartelized-manipulation, i.e. if at all there was one.
That's ANOTHER yardstick for "taking" ...............! ! !
Are you able to see this glaring “contradiction” ! Are you ??? Seriously ??? I can.
I AM UNABLE TO RECONCILE THIS DOUBLE STANDARD.
In concluding…
One would have expected an application of greater discretion from Mr.Ratan Tata, “the industrialist who is looked up to by even his peer industrialists”…………not to speak of the common man in India, who holds him in the highest of esteem.
We are ALL naked in the public bath !
Charlie Brown
