Aditya Sinha
CHENNAI: Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami’s recommendation to the President, on January 16, 2009, for the removal of Election Commissioner Navin Chawla, came after Chawla tried, for several months, to evade responding to allegations of partisanship. A series of communications to the President was made after consultation with a well-known former Chief Justice of India and, in fact, includes two other recommendations to strengthen the institution of the CEC.
Gopalaswami not only recommended removing Chawla, but in two additional letters to the President also suggested (a) the implementation of a recommendation by his predecessor B B Tandon that as in the case of the Central Vigilance Commissioner and the Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, the collegium set up for the appointment of the CEC include the Leader of Opposition; and (b) the barring of EC members for 10 years from taking part in any elections, or from joining any political party, or from accepting any office including that of the Governor.
Obviously, Gopalaswami would not gain personally from any of his recommendations.
With regard to the removal of Chawla, a petition came from the BJP in January 31, 2008 — a year ago. Sources close to the CEC reveal that Gopalaswami did not wish to act on the matter as in February 2008, the highly contentious issue of the Karnataka Assembly polls, whose deadline was May 2008, came up. The Congress wished to defer the polls as it was afraid that the BJP would gain heavily (in fact, the BJP did eventually form a stable government).
Chawla, in opposition to the other two members of the Commission, argued for deferment till a fresh delimitation took place.
The CEC decided not to ask Chawla to respond to the petition as it might be construed as a pressure tactic to have the Karnataka Assembly polls as per schedule; he decided to wait till May.
Soon after the Karnataka polls were over, however, Chawla went on a month’s leave. He was apparently distressed as his daughter was undergoing divorce. He returned only in July and, when he did, Gopalaswami asked him to respond to the BJP’s petition.
Yet Chawla did not and, every 15 days, the CEC religiously reminded him to do so. There were eight such reminders.
Finally on December 10, 2008, Chawla responded. It took the CEC a month to examine his response, marshal the facts and prepare his recommendation as he did not wish to entrust such a sensitive matter to anyone. But he had his recommendation examined by the former Chief Justice before it was submitted to the President.
The recommendation not only includes the BJP’s charges about a trust run by Chawla’s spouse to which Congress MPs had donated from their Local Area Development funds, but it also appends minutes from EC meetings in which Chawla’s blatant partisanship clearly comes through. One is the Karnataka polls in which Chawla could not sway matters; the other regards a petition seeking the disqualification of Sonia Gandhi as MP for accepting an honorary title from the Belgian monarchy.
In the second case, Chawla wanted to involve the Ministry of External Affairs, to which the other two EC members strongly objected. Eventually, a senior MEA official informally made the Congress case to the CEC.
Gopalaswami, say sources close to him, intends to see the matter to its legal conclusion. Sources say it is unfair to allege, as several have done, that he has done it on the eve of elections merely to embarrass the political executive.
Comments by a reader of Newindpress by name n.krishna :
Indian media is anti Indian and is owned by CIA, ISI, and even KGB. Malayala Manorama is a CIA owned media. Added to this Sonia was planted on India. Vatican’s own bank, the Istituto per le Opere di Religione (IOR), was headed by Monsignor Marcinkus who is a friend of Sonia Gandhi. Bank had to pay $ 251 million as liabilities due to its involvement to Mafia. Marcinkus, was discredited as a result of drug money laundering scandal and was demoted to the position of priest in Chicago. Marcinkus was later wanted by the police in Italy, USA. In 1986, when Marcinkus could not set foot in Italy or USA he was received at 10 Janpath by Sonia. Marcinkus is linked to Sicilian Mafia lord ‘the Shark Sindona’. Shark Sindona, was an advisor to Vatican and a personal friend of Pope Paul VI, was killed in an Italian prison, by poisoning. But before his death, . Sindona gave a statement accusing the Vatican of planting Sonia in India.
On 1-8-02, smuggling of India’s antique artifacts by Sonia Gandhi was brought up in the Indian Parliament by a Samata Party member. Many Indians have visited Italy and had seen the shops owned by Sonia Gandhi, alias Antonia Maino. . This has never been a secret. There is an antique store called Ganapathi in Orbassano, Italy, Sonia’s native place. The shop is owned by her relatives. Her smuggling activities began during Indira Gandhi’s premiership when Sonia was only Mrs Rajiv Gandhi. Sonia Gandhi an illiterate housemaid coming from a poor Italian mason’s family, money making was the first criteria, when she married Rajiv. She never had education, but had herself certified as an art expert, which gave her the opportunity to certify Indian artifacts, as to which were museum pieces and which were not. Election Commissioner Navin Chawla’s wife Rupika Chawla not only helped Sonia, but has even supplied Indian antiques to Sonia for smuggling in to Italy. Sonia was close to Cultural Attache
a Antique smuggling and money laundering by Sonia with LTTE help was going on since 1984. Boyfriend Quattrocchi,wanted in Bofors, was buying arms from Phuket, Thailand for LTTE. Rajiv killing by LTTE if probed further by CBI-led MDMA, of Jain Commission would have revealed the conspiracy with LTTE in the assassination of Rajiv killing. Sonia systematically plundered and exported the ancient treasures of India, especially temple sculptures of Tamil Nadu, Andhra, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh, Mughal paintings and precious gems in Indian Museums, all protected and banned from export under the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972 and this is one reason why she is putting Chawla as an EC and christians as IGs in various states The CBI had in 1993 registered cases on such illegal exports from a Chennai suburb to an identified person in Italy. Festival of India was used as a ploy to smuggle out treasures. In this Sonia took the help Arjun Singh while he was MP, CM, art expert Martand Singh, a Pakistani couple Muneer and Farida Attaullah, London based Pakistani ISI fixer Salman Thassir a prince of Kuwait, and even the LTTE. Quattrocchi the Italian rogue was right hand man for Rajiv Gahdi. Rajiv Gandhi used to send faxes of cabinet decisions to Win Chadda which was seen by every one. Annual holidays and even weekly holidays are spend together by Quattrocchi family and Sonia family together. quattrocchi was arrested on 6th Feb 2007 and yet the news has come out on 23-2-2007. Sonia with the help of CBI and our tainted judges is trying to cover up the biggest theft of public money by Rajiv gandhi. Sonia bofors frozen money in the bank to her boy friend. Yet the media was silent.
Law Minister H R Bhardwaj is a minister for thieves. It is a shame that India has produced such a criminals who is now the law minister. It is no wonder that the fourth rate fellows end in legal profession in India and they have no shame or integrity. H R Bhardwaj’s ministry allowed the bofors pay off to Sonia’s boyfriend Quattrocchi to be defreezed against our national interest. Additional Solicitor General (ASG) B Datta, in February 2005, attested a CBI affidavit about the genuineness of the Swedish documents regarding Bofors kickbacks as well as the admissibility of the very same set of documents. The documents were authenticated by the justice department of Sweden and is admissible. But after taking bribe ASG, B Datta, in May 2005 changed his stand and stated just opposite of his version before the court that the documentary evidence against the accused was not authentic and hence not admissible.
All knew very well that the documents were authenticated by the justice department of Sweden and could be treated as “admissible” but all worked for the Rome Mary Sonia Gandhi. This lying by Additional Solicitor General Dutta allowed Justice R S Sodhi who was also paid by Hinduja brothers, to quash the charges against the Hinduja brothers. This verdict of the corrupt Justice R S Sodhi was quoted by another Additional Solicitor General KP Pathak, who was paid by Quattrocchi, to give a clean chit to Quattrocchi. Additional Solicitor General Pathak’s opinion formed the basis for defreezing of Quattrocchi’s accounts in the UK. Corrupt Additional Solicitor Generals Datta, Pathak, a corrupt Judge Sodhi, the thief Law Minister H R Bhardwaj and the corrupt CBI were all followed the Italian christian plant Sonia’s instruction for looting from India.
EC Qureshi showed his bias and gave Congress the election dates. Two ECs are biased towards congress party. For the sake of democracy congress party should be disbanded as Gandhi advised. P K Bansal, Chairman of the committee that probed the ‘cash-for-question scam’ gave MPLAD money to Chandigarh Golf Club to become honorary member. Narasimha Rao, who bribed MPs for votes, introduced the MPLAD fund so that his colleagues in politics can collect kickback. In Karnataka 60% of the amount goes as bribe. MPs have demanded kickbacks from MPLAD in camera. Chawla and his wife Rupika Chawla had set up social welfare trusts for congress MPs and Rs 85 lakh, from congress MPs were received. Chawla an IAS fellow cannot run such thing, but got special waiver of rules. Sonia had smuggled some Rs 10000 crore worth of Indian antique to Italy and there are cases registered in TN for such smuggling, without naming Sonia. Rupika Chawla role in getting the antique should also be investigated.
Chawla was adversely commented for his emergency excesses by commission and should not have been appointed in the first place. At the time of appointment media has pointed out that Chawla as CE can favour congress because of his track record. Also there was the issue of voting by Sonia while being a citizen of Italy on records and anytime Sonia could be put in jail if a CE acts in future. Sonia married Rajiv in 1968. Indian citizenship applied 15 years later on 7-4-83. Citizenship granted on 30-4-83. Yet Sonia was a voter in 1980, at serial number 388 in polling station 145 of the New Delhi constituency while a citizen of Italy. In 1982, Sonia’s name was deleted and reinstated in 1983 even though the qualifying date for registering as a voter was January 1 that year. An impartial EC can rake up the case of Sonia being a voter in 1980. Sonia is known to have lied about her qualification and there are other cases pending in the courts. So a pliable EC is essential for the congress.
Italy in March 2005, gave Mazzini award for his service to Christianity. Navin Chawla has authored two books on Mother Teresa ‘Mother Teresa’ and ‘Faith and Compassion – The Life and Work of Mother Teresa’ At the time of Indian Emergency (1975 – 77) he was secretary to the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi. Shah Commission which inquired into the excesses during the Emergency, indicted Mr Chawla for having been ‘authoritarian and callous’ and for gross misuse of power “in cynical disregard of the welfare of citizens”. Further, it declared that he was “unfit to hold any public office which demands an attitude of fair play and consideration for others” Election Commissioner and his wife Rupika ran the Jaipur-based Lala Chaman Lal Education Trust which had secured MPLADS funds from Congress MPs A.A. Khan, R.P. Goenka, Ambika Soni, Dr Karan Singh and Mr A.R. Kidwai.The trust was allotted six acres of land by the Congress government in Rajasthan when Mr Ashok Gehlot was the Chief Minister.
P K Bansal, Chairman of the committee that probed the ‘cash-for-question scam’ gave MPLAD money to Chandigarh Golf Club to become honorary member. Narasimha Rao, who bribed MPs for votes, introduced the MPLAD fund so that his colleagues in politics can collect kickback. In Karnataka 60% of the amount goes as bribe. MPs have demanded kickbacks from MPLAD in camera. MPs have perfected this art to charity donation to the trusted NGOs. Money is donated as charity and the NGO route it back in kind or black money to the MPs. Chawla and his wife Rupika Chawla perfected this art of fake NGO receipt and give back the money to congress MPs. They had set up social welfare trusts that cater to this bribe for the congress MPs and Rs 85 lakh, from congress MPs were received. Chawla an IAS fellow cannot run such thing, but got special waiver of rules. Rupika Chawla helped Sonia to smuggle Rs 10000 crore worth of Indian antique to Italy for which cases registered in TN without naming Sonia.
From the congress side, there is no comment on the facts that Mr.Chawla (or his trusts) received money from Congress. There is no comment on the facts that he got exception from the govt, to receive those funds. In fact, it is a joke to say that he has not received any money after he became EC. (is it not just sufficient to receive funds before becoming EC, to enable him to become EC?). There is no comment on the points of law that Arun Jaitely had clearly pointed out, that the recommendations of CEC is binding for the removal of an EC. All that the congress can say is — the timing is wrong and now, we know that even that is not valid anymore. This is nothing but prostitution of the institutions. Jai hind!
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