THE BUFFOON OF THE QUEEN

Amrita Rai should be careful as #DigVijaySingh has only one Queen

In ancient times in France, many kings and queens had their buffoons – usually dwarves- who would make them laugh by their antics, extravagance and eccentricities. These buffoons would also act as “unofficial” spokespersons of their masters, often mimicking what they thought would please them.

India has a Queen of course, and she has her own a buffoon, in the person of Digvijay Singh. Buffoons have no dignity – otherwise they cannot function. Mr Singh, once a respected CM of Madhya Pradesh, shredded his self respect, to please his Queen and climb back the hierarchy of the Congress, at the cost of common sense and human decency.

Actually, few people know that Digvijay Singh was already known for controversies. In 2002, income tax raids on a liquor manufacturer in Bhopal, yielded a diary maintained by the distillery’s owners, which listed, among others, the name of the ex Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister as one of the recipients of Rs 100 million. In 2004, the Special Police Establishment of the Madhya Pradesh Lok Ayukta registered an FIR against Mr. Singh, his close friend Subhash Gupta, the Indore Collector, M. Suleiman, the Competent Authority (Urban Land Ceiling), R.K. Gupta and the Principal Secretary, Revenue, Satyanand Mishra, under Sections 13(1) and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, along with criminal conspiracy. In 2009, The Madhya Pradesh Bureau of Investigation for Economic Offences also registered a First Information Report (FIR) against 12 persons including the former State Chief Minister for allegedly deriving undue benefits from the promotion of Treasure Island, a swanky Mall near Indore.

Mr Singh’s affinities are also most peculiar: he once addressed Osama bin Laden as ‘Osamaji’, praises Zakir Naik’s, one of the most rabid Muslim preachers in India, whose entry has been banned in the UK and Canada, but who seems to have a free hand here to insult Hindu spiritual leaders and Hindu scriptures. Naik is infamous for a video clip that circulated on the Internet in which he says, “If he (Osama bin Laden) is fighting the enemies of Islam, I am for him. If he is terrorizing the terrorists, if he is terrorizing America the terrorist, the biggest terrorist, I am with him. Every Muslim should be a terrorist.”

Indeed, Digvijay Singh bats for terrorists. He is notorious for saying that the Batla House shootout, which took place in a Muslim-dominated area of south Delhi in 2008, “might have been staged”. He also visited the family of Batla House encounter accused Mohammad Saif who had been arrested. Even the Congress tried to disassociate itself from Singh’s statements made in Azamgarh on the Batla encounter, in which Inspector Mohan Sharma was killed and awarded the Ashok Chakra posthumously.

Digvijay has as well a soft corner for the corrupt: ” Undertrials are unnecessarily being denied bail,” he twitted when a court dismissed bail pleas of Kanimozhi and other 2G accused, despite the CBI not objecting to the bail pleas of the DMK MP and four others.

But the worst thing he has done to himself and his own karma, is to attack Hindu Gurus and Hindu social leaders, thinking it will please his Christian Queen. He started with Swami Ramdev, whom he accused “of using his mass-yoga sessions to make crores”, then continued with Anna Hazare, this beacon of a man, claiming “that Baba Ramdev is more honest than Anna Hazare over the controversy of their RSS and BJP link”. Later he went after Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, one of the most soft spoken spiritual leaders, respected by millions of disciples, not only in India, but all over the world. Mr Digvijay’s Singh’s trick is to link everybody he wants to denigrate with the RSS, as some of his tweets demonstrate: “Baba Ramdev. Crashed. Plan B- Anna. ? Plan C – Sri Sri Ravi Shankar soon to start his campaign” . He could associate them with a fundamentalist Muslim outfit, such as the Laskhar-e-Taiba, which has killed thousands of innocent people in the name of One God. But no, he prefers to relate them to a harmless outfit of old faddy-daddies in khaki shorts.

The irony is that Sri Sri has been fighting corruption for many many years, long before it became politically correct. Most of his swamis, close disciples and his yuvacharyas are voluntary workers who toil tirelessly in many of India’s poor villages. Guruji, as he is fondly called, has been making people take pledges against corruption for years and he has been encouraging people to vote for the last six months, holding satsangs in various parts of the country in which he urged people to take an anti-corruption pledge.

Digvijay Singh has probably no strong opinions. In fact he often contradicts himself: “I hold Sri Ravi Shankarji in high esteem and have done a course in the Art of Living as CM MP in 2001”, he twitted. But the need to please his Queen is stronger and like all true buffoons, he will go to any length, even at the cost of his own credibility.

Yet, buffoons tend to fade into anonymity sooner than later. Not many of us remember what happened to another buffoon, Raj Narain, who in the eighties bullied quite a few with his antics (he once campaigned in a monkey’s cage). . In ancient France, it was not always fun to be a buffoon, for when the King of Queen were displeased, or fed up with the buffoon, or if it had outlived its usefulness, they would kick the buffoon, and banish him.

Biblio

1.) Digvijay Singh addresses Osama bin Laden as ‘Osama Ji’ and expresses sympathy

2.) Digvijay Singh’s address at Zakir Naik’s conference

– Zakir Naik’s IRF was extensively featured on the website of Lashkar-e-Taiba ‘s (LeT)
http://zakir-naik-islam-peace.blogspot.com/2010/10/zakir-naik-irf-lashkar-let.html

– Canada cancels Zakir Naik’s travel visa
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/827616–canada-cancels-travel-visa-of-islamic-preacher/

– Zakir Naik banned from entering UK
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE65H36420100618/

3.) Digvijay Singh’s visit to Azamgarh to meet the families of suspected terrorists
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_cong-distances-itself-from-digvijay-singh-s-azamgarh-visit_1343376
http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?264452
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/Digvijay+Singh+explains+his+visit+to+Azamgarh/1/83693.html
http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/storm_over_digvijay_singhs_azamgarh_visit.php
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article100899.ece

Digvijay Singh on Twitter

1 NOV – Waiting to see Mayavatiji’s reaction when Sri Sriji speaks against corruption in UP.
1 NOV – Charity begins at home. Shouldn’t Sri Sri Ravishankar have begun his campaign from Karnatak ? But then, love is blind !
1 NOV -Sri Sri Ravishankar on the Roll in UP against corruption ! Again I have been proved correct. Anna/Gadkari want to me to go to mental asylum
30 OCT – Baba Ramdev is being more honest about the support of RSS to their campaign. Haven’t understood why Anna is denying. Ungrateful ?
29 OCT- Sri Sriji releases Nitin Gadkariji’s book Advaniji and Suresh Soniji of RSS on the dais. Sri Sri Ji ko Jai Ho !
27 OCT – I hold Sri Ravi Shankarji in high esteem and have done a course in the Art of Living as CM MP in 2001. He should be wary of Sangh/ BJP.
27 OCT – Plan A, B and C are of Sangh/ BJP to divert the minds of the people from their involvement in terror activities to corruption.
27 OCT – Plan A – Baba Ramdev. Crashed. Plan B- Anna. ? Plan C – Sri Sri Ravi Shankar soon to start his campaign.

Liquorgate (2001)

The income tax raids on a liquor manufacturer in Bhopal. http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/sep/15buzz.htm

Lok Ayukta case against Digvijay in land scam, FIR lodged (2004)

The Special Police Establishment of the Madhya Pradesh Lok Ayukta has registered a case in connection with a land scam in Indore under the Prevention of Corruption Act. http://www.hindu.com/2004/02/12/stories/2004021205351100.htm

FIR against Congress leader Digvijay Singh for deriving undue benefits (2009)

The Madhya Pradesh Bureau of Investigation for Economic Offences has registered a First Information Report (FIR) against 12 persons including former State Chief Minister, Digvijay Singh for allegedly deriving undue benefits from the promotion of Treasure Island, a swanky Mall near Indore. http://zeenews.india.com/news/states/fir-against-congress-leader-digvijay-singh-for-deriving-undue-benefits_508223.html

Digvijay again bats for bail to 2G undertrials
http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/digvijay-again-bats-for-bail-to-2g-undertrials_739791.html

2008 Batla House shootout may have been staged: Digvijay Singh
http://www.andhranews.net/India/2010/September/22-2008-Batla-House-shootout-41698.asp
http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/digvijay-singh-raises-questions-over-batla-house-encounter_641930.html