The well-earned reputation of the average Indian politician—of a lying, looting, hypocritical, bogus, backstabbing rogue, with his eyes forever focussed on wheeling and dealing, and using his position to make a quick pile to last the next three generations of his extended family—is cynical, of course, but rarely inaccurate.
Which is why “the educated middle-class” is beside itself with joy when one of its ilk makes the cut. The presumption is that their education qualifications and professional experience will somehow make a difference to our polity.
Bangalore Mirror reports today on Janardhana Swamy, a masters from IISc who swiped his greencard at Cisco, Dell, Sun Microsystems and other giant American firms before throwing his hat in the hurly-burly of Indian politics and being elected as a BJP MP from Chitradurga.
According to the report, Swamy secured a 50×80 plot in posh Raj Mahal Vilas (RMV) extension in Bangalore for Rs 7.56 lakh (market rate: Rs 4 crore) after furnishing an affidavit that he owned no other property in Bangalore, although he had told the election commission (EC) that he owned three sites, two in his name and one in his wife’s, worth over Rs 1.5 crore.
“If I had stated that I own three sites, the BDA would never have allotted me the plot. The other sites I have are total waste,” the MP tells the paper nonchalantly.
Swamy’s hunger for land will surprise only a few, but what the 43-year-old MP shows is that the more things change in Indian politics, the more they remain the same; only the protagonists change. So, what is the one question you are dying to ask this “educated, middle class” BJP MP?
Like, how many sites, waste or otherwise, does a three-member family really require? Like, would his “mentor”, N.R. Naryana Murthy, approve such subterfuge? Like, should L.K. Advani‘s anti-corruption yatra pass through Chitradurga? Like, what would he caption a cartoon on his scam, if he were to draw one?
Please keep your queries short, civil and self-righteous. And ‘cc’ your comment to jswamy@jswamy.com
Image: courtesy Bangalore Mirror
Also read: And a snapshot of a simple devotee of Lord Rama
George Fernandes: Pati, patni aur woh & some crores
Mayawati: For doyen of downtrodden, assets is all maya
Kanimozhi: How many poems fetch a poet rs 8.5 crore?
Priya Krishna: One question anyone should ask Rahul Gandhi
H.D. Deve Gowda: A snapshot of a poor, debt-ridden farming family
R.V. Deshpande: A 1,611% jump in assets in five years? Hello!
churumuri 
Socialism is the fountainhead of corruption and sloth. Indian socialism caters only to the rich and the politically connected, while ordinary citizens are left to fend for themselves.
I am not all surprised by Janardhana Swamy’s financial misdemeanor. Just because he is an IT Professional, we should not expect him to be squeaky clean. He is socialist at heart…
As long as we have a socialist system, things are not going to change in this country. Even God will become corrupt if he is asked to become a MLA or MP in socialist India.
Corruption is an highly contagious disease, even if you are originally honest, you will become corrupt through contact with draconian powers that you come to wield in our socialist system.
So instead of depending on people, we should concentrate on reforming the system. Let there be economic reform. Shut down all the ministries and let private individuals and professionals have the freedom to do their work.
LikeLike
What is the difference between Yeddyurappa and his children and son in law and Janardhanswamy at this rate? What a shame.
LikeLike
Dear J Swamy
I doff my hat to your extraordinary naivety and stupidity and temerity to declare ” All the other three sites are a waste, and hence I applied for this”!
Such scum politicians like you deserve to booted out.
LikeLike
please send it to the lady spokesperson nirmalaji who kept on shouting yeterday in Tv channels.we are getting fed up with these people
LikeLike
If it is true..What a let down ! seriously dissappointed…
LikeLike
om your first mistake.
Even God will become corrupt if he is asked to become a MLA or MP in socialist India.
how do you know him so well. he spoke to you. you spoke to him.
why doesn’t he speak to the rest.
LikeLike
As I had said in a comment on some other post, Corruption happens because of a systemic weakness, lack of fear of Punishment and discretion.
class, religion or caste have nothing to do with it. This guy proves it.
LikeLike
@Colonel, I have not used God in the religious sense.
My God is a metaphorical God, he is a symbol of the absolute laws of nature.
What I mean is that it is the natural law that a socialist economy must always be mired by corruption and sloth.
LikeLike
………. and how did you manage to get an Income Certificate of just Rs.3000/- from Government and yet filed your assets as more than 1.5 Cr?
This is a classic example of SC / ST status being misused :-(
LikeLike
Churumuri seems to hold BJP MPs to a higher bar than Congress MPs. I like it!
LikeLike
Keep it up politician. Sites in good localities are drying up in Bangalore with the exploding population of reproducing Indians. You are one of the few winners in our system.
Anyone commenting otherwise is a loser. Your grabbed site is a case of sour grapes for them. Hotte kichchu ashte.
Given a chance all of them would do exactly what you have done.
LikeLike
@OM
i usually enjoy your comments, but i wonder if you have any clue as to what “natural law” is or means. have you read locke?
@OM
or “socialism”? or “misdemeanor”? you use a lot of important words, sometimes frivolously.
LikeLike
Sometime back I learnt about this G category site obtained by Chitradurga MP Janardhana Swamy. Having know him for several years in US (we both volunteered for KKNC, Kannada Koota of Northern California) and also worked on his MP election campaign here, I was terribly upset. But then what can I do.
Don’t know how Chitradurga voters are reacting to this (may be, in Chitradurga, not many know about this BDA site deal) but definitely he has hurt the prospects of people like him (with similar credentials) who are planning to venture into politics. The aspirants will have second thoughts to contest – as voters will not trust a bit, no matter what the new candidate’s credentials are and the promises he/she makes to bring in the change. It becomes much tougher, if the new candidates are only banking on their professional credentials (Honesty, Integrity, Education and Professional experience) and not having the political credentials (Money, Caste and Political Influence)
It brings some solace if Janardhana Swamy could return the G category site and be happy with whatever he already has. It will help him to regain some lost credibility. Also, take this as a learning exercise, accept the mistake and from here on try to fulfil the aspirations of his constituents in delivering what all poll promises he made. Afterall, we all make mistakes but the real test is to accept and not repeat them.
Let the good sense prevail.
LikeLike
Wonder if it is an “Indian” thing. I have seen lot of Indians in the US as well, when it comes to buying a car, buy it for a “lesser” price (on paper) – if possible, the bare minimal that will avoid paying tax to the govt. and pay the remaining in cash to the seller. If someone tries to buy for the exact cost, they are kind of considered dumbos!
Not being racist here.. but I am unaware of any westerner doing the same (I may be wrong here though)…It can quite be my limited experience speaking.
LikeLike
This is utter non-sense.
I have known Swamy for many years, from even before he entered politics. He is a very honest humble man, with deep integrity. Sometime back also there was some non-sense like this about him being a US citizen.
I seriously doubt the credibility of this report. I am also disappointed with churumuri for giving credence to such reporting from run of the mill tabloids like BM.
LikeLike
Saar,
nimma 3 waste sitegaLalli yaavdaadru ondanna nan hesarige maddtira please?
LikeLike
Agree with OM here. The system needs an overhaul. Why should the government / CM have the power to allot sites? If there is no such bulls**t like G-Category sites and prime BDA sites which the Government can distribute away to their favoured ones as largesse, then corruption will automatically come down.
Abolish the biggest real estate company in Karnataka, also known as the BDA, and you will find that the corruption ( atleast land related corruption) goes down straight.
LikeLike
You too Brutus!
LikeLike
@R K,
The allotment had happened last year, it is just that BM is running this story now. Check this report from Deccan Herald (dated Nov 20, 2010) which mentions the same fact:
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/114565/vip-fraudulent-acquirers-bda-sites.html
LikeLike
I think that all the land should be owned by the government, and should only be leased to the people for a certain fixed number of (say 30-50 years) years. This might reduce this kind of hunger for reals estate. I think Singapore follows (something similar to) this model.
LikeLike
What a turd.
I understand that it is tempting to get a 50X80 for 8 lakh in RMV 2nd stage. But then, how difficult was it to sell the sites he already had in Bangalore, and then procure this one?
Greedy fellow.
LikeLike
why dont people look at the good work he has done?
dont ask the enemies about a person’s character but ask the common man about him and what he has done for them.
LikeLike
OM – Socialism is not the whole problem, intact it’s not even a significant part of the corruption problem.
Do you think if we had capitalism, we wouldn’t have corruption? Corruption will still continue because the problem is bottom up and not top bottom. Problem does not lie in system, it’s to do with our cultural values, where corrupt will not have to fear losing next election and face harsh open criticism which is what keeps politicians honest in western cultures.
PS: You can not be careful enough when you make reference to G word and then clarify that it’s not the religious mumbo jumbo god. Infact, it’s better to use natural law for natural law, just to avoid confusion.
LikeLike
@adu hagene,
actually it is already like that, just that people don’t realize it :) Just ask people whose ‘land’ was acquired citing ‘public purposes’ …
LikeLike
vasu,
Exactly, what good work has he done AFTER getting elected?
Apart from toeing the same medieval line of the RSS, about decriminalisation of homosexuality, and few other issues.
Please enlighten us, what debates he has participated in the parliament?
I believed he was amongst the faint glimmer of hope in BJP and Indian politics, he is bent on proving me wrong. :(
LikeLike
@Not a Witty Nick, please see the links below,
http://www.jswamy.com/politics/press/Q106/
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=PCKNJWEg1TA&vq=large
to name a few
LikeLike
The previous lokayoukta had two options: 1. Give up the allalsandra plot worth over three crores or 2. Give up the post. Guess what? He gave up the post.
LikeLike
OM,
Madam, it’s high time you got off your single trick pony aka capitalism or liberalism or whatever ism. Your fave isms have been going around running in the global race for atleast a century now and world isn’t exactly a better place for all that pain.
And what’s with the name Objectivist Mantra when the first casualty is objectivity? There’s a singular dissonance in that name. With all faux humility may I suggest Rigidity Mantra as your new nom de plume?
LikeLike
@NAWN
This is from Wiki….
Developing Chitradurga
Direct Railway Line: Janardhana Swamy has played a very important role in bringing the direct Railway connection between the Chitradurga and the state’s capital Bangalore.[4][5][6] His efforts, along with Davangere MP GM Siddeshwara and Tumkur MP GS Basavaraju, led to convince BS Yeddyurappa, the Chief Minister of the Karnataka State, to contribute Rs. 502 crore (about $110m USD) for sharing 50% on the cost of the project in addition to providing the required land free of cost from the State government. With the help of State funding and support from Minister of State for Railways KH Muniyappa, and the with the support of Railway Horata Samiti and Swamijis and people, the 40 year struggle has now resulted in a meaningful outcome for the Chitradurga constituency. First time, on 19 September 2010, the most fought Davangere-Chitradurga-Tumkur direct railway line is approved by the Planning Commission (India)[7]
Upper Bhadra Project: The Upper Bhadra Project is aimed at providing drinking water to the drought prone Chitradurga. Janardhana Swamy is working very closely with the State government on this project. The project, with the total investment of Rs. 6000 crores (about $1.5B USD), is known to be making a good progress.[8] This project is one of the promise made during Swamy’s election campaign.
India’s Largest R&D Hub: The Chitradurga is getting converted into India’s largest research and development hub[9] with Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Indian Institute of Science (IISc),[10] Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), and Synchrotron lab coming there.[11] Janardhana Swamy is working closely with these organisations at various levels for a faster implementations of the projects while protecting the interests of the Constituency. He is also ensuring the needed support from the State and Central governments and administrations is provided in time.
LikeLike
OM’s socialism is others’ oligarchic capitalism :)
LikeLike
R K & Prashanth,
Good to know!
Wish BJP invested more in its PR, it’s had too much bad press to handle.
Deve Gowda, Krishna, Siddaramiah, DKShi, Kharge, Sindhia, Dharam Singh et al and their clans, own almost full localities in more than one city in Karnataka, but we don’t hear anything about them.
Stupid BJP politicians, kaNN muchkonD haal kuDyakke prayatna maaDtare!
LikeLike
Prashanth, Wikipedia entries in the primary Wikipedia page for Mr Swamy himself- adds nothing at all to the discussion.
LikeLike
NAWN,
>>Wish BJP invested more in its PR
Are you serious? How much more? Most of the internet sites are anyway infested with the BJP PR bots also known as IHW.
Would all the PR and some decent work wash away the sin of filing the false affidavit and the manifest greed and corruption?
It has come down to this now? That BJP’s corruption is lesser in scale than Congress’? Is that a great solace? Get a life.
LikeLike
The author of this article is being penny wise and pound foolish.
As someone here suggested, there might be bigger politicians with whole localities after them. The journalist would have done well if he had tried to expose those. one site in Bangalore, seems like bar is way to low.
LikeLike
Have been following Swamy for sometime. From the constituency, where I hear about him,, I hear only positive feedback. I wish I could say the same for other constituencies. Even if he got a site in Bangalore, I am probably ok with that. We don’t live in an ideal world.We need people who make progress happen… and Swamy looks like he is in that mould.
LikeLike
Pingback: Janardhana Swamy – no different from other politicians « ವರ್ತಮಾನ – Vartamaana
I have a few technical questions for the journalist.
If those other sites that he owns, are they under BDA? What if they are revunue sites or as such? Is still illegal? Probably you should have published those details also…then only the report will be complete.
LikeLike
Who on this forum including Churumuri has filled out government affidavit that is 100% true and accurate to the last word? Most of us have either given wrong address or phone number or contact due to circumstance and the obsolete law that India has in place. If this is about competition for the spotless and most honest guy then Janardhana Swamy is not a candidate. I doubt such person exists in India today
LikeLike
Vinay, very correct.
Also what have we done other than passing some comments on someone who is trying his best by giving up his lucrative job which you and I can’t. Yes, he might have made an error with or without his knowledge. Have we read everything in every legal confirmation we signed? How many of us truly declared the full property value and paid the complete tax for it when we sold or bought a property? How many of us cleverly evaded tax, touch your heart and tell yourself. How many times we clicked on that “I AGREE” button without knowing what its implications? Let’s be practical, not sadists. If we dig, everyone -regardless of our position- erred here and there. So, let’s not kill the few good folks wiping our dirty rear-ends and got our sh*t on their hand in that process. If you are the smartest, cleanest, honest just quit your job and show us how you can do it better.
LikeLike
Nothing would be done at all if a man waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault with it.
-Cardinal Newman
I agree with Eshwar M. This guy has given up a lucrative career to do something good albeit in his own way. We don’t even know what were the circumstances in which he signed those papers.
First, how many of you would actually read the entire document word by word if it is something given by a Chief Minister? Not saying, you shouldn’t read. All I am saying is, it is a possibility that, this might have been overlooked.
Second, we don’t even know if those other 3 sites are under BDA jurisdiction. All we know is he has/had 3 sites.
Third, just because almost every politician in the past has turned out to be bad doesn’t mean we should automatically cast him to that category without reasoning it carefully. People would believe a lie to be true, if enough people claim it to be.
Fourth, as someone quoted “Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do”. You and I cannot give up our secure jobs and do something he has done. Even if its not 100% perfect (assuming this article is portraying absolute truth), look at the other achievements in the past 2 years of his political career which many politicians do not even come close to it in spite of being in power for 20 years.
LikeLike
Yes, the hounding of Mr Swamy would be unjustified if it were just ‘some other person’. But in the case of someone who claims to have come into politics to bring a sense of cleanness into then feild and soon, lo and behold, he has engaged in something dodgy. That is why Mr Swamy act is reprehensible in my view.
Phew and now to wait for Vinay’s barrage of verbal abuse :)
LikeLike
Hmm.. why so many people are justifying that he has the rights to do what he did because he gave up a cushy career. Problem with that argument is that it is a slippery slope, all the leaders and dictators start with a good intention and somehow they think that they can write the rules because of their “sacrifice”. It is no different for Yediyurappa or the corrupt politicians that are rotting in Delhi and Bengaluru jails. They probably came to politics with good intention, but started down the slippery slope on some of these silly justifications like this. If J. Swamy really took this site under false pretext, it means he is indebted to someone who allotted it, that is where things start. But if these comments are all from his friends, there is no point in arguing! A true friend is someone who can criticize and correct him, bad friends usually form a layer around good people and end up like what happened to Yediyruappa.
LikeLike
Gaby:
There are different Vinays commenting on this blog, and not all Vinays are as proficient in verbal abuse as I am….
LikeLike
Agriculture: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3muLhBhK6wE
Science & Innovation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2zuJQDHQ1U
Doctors & Govt. Hospitals: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAVD10AgT90
LikeLike