A MIXED BAG.
DELHI LIQUOR SCAM. IRAN ISRAEL CONFLICT.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been found wanting in the Delhi Liquor scam. The high court attending to his case, has found valid reasons not to grant him bail, as his hands seem tainted in this scam. However, his AAP party, his wife, his party member Atishi Marlena, are all trying their level best to gain attention to Kejriwal’s diabetes issue. Thus, they want to create a sympathy wave in his favour. This, after manoeuvring his blood sugar levels, by providing him home food, that increases his blood sugar levels and then by complaining of lack of medical care and of insulin in Tihar jail, where the chief minister of Delhi is now lodged for judicial custody.
He was first taken into custody by ED on 21 March this year. And, he has been in custody now for more than a month. He is in jail under scrutiny for the Delhi LIQUOR SCAM, of which, allegedly, he is the brain.
Another close ally of his, in this scam, is Manish Sisodia, ex Deputy C M of Delhi. He is also in Tihar jail, with Kejriwal. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Sisodia, because of his involvement in the destruction of evidence in this case. The arrest is in connection with alleged corruption in the implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy for 2021-22.
Sanjay Singh is the national spokesperson, for the Aam Aadmi Party and the state-in-charge for Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Rajasthan. Singh has been a senior leader of the party since its inception in November 2012 and is a member of the party’s foremost decision-making body, the Political Affairs Committee (PAC). He was also in Tihar jail, till recently, and is out on bail. Ever since he came out on bail, he has taken over the power strings of ‘Aam Aadmi Party’, and has pushed Kejriwal’s wife Sunita and Atishi Marlena into the back ground.
Kavita, the daughter of Telangana Chief Minister Chandra Shekhar Rao, herself an MLC of BRS party, is also in Tihar jail. She is also an accomplice in Delhi Liquor scam. She is alleged to have given a bribe of Rs100 crores in this scam to the party head, to formulate Liquor sales rules to suit her requirements.
Raghav Chadha, a close ally of Arvind Kejriwal, who is also a sitting Rajya Sabha member of AAP, is scared to come back to India from London. He is afraid, of being arrested for misappropriation in Delhi Jal Board, scam. The exact amount involved in the scam is yet to be revealed, but rumours have it that the scam would be worth atleast a few hundred crores of misappropriation.
That is the state of Delhi, our national capital.
IRAN, ISRAEL CONFLICT.
On October 7, 2023, the Palestinian Sunni Islamist group Hamas, led a surprise attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip. More than 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals, were killed. More than 250 people were taken hostage and moved to Hamas’ Gaza stronghold. Then Israel retaliated, and took up the cleaning up of Hamas in the tunnels of Gaza.
According to the ‘Ministry of Health’ in Gaza, more than 22,000 people have been killed and 57,000 have been injured in this cleanup, in less than three months. All this, during the military initiative taken by Israeli Defence Forces in Gaza. Women and children are estimated to make up 70% of deaths.
Iran has been a vociferous opponent of this clean up action of Israel. After repeated warnings to Israel, the religious leadership in Iran which is predominantly Shia Muslims, responded to the killing of its two generals in Syria, close to its embassy in Damascus. Last week, the Iranian leader attacked Israel with more than 300 missiles and drones. This while the Persian Gulfwas getting dangerously active, with Iranian supported Houthis attacking maritime trade in the gulf, targeting Israeli and American ships in particular. Around this very time, we have also been witnessing some aerial and artillery exchanges taking place between Pakistan and Iran.
After the 13 April missile/drone attack on Israel,on Friday 19 April, Israel retaliated. Israel planned and struck an Iranian Air Force base near the city of Isfahan, deep inside the country and close enough to the nuclear facility being developed, to send a message of Israel’s reach. It did this, without using airplanes, or ballistic missiles. But by striking a strategic site and causing major damage.
We now see, a sudden change of heart in Iran’s leadership. Iran’s foreign minister visited Pakistan a numerous times and Iran has invited itself for a state visit of i’s President to Pakistan. much to the discomfiture of Pakistan, who is a close ally of America.
To understand the Geo Politics of this region and this sudden friendship between Iran and Pakistan, we need to look a little into the past. When Pakistan was carved out of Indian subcontinent in 1947, Iran welcomed the move, and became Pakistan’s first close ally. In the 1950s, Iran was also a close ally of America.
Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, was the shah of Iran from 1941 to 1979, who maintained a pro-Western foreign policy and fostered economic development in Iran. During the Indo Pak wars of 1965 & 1971, Iran supported Pakistan by giving it weapons and military wherewithal, as they were both allies of America. Everything changed after the Iranian revolution and the takeover of Iran by the religious leadership. During all these times India was aligned with Russia.
At this time Afghanistan was under the influence of Russia,until as late as 1980s. America, with the help of Pakistan, tampered with the power structure of Afghanistan and converted/supported terrorist outfits such as Taliban and Al Qaeda. By the 1990s, they had successfully ensured the withdrawal of Russian troops from Afghanistan. America expressly engineered this withdrawal of Russian troops through Pakistani proxy.
But now, it has all changed. Iran is an anti US country and a close ally of Russia and China. Afghanistan also has only recently, got rid of American troops from its lands. Iran by inviting itself into Pakistan hopes to use Pakistan’s hatred towards Israel to its advantage. Pakistan’s failing economic state and aid Iran offers will matter. Pakistan’s possession of nuclear armament, may be the main attraction for Iran. Pakistan’s failure to honour its past gas pipe agreement with Iran may also be reviewed, to Pakistan’s advantage. With financial assistance, that may be offered, which Pakistan needs badly, an anti-America pro Iran stand by Pakistan cannot be ruled out. Iran is clearly pitching for a strong IMEC (India, Middle East, European, Economic Corridor) corridor, to safeguard its trade routes via the straits of Hormuz.
Let us not forget, Iran without its trade of oil will also face grave economic distress in these times, just like Pakistan. How exactly this new found friendship of Iran and Pakistan, will play out, as against the aids, Pakistan has been receiving continuously from the US, time alone can tell us. But if this friendship fosters, India can only stand to gain from the trade that ensues through IMEC.
