Tharoor forged papers to fight polls: CPI

Shashi Tharoor who is already on a sticky wicket with the controversy over his alleged stake in the Kochi IPL team erupting might soon have another reason to worry. The Communist Part of India (CPI) is planning to move court against him for allegedly forging documents to include his name in the electoral rolls of the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency.

P Ramachandran Nair, CPI Thiruvananthapuram district secretary said, “Tharoor got his name included in the voters’ list in the constituency using fake documents. Though we had demanded that the Election Commission should probe into the allegation, no action has been taken in this regard so far. So, we have decided to approach the High Court against Tharoor for cheating and violating the Representation of People Act.”

According to Ramachandran Nair, the party is in possession of all the documents needed to prove that Tharoor got into the electoral roll ‘illegally’. “He submitted the application to get enrolled into the electoral rolls on the very day (October 27, 2008) he took a house in Thiruvananthapuram for rent. This means he was not an ordinary resident,” he said.

The Election Commission of India has stipulated that a person should be an ordinary resident, i.e. he or she should have resided in a particular place for a considerable amount of time, to get included in the electoral rolls. “Tharoor was not an ordinary resident in Thiruvananthapuram even for a day at the time he submitted the application for enrolment,” he alleged.

Apart from this, the residential certificate which was submitted along with the application form, was not given by a Revenue official, but was issued by a ward councillor so that he could obtain a ration card. The residential certificate obtained with the recommendation letter from a corporation ward councillor can be used only to get a ration card. Residential certificates for all other purposes have to be issued by a Revenue official, after a thorough inquiry.

“In Tharoor’s case, the residential certificate was issued as per the recommendation letter of Kowdiar ward councillor A Sunilkumar for getting the ration card and was addressed to the City Rationing Officer. This letter was obtained nine days after he took the house for rent. Besides, it cannot be used for any other purpose other than applying for a ration card,” he said.

The documents obtained using Right to Information Act proves that Shashi Tharoor failed to fill in the testimony column in the application form, which gives details about his period of residence. His application should have been rejected for this lapse. As per the section 31 under Representation of People Act, any person who makes any false declaration in writing, for the inclusion of any entry into the electoral roll, shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine, or with both.

“Though there are clear instructions that applications in which the required columns are not filled up should not be accepted, the official who received the application has mentioned Tharoor as a VIP and forwarded the application. However, the State Election Commission accepts only thirteen categories of people as VIPs, but these in no way include Shashi Tharoor, who was not holding any government office while submitting the application,” he charged.

“Also, there was no hearing conducted in his case to verify the documents submitted by him including the rent agreement, the letter from the ward councillor and the residential certificate. The notice sent to Tharoor for conducting the hearing on his application does not have the place, date or time of the hearing. Though all the documents submitted by Tharoor were illegal, the hearing was not held. The EC also failed to take any action against him,” he rued.

“These documents prove that Tharoor was included in the electoral rolls through unfair means. So we will question his candidature and position as a minister in the High Court. We are waiting for the High Court to open after the summer vacation to take up the issue,” he added.

Compassion as way of life

“I turned a vegetarian at the age of eleven, as I could not  stand the cruelty shown towards them,” Mini Vasudevan divulges. The same reason prompted this electrical engineer   to launch the Humane Animal Society (HAS), a non-profit organization in the city for the protection of animals.

“I lived in the US for 13 years till 2004. After completing my PhD, I was working with a telecommunications firm in Texas. At that time, I used to volunteer on my weekends to protect the animals,” she recollects.

“Things are so different there, the endeavours of animal protection societies are dependent almost entirely on volunteers. You just have to handover the animals which have been abandoned on the streets to the societies. The rest is upto them and we need not worry any longer,” Mini discloses.

“On the other hand, animal rights activism is not an easy task at all in India. The number of stray dogs here is so high. You   cannot help spot one chasing pedestrians or two-wheelers in every nook and corner of the city. This sorry state of affairs persists mainly because of the unawareness amongst the public about the things that can be done. Miracles do not happen overnight. We have to work consistently to curb the stray dog menace. In the US, for a dog to be kept as a pet, it will perforce have to be sterilised. Only if you are a licensed breeder, you can keep dogs without sterilising them. This policy has proved to be very successful in controlling the number of dogs there,” she says.

“Unfortunately, that is not the case here. Written laws alone will not do the job. There should be a systematic way of doing things. When I first came here, I found so many stray dogs and wanted to do something to protect them. However, I realised much to my dismay that there was no organisation to whom I could turn for help. Only later did I hear about the PFA. So Humane Animal Society (HAS) was formed in 2006. It started out as a non-profit organization run by myself  and my husband Madhu Ganesh. Now ‘HAS’ has three more trustees and many volunteers,” a proud smile spreads across her face.

HAS has played a major role in creating awareness amongst  the denizens about the need to protect animals. “We mostly  stress the need to sterilize the dogs. Whenever we approached someone, they used to maintain that their’s was a ‘veetu naai’ (house dog) and therefore there was no scope for alarm. But we have always insisted that all the dogs _ whether  they are kept as pets, or those wandering in the streets, should be sterilized,” Mini reveals.

“People should come forward to adopt pups delivered by stray dogs. Once we received 15 such pups at Shelter, a joint venture of HAS and People For Animals (PFA). Though there is a huge demand for male pups, female pups are the best when it comes to providing love and affection,” she avers.

“I think stray dogs should be known as a distinctive ‘Indian breed’. Foreigners like our dogs on account of their wide range of colours and robust nature,” she notes. “An American lady who came to an ashram near Anakatti a few years ago  liked a stray dog very much and wanted to take it along with her when she went back. We helped her in procuring all the necessary documents for that. Seeing many others like her go to great lengths to take care of the dogs here, I sometimes wonder why we Indians do not put in even a small fraction of their effort,” she remarks.

Over the last one year, HAS has been working in conjunction with PFA for conducting the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme here and has been actively taking care of several stray as well as abandoned dogs. “I wish more like-minded people will join us to make a difference. Instead of chasing individual agendas and reaching nowhere, animal lovers should band together to curtail the atrocities against the animals and make the city a better place for them to live in,”  she stresses.

Racing Through Life

Ace Indian F1 driver Narain Karthikeyan and his lovely better half Pavarna were in the city for a felicitation function organised by The Tamil Nadu Kamma Naidu Mahajana Sangam after him winning the Padma Shree. When I engaged them in a tête-à-tête

On Padmashree

“I felt great and terribly happy. I consider it as recognition not just for me, but for the entire motorsport fraternity. It was a great honour for me to receive the award from the President of India. The style in which the function was conducted itself provides an avid feeling.”

Being an F1 driver

“A lot of skill is involved. Determination and consistent hard work is very important when it comes to motorsport. Of course, support from the family too plays a big role.”

As a pioneer

“Being a pioneer, we will have to take an extra-effort and have to do more. As racing was not that recognized and an accepted sport, I had to put in more effort and time into it.”

Making a difference

“Yes, it did I would say. After me winning the F1 title, people in India, especially those in the South, have become more aware about the motorsport racing. Many are now showing their interest in this sport and are coming forward, which is an appreciable act. India is going to host its first F1 race in Delhi next year. These are all not things that happened over a night.”

Role of parents

My family is responsible for what I am. For someone to become successful, they should be allowed to live their dreams. My parents allowed me to live my dream and now I am here.

Due recognition

We can’t criticize the love for cricket. It’s a sport which can be played and enjoyed by the common man. But now, the people and even the government has started giving due recognition to other sports too (citing his Padma Shree). That is a good trend.

About your car

“It’s my office; it’s my world.”

For budding racers

“Four years ago, I started Speed NK Racing team to identify, nurture and groom young Indian racing drivers into potential champions. I am still doing it and will also continue it in future.”

You and Coimbatore

In India, Coimbatore has produced a large number of racing drivers. Maybe that I was born and brought up here, I was so biased to motorsport from even my childhood. The people here are so supportive and encouraging.

So how do Pavarna look at things being the wife of ‘the fastest Indian in the world’! Excerpts from a chat with her:

“I felt so proud when he was recognized by the Indian Government. Also, this is a unique profession and he was the only one in the 1.2 billion to become a F1 driver. That’s really fantastic.”

Unique factor about Narain

“He is very humble and that is the very first thing everyone, who knows him, talks about. His achievements have not made any difference in him as a person. There are only a few persons who live their dream and happy that he is one among them.”

The dream you are living

“I too am living his dream. At least for now, my dreams, aspirations and everything are towards molding Narain’s dreams.”

Narain as a family man

“He is a very family-bound person, who loves to be always at home when he is not into racing. He always entertains guests at home, rather than going out.”

Motorsport crazy

“Am crazy about motorsport as this is our life. It brought us to where we are now. Though I miss few of his matches, I always prefer to be with him as I could know his state of mind and could provide moral support.”

The risk factor

I think living and achieving our dream is more important. Even you walk on the road, it has a certain risk. If you take the risk part more into consideration, we can never succeed in our life.

Future plans

“Once he has more time in hands, we are planning to open a school to groom the young race drivers to meet international standards. We have to give something back to the motorsport and we would work together for it.

Pumping up success

From a village girl who dreamt of becoming a doctor, Mohanasundari, Managing Director of Kayjay Sharp Trendys and Sharp Electrode Private Ltd had to travel a long way before she received the present tag of a successful businesswoman.

In a factory where raw materials and huge machines for the production of electrodes occupied the major space, Mohanasundari was spotted amidst many woman workers, giving them suggestions and at times engaging in light chats with them. “Unlike other industries, majority of the workers here are women. Their love and support helps me moving forward. With moral support, we can do wonders” says Mohanasundari, who has won the award for export excellence from Engineering Export Promotion Council for multiple times. Even at the age of fifty-seven, she remains energetic and dynamic, thanks to her healthy daily routines. “A small walk in the morning, a little of yoga and meditation and a ten-minute shuttle keep me fresh all the day,” she smiles. Dedicating all her success to husband K Jaganathan, who passed away five years ago, she says that it is still a wonder that how she entered into business world. With export deals with more than thirty countries including USA, UK, and many Gulf countries, she is treading a successful path in the entrepreneurship scene. “I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth. My father was a weaver in Kalapatti village. With his encouragement, I completed my post graduation in Physics. Though I took biology first, aiming to become a doctor, knives and dissections scared me and I went for physics,” she quips. Completing her studies, she started working as a lecturer in Saradha College in Salem. “I was married to my cousin in 1976, and I would say that it changed my whole life. I continued to teach in CIT in Coimbatore for 14 years. My husband used to discuss all his business ideas with me. All the business tours were travelled by us together. After placing ourselves in a significant position in the business market, he encouraged me to do MBA as he wanted me to enter into the business along with him,” she recollects. Mohanasundari was made the proprietor of Sharp Trendys by Jaganathan and was asked to look after the whole affairs while he concentrated on Sharp Electrode. “I never knew my strength. It was he who made me realize my inner strengths,” she sighs. “His death shattered me. I was not in a position to think of anything other than him. I was struggling to come out from that grief. It was then my father also passed away, that too just sixty days after my husband’s death. This had put me in the most miserable situation. By then, talks were doing the rounds that our company will be closed down soon as all doubted that whether I would be able to manage it all alone,” she says. She did know that the company was her husband’s life and he always wished to achieve more. She never wanted his dream’s to go unrealized and at that point, she decided to run the company at any cost. “I thought of the workers and their families who were depending on us. I did not want them to suffer. I decided to continue the journey from where my husband stopped,” she said. But things were not that easy for her. The business world was not ready to receive her with a bouquet or garland. “There were many calls and mails harassing and even threatening me about the pending consignments. Also, many were not ready to place new orders. But there were a few among my well-wishers and friends, who are responsible for what I am. There was a situation when I had to beg orders. But within a period of two years, I found customers coming in my way, asking for our products. When some problem comes, I would just think of how my husband would take decisions.”