The Indian budget every year has always been an eagerly awaited event. For many decades, the best minds in economics, finance, tax, business and industry throng the media house to analyze the provisions shared by the Financial Minister.
Sometimes major events completely disconnected may be data points for the plans of the different powers around the world. The challenge is to discern what purpose they serve? More critically, what are we moving towards?
When the US Ambassador threatened India's "Strategic Autonomy" policy over India's friendship with Russia - much more than meets the eye was at stake. Let us unpack how the Ukraine war has fundamentally changed the US and the world. And why are we here anyway?
As if the extradition of Christian Michel was not enough for increasing the headaches of Congress, it has now come to the fore that Wolfgang Michel, Christian Michel’s father was a good friend of Indira Gandhi. TimeNow reported from the remand documents that CBI prepared.
As per the remand documents, accessed by Times Now, CBI said that Christian’s father Wolfgang Michel, was a consultant of Westland Helicopters to Government of India in the 1970s. The probe agency informed the court that Christian claimed that his father had told him that he used to meet the Gandhis, a fact that was also told to Christian by people close to his father. “His father knew late Indra Gandhi since 1970s and was very close to Gandhi family,” read the document.
The CBI document further referenced to an incident in 1982-83 when a question was raised in the Indian Parliament regarding the identity of ‘Mr Wolfgang Michel”. The then PM Indira Gandhi is said to have replied that she “considered him as a friend of India”, as per the CBI’s remand papers.
This is indeed sensational!
What is very interesting is that Sonia Gandhi also entered in the life of Rajiv Gandhi in late 1960s. Rahul Gandhi was born in 1970. Was the access to Gandhi household and close relationship of Sonia and Indira Gandhi during that time have anything to do with each other?
Wolfgang Michel was actually very close to Col Gaddafi of Libya and got many deals done for the West in Libya. Here is an extract from Shouting in the Street: Adventures and Misadventures of a Fleet Street Survivor by Donald Trelford
And his dealing with India has been going on for a long time. Where activities included Export of Jute!
Mr Michel, who said he knew Mr Gadaff Al Daim, cloaks his business affairs in mystery via a Liechtenstein offshore trust. Records show a UK investment company ultimately controlled by him – Entera Corporation – has brought into Britain more than £2m in commissions earned from India.
Associates say he has acted to sell arms on behalf of Russia, but Mr Michel denied this. He said he had “negotiated legitimate sales of civil aircraft to India”. He points out his commissions include earnings from the export of jute. (source)
Btw, this Mr Gadaff Al Daim – cousin of Col Gaddafi – is the same guy who had that infamous affair with the Indian Call girl Pamela Bordes while Daim was negotiating a deal between Libya and the Italian car firm Fiat. The relationship between Libya and India also took a special turn in 1984 when Indira Gandhi visited Tripoli to meet Col Gaddafi.
The nexus between Gaddafi, Michel family and Gandhi family is very old and full of intrigue.
The Indian budget every year has always been an eagerly awaited event. For many decades, the best minds in economics, finance, tax, business and industry throng the media house to analyze the provisions shared by the Financial Minister.
When the US Ambassador threatened India's "Strategic Autonomy" policy over India's friendship with Russia - much more than meets the eye was at stake. Let us unpack how the Ukraine war has fundamentally changed the US and the world. And why are we here anyway?
This visit of India left me with many questions. Many observations and inputs from different people and sections. Food for thought that I have tried to contemplate on and make sense of. Sharing all that with you.
When you analyze the last 60 years of the economic miracles of Singapore, South Korea and Malaysia versus the continued impoverished Indian economy, you get very interesting lessons. Can Indians have the wherewithal in them to do in one generation so that the coming generations may rise?
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