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Covert Campaign by School lobby to oust Indian Diplomat intensifies
K.M.Meena, Indian Ambassador, Muscat.

New Delhi: June 18, 2002 The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) New Delhi has received a number of written complaints against the Indian Ambassador in Muscat, K.M.Meena against whom a protracted misinformation campaign has been organised jointly by some of the powerful Indian business community members. A strong lobby is working in collaboration with a senior MEA official here to get his transfer to any other destinations. Meena, a sincere Indian Foreign Service official who took charge in Muscat about 10 months back, has been subjected to different levels of harassment by a coterie of Indians who are unhappy about the measures he introduced in the interest of Indian community.

One such step that irritated many powerful Indian businessmen, who have been making millions in the name of community service, was his desire to reduce abnormally high fees charged by the Indian community schools. Even though the Indian school constitution, (copy available from the MEA), governing such institutions says that schools are to be run as non commercial ventures collecting fees sufficient to cover the cost of operations, most of the schools have been charging very high fees. In view of complaints from ordinary members of the Indian community and media reports, the new Ambassador questioned the practice and wanted a total restructuring of schools to reduce fees and non-fees charges. He was also against private businessmen making money in the name of community services like running schools. His decision to stop a private businessman from running a new school as a commercial venture was another step that antagonised Indian businessmen.

Despite the fact that some complaints from Non Resident Indians were pending in the MEA and the Indian Embassy in Muscat pleading for fees reduction no one ever dared to take action in favour of parents. Some reports in the local and Indian media exposed grave mismanagement of some of the schools in the Gulf region. The Indian public who are aware of the Ambassador's good intentions also supported his policies. Even though a new board was constituted, some of the new members started acting in favour of powerful businessman. Some board members who were assigned to implement fees reduction started supporting the private businessman and resist any major changes in the status quo. Even though a fees reduction plan was announced in the media, nothing materialised. The new Indian school board also did not want any reduction in fees, but the Ambassador was adamant that they take action to help poor parents. He did not approve a three member committee report, (biased in favour of businessman). Most of the new board members are hand in glove with the businessmen and pretend otherwise in front of the Ambassador, the school patron.

However, complaints against the Ambassador started reaching the MEA ever since he initiated steps to reduce school fees and even suspended many of the Indian School Board members who completed eight to ten years in office! While the rule states that a board member is eligible to work for two terms of two years each, the "powerful" people had been board members for 15 years. There were no proper accounts, balance sheets were cooked up and lot of money have been siphoned off by the powers that be in the name of serving Indian community. The Ambassador has questioned the regular practice of hiring and firing of teachers. He also opposed private schools because the local government gave permission to the Indian embassy to run community schools only. The powerful businessmen who were furious about the new ambassador started acting, (like the villains of Hindi movies) and moved their cards very cleverly. They made a number of baseless complaints against the sincere diplomat, who is the official messenger of the Indian President to deal with the Head of State of another state.

According to MEA sources, some of the written complaints received in New Delhi contained serious, but baseless allegations from an Indian community member, which is supported with the signature of others. One serious allegation leveled against the Indian Ambassador is that he has received even bribes for teachers selection! It is another matter that the teachers appointment is the responsibility of the board of directors and the ambassador has no direct role in it. It is also a fact that the Ambassador has been opposing those who accept bribes in teachers appointment. Even though one of thefirst recommendations to the board was to introduce a common procedure for teachers recruitment nothing has been worked out. ultimately the person who was opposed bribery for teachers selection is accused of taking bribery.

Other charges include inaction in doing his duty as a responsible ambassador. He is also accused of creating a so called "division' among the Indian community members. It is learned from reliable sources that a mind boggling amount was offered to silence various parties involved in the school issue, but was rejected by one of them. It may be noted that the powerful lobby has been trying to use a "carrot" and "stick' policy to silence the Ambassador. 'When the carrot policy failed, they have resorted to use the 'stick' in the form of sending baseless complaints against the first Indian citizen to local authorities in a foreign country. Even though they tried to use the 'carrot' to influence the Ambassador, he did not succumb to such temptations. They often threatened diplomats taking the name of Indian ministers and politicians. Sometimes they take the name of Ministers of the foreign countries to threaten those who support the Ambassador.

As reported by Keralamonitor.com earlier, the powerful business lobby has been working overtime using their political clout in New Delhi and financial muscle power to silence the Indian Ambassador --the first IFS officer ever to challenge their domination of Indian community affairs, especially the charging of unreasonably high charge for education and the commercialisation of education by a handful of people. He has also been accused of creating a so called 'division' within the Indian community and acting against the community interest. Despite these allegations, the MEA official in charge of Muscat affairs, one Mr.Abhayankar, never bothered to cross check facts. During a recent visit to New Delhi, the diplomat came to know about such allegations.

Anyone who has been following the community affairs in the Gulf must have noticed that the Indian Ambassador's 'grave mistake' was asking Indian schools to reduce fees to an affordable level to the vast majority of parents and to introduce transparency and accountability in the community affairs. He did act in a tough manner to implement these measures in the interest of half a million strong Indian community members there. Even now there are Indian school students who are denied their Transfer Certificate because their parents could not remit fees in time. Due to business failures and economic stagnation in the Gulf region, many small scale Indian businessmen, employees and traders who are facing serious financial difficulties could not remit their fees in time. Some students are punished by asking them to stand outside the class room for non payment of fees. A survey conducted among parents of Indian schools revealed that most of the parents wanted a fees reduction. When one school decided to reduce fees and caution deposits, other big people prevented them from doing it because once it is done other schools will have to follow suit. While such grave situation is the ground reality, the so called community leaders have been accusing the ambassador of creating all the problems facing the Indian community.

Every parent of Indian school must be cursing the school managements and the so called community leaders for charging very high fees. Even though the Indian schools are supposed to be run on no profit no loss basis, they have been used as commercial ventures by the community leaders, who have amassed wealth and political clout through it. Many recent Ambassadors, except Meena, was acting according to their dictates. Being a socially concerned bureaucrat, Meena's mistake was to change the equations in favour of the "silent majority' of Indian citizens working in the Gulf.

Under the influence of the same lobby, Some of the Indian Members of Parliament have written recommendation letters to the MEA asking the Indian Government to transfer Meena to any other insignificant destination or call him back to New Delhi. A few prominent MPs from Kerala have also been lobbying to ensure the 'disobedient ambassador's' exit from Muscat as soon as possible. Irrespective of other differences, all community leaders have joined hands to achieve this goal.

Another baseless charge against the diplomat was that he did not perform his duty well during the recent bus accident in the southern part of Oman. According to a 'petition" send to the MEA, the community leaders had to wait three hours to meet the Ambassador for discussing the issue. It is also alleged that there was undue delay in embalming the dead body of Indians who died in an accident or in taking official action. It may be recalled that any diplomat who wanted to visit a different region in the Gulf country needs a special permission from the local government. Diplomats need special permission to visit Salalah --the accident spot-which lies almost 1000 km away from the Indian Embassy in Muscat. The Ambassador took necessary steps, within the limitations in a foreign country, to send the dead bodies in time. A locally appointed staff was send to oversee relief work because diplomats needed special permission from the local authorities to visit the place. Another representative of the embassy also acted swiftly to help the victims. However, instead of doing something for the victims, the concerned members of the Indian community were busy writing complaints against the ambassador.

This is not because of their love to the community, but to settle score with the "disobedient" ambassador. Even though there are several problems facing the ordinary Indian community in the Gulf, none of the so called leaders ever paid attention to such issues. In fact some of the problems facing the community is mainly created by some senior Indian executives who made such complaints. There are some Indian businessmen who do not pay his workers' salary for months and still pretend themseves to be concerned about their welfare. Some of them don't even spend hundred rupees to help poor Indians who face difficult situation in foreign countries. Another Indian exeucitive advise the Arab sponsor how to reduce workers salary and other benefits.

In order to silence the Ambassador, copies of each complaint is send to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other local government departments of the foreign country. While the businessmen are free to mingle with the senior bureaucrats in the foreign country, a diplomat is unable to defend his position because he has to deal with every others through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Another point is that a senior official in the MEA, New Delhi started receiving complaints and reports from the businessmen directly without even bothering to get the Ambassador's point of view. They are acting as a parallel embassy because such complaints are never crosschecked with the Indian mission, the official representative of the Indian Government. Anyone who supports the Ambassador's policy or question the lobby is harassed in one way or another using even the local officials. On some occasions, the Ambassador is said to have faced discrimination because some of the community members with perverted traditional Indian mindset find it difficult to accept him (psychologically) as an ambassador! Even though superiority complex based on one's caste and communal origin is rejected everywhere, some of the Indians still treat people in terms of narrow considerations.

Paradoxically enough, the same MEA official was in favour of introducing major changes in the functioning of Indian schools and even defended the ambassador's steps initially. All of a sudden there was a total change in his approach for unknown reasons. Things have gone to such an extent that the senior MEA officials started questioning the dubious MEA officials credentials and moved Muscat files to another official. The business lobby is now confident that the Indian ambassador will remain in Muscat only for a short period. As soon as a new puppet diplomat is appointed in his place, they will celebrate the occasion and start undoing whatever steps introduced by Meena for the welfare of ordinary community members and school parents. (keralamonitor.com)

Hindustan Times Report Silenced Many powerful people in New Delhi

New Delhi: A recent report in Hindustan Times, a leading English Newspaper from New Delhi about the Indian school issue in Muscat has caused a serious blow to the covert lobbying done by Indian businessmen to transfer the Indian Ambassador. According to the report, a few Indian businessmen have been using the name of Indian Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh to silence the Indian Ambassador in Muscat. Following the report, the MEA spokesman hurriedly issued a statement denying any role in Indian school affairs by the foreign minister. These businessmen also take the name of Arab ministers to silence criticism. Two Indian executives were threatened with dire consequences, if they supported the Indian Ambassador or took up any assignments from him. Since the report appeared in Indian media, the community leaders have been trying to silence even the Indian media from reporting such stories. Some of the Indian businessmen fear the media so much so that they used their muscle power and local influence to silence them. Using anonymous phone calls they threaten to kill journalists, eliminate their family in India and even remove them from their jobs! Using 'Vastha' or influence, they silence everyone. Some journalists have reportedly received letters written with abusive languages. All these covert campaigns indicate the big bosses are unhappy not only with the Ambassador, but with the journalists too. (keralamonitor.com)

Who is Accepting Bribe for Recruitment?

Even as the Indian Ambassador is accused of taking bribes, some of the leading Indian businessmen have been minting money through a recruitment syndicate. Some of the Indian executives adoring senior positions in big business houses in the Gulf have been making a lot of extra-money through the recruitment route. Since the Arab bosses had cent per cent faith in them, (now the confidence in Indian executives is eroded substantially due to their "honesty') they ask them to recruit senior staff who often get good salary. Some of these companies employ thousands of people in various categories. According to recruiting agents, these senior Indian executives and financial gurus make huge amount of money every year through recruitment.

For recruiting staff to any senior postings, the Arab sponsor send these beloved Indians to Madras, Mumbai or New Delhi. They conduct the interviews and one regular question is - how much the candidate can offer (as a bribe?), if they are selected to the job. Since the senior postings are well paying and Indians are keen to reach the Gulf, they often agree to pay one/two months salary directly to the Indian executives bank account. Some of them are also in league with the recruiting agents in India who sometimes take Rs.60,000 as recruitment charge from a labourer. If there are several thousand labourers working for a company, imagine the amount of money made in the recruitment process alone. They cheat the Arab boss as well as violate local rules which prevent agents from taking bribe for recruitment. (keralamonitor.com)