Thread by @ColSanjayPande

1/ #ArmsLobbyDelhi My six years after retirement were spent in Delhi and whatever I was doing, I found myself in every ‘high ticket’ equipment meetings representing Pvt Coy along with others in meetings in MHA, CAPF HQs & State Police HQs. Initially it was learning but soon I..

https://twitter.com/ColSanjayPande/status/1568412204176936965

2/ ..realised that I was the most experienced, technically competent, tactically sound and could destroy competitions logic based on pure professionalism. Who was I pitched against? On this side of table we’re Audi and BMW driving reps and on the other was ‘establishment’…

3/ None were interested in technicals or equipment. It always was violent dog fight, letters, meeting higher ups and tons of paper to convince establishment how they were being taken for ride by BMW and Audi owners. I soon connected faces to cars, faces to foreign companies…

4/ faces to equipment, faces to hierarchy and faces to ‘size of budget’. I learnt my tricks in flat two years. The manipulation in specs, tender conditions, trial dates, method, trial team etc. in fact at every ‘stop’ table of file you could smell the BMWs and Audis

5/ We had a system to find which BMW or Audi was interested in the tender. We would reach early, Park our car away and wait till last min to see which Audi/BMW was interested in the tender. By second year looking at the parking lot I could map the complete hierarchy that would

6/ help them. This was arms lobby which had swanky offices in South Delhi, fleet of cars for establishment, tie ups with top hotels and more. This ran like an absolutely well oiled machinery. I saw all of it from 2008 to 2013. Unless the Purchase Order was in hand, fluidity ruled

7/ This was in Delhi. Now State Police! I would go to each State Police HQ. Miraculously these BMW/Audi guys were never seen but soon I understood. Authorisation Letters appeared. They were represented by strongest dealer of that state. Foreign companies were same. Reps were

8/ different. The master was in Delhi, the BMW/Audi owners! The machine was well oiled and pan India. Foreign companies had offices in Delhi, or a hi-fi rep, or a hi-fi Indian BMW/Audi guy. Most times equipment was not produced. I saw this for five years. These BMWs/Audis would

9/ routinely be seen entering and exiting government bungalows in Lutyens Delhi. We read the name plates and connected it to tenders. There was no shame in uniformed guys or bureaucrats. The clerical staff was taken care of by some junior. The Financial Advisers played merry hell

10/ Each person exploited their own nuisance value to maximum. It was so common to see MHA clerk in a lane behind office buildings. We knew he was called there. Corruption was democratised. ALL THIS CAME TO AN END in 2014. GeM in 2017 broke the back. Negative import list in 2021

11/ broke the spine. It is just eight years and not sufficient. It will take another eight to eradicate it totally. Centralised Reception software stopped BMWs/Audis visiting officers sines data is stored in central server. I have witnessed it and lived it first hand. Whether you

12/Last …like it or not, democratisation of corruption so well funded by foreign manufacturers has come to and end. Govt to Govt deals are last nails in coffin. Let me know if this thread helped understand why ‘negative import list’ is good for India.