Whom will EEMA North Vote as VP North?

20-Jun-2020

In last elections, there was a clear Anti-Sabbas Joseph team wave. Vijay Arora is a known player in the Sabbas team. The wave was for a change of a rampant management which was unleashed for 4 years in EEMA. This period saw not only serving of notices to its own members to supress freedom of speech but also saw termination of member without due process of justice and empowerment. It became a Khhap justice regime. Result of which was that many old members were not interested in paying fees and decided to leave EEMA. Hardly any new members were ready to join. Membership issue became so grave that to cover this disaster Sabbas and his team went to the extent of announcing free membership. Just to show as achievement and white wash the reality. But this effort also back fired as very few joined and then were not ready to renew fees and choose to move out.

New NEC took up this issue on top priority. Brand building exercise was taken on in a systematic manner, packages of members benefit were rolled out along with drastic reduction in entrance fees and annual fees. Secretariat team along with active VP’s transformed the entire negative image to a most inclusive environment image. Vipul Pandhi VP North played a key role in reviving old membership and ended up adding 87 new members which was unprecedented in past 10 years.

Culture in EEMA had turned into a cult and all around only few faces of Sabbas’s Team were projected which resulted in complete non-inclusive approach. All voting members are business owners with sharp minds. They kept aside personal relationships and gave priority to their own business and industry by giving decisive mandate and wiped out the entire Sabbas Team consisting of Siddarth Chaturvedi & Ankur Kalra who contested for the GS position, Meenu Varma (w/o Rajesh Varma) who stood for VP North position, Mandeep Malhotra as EVP, Amanveer for Secretary position, Vijay Arora as treasurer in the last elections. Entire team lost badly. Over confidence of depending just on relationship was shattered by members who decided enough is enough and send this Sabbas Team packing and elected some fresh faces which brought fresh air in EEMA. Few most active members in the new NEC transformed EEMA and delivered achievements which were unprecedented. Of these few performers, it is well known in EEMA that amongst all 4 zones, VP North - Vipul’s achievements on all fronts were outstanding and succeeded in activating North members with his positive and inclusive approach.

Once again, the time has come for the EEMA North Members to elect VP North. Two candidates are way apart personalities by way of intent, attitude, and arrogance and most important is clean image. Eventaa News has analysed both the candidates – Vipul Pandhi and Vijay Arora as this election is not limited to EEMA but impacts the entire industry.

Vijay Arora – EEMA, My Baby Culture

Vijay has been openly boasting about “My Baby, My Baby”. Even after passage of 12 years, he is not able to accept the fact that EEMA is of and for the members and EEMA and is member’s baby and not anyone’s personal ownership. This attitude of Vijay with active support of Sabbas, Rajeev and team has ended in huge controversies, allegations amounting to frauds and costing EEMA lacs of rupees. It is heard that his wrong doings have already been brought to the notice and actions are awaited.

Noteworthy acts of Vijay Arora are mainly:

1. Just a day before Spotlight Awards, he threatened to walk out as chairman of spotlight awards demonstrating his high headedness.
2. Members and industry community were cheated with a most fraudulent Spotlight Awards with huge murmuring in the industry about injustice. This got verified when the new NEC got in touch with Vijay to take over records of Spotlight Awards. Not a single document was provided. It is factual that most of the awards were distributed and not won. Some were even bartered. Further evidence came to light when current NEC launched Spotlight Awards. Secretariat team was embarrassed with the kind of feedback they got from the industry. It has taken a great effort by the Secretariat to gain confidence of the industry that this time under the new chairmanship of Spotlight Awards, it will be transparent and clean awards.
3. Within one month of New NEC, Vijay Arora wanted Rs. 10 lacs from EEMA for paying his personal lawyer to fight case of his few friends. He wanted this transaction to happen through EEMA. It is learnt that Sabbas, Sanjoy Roy, Sanjeev Pasricha and Rajeev Jain brought a lot of pressure on the NEC to accommodate this illegal transaction as a member’s body. To safeguard member’s interest few in NEC decided to handover the cheque of Rs. 10 lacs to Kapil Sibbal only after this amount is received in EEMA accounts. GS was bombarded with allegations of not being industry friendly by not releasing Rs. 10 lacs without even receiving it. Rajeev Jain confirmed to send Rs. 10 lacs in cash, which he never did. Sabbas called NEC and forced saying “I am giving the guarantee” release Rs. 10 lacs, I will get it! Later on Sabbas went on to write a nasty mail addressed to the NEC who were trying to function within the frame work of the association. But the “My Baby Culture” of ownership was clearly demonstrated. In all this right in the initial stage Sanjoy and Sanjeev got exposed as Sabbas men and being back seat driven.
4. IP of Gourmet Event owned by Vijay is another alleged big scam. Against the majority opinion of NEC, Sanjoy, Sabbas and Sanjeev succeeded not only in waving off lacs of rupees of EEMA for a IP tie-up but went to the extent of cancelling AGM of EEMA to accommodate Gourmet Event, date of which was purposefully announced to take advantage of EEMAGINE. Vijay calling well-wisher of EEMA was not ready to change his dates but his conspirers changed the AGM dates! Revenue loss of EEMA is estimated to be of Rs 7-10 lacs from two Gourmet IP event tie-ups.

There are end number of acts and actions of Vijay which clearly demonstrates that he has worked in EEMA for his personal growth first, for photo-op activities and EEMA interest came next. He and his EEMA leadership team has used, misused and abused power. While this article is being published, Eventaa News is in possession of campaign where lot many new faces have joined bandwagon of Vijay. Eventaa could not reach out to all these members of Vijay’s bandwagon and verify if they knew the above realities and are still supporting such Anti-EEMA actions or are ignorant and joined Vijay’s team in ignorance.  

Contesting against the above ideology of Vijay is Vipul Pandhi. With age on his side and a fresh mind with no politics delivered beyond expectations of members who voted for him with his abundant energies. At this young age he had the vision of nurturing talent and ensured maximum tie-ups on education front. Under his young leadership MC fraternity was engaged and activated. He became a vital person in the NEC. Eventaa News has so far not come across any complain or allegations on Vipul in his record breaking 108 activities carried out in a short period of 2 years. He has always been seen and demonstrated that “EEMA is OUR Baby”. We all members are proud owners and not few individuals.

Time will tell when results are out if North Members will once again vote keeping relationship aside as they did in the last election or vote for “My Baby Culture”.