RAJAGOPALAN1951

HEAR SAY

2011-12-11T21:52:00.000-08:00

Heard so inside parliament

NEW DELHI POLITICAL GRAPEVINE SNIPPETS

for publication on Sunday December 11, 2011

Thanks

R Rajagopalan

New Delhi

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Overheard two Union Ministers of different political parties

discussing in their mother tonge, a possible change of

Chief Minister of their state, by April 2012

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In JPC on 2G, questions come from a Congress

Member E M Sudharshan Nachiappan,

against the then Finance Minister P Chidambaram role

in clearing files on 2G, was irking Congress leadership.

Interestingly the JPC Member defeated the then Finance Minister

in Lok Sabha election in 1996. Nachiappan recently

used strong words against P Chidambaram

in an interview to a leading Tamil weekly

DMK, BJP and ADMK MPs enjoy Sudharshan Nachiappan

company in JPC.

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V P Singh Badmore a BJP Rajya Sabha MP from

Rajasthan suggested to Foreign Office that Ajmer in Rajasthan

and Koyna in Tureky be declared as twin cities. As both cities

have commonalities with Sufism. Vijay Pal Singh accompanied

Vice President Ansari to Turkey recently. In a detailed note

submitted to Ministry of External Affairs by VP Singh speaks

volumes about the Moiuniddin and Jalauiddin in both cities

Dr Hamid Ansari liked the idea of VP Singh-also taken up

this issue with both Governments-for future cultural ties

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Lalithalakshmi a Tamil Nadu IAS officer got married with Saurav Pahari

another West Bengal cadre IAS officer. Therefore Lakshmi is given special

permission by Union Government to get her Cadre changed to West Bengal,

so that the married couple can be posted in one State.

In exercise of the power conferred by sub-rule (2) of Rule 5 of the Indian

Administrative Service (Cadre) Rules. 1954, and with the concurrence of the

Govern. ments of Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, the Central Govt. hereby transfers Ms.

Lalithalakshmi, IAS (TN:08) from Tamil Nadu to West Bengal cadre on ground of

marriage to Shri Saurav Pahari, IAS (WB:08).

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ends

Nishikant Dubey BJP MP while initiating the discussion on

Supplementary Grants in Lok Sabha begun his opening remarks

by ensuring a smile on the face of Pranab Mukherjee..
When Dubey was a student, used to listen Pranab budget speeches

but today in Lok Sabha as MP Dubey said he was disappointed

to get the arguements of pranab da.

With a pencil in his hand, Pranab Mukherjee was seen smiling

by putting his pencil on his cheeks.

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Thirumavalavan VCK on Wednesday walked out of Lok Sabha condeming

the attack on Tamils in Kerala on Mullaiperiar dam issue

He went to Mahatma Gandhi statue inside parliament and sat dharna

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Trichy Siva in Rajya Sabha spoke on Mullaiperiar Dam

Dr V Maitreyan intervened to say, but deputy chairman

stated that MP cannot pressurise or direct the Chair

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NEW DELHI POLITICAL GRAPEVINE SNIPPETS

2011-12-11T21:42:00.001-08:00

NEW DELHI POLITICAL GRAPEVINE SNIPPETS

for publication on Sunday December 11, 2011

Thanks

R Rajagopalan

New Delhi

--------------------------------------

Sonia Gandhi walked too brisk in and out of Central Hall

and lobby of Parliament today, smiled at each of those

who greeted on her 66th birthday, escorted by SPG

guards.

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Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanam President Bapiraju

Congress MP presented her a special puja prasad

with Ladoo. He told her that it is Lord Balaji prasad

she smiled and accepted it.

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Lalu Prasad tonsured his head, and is seen wearing a fur cap

in Parliament. He greeted Sonia Gandhi inside Lok Sabha

by walking near to her seat when proceedings begun.

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S Thirunavkarasar who recently joined Congress from BJP

was in Delhi today to greet Sonia Gandhi on her birthday

Instead of his typical Tamil dress of veshti and white kurta

Thiruvakarasar came in Pyjama Kurta typical of Youth Congress

leader style. Many senior Congress leaders were taken back

to see the new attire of Arasar who was a

former Union Minister in Vajapyee Government

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Deve Gowda former Prime Minsiter on Friday walked

straight into Lok Sabha at 1102 hours,without realising

the entire house is standing up in silence to mourn the death of

hospital patients in Kolkata. Deve Gowda rushed to house

as he was keen to raise the SM Krishna issue and keen

to express his views. Gowda was alerted by watch and

ward-to walk slow as the house is mourning. Closed his

eyes-Gowda stood for a mintue. then resumed his first row seat

in Lok Sabha

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Bhupender Singh Hooda Chief Minister Of Haryana entered Cetnral Hall

alone,walked alone. But in earlier occasions, he will be escorted by

State Ministers and Haryana Congress MPs. But on Friday his

political graph is sliding because, he walked alone in Central Hall.

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With two helping sticks limping in Parliament, Congress MP from

Haryana Deepender Singh Hooda spent one hour. Almost all

senior Union Ministers went near to Deepender and enquired

about the fractured right leg. Deepender is the son of

Haryana Chief Minister Bhpender Singh Hooda

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Dig Vijaya Singh was in Parliament, huge crowd went near to him

in his inimical smile style -somewhat similar to that of

Karunakaran broad smile- Diggy Raja shook hands with everyone.

Atleast ten to fifteen MPs walked with him from main portico

of parliament building to Central Hall.

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Gulam Nabi Azad Union Minister when he entered Lok Sabha

at 1055 hours on Friday- was greeted by almost all Telangana Congress

MPs. Some Telangana Congress MPs touched Gulam nabi feet

inside Lok Sabha. While these MPs were holding huge posters

reminding Sonia Gandhi for telangana as promised on her birthday

two years ago.

But a contrast meeting of Andhra Congress MPs with Dig Vijaya Singh

inside Parliament, which is interesting. Dr KVP Ramachandra Rao

and Sabbam Hari went rushing to Diggy Raja, while Unndavalli

Aruna Kumar joined this discussion. KVP and Diggy Raja spent

few minutes separately in a corner of Parliament.

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Satyavrt Chaturvedi the Congress spokesman was narrating to

fellow Congress MPs inside Parliament the difficulties he faced in many live TV discussions

to defend UPA2

In a lighter vein joke to his fellow Congress MP

Satyavrt said.. Thursday P Chidambaram on 2G, Friday SM Krishna on Bellary mining

Monday Kapil Sibal on Facebook and Twitter , Tuesday Anand Sharma on FDI in retail

like this..parliament will have blockade...We have added eleven young spokesmen

who are Union Ministers.. Let them defend such a long list....

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BIBEK DEBROY IN ECONOMIC TIMES ON DR MANMOHAN SINGH

2011-12-11T21:41:00.000-08:00

Assessing Manmohan Singh: He was never a true reformist by instinct

Bibek Debroy Dec 11, 2011, 10.49am IST

Rare is the person who reads Robert Browning now. He wrote a poem titled "The Patriot" and it begins, "It was roses, roses, all the way, /With myrtle mixed in my path like mad." Somewhere down the line, the poem says, "And you see my harvest, what I reap, /This very day, now a year is run."

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It has been more than a year now, seven years if one counts from 2004. As prime minister, Manmohan Singh(let's call him MMS) is most likely on his way out, once the Congress figures out the exit policy.

Since clamours for removal have emanated from within the Congress too, we aren't talking about 2014. More like 2012. As PM, the MMS legacy has been the nuclear deal, aborted peace initiatives with Pakistan and part-aborted agreements with Bangladesh. But MMS is an economist. As FM, he is the one who liberalised the economy in 1991 and reminded us about an idea (reforms) whose time has come.

Rao, Not Singh To put it mildly, the economy is in a shambles now. Reforms most likely are on permanent pause. The sound and fury over FDI in retail amounted to nothing. During UPA-I, we had RTI and NREG. The rest was a legacy. During UPA-II, we have Right to Education and may have Right to Food. As a reformer, lauded by the external world and urban India, I doubt MMS will be proud of this legacy.

But should we be surprised? We have conjured up an image of MMS as the original reforming FM. There are several problems with this identification. First, MMS wasn't PV Narasimha Rao's original choice as FM. IG Patel was, though that is neither here nor there. Second, the credit for those reforms should largely go to Rao, though the Congress conveniently chose to ignore this later. Indeed, MMS also distanced himself from Rao, though that too is perhaps neither here nor there, except that it reveals some of MMS' personal attributes. The point is, any FM in 1991 would have had to introduce those reforms. The agenda was known. The blueprint was known.

All of these had been firmed up by the end of 1990. All that remained was for FM to read out the speech. MMS wasn't the engineer or the architect. At best, he was the contractor.

Third, MMS may have been an economist once. But for years and years, he was a laterally inducted bureaucrat. A requisite characteristic of a successful bureaucrat is lack of conviction, economic, political or ideological.

You need to be malleable. And MMS was successful at that. It isn't generally known that the "garibi hatao" slogan was thought of by MMS. Therefore, we have ourselves conjured up this 'father of reforms' image and MMS chose to go along.

Honest, But... Part of the image also concerns honesty. Honesty is a relative expression. I have been severely reprimanded by an MP for calling MPs and politicians dishonest. I have been advised to call them differently honest and there is a grain of truth in that.

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BABALOG MINISTERS WANT RAHUL GANDHI TO INTERVENE

2011-11-27T00:19:00.001-08:00

26 Nov 2011

'BABALOG' MINISTERS WANT RAHUL TO INTERVENE

NEW DELHI: Four 'Babalog' ministers of state (MoS) held a quiet meeting on the FDI in retail trade Thursday evening around the same time their seniors were engaged in a bitter fight over the proposal in a Cabinet meeting here.

They decided to send an urgent note to Rahul Gandhi to explain the political fallout of the Cabinet's decision to go for 51 per cent FDI in multi-brand retail trade and how the opposition will use it to hilt to confuse the rural voters in the Uttar Pradesh elections, impacting the Congress prospects.

The four MoS --Jitin Prasada, Jitender Singh, Sachin Pilot and RPN Singh -- are worried that they all come from the rural constituencies and will have to face ire of the farmers to be hit by the decision despite the government's claim that it will help them.

One of them rang up a former union commerce secretary to give a perspective to them on pros and cons of the FDI in retail. The retired bureaucrat is now penning draft of the letter the four junior ministers will be handing over to Rahul early next week.

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JAYALALITHA ;OPPOSES FDI IN RETAIL

2011-11-27T00:08:00.000-08:00

PRESS STATEMENT OF SELVI J JAYALALITHAA,
HON’BLE CHIEF MINISTER OF TAMIL NADU -27.11.2011

The sudden decision of the Government of India to open up Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) up to 51 percent in multi brand retailing and 100 percent for single brand retailing has come as a rude shock to the thunder struck millions of traditional retail vendors in the country. While Parliament is in session, this move of the Government of India to announce such a major policy decision affecting millions of people outside the Parliament without even consulting the State Governments is unprecedented and indicates the overweening arrogance of the UPA Government. The FDI policy in the retail sector is a sensitive issue and it was strongly opposed by various trade bodies even when the Committee appointed to study this issue made field visits. But, by making this sudden announcement ignoring the sentiments of the people, the Central Government has stirred the proverbial Hornet’s Nest.

The purported intention of the Government of India seems to be to bring more foreign investment into the country to improve market efficiency and bring down double digit inflation prevailing in the country, mainly due to the series of policy blunders made by the Congress led UPA Government at the Centre. Does our Nation lack such resources or the technology to deal with such problems? The Central Government should realize that constraints on farm products, on the supply side, which is one of the contributory factors to food inflation cannot be addressed through the FDI route, but only by squarely addressing the infrastructural constraints through appropriate policy support.

The world over, whenever local Governments opened up the retail sector, local prices went up sky high instead of curbing the price level. There are many countries whose experience shows just the reverse, as the price mark up by such MNCs is much higher than what is being charged by the small vendors. Further, such invasion of MNCs leads to monoplolisation of the market, exploiting both farmers and producers on the one side and the consumers on the other side as, once the traditional system of retail is broken, it cannot be rebuilt, if the MNCs adopt a predatory pricing policy. In most such countries, the unorganised retail sector, which provided livelihood to millions of traditional retail vendors, has been completely destroyed, as the organized Multi National Companies swamped the retail markets. For instance, in the U.K., it is reported that 3 retail chains now control 65 percent of the entire retail market. Similarly, in a country like Thailand, over 30 percent of the local shops were forced to close and pull down their shutters within 10 years of the entry of Foreign retailers. In India reports suggest that 90% of the total retail business is in the unorganized sector wherein 40 million people depend on unorganised retail for their employment and livelihood. While the Government of India talks about creation of 10 million jobs in the next 3 years, this will lead to 40 million people being uprooted and thrown out from their business. Most of these people are not well educated and will remain unemployed for ever. When we talk about the creation of employment opportunities, these retail vendors in the country who depend on this business for their livelihood will be rendered destitute and will be driven to the streets. Therefore, I strongly feel that this decision of the Government of India is a wrong decision, taken under pressure from a few retail giants, who are starved for capital infusion for their future survival.

The announcement of the Government of India has come as a thunderbolt and shocked millions of small vendors who have been completely taken off guard. Their fear that this move will completely throttle small retailers and distributors is not unfounded. As this will affect the livelihood of millions of small departmental store owners and completely destroy the unorganized retail sector within the next couple of years, I strongly oppose this move of the Government of India to open up the retail trade to Foreign Direct Investment. Though the policy guidelines are yet to be released by the Government of India, any amount of safeguards will not be any use in protecting the interests of the domestic sector. Therefore, I demand that this ill advised move of the Government of India should be reversed as it will not serve to bring down inflation or improve market efficiency. Rather, the domestic manufacturing and services sectors will take a serious hit and the retail trade will be completely taken over by the MNC dominated big retail giants which is not good for our country. Therefore, I am constrained to state that my Government will not allow the multi brand global players as permitted under the new policy to set up their hyper markets in Tamil Nadu.

J JAYALALITHAA

CHIEF MINISTER OF TAMIL NADU

MEDIA FACILITY RESTORED.

2011-11-23T02:01:00.001-08:00

23 Nov 2011

MEDIA FACILITY RESTORED

By R Rajagopalan

The Lok Sabha secretariat relented on Wednesday and restored the media's facility of basic papers like the list of business and question papers that was abruptly stopped on the opening day of winter session on the ground that everything is now available on the net.

The decision was reviewed after journalists protested on Tuesday at the hindrance to their professional work of proper coverage of the House if they do not get hard copy of documents to refer when in the Press Gallery and are supposed to check on the Internet on return to office.

Sources said the secretariat realised the media's handicap from the new paperless policy since they are not allowed to bring their laptops or Ipads in the Press Gallery alike the members of Parliament who have been given the gadget to facilitate the technological shift from the stakes of paper to the new electronic era.

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Media is victim of paperless zeal of Lok Sabha

2011-11-22T02:49:00.001-08:00

22 Nov 2011

MEDIA VICTIM OF PAPERLESS ZEAL OF LOK SABHA

By R Rajagopalan/Jal Khambata

NEW DELHI: Journalists covering the Lok Sabha had to bear the brunt of its zeal for going electronic with a new paperless regime on Tuesday when they arrived for the coverage of the month-long winter session of Parliament.

They were totally crippled by the sudden denial of Parliamentary papers like the list of business and question papers they always used to get as they enter the Press Gallery to keep track of the proceedings and that too without notice.

A group of aggrieved journalists barged into the office of the Secretary-General of the Lok Sabha during an adjournment of the House to convey their professional handicap in providing objective coverage of the House without the papers. They told him how they would be left to guessing the proceedings that take place during the noise and din without the agenda to check what is going on and that may result in misreporting.

Even the public relations department of the Lok Sabha was surprised by the paperless regime thrust on the media, without making any alternate arrangements for access of the information required when in the Press Gallery covering the proceedings. It could do little than to rush an internal note to review the decision not to give any papers to the media.

The new regime is aimed at minimising the huge consumption of paper and ultimately eliminate use of paper totally by putting everything on the Internet.

The MPs are not complaining since they have been provided free either an Apple iPad or Android-based Samsung Galaxy Tab, with a connection from the Parliament hub, to check documents even while in the House and so much so that they can even watch proceedings going on in the other House without moving from their seat. Also, the staff is ready to rush the paper documents on demand from any MP.

The media, however, does not have such a facility. What to say of allowing iPad or laptop in the Press gallery, journalists are not allowed to even take inside their mobile phones, particularly the smart phone on which they can check the necessary agenda and question papers to pursue the proceedings effectively. Moreover, the mobile jammer are installed in the Press Gallery that will not allow any Internet connection even if the rules are relaxed and journalists allowed to take along their equipment for surfing.

Also, a majority of journalists covering the Lok Sabha are still not that computer savvy to work with the help of the net, besides others handicapped by slow Internet connections in their offices. There are a score of journalists working for the language dailies who still write in long hand and have no knowledge of computers. They cried that it is a sort of censure, binding them out as they have no way to get the papers without any computers.

The only silver-lining on the day of despair, though not much since the House just could not function because of pandemonium, for journalists was that they did get the answerbooks of the questions as also the statements made by two ministers, Pranab Mukherjee and Dinesh Trivedi since they are circulated by the staff of the Press Information Bureau (PIB) who do not come under the diktats of the Lok Sabha secretariat.

Not available, however, were four reports of the standing committee on home tabled in the House on Tuesday by its member Navin Jindal, including a report on The Enemy Property (Amendment & Validation) Second Bill, 2010.

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MK Alagiri red flag on Urea Decontrol-wages war with Pranab Mukherjee

2011-11-18T03:16:00.000-08:00

18 Nov 2011

EXCLUSIVE

MK ALAGIRI RAISES RED FLAG FOR DECONTROL OF UREA

TURF WAR INTENSIFIES WITH PRANAB MUKHERJEE

From R Rajagopalan

NEW DELHI: A turf war has intensified between Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Chemicals and Fertiliser Minister M K Alagiri on the decontrol of all fertiliser prices. Mukherjee wants to reduce his subsidy bill. Alagiri has, however, sought the Prime Minister's intervention to scuttle an imminent decontrol of urea as he worried taht it will badly hit the small and marginal farmers.

He has pointed out in a letter to the Prime Minister that the new policy of a partial decontrol of some fertilisers since April 1 last year rather shot up its subsidy bill and their prices doubled without giving more choices to the farmers as envisaged in the policy despite his strong protests.

Mukherjee, as chairman of the Group of Ministers (GoMs) on fertilisers, has been shooting down repeated pleas of Alagiri since February last year on the nutrient based subsidy (NBS) policy that was implemented from April 1 last year. Alagiri had feverishly fought for postponing the policy by at least one year or let Department of Fertilisers implement it in phases.

Sharing the concern over the burgeoning fertiliser subsidy, Alagiri has been taking the stand that any direct cut in the subsidy budget is no solution. Instead, he suggested to enter into long term contracts at reasonable rates and establish joint ventures in the resource-rich countries to source fertilisers.

In a terse note to the Prime Minister, Alagiri has opposed the next move to decontrol urea that was left out from the 2010 policy enforced on the phosphatic and potassic fertilisers known as NPK, pointing out the disaster of allowing the manufacturers and importers, instead of the government, fix the MRP (Maximum Retail Price) of these fertilisers.

He points out that his prophesy in his two letters last year to the finance minister on February 3 and 13 has come true as the fertiliser prices are shooting up and "subsidy bill of the government in NPK sector is also growing incessantly." He is worried that after introduction of the NBS policy, the MRP of fertilisers has rather doubled "which is going against the interest of the farmers as well as food security of the country."

Alagiri had also protested in his February 13 letter last year to Mukherjee to desist from any direct cut in the fertiliser subsidy budget as it would "definitely result in scarcity of fertilisers, which would not only cause farmers' riots but also in reduced overall food grains production." His concern was that "any direct cut in fertiliser subsidy would result in multifold increase in subsidy on imports of food grains."

Mukherjee has, however, remained adamant that the policy has been carefully worked out, keeping in mind all these factors, and hence no scope for any revision. In his letter on February 12, 2010, he also rejected Alagiri's plea in his letter of February 3 that year not to hike the urea price by 10 per cent, pointing out that its MRP has remained unchanged since the year 2002, leading to its excessive use detrimental to the health of the soil as "an unduly low MRP insulates the user from market realities, resulting in unrealistic demand for the product."

In his separate letters dated August 3 this year to both the Prime Minister and Mukherjee, Alagiri has warned that any decontrol of urea "may have significant impact on the availability of urea at affordable prices in different parts of the country and aggravate the situation with respect to small and marginal farmers" as it is the most sensitive and widely used fertiliser in the country.

He has taken a firm stand that "for next 2-3 years any suggestion of implementing Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) regime in heterogeneous urea industry alongwith proposals regarding decontrol of MRP and decanalisation of urea imports is not desirable."

Alagiri points out how impractical the government was to decontrol the prices of NPK fertilisers from April 1 last year, wanting a written assurance from the fertiliser industry to maintain current price line. The Department of Fertiliser did work on getting such assurance, but there was hardly any credible assurance from the industry.

The fertiliser minister says it was impractical for the industry to give such a written assurance, "given the highly volatile nature of prices of fertilisers in the international markets and the fertilisers proposed to be covered in the 2010 NBS are mainly dependent on imports up to 90 per cent." There have also been instances when the price rise has been three to four times in international market over a period of six months, he points out.

Moreover, he said the government can not bind the existing players in the industry as the NPK fertilisers fell under decontrolled category and these are also on OGL (open general licence) which means any new entity can import and sell these fertilisers to farmers and claim the concession and subsidy envisaged in the NBS.

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GRAPEVINES OF UPA2

2011-10-25T05:54:00.001-07:00

ONE LINERS GRAPEVINES OF UPA2

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Union Govt Babudom is disgusted and disgruntled.How UPA2 will pull on further? Crisis in UPA2 bureaucracy.

and personnel policy. Needs mid course correction. Otherwise collapse warn a Union Minister who was once upon a time a Babu

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Pulok Chatterjee nor Ajit Seth could provide leadership in hour of crisis,as they ever handled crisis. Hence UPA2 in crisis

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Neither Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth nor Principal Secretary to PM Pulok Chatterjee served as Secretary to Govt of India. Sorry state of UPA2

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PMO"s Pakoda and gulabjamoon tasty, is the comment of a Union Minister when asked about key agenda of today's Cabinet. Sorry state of UPA2

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Rohit college going son of Rajarshi Bhattacharya won the All India band contest conducted by MTV from 250 bands to select

the band to do the opening act for Metallica for the FI formula One inaugural on October 28

-----------

Internal inquiry ordered about the leakage of a letter from Cabinet Secertary on positioning of Pranab Mukherjee and P Chidambaram

during PM foreign jaunts. PMO is too upset with the leakage.

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emds

PM OPEN CBI MEET ON ANTI CORRUPTION

2011-10-19T01:53:00.001-07:00

PRIME MINISTER WILL INAUGURATE THE 18th BIENNIAL CONFERENCE OF CBI AND STATE ANTI-CORRUPTION BUREAUX ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2011.

The Prime Minister, Dr.Manmohan Singh will inaugurate the 18th Biennial Conference of the Central Bureau of Investigation and State Anti-Corruption Bureaux (ACBx) on 21st October, 2011. The Prime Minister will also present the President’s Police Medals for Distinguished Service to CBI Officers. Minister of State for Personnel Shri V. Narayanasamy will preside over the Valedictory Session of the conference on 22nd October, and will present Police Medals for Meritorious Service to CBI Officers during the Valedictory Session.

The two-day Conference, hosted by the CBI, aims at strengthening the anti-corruption mechanism in the country. The Heads of Anti- Corruption Bureaux / Vigilance agencies from the States and Union Territories, and, CBI officers will deliberate upon the emerging challenges and response in tackling the menace of corruption. Another area on which this conference will be focusing is Preventive Vigilance. The Conference will have seven Sessions during which several presentations & discussions on the subjects of topical interest would be made. Apart from an appraisal of Anti-Corruption Apparatus in the country, other issues to be deliberated upon include: Combating Corruption for Economic Development, Attachment & Forfeiture of Property, Challenges in investigation of Dispropotionate Assets cases, Need for strengthening state anti-corruption machinery and Lokayukta models in some states.

It is expected that this conference will yield positive results in the area of training officers and sharing of best practices with regard to anti-corruption investigation.

The joint conference between CBI and the States / Union Territories Anti-Corruption Bureaux was first organized in 1961 with an intent to provide all the investigating agencies of the country engaged in the task of fighting corruption, a common platform to share information, discuss issues of common interest and evolve strategies to combat corruption. This is the 18th Biennial Conference in this sequence.

************

india china to share

2011-10-18T22:42:00.000-07:00

INDIA, CHINA SHARE TOP POSITION FOR FRAUDS

From Our Delhi Bureau

NEW DELHI: India bagged the dirty reputation of high prevalence of fraud, corruption and bribery in a global survey on economic malpractices conducted by Kroll, an international investment risk consultancy company.

It shares distinction of sharing the top position with China. As many as 84 respondents in the two countries were found victims of frauds, while investments to prevent frauds were almost negligible in these two countries.

Respondents from India cited corruption and bribery (approximately 31 per cent) and information theft, loss or attack (27 per cent) as the most common frauds experienced over the past one year.

For all the markets surveyed, India has the highest percentage of companies hit by the information theft. Internal financial fraud or theft (23 per cent), theft of physical assets or stock (23 per cent), vendor, supplier or procurement fraud (22 per cent), financial mismanagement (22 per cent) and management conflict of interest (19 per cent) are the other frauds reported by companies in India.

Kroll commissioned the London-based Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) to conduct the
worldwide survey on fraud and its effect on business during 2011. A total of 1265 senior executives took part in this survey. EIU is the world's leading resource for economic and business research, forecasting and analysis.

The Kroll report published on Tuesday says almost 78 per cent of the respondents indicated a high or moderate vulnerability to corruption and bribery exposure in India, a figure higher than the Asian average of 63 per cent.

The number of companies with growing exposure to frauds (85 per cent) is the highest for any country or region. High staff turnover was one of the major reasons of fraud exposure according to 41 per cent of the respondents, while 27 per cent believe increased collaboration between firms was a strong factor.

According to the report, the Indian corporations have witnessed erosion in profits and challenges to their reputations due to fraud and corruption.

Richard Dailly, Managing Director for Kroll in India says, the report gives a ringside view of the fraud and corruption picture in India. "Companies need to assess their vulnerability to fraud and should incorporate strong prevention and detection controls," he added.

The report also maintains that companies in India did not appear to be investing in the right anti-fraud measures. Results indicate that less than 50 per cent of respondents in India invest in employee background screening, partner or third party due diligence and risk management systems – a surprising finding given that 59 per cent of those that suffered from fraud and knew the culprit said it was an inside job.

Measures such as third party due diligence, effective and well understood whistle blower systems and well-tested internal risk management systems would help companies in India reduce losses to fraud and corruption.

###

RAHUL GANDHI INVITES ANTI GLOBALISATION THINKER FOR RAJIV GANDHI LECTURE

2011-10-18T22:34:00.000-07:00

RAHUL INVITES ANTI-GLOBALISATION THINKER FOR LECTURE

NEW DELHI: With anti-capitalism protests raging in the West, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi has chosen to invite Prof. Thomas Pogge, an anti-globalisation political philosopher, for a lecture here on Wednesday.

He will be himself chairing the lecture of the Yale professor on globalisation, justice and rights organised on his behest by the Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Studies (RGICS) of which he is a trustee.

Prof. Poggee’s lecture could be a food of thought for both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who claim to be the torch bearers of India’s economic liberalisation and globalisation programmes. The professor questions globalisation and believes that it has given rise to inequalities

Defending invitation to the German philosopher, RGICS director Prof. Mohan Gopal said the job of his institute was to present different view points. “Prof. Poggee has an important point of view in the contemporary world,” he added.

Discounting fears that anti-capitalism protests in the West may turn to India as well, Prof. Gopal said the protests were mostly against job losses. “Whatever they have lost, we have gained. They (West) had put a monopoly and a premium over skills, which are now available elsewhere against lesser prices,” he said.

Prof. Progge is also known for forwarding an idea of the Health Impact Fund (HIF) to stimulate R&D of life saving drugs. He maintains that if the pharmaceutical companies, who make drugs for rich, register their medicine with the HIF, the company will receive additional payments from the fund that are proportionate to health improvements that are
brought about by the registered medicines.

The more effective the medicine is in improving global health, the bigger the payout. Because malaria kills millions, the firm that finds and develops a cure can expect a significant return, he argues.

The professor also believes that wealthy Western liberal democracies were currently harming the world’s poor. “Local elites can afford to be oppressive and corrupt, because, with foreign loans and military aid, they can stay in power even without popular support. And they are often so oppressive and corrupt, because it is, in light of the prevailing extreme international inequalities, far more lucrative for them to cater to the interests of foreign governments and firms than to those of their impoverished compatriots,” he writes in his controversial book 'World Poverty and Human Rights.'

###

advani

2011-10-09T05:03:00.000-07:00

8 Oct 2011

BJP'S THEME SONG FOR ADVANI'S YATRA

From Our Delhi Bureau

NEW DELHI: The Bhartiya Janata Party has adopted the seventh Yatra of its patriarch Lal Krishna Advani from Bihar on Tuesday as its own, naming it as BJP Jan Chetna Yatra, aimed at the mass awakening against the UPA government by highlighting good governance and clean politics.

It has also coined a "Theme Song" for the Yatra that will be launched live in his presence at his Prithviraj Road residence here Sunday evening.

The party has already drafted its two general secretaries, Ananth Kumar and Ravi Shankar Prasad, and two secretaries, Sham Jaju and Murlidhar Rao, to be on duty with Advani throughout his 38-day long journey that ends in Delhi on November 20. Ananth Kumar is the Yatra convener while the three others are co-conveners.

Not taking any chance at any kind of problems during the Yatra, the party has also set up a special coordination control room in the party headquarters at Ashoka Road here and made another secretary Bhupendra Yadav as the incharge. A 12-page booklet has also been brought out giving minutest details of the Yatra and the mobile phone numbers of all those running the show.

###

CONGRESS CORE COMMITTEE ON TELANGANA YES OR NO ON FRIDAY

2011-10-06T00:43:00.000-07:00

6 October 2011

EXCLUSIVE
------------------

CONGRESS CORE COMMITTEE

ON FRIDAY TO TAKE A CALL

"YES OR NO" ON TELANGANA

By R Rajagopalan

The UPA2 government's next move, however, rests on "yes" or "no" to Telangana by the Congress core committee, which meets here on

Friday to take a political decision on the issue that has created a crisis situation in Andhra Pradesh for the past three weeks.

Indications are that the core committee will back the Telangana creation and leave it up to the government to work out the modalities.

The Congress leader, who wanted to remain anonymous as the issue is very sensitive, said Sonia Gandhi has already told the

core committee meeting last week that the party can not go back on its word to give a separate state to the people of Telangana.

Sonia Gandhi reportedly cited the Congress commitment on Telangana in the party's poll manifesto in both 2004 and 2009 as also in

then President APJ Kalam's address to Parliament and the government's own commitment on the floor of the Lok Sabha.

Sources said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has also consulted two former Chief Justices of India and two Governors and they

all were found supporting a smaller state from the better administration point of view.

The Home Ministry has prepared a status paper on 20 days of the Telangana agitation for consideration in Friday's coordination

committee meeting while Home Minister P Chidambaram will provide further inputs in the meeting.

Core Committee however might have taken a call but the stance of the UPA2 might be totally different and expected

to be contradictory.

"Why alone Telangana? We shall push for six other smaller states, the demand for which is pending with the Centre," a top

Congress leader said, giving a perspective on the government's inclination to carve out a separate state of Telangana from

Andhra Pradesh.

The new state, however, may not be born in near future if the government tags its creation with the demand for other states

like Vidarbha in Maharashtra and Bundelkhand in Uttar Pradesh.

The emerging government strategy is to hold further consultations with the political parties as also leaders from Andhra

Pradesh, both supporting and opposition Telangana, and then convene an all-party meeting towards end of the month

after Diwali for a consensus.

It may lob the idea of the smaller states' creation in this meeting and stress that this would take time as formalities like

resolutions from the concerned state assemblies are to be completed before the process can be set into motion.

Sources said such a move will shield the government from the charge of acting under pressure of agitations as it can

defer the piecemeal creation of Telangana until the process is completed for creating other smaller states.

Much more excitement in Congress is that once BJP takes a centre stage in Telangana the communal card

the party expected to play is causing immense concern, in the AICC and also partly in PMO. BJP bent

upon creating hype and momentum on Telangana just to pinch and irritate AICC and PMO.

###

LK ADVANI WANTS TO KNOW WHO ARE THREE IDIOTS IF ALL IS WELL

2011-10-03T02:48:00.000-07:00

3 Oct 2011

UPA IN GRIP OF LEMMINGS COMPLEX, SAYS ADVANI

From Our Delhi Bureau

NEW DELHI: BJP patriarch Lal Krishna Advani on Monday said the UPA Government is in an unenviable mess "of the Congress' own making" and that is why he dubbed it as "being in a suicidal mode" in his valedictory address to the BJP national executive in Delhi last Saturday.

In his latest blog, he said the UPA is behaving like lemmings, a Scandinavian rodent-like animal. "Without rhyme or reason, large number of lemmings start marching towards the sea. Some swim and survive. Most die. These mass suicides of lemmings have long intrigued biologists."

Pointing out that he wrote back in 1980 that "my own (Janata) Party seems to be in the grips of a lemmings complex" just before breaking away to form the BJP, he said: "One can say the same thing about the UPA Government today."

3 IDIOTS: In the tail piece, he writes that he saw on TV (Law Minister) Salman Khurshid virtually jumping with joy shouting "All IZ WELL,", the punchline of a recent popular movie, after the Congress President foisted a 2G truce on the two senior-most ministers. A mediaman told him that a voice from the media was heard asking: "Salman Saheb, can you name the THREE IDIOTS?"

Advani also reiterated his anguish over his partymen in Tihar Jails in the 2008 cash-for-vote scam in the scam. "It is indeed shocking to find that the ruling party these days is exerting its utmost to protect corrupt ministers but has no qualms putting whistle blowers behind bars."

He went to Tihar with Rajya Sabha Opposition leader to meet them and tell them that they had rendered "a signal service to Democracy" by blowing the whistle on the Congress bribing the MPs to cross-vote to enable the UPA government win a vote of confidence even after the Left Front had parted company with them on the India-US nuclear deal.

Referring to the Law Commission's December 2001 report on enactment of laws to protect the whistle blowers, he said the Manmohan Singh government piloted a Bill on the recommended lines in 2010 and it is now being considered by a Standing Committee of Parliament. "The Bill has not become law as yet. But the Cabinet having approved of it, Government should feel committed to its core principle," he said.

CORRUPTION: Advani also commented on the Transparency International's latest Corruption Perception Index for 2010 based on survey of corruption in various countries, pointing out that India scored 3.3 and ranked a lowly 87th out of 178 countries.

He noted that the index assigns scores to countries on a scale of zero to ten, with zero indicating very high levels of corruption, and ten showing very low levels. Three countries – Denmark, Singapore and New Zealand – have scored 9.3 and thus tied for first place in 2010’s List of 178 countries.

While Pakistan scoring 2.3, is 143rd in the List. Afghanistan, Burma and Somalia are the last three in ranking – 176, 177 and 178.

###

GRAPEVINE STORY ON RESIGNATION DRAMA AND HOW RESOLVED BY 3 TOP WOMEN

2011-10-01T00:52:00.000-07:00

30 Sept 2011

Behind the scene flurry of activities in New York and in New Delhi
HOW THREE LADIES AVERTED RESIGNATION CRISIS

NEW DELHI: A drama of resignation played out by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee lies behind Congress President Sonia Gandhi scampering on Thursday to make Home Minister P Chidambaram enter into an uneasy truce with him to stave off a crisis in the UPA Government.

As late as on Wednesday, Mukherjee wanted to step down. He conveyed it to Sonia Gandhi by adding two lines to the 4-page explanatory note to the Prime Minister he forwarded to her, stressing that he wants to resign for above reasons as it is highly taxing for him to continue in the government and that he has already conveyed this to the PM.

He had, in fact, gone to New York to convey to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh his decision to resign on Sunday. The resignation news was, however, under wraps by the diplomatic staff led by the 63-year old India's ambassador Nirupama Rao, a former foreign secretary who pleaded and persuaded him to hold back any such announcement.

She immediately got in touch with the 62-year old Omita Paul, a former Indian Information Service (IIS) officer who took voluntary retirement in 2002 and who commands good influence on him as his adviser since 2004 in whichever ministry he moved -- defence, external affairs and now finance.

Rest of the credit should go to Paul, wife of a former Delhi Police Commissioner, for persuading Mukherjee not to rock the UPA boat by resigning in a huff. She took control over the situation in Delhi, dug out the file of the controversial 2G note and dashed off faxes to Mukherjee in Washington to assure her that the disputed sentence against Chidambaram was not put in it by the finance ministry.

On reaching Delhi on Monday, Mukherjee drove straight to his office in the North Block to go through the entire file of some 450 pages and went to call on Sonia Gandhi only after Omita Paul cooled him further by pointing out that he is not responsible for the objectionable line against Chidambaram added by someone in the PMO before passing on the information on a RTI (right to information) application.

She had also kept ready a 4-page chronological explanatory note that Mukherjee sent over to the Prime Minister and a copy of it to Sonia Gandhi. He deliberately delayed his meeting with the Prime Minister until on Thursday to ensure he has read the note and understood that he is not to be blamed but it is the PMO that messed up and created an unnecessary crisis.

Sources say Dr Manmohan Singh was quite upset when he summoned his principal secretary TKA Nair and national security adviser Shiv Shankar Menon immediately after Mukherjee had left his New York hotel to convey to them the shocking development of his resignation. The PM also put out a call to Sonia Gandhi to share his concern that it is not only Chidambaram who wants to resign but even Mukherjee threatened to quit, only agreeing not to make it public until he (PM) is back from New York.

The Damocles's sword of the Supreme Court remains hanging on Chidambaram until October 10 when it resumes hearing, after the Dussehra vacation, on Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy's petition to order CBI to probe against him. Sources in Mukherjee's camp say he would also not close the matter until the culprit who added remark on Chidambaram creating a suspicion on him is not identified and punished.

But for Sonia Gandhi and her political secretary Ahmed Patel making quick moves to bury the infight, the Prime Minister would have been left with no choice but to accept resignation of his top two ministers. They heeded the party's directive to bury the hatchets, but both remain suspicious of each other as ever.

###

PAWAR ADVISES PRANAB AND CHIDAMBARAM TO PUBLISCISE FACTS ON 2G NOTE

2011-10-01T00:14:00.000-07:00

UPA ally NCP seeks details of resignation drma details

Pawar advises Pranab, Chidambaram to publicise facts on 2G note issue

By ANI | ANI – 59 minutes ago

Thane, Oct 1 (ANI): Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar has advised both Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Home Minister P. Chidambaram to place all facts related to the 2G Spectrum allocation before the public in the interest of good governance.

"In the interest of good governance, Mukherjee and Chidambaram must project the truth about the 2G telecom spectrum allocation," Pawar told the media.

"Whatever the controversy was there, that was created by media, certain of our friends, they have raised this type of issue in some other forum. So, in such situation, what I will refer to my both senior colleagues is to bring proper facts before public at large," said Pawar.

He said the Central Government is trying to present facts related to the 2G spectrum issue in a transparent manner.

"See, the government and the Congress are trying to tell the truth, I didn't see the record, as I don't have anything and the file is in the hands of judge, and see what Congress said about Subramanian Swamy, it has some basis. And, on this basis, some statements have been made. When somebody has not done anything wrong, then a situation of misunderstanding comes, so the government has to find the truth," Pawar said.

It may be recalled that Chidambaram came under fire after a 14-page note, prepared by a senior bureaucrat in the Finance Ministry and seen by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, suggested that Chidambaram could have acted more stridently in 2008 on the spectrum pricing issue, when he was the country's Finance Minister.

The March 25 note to the PMO from the Finance Ministry says Chidambaram could have "stuck to the stand" of an auction of the highly valuable spectrum.

The note came into the public domain under the Right to Information (RTI) Act petition filed by Vivek Garg, a prominent activist.

The telecom scam, one of India"s biggest graft cases ever, may have cost 39.57 billion dollars in revenue to the public exchequer as per the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). (ANI)

Tuesday political grapevine forecast

2011-09-26T09:51:00.000-07:00

POLITICAL GRAPEVINE SNIPPETS

for Tuesday publication

thanks
R Rajagopalan

---------------------------------------------

Tuesday at 1400 hours in Supreme Court ,continuation of arguements on prayer of

CBI inquiry into P Chidambaram role in 2G. Also 2G PMO notes by

first by P P Rao, second is Dr Swamy and finally Prashant Bhushan.

It will end up around 1630 hours.

------

P Chidambaram spent 15 minutes with Sonia Gandhi, while Pranab Mukherjee

discussed for 45 mts. What message does it convey?

-------

Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh reaches New Delhi at 2030 hours on Tuesday.

Hectic back to back meeting scheduled from Wednesday morning,

-------

PM priorities from Wednesday, on 2G, Telangana, PMO notes, Kudankulam to meet

Tamil Nadu all parties delegation . Later DMK team to meet him on Kani release

-------

Dr Subramanian Swamy to produce more crucial documents taken out from Foreign Investment Promotion Board

where Telenor etc.... too sensitive and sensational.

------

ends

SONIA REBUFF LEAVES P CHIDAMBARAM HIGH AND DRY

2011-09-24T21:32:00.000-07:00

http://epaper.mailtoday.in/showtext.aspx?boxid=3342500&parentid=59085&issuedate=2592011#.Tn6uVqFGkVQ.email

SONIA REBUFF LEAVES
PC HIGH AND DRY

By Kay Benedict in New Delhi

PM and Pranab hold crisis meeting in New York on 2G while the Congress chief has no time for Chidambaram

THE home minister P. Chidambaram on Saturday found himself left high and dry with the Congress president Sonia Gandhi declining to grant him an audience.

Party circles interpreted Sonia’s disinclination to meet Chidambaram before discussing the issue with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and finance minister Pranab Mukherjee as his growing isolation in the faction- ridden Congress.

The PM and the finance minister will return from the US on Tuesday.

Sources said Sonia, who has taken a dim view of the latest twist in the 2G row, would discuss the ramification of the controversy with the Big- 3 and then formulate a strategy to counter the Opposition attack.

The rebuff appeared to be a sudden reversal of fortunes for Chidambaram as only two days ago the PM and the Congress had gone all out to shield him from the Opposition’s onslaught, giving the impression of unity within.

The present crisis is a fall- out of the finance ministry’s memorandum to the PMO sent early this year, which said that as the then finance minister Chidambaram could have prevented the controversial 2G spectrum allocation.

The memorandum was accessed through an RTI application and filed before the Supreme Court. Pranab Mukherjee didn’t help matters when he confirmed in Washington that the finance ministry did send the memo to the PMO. Soon after the finance ministry’s memo dated March 25, 2011, which was vetted by Pranab Mukherjee, suggesting that Chidambaram and former telecom minister A. Raja had jointly determined the price for 2G spectrum hit headlines on Wednesday, the home minister spoke to the Prime Minister New York over phone and offered to quit.

Singh, however, reposed full faith in Chidambaram and told him to wait till his return.

A section of the Congress leadership believes that Chidambaram is likely to resign when the PM returns to the Capital.

They feel that the finance ministry’s note was a direct attack on the then finance minister Chidambaram for his role in the spectrum scam.

A Congress politician, who is closely following the 2G spectrum issue, said Chidambaram should take responsibility of the content of the controversial note. “ This is the only note which implicates someone.

All the other notes had some points that could be defended. Someone at the top, either the PM, who asked for the note, the finance minister, who sent the note or the home minister who has been implicated in the note should take responsibility,” the Congress leader said.

A party source said the question of the home minister’s resignation would arise only if the Supreme Court directed the CBI to probe his role in the scam. However, he could step down on moral grounds.

Officially, the party defended all three — the PM, Pranab and Chidambaram and insisted that the matter is sub judice. Besides, the JPC too investigating the scam.

Strongly backing Chidambram, AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh said the RSS had made the home minister a target for speeding investigations in the terror cases involving people from the Sangh Pariwar.

There was concern in party circles that with senior BJP leader L. K. Advani launching his anti- corruption rath yatra next month, the BJP would utilise the fresh controversy to intensify its campaign against the UPA government.

Both the party and the government continued to face intense Opposition fire.

The Opposition persisted with its demand for the scalp of the home minister for the second day on Saturday.

The BJP and the CPM meanwhile upped the ante suggesting that the PM himself is answerable.

fresh controversy buffeted the government after the publication of a letter written by the former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran to the PM seeking dilution of the policy.

While none in the party doubts Chidambaram’s personal integrity, many of his colleagues both in the government and the Congress have ego hassles with the lawyer- economist.

Chidambaram’s position was weakened by a belligerent BJP that launched its sharpest ever attack on the government on Saturday. The saffron party fielded its senior leader Yashwant Sinha to announce that the home minister belongs in “ Tihar jail in the same cell as A. Raja” while the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh too is “ complicit” in the scam.

Armed with the finance ministry’s March, 2011 office memo, the BJP were certain that they had come within striking distance of felling the mighty Congress minister.

Sinha left no doubts on that score.

“ It is quite clear that Chidambaram and his ministry took a stand in the allotment of spectrum policy in the beginning and completely went back on it later. At the same time, they have taken a laughable stand in the Supreme Court arguing against any investigation in Chidambaram’s role in 2G despite vast evidence of his complicity,” Sinha said.

“ We have no doubt he belongs to the same cell as A. Raja. The PM at the same time is protecting Chidambaram.

He is entirely complicit in the steps taken by the then finance minister ( Chidambaram) in the entire 2G scam. He ( PM) is entirely complicit,” he asserted.

AICC general secretary Digvijaya Singh went out of his way to back the home minister. “ Chidambaram is a man of integrity and competence, there is no question of any allegations against him. If there have been losses to the Centre on account of 2G spectrum allocation, it should also be not forgotten that the NDA government had changed the policy of allotment of telecom circles through competitive tendering introduced by the late Narasimha Rao government,” he said.

He said if BJP’s logic is followed then they ( former BJP ministers) should also go to Tihar jail for changing the policy.

Another AICC general secretary said the finance ministry’s memo was a routine communication and the Opposition was making a mountain out of a molehill.

Sources said Mukherjee himself would clarify once he returns to Delhi. “ There was nothing wrong if a formulation by an official on the issue was sent by the finance ministry to the PMO. Any ministry has every right to formulate an opinion on an issue. Opinions are given. The finance minister did not send the forwarded letter. Of course, he did not stop the letter from being sent to the PMO. He should not have even stopped it,” the sources said.

WILL PC RESIGN?

A section of Congress leaders believe that Chidambaram will resign when the Prime Minister returns to the Capital. Singh, however, reposed full faith in him

indian cabinet meet in usa?

2011-09-23T02:28:00.001-07:00

23 Sept 2011

PM HAS ENOUGH MINISTERS IN US TO HOLD CABINET MEET

From Our Delhi correspondent

NEW DELHI: At least a dozen union ministers, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, are abroad and some more are slated to be off to attend conferences abroad in the coming days. To be honest, each one of them is abroad on business and not for pleasure.

A joke in the capital is that the PM, who is now in New York, can very well convene an emergency meeting of the Union Cabinet to discuss the crisis at home created by the letter bomb hitting Home Minister P Chidambaram. He won't have any problem of the corum. There are already seven ministers in the United States and the corum requires a minimum of six.

While Foreign Minister S M Krishna is with him in New York to hold bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session, Mukherjee in Washington to address the India investment forum has three other ministers by his side: Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma, Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and Renewable Energy Minister Farooq Abdullah.

Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad is also in the US attending the UN meeting on non-communicable diseases. On Tuesday, he attended a round-table of the health ministers of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) nations.

Tourism Minister Subodh Kant Sahay went off to a 3-nation tour of the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) on Wednesday, the day the PM and Mukherjee took off separately for the US. CIS consists mostly of the nations that were part of the erstwhile Soviet Union like Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, etc.

While Anand Sharma is busy attending the US-India economic opportunities and synergy summit in the US, his junior Jyotiraditya Scindia is off to Zimbabwe to promote investment and trade links. Human Resources Development and Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal went off to Finland to address a summit on information and network security and then landed in Estonia to sign a couple of agreements.

###

AICTE SAYS MANY FAKE INSTITUTES IN DELHI AND MAHARASHTRA

2011-09-19T22:49:00.001-07:00

M'RASHTRA, DELHI LEAD WITH 75 FAKE INSTITUTES

From Our Delhi correspondent

NEW DELHI: Beware of taking admissions in business management and
other technical institutions, particularly in Maharashtra and Delhi
that have the highest such fake institutes having no recognition and
flaunting bogus affiliation with distant universities to hoodwink the
gullible.

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), the government
body that grants recognition to the courses in management studies,
engineering, information technology, pharmacy, architecture, hotel
management and catering etc., has warned that the degrees and diplomas
awarded by the unrecognised institutes are of no worth, specially if
the candidates seek the government jobs.

Maharashtra and Delhi have 75 fake institutes each as the students can
check from the AICTE's website <www.aicte-india.org> that has
tabulated 348 such institutes enrolling students in large number an
playing with their future.

Andhra Pradesh comes next with 52 such institutes having no
recognition, followed by West Bengal 34, Uttar Pradesh 30, Karnataka
26, Haryana 17 and Tamil Nadu 14.

According to the AICTE officials, this kind of institutes lure
students with glossy brochures claiming to offer degrees through a
tie-up with some central or state university recognised by the
University Grants Commission (UGC) and boasting in-campus recruitment
by the big companies even before they complete their courses.

The officials say students should know that a university approved by
UGC or AICTE can offer technical programmes only to its students and
cannot extend them to other private institutes. They say the AICTE is,
however, helpless in curbing the mushroom growth of such institutes as
it can only notify which institutes are recognised and authorised and
which are not recognised and hence illegal.

The AICTE has been forwarding the list of the bogus institutions to
the state governments, advising them from time to time to ask the
district administration and police to take action against them. The
last such advisory was issued at its instance by the Human Resources
Development Ministry on May 2.

###

POLITICAL GRAPEVINE SNIPPETS

2011-09-19T22:48:00.001-07:00

HEARSAY one liners

New Delhi political grapevine snippets

By R Rajagopalan

---------

2G type scam to explode Private Secretary of a Union Minister of Congress 1994 IAS of

Manipur is being monitored by an investigative agency.

-----------

New look to PMO. Grand welcome reception to young faces headed by Pulok Chatterjee in October.

-----------

PMO Officials hosting a farewell dinner to TKA Nair on 3rd October. He served Dr Singh for 7 years .

TKA Nair was also PS to PM AB Vajpayee

-----------

TKA Nair being eased out as Principal Secretary to Dr Manmohan Singh on October 3rd.

Pulok Chatterjee to take full control of PMO

------------

Tamil Nadu Government has filed a case in Chennai High Court against a close

relative of a Union Minister.

------------

Cabinet Secretariat is concerned over a complaint against a Secretary to Government

of India who attends office in inebriation He is also visiting his relative in Tihar Jail.

Staff car log book revealed secret visits.

-----------

ends

HEARSAY

2011-09-19T22:46:00.001-07:00

HEARSAY

for publication on Wedensday

September 21, 2011

Thanks

R Rajagopalan

New Delhi

----------

Six Union Ministers are in New York on

Friday. Dr Manmohan Singh to stay in USA

for 5 days. Should not Singh convene

a Union Cabinet meeting in USA.

----------

DMK Chief Karunanidhi pens a three pages

handwritten marked personal a letter to

Sonia Gandhi. Kanimozhi in Tihar for four

months is a political vendetta.

-----------

DMK MP Kanimozhi screams and faints at CBI court,

WIll I ever get freedom? 120 days have not hugged my

son Aditya. Emotional scenes in court when mother

wiped out tears of Kanimozhi.

-----------

Will LK Advani write to Jayalalitha for ADMK delegation

to greet his anti Corruption Rath Yatra?

----------

V Narayanaswamy Minister in PMO to seek appointment

with Jayalalitha as directed by Dr Manmohan Singh

on Kudankulam nuclear project. First time a Congress

Union Minister calling on Jaya in Fort St. George

secretariat.Do not entertain too much political interpretation

in this first meeting between Congress and ADMK leaders.

--------

Narendra bhai Modi wrote a "Big thanks' personal letter

to Jayalalitha soon after ending his fast

--------

3 Yatras- in October. Union Home Ministry has

security concerns. Once bitten twice shy from

Anna Hazare, Baba Ramdev and LK Advani

PC wants Home Secretary to oversee Yatra

security/protections

----------

Vyalar Ravi, Gulam Nabi and Anand Sharma

smiled signaled by winkling eyes and tapped

shoulders on the continued presence of junior

minister Jayanthi Natarajan in Union Cabinet

--------

ends

BJP TEAM REPORT ON LAND SWAP WITH BANGLA DESH PUT GOVT IN TIGHT SPOT

2011-09-13T01:12:00.000-07:00

13 Sept 2011

LAND SWAP WITH BANGLA DESH TO PUT GOVT IN SPOT

From Our Delhi correspondent

NEW DELHI: The land swap deal signed with Bangladesh during the Prime Minister's Dhaka trip last week may not be easy for the government to implement as it requires an amendment in the Constitution and the main opposition Bhartiya Janata Party will not be game for it.

Shrouded in secrecy, the deal is suspected to have ceded 10,000 acres of land to Bangladesh in the name of peace with the neighbour. All that was made public is that India gave 55 enclaves on the border to Bangladesh in return for 111 from it. The number of enclaves given away on platter are just half the gain, but their total area is much bigger, the critics allege.

Since most of the border land so ceded is from Assam, an agitation has already begun in the state with the opposition AGP trying to make capital out of it by putting in the dock Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi as party to the deal since he was part of the delegation that accompanied Dr Manmohan Singh to Dhaka for signing various agreements. It accused Gogoi of breaching trust of the people of Assam.

Asking the government to make public full details of the deal, specifying the areas ceded, the BJP has set up a study group headed by Rajya Sabha deputy leader S S Ahluwalia to examine it by consulting the stake-holders, including MPs, MLAs, Panchayat representatives and concerned citizens and submit a comprehensive report at the earliest.

BJP Vice-President Bijoy Chakraborty, secretary Muralidhar Rao and three MPs --Kabinder Purkayasth, Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Chandan Mitra-- are members of the group.
Shri Sarbonand Sonval former MP and Member, National Executive, BJP will function as the coordinator of the group and Shri Mission Ranjan as Co-Coordinator.

Since the deal involves ceding of land to a foreign nation, it requires Parliament's approval with voting by the two-third MPs through a constitutional amendment. It is not for the first time that some land is ceded to Bangladesh. Back in September 1958, India had signed an agreement, ceding Berubari in West Bengal to then east Pakistan and the procedure adopted then will have to be followed this time too.

The President had referred the matter to the Supreme Court for its opinion on how the agreement could be implemented. A Constitution Bench of eight judges held that it requires Parliament's endorsement. It ruled that "the agreement amounts to cession of a part of the territory of India in favour of Pakistan and so its implementation would naturally involve the alteration of the content and the consequent amendment of Article 1 and of the relevant part of the First Schedule of the Constitution, because such implementation would necessarily lead to the diminution of the territory of the Union of India. Such an amendment can be made under Article 368."

Following the Supreme Court's observation, Jawaharlal Nehru got the Constitution's Ninth Amendment passed to implement the India-Pakistan agreement. Dr Manmohan Singh will have to follow the same route and if he fails to get the amendment passed, the agreement with Bangladesh can become invalid.

The same procedure was followed in the acquisition of the Goa, Daman and Diu territories in 1962 through the 12th Constitution amendment and that of Sikkim in 1975 through the 36th Constitution amendment and will be required to merge into Indian territory the enclaves conceded by Bangladesh and remove from its territory the land ceded to Bangladesh.

Though the BJP held back its stand while asking the government to put the deal with Bangladesh on paper, its senior leaders say the the party was opposed to any surrender of the Indian territory from the beginning and hence no question of supporting the deal in Parliament.

###

VOTERS UNMOVED BY 24 HOURS TV NEWS CHANNELS

2011-09-13T01:10:00.001-07:00

13 Sept 2011

VOTERS UNMOVED BY 24-HOUR NEWS CHANNELS

NEW DELHI: That is the finding of a research in the United States and it may be equally true in India where the TV news channels recycle the same news again and again. The research carried out by Michigan State University says oversaturation of Washington news via 24-hour news channels and the Internet may be why stories focusing on Washington debate have little to no effect on public opinion polls.

The research says politicians who use the media to get their message out have little influence on the voters who are more apt to be swayed by news stories about grassroot protests and local events.,

"What this says is that maybe politicians can't use the bully pulpit to influence public opinion through the news media as much as many people thought they could," says Prof. Corwin Smidt in the study published in Public Opinion Quarterly.

Smidt looked at media coverage of two national issues—gun control in 2000 and health care reforms in 2009—and in both cases found that stories focusing on Washington debate had little to no effect on public opinion polls, possibly due to oversaturation of Washington news via 24-hour news channels and the Internet.

But news coverage of protests seemed to strike a chord. For example, coverage of the Million Mom March in 2000, designed to rally support for stricter gun-ownership laws, was highly influential in shaping public agenda. News stories chronicling high-profile gun crimes also were influential in opinion polls, although less so than protests.

Smidt didn’t look at why the news media covered certain stories, but rather how the public reacted. While some believe the news media sets the public agenda, he says that may not necessarily be the case. "The news media are still the gatekeepers—in that if they don’t cover something we probably won’t hear about it—but everything they cover does not have the same effect. It actually may be the storyline within the news that provokes opinion."

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mamta affronts pranab da

2011-09-12T18:07:00.001-07:00

13 Sept 2011

MAMATA AFFRONTS PRANAB DA

NEW DELHI: In an affront to Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has refused to relieve an IAS officer he wanted as his private secretary in what appears to be fast soiling relations between the two since differences cropped up over Teesta river deal with Bangladesh.

Mukherjee had sought transfer of the 38-year old Saumitra Mohan, a 2002 batch IAS officer posted in Birbhum district as the collector, to the Centre to fill the vacancy caused by promotion of his present private secretary Manoj Pant, also a West Bengal cadre IAS officer of 1991 batch.

Since his son Abhijit was elected to the Assembly from Birbhum, Mamata suspected that Mukherjee wants to reward the collector with a central posting for helping Abhijit in the elections and hence she rather issued orders transferring Mohan to Darjeeling.

Pant, who has already completed his central tenure and who can not continue as the minister's private secretary since after his promotion, is being sent to the World Bank as the deputy secretary to Executive Director M N Prasad, who takes over the post in December from Pulok Chatterjee returning to Delhi to head the PMO as principal secretary to the PM.

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who will be acting Prime Minister next week?

2011-09-12T04:13:00.001-07:00

12 Sept 2011

WHO WILL BE ACTING PM NEXT WEEK?
By R Rajagopalan
NEW DELHI: Who will be performing responsibilities of the Prime Minister during Dr Manmohan Singh's one-week absence from India next week to attend the United Nations General Assembly session in New York? He will be flying out on September 21 and will be back on September 28.

Both Dr Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee are flying out to the United States around the same time as otherwise the latter has been performing the PM's duties during his absence as a de facto No 2 in the Cabinet. Mukherjee is going to Washington to attend the 2011 annual meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund slated from September 23 to 25.

Dr Manmohan Singh will be nominating one of the Cabinet ministers in writing to coordinate on his behalf on any matters requiring urgent decision and chaired the Cabinet and other Cabinet committee meetings that may be necessary.

Though it is a formality, he may like the decision taken at the highest political level and may even approach Congress President Sonia Gandhi, recuperating since after return here last week after a surgery in New York, to decide the name. The issue figured in the Congress core committee meeting he chaired last week, but it was left to him to decide the name in consultation with Sonia Gandhi.

It can be either Home Minister P Chidambaram or Defence Minister A K Antony. The PM would have right away picked up Chidambaram as it is usually the home minister who performs such duties. However, not this time unless Sonia approves.

The PM's dilemma arises from the fact that Sonia Gandhi had last month grafted Antony and not Chidambaram or any other minister from the government in the 4-member caretaker team she formed to run the party when she flew out for the surgery.

In the past, it has been always Pranab Mukherjee who took over responsibilities of the PM and chaired the emergency Cabinet meetings, be it during Dr Manmohan Singh's heart surgery or his foreign trips, including one to Bangladesh last week when the bomb blast at Delhi High Court rocked the nation.

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Arvind Kejriwal will defeat P Chidambaram, Kiran Bedi will drounce Kapil SIbal

2011-09-03T05:45:00.000-07:00

Dear News Editors:

Below are the highlights of the STAR News-Nielsen survey done after Anna Hazare called off his fast last week. The survey was done across 28 cities. Attached are the detailed survey findings.

Regards,

Abhijit Das,

Senior Executive Editor.

STAR News-Nielsen survey: Congress in Free Fall as BJP gains most from Anna Campaign

New Delhi: Anna Hazare's campaign for Jan Lokpal Bill and his crusade against corruption has given the beleaguered Opposition, particularly the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a platform to contest the Lok Sabha polls.

A STAR News-Nielsen survey conducted across 28 cities with close to 9000 respondents after Anna ended his fast – has revealed that the BJP would garner 32 per cent of the votes across the country if elections were held tomorrow, while the Congress would manage only 20 per cent. In fact, the BJP has turned out to be the most favoured party across all regions – 40:27 in the north; 20:15 in the east, and 46:15 in the west – barring the south, where 20 per cent respondents still prefer the Congress, while 16 per cent prefer the BJP.

The numbers mentioned above is in stark contrast to the ones that came out in a similar survey conducted by STAR News-Nielsen in May 2011 – before the Anna movement gripped the country’s imagination. Barely four months ago, was the Congress leading the pack with 30 per cent of the vote share while BJP had only 23 per cent. Also, except the west, the Congress was leading in all zones.

In the current Lok Sabha, Congress has 207 seats and BJP has 115 seats.

Anna’s movement, and the way the UPA government handled the situation, seems to have swayed a number of people who voted for Congress during last General election – around 11 per cent of the respondents who voted for the Congress last time now intend to vote for the BJP, while only 5 per cent are switching away from the BJP.

Ministers, not Manmohan to be blamed:

A majority believe that the government misread the situation and bungled by arresting the Gandhian on the morning of August 16. Around 54 per cent of the respondents said that the situation was poorly handled by Congress. The respondents, however, absolved prime minister Manmohan Singh of the blame — 64 per cent said that his senior misters of the UPA regime were responsible for the poor handling of this situation. A majority – 54 per cent – also believe that even Sonia Gandhi wouldn't have been able to handle the situation better.

Not the right time for Rahul:

Even Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi seems to have hit the wrong note with the masses, with 54 per cent of the respondents saying that this is not the right time for Rahul Gandhi to take over as the Prime Minister of the country. If Anna Hazare and Rahul were to face-off in an election tomorrow, 78 per cent of the respondents would vote for the activist, while only 17 per cent would pick Rahul Gandhi over him. Surprisingly, even the youth respondents aged 18-25 prefer Anna over Rahul.

Team Anna in the Parliament!

Throughout Anna Hazare’s campaign, several UPA leaders, most vocally Kapil Sibal, had said that a few thousand people supporting Anna, do not represent a country of 1.2 billion. They even challenged his team members to prove its legitimacy in the elections. But if they were to contest elections against Team Anna members tomorrow, the politicians would be in for a surprise.

In a Kiran Bedi vs Kapil Sibal contest, 74 per cent of respondents in the STAR News-Nielsen survey would vote for the iconic former IPS officer, while Sibal would manage just 14 per cent. Similarly, a contest between Arvind Kejriwal and P Chidambaram would end up in a defeat for the home minister — 58 per cent of the respondents claim they will vote for the RTI activist while 24 per cent would choose Chidambaram.

Interestingly, the Anna campaign has given the country a brand new youth icon. Around 62 per cent of the respondents feel that Arvind Kejriwal, the most vocal member has as the new role model for young India. He has significantly higher approval ratings in north (75 per cent).

Annarchy or anarchy?

Anna’s methods for getting the Jan Lokpal Bill passed drew criticism from various quarters — some said it was against our Constitution, while others accused him of being extremely rigid with his demands. However, the respondents in the STAR News-Nielsen survey have shown an overwhelming support for Anna’s stand, with a staggering 82 per cent saying that the Gandhian’s way of protesting – fast until death if his demands are not accepted – was the right way to force the government. Only 12 per cent disagreed with Anna’s methods, saying that he was blackmailing the government.

Craft of graft

A majority of the people surveyed also believe that the passage Lokpal Bill would be a major milestone in India’s battle against graft. Around 56 per cent of the respondents believe that believe that the government must not dither and pass the Bill immediately and amendments required can be made through subsequent Bills. Also, 53 per cent of the respondents believe that a strong and potent Lokpal Bill would make India a corruption-free country in the next five years. Around 40 per cent said Lokpal wouldn’t do much to end graft.

Respondents however do not lay the blame for corruption on the doors of any particular political party — a third of respondents (75 per cent) believe that all parties are equally responsible for corruption. Another 49 per cent of the respondents believe that feels that giving or accepting bribe is in the fabric of the country and it cannot be stopped by people in India. A similar number — 46 per cent — believe that corruption can be stopped if people unite against it.

Main Points in Hindi –

सर्वे की सबसे बड़ी बात

अन्ना के आंदोलन से बीजेपी की कांग्रेस पर बढ़त

सर्वे की 10 बड़ी बातें

(1) अन्ना का आंदोलन जहां सबसे तेज़ था वहीं बीजेपी को सबसे ज्यादा फायदा

(2) 54% लोग मानते हैं कांग्रेस ने अन्ना के अनशन को ठीक से नही निपटा

(3) 64% लोग मानते हैं कि हालात से ठीक से न निपटने के लिए प्रधानमंत्री नही UPA सरकार के वरिष्ठ मंत्री जिम्मेदार

(4) 75% लोगों का कहना है कि भ्रष्टाचार के लिए सभी राजनीतिक पार्टियां जिम्मेदार

(5) 54% लोग मानते हैं कि राहुल गांधी को इस वक्त प्रधानमंत्री पद से दूर रहना चाहिए

(6) 62% लोगों का कहना है अरविंद केजरीवाल युवकों के नए नायक बन कर उभरे हैं

(7) अन्ना हजारे, किरन बेदी और अरविंद केजरीवाल – राहुल गांधी, कपिल सिब्बल और पी चिदंबरम पर चुनावों में भारी पड़ सकते हैं

(8) 53% लोग मानते हैं कि अगर मजबूत लोकपाल बिल पास हो तो 5 साल में देश से भ्रष्टाचार खत्म हो जाएगा

(9) 49% लोगों का मानना है कि रिश्वत न लेने और न देने की शपथ खाने से ही भ्रष्टाचार नहीं मिटेगा

(10) 82% लोगों का मानना है कि अपनी मांग मनवाने का अन्ना का तरीका सही था ब्लैकमेलिंग नहीं

धन्यवाद

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JUSTICE SEN CONDITIONAL RESIGNATION LETTER

2011-09-02T02:57:00.001-07:00

Subject: justice sen's letter to LS Speaker
Respected Madam, With a very heavy heart and a deep sense of anguish I am
writing this letter to you. I was elevated as a
Judge of Calcutta high court on 3rd December 2003.

Till such time I carried on with my judicial functions no one either from
the Bar or from the Civil Society has raised any complaint regarding my
integrity honesty and competence.

There is no complaint against me even today regarding my conduct as a Judge
while discharging my judicial functions or my conduct as a judge outside
the Court.

I am not guilty of any form of corruption, there is no allegation against
me that I am guilty of passing any order or judgment for extraneous
consideration or that I have abused my power in any way so that my family
or relatives or acquaintances have amassed wealth, but sadly I am still
facing a motion for impeachment.

In every case that has come so far before the Parliament for impeachment
there were serious allegations of misbehaviour as a judge as contemplated
under Article 124(4) read with 217 of the Constitution of India.

However my case is unique and perhaps this for the first time and hopefully
the last that my conduct as a junior Advocate nearly 19 years ago is being
looked into for proceeding with the Motion for impeachment despite a
judgment passed by the Hon'ble Division Bench of the Hon'ble Calcutta high
court clearing me of all charges.

It seems that in the wake of a tsunami like wave that has arisen in this
Country, I am being swept away by such a wave. In the anxiety to take
definitive action against corruption even a Judgment passed by a competent
Division Bench is being completely brushed aside with the remark that the
Hon'ble Judges of the Division Bench have favoured me. Parliamentary Rules
barring discussion in a motion regarding abstract questions of Law which
also involves such discussions in this matter has been given a go bye.
Further, Parliamentary Rules also prohibits moving of a motion in relation
to matter which is subjudice, in this case the main application and the
suit are still pending before the Calcutta High Court. The liberty given to
me by the learned single Judge by an order dated 31st July 2007 is still
available to me. Even then the Motion is being proceeded with.

Respected Madam, it is needless to mention that a Judgment remains a
Judgment, until it is set aside by a Higher Judicial forum. Fair criticism
of a Judgment is permissible but correctness and/or incorrectness thereof
cannot be questioned by any one other than before a higher judicial forum.

Respected Madam, you are perhaps aware of the Charges against me. The first
charge clearly indicates that it is outside the scope and purview of
Article 124(4) read with 217 of the Constitution of India, as the
investigation into the said charge would necessarily be in respect of an
Advocate Receiver and not a Judge in office. The Calcutta High Court is a
Court of Record under Article 215 of the Constitution of India, having
plenary power to punish for offences committed to it. It is needless to
mention that an Advocate Receiver appointed by the Court is an office of
Court and not a public servant.

Therefore only the Court appointing the Receiver has the power to either
punish or exonerate its own officers. In this case my conduct as a Receiver
for committing the alleged offences have been duly examined by a Division
Bench, which has found me not guilty as charged. Even then impeachment
proceeding has been initiated against me.

A Judge is also a citizen of this Great Nation and my fundamental right
guaranteed under Article 14 of the Constitution of India cannot be denied.

The fundamental right guaranteed under the Constitution of India can only
be suspended in a state of emergency under Article 352 of the Constitution
of India. In the instant case it has been argued in support of the Motion
before the Rajya Sabha that in case of larger public interest there is no
binding force of Judicial Order.

Respected Madam, I do not come from a family of Judges or politicians. I
was born and brought up in Assam and came all the way to Calcutta to try my
luck. By the grace of God and the hard work I put in as a Lawyer my name
was suggested for being appointed as a Judge by the senior Judges of the
Calcutta High court who have seen me appearing before them day after day
and arguing matters with honesty integrity and competence.

I had a fairly lucrative practice which I gave up not to amass wealth by
resorting to corruption but to serve the august institution being the
judiciary and consequently the Nation. I have tried to serve in accordance
with oath of office to the best of my ability. Therefore it hurts, when
charges are leveled against me as a Judge.

My action as an Advocate has not caused prejudice to any one, who is really
interested in the matter. I may have made mistakes as a junior advocate 19
years from now but then who is above making mistakes, no human being is
infallible, but to accuse me of dishonest intention as a judge or otherwise
I firmly repudiate and that is why in spite of being offered V.R.S
(Voluntary Retirement Scheme) in lieu of resignation was not accepted by
me. If I really had dishonest intention I would have taken the easy route
of either resigning or accepting VRS instead of facing the ignominy of
being the first Judge of Independent India to be Impeached.

It is my conviction, which I shall carry till my end, that I am not guilty
as charged. Facts can be presented in either way but when there is serious
lack of evidence which I have repeatedly pointed out; a High Court Judge
cannot be impeached merely on the basis of presumption of guilt based upon
certain error of judgment committed as a junior Advocate more than a decade
prior to his elevation. It seems my conduct as a Judge in carrying out my
judicial functions and out side the court as a judge has become
inconsequential.

In the present mood of the Country, where the Civil Society has raised
their voice against serious issues of corruptions regarding scams involving
hundreds and thousands of crores, my lone voice that I am not guilty as
charged cannot be heard. I wonder, whether my issue is the real issue of
corruption and abuse of power by people in high places or I am being made a
sacrificial lamb in the alter of justice as a showcase to tell the Nation
that at least something has been done to clean the Institution from
corruption.

Respected Madam, certain allegations have been leveled against me in my
absence before the Rajya Sabha that I have mislead the House. I did not get
any chance to rebut such allegations. Considering the fact similar
procedure has been adopted before the Lok Sabha that I will not get any
chance of rebuttal, I would like to bring to your kind attention certain
facts which will prove beyond doubt that I have not mislead the House. The
correct facts are set out in an enclosure to this letter.

Honestly and humbly I apprehend that as Hon'ble Members of Rajya Sabha of
different parties have already expressed their views and I feel that it may
not be reasonable for me to take the time of this August House for my
defense, and also in view of the fact that I am being allotted a fixed time
which I respectfully submit is inadequate, for properly making my
submission before the Hon'ble House and also in view of the fact that I
shall have no chance of rebuttal in respect of the submission that will be
made by Hon'ble members in my absence in House, it may not be proper for me
to take the time of the House further as it appears to be a foregone
conclusion. This apprehension has turned into a conviction by reason of the
fact that some members in spite of expressing reservations to vote in
favour of the Motion but nonetheless have voted as they were morally bound
to support the Motion as they have signed it, and as such I have decided
humbly to submit my resignation to the Hon'ble Rastrapatiji for her kind
consideration and acceptance.

Thanking you

Yours Sincerely

Soumitra Sen

SHAM IN THE NAME OF REVIVING NALANDA HERITAGE

2011-09-01T03:44:00.000-07:00

31 Aug 2011

EXCLUSIVE

SHAM IN THE NAME OF REVIVING NALANDA HERITAGE

By R Rajagopalan/Jal Khambata

NEW DELHI: An ambitious plan of setting up the Nalanda University on the ruins of the ancient Nalanda, a great seat of learning in Buddhist philosophy and statecraft as perhaps the first residential international educational institution from 5th to 12th century off Patna, is besmirched with controversies even before it starts any academic courses.

The Ministry of External Affairs Ministry took over it as its baby since it has been conceptualised as an international university involving the 16 ASEAN countries like China, Japan, Australia, Korea and Thailand and made a sham of it, instead of letting it managed by the Human Resources Development Ministry having experience in the field of education.

It spent Rs 2.11 crores on meetings held by a "mentor group" constituted under the chairmanship of Prof. Amartya Sen in Singapore, Tokyo, New York, Delhi and Gaya to conceptualise establishment of the university and Parliament enacted the law for it in 2010 which was notified on September 22, 2010.

The controversy, however, erupted with the appointment of a "Vice Chancellor-designate" of the new university even before the Act was notified for its establishment and that too at a fantastic monthly salary of Rs 5 lakhs plus, which is more than the double salary of even Delhi University vice-chancellor.

The incumbent, Ms Gopa Sabharwal, appointed through an order issued by a secretary in MEA on the recommendation of the mentor group, is just a reader in the department of sociology in the Lady Sri Ram College here and nothing to do with the Buddhist studies for which the university is to be set up. She did not meet the mandatory qualification set by the University Grants Commission (UGC) for the vice-chancellors of the central and state universities to be distinguished academicians, with a minimum ten years of experience as a professor in a university system.

Questions are being asked as to who authorised the mentor group to recommend name of the first VC of the university and why the ministry accepted the single name without seeking a panel of names required for such an appointment. However, Minister of State of External Affairs E Ahamed flatly denied appointment of any such vice-chancellor of the Nalanda University when asked by a BJP MP Anil Dave in the Rajya Sabha on August 25.

Giving hoots to the government's recruitment rules that require public notice, Dr Sabharwal picked up her friend Dr Anjana Sharma, a collaborator in a book project and an associate professor in Delhi University, as the Officer-on-Special Duty (OSD) on deputation, with gross monthly salary of Rs 3.30 lakhs, which is more than the salary of even a vice-chancellor in India.

Neither anyone in the mentor group nor Dr Sabharwal has any background of Nalanda nor did they consult any Buddhist or Tibetan institutions well-versed with the Nalanda tradition and found nothing wrong in setting up headquarters of the university in a rented building in the R K Puram area of south Delhi in January this year. The Act specifically says the university's headquarters shall be in Nalanda district in Bihar but who cares. Obviously, the Delhi-bred Dr Sabharwal and her OSD Ms Sharma did not want to shift to a backward Nalanda.

The Standing Committee of the ministry says in its report just tabled in Parliament that the Nalanda project was estimated in 2007 to cost Rs 1005 crores and this may have to be revised and the same mentor group has now become the interim governing board of the University. In its very first meeting in February, this board nominated adviser committee to help out and two persons representing India in it are Ms Upinder Singh, daughter of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and her colleague Ms Nayanjot Lahiri, who are no expert on any aspect of the Nalanda tradition or history.

The Bihar Government has already acquired and transferred 446 acres of land in Rajbir, in the vicinity of the original Nalanda University site, but there seems nobody to monitor whether the new university will be living up to the reflected glory and really built in a contemporary form involving India and other East Asian countries as envisaged in it conceptualisation.

###

NEW DELHI: An ambitious plan of setting up the Nalanda University on the ruins of the ancient Nalanda, a great seat of learning in Buddhist philosophy and statecraft as perhaps the first residential international educational institution from 5th to 12th century off Patna, is besmirched with controversies even before it starts any academic courses.

The Ministry of External Affairs Ministry took over it as its baby since it has been conceptualised as an international university involving the 16 ASEAN countries like China, Japan, Australia, Korea and Thailand and made a sham of it, instead of letting it managed by the Human Resources Development Ministry having experience in the field of education.

It spent Rs 2.11 crores on meetings held by a "mentor group" constituted under the chairmanship of Prof. Amartya Sen in Singapore, Tokyo, New York, Delhi and Gaya to conceptualise establishment of the university and Parliament enacted the law for it in 2010 which was notified on September 22, 2010.

The controversy, however, erupted with the appointment of a "Vice Chancellor-designate" of the new university even before the Act was notified for its establishment and that too at a fantastic monthly salary of Rs 5 lakhs plus, which is more than the double salary of even Delhi University vice-chancellor.

The incumbent, Ms Gopa Sabharwal, appointed through an order issued by a secretary in MEA on the recommendation of the mentor group, is just a reader in the department of sociology in the Lady Sri Ram College here and nothing to do with the Buddhist studies for which the university is to be set up. She did not meet the mandatory qualification set by the University Grants Commission (UGC) for the vice-chancellors of the central and state universities to be distinguished academicians, with a minimum ten years of experience as a professor in a university system.

Questions are being asked as to who authorised the mentor group to recommend name of the first VC of the university and why the ministry accepted the single name without seeking a panel of names required for such an appointment. However, Minister of State of External Affairs E Ahamed flatly denied appointment of any such vice-chancellor of the Nalanda University when asked by a BJP MP Anil Dave in the Rajya Sabha on August 25.

Giving hoots to the government's recruitment rules that require public notice, Dr Sabharwal picked up her friend Dr Anjana Sharma, a collaborator in a book project and an associate professor in Delhi University, as the Officer-on-Special Duty (OSD) on deputation, with gross monthly salary of Rs 3.30 lakhs, which is more than the salary of even a vice-chancellor in India.

Neither anyone in the mentor group nor Dr Sabharwal has any background of Nalanda nor did they consult any Buddhist or Tibetan institutions well-versed with the Nalanda tradition and found nothing wrong in setting up headquarters of the university in a rented building in the R K Puram area of south Delhi in January this year. The Act specifically says the university's headquarters shall be in Nalanda district in Bihar but who cares. Obviously, the Delhi-bred Dr Sabharwal and her OSD Ms Sharma did not want to shift to a backward Nalanda.

The Standing Committee of the ministry says in its report just tabled in Parliament that the Nalanda project was estimated in 2007 to cost Rs 1005 crores and this may have to be revised and the same mentor group has now become the interim governing board of the University. In its very first meeting in February, this board nominated adviser committee to help out and two persons representing India in it are Ms Upinder Singh, daughter of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and her colleague Ms Nayanjot Lahiri, who are no expert on any aspect of the Nalanda tradition or history.

The Bihar Government has already acquired and transferred 446 acres of land in Rajbir, in the vicinity of the original Nalanda University site, but there seems nobody to monitor whether the new university will be living up to the reflected glory and really built in a contemporary form involving India and other East Asian countries as envisaged in it conceptualisation.

###

dalit leader to submit his own version of lokpal bill

2011-09-01T03:41:00.001-07:00

1 Sept 2011

DALIT LEADER TO SUBMIT OWN VERSION OF LOKPAL BILL

NEW DELHI: The Delhi-based Dalit leader Udit Raj will be heading a delegation to Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi's residence here Friday evening to present the "Bahujan Lokpal Bill" to the parliamentary standing committee he heads.

After not succeeding to persuade the government to include his Bill in the discussions on various drafts held in Parliament last Saturday, he wants to show to the standing committee that all three drafts of the government, Team Anna and the National Campaign for People's Right to Information are "incomplete" not taking care of the holistic aspects of corruption.

In a statement on Thursday, he said: "The biggest issue of corruption is the 3000-years old caste system within the Indian societies while three drafts of the Bill do not address the issues of SC/ST/OBC and Minorities."

The Bill prepared by him on behalf of the Dalit Bahujan communities not only seeks to cover monetary corruption, but also "socio-political corruption, education/economic corruption, religions-based corruption and communal-based corruption."

#

delhi to host south asian games in 2012

2011-08-31T06:41:00.001-07:00

31 Aug 2011

DELHI TO HOST SOUTH ASIAN GAMES TOO!

From Our Delhi Bureau

NEW DELHI: Not yet recovered from the tainted Commonwealth Games (CWG), Delhi now plans to host the 2012 South Asian Games, tentatively planned between October and November next year.

The Indian Olympic Association, which is headed by senior BJP leader Vijay Kumar Malhotra as its senior vice-president since after its chief Suresh Kalmadi was arrested and put in jail in the CWG scams, wants the games in Delhi, though Ranchi and Chennai offered to host them.

"Both Chennai and Ranchi have the infrastructure. But we felt Delhi, having hosted the Commonwealth Games, is more prepared," Malhotra said, claiming that he has secured an in-principle nod from a reluctant Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.

She, however, wants her government's role clearly defined if it is to organise the games that is expected to attract over 2000 players as she says the CWG controversies are still nagging her and she does not want any more.

The IOA has estimated the expenditure at Rs 50-60 crores but the actual sum can go up alike the CWG, though Malhotra says there would not be much expenditure since the CWG facilities are already there for use in the new event.

Ticklish issue is the funding. The IOA, a conglomeration of various sports bodies in India, does not have money to host the event. Delhi chief secretary P K Tripathi has communicated to the Sport Ministry that "the government of Delhi would be willing to help in the organisation of the (South Asian) Games, provided the Government of India is willing to bear the expenditure."

Malhotra is quite clear. The IOA does not want to get any blame for anything going wrong. "We would be more than happy to hand over (organisation of the event) if the Sports Ministry handles the finances," he said.

###

GRAFT IN RURAL EMPLOYMENT ONLY TIP OF ICEBERG

2011-08-30T18:10:00.000-07:00

GRAFT IN RURAL EMPLOYMENT "ONLY TIP OF ICEBERG"

From Our Delhi Bureau

NEW DELHI: A parliamentary standing committee headed by a Congress MP has slammed the government for massive corruption in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (MGNREGA), stressing that "the number of corruption cases s reported is just a tip of the iceberg.

In its report on disbursement of wages under the programme through post offices, the panel expressed shock at discrepancies in the records furnished by the Department of Posts (DOP) and Department of Rural Development (DRD). While DOP claimed only seven cases of frauds in the accounts of the beneficiaries, the DRD records showed 244 such frauds.

"Huge gaps in the data of the two departments raise a question mark about the system of maintaining as well as monitoring of accounts under MGNREGA, one of the biggest centrally-sponsored scheme of the Union Government," says the report of the panel headed by Rao Inderjit Singh, a Congress MP from Gurgaon, Haryana.

It noted that the gap in data submitted by the two departments widened to 13 lakhs in terms of the workers engaged in MGNREGA works and there was also a big difference in their accounts of the wages paid by over Rs 1000 crores in 2009-10. This gap further widened in 2010-11 to 29 lakhs in terms of the number of accounts of the workers and Rs 1221 crores in terms of the amounts disbursed.

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30 Aug 2011

ANTONY SEEKS DEADLINES TO SECURE MUMBAI COAST

From Our Delhi Bureau

NEW DELHI: Inordinate delay in the coastal security plan become operational since after 26/11 terror attacks on Mumbai has prompted Defence Minister A K Antony to do some plain-speaking at a review meeting here and demand definite timelines for major projects and actions on unresolved issues.

This was the second review meeting held by him in less than three weeks and attended by all the 18 stake holders in the coastal security network and they were hard put by Antony seeking detailed explanation from them on the delays in setting up the electronic "eyes and ears" to secure Mumbai and other coastal towns and villages.

The biggest sore point emerging in the review was the lack of coastal radars as the chain of coastal radars cleared way back in February 2001 by a Group of Ministers has not yet kicked off the ground. Post-Mumbai attacks, the government raised the project cost to Rs 602 crores but yet no radars are yet installed.

At an earlier review meeting on August 10, Antony wanted to know how MT Pavit sailed into Juhu, Mumbai, undetected early this month and he expressed shock when the Naval chief told him that no critical equipment had been okayed post-26/11 and as such it was impossible to pick out such ships sneaking in and as such the Navy is dependent on other agencies for information needed to tackle any threads from the coasts.

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30 Aug 2011

ANNA TO RETURN TO RALEGAON ON SATURDAY

From Our Delhi Bureau

NEW DELHI: Anti-graft crusader Anna Hazare(74) is still recouping in cardiologist Dr Naresh Trehan's hospital Medanta in Gurgaon near here since after breaking his fast at Ramlila Maidan on Sunday and he is expected to move back to his Ralegaon Sidhi village on September 3 after discharge.

Dr Trehan said he had dehydrated badly during 12 days of fast and as such he has not yet been put back to solid food. He is being fed coconut water and fruit juice. "I don't know when he will be discharged from the hospital," Dr Trehan said when told about Team Anna planning his return home on Saturday.

The Team Anna's core group plans to visit his village around September 10 after he has rested for a week to discuss further strategy to spare him of travelling to Delhi for keeping on the pressure for early and effective Lokpal Bill's enactment, his associate Arvind Kejriwal said.

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30 Aug 2011

GUJARAT DOOMS PARLIAMENT

From Our Delhi Bureau

NEW DELHI: Both the Houses of Parliament were repeatedly rocked on Tuesday and ultimately adjourned for the day as both sides agitated with focus on Gujarat over the Lok Ayukt's appointment and the High Court acquitting all 12 accused, trashing botched CBI probe into murder of the state's BJP home minister Haren Pandya.

The main Opposition Bhartiya Janata Party protested at the Lokayukt's appointment without consulting Chief Minister Narendra Modi and its parliamentary party chairman Lal Krishna Advani went to the extent of threatening no further Opposition cooperation in running Parliament.

The Congress members from Gujarat pricked the BJP, demanding a fresh probe into Pandya's murder with hints that it was a political murder masterminded by Modi. Both sides entered into repeated shouting matches and the BJP members stormed the well to press for the Gujarat Governor's recall for arbitrarily appointing a "biased" retired High Court judge as the state's Lok Ayukt.

The wrangle between the two sides started in the Lok Sabha right from the start when the BJP wanted the Question Hour suspended while both the Houses became made house after Advani and Opposition leader Arun Jaitley were permitted to speak in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha respectively in the Zero Hour at noon.

Pandemonium broke out as the Congress members hackled Advani and Jaitley and it was the turn of the BJP benches making it inaudible in the Lok Sabha when the Chair permitted Congress member Jagdish Thakor, MP from Patan in Gujarat, to raise the issue of Pandya's murder.

Both Advani and Jaitley demanded recall of Gujarat Governor Kamla Beniwal, alleging that she had acted on behest of the Centre in appointment of retired Gujarat High Court judge R A Mehta as the Lok Ayukt without consulting the CM.

They accused the Centre of creating a constitutional crisis by attacking the federal structure of the Constitution and Advani warned: "Don't expect the Opposition's cooperation (in Parliament) until the attacks on the federal structure that are not limited to the Lok Ayukt's appointment are reversed."

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal repeatedly intervened to accuse the Opposition determined not to allow Parliament function and loudly protested at the BJP members making din to drown the Gujarat Congress member raising the issue of Haren Pandya's murder.

Since the Governor's conduct can not be questioned in Parliament, Advani and Jaitley took recourse to claim they were bringing to notice attack on the basic federal structure envisaged in the Constitution. While Advani refrained from any comments on the former judge, Jaitley did not mince words in pointing out that retired Justice Mehta has been participating in rallies against Chief Minister Modi and hence he is bound to give malafide reports with political intentions.

Both the BJP leaders pointed out that the governor ought to act on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers under Article 163, but she appointed the Lok Ayukt without even consulting the chief minister. The party members marched into the well in the Rajya Sabha and kept doing so every time the House re-assembled, shouting the slogan of "Pradhan Mantri javab do."

Advani and around 15 BJP MPs from Gujarat also staged a protest dharna and raised slogans at the Mahatma Gandhi statue in the Parliament House complex and he told reporters that they would meet President Pratibha Patil on Thursday or Friday after she is back in the capital to demand the Gujarat Governor's removal for "bypassing all established norms."

The MPs carried placards saying, "Dual policy on Gujarat will not be tolerated", "Recall Gujarat governor", "murder of democracy" and "Rajyapal Bhawan has become Congress Bhawan (Governor's House has become Congress Bhawan).

Lok Sabha Opposition leader Sushma Swaraj and Jaitley told a Press conference later that the Lok Ayukt appointed by the governor is a known Modi baiter from whom they can not expect any impartiality and hence the BJP will intensify agitation both inside and outside Parliament until Governor Beniwal (she is a veteran Congress leader from neighbouring Rajasthan) is removed.

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30 Aug 2011

CAT HAS NINE LIVES & LOKPAL BILL TOO

From Our Delhi Bureau

NEW DELHI: A saying that the cat has nine lives aptly applies to the Lokpal Bill that is in its ninth avatar and all past Bills were jinxed spelling death knell for the governments who either failed to complete their full terms in their tryst with the legislation or did not return to power.

Every Bill that surfaced to enable appointment the ombudsman to fight corruption in the government was introduced in the Lok Sabha and hence did not survive after the House completed its term or dissolved.

The government could have brought the Bill this time in the Rajya Sabha that is a permanent body with members changing periodically through elections and as such any legislation placed in it never lapses or expires.

The Lokpal Bill is, however, before the Lok Sabha and hence doubts are being raised that it may also meet the same fate of its earlier copies as the standing committee examining it may recommend a Constitution amendment to make the Lokpal a constitutional authority in deference to PM-in-waiting Rahul Gandhi's wish and not just a statutory body as envisaged in the Bill before it for scrutiny.

The standing committee's chairman Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who is also one of the spokespersons of the Congress, has already gone on record to back Rahul Gandhi's idea and there should be no surprise that he will push for the committee to rewrite the Bill for a constitutional amendment.

The passage of any amendment to the Constitution is a lengthy haul, requiring passage by Parliament by 2/3rd majority and concurrence of a score of the Assemblies. The life of the Lok Sabha may prove too short to achieve this and that will mean yet another death of the law to fight corruption.

The Congress MPs express fear in private conversations that the government mishandled the Anna Hazare's agitation and they see the jinxed Lokpal Bill repeating the history, taking toll of the party in the next elections.

The first Lokpal Bill was introduced by the Indira Gandhi government in the Lok Sabha on May 7, 1968 and passed on August 20, 1969. However, the Congress split with Indira Gandhi and Morarji Desai parting ways and the Lok Sabha was dissolved even before the Bill could be ratified by the Rajya Sabha.

Another Lokpal Bill was brought by Indira Gandhi on August 2, 1971, but then followed the Emergency in 1975 and the Congress suffered a massive defeat in the 1977 elections, putting to sleep the Bill once again.

The third attempt was by Morarji Desai's government coming to power after emergency and tabling the Bill on July 23, 1977. He, however, had to quit before full term in 1979 and the Lok Sabha was ultimately dissolved, resulting in the Bill getting lapsed.

Rajiv Gandhi too introduced yet another Lokpal Bill on August 25, 1985 but he could not turn into an Act as the guns of the Bofors kickbacks boomed and brought V P Singh to power to make yet another tryst of introducing a new bill on December 21, 1989 that lapsed with his government falling in 1990.

H D Deve Gowda, who took the reins in 1990, too found the power stepping out his hands with a few months after introducing the Lokpal Bill on September 10, 1990.

The next attempt was made by the first NDA government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It introduced the Bill on July 23, 1998 but it was voted out of power, losing the trust vote by just one vote by the end of that year.

It brought yet another Bill on July 9, 2001, only to find it losing power in 2004 as if repeating the history of the Lokpal Bill being always jinxed.

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30 Aug 2011 [Total words: 896]

RAP ON GOVT FOR PIECEMEAL APPROACH IN JUDICIAL REFORMS

From Our Delhi Bureau

NEW DELHI: A parliamentary standing committee has dubbed the Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill as government's piecemeal approach with only limited success unless the issue of the judges' appointments is comprehensively addressed, though separately.

Tabling its report in Parliament on Tuesday, it asked the government to give urgent an due thought to bring a "holistic" legislation encompassing appointment and some mechanism to optimise judges' performance for the judicial accountability the Bill seeks for improved administration of justice.

The committee, headed by Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi, noted that "the method of appointment of judges in the higher judiciary was raised in almost all the meetings of the committee while deliberating upon the Bill, although this matter is not a part of the present Bill; be it the members of the committee or the witnesses, all were unanimously in favour of replacing the present judiciary driven collegium system of appointment of judges."

Singhvi told a Press conference after tabling the report that the accountability bill will be only a "half story" sans new mechanism for selection and appointment of the judges.

The recommendation is in consonance with the BJP's campaign for the National Judicial Commission and the government is already in the process of bringing yet another Bill for constituting such a commission to decide appointment of the judges, instead of the present system of the chief justice and four judges selecting the new judges.

NO COMMENTS: The committee has also sought to gag the judges in the habit of making comments in the course of hearing to extract response. It has recommended insertion of a specific clause to restrain them from making "unwarranted comments against other constitutional/statutory bodies/ institutions/persons in open court while hearing cases."

It has also sought to gag the media from reporting any information about proceedings of the proposed Oversight Committee, Investigation Committee and Complaint Scrutiny Panel (CSP) who will be probing complaints against the judges. It calls it "the accountability of the media."

Recommending that the proceedings of CSP should be held "in camera" to ensure the element of confidentiality, the committee wants no media trial of the judges even before the complaints are found correct. It seeks the Bill to provide "prohibition" of the media from divulging information at various stages of investigation and inquiry.

Committee chairman Singhvi justified the restriction proposed on the media, pointing out that it is to protect the judges concerned from unwarranted defamation at the initial stage of investigation. The original Bill did not provide for any "in camera" proceedings in the investigations.

GAG ON WHISTLE-BLOWERS: The committee also came down heavily on the punishment of jail up to five years and fine up to Rs 5 lakhs prescribed for making frivolous or vexation complaints. The severe punishment will only deter the prospective complainants from coming forward, defeating the very rationale of the Bill at a time when the government talks of providing protection to the whistle-blowers, Singhvi said.

Stressing that the quantum of punishment is such that it does not discourage people from taking initiative against the misbehaviour of a judge, the committee recommended that in any case it should not exceed the punishment provided under the Contempt of Court Act. The maximum punishment under the Act is the jail term of one year.

Going further, the committee has sought specific proviso in the Bill to protect those "who for some genuine reasons fail to prove their complaints. The protection should cover complaints made "in good faith" in line with the defence of good faith available under the Indian Penal Code.

BALANCING ACT: An elaborate procedure laid down in the Bill for investigation into individual complaints of misbehaviour or incapacity of judges received appreciation from the committee, pointing out that "it empowers the common man to expose the misbehaviour of judges" and at the same time "strikes a reasonable balance between the demands of accountability and judicial independence."

On a clause in the Bill that no judge shall have close association with individual members of the Bar, the committee felt the expression "close association" is very vague inviting different interpretations and hence better to use the phrase "close social interaction."

As regards the Bill envisaging a "statutory responsibility" of the judges to declare their assets, the committee felt it acknowledges people's "right to know" and facilitates greater transparency in judiciary, but there should be also a mechanism to ensure scrutiny of such declarations is "possible and implementable." A designated executive agency undertaking such scrutiny can report either to the CSP or the Oversight Committee.

BALANCED BODY: The committee also disapproved the government's contention of having only the judges on the National Judicial Oversight Committee and its opposition to put MPs on it on the ground that Parliament comprising the MPs already have authority to impeach any judge.

Pointing out that screening by the oversight committee which is the first stage of deciding the fate of any complaint against a judge is as important as the final stage when the impeachment process begins, the committee recommended that the oversight panel shall have two MPs "having legal expertise and high standing in the legal arena," one each nominated by the Lok Sabha Speaker and the Rajya Sabha Chairman.

It insists that all the three organs of the government, namely executive, judiciary and legislature have to be represented on the oversight panel as such a balanced body would ensure the independent and transparent functioning of the committee and brace people's faith in redressal of complaints against the erring judges.

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political grapevine one liners

2011-08-29T04:46:00.001-07:00

August 29, 2011

NEW DELHI POLITICAL GRAPEVINES ONE LINERS

------------------

Wrong pronounciation of a word "prosecution" by Labour Minister Mallikarjuna Kharge

while replying to a question on Child labour on Monday in Lok Sabha landed him

in a major problem and scene was pathetic.

Kharge a senior parliamentarian and three times Minister in Karnataka

went on to pronounce it as prostitution.Video recording of the proceedings now

being edited to save embarrassment to Hon Minister.

--------------

Biju Janta Dal MP Thathagata Satpathi during Question Hour made a pun at the

Government said that thumping of Desks should not be construed as passage of resolution.(as it happened

on Saturday to seek anna hazare to end fast-all members thumped desk after Pranab da spoke.

Satpathi was asking a supplementary question in Lok Sabha on Monday.

--------------

During Question Hour in Lok Sabha on Monday, Yashwant Sinha walked

across to treasury bench to take T R Baalu DMK leader out Both discussed

about the clemancy petition and hanging of three Rajvi Gandhi killers.

------------

Having learnt spoken Hindi- V Narayanaswamy Union Minister of state for parliamentary affairs

on Monday during question hour went to Mulayam Singh to ask SP member Sailendra Kumar

to return to his seat from the well of the house. Mulayam said since Narayanaswami spoke to

him in Hindi- obligation was done. Mulayam at once called "Harrey Sailender vaapas aajaoo"

obediently Sailender returned to his seat. Like narayanaswamy other Ministers from Tamil nadu

should learn Hindi was advise by Mulayam. Hinting at P Chidambaram to learn Hindi like

narayanaswamy. "Hotho-chaste angreesi bholtha hai" remarked Mulayam

-------------

Kalyan Singh former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh for the first time in Monsoon session

attended Lok Sabha on Monday walking slowly as he is unwell.

-------------

Except Pranab Mukherjee no senior Union Minister was seen in the first row of Treasurcy benches

during question hour on Monday. BJP MPs repeatedly pointed out. Still many union ministers

preferred to sit in the third or fourth row. "Anna effect BJP commented"

-------------

Supriya Sule on Monday put a question to Shipping Minister GK Vasan on collision of two

Ships in the high sea in Mumbai. Effectively Vasan answered. From the back benches

Congress MPs murmured that Vasan has picked up like P Chidambaram in chaste English.

---------

BJP leader Rajnath Singh on Monday sought Government attention on Crop Holiday in Coastal districts of

Andhra Pradesh- and insisting Govt to include Crop Holiday under insurances schemes

also to National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. Since it was raised in Zero Hour

Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh waved his hand towards Rajnath Singh that

Ministry will examine Rajnath Singh plea. Quickly Rajnath Singh also nodded his head.

--------------------

Two Union Ministers intentionally wanted to derail peace process

initiated by Pranab da. Insiders speak loud on spoilsport

Much more than UP elections, you have to bear the Presidential

elections in 2012, that is too crucial for future of Congress

---------

2 Youths in Tamil Nadu self immolate against hanging 3 Tamils

on September 9, in Rajiv Gandhi killing case.Centre says

it is state subject

--------

Why to involve Arun Jaitley to draft/correct appeal to Anna to

end fast. how Ministers spoiled a peace atmosphere. Insider

details shocking

--------

Union Ministers played havoc till last moment on Saturday,

not to carry forward the appeal to end fast of Anna.

Insider details too shocking

-------

Congress facing internal crisis. For a month there was

no leadership. No senior leader wants to take a chance

to save party

-------

Congress Union Ministers seen relaxed,Lunching with family

in hotels in Delhi.joke unprintable terms about Cong & PM

others overhear/enjoy

------

Game changer Rahul Gandhi why was he absent on Saturday for

special session of Parliament on Anna Hazare.Punjab Cong MP

reply. Changing Game

-------

Sonia Gandhi formed 4 member committee to oversee day to day

affairs. It is one month today, met two times. Rahul not keen

on more meetings

-------

Why PM did not speak on Saturday in both houses. No Union

Minister nor Congress MPs has reply.But a Union Minister

joked Dr Singh is maunvrt

---------

Group of Ministers on Media is meeting daily, but not

appearing before TV. Reaso "Ministers have begun GOM on

Anna fasting"-joke by Congmen

-------

Anna ended fast.What next in Congress. blame game begun.

A Union Minister wrote handwritten personal letter to

Prime Minister

------

end

2011-08-26T00:35:00.000-07:00

TEXT OF RAHUL GANDHI SPEECH IN LOK SABHA ON LOK PAL

Madam Speaker,

I have been deeply distressed at the developments of the last few

days. Many aspects of the situation have caused me anguish.

We are all aware that corruption is pervasive. It operates at every

level. The poor may carry its greatest burden but it is an affliction

that every Indian is desperate to be rid off. Fighting corruption is

as integral to eliminating poverty as is Mahatma Gandhi NREGA or

the Land Acquisition Bill. Yet it is equally imperative to the growth

and development of our nation.

Madam Speaker, we cannot wish away corruption by the mere

desire to see it removed from our lives. This requires a

comprehensive framework of action and a concerted political

program supported by all levels of the state from the highest to the

lowest. Most importantly, it requires firm political will.

Madam Speaker, in the past few years I have travelled the length

and breadth of our country. I have met scores of countrymen, rich

and poor, old and young, privileged and disempowered who have

expressed their disillusionment to me. In the last few months,

Annaji has helped the people to articulate this same sentiment. I

thank him for that.

I believe that the real question before us as representatives of the

people of India today is whether we are prepared to take the battle

against corruption head on? It is not a matter of how the present

impasse will resolve, it is a much greater battle. There are no

simple solutions. To eradicate corruption demands a far deeper

engagement and sustained commitment from each one of us.

Witnessing the events of the last few days it would appear that the

enactment of a single Bill will usher in a corruption-free society. I

have serious doubts about this belief.

An effective Lok Pal law is only one element in the legal framework

to combat corruption. The Lok Pal institution alone cannot be a

substitute for a comprehensive anti-corruption code. A set of

effective laws is required. Laws that address the following critical

issues are necessary to stand alongside the Lok Pal initiative:

(1) government funding of elections and political parties,

(2) transparency in public procurement,

(3) proper regulation of sectors that fuel corruption like land and

mining,

(4) grievance redress mechanisms in public service delivery of old

age pensions and ration cards; and

(5) continued tax reforms to end tax evasion.

We owe it to the people of this country to work together across

party lines to ensure that Parliament functions at its optimum

capacity and delivers these laws in a just and time bound manner.

We speak of a statutory Lok Pal but our discussions cease at the

point of its accountability to the people and the risk that it might

itself become corrupt. Madam Speaker, why not elevate the

debate and fortify the Lok Pal by making it a Constitutional body

accountable to Parliament like the Election Commission of India? I

feel the time has come for us to seriously consider this idea.

Madam Speaker, laws and institutions are not enough. A

representative, inclusive and accessible democracy is central to

fighting corruption.

Individuals have brought our country great gains. They have

galvanized people in the cause of freedom and

development. However, individual dictates, no matter how well

intentioned, must not weaken the democratic process. This

process is often lengthy and lumbering. But it is so in order to be

inclusive and fair. It provides a representative and transparent

platform where ideas are translated into laws. A tactical incursion,

divorced from the machinery of an elected Government that seeks

to undo the checks and balances created to protect the supremacy

of Parliament sets a dangerous precedent for a democracy. Today

the proposed law is against corruption. Tomorrow the target may

be something less universally heralded. It may attack the plurality

of our society and democracy.

India’s biggest achievement is our democratic system. It is the life

force of our nation. I believe we need more democracy within our

political parties. I believe in Government funding of our political

parties. I believe in empowering our youth; in opening the doors of

our closed political system; in bringing fresh blood into politics and

into this House. I believe in moving our democracy deeper and

deeper into our villages and our cities.

I know my faith in our democracy, is shared by members of this

House. I know that regardless of their political affiliation, many of

my colleagues work tirelessly to realize the ideals upon which our

nation was built. The pursuit of truth is the greatest of those ideals.

It won us our freedom. It gave us our democracy. Let us commit

ourselves to truth and probity in public life. We owe it to the people

of India.

PM WRITES TO JS VARMA TO INTERVENE ON ANNA FAST

2011-08-24T22:32:00.001-07:00

PRIME MINISTER WANTS FORMER CJI

JS VARMA TO INTERVENE TO END ANNA HAZARE FAST.

By R Rajagopalan

Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Tuesday

wrote a personal letter to former Chief Justice of India

J S Varma to find a resolution to the Anna Hazare

fast on Jan Lokpal.

JS Varma through common friend informed the Government

to handle with care the Jan Lokpal issue. Varma and Santhi Bhushan

are considered to be too close.

Varma is expected to meet Prashant Bhushan and his father Santhi Bhushan

on Thursday afternoon.

Varma if he narrows down the differences, a new turn is expected.

ends

anna rejects mediators wants direct talks

2011-08-22T06:25:00.001-07:00

22 August 2011

ANNA REJECTS MEDIATORS, WANTS DIRECT TALKS

From Our Delhi Bureau

NEW DELHI: Fasting anti-graft crusader Anna Hazare on Monday set his terms for negotiations, wanting either the Prime Minister, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) or Rahul Gandhi to come forward for talks even as the government is shying away from starting any direct talks despite his movement gaining momentum across the country.

He is even ready to talk to Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, but not with the non-government mediators sent on Sunday and Monday and certainly not with Home Minister P Chidambaram or HRD Minister Kapil Sibal with whom he sat in a committee to draft the Lokpal Bill.

Alarmed by the government roping in his NGO nephew, Indore-based religious leader Bhaiyuji Maharaj and Maharashtra Additional Secretary Umesh Chandra Sarangi to influence him to breakaway from his team, the 74-year old crusader declared on the seventh day of his fast at Ramlila Maidan here that he would not speak to anyone without the presence of his Associates like Arvind Kejriwal and ex-top cop Kiran Bedi running the show.

He made it clear that he won't negotiate with Sarangi, Maharaj or Sri Sri Ravi Shankar fielded by the government for the back-channel talks. Let there be direct talks if the government is sincere, he asserted. The government is talking through these negotiators since after the Congress core group, attended by Dr Manmohan Singh and Rahul Gandhi, on Thursday decided to wait and watch with "hands-off" policy.

His associates are angry that no formal proposal has emerged from the government despite the PM doling out the offer of talks two days ago. They are also angry at the government sending mediators who can not take any decisions. Kiran Bedi tweeted: "Let govt come forward... Let PM send his representatives. Any negotiations are rumours."

Anna also set his terms that the Lokpal Bill introduced by the government in Parliament will have to be withdrawn for any fruitful talks as it is too weak to fight the corruption menace and the judiciary can be excluded from the Lokpal's purview only if a strong Judicial Accountability Bill is offered.

At the golden jubilee of the Indian Institute of Management in Kolkata, Dr Manmohan Singh asked Team Anna to see "reason," affirming that the government is open to a "reasoned debate on the anti-corruption Lokpal bill." He said "The creation of the Lok Pal as an institution will help, but it will not solve the problem. It needs to be supported by improvements in the pace and quality of judicial processes and revamp of the governance procedure."

In his absence, Chidambaram, Law Minister Salman Khurshid and PMO's MoS V Narayanasamy reviewed the situation and later Khurshid told reporters that the issue can be resolved through talks and the modus of the talks is being debated.

"Talks must take place to resolve this issue. The fact that 2 lakh people are protesting is significant. Solution to complex issues cannot be delivered within 2-3 days. But what the people really want can be decided only through elections," he said.

Even after losing more than five kilos in his seventh day of the fast for strong Lokpal Bill, Hazare drew strength from more than 25,000 people thronging the Ramlila Maidan for the second running because of a national holiday for Janmashtami. It is this endless stream of supporters pouring into the grounds that Hazare and his team re-affirmed not to give up their demand for their version of the Lokpal Bill be passed by Parliament by August 30 or face a "revolution" from August 31.

While Kiran Bedi was busy trying to educate the people on differences between the government's Lokpal Bill and Anna's Jan Lokpal Bill, Kejriwal again gave a call to the people to protest "peacefully" outside the holes of ministers and MPs to pressurise them to accept their line, stressing that such protests are not aimed at destabilising the government as some people say.

Countering charges that Anna's movement is undermining Parliament and its right to legislate, Kejriwal said, "What is democracy? It is not just voting once every five years and handing over your destiny to representatives. It is day-to-day engagement with your representatives."

Meanwhile, Anil Shastri, son of late Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri and a Congress Working Committee (CWC), came out in open criticising the government for underestimating the Gandhian's movement against corruption and asking it to enter into a dialogue with him.

Shastri, who was summarily sacked as editor of Congress mouthpiece "Sandesh" only two weeks ago for serious goof-ups, tweeted: "Anna's movement against corruption was underestimated by government. It is time that it entered into dialogue with him to end his fast."

###

separate law to tackle lower bureaucracy

2011-08-22T06:23:00.001-07:00

22 Aug 2011

SEPARATE LAW TO TACKLE LOWER BUREAUCRACY

From Our Delhi Bureau

NEW DELHI: In an apparent answer to crusader Anna Hazare's team mobilising the masses suffering corruption of the lower level bureaucracy, the government has quietly kicked of drafting of a Bill for creating a mechanism for the public services grievance redressal.

The task of drafting the Bill has been assigned to Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh by the Union Cabinet and he promises to mount it on the Internet next week for public debate.

While the Lokpal Bill covers only the Group A officers and ministers, Jairam said the new Bill he is readying will handle corruption and accountability at the cutting edge level of the government employees with whom the people come into contact in their day-to-day works like clerks, tehsildars, BDOs and RTOs giving driving licences.

He told reporters here on Monday that he is drawing lessons from the social audit of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employement Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) where the redressal institution is already in existence. He said the mechanism will incorporate various other mechanisms available to the public, including the consumer courts.

Jairam pointed out that the Lokpal is not going to be a stand-alone institution. He also disapproved the Team India resorting to agitation against the Lokpal Bill introduced in Parliament early this week, particularly when the RTI activists like Arvind Kejriwal have experience of the improvements made in the Right To Information (RTI) Bill after it was brought before Parliament alike the Lokpal Bill.

The parliamentary standing committee had then recommended not one or two but 150 amendments in the RTI Bill, after consulting the civil society and as such what emerged as the Act was altogether different from the draft, he said, advocating space to the Abhishek Manu Singhvi-led standing committee to dissect the Lokpal Bill and come up with a radically new bill.

Jairam also felt that a solution to the impasse created by Hazare resorting to an indefinite fast since last Tuesday can be to include the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and Rahul Gandhi in the talks. They will have to chip in to defuse the crisis, he added.

###

seen and heard on Anna

2011-08-22T01:22:00.001-07:00

one liners

Seen and Heard

From R Rajagopalan Delhi

Monday August 22, 2011

------------

Anna supporters protests at 86 MPs houses in 9 states,

belonging to Cong, BJP, BSP and SP parties. This is

One pm- update from Union Home Ministry Control room

UPA2 political leadership is really concerned.

------------

Vinayak Chaturti declare parliament a Holiday

enitre Opposition to demand in Business Advisory

Committee of both houses - on Tuesday.

----------

Delhi Police Commissioner withdraws lathis

from Police constables at Ram Lila grounds,

where Anna Hazare is fasting.

-----------

Anna effect a Shocking trend. Congress ruled states

curtail assembly sessions to a week or ten days

ike Rajasthan, Kerala and Maharashtra.

---------

Centre summons Andhra Governor and Chief Minister

to Delhi on Wednesday discuss Congress MPs/MLAs

resignation on Jagan Reddy & law and order

----------

Anna fast Congress stops signature campaign to end.

Cong MPs familes worried safety, as agitation spreads

front of houses

---------

Confusion prevails in Congress on Anna fast.Senior

Union Minister.interprets it as major crisis for

future of Congress . Pranab da distances

-----------

"Find a formula to end Anna fast " 25 Congress MPs

begin a signature campaign addressed to PM and Rahul

Gandhi.

-----------

100 MLAs 10 MPs quit on Telangana it was not accepted

similarly 26 MLAs and 2 MPs resigned on Jagan Reddy,

how can it be accepted, says AICC

----------

My Ministry is nothing.Just from conception to

cremation,said MinisterGulamNabi in today's

Planning Commission meeting.PM notliked comment

----------

PM and media ,Feb 16 eleven TV editors,June 29

five print editors today only 3 TV journalists

standing with mike.Why less.Is it Anna effect

----------

ends

SAVE ANNA CALL FROM RAMLILA MAIDAN

2011-08-20T05:28:00.001-07:00

20 Aug 2011

SAVE ANNA CALL FROM RAMLILA MAIDAN

From Our Delhi Bureau

NEW DELHI: A day after the fasting anti-graft crusader Anna Hazare served an ultimatum to Parliament to pass the Lokpal Bill in 12 days by Aug 30, his team on Saturday wanted its own alternate Jan Lokpal Bill tabled in Parliament and claimed the government can pass it in five minutes if it has will and concern for life of the 74-year-old on fast since August 16.

The Ramlila Maidan reverberated with anti-corruption slogans and songs even as the strength of supporters started petering out but the crowds swelling in a sort of carnival by the curious wanting to have a look at an ordinary ex-Army truck driver taking on the might of the government and virtually dictating his terms.

Anna Team's concern is that Hazare has stood ground to cross 100 hours of fast without any problem to his health but it can not go on forever as he is not on "fast unto death" but fasting to build a public pressure on the government to go for a strong anti-corruption law.

It was the turn of the 86-year old former Union Law Minister Shanti Bhushan, a legal mind behind the Jan Lokpal Bill the Team Anna is trying to thrust on the government, to assert that the gathering at the grounds is symbolic of the people's will from across the country that the government should concede.

"It is the people's demand that next Tuesday when Parliament opens, the government should withdraw its version of the Lokpal Bill and introduce our Bill," he declared and asserted that the government can get it passed within days and in any case by August 30, the deadline set by Anna, if it has a "strong will" to do it. "It can happen. I have been a Union Law Minister and I know how things happen in government," he said.

His only rider was that the government give an assurance to Hazare "to issue a whip to the MPs of the ruling coalition to vote for the Jan Lokpal Bill whenever it comes before Parliament."

15 BILLS IN 5 MINUTES: Arvind Kejriwal, another Team Anna leader, asserted that the crusader's 12-day deadline to pass the Jan Lokpal Bill or face his fast "till my last breath" was not an impractical demand. "If the government desires, it can pass 15 Bills in five minutes. But for the anti-corruption bill, they are taking more than 42 years. So we want to know how many more years will they take," he asked.

He also said the civil society group was open to a separate mechanism for corruption in the higher judiciary but then it would be drafting such a Bill to ensure there are no loopholes.

A union minister quipped that if the government concedes the group's demand to draft the judicial responsibility bill, a day will not be far when it will also stake claim to draft a new Constitution for India. He said only a "fascist mind" can talk of passing 15 laws in five minutes without discussion, muzzling democracy.

Both Shanti Bhushan and Kejriwal said the Team Anna is open to some small changes in its Jan Lokpal Bill if the government gives assurance to the crusader to pass the Bill without loss of time. "If the government feels that some small changes need to be made to the Bill, then even those should be made only after taking permission and support from Anna. If they are willing to give that assurance, then it will show a respect for public sentiment and it is possible that Anna may agree to it," Bhushan told the cheering crowds.

PUBLIC OPINION: An advertisement put out in newspapers by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice inviting suggestions from public on the Lokpal Bill gave a fodder to the agitators to claim the government is trying to gauge the public opinion to decide its future course of action in the wake of the public upsurge against this Bill.

Senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who heads the committee, however, explained that the notice inviting suggestions from public is a regular drill by the parliamentary panels examining the Bills and nothing special about the Lokpal Bill.

The public views are sought "within fifteen days of publication of the advertisement," i.e. up to September 3 and thereafter the committing will be inviting those wanting to make oral submissions as the notice says.

The committee, a sort of "mini Parliament" with all major parties represented on it, will hold its own meetings after eliciting the public opinion before giving a report to Parliament on changes in the Bill, if necessary, Singhvi said. He said this process cannot be short-circuited to let Parliament enact the law by August 30 as Hazare wishes. The process includes invitation of diverse views in writing, examination of witness evidence and detailed confidential deliberations, he said.

WASTING TIME: Kejriwal, however, asserted that the exercise of the parliamentary panel is "a waste of time" of public and parliamentarians. "We appeared before the standing committee earlier and told them that the present Bill is actually for promotion of corruption and save the corrupt people," he said.

He claimed the Bill before the panel is so faulty that it needs rejection as it will be never acceptable to the people. He said it is nothing but yet another attempt by the government to divert attention and buy time as it has no intention whatsoever to really fight corruption.

Better if the government withdraws its Bill and places the Jan Lokpal Bill before Parliament, he said and dismissed BJP member Varun Gandhi's bid to bring it as a private member's Bill. Kejriwal said a private member's Bill is brought just to draw the attention of the House towards an issue and nothing more.

In an interview to a news agency, Singhvi said his standing committee can not be pushed to give its report on the Lokpal Bill in no time, but said it will have an "open mind" on all suggestions. He said: "No time limit can be accurately specified except that the reference to us initially is for three months." At times, the committees seek extension of even this time limit, he underlined.

Soon after the Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on August 4 by the government, the Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari had referred it to the Singhvi committee and given it three months to give the recommendations. Even before the notice inviting public views was issued, the committee chose in an unusual manner to give a hearing to Hazare and his colleagues and told them that they were welcome to appear again to advance their case for the Jan Lokpal Bill.

###

how anna aura built up through tv media

2011-08-19T23:06:00.000-07:00

20 Aug 2011

HOW ANNA AURA BUILT UP THROUGH TV MEDIA

From Our Delhi Bureau

NEW DELHI: Team Anna has roped in half a dozen experienced hands from the electronic media to build up an aura of the anti-graft crusader through the 24-hour news channels to sway the masses across the country.

Heading the band of the media mangers of the group is Manish Sisodia, a former journalist of Zee News who jumped into the RTI movement with Arvind Kejriwal and runs his own NGO Parivartan. He is also a trustee of the Public Cause Research Foundation (PCRF).

His team knows tricks of the trade in the electronic media like no press meet at 7.30 pm when TV news channels run sports shows and would not cut them out to show Anna antics or at 2.30 pm when the Hindi news channels run Saas-Bahu shows giving them big ratings.

It advises how to remain in "breaking news" forever to keep up the heat on the government and never kick off a major protest on a Sunday when the TV channels telecast pre-recorded shows and space for live news shrinks while most top editors are not there to play up their news.

Among these media mangers is Shazia Ilmi, once a lead anchor on Star News who studied mass communication at Jamia here and did a diploma in broadcast journalism from the University of Wales, Cardiff.

Sisodia depends much on Aswathi Murlidharan who did her PG in mass communication from Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan here in 2006. She is with his PCRF since 2009. Others in his team include Abhinandan Sekhri, a writer and film maker who has worked as a reporter for TV news networks and writes political satire for NDTV, and Neeraj Kumar, a journalist-turned RTI expert, specialising in analysing orders passed by the information commissions across the country.

###

HITCH IN ANNA HAZARE -RAM LILA GROUND TILL SEPTEMBER 2,

2011-08-19T02:44:00.000-07:00

19 Aug 2011

HITCH IN ANNA-LILA TILL SEPT 2

From Our Delhi Bureau

NEW DELHI: Delhi Police finds itself in a piquant embarrassment of allowing 'India Against Corruption' of Team Anna to carry on the protest fast for a strong Lokpal Bill up to September 2 at the Ramlila Ground, without checking that the place is already booked by another organisation for a rally on September 1.

The deal was struck past midnight and it was not possible to check with Delhi Municipal Corporation about availability of the ground. It came as a surprise even to the municipal corporation as the Team India has booked the ground only up to August 31.

The Team India swung into action on Thursday on advice from the BJP-ruled municipal corporation to better negotiate with the Allahabad-based Bharat Mukti Morcha that has booked the ground on September 1 for a rally in support of a caste census.

The Morcha's convener J S Kashyap, however, showed reluctance to shift the rally's venue or date, claiming that his organisation has already mobilised some one lakh people from across the country, though he told the negotiators that he is also with Anna Hazare on fight against corruption.

"Anna Hazare is fighting for a good cause and we are also doing the same for a large section of the country. I told them that let's support each other and after our rally we will be with them."

According to the municipal sources, there is no booking of the ground from September 2 to 8 and hence it can be given to Team Anna if it makes a deal with the OBC Morcha, but not beyond as the Ramlila Committee takes it over for a month from September 9 for the annual Ramlila plays.

##

Speaker sets up Parliamentary Forum on Water Conservations and Management

2011-08-16T18:29:00.000-07:00

Meeting of the Parliamentary Forum
on Water Conservation and Management

The Hon‟ble Speaker, Lok Sabha in consultation with the Hon‟ble Chairman,
Rajya Sabha, has constituted the Parliamentary Forum on Water Conservation and
Management with the broad aim and objective to identify and discuss the problems
relating to water conservation and management and to equip the Members of Parliament
with the information and knowledge related to water conservation and management and
to make them aware of the seriousness of the issues involved which would enable them
to adopt a result-oriented approach towards this critical issue.

A meeting of the Parliamentary Forum on Water Conservation and Management
will be held on Wednesday, 17 August, 2011 at 1530 hrs. in Committee Room
No.074, Ground Floor, Parliament Library Building, New Delhi wherein
Shri M.E. Haque, Member, Central Water Commission will make a presentation on the
subject „Water Bodies in Rural Areas‟. Members are requested to kindly make it convenient to attend the meeting

RAHUL GANDHI DIKTAT- NO PERSONAL ATTACK ON ANNA HAZARE

2011-08-16T08:15:00.000-07:00

16 Aug 2011

NO PERSONAL ATTACK ON ANNA, A RAHUL DIKTAT

From Our Delhi Bureau

NEW DELHI: A Rahul Gandhi's snub in a closed-door meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other Congress leaders in the AICC headquarters here on Monday has chastised the party leaders from making any personal attacks on crusader Anna Hazare arrested here on Tuesday.

In his very first meeting with the party leaders in absence of his mother Sonia Gandhi away in New York convalescing after a surgery, Rahul is reported to have objected to the party launching a no-holds-barred attack on Hazare on the ground that he was himself indicted for corruption in an inquiry report by retired Supreme Court judge P B Sawant.

His query was simple: "Has Anna lost right to protest against corruption because of the indictment? Then each one of us will have to first declare to have not indulged in even a small corruption before talking against corruption."

The impact of his blunt talk could be seen in nobody in the party making any uncharitable remarks against Hazare and company unlike two days ago when party spokesman Manish Tewari accused them of trying to bring instability in the country and dubbed them as "armchair fascists, overground Maoists, closet anarchists...lurking behind forces of right reaction and funded by invisible donors whose links may go back a long way abroad."

Another Congress spokesman Abishek Manu Singhvi taking the briefing on Tuesday skirted all questions and refused to comment whether the party still believes that Hazare is corrupt. He was pointedly asked to comment on Tewari's outburst against Hazare on Sunday and whether the party still stands by the Justice Sawant report indicting the crusader.

At the GoM interaction with the media, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal went to the extent of asserting that "we are on Anna's side and Anna is on our side as far as fight against corruption goes." He said the disagreement was over team Anna's insistence to accept its Bill and no other Bill. Home Minister P Chidambaram and I&B Minister Ambika Soni said the government rather shared Hazare's concern on corruption.

The three ministers came for the media interaction after a strategic session with Rahul Gandhi that was also attended by Pranab Mukherjee and the impact could be seen from the way they just stopped short of glorifying Hazare in all respects.

Ambika Soni said Hazare was a "reputed person" and the government trusted his word on protest being peaceful. However, no one can guarantee that there can not be any problem when such a large number of people gather at a place as people on the dais do not have control on each and every person participating in an agitation, she said.

She felt that the crusader may have been ill-advised by his colleagues like former IPS officer Kiran Bedi and senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan "who understand the law." Kiran Bedi has been part of Delhi Police for long and hence knows how it handles public agitations, she said.

###

A friend writes to Dr Manmohan Singh

2011-08-14T18:38:00.000-07:00

E.A.S.Sarma
14-40-4/1 Gokhale Road
Maharanipeta
Visakhapatnam 530002
Tel. Nos. 0891-6619858/ 9866021646

To

Dr. Manmohan Singh
Prime Minister

Dear Dr. Manmohan Singh,

From what I have gathered from the news reports and TV broadcasts during the last couple of days, you issued a “terse” reply to a letter addressed to you by Shri Anna Hazare to intervene in the ongoing face-off between him and the government. You have evidently adopted a righteous approach by advising Anna Hazare to approach the police.

These reports also indicate that some of your responsible Cabinet colleagues and equally responsible UPA colleagues have cast serious aspersions on Anna Hazare’s personal integrity.

If these reports are accurate, I think it marks a very sad day for India’s democracy.

In today’s scam ridden environment, Anna Hazare has emerged as the civil society’s undeclared leader to symbolize the public anger and anguish against corruption. The people of this country have helplessly watched in dismay and disgust one scandal after another unfolding ad nauseam, not because that the executive that you head is over anxious to unravel it but more as a result of the fearless investigations carried out by the media, the objective analyses conducted by C&AG and the timely interventions made by the judiciary. At every stage, you and your esteemed colleagues, frowned upon the actions of each of theseinstitutions.

The people at large have read about these scams in the vernacular news papers, heard about them on the radio and viewed them on the TV channels. These scams stand out clearly because they are ugly, exploitative and are in the nature of plundering the country’s resources. Their dimensions are truly mind boggling. To think that the people of this country are not moved by what Anna Hazare has done during the last few months is like the proverbial ostrich hiding its head, unwilling to face the harsh reality!

Let us see why this diminutive man, leading a simple life, incurred the Prime Minister's displeasure.

Has he asked you for thousands of hectares of land as some industrialists nurtured by post-1991 reform have done? Has he approached you to give him a mining franchise in violation of the law of the land, as the mining lobby that permeates the political system today has often done? He has not asked for captive mineral blocks as Poscoe has done. Has he requested you to allot 2-G spectrum against all cannons of ethics as some of your own former Cabinet colleagues had allowed the influential industrial houses to do? Has he arm-twisted you for a remunerative berth in your Cabinet, as some of your coalition partners have done? Nor has he ever tried to stay in a 5-Star hotel as some of your Cabinet colleagues did!

You are an extraordinarily courteous person, as I have known you. I am sure you have not been terse to any of these influential persons anytime. I am therefore particularly surprised and distressed at the “terseness” that you have reportedly displayed to a physically fragile but morally strong person like Anna Hazare!

On behalf of the civil society, may I appeal to you, Mr. Prime Minister, to treat Anna Hazare with the respect that is due to him as an important member of the civil society and as a highly liked person among the youth of this country? You should remember that Shri Hazare has single-handedly woken up the nation to rise as one entity against the scourge of corruption. While I appreciate that the Constitution has bequeathed us an elaborate legislative machinery in the name of democracy, you should realize that the people of this country who are sovereign in their own right have no patience to wait for the machinery to go through the procedure of processing a draft law that ab initio falls short of their basic expectations. This is particularly true in the present context in which the UPA government is getting surrounded by scams and scandals galore, as never before.

On behalf of the civil society, I appeal to you to treat Shri Hazare as our representative and invite him for an interaction as such an interaction is what the public wants. I would welcome the government inviting for a similar interaction, the rights activists working in different parts of the country, the various NGOs known for their work, eminent concerned citizens and so on. In a democracy like ours, consultation is the essence and despotic methods of law making, the anathema. I hope good sense will prevail on the government and the ongoing face-off is resolved at the earliest without leaving a sense of bitterness among the people.

I write this letter on the eve of the 64th Independence Day. Sixty four years have gone by but the freedom we gained in 1947 at the national level is yet to percolate down fully to the disadvantaged sections of the people. To them, governance has become synonymous with corruption and harassment. I hope there is all round realization of this bitter truth.

Regards,

Yours sincerely

E.A.S.Sarma
Former Secretary to GOI
Visakhapatnam

NARENDRA MODI TELLS PM TO DISCIPLINE CHIDAMBARAM

2011-08-13T17:51:00.001-07:00

14 Aug 2011

MODI TELLS PM TO DISCIPLINE CHIDU

NEW DELHI: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday shot off a strongly-worded letter to the Prime Minister, urging him to restrain and discipline Home Minister P Chidambaram openly "encouraging indiscipline among the police officers of Gujarat."

In a 3-page letter released by the BJP headquarters here, Modi took offence to Chidambaram's invite to the erring officers to seek the Centre's help and made it clear that "uch blatant statements by Central Ministers will destroy the very fabric of Federal structure."

"The Centre cannot intervene in the cases that fall under the jurisdiction of the state. The police officers are to discipline the society and in discharge of their duties they are supposed to set up high standards," Modi asserted.

"It is surprising that an officer who was absent from duty continuously for 10 months un-authorisedly is being defended by the Union Government. Any misconduct, dereliction of duty and recalcitrant behaviour of the officers cannot be tolerated, failing which it will lead to anarchy in Government," he warned.

He urged the Prime Minister to view this matter very seriously and issue appropriate instructions "so that such incidents are not repeated in future, in the interest of a healthy Centre-State relationship."

Modi noted that "when the Union Government comes out in open supporting such in-disciplined conduct of an All India Service Officers, it should be a matter of concern for the entire nation." In other words, he said "one is indirectly encouraging the political activities by Service Officers."

He said looking at the series of such incidents in the last two years, "there seems to be a definite pattern of conspiracy in meddling with Gujarat's affairs. Such selective interference is a cause for major concern, as it goes against constitutional principles.

"Unfortunately, it appears that UPA government at the Centre is a party to these activities, in one way or other, with a strong hidden agenda to destabilize a progressive and performing State like Gujarat. I firmly believe that you cannot build a strong India by destabilizing and weakening progressive and development oriented States in a Federal structure. At any cost, we should not convert these constitutional arms as political battle-fields by misusing them."

Pointing out that the role of the Disciplinary Authority is vested in the State Governments in the Federal structure under the All India Service Act and Rules, Modi affirmed that "no authority, including the Central Government, can usurp these powers" and if the officers have any grievances on the issue of actions being taken by the State Government, they can represent to the State Government, or can take a legal recourse by approaching CAT, High Court, Supreme Court, etc."

###

Pranab Mukherjee bugging- double speak by PMO

2011-08-13T17:47:00.001-07:00

14 Aug 2011

DOUBLESPEAK ON PRANAB'S BUGGING

NEW DELHI: The government exhibited a doublespeak on the suspected bugging of Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's office that prompted him to write to the Prime Minister for a probe.

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) says it is a matter of State's security that can not be divulged while S S Palanimanickam, a junior minister in the Finance Ministry, finds no such problem in reeling out the information in reply to a question in the Lok Sabha on Friday.

The PMO's reply refusing the information sought by a local daily through a RTI (right to information) application landed on its desk on the very day Palanimanickam gave a detailed reply.

The refusal only gave birth to suspicion that Mukherjee's office was really bugged and the government is not ready to part any information on it as it may relate to the leakage of some State secrets through the listening devices planted in the office.

More honest is Palanimanickam to debunk any such doubts as he told the House that there was no bugging and the Intelligence Bureau (IB) that probed at the PM's instance found just sticky substance "comparable with those of chewing gum." The adhesives were found stuck at 16 places in the offices of Mukherjee, his private secretary and his adviser.

The PMO's reply, however, says: "The requested information is related to the security of the State and disclosure thereof is, therefore, denied under Section 8(1)(a) of the RTI Act, 2005." The particular section says the government shall be under no obligation to give information to any citizen, disclosure of which would prejudicially affect the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security, strategic scientific or economic interests of the State, relation with a foreign state or lead to the incitement of an offence."

BJP Secretary Dr Kirit Somaiya was also initially refused information under this section by the Finance Ministry, but he got a revised reply from the Finance Ministry's central public relation officer furnishing the information sought under RTI Act, clarifying that "no (bugging) devices were detected during regular screening undertaken in all concerned premises."

The daily had sought in its RTI application filed on July 5 a copies of Mukherjee's letter to the PM, the latter's response and details of the final report of the probe ordered by the Prime Minister.

###

TIHAR HUNT FOR HANGMAN

2011-08-13T17:45:00.001-07:00

TIHAR HUNT FOR HANGMAN

NEW DELHI: With President Pratibha Patil yet to give her nod to the Home Ministry's recommendation for hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, the Tihar Jail authorities here are frenetically hunting for a hangman for putting to gallows Khalistani terrorist Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar sent to death row by her rejecting his mercy petition.

The Tihar Jails do not have any hangman now as the last hanging in the jail took place 22 years ago in 1989 when Indira Gandhi's assassins Satwant Singh and Kehar Singh were executed. "We will have to get the hangman from outside, a tedious task since there are only few hangmen left in India," a jail official said.

Pointing out that attempts are on to locate Kallu and Fakira who executed the Indira killers, the official said: "They could not be located so far and if I am not wrong, Fakira is dead." Though the jail has not yet got the "black warrant" from the district and sessions judge for hanging Bhullar, the authorities are trying to set into motion the drill for such executions as they do not know when yet another execution of Afzal Guru is cleared.

Bhullar, who was sentenced to death for an explosion in 1993 targeting then Youth Congress president Maninderjit Singh Bitta, has slipped into depression and is lodged in the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS) for psychiatric treatment.

Pending receipt of his death warrant that is required in the run-up to the actual hanging, the jail authorities are reading about procedures and rules as there is nobody in the present staff who may have any experience in this regard.

Only after the death warrant is received that the jail will buy a rope and it will be tested for at least one week by the concerned jail superintendent by conducting mock hangings to ensure the actual execution is done smoothly. The rule book requires a new rope acquired and tested for each hanging, the officials said.

###

EC BRACES UP FOR 2012 SCHEDULE

2011-08-11T18:10:00.000-07:00

11 Aug 2011

EC BRACES UP FOR HECTIC WORK IN 2012

NEW DELHI: The Election Commission is bracing up right from now for a hectic and prestigious 2012 when it has to handle elections of the new president and vice-president of India and conduct assembly elections in five states, including an all-important Uttar Pradesh.

A tentative calendar of schedules drawn up to kick-start the preparations envisages the Assembly polls in Punjab and Uttarakhand mid-January and those in Uttar Pradesh, Goa and Manipur in second week of April. The Uttar Pradesh elections may be spread over to seven phases to complete the process mid-May while Punjab will have a two-phase polls.

Even while busy with the elections in UP and the other two states, the Election Commission will get busy with the election of the new President of India. The polling for the President is expected mid-June.

The Chief Election Commissioner and his two colleague election commissioners have already started visiting the states going to polls in 2012. They have completed one trip each to Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Manipur. The Commission plans visit to Goa in the third week of August to assess the poll preparations.

###

election commission 2012 heavy schedule

2011-08-11T05:08:00.000-07:00

ELECTION COMMISSION

2012 HEAVY SCHEDULE

By R Rajagopalan

2012 is a hectic and prestigious year for Election Commission.

President, Vice President and five state assemblies polls.

Scheduling dates, deployment of forces for Uttar Pradesh

and Punjab are the too testing for EC

Sources in EC say that Punjab and Uttarakhand will go in for polls

in mid January 2012, while Rashtrapathi Elections will

be held in mid June 2012. Before this the EC has

to work out the poll dates for Uttar Pradesh and Goa

and Manipur. By May 2012 the UP ele3ctions should have

been over.

FIVE ASSEMBLY POLL DATES?

Elections to Punjab, Uttrakhand in mid of January 2012

while Uttar Pradesh, Goa and Manipur may be held

in second week of April 2012. UP will face 7 phases polls

while Punjab 2 phases. Schedule will have

bearing on the availability and deployment process

of central reserve forces

Election Commission plans a visit Goa in the third

week of August to assess the poll preparations.

ends

chidambaram must go for letting loose brute police force says bjp

2011-08-10T07:17:00.001-07:00

10 Aug 2011

PC MUST GO FOR LETTING LOOSE BRUTE POLICE FORCE, SAYS BJP

From Our Delhi Bureau

NEW DELHI: The Bhartiya Janata Party's "deal" with the ruling Congress to stall Parliament to skirt the debate other parties wanted on some key issues?

Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj had to face the embarrassing question at a joint press conference with her Rajya Sabha counterpart Arun Jaitley and Shiv Sena leader Anant Geete.

She denied any such deal and asserted that the disruption of the House was also a parliamentary tool to attract attention. Both the Houses of Parliament were adjourned without transacting any business because of the disruptions.

Sushma said her party was not shying away from debates, but certain people smell conspiracy and deals in every issue. Her dig was at the Left Parties upset and angry at pandemonium washing out the debates they secured.

She said her party had no desire to disrupt Parliament, but the events have overtaken it. Demanding resignation of Home Minister P. Chidambaram, she said the government had shown utmost disregard to democracy by beating up BJP Yuva Morcha activists, who were demanding action against corruption.

She said there were three such incidents in the recent past, where government did not allow peaceful protests. Rejecting the police statement that nobody was injured in the police action, Swaraj said 56 people, including four police personnel, have received injuries and were recuperating in different city hospitals. She said a BJP Yuva Morcha activist has received a spinal injury and dozen others have their arms and legs fractured.

"Till recently we were attacking Chidambaram for his role in the spectrum scam. Now, we demand his dismissal from the council of ministers for letting loose brute police force on peaceful protesters," she said.

Arun Jaitely drew parallels between allowing separatists conducting meetings in Delhi and police actions against BJP members and against Baba Ramdev. He said Chidambaram had defended the separatists' meetings citing freedom of expression.

Asked why his party didn’t allow the Home Minister to make a statement, he said police version was not acceptable to them. "We would like to know the truth behind using disproportionate use of force. Police version is that nobody was injured. It is so fanciful, it didn’t serve any purpose."

Shiv Sena leader Anant Geete said the use of force against farmers near Pune was unparalleled. He said it was third such incident after Jaitapur, Paditpur Yatra, where farmers were targeted by police. He thanked Samajwadi Party and Biju Janata Dal for supporting the issue and joining hands to demand dismissal of the Maharashtra government.

###

LOTS OF FUN HEARD SO IN PARLIAMENT

2011-08-10T04:34:00.001-07:00

August 10, 2011

Lots of fun

Heard so in Parliament

--------

Javed Akhtar invited Left leaders next week in Delhi

for Dinner to request them not to fall into the BJP

trap to oppose Congress.

------

Trichy Siva DMK MP and Brinda Karat discussed Tamil

Nadu/SriLankan politics, seated in a corner in

parliament ADMK MPs sore., from distanced

watched this event with a fun

-----------

Ahmed Patel is heading a core group of Congress,

but Arun Jaitley is heading a sore group of

congressmen.MS AIyer and MS Gill.

Heard a joke in Parliament

--------

Sports Ministers MS Gill and MS Aiyer

both are now close to BJP leaders, giving inside

details of CWG and South Block connections

---------

Lalu Prasad was angry on Vinay Katiyar in Parliament

for circulating a false papers on blackmoney. Katiyar

denied his role.

-------

ends

BJP blames it on P Chidambaram on Police brutality

2011-08-10T03:21:00.001-07:00

10 Aug 2011

PARLIAMENT STALLED AGAIN: 'CHIDU ENGINEERED POLICE BRUTALITY'

From Our Delhi Bureau

NEW DELHI: Screaming Opposition brought down Parliament on Wednesday over Delhi Police "brutality" on the BJP youths demonstrating against corruption, demanding Home Minister P Chidambaram's sack for engineering the attacks to avenge the 2G scam graft charges levelled on him.

The government is panicky that it has become nearly impossible to get any work accomplished in the past 10 days and 8 sittings since the monsoon session began. Chidambaram offered to make a statement to break impasse, but the BJP leaders wriggled out as the party MPs won't allow them any new "compromise."

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal accused the BJP of stalling Parliament on "frivolous" issues after agreeing to cooperate in its smooth running. He was uncertain of fate of the heavy agenda of a large number of Bills to be passed in the remaining 20 sittings until September 8 if the Opposition remains adamant on blockade.

Both the Houses were disrupted right from the start as the shouting BJP members left their seats and entered the well to protest the police crackdown on the "peaceful" party youths at the instance of Chidambaram. They alleged that he ordered the crackdown to teach a lesson to the BJP repeatedly demanding his resignation on the 2G scam issue.

Pandemonium ruled when the two Houses met after a washed-out question hour due to adjournment, prompting the chair to adjourn the Rajya Sabha for the day immediately while the deputy speaker shut the Lok Sabha for the day after another attempt at 2 pm.

"You cannot use force to stop those protesting against corruption and rising prices. That is why Chidambaram should resign," BJP leader Gopinath Munde told reporters outside Parliament. He said the demonstration in the Lok Sabha was also to demand dismissal of the Maharashtra government for the police firing on farmers in Pune and protest at attack on the BJP workers in Pune, all happening on Tuesday.

The Lok Sabha was rocked immediately after an obituary references on death of former Gujarat MP Shanti Bhai Patel as the BJP and Shiv Sena members walked into the well shouting slogans. The Samajwadi Party members too joined him in solidarity to protest the police firing on farmers in Pune.

Some held placards of "Dismiss the Maharashtra government which fired on farmers." Three persons, including a woman and a child, were reportedly killed in the Police action in Pune. Others, including its youth wing president Anurag Thakur, displayed newspaper clippings carrying reports of the lathi-charge on those participating in a protest march to Parliament and claimed 40 youths were injured.

After both the Houses were adjourned for the day, Parliamentary minister Bansal shared the government's worry that it is totally in dark on what the Opposition wants. The main opposition BJP agreed on smooth running of Parliament and in turn the government is ready for discussion on any issues it wants, but still nothing is moving.

He wondered if the BJP wants to keep relevance of Parliament or not as the government finds itself helpless if it springs up new issues, not allowing completion of even the discussions it sought as it happened in Tuesday when the BJP-sponsored discussion on the Commonwealth Games (CWG) was disrupted by the party MPs themselves.

###

SUBBA RAO GETS TWO YEARS EXTENSION AS GOVERNOR OF RBI

2011-08-09T02:00:00.000-07:00

exclusive

D SUBBA RAO

GETS TWO YEARS EXTENSION

AS GOVERNOR OF RESERVE BANK OF INDIA

By R Rajagopalan

Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Tuesday approved

extension of two years to Dr D Subba Rao as Governor of Reserve Bank of India

Extension in view of stability in fae of global markets crisis. Subba Rao was to retire

on September 5, 2011 This move is to give industry a confidence about Govt

stability to tackle crisis and insulate Indian markets. Subba Rao is an IAS officer

of 1972 batch of Andhra Pradesh cadre.

ends

GOVT TURNS GUNS ON MEDIA CAG AFTER PARLIAMENT ROCKED

2011-08-08T06:46:00.001-07:00

8 Aug 2011

GOVT TURNS GUNS ON MEDIA, CAG AFTER PARLIAMENT ROCKED

From Our Delhi Bureau

NEW DELHI: The Government and ruling Congress on Monday turned guns on the Media and the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) even as the Bhartiya Janata Party-led Opposition battered them and forced the shut-down of Parliament demanding Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit's ouster.

The Government was on backfoot on the CWG scams coming to haunt it again after the CAG gave its report, while the Opposition moved privileges against it for trying to feed "half truth" to Parliament through its sports minister after the leaked CAG findings cast shadow on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The Opposition jumped into well in both the Houses and did not allow them to function as it insisted on removal of Dikshit after the CAG indictment of her government for irregularities in creation of facilities the Commonwealth Games (CWG) while the government insisted that adverse references to her role in certain contracts is "no indictment" warranting her resignation.

The BJP also moved privileged motions in both the Houses against Sports Minister Ajay Maken for a misleading statement last Tuesday to show as if arrested Congress MP Suresh Kalmadi was made the CWG organising committee chairman because of the wrongs of the BJP-led NDA government and it was a fait accomplie for the UPA government.

Former finance minister Yashwant Sinha, who gave the privilege notice in the Lok Sabha, quoted extensively from the CAG report tabled on Friday to nail Maken for revealing some facts and suppressing others. His another motion was to suspend question hour and immediately discuss the CAG findings.

Congress spokesman Manish Tewari, however, chose to question the CAG itself for overstepping its role as the financial watchdog under Article 149 and the 1971 CAG Act in commenting upon the process of appointment and trying to implicate the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) under Dr Manmohan Singh on how arrested Congress MP Suresh Kalmadi became the chairman of the CWG organising committee.

He wondered whether it is "intentional omission or oversight" or choosing to overlook two events on the part of the CAG to selectively refer to documents to fault the PMO on Kalmadi's appointment. The events he referred to had taken place in September and December 2003 during the NDA regime in the Cabinet approving the host city contract and the Delhi Government, the Centre nd Kalmadi signing the contract.

There was pandemonium in both the Houses right from the start, with the opposition members crowding in the well demanding Sheila Dikshit's head. The members in the well even before the Deputy Speaker took the chair at noon after one adjournment and he was forced to adjourn for the day after letting papers laid amid pandemonium. The same scenario was witnessed in the Rajya Sabha that gave a miss to the question hour and then adjourned for the day.

Even while confrontation between the government and the BJP escalated, an exercise was on between them to save the truce they entered only last week to allow Parliament to function and clear the financial business like insurance and banking bills as also laws on new direct and indirect taxes that are hanging fire. Sinha said an offer has come from the government but refused to share it with the media until the NDA takes a view on it. "We are interested in debates and functioning of Parliament and not deadlock," he said.

SONI, SIBAL & SALMAN: The government later chose to go into a media bashing drive at a press conference addressed jointly by Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal and Law Minister Salman Khurshid, particularly hitting at the electronic media going overboard and pleading to stop flaring up issues with false claims and without proofs. The TV media is concocting facts for the sake of their TRP to attract more advertisements, Soni alleged.

Sibal said one-sided reporting of events is dangerous for democracy and wanted the media to look for self-regulatory mechanism to stop sensationalising sensitive legislative and executive processes. Salman said the government was not shying away from discussing the CAG report, but there is a procedure that first the PAC examines it and then Parliament discusses it.

All three insisted that nobody in "high office", be it the PM or Sheila Dikshit, have been indicted in the CAG report to justify the way the BJP is demanding action. The government will take a stand only after the PAC has examined the report and it cannot be made to jump the gun, they insisted. "There is no indictment of anyone in the high office, leave aside that of Sheila Dikshit," Soni and Sibal affirmed, pointing out that adverse references in the report do not constitute any indictment.

Congress spokesman Tewari at a separate press conference chided the BJP that after shedding blood in Karnataka, it is trying to take blood in Delhi and not understanding that the Lokayukt report against its then chief minister B S Yeddyurappa and the CAG's CWG report are altogether different.

It is the function of the PAC to examine the CAG reports and if the CAG reports are to be taken on their face value for the government to take action, the BJP will have to answer why it did not act against its chief ministers in Uttarakhand and Gujarat despite the CAG censures, Tewari affirmed.

The CAG had unearthed misappropriation of funds to the tune of Rs 44 crores in the Maha Kumbh by the "Hindutva" party in power in Uttarakhand while Chief Minister Narendra Modi blocked the legislative process of submission of the PAC report for the past many years after it found weight in the CAG establishing corruption to the tune of Rs 500 crores in the state government's Sujlam, Suflam programme. The CAG also indicted his government for huge losses causes to the Gujarat electricity corporation, the Congress spokesman pointed out.

###

HAMID ANSARI ADMITS NOTICES TO DISCUSS SRILANKAN TAMIL ISSUE IN RAJYA SABHA

2011-08-07T20:11:00.000-07:00

ON THUR;SDAY, CHAIRMAN RAJYA SABHA ADMITS DISCUSSION ON PROBLEMS FACED BY SRI LANKAN TAMILS
Members, Rajya Sabha to raise a discussion on the situation arising out of the problems being faced by Sri Lankan Tamils, has been admitted under Rule 177 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Rajya Sabha provisionally for Thursday, the 11^th August, 2011.Notice received from Shri D. Raja, Shri M.P. Achuthan, Shri Syed Azeez Pasha, Dr. V. Maitreyan, Shri N. Balaganga, Shri A. Elavarasan, Shri Tiruchi Siva, Shri S. Thangavelu, Smt. Vasanthi Stanley, Dr. K.P. Ramalingam, Shri S.S. Ahluwalia, Shri Vikram Verma and Dr. Manohar Joshi, ENDS

sushma swaraj on telangana

2011-08-07T05:12:00.001-07:00

SUSHMA SWARAJ TWEETS

ON TELANGANA

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj

on Sunday in her Tweets pleaded not to suicide for creation

of Telangana, You have to be alive to live in Telangana.That is her slogan.

In her two tweets, said

I plead with people of Telangana particularly the youth -

Now onwards - If there is a single suicide for creation of Telangana,

I will withdraw myself from Telangana movement. Pl retweet

I beg of you, please do not damage the Telangana cause by committing suicides.

Sodara sodareemanulara telangana kosam atma balidanalu vaddu,telangana

chudatanikaina brathakali, brathakali.

ends

Sushma Swaraj
@SushmaSwarajBJP 44 Parliament Hs New Delhi
ABVP activist - Cabinet Minister at 25, Chief Minister Delhi, Union Minister, Fought 10 direct elections. Six terms MP & Leader of Opposition Lok Sabha
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SushmaSwarajBJP Sushma Swaraj
Now onwards - If there is a single suicide for creation of Telangana, I will withdraw myself from Telangana movement. Pl retweet
2 hours ago
SushmaSwarajBJP Sushma Swaraj
I beg of you, please do not damage the Telangana cause by committing suicides.
4 hours ago
SushmaSwarajBJP Sushma Swaraj
तेलंगाना के मेरे भाइयो और बहनों - तेलंगाना बनाने के लिए मरना नहीं. तेलंगाना देखने के लिए जीना है . जीना है.
4 hours ago
SushmaSwarajBJP Sushma Swaraj
Sodara sodareemanulara telangana kosam atma balidanalu vaddu,telangana chudatanikaina brathakali, brathakali.
4 hours ago
SushmaSwarajBJP Sushma Swaraj
I plead with people of Telangana particularly the youth -