17 Dec 2009
SILLY MISHAP DELAYS PM'S DEPARTURE
From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: A silly ground mishap at Delhi airport involving Air India's special aircraft readied for the Prime Minister delayed his flight to Copenhagen by nearly four hours. A standby aircraft that is always there as a backup was pressed into service for the PM's travel.
Dr Manmohan Singh was to take the flight at 2.15 pm on Thursday, but his security officials won't take the risk after a cargo van carrying his lugguage bumped into the aircraft body on the engine side.
The security agencies pressed panic button as soon as they heard a big sound from the aircraft, only to learn later that it was caused by the van hitting the aircraft. There worry was that the engine may have been damaged.
Director of the Special Protection Group (SPG) that provides the topmost security cover to the PM and Secretary, security, inspected the dent and
asked the SPG control room to alert the Prime Minister to delay his arrival at the airport.
Both were already present in the technical area of the airport from where the flight was to take off. There was a flutter over the non-availability of senior technical staff sought by the SPG to immediately inspect the damage and give clearance if the aircraft can be used.
Within five minutes, the SPG chief and Secretary, security, took the decision not to take any risk. They chose to dump the damaged aircraft and go for the standby special aircraft of Air India to take the PM to Copenhagen.
Once the decision taken, then began the usual security drill to check everything in the new aircraft, starting with the engine put on to verify working of all systems and equipments. A SPG source said it takes a minimum of three hours to examine the aircraft from all angles before it is given a green signal to take the VVIP passenger.
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Thursday, December 17, 2009
PM AIRCRAFT AND THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY
PM TO TRAVEL BY A STAND BY AIRCRAFT
AFTER SPG CREATED A FLUTTER ABOUT
DENT IN THE ENGINE
By delhi bureau
was now being used for Dr Manmohan Singh to travel
to Copenhagen.
The cargo tanker rubbed the PM's aircraft which
created a dent on the body of the aircraft.
Director SPG and Secretary Security both officers
who were already in the technical area of Palam airport
discussed and arrived at a decision to delay the flight by
four hours.
In a ten minutes time, the SPG seniors reached
the venue and taken a decision to delay the departure
by four hours.
SPG men deducted the technical snag
as a cargo van carrying luggage of PM hit
the body of the engine. When the huge sound
was heard the SPG pressed the alarm button.
Sooner the Control Room of SPG was alerted to
convey to PM and his family to delay the departure.
Next moment the SPG created a flutter to bring
senior technical persons. when this failed
SPG wanted another special aircraft which was
kept as stand by to be put on use. The usual security drill
were done, putting on the engine etc.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Sharad Pawar, Mamta Banerjee and Dayanidhi Maran
pick up issues with P Chidambaram on'mid night announcement"
How did you announce core committee of Congress
decision as Government's
GOVT OPTS FOR 'MUM' ON TELENGANA
By R Rajagopalan
NEW DELHI: An emergency meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) convened by the Prime Minister here Tuesday night took no decision for or against Telengana. It rather chose to keep mum on the issue as it felt either decision will only trigger more protests and violence while need of the hour was to restore peace and harmony.
By R Rajagopalan
NEW DELHI: An emergency meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) convened by the Prime Minister here Tuesday night took no decision for or against Telengana. It rather chose to keep mum on the issue as it felt either decision will only trigger more protests and violence while need of the hour was to restore peace and harmony.
Sharad Pawar Agriculture Minister was forthright in seeking clarifications from P Chidambaram on announcing the decision of the Congress Core Committee on Telangana as Government's. When Pawar shown way that was picked up by Mamta Banerjee. She went to the extent of saying that" Will you all come and face West Bengal electorates?" she pointed out at P Chidambaram. Not leaving it at that Dayanidhi Maran also took on the announcement on last wednesday mid night about Telangana.
A one-liner by Harish Khare, the Media Adviser to PM, after the meeting chaired by Dr Manbmohan Singh said: "The CCPA took stock of the situation in Andhra Pradesh and appeals to the people and all political parties in Andhra Pradesh to maintain peace and harmony."
Sources said Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee prevailed in the meeting to give priority to return of normalcy in Andhra Pradesh and say nothing on Telengana as the Centre's role comes only after the Andhra Pradesh Assembly unanimously adopts a resolution for creation of the separate state.
Sources said Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee prevailed in the meeting to give priority to return of normalcy in Andhra Pradesh and say nothing on Telengana as the Centre's role comes only after the Andhra Pradesh Assembly unanimously adopts a resolution for creation of the separate state.
Pranab Mukherjee who headed during first tenure of UPA a sub committee on Telangana said that issue is very sensitive and emotional. " I understood it, but when such a major issue was being announced, it was Congress duty to have taken the NCP, TMC and DMK into confidence" Indirectly Pranab was hitting at the PMO and also Home Minister.
Some members wanted that the government should clarify Home Minister P Chidambaram's remark on Telengana that triggered violence in Andhra Pradesh, but Mukherjee shot down the idea, pointing out that he had just said that the Assembly will pass the resolution for Telengana. The Assembly could not and it had to be adjourned sine die and so the matter should rest there, he advised and everybody concurred, sources added.
###
250 MPS laughed at 28 Telugu speaking MPs abusing.
15-12-2009
ON TELANGANA ISSUE
THE TREASURY BENCH
IN LOK SABHA WAS A BUTT OF JOKE
Jagan walks into well of the house
handshakes with TDP
complete disobeying Congress
flouting ruling party- parliamentary norms
R Rajagopalan
has not shown his leadership skill,
when Lok Sabha plunged into unprecendented
pandemonimum on the issue of Government
decision to begin the process of separation of
Telangana.
Dr Singh who was in his office inside Parliament House,
but did not show up in Lok Sabha, decided to hurriedly
leave the premises,
TREASURY BENCH WAS EMPTY
Treasury Benches were empty at 1200 hours.
P Chidambaram quietly took his files and opened
mobile, left the House at 1155, but he was chased by
K S Rao. "We cannot say anything now" was the cryptic
answer of Home Minster to K S Rao.
Sonia Gandhi who was present in the Lok Sabha also
left just before the last question.
Leader of Lok Sabha Pranab Mukherjee was also not present
when the TDP raised the United Andhra slogan at 1210 hours
when Speaker Meira Kumar asked TDP MP to speak.
No one in Congress or Congress Ministers were ready to provide
an answer for the Andhra crisis. As he had Rajya Sabha roaster duty
as to answer Finance Ministry questions.
CLEVER MOVE OF KS RAO
Very cleverly KS Rao the key coordinator for "United Andhra"
taken out more than 8-10 Congress MPs from Andhra and Rayalaseema
from their seats of the Lok Sabha so that there was no tension
for Telangana MPs. And the matter would be smooth. But suddendly
Jagan Mohan Reddy walked into the well of the House, handshaking
with TDP MPs and also asked the TDP MPs to give the playcard
from them.
When these commotion were there, it is misfortune, that none
When these commotion were there, it is misfortune, that none
of the senior Union Ministers of Congress was present in the
house to control Congress MPs.
Pawan Kumar Bansal has language problem and could not make
out what was being said and done. Andhra MPs were asking Pawan
Kumar Bansal to go to Jagannatham and Telangana Congress MPs
to stop shouting of "We want Telanagna"
250 MPS LAUGHED ON SEEING 28 TELUGU MPS FIGHT
In Lok Sabha there would have been 250 MPs present when the
28 Telugu MPs from Andhra ,Rayalaseema and Telangana region
were picking up quarrel.
Literarily Congress MP Jagannatham signalling to 'finish' off
Andhra.....and ran towards Venkatarama Reddy" But for Pawan
Basal separating them, the issue would have further become
unsavoury.
From 1216-1220 hours the entire Parliament went into a din, treasury
From 1216-1220 hours the entire Parliament went into a din, treasury
bench has become a 'laughing stock- and a joke"
When the Home Minister could sense that there was a tension
ahead, could not he have brought a peace - to save the Congress
from getting embarrassment.
UPA II has miserably failed to have coordination-especially within
the Congress.
And these 'thinkers and foreign university educated Union Ministers'
And these 'thinkers and foreign university educated Union Ministers'
are to carve out Telangana.
Scene was pathetic-never earlier felt in my 32 years of Parliamentary reporting.
Ends
new governors list
15 Dec 2009
EXERCISE BEGINS TO APPOINT NEW GOVERNORS
From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: West Bengal Governor Gopal Gandhi taking train to Chennai without waiting for appointment of his successor after completing his term has prompted the government to speed up selection of the new governors.
The 77-year old AICC General Secretary Mohsina Kidwai, who retires from Rajya Sabha next July, is being considered to succeed Gandhi in Kolkata while the 65-year old Ronen Sen, who was India's ambassador in United States until last year, is tipped to become Rajasthan governor.
Other names in circulation include former union minister Arjun Singh (79) as governor of Tamil Nadu and former union minister Sontosh Mohan Deb (75) as governor of Punjab. Also in the reckoning is former Home Minister and former Lok Sabha Speaker Shivraj Patil (74) who is also retiring from Rajya Sabha in July next year. Arjun Singh's Rajya Sabha term is up to 2012.
Ronen Sen, a former IFS officer, was the most powerful joint secretary in the Prime Minister's office (PMO) during Rajiv Gandhi era. He has been ambassador in Russia and Germany and high commissioner in United Kingdom before taking up the ambassadorship in Washington.
###
shiv sena MPs write to Sonia
15 Dec 2009
SHIV SENA MPs WRITE TO SONIA ON DARDAS
From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: In an unusual signed letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, 14 Shiv Sena MPs have accused the Darda family running the Lokmat group of newspapers of giving reins of their Marathi television news channel to one having history of spewing poison against her.
Claiming compelling reason to reach out the president of a rival outfit in an unconventional manner, the MPs seek to expose what it claims to be a nexus of Vijay Darda, Rajdeep Sardessai and Nikhil Wagle in the TV venture to show how Dardas milch Nehru-Gandhi family by "putting up a farce of loyalty to enjoy power for decades."
The MPs say the old nexus among them has now become public, with Dardas' Marathi daily Lokmat entering into a tie-up with IBN television news channel of Sardessai and Wagle becoming head of their Marathi TV channel.
They sought to bring to Sonia Gandhi a derogatory article written by Wagle in "Apala Mahanagar", a Marathi newspaper of Mumbai which he used to edit, making indecent suggestions about her after Rajiv Gandhi's assassination entitled "Sonia yanchya niwadimage Dhawan yanchya haat" (Dhawan's hand behind Sonia's election).
"The article made such indecent suggestions about you that notwithstanding our political difference with you, we feel constrained to even reproduce what was written," they write, pointing out how the Congress workers ransacked Wagle's newspaper office and let him off only after he gave a personal apology at a police station.
"So skillful have been the Dardas in camouflaging their hostility to the Nehru-Gandhi family with a fake loyalty that the Congress leadership has made one brother, Vijay Darda, a member of Rajya Sabha while another, Rajendra Darda is a cabinet minister in Maharashtra," says the 2-page letter.
"Lest we should be misunderstood, we wish to make it clear that the Shiv Sena is capable of meeting any political challenge," the letter added.
Signatories to the letter are: Manohar Joshi and Anant Geete, leaders of Shiv Sena groups in the two Houses of Parliament, as also Sanjay Raut, Bhartkumar Raut, Shivajirao Adhairao-Patil, Bhawna Gwali, Anand Paranjpe, Subhash Wankhede, Anandrao Adsul, Ganesh Dudhgaonkar, Bhausaheb Wakchaure, Chandrakhand Khaire, Pratap Rao Jadhav and Gajanan Babar.
###
SHIV SENA MPs WRITE TO SONIA ON DARDAS
From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: In an unusual signed letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, 14 Shiv Sena MPs have accused the Darda family running the Lokmat group of newspapers of giving reins of their Marathi television news channel to one having history of spewing poison against her.
Claiming compelling reason to reach out the president of a rival outfit in an unconventional manner, the MPs seek to expose what it claims to be a nexus of Vijay Darda, Rajdeep Sardessai and Nikhil Wagle in the TV venture to show how Dardas milch Nehru-Gandhi family by "putting up a farce of loyalty to enjoy power for decades."
The MPs say the old nexus among them has now become public, with Dardas' Marathi daily Lokmat entering into a tie-up with IBN television news channel of Sardessai and Wagle becoming head of their Marathi TV channel.
They sought to bring to Sonia Gandhi a derogatory article written by Wagle in "Apala Mahanagar", a Marathi newspaper of Mumbai which he used to edit, making indecent suggestions about her after Rajiv Gandhi's assassination entitled "Sonia yanchya niwadimage Dhawan yanchya haat" (Dhawan's hand behind Sonia's election).
"The article made such indecent suggestions about you that notwithstanding our political difference with you, we feel constrained to even reproduce what was written," they write, pointing out how the Congress workers ransacked Wagle's newspaper office and let him off only after he gave a personal apology at a police station.
"So skillful have been the Dardas in camouflaging their hostility to the Nehru-Gandhi family with a fake loyalty that the Congress leadership has made one brother, Vijay Darda, a member of Rajya Sabha while another, Rajendra Darda is a cabinet minister in Maharashtra," says the 2-page letter.
"Lest we should be misunderstood, we wish to make it clear that the Shiv Sena is capable of meeting any political challenge," the letter added.
Signatories to the letter are: Manohar Joshi and Anant Geete, leaders of Shiv Sena groups in the two Houses of Parliament, as also Sanjay Raut, Bhartkumar Raut, Shivajirao Adhairao-Patil, Bhawna Gwali, Anand Paranjpe, Subhash Wankhede, Anandrao Adsul, Ganesh Dudhgaonkar, Bhausaheb Wakchaure, Chandrakhand Khaire, Pratap Rao Jadhav and Gajanan Babar.
###
Monday, December 14, 2009
new rule for Rajya Sabha
14 Dec 2009
Chairman of Rajya Sabha new initiative
QUESTION NOT OFF IF MP ABSENT
From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: The Rajya Sabha is amending rules to tackle an increasing absenteeism of MPs during Question Time after their questions get listed for the government's reply in the House.
The problem has been more acute on Mondays after two-day recess as many members are not able to make it due to delay in flights or train services. Some stay away at the request of the concerned minister to avoid likely embarrassment to the government if others lap on to ask unpalatable supplementaries.
At the instance of Chairman Hamid Ansari, the "Rules Committee" of the House last week approved an amendment to ensure the questions are asked in the same order as listed in the question book through ballot, no matter even if the MP asking the particular question is absent.
Sources said the "General Purpose Committee" of the Rajya Sabha had asked the "Rules Committee" to frame the necessary rules that may be brought into force from the next session. The rules will be placed before the House this week for approval.
Under the amended rules, even if the main questioner is absent, the Chair will allow three other members to ask supplementaries during the Question Hour. That way the members will not feel cheated by the questioner's absence as the present rules provide for the Chair skipping such a question to go to the next one in the list.
Sources said the Rajya Sabha is pioneering the new regime as otherwise both the Houses of Parliament as also the state legislatures had been following the practice all these years to pass over the question when the MP or MLA is not present.
The Lok Sabha's Question Hour had collapsed on December 7 when the Speaker had to adjourn the House for half an hour as most of the MPs, except three, on the question book for oral replies by the ministers were absent.
The Rajya Sabha followed the same problem of absentees two days later prompting the Chairman whether it was a virus that has spread from the Lower House to the Upper House. He had a meeting with Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar to discuss solution of the menace and then announced that the rules will be changed to prevent the absentee MPs derailing the Question Hour.
###
Chairman of Rajya Sabha new initiative
QUESTION NOT OFF IF MP ABSENT
From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: The Rajya Sabha is amending rules to tackle an increasing absenteeism of MPs during Question Time after their questions get listed for the government's reply in the House.
The problem has been more acute on Mondays after two-day recess as many members are not able to make it due to delay in flights or train services. Some stay away at the request of the concerned minister to avoid likely embarrassment to the government if others lap on to ask unpalatable supplementaries.
At the instance of Chairman Hamid Ansari, the "Rules Committee" of the House last week approved an amendment to ensure the questions are asked in the same order as listed in the question book through ballot, no matter even if the MP asking the particular question is absent.
Sources said the "General Purpose Committee" of the Rajya Sabha had asked the "Rules Committee" to frame the necessary rules that may be brought into force from the next session. The rules will be placed before the House this week for approval.
Under the amended rules, even if the main questioner is absent, the Chair will allow three other members to ask supplementaries during the Question Hour. That way the members will not feel cheated by the questioner's absence as the present rules provide for the Chair skipping such a question to go to the next one in the list.
Sources said the Rajya Sabha is pioneering the new regime as otherwise both the Houses of Parliament as also the state legislatures had been following the practice all these years to pass over the question when the MP or MLA is not present.
The Lok Sabha's Question Hour had collapsed on December 7 when the Speaker had to adjourn the House for half an hour as most of the MPs, except three, on the question book for oral replies by the ministers were absent.
The Rajya Sabha followed the same problem of absentees two days later prompting the Chairman whether it was a virus that has spread from the Lower House to the Upper House. He had a meeting with Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar to discuss solution of the menace and then announced that the rules will be changed to prevent the absentee MPs derailing the Question Hour.
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