Congress membership to drop sharply

27 Oct 2009

CONGRESS MEMBERSHIP TO DROP SHARPLY


By Jal Khambata


NEW DELHI: The ongoing Congress membership drive for holding the party elections early next year may show its total strength slump sharply. An irony is that the party's strength nosedives in a year of electoral trumps, thanks to a new rule inserted by heir-apparent Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi.

The rule that requires pasting of photograph on the membership form will automatically eliminate lakhs of bogus members that partymen used to enroll to qualify for various organisational elections.

Only an active member of the party can take part in the elections and one becomes so by enrolling at least 25 primary members. In the past, one would just copy names and addresses from the electoral rolls and deposit the requisite membership fee on their behalf to get qualified as an active member.

Even now the membership is just Rs 3 per head and that too for three years period of 2009 to 2012 and anyone could have easily deposited Rs 75 to become eligible for polls as an active member.

The new rule introduced by Rahul is, however, forcing the partymen to engage into a real membership drive, amid murmurs that it will be difficult for the members at the village levels to have their photographs ready for pasting on the membership form.

Some of the state units are already pestering the AICC headquarters to relax the rule, lest the total membership nosedives, making it very difficult for the party to explain where its lakhs of members have vanished.
Their contention is that the large number of farm workers, day labourers and women have either lack of time or no inclination to get themselves photographed.

The party sources say the rule, however, may not be waived, particularly because Rahul Gandhi is behind it as he thinks this alone will ensure revival of an inner-party democracy and end of the power brokers dictating the party outfits at various levels.

They say Rahul Gandhi is keen to reform the party from within. An effort in this direction has been already taken by him in his capacity as the incharge general secretary to ensure elections at all levels in the Youth Congress and the National Students Union of India (NSUI).

The Congress membership form for the period 2009-2012 calls for a self-declaration, with the member undertaking to wear certified khadi, shun alcohol and disproportionate assets, and work for socialist, secular and democratic goals.

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RAJNATH MISTAKENLY CROSSES SWORD WITH RSS CHIEF

27 Oct 2009

RAJNATH MISTAKENLY CROSSES SWORD WITH RSS CHIEF


Despatch is from
Jal Khambata


NEW DELHI: Provoked by RSS chief calling for the BJP undergo a "surgery" or even "chemotherapy" provoked its President Rajnath Singh on Tuesday to assert that such an opinion can come from no one except a "madman."

The mistaken tirade against the hard-hitting remarks was mounted by Rajnath Singh without even first finding out as to who made the remark. He was, however, not repenting on learning that the remarks had come from Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat.

"Not at all, who says that," he shot back when reporters asked him to react to the BJP needing chemotherapy that amount to saying cancer was eating into the party.

He went on to further react angrily when asked whether the the morale of party workers is low because of repeated poll failures. He shot back: "Our morale is high. Who is saying like this?"

Rajnath, however, did not take back his comments on learning that the unsavoury remark on the state of the BJP had come from none else but RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in the course a Press conference in Jaipur on Tuesday.

In reply to a question, Bhagwat had said: "....whatever surgery, medicine, chemotherapy is essential, it has to be diagnosed by them (BJP)."

The BJP sources said Rajnath Singh was only defending the party and meant no disrespect to the RSS chief. He did not know the sarcastic remark came from the RSS chief as otherwise everyone knows Rajnath Singh always consults him on all important matters concerning the party, the sources affirmed.

Even while they asserted that Rajnath Singh was not at all taking on the RSS chief, the latter already holding consultations with the BJP top guns since after the party's defeat in the Lok Sabha elections for revamp of the party may not take such reaction lightly.

Rajnath Singh has another three months to go until January when his term ends with election of the new President, but his latest spat with the RSS chief, no matter mistakenly, may hasten his exit much earlier.

Political observers say there should be no surprise if he is pressurised to quit now and hand over the baton to one of the vice-presidents to run the party's show until the organisational elections take place.

They say so far the RSS pressure was on veteran party leader Lal Krishna Advani to step down as the leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, but that pressure may now shift to Rajnath Singh because of his silly folly.

At his Press conference in Jaipur, Bhagwat refuted a suggestion that the RSS was responsible for the sorry state of affairs in BJP. ""If they (BJP) need any organisational help, if they ask for it, we will provide them help," he said while clarifying that the RSS otherwise does not interfere in the party's day-to-day affairs.

Nor did he get into the controversy raging over the prolonged defiance before ultimate resignation of former chief minister Vasundhara Raje as leader of opposition in the Rajasthan Assembly. It is for BJP and its leadership to tackle it, he remarked.

The RSS chief also refused to be dragged into the controversy of "Marathi manoos," an issue raked up by Shiv Sena as also its breakaway group of MNS, stressing that the Hindutva means taking all together.

"Every Indian belongs to India. There are various languages and religions which have their own identity. Hindutva for us is considering them as part of one (entity) and we do not believe in things like Marathi pride," he added.

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SINCERE SONIA GANDHI REMEMBERS MOTHER IN LAW INDIRA AND MAKES BED STILL

26 Oct 2009

SONIA STILL MAKES BED FOR INDIRA GANDHI!


Indira Gandhi is dead and gone for 25 years ago, but still Sonia Gandhi occasionally readies her bed to remember fondly the daily ritual of taking care of her beloved mother-in-law's comforts.

Saturday evening, Sonia Gandhi spent three hours from 5.30 arranging the late former prime minister's bedroom in the Indira Gandhi Memorial here. During the period, she did not take any calls as she went around dusting the room on her own.

A day before, she had visited the place with her daughter and made an inventory of the changes she felt necessary in Indira Gandhi's bedroom to tidy it up for her forthcoming birth anniversary on November 19.

Memorial staff say Sonia Gandhi makes trips to the place on Safdarjung Road where she lived with her mother-in-law for umpteen years. She arrives mostly in the evening after the visitors' hours are over and takes personal interest in everything displayed in the memorial. If some day she wants to come early, the memorial is shut for public for the sake of her security, the staff added.

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new delhi corridor gossips

26-10-2009

NEW DELHI POLITICAL GRAPEVINE SNIPPETS

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Sam Pitroda appointment as Advisor to Prime Minister with Union Cabinet Status-  was a rude shock to DMK Union Minister A Raja. Brief given to Sam Pitroda is  to get "Innovation, Information and Infrastructure." Sam Pitroda wanted Union Ministry of Telcom and Information Technology to brief him on measures taken on e-governance. Pitroda

will not suggest on spectrum, e-governance and innovative technologies in Telecom. Issues relating to "3G" is now likely to be quietly given to Sam Pitroda. Sam will also be poking his nose into Surface Transport, Shipping and Petroleum.

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CPM Comrade Sitaram Yechuri is the Chairman of the 

Standing Committee of Parliament of Union Ministry of Civil Aviation. Recent meeting discussed about "Air India in Red" Suggestion from  Chair was let there be a recommendation from this committee to 'de-merge" Air India, to its old style

"Indian Airlines and Air India" Back to square one. And Yechuri is serious that CPM will raise demerger  in Parliament

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A Union Minister recently travelled to Nepal and Cairo

by a Special Aircraft ignoring the austerity circular issued

by the PMO. Quietly the Minister asked a PSU to bear

the bill. An RTI activist applied for the exact amount paid

for the aircraft. 

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On the day of CBI raiding the Telecom Ministry officials

there was a jubiliation in the mindset of one  Union Minister

belonging to DMK while the rest of six DMK Union Ministers hung their 

faces of shame. Now there is a fast regrouping of the DMK 

Ministers and MPs - to dance to the tunes of deputy chief minister MK Stalin. 

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Shashi Tharoor Union Minister flagged off an Indian locomotive  

train to begin revival of Benin railways in Africa. Tharoor was 

so rash that when he  waved green flag so enthusiastically 

 that flag came off its pole! Another insult to the Flag,

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Jairam Ramesh Union Minister sprang a surprise by asking

 Department of  Environment and Forest to compile the file

 notings of his three predecessors from DMK T R Baalu, 

A Raja and Raghupathi  on the various issues including 

that of Mullaiperiar Dam. With these inputs Jairam Ramesh 

plans to write a long letter in Tamil to Chief Minister

Karunanidhi, turning the table against DMK Ministers slept

on sensitive issues. DMK-Congress alliance is on rock 

not only on 2G spectrum but also on "water Dam issues" joked 

a Jayalaitha MP in Delhi.

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ends

A study reveals 50% of Maharashtra MLAs are criminal background

From: Anil Bairwal <abairwal@gmail.com>
Subject: [National Election Watch news] Press release: recent election results- 50% MLAs in Maharashtra, 17% in Haryana, 5% in Arunachal have pending criminal cases; several cases of murder, dacoity, kidnapping & extortion
To: national-election-watch@googlegroups.com, national-ew-news@googlegroups.com
Date: Friday, 23 October, 2009, 5:45 PM

Dear Friends,

Here is the analysis of result of recent elections. Attached are two files-
1.  Press release and high level analysis of the newly elected MLAs from three states
2. Full criminal and financial details of the newly elected MLAs


HIndi Press release will be shortly uploaded on our website http://www.adrindia.org

50% MLAs in Maharashtra, 17% in Haryana, 5% in Arunachal have pending criminal charges against them according to self sworn affidavits

15 cases related to murder, 22 related to dacoity and kidnapping, 6 of extortion and lot more just on Maharashtra MLAs

More than 50% of assembly crorepati in all 3 states

Number of women MLAs very low in all states

Mr Julio Ribeiro, Prof Jagdeep Chhokar, Dr Nani Bath and others of National Election Watch vouch to continue to fight for cleaner politics

Please go through the document for further details.

Thanks & Regards

Anil 

---
Anil Bairwal
011 6590 1524
+91-99993-10100
National Coordinator
Association for Democratic Reforms
http://www.adrindia.org

CBI raids private players on 2G spectrum allocation

CBI RAIDS AT 10 PRIVATE COMPANIES PREMISES ON

2G SPECTRUM ALLOCATION.

CBI on Friday continued "raids spree" against the offenders of

2G spectrum allocation, but this time it is a mixed.. Ten private

companies who were in auction. The scare amongst the private

players are that the CBI might continue to do it for next four days.

To maintain a momentum in media.. this exercise is on said a 

senior DMK MP.

Unforeseen panic was visible  in the Sanchar Bhavan in Delhi

the headquarters of Telectom Ministry. None of the officers

above joint secretaries to government of india were ready to

talk to anyone on 2G.

new delhi corridor gossips

23-10-2009
NEW DELHI GRAPEVINE SNIPPETS

R RAJAGOPALAN

DELHI

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Union Ministry of Petroleum on Tuesday officially organised a Yagyna

to scare the devil and evil forces, and at one pm, a brahmin-bhoj was 

organised in  Sashtri Bhavan.Reason, three suicides in two months 

in the corridors of Union Ministry of Petroleum.One dead body was found

in toilet of Petroleum Ministry last month. A woman officer committed suicide

due to personal distress. Many employees applied tilak on their forehead

A fire mudpot was taken around all the chambers except Petroleum Secretary

office. The black smoke made employees to feel free that 'bhoots were driven out"

of Petroleum Ministry.

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Rajya Sabha has a unique facility unlike Lok Sabha. And that is

simultaneous Tamil translation, which was introduced a year ago,

at the directions of Chairman Hameed Ansari. This is a great help to

MK Azhagiri Union Minister. In the ensuing Winter Session of
Parliament, many can expect MK Azhagiri to reply questions

in Tamil. Mouthwatering for AIADMK MPs who are now preparing

to cross question Azhagiri on fertiliser import scam, which will now

rock the Winter Session.

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Austerity drive. Recommendation from the Department of Expenditure

to all the Secretaries is to desist extensions to panels/commission/

committees keeping the expenditure in view. This has put many

senior secretaries in tight spot. A former Cabinet Secretary 

(72 years) has been given one more year extension to 

complete his report. Though many interim reports were since

submitted. He has a chambers, official car, secretariat and 

frequent visits to many state capitals to suggest air connections.

There are 15-20 former top civil servants who have crossed the

age of 70 are holding up to their positions. It is a political 

decision to remove- a difficult one as  these retired officials are

- friends of many former Prime Ministers and present.

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Vice President Hameed Ansari remarked with a pinch of anger

commented "Can't you have a Hindi web site - or a link to the 

CIC web site a translation of the RTI act in Hindi? Angry Ansari

said this at the valedictory function of the Right to Information

seminar organised by the Central Information Commission.
Officials of CIC are too concerned and are coming out with

a web site in Hindi by end of this month.

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ends