The Indian Panorama

Tag: BJP

  • NC adds twist to J&K govt search, offers to back PDP

    NC adds twist to J&K govt search, offers to back PDP

    SRINAGAR (TIP): Post-poll manoeuvres over government formation and the likelihood of Jammu and Kashmir being placed under Governor’s rule kept politics on the boil even as National Conference claimed it had offered unconditional support to PDP and the latter denied it vehemently.

    NC’s move came just as reports of BJP’s negotiations with PDP gathered momentum and speculation about terms and conditions started doing the rounds. Although negotiations eventually hit a wall over the stiff terms set by PDP leader Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, they had stirred the political cauldron raising enough mist about who was talking to whom and on what conditions.

    Sources said BJP-PDP talks got stalemated over Mufti’s demands for a full-year tenure as CM, gradual withdrawal of AFSPA and an iron-clad guarantee that politicians from Jammu (read BJP) would not meddle in the affairs of Kashmir Valley and others.

    Sources said BJP rejected the conditionalities as unacceptable.

    But by then NC had stepped into the game with the claim that it had followed up outgoing CM Omar Abdullah’s public statement of unconditional support to PDP with a verbal offer which was conveyed by a trusted intermediary. NC leader Devendra Rana said: “The NC has verbally offered unconditional support. It is a fractured verdict this time and for the stability of the state and smooth functioning of the government, we are offering support to the single largest party.”

    JK Guv invites proposals from PDP, BJP on govt formation

    Governor NN Vohra on December 26 set the ball rolling for a viable government formation by asking the single largest party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the close runner-up, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), to come up with their proposals to form the government in Jammu and Kashmir by January 1, it is learnt from reliable sources. Sources said that the Governor sent two separate letters inviting the PDP and BJP to come out with their respective ideas of forming the next government. The deadline set for them is almost a week away. Sources said that the identical letters written to the two parties made a mention of an unclear mandate that emerged out of the results of the recently concluded Assembly elections on Tuesday. It stated that the exercise was aimed at the formation of the government before the expiry of the current Assembly. The term of the current Assembly ends on January 17. The parties have been asked to meet the Governor at their mutual convenience on January 1. The PDP has 28 MLAs and BJP has 25. Neither party has numbers close to 44 — the simple majority in the House of 87. But as they were close to each other seat-wise, hence, the two letters, which may also test their claim that they have the support of the Independents. These letters have been addressed to PDP president Mehbooba Mufti and Jugal Kishore Sharma, the state unit president of the BJP, as neither of the two have elected their legislature party leader till date.

  • Honoring Complex Legacies

    Honoring Complex Legacies

    By conferring the highest civilian honor, the Bharat Ratna, on former Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee and Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, who was president of the Indian National Congress more than once before Independence but was better known as the founder of the Banaras Hindu University, the country has recognized the contributions made by these leaders to public life and India’s political evolution.

    The decision of the Bharatiya Janata Party government is also indicative of a certain resoluteness to emphasize its own political tradition – Mr. Vajpayee was the first BJP Prime Minister of India, for 13 days in 1996, and again, from 1998 to 2004; Malaviya was among the founding leaders of the Hindu Mahasabha in the early 20th century.

    Mr. Vajpayee, now ailing, still retains appeal that cuts across political divisions because he was particularly mindful of seeking a larger consensus on national issues. As Prime Minister his tenure was eventful, marked by a war with Pakistan, a series of terror attacks including the hijacking of IC-814 and the Parliament attack, and India’s decision to go publicly nuclear. Through all this, Mr. Vajpayee’s statesmanship and his ability to demonstrate strength and large-heartedness simultaneously, only got better.

    Freedom-fighter, journalist, educationist and social activist, Malaviya belonged to the Hindu nationalist stream within the Indian National Congress. He was fiercely opposed to Congress participation in the Khilafat movement and disfavored separate electorates for different communities proposed by the British government. An important figure in the Non-Cooperation Movement, he was a delegate in the First Round Table Conference in 1930. But Malaviya’s living legacy is the BHU that he founded in 1916 in the city of Varanasi with the help and support of Annie Besant.

    Previous ‘Bharat Ratna’ awards have had their share of controversies, and accusations that many dispensations have used it to further their own political interests and negate those of opponents are not unfounded. The fact that Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was conferred the Bharat Ratna only in 1990 when a government in which his followers had influence was in power is a telling example. Historical figures often leave mixed and complex legacies, and Mr. Vajpayee and Malaviya are no exceptions.

    Honoring a personality is not necessarily an endorsement of all of his politics, or being blind to his failures and shortcomings. It is also not about jettisoning disagreements in our public space. It would be unfortunate if the highest civilian award of the country becomes a matter of political disagreement rather than of collective celebration and endorsement of those who have contributed in significant measure to the making of India as a diverse and multifaceted nation. (The Hindu)

  • HINDU MAHASABHA WANTS GODSE BUSTS ACROSS INDIA

    HINDU MAHASABHA WANTS GODSE BUSTS ACROSS INDIA

    NEW DELHI (TIP): The Akhil BharatHindu Mahasabha wants to installNathuram Godse’s bust at public places incities across India, the far-right politicalparty’s national president ChandraPrakash Kaushik said on December 18.Social scientists feel the move might notonly be a ploy to catch eyeballs but alsoan indicator of the radically alteredpolitical scenario of the country.”In a day or two we will write a letter tothe Union government asking for space.In India, we have named roads afterAurangzeb who killed so many Hindus.Why can’t we have Godse’s statues? If thegovernment refuses, we will install thebusts at Hindu Mahasabha bhavans indifferent states. There are 17-18 suchbhavans,” Kaushik said.One marble bust already adorns acorner of his office in Mandir Marg,central Delhi. Kaushik, however, pointsout it has not been installed yet (pratisthanahi hui hai). “It was made to order fromKishengarh, Rajasthan, and cost us aboutRs 17,000,” he says.Godse gunned down Father of theNation, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi,on January 30, 1948. But for Kaushikand his party, he is a “martyr”.”Unlike Gandhi who played a veryminor role in our freedom struggle,Godse was a patriot who sacrificed hislife for the country,” says the right-wingpolitician sporting a neatly trimmedbeard.Kaushik said the idea to installGodse’s bust came after BJP politicianSakshi Maharaj’s retracted hisstatement on the killer of MahatmaGandhi.Last week, the MP from Unnaon saidthat Godse was as much a patriot asMahatma Gandhi. Following an outrage,he changed his stance in Parliament, “Idon’t consider Godse a patriotic person.I take back my words if I had saidsomething by mistake.””We were extremely hurt on hearingthis and decided to highlight Godse. Forthe past 65 years, the Congress haspushed our revolutionaries (krantikari)into the background. People don’t knowthat he was a nationalist,” says Kaushik.Historian Mridula Mukherjee saysthere is nothing new in what HinduMahasabha has said on Godse. “What isnew is they are feeling emboldenedenough to voice their views publicly in anew political atmosphere created byBJP’s victory,” says Mukherjee, whoteaches modern Indian history in JNU.

  • Excesses of Hindutva hotheads

    Excesses of Hindutva hotheads

    There is urgent need to restrain those making provocative and poisonous statements, says the author.

    All through his campaign that brought him spectacular victory in the parliamentary poll, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had concentrated on only “development” and “good governance” and avoided any item on the Hindutva agenda that could have upset the pluralist Indian society. Unfortunately, however, even then he did absolutely nothing to silence or even restrain those of his irresponsible supporters belonging to the Sangh parivar who made provocative, polarizing and even poisonous statements.

    For instance, at an early stage, Giriraj Singh, a Bhumihar leader of Bihar, declared that all those who opposed Mr. Modi in any way would have “no place in India” and must therefore “go to Pakistan”. Mr. Modi said not a word about this preposterous pronouncement. All that Rajnath Singh, then the BJP president and now Union Home Minister, did was to “disassociate his party” with Mr. Giriraj Singh’s statement. No wonder there followed a spate of equally absurd and dangerously divisive observations.


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    The head of the BJP unit in Uttar Pradesh, Laxmikant Bajpai, and the five-time MP, Yogi Adityanath, discovered that the Muslims were engaged in “love jihad” – a campaign to lure Hindu women into marriage or romance and then “forcibly” convert them to Islam. Mr. Bajpai stated that of the rapes taking place “99 per cent were committed by Muslims”. As for Amit Shah, Mr. Modi closest confidant and soon to be the party president, the Election Commission was constrained to deny him permission to hold public rallies.

    This ban was withdrawn only after Mr. Shah had apologized to the Commission and assured it that he would say anything that was “unacceptable”. On none of these disconcerting episodes Mr. Modi said a word during his powerful oration on all other subjects under the sun. Sadly, most people’s hope that what had been permitted during the election would be quietly disallowed after the BJP-led government had settled down has turned into a dupe. The bitter stand-off between the ruling party, on the one hand, and nine Opposition parties, including the Congress, that have a clear majority in the Rajya Sabha, on the other, that led to the disruption of the Upper House for several days could be the foreshadow of the shape of things to come.

    The sequence of events was distressingly sordid. A 47-year-old, firsttime BJP MP, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti – who was recently made a Minister of State, together with Mr. Giriraj Singh – had delivered an election speech in a Delhi suburb as the national capital is due to have assembly elections. Pontifically she told her audience that the choice before them was clear: They could elect a government of “Ramzadas” (children of Lord Ram) or that of “Haramzadas” which really means “b******s” but the BJP propagandists translated it as “illegitimate” to dilute the vulgarity. Inevitably there was a wave of outrage.

    When the matter exploded in Parliament, as it was bound to, the Prime Minister chose to stay away. Some senior cabinet ministers told the House that at a party meeting Mr. Modi had “strongly disapproved of the language used” whereupon the sadhvi offered an apology of sorts. This, declared the BJP leaders magisterially, was the “end of the matter”. The Opposition in both Houses, but particularly that in the Rajya Sabha where the saffron party is in a minority, demanded that Mr. Modi should come to the House to explain his position. He took three days to do so and declared that discussion was all over.

    An easily avoidable disruption of the Rajya Sabha followed. For, the determined Opposition gave up its initial demand for the sadhvi’s resignation or dismissal and asked for only a resolution to denounce the use of foul language by everybody in politics. The government contemptuously rejected this. In the end a “consensus statement,” appealing to all MPs “to maintain civility at all costs in public discourse” settled the bitter dispute.

    The crowning irony is that just when Vice-President Hamid Ansari, who is also the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, was reading out the consensus document, a former BJP minister, Swami Chinmayanand was publically using the H-word in relation to, of all people, Imam Bukhari of Jama Masjid for advertising his association with a foreign place, Bukhara. Far more shocking was what so senior and experienced a leader as Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, who was earlier leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, did only a few hours earlier. She strongly advocated that the Gita should be declared the “National Scripture” of India.

    Remarkably, even before anyone from religions other than Hinduism could speak, vigorous opposition to Swaraj’s demand came from Tamil Nadu, ironically from the BJP’s allies. One of them, MDMK leader Vaiko, simultaneously announced that he was ending the alliance. He accused the Centre of working against Tamil Nadu and suggested that the Dravidian forces should unite to fight the “Sanskritisation” of cultural and social spheres. He added that “Hindutva will not be allowed to gain a foothold in Tamil Nadu”. PMK’s founder S. Ramadoss, who is still an ally of the BJP, also came out against Swaraj’s idea and stated that “apart from “cultural imposition” the Modi government had “hardly come out with any constructive programs in the last six months”. The BJP would be making a grave mistake if it underestimates the Tamil sentiment. Those who did so in 1965 over the official language issue paid a very heavy price.

    At that time even Prime Minister Shastri did not dare to go to the trouble-spot. Only Indira Gandhi had the necessary courage. Finally, it cannot be overlooked that while Mr. Modi has full control on his government he is either unwilling or unable or both to discipline the wrongdoers among other members of the Sangh parivar who seem determined to build up a Hindu rashtra by hook or by crook. They enjoy the protection of the Rashtriya Swyamsevak Sangh (RSS) of which the BJP is only the political face.

    (The author is a Delhi-based political commentator.)

  • RSS body seeks donations to fund Christmas ‘conversions’ in Aligarh

    RSS body seeks donations to fund Christmas ‘conversions’ in Aligarh

    ALIGARH (TIP): Dharam Jagran Samiti, an RSS offshoot, has distributed pamphlets in Aligarh seeking donations for converting Christians and Muslims to Hinduism. The pamphlet says it costs Rs 2 lakh to convert a Christian and Rs 5 lakh to convert a Muslim. It has set December 25 as the date for a major conversion ceremony and put down an annual target of 2 lakh conversions — 1 lakh Muslims and 1 lakh Christians. The pamphlets, carrying the letter head of the Dharam Jagran Samiti, pashchim chhetra (western UP, Braj prant, Meerut and Uttarakhand), have found their way to many houses in Aligarh.

    It proposes a fund for a grand “ghar vapsi” (homecoming) of Christians and Muslims, who are a “samasya” (problem) in the country. The letter addresses recipients as “bandhuvar” (friends) and says: “Lots of money will be required in the ‘ghar vapsi’ because the work of conversion is increasing — more workers and more people to be covered. Please contribute money so that all arrangements are in place.” Asked why are Muslims and Christians a “samasya”, Kanshinath Bansal, a key member of the Samiti, said, “Because Christianity is a samasya. Muslim (sic) is also a samasya.

    One worker needs that much money to work on a samasya every year.” This came even as Yogi Adityanath, the firebrand BJP MP from Gorakhpur, confirmed his visit on December 25 to Aligarh for an event that aims to convert 5,000 Muslims and 1,000 Christians at the local Maheshwari College. Adityanath said: “The administration and media have given it an exaggerated look. People are willingly converting themselves in ‘ghar vapsi’. The event will happen as scheduled and I will be there.” He added, “When Hindus convert to Islam or to Christianity, nobody comes in for a check.

    Why is this being done when they want to convert back to Hinduism? There are many other issues that the administration and media should concentrate on rather than this. Muslims in Agra had also written a letter asking for a mandir. The situation went out of control because of the interference of media, administration and sundry religious leaders.” The district administration, already anxious, said it is not taking any chances. J Ravinder Goud, SSP Aligarh, said, “There is no question of giving permission for the ‘ghar vapsi’ that is being planned in Maheshwari College. The issue has already flared up.

    We are not allowing it and if in case there is a violation, we will deal with the situation accordingly.” Not long ago, the Hindu outfit had taken over a small church on the outskirts of Aligarh, replacing the cross with a Shiva picture. Then, too, it had conducted a ‘ghar vapsi’ for 72 Valmikis, all of them Christians. Christian and Muslim groups reacted with anger and caution. Community leader Vincent Joel said, “Ever since the church incident in Asroi, Christians have been praying for the dawn of achche din, where the country is not divided on the basis of religion or caste. We are praying to the Lord to grant the perpetrators of such mischief some wisdom.” Muslim organizations Millat Bedari Muhim Committee and Forum for Muslim Studies and Analysis condemned the “open and public call for conversion”.

    Professor Razaullah Khan, president of both the outfits, said, “It is very disturbing to see how publicly they call for ghar vapsi. (UP) elections are slated for 2017 and now this gathering is being done to polarize society and divide votes. We should not let it happen.”

  • Walkout in LS over ‘conversion’

    Walkout in LS over ‘conversion’

    NEW DELHI (TIP): A heated debate in the Lok Sabha on the alleged conversion of 200 Muslims to Hinduism in Agra saw a united opposition accusing the government of engineering “religious polarisation” for political gains. However, the government outrightly rejected any hand in the RSS affiliated bodies’ campaign for “homecoming” of those converted to other religions. Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu went a step ahead and tried to utilise the opportunity to appeal to all parties for reaching a consensus on bringing a national anti-conversion law, saying religious conversion was an “old national challenge” and that it was also opposed by Mahatma Gandhi.

    Angered by the government’s response and Naidu’s assertion that he was “proud” of his association with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the entire Opposition staged a walkout even before the Union minister concluded his reply. “I appeal to all parties to seriously introspect on this. Let there be anticonversion laws in all the states and at the Centre. Let us all seriously work towards the progress and preserve our culture,” Naidu told the members.

    He said the government remained committed to maintain communal harmony in the country. Earlier, initia-t-ing the debate, Congress’s -Jyotiraditya Scindia claimed that Muslims were promised ration cards to convert to Hinduism, wondering if these were the “achchhe din (good days)” the BJP had promised. “I am also proud of being Hindu. But my religion does not teach me narrow mindedness and bitterness,” Scindia said while demanding a clarification from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    Trinamool Congress (TMC) member Saugata Roy said the BJP with engineering “religious polarisation”. “I thought the BJP is for Ram. I got to know that it is for Nathuram,” he said taking a dig at a BJP MP’s comment that Nathuram Godse was a patriot like Mahatma Gandhi, whom he had killed. Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, who staged a walkout along with other opposition members, however, termed the debate “unnecessary”, saying that it had no impact in Agra.

    All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM )leader Assaduddin Owaisi evoked sharp reactions from the treasury benches when he said the BJP had an “umbilical cord” attached to the RSS. “The Muslims are not scared of RSS and Bajrang Dal members. We will continue to follow our religion,” he said. Attacking the government, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Tariq Anwar said India was witnessing “Taliban-style” decrees on issues like religion and clothes. Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) member Mohammed Salim also hit out at the government and said a person does not become a ‘swami’ by wearing a saffron headgear. His remark evoked an angry reaction from BJP members.

  • 22 STATES, UTS SUPPORT BILL TO PREVENT ‘HONOUR KILLINGS’

    22 STATES, UTS SUPPORT BILL TO PREVENT ‘HONOUR KILLINGS’

    NEW DELHI (TIP): The government has initiated the process of drafting a law against honour killings by treating crimes in the name of honour as a separate category of offences. The moves comes after 22 states, including Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh (UT), supported the recommendations of the Law Commission of India to treat honour crimes as a standalone offence. Law Minister Sadananda Gowda said in Parliament today that the government would, after considering the comments from states, hold consultations on the enactment of the legislation against honour crimes. “After considering the responses of all states and UTs and consultations with stakeholders, the policy decision to enact the legislation on the subject will be taken. It would be difficult to fix a timeline but the department has initiated the process of implementation of the report of the Law Commission in this respect,” Gowda said.

    The Law Commission had in its 242nd Report on “Prevention of Interference with the Freedom of Matrimonial Alliances in the Name of Honour and Tradition” recommended a strict law against honour crimes being perpetuated by community panchayats working by different names in different parts of the country. The proposal to bring the law was first initiated during Congress-led UPA-II which had formed a Group of Ministers to make recommendations. The GOM never presented its report and was disbanded once its chairman – Pranab Mukherjee – proceeded to become President. At that time, Haryana had opposed the move. The BJP government, after coming to power, circulated the proposal again and 22 states, including Haryana (which now has a BJP government), have supported the recommendations of the Law Commission.

    Apart from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal and Chandigarh, the states that have backed the law are: Andhra, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and the UTs of Dadra and Nagar Haveli; Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep and Puducherry. The responses of the remaining states are awaited. Consensus of states on the law to curb honour crimes is critical because the subject falls in List III (Concurrent List) of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution and the Centre alone cannot legislate on it.

  • Fractured mandate likely in J&K

    Fractured mandate likely in J&K

    SRINAGAR (TIP): Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) seems to be heading towards a hung Assembly with no political party having a clear advantage after two rounds of the five-phase elections. The Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), National Conference (NC) and the People⠙s Democratic Party (PDP) have all claimed decisive advantages after the end of the two phases. Polling was held in 33 out the 87 constituencies and ground reports give the Congress the edge. In the first phase on November 25 in which 15 seats went to the polls, the contest was mainly between the Congress, NC and the BJP.

    Political analysts believe that the Congress may win six to eight seats in the first phase, followed by the NC and the BJP. The first phase was held mainly in the Assembly segments which have remained the Congress and NC bastion for decades. In the second phase, where 18 constituencies went to the polls, all the four parties may share seats. In this phase, the Peopleâ ™s Conference (PC) headed by separatist-turned-mainstream leader Sajjad Lone, is expected to win two to three seats in the frontier district of Kupwara in north Kashmir.

    Political analysts, however, believe that the equation can change in the remaining rounds scheduled for December 9, 14 and 20 as the PDP and BJP has a clear advantage in these 54 seats. While 12 seats in south Kashmir, considered to be a PDP bastion, are going to the polls in the third and fourth phase, most seats in the urban areas of Hindu-dominated Jammu region will have elections in the fourth and fifth phases.

  • Janata Parivar merger in the offing- Mulayam to lead

    Janata Parivar merger in the offing- Mulayam to lead

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Call it fear of decimation at the hands of a fearsome political opponent or a genuine desire to promote the ideals and ideas of Ram Manohar Lohia and Jay Prakash Narayan, leaders of six parties that emerged from erstwhile Janata Parivar, on Thursday, December 4, decided to set in motion the process of their unification into a single political outfit, and mandated SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav to work out the modalities to this end. Mulayam is tipped to be the president of the new outfit, which may be named Samajwadi Janata Dal.

    Mulayam might also lead the new formation in the Lok Sabha, with JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav leading the pack in the Rajya Sabha. Those present at the luncheon, hosted by Mulayam at his residence, included former PM and JD(S) leader H D Deve Gowda, JD(U) leaders Sharad Yadav, Nitish Kumar and K C Tyagi, RJD president Lalu Prasad, SP floor leader in the Rajya Sabha Ram Gopal Yadav, INLD MP Dushyant Chautala and SJP chief Kamal Morarka. Sources said Nitish, Sharad and Lalu together suggested that because of his “seniority”, Mulayam should lead the proposed outfit and work out modalities for the merger.

    Speaking to the media after the meeting, Nitish said there should not be any ambiguity over the proposed merger. “We all felt there should be one party because we have the same philosophy and principles,” he said. When asked had they come together because of threat from rising popularity of BJP, the former Bihar CM said, “Our aim is to forge a single platform in the current political atmosphere.” On why the reunification had not happened right away, Tyagi, JD(U) national spokesperson said, “There is standard process for merger. All six parties will have to call meeting of their respective national executives and pass resolutions regarding dissolving their parties and symbols.

    All parties have been asked to complete these formalities within three-four months,” The sources also revealed Lalu told the participants that nobody should worry about Bihar. He said whatever problems might occur in Bihar, he and Nitish would mutually sort them out. The sources said the leaders resolved to move forward with the motto: unity (among themselves) and struggle (against the Narendra Modi government). Nitish announced they would jointly observe a Vaada Nibhao Diwas on December 22 and organise a dharna near Jantar Mantar to draw public attention to BJP’s failure to keep its electoral promises.

  • Army to train students in border areas?

    Army to train students in border areas?

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Government on November 28 hinted at taking up pilot projects to impart partial military training to students undergoing graduation degree in border districts. Responding to a private member bill on providing compulsory military training in Rajya Sabha, defence minister Manohar Parrikar said that if the government can work out a module it can start this on a trial basis in certain districts “where there is enthusiasm, districts face border”. He said module can be prepared for 50-60 hours training that can be done over a period of time. “One can take it as a course; like the way history, maths etc, we can take one course of defence training.

    But I feel, along with this, what we need is nation building, character building,” the minister said. But he ruled out any compulsory military training. Parrikar added that after consulting members, the government will come out with an “appropriate mechanism” though it may take a few months. The bill, moved by BJP member Avinash Rai Khanna during last Parliament session proposed one-year compulsory military training in the age group of 14 and 15.

    Members from different political parties in the House supported the bill, which Parrikar said proved how “nationalism does not have a colour” Though the minister appreciated the intent of the bill, he said compulsory military training was not possible since it would cost as much as Rs 60,000 crore annually. “…I would have supported the bill had I been sitting there (in opposition), but I am sitting on this side in government ….I will support the bill but I will point out issues which will create problems,” Parrikar said. He pointed out that providing military training to people in the age group of 14 and 50 is impractical.

    Even if government takes up the task to provide similar training to people in the age group of 17 0r 18 years to 25, it would mean training 14-15 crore eligible youth. Asserting that nation-building and character development does not happen by military training alone, Parrikar said education system must do so, but “our teaching has slipped.” He pointed out even National Cadet Corps (NCC) training has “diluted” although the strength has increased to 15.18 lakh now from 13.8 lakh 3-4 years back.

    Giving a personal touch the minister said he had got admission for the National Defence Academy and then Army Corps of Engineers. “Because of some reason I could not join. So, probably, there is something genetic which attracts me to defence forces. May be that got me here,” he said.

  • PM praises high voter turnout in J&K

    PM praises high voter turnout in J&K

    JAMMU (TIP): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 28 praised the record voter turnout in first phase of Jammu & Kashmir polls, calling it a victory for democracy irrespective of the outcome. He said militants were frustrated as democracy is still alive in the state despite their guns and bombs as he addressed two rallies in Udhampur and Poonch ahead of the second phase of polling next week. “The people of Jammu & Kashmir have shown that they are not going to be terrorized,” he said, a day after three civilians and as many soldiers were killed in a terror strike a few hundred kilometers away in Arnia.

    Modi blamed the Congress, ruling National Conference and opposition People Democratic Party for lack of development and corruption in the state. “Give us one opportunity to end this loot. The development which has not taken place in last 30 years will happen in next five years if BJP is voted to power,” he said at his Udhampur rally. In Poonch, he promised to visit the remote area regularly, saying it took around 40 years for a Prime Minister to visit the place that is less than 24 hours from New Delhi.

  • Indian Prime Minister among Time magazine’s ‘Person of the Year’ top contenders

    Indian Prime Minister among Time magazine’s ‘Person of the Year’ top contenders

    NEW YORK (TIP): India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is among 50 global leaders, business chiefs and pop icons named as contenders by Time magazine for its annual ‘Person of the Year’ honor. Time has asked its readers to vote for the individual who they think should get the title of Person of the Year and the winner of the readers’ choice poll will be announced in December before Time’s editors choose the individual from the 50 candidates as the honoree.

    Modi has so far got 3.8% of the votes, the fourth highest after Russian President Vladimir Putin, Pakistani teenager Malala Yousafzai and doctors and nurses “risking lives to treat Ebola”. The Time ‘Person of the Year 2014’ will be announced in December and the publication said the title will be “bestowed to those who have, for good or for ill, most influenced the news and our lives in the past year”. Describing Modi as “once a controversial regional leader”, Time said he became India’s Prime Minister after leading his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to a “landslide electoral victory on a platform of economic development”.

  • PRESIDENT PRANAB MUKHERJEE ARRIVES IN BHUTAN

    PRESIDENT PRANAB MUKHERJEE ARRIVES IN BHUTAN

    THIMPHU (TIP): President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday arrived here on a two-day visit to Bhutan and was received by the King and his wife in a special gesture. King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck along with his wife turned up unexpectedly at the airport as a special gesture to receive Mukherjee, the first Indian head of state to visit to the country in 26 years. Hundreds of school children were lined up along the way, holding Indian and Bhutanese flag. During the visit, Mukherjee will hold meetings with Wangchuck and Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay besides other leaders to take bilateral ties to a new level. Some agreements in education sector are likely to be signed during the trip.

    The President is accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha, Members of Parliament Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Anil Shirole, Mahendra Nath Pandey (all BJP) and Gaurav Gogoi (Congress), besides officials and representatives of a few educational and academic institutions. Sources said as India is keen to revive the ancient Nalanda University, an agreement will be signed for seeking cooperation from Bhutan in this regard. Mukherjee’s visit to Bhutan comes nearly five months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s trip to the country. It was Modi’s first foreign visit as Prime Minister. The meetings of the President with the King of Bhutan and the Bhutanese Prime Minister, who will call on him, will provide an opportunity to discuss all issues of mutual interest and ways of further strengthening close bilateral relations. India shares a unique and special relationship with Bhutan nurtured by successive Kings of Bhutan and Indian leaders.

  • Cops probe Pakistan, Dubai angle in Sunanda Pushkar’s case

    Cops probe Pakistan, Dubai angle in Sunanda Pushkar’s case

    NEW DELHI (TIP): The Sunanda Pushkar probe has taken a new twist with Delhi Police reportedly seeking the list of passengers who travelled from Dubai and Pakistan to Delhi, and vice versa, on January 17 — the day the wife of former UPA minister Shashi Tharoor was found dead in a five star hotel in New Delhi. The exercise indicates that the cops are indeed probing an outsider’s hand in Sunanda’s death.

    While senior officers refused to speculate on where the probe was heading, sources confirmed that the foreign regional registration office (FRRO), which comes under the intelligence bureau, had been asked for these details. Police are also considering getting Sunanda’s viscera tested abroad to zero in on the poison in her body. An officer in the investigating team said on Thursday that the viscera could be sent to a laboratory in Scotland. Another option is the FBI’s lab in the US where CBI sends samples in special cases.

    A decision could be taken on Friday. A section of investigators, however, say suicide remains a possible cause of Sunanda’s death. The possible move to send Sunanda’s viscera for testing abroad follows the failure of the forensic team from CFSL and doctors to shed light on what caused Sunanda’s death. In their medical report, the doctors of AIIMS had said that the cause of death was poisoning and mysteriously listed out a list of poisons (radioactive isotopes) and drugs which could not be tested in Indian labs.

    Earlier in February, senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy had raised a furor by claiming Sunanda’s nostrils had been squeezed for her mouth to open, after which she was administered a Russian poison. Sunanda’s husband Shashi Tharoor had hit back saying he had stopped taking Swamy seriously long ago. About the passenger list being obtained, sources said that the Delhi Police was basically trying to ascertain if any person from Pakistan or Dubai visited Delhi or returned on the day Sunanda was found dead. They are also trying to find out if a person flew in and out of Delhi on the day — or within a day or two — of Sunanda’s death. Sources said that once the list is received, cops will shortlist the “suspicious” travellers and try to question them.

    There will be more than a thousand travelers whose antecedents will need to be verified, the source added. When contacted, a top officer said, “These things are a part of investigations and can’t be discussed or written about. We cannot talk about this.” On Nov 13 afternoon, some officials from Hotel Leela — the hotel where the death took place — were spotted at the Sarojini Nagar police station but the cops did not disclose what they were doing there.

    A source said their statements had been recorded and that they had also submitted “a few things” to the police. Police are going through the CCTV footage of the hotel again. A team of senior officers also visited the hotel on Thursday afternoon. Meanwhile, the cops await analysis reports of Sunanda’s laptop and iPad from CFSL in Hyderabad. They want to know if anything was deleted from the gadgets after her death. Earlier on Thursday, police commissioner B S Bassi said he would talk about the probe at the “right time”.

  • AAP releases first list of candidates, top guns missing

    AAP releases first list of candidates, top guns missing

    NEW DELHI (TIP): The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has repeated the line-up for the December 2013 Assembly polls while declaring nominees for 22 seats on November 13. Four former cabinet ministers, Somnath Bharti (Malviya Nagar), Girish Soni (Madipur), Satyendra Jain (Shakur Basti) and Saurabh Bhardwaj (Greater Kailash) feature in the AAP’s first list for the impending Assembly elections. But suspense still looms large over the party’s other popular faces. AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, who has shown his inclination to retain his New Delhi constituency, doesn’t feature in the party’s first list.

    He had defeated former chief minister Sheila Dikshit in her home turf by a huge margin of over 25,000 votes. The first list also does not feature former cabinet minister Manish Sisodia (Patparganj) and Rakhi Birla (Mangolpuri). Political affairs committee (PAC) members Gopal Rai, Sanjay Singh, Kumar Vishwas and Yogendra Yadav and party candidates for Lok Sabha polls in Delhi, including state unit convenor Ashutosh, are also missing from the list of nominees. Sources in the party said that most of the PAC members and Lok Sabha nominees will not test the electoral waters.

    Ashutosh who lost to the then chief minister nominee of BJP and the new Union Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan in Chandni Chowk is also planning to give the upcoming Assembly polls a miss. The party has fielded 12 former MLAs – including the four former ministers – from the same constituencies they had won last time. Without throwing up new names, AAP went for the same candidates while declaring candidates for the remaining 10 seats.

    Among the ex-legislators, who have again been given tickets are Bharti (Malviya Nagar), Bhardwaj (Greater Kailash), Satyendra Jain (Shakur Basti), Girish Soni (Madipur), Manoj Kumar (Kondli), Jagdeep (Harinagar), Jarnail Singh (Tilak Nagar), Vishesh Ravi (Karol Bagh), Sanjeev Jha (Burari), Bandana Kumari (Shalimar Bagh), Som Dutt (Sadar Bazar) and Commando Surender (Delhi Cantt). The 11 candidates, who had unsuccessfully contested the Assembly elections in 2013 but given ticket again are Sandeep (Sultanpuri Majra), Anil Bajpai (Gandhi Nagar), Atul Gupta (Vishwas Nagar), Rajesh Rishi (Janakpuri), Gulab Singh (Matiala), Vijendra Garg (Rajendra Nagar), Kapil Mishra (Karawal Nagar), Jitendra Tomar (Tri Nagar), N D Sharma (Bada-rp-ur) and Bhavna Gaur (Palam).The party said the candidates had lost by close margin or came second in the last Assembly polls.

  • President Pranab Mukherjee arrives in Bhutan

    President Pranab Mukherjee arrives in Bhutan

    THIMPHU (TIP): President Pranab Mukherjee on November 7 arrived here on a two-day visit to Bhutan and was received by the King and his wife in a special gesture. King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck along with his wife turned up unexpectedly at the airport as a special gesture to receive Mukherjee, the first Indian head of state to visit to the country in 26 years. Hundreds of school children were lined up along the way, holding Indian and Bhutanese flag. During the visit, Mukherjee will hold meetings with Wangchuck and Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay besides other leaders to take bilateral ties to a new level.

    Some agreements in education sector are likely to be signed during the trip. The President is accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha, Members of Parliament Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Anil Shirole, Mahendra Nath Pandey (all BJP) and Gaurav Gogoi (Congress), besides officials and representatives of a few educational and academic institutions. Sources said as India is keen to revive the ancient Nalanda University, an agreement will be signed for seeking cooperation from Bhutan in this regard. Mukherjee’s visit to Bhutan comes nearly five months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s trip to the country. It was Modi’s first foreign visit as Prime Minister.

  • Punish the Guilty of 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots NOW

    Punish the Guilty of 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots NOW

    Narendra Modi government on October 30 announced compensation of INR 500,000 each to be given to the kin of 3325 people killed during anti-Sikh riots in the national capital in 1984. What Modi seems to be forgetting is that no compensation amount will satisfy the community. What the community has been demanding is punishment for those who were guilty of instigating and conducting violence against the Sikhs. It is a matter of national shame that 30 years have gone by since the worst massacre took place in 1984 and despite some being found to be responsible for the heinous crimes, they still manage to roam around freely.

    It hurts the community that those who deserved to be hanged for their crimes are given positions of power. The community feels it is being mocked at. It is natural for it to fume. One had thought the new BJP government will do justice to the Sikhs but it has given the community a rude shock and the community is terribly disappointed. The announcement of compensation of INR 500,000 is not likely to make the community happy. Money is important for survival, no doubt. But then money is not all. A proud community like the Sikhs will prefer honor and dignity to material gains.

    I am reminded of a journalist’s recent comment on delay in bringing the culprits to book and the community’s disillusionment with the successive governments. Mr. Mohinder Singh says, “Thirty years after the anti-Sikh riots that raged in Delhi, there are no easy answers to these questions: What should the Sikhs do? Should they forget the past? Should they live in the past? Or should they live with the past?” One would only hope, a sensible approach to the issue would be adopted by Modi government to remove the grievance of the community, or else, the community’s alienation will deepen and may pose a formidable challenge to the unity and sovereignty of the Indian nation. Punish the guilty NOW, without any further delay.

  • Haryana Cabinet announced, CM keeps Home and Power

    Haryana Cabinet announced, CM keeps Home and Power

    CHANDIGARH (TIP): Two days after being sworn in, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on October 28 allocated departments to his nine Cabinet colleagues, while retaining key departments, including Home, Power and Town and Country Planning, for himself. Khattar returned from Delhi this afternoon with the “final approval” of the BJP high command over work distribution. Third in the chain of command, Captain Abhimanyu, a firsttimer, has emerged as a “big gainer” with the Finance, Revenue and Excise and Taxation departments among others.

    Placed ahead of Abhimanyu in the Khattar Cabinet, Ram Bilas Sharma, an Education Minister in the Bansi Lal government in 1996, has been allocated the same portfolio yet again in addition to the Transport, Tourism and Food and Supplies. Despite being a chief ministerial aspirant and the state unit chief of the party, Sharma, eyeing Town and Country Planning, is likely to be disappointed with his “share of work” especially since Abhimanyu has clearly scored over him despite being a “junior minister”.

    Rao Narbir, another minister of the Bansi Lal Cabinet, has been pleased with the PW (B and R) and Public Health Departments he will head, while farmer leader Om Prakash Dhankar will be the state’s new Agriculture and Irrigation Minister while also getting Development and Panchayat. This allocation is on expected lines. The BJP’s face in the Haryana Vidhan Sabha till the recent elections, Anil Vij has got the “ailing” Health Department and the Sports portfolio.

    Having “waged war” against the Congress government in the House, Vij “deserved a better deal” since he is the only other five-time MLA after Sharma. Also, he seems twice unlucky since he has been placed fourth, after Abhimanyu and Dhankar, both first-timers. The only woman in the Khattar Cabinet, Kavita Jain, has been given Social Justice and Empowerment besides Women and Child Development Department.

    Minister of State (independent charge) Vikram Singh Thekedar has been allocated Cooperation (Independent charge) and Development and Panchayats, for which he will be attached with the minister. MoS Krishan Kumar has been allocated Social Justice and Empowerment, Women and Child Development for which he will be attached to Kavita Jain, while Karan Dev Kamboj got Food and Supplies. They are all first-timers.

    WHO’S GOT WHAT

    Manohar Lal Khattar

    Home, Power, Town & Country Planning and Urban Estates, Mines & Geology, General Administration, Science & Technology, Urban Local Bodies, Administration of Justice, Archives, Architecture, Electronics & Information Technology, Housing, Jails, Information, Public Relations & Cultural Affairs, Personnel & Training, Raj Bhawan Affairs, Renewable Energy & any department not specifically allotted to any minister

    CABINET MINISTERS

    Ram Bilas Sharma

    Education & Languages, Transport, Technical Education, Food & Supplies, Tourism, Civil Aviation, Parliamentary Affairs, Archaeology & Museums, Hospitality

    Capt Abhimanyu

    Finance, Revenue & Disaster Management, Excise & Taxation, Planning, Forests, Environment, Industries & Commerce, Labour & Employment, Law & Legislative, Institutional Finance & Credit Control, Consolidation, Rehabilitation, Industrial Training

    OP Dhankar

    Agriculture, Development & Panchayats, Irrigation, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Fisheries

    Anil Vij

    Health & Medical Education, AYUSH, ESI, Election, Sports & Youth Affairs

    Rao Narbir

    Public Works (B&R), Public Health Engineering

    Kavita Jain

    Social Justice & Empowerment, Women & Child Development, Welfare of Scheduled Castes & Backward Classes

    MoS

    Vikram Singh Thekedar Cooperation (Independent Charge), Printing & Stationery (Independent Charge), Development & Panchayats

    Krishan Kumar

    Social Justice & Empowerment, Women & Child Development, Welfare of Scheduled Castes & Backward Classes

    Karan Dev Kamboj

    Food & Supplies, Transport, Tourism, Hospitality

  • Fadnavis to be sworn in as Maharashtra CM, October 31; Sena to boycott ceremony

    Fadnavis to be sworn in as Maharashtra CM, October 31; Sena to boycott ceremony

    MUMBAI (TIP): Bharatiya Janata Party leader Devendra Fadnavis will be sworn in as Maharashtra chief minister on Friday, October 31 at Wankhede stadium in Mumbai. The mega ceremony is likely to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several VVIPs. As such, a thick security blanket has been thrown in and around Wankhede Stadium.But even as the BJP is getting ready for its moment of glory at the iconic Wankhede stadium, it’s former ally Shiv Sena will be conspicuous by its absence. As the party did not find any place in the government, sources said the Sena has already made up its mind to sit in the opposition.

    It is likely to announce its leader of opposition in the next few days. Names of senior leaders Ravindra Waikar, Dr Auti and Eknath Shinde are also doing the rounds. Sena leader Vinayak Raut said, “The party will not attend the swearing-in ceremony. The situation created is humiliating.” Senior BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy said that Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray should attend the ceremony. “The BJP will go in to swearing-in ceremony with small cabinet. I don’t know whether Uddhav is coming or not but he should come.”

    More than 2,500 security personnel are being deployed in and around the iconic and sprawling cricket ground in South Mumbai. Over 1,100 traffic policemen will ensure smooth movement of VIP and VVIP vehicles around the stadium and along the roads leading to the venue from domestic airport. The stadium, hosting the first open air oath-taking ceremony, has been declared a no flying zone, police said. Under the supervision of Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria, about 2,500 security personnel, including members from Mumbai Police, Special Protection Group (SPG) and Quick Response Teams, will maintain a strict vigil during the highprofile event, said Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Dhananjay Kamalakar.

  • Black money: NDA moves to make names public, top politicians said to be on list

    Black money: NDA moves to make names public, top politicians said to be on list

    NEW DELHI (TIP): The NDA government has started filing charges against individuals having illicit accounts in overseas banks, clearing the way for disclosure of names of those who have stashed black money abroad, and triggering speculation that some prominent politicians may figure on the much-awaited list. Sources said that prosecution has been initiated against one foreign account holder, and will soon be extended to another 15-20 who are on the ‘HSBC Geneva list’.

    Swiss authorities have confirmed the identities of the persons on the list. Launch of prosecution in these cases will meet the condition laid down by Swiss authorities that names of account holders can only be shared with courts after charges are framed. Prosecution proceedings by the income tax department triggered speculation about the identity of the foreign account holders, with political circles discussing names of a former Union minister and the son of another, a former MP with family links to a leading business house, and the scion of a political dynasty which is currently passing through a lean patch.

    Significantly, finance minister Arun Jaitley did not deny the possibility of a former UPA minister being on the list. “I am neither confirming, nor denying. I am only smiling,” he said, attracting a hostile response from Congress. When pressed, Jaitley said, “If my opponent’s name is there, I will be very enthusiastic in declaring it.” Sources also said a fresh list of 19 persons having illegal accounts with Liechtenstein Bank will be shared with Supreme Court after Diwali.

    This will be followed by another 20-odd names from the HSBC list. Launch of prosecution come amid resumed fight between BJP and Congress over black money. Congress latched on to the government’s stand in SC last week that it could not disclose the names of foreign account holders against whom charges were not framed to say that the Modi government had done a U-turn on the issue. BJP hit back, with Jaitley saying they were hamstrung by treaties signed by the UPA which forbade the government from disclosing names of those not facing charges. On October 21, Jaitley scaled up the retaliatory strike by saying that Congress would be embarrassed when the names came out.

    The two sides traded fire again on October 22 with Jaitley saying, “In case charges are proved against some politician and he or she happens to be a member of a political party, the names will be made public.” It is learnt that the list shared by France of Indians having accounts in HSBC Bank, Geneva featured a few Congressmen and their scions with huge deposits at the time the list was leaked. Interestingly, a former UPA-2 minister, who was sent a notice to appear for questioning to explain his deposits, is believed to also have bank accounts in the UAE and later claimed that he had closed his Swiss accounts long ago.

    The government has so far recovered Rs 200 crore by way of tax and penalty from the names shared by Germany and France that included account holders in LGT Bank in Liechtenstein and HSBC Bank, Geneva. The total assessed income in the two cases has gone over Rs 600 crore so far. While prosecution is being launched against many account holders in the HSBC case, the income tax department had filed cases against 18 persons in the LGT Bank case.

    After the French government shared the HSBC Bank list having names of 700 Indians in 2011, the finance ministry had asked the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) to probe the case. DCI had questioned some top industrialists over deposits estimated to be upwards of Rs 800 crore. A few leading politicians, including the son of a former minister in UPA-2 and the son of an influential Maharashtra minister who faced a humiliating defeat in the recentlyconcluded assembly polls, were put on notice after their names figured on the list. The total tax and penalty in the LGT Bank case was estimated to go up to Rs 40- 45 crore, almost equivalent to the amount that had been spirited away by 19 Indians whose income has now been reassessed to Rs 40 crore, sources said.

  • Gadkari says happy in Delhi; Stage set for Fadnavis as Maharashtra CM

    Gadkari says happy in Delhi; Stage set for Fadnavis as Maharashtra CM

    NAGPUR (TIP): A potential crisis in Maharashtra BJP over the choice of leader for the post of chief minister seems to have blown over with Union minister Nitin Gadkari saying he has no differences with his colleague Devendra Fadnavis, considered as a front-runner for the post, and is happy in Delhi. “We have no differences. My political guru is Devendra’s father Ganghadharrao Fadnavis who was an MLC while I was instrumental in bringing Devendra into politics,” Gadkari said after Fadnavis called on him at his residence in Mahal area in the morning.

    According to sources, the closed door meeting between Gadkari and Fadnavis apparently sealed the deal in favour of the latter. “I am happy in Delhi. Fadnavis is my colleague and came to meet me on Diwali,” Gadkari told reporters when asked whether he intends to return to state politics. Though Fadnavis has maintained that his meeting with Gadkari was to extend Diwali greetings, the duo met again at BJP’s regional office in Dhantoli area, with some BJP leaders and office-bearers in attendance, in late afternoon. The sources said that the central leadership wanted to nip the feud between the two leaders from Nagpur in bud and might have asked Fadnavis to visit Gadkari.

    Though Gadkari had earlier clarified his stand about not returning to state politics, saying it was for the BJP’s central leadership to decide and that he would accept any responsibility given to him by the party, a group of 39 newly-elected BJP MLAs from Vidarbha region had met him here on Tuesday and pushed for him to be made the chief minister. Leaders present at the Dhantoli office,where Gadkari and Fadnavis stayed for some 15 minutes for Laxmi Pujan, said that they got clear indications that Fadnavis will emerge as a consensus choice for the coveted post.

    Speculations about Fadnavis being the choice of the top party leadership for the CM’s chair started when Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during one of his rallies in run-up to state Assembly elections, had described Fadnavis “as Nagpur’s gift for Maharashtra”. After a group of 39 newly-elected BJP MLAs from Vidarbha region met Gadkari here on Tuesday and demanded that he be made the state’s CM, Nagpur-East MLA Krishna Khopde had yesterday offered to quit and vacate his seat to pave way for his mentor Gadkari.

    Moreover, two more MLAs – Sudhakar Kolhe (Nagur-South) and Sameer Meghe (Hingana) – also offered to resign from their respective seats to pave way for the Union minister. Later, five independent MLAs -Vinayak Patil (Ahmednagar), Shirish Choudhary (Amalner), Ganpat Gaikwad (Kalyan-East), Mahesh Landge (Bhosari) and Ravi Rane (Badnera) – met both Gadkari and Fadanvis separately yesterday to offer support if the Chief Minister is chosen from Vidarbha region.

    Though senior BJP leaders and Gadkari acolytes Sudhir Mungantiwar and Vinod Tawde had raised their pitch in favour of Gadkari, former national president of BJP, another senior leader Eknath Khadse expressed his displeasure over the “pressure tactics” of Gadkari. BJP has emerged as the single largest party in recently held Maharashtra elections pocketing 123 seats, including one won by its ally Rashtriya Samaj Paksha, but has fallen short of forming government of its own as it faces the shortfall of 22 MLAs in the 288-member House.

  • RSS man Manohar Lal Khattar is Haryana’s new chief minister

    RSS man Manohar Lal Khattar is Haryana’s new chief minister

    CHANDIGARH (TIP): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has named Manohar Lal Khattar as chief minister of Haryana after it secured a majority in the Assembly elections for the first time in the state. Khattar, a Punjabi, had worked as a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) pracharak (a full-time RSS worker) for 40 years.

    The decision was taken in a meeting of elected MLAs, attended by Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu and BJP vice president Dinesh Sharma, who were appointed as observers by the BJP’s Parliamentary Board to decide on who would become Haryana’s new chief minister. Born in Rohtak district, Khattar had contested the Assembly elections from Karnal. He won the Karnal seat with a margin of 63,736 votes. He is stated to be close to the Prime MinisterNarendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah Manohar Lal Khattar said, “MLAs have elected me as the leader of BJP Legislature Party.

    It was a unanimous decision. We are going to the Governor and will put forth our claim to form the Government. “The BJP has got a clear majority in the 90- member Assembly for the first time,” Khattar said as he entered the guest house with his supporters who shouted slogans in his favour. Prem Lata, first-time MLA from Uchana Kalan and wife of Birendra Singh, who joined the BJP recently, told reporters that her husband was the most experienced politician to run the state. The saffron party won 47 seats while the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) won 19, the Congress 15, HJC-BL two, BSP and SAD bagged one seat each while Independents got five.

  • What Modi did not say on Oct 2

    What Modi did not say on Oct 2

    In the cleanliness drive Gandhi’s real message of communal harmony was missing

    “That communal harmony was his (Gandhi’s) foremost concern was emphasized again in 1921 and repeated on March 24, 1947, at a prayer meeting in Rajghat thus: “I would say that Hindus and Muslims are the two eyes of mother India – just as the trouble in one eye affects the other too, similarly the whole of India suffers when either a Hindu or a Muslim suffers”, says the author

    The Modi government has, by a not-so-clever sleight of hand, converted the most important day in India, October 2, Gandhi’s birthday, into a cleanliness day. Of course this was buttressed by a repeat of Gandhi’s exhortation of “cleanliness is next to godliness”. No one can be against spreading awareness about cleanliness. But when an attempt, and not so subtle one, is made by the RSSdominated Modi government to sidetrack the real message of Gandhi, one cannot ignore this mischievous move.

    Days before Modi was to do the cleaning act at the Valmiki quarters in New Delhi, the whole area was checked for security (right, no objection to the security angle). But what was hypocritical was the fact that the whole area was cleaned by the sanitation staff regularly for days earlier. Have we not seen in newspapers how ministers, in order to show their extra loyalty, had empty bottles thrown by the sanitary staff without any embarrassment and then made a mockery of the cleanliness drive by removing them while getting themselves photographed? My objection is not to the observance of the cleanliness day – do it by all means provided it is on another day. But I do have a serious objection to converting Gandhi’s birthday as the cleanliness day, as if that is the most important message of Mahatma Gandhi.

    If one watched TV channels, it was Modi and his cohorts waving the broom. Gandhi’s real message of communal harmony was totally missing. Gandhi’s stature of being the tallest Indian was reduced to a small mention and the whole focus was on Modi holding a broom. If the Modi government denies this, will it explain why it never mentioned the real message of Gandhi which he consistently emphasized? Let me reproduce the pledge which Mahatma Gandhi wanted Indians to take in 1919: “With God as a witness we Hindus and Mohamedans declare that we shall behave towards one another as children of the same parents, that we shall have no differences, that the sorrows of each will be the sorrows of the other and that each shall help the other in removing them. We shall respect each other’s religion and religious feelings, and shall not stand in the way of our respective religious practices.

    We shall always refrain from violence to each other in the name of religion.” That communal harmony was his foremost concern was emphasized again in 1921 and repeated on March 24, 1947, at a prayer meeting in Rajghat thus: “I would say that Hindus and Muslims are the two eyes of mother India – just as the trouble in one eye affects the other too, similarly the whole of India suffers when either a Hindu or a Muslim suffers.” Gandhi’s emphasis against communalism was again shown in the letter he wrote in Harijan in January 1948 in Gujarati (emphasis mine) where he specifically said: “I think it is proper to address a few words to the people of Gujarat. (Modi as a Gujarati should have in all propriety and claiming to be spreading the message of Gandhi reminded the nation of what Gandhi wrote in 1948) Delhi has always been the Capital.

    It would be the limit of foolishness to regard it as belonging only to the Hindus or the Sikhs. All Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Parsis, Christians and Jews who people this country from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and from Karachi to Dibrugarh in Assam and who have lovingly and in a spirit of service adopted it as their dear motherland, have an equal right to it. No one can say that it has a place only for the majority and the minority should be dishonoured” (emphasis mine). Modi went to pay homage at Rajghat on the 2nd October 2014 morning.

    Surprisingly, no one told him about this solemn pledge taken by Gandhi. But then Modi could not have taken this pledge with a clear conscience, considering the B.J.P. is shame-facedly busy in congratulating and felicitating party workers accused of violent crimes against Muslims in Muzaffarnagar (U.P.) even when they are being prosecuted in a court of law. Such open demonstration in favor of the accused is a clear case of contempt of the court.

    Also, how can Modi spread the message of Hindu-Muslim harmony when his mentor, RSS chief Bhagwat, was provided the services of Doordarshan to spread communal poison against the Muslims by falsely bringing up the question of Bangladeshi immigrants in Assam and West Bengal, Bihar and creating panic by a canard that it had the potential to endanger the life of Hindu society there – very mischievously ignoring the fact that hundreds of Muslims were killed in the recent flare-ups in Assam, Bodoland? Modi’s claim to be secular is unacceptable in the context of his silence at the crude thinking of some of the BJP diehards who are planning to celebrate the birthday of Hemu, employed as a General in the army of Afghan ruler Sher Shah – he vainly chose to describe himself as King Vikramaditya and challenged the King. Akbar’s army was defeated.

    The diehard in the RSS are so perverse that they are claiming it as a very big battle of a Hindu king against the great Akbar who has been praised in the U.N. Human Development Report 2004 for his pronouncements on religious tolerance such as “no one should be interfered with on account of religion, and any one is allowed to go over to a religion that pleases him”. Modi in his radio speech has rightly referred reverentially to Swami Vivekanand as one of the greatest Indians. But will Modi tell his RSS followers to remember and follow Swami Vivekanand, who believed in total Hindu-Muslim unity and profusely praised Islam?

    In a letter to his friend Mohammed Sarfraz Hussain (June 10, 1898 ) Vivekanand wrote without any hesitation: “Therefore I am firmly persuaded that without the help of practical Islam, theories of Vedantism, however fine and wonderful they maybe, are entirely valueless to the vast mass of mankind. For our own motherland a junction of the two great systems Hinduism and Islam – Vedanta brain and Islam body – is the only hope……” There thus can be no real progress in India which does not include the minorities such as Muslims and Christians as equal stakeholders. This is the real message which Modi should have spoken of on Gandhi’s birthday if he meant to pay a genuine respectful tribute to Mahatma Gandhi.

    (The author is an Indian lawyer and a former Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court. He was a member of United Nations Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights.)

  • BJP front runner in Haryana, Maharashtra: Exit polls

    BJP front runner in Haryana, Maharashtra: Exit polls

    NEW DELHI/MUMBAI (TIP): At least three exit polls put the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead but short of a clear majority in Maharashtra and Haryana on Wednesday, a ringing endorsement of the so-called ‘Modi magic’ that may have helped the party come into its own in the two politically crucial states. A fourth survey by Today’s Chanakya, which correctly predicted the results of the Lok Sabha polls this year, gave the party a clear majority in both states.

    The projections, if true, could touch off a round of intense haggling between the party and its estranged allies – the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra and Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) – for control of the two states that the Congress has led for more than a decade, either on its own or with its partners. A BJP victory will reaffirm Modi’s appeal among voters and silence detractors of his new party leadership, which was blamed for a string of defeats in recent by-elections that tempered the euphoria of his Lok Sabha triumph. Modi campaigned extensively for the state elections, addressing 27 rallies in Maharashtra and 11 in Haryana in a bid to prop up the BJP’s fortunes after the by-election losses.

    A Times Now-C Voter poll predicted the BJP would bag 129 of 288 seats in the politically crucial state of Maharashtra despite the falling apart of its 25-year-old association with the Shiv Sena, which was projected to win in 56 constituencies. Times Now-C Voter predicted 37 seats for the BJP in the 90-member Haryana assembly. An ABP-Nielsen poll predicted 144 seats for the BJP and 77 for the Sena, while an India Today-Cicero exit poll saw the BJP winning 124 seats in Maharashtra. The poll says the Shiv Sena will be the second largest gainer in Maharashtra with 71 seats.

    The polls did not bring any cheer to the Congress party, already relegated to the political sidelines since its bruising defeat in the Lok Sabha polls. The Times Now-C Voter poll said the Congress was likely to win 43 seats in Maharashtra while ABP-Nielsen said it will bag just 30 seats. In Haryana, Times Now-C Voter gave the Congress 15 seats and ABP-Nielsen poll predicted the country’s main opposition party will get 10 seats. Today’s Chanakya predicted a clear majority of 151 seats for the BJP in Maharashtra and 52 in Haryana. Today’s Chanakya was on the money when it predicted a 300-plus sweep for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the Lok Sabha elections.

    For the Congress, a poor result will possibly stoke further murmurs against Rahul Gandhi’s leadership. If the outcome on October 19 judgement day matches the predictions, it would mean the Congress would have to carry forward with its restructuring process to script a turnaround in the face of a saffron surge. Haryana saw a high turnout of 75.9%, while Maharashtra registered a turnout of 63.4% in the elections seen as a test of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity since he stormed to power in May and the BJP’s strategy to abandon long-standing allies in the states.

    The elections were mainly peaceful except for minor clashes between workers of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), BJP and others in Haryana. Analysts said the BJP had benefited from anger towards the Congress party, which has held power in Maharashtra for 15 years and Haryana for a decade. Both chief ministers, Prithviraj Chavan in Maharashtra and Bhupinder Hooda in Haryana, battled strong anti-incumbency with corruption being a major poll issue.

    The BJP took a big gamble on its popularity and campaigned alone in both states. It was in contention for power for the first time in Haryana, where it was a junior partner in the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) government in 2000. Similarly in Maharashtra, the BJP had so far played second fiddle to the Shiv Sena, which led the coalition government in the state from 1995 to 1999. The Congress-NCP alliance ruled the state for 15 years from 1999. In case of a hung verdict, the shaping up of new political alliances promises to be another interesting chapter following the high-stakes elections.

  • SC asks CBI if it intends to examine Chidambaram

    SC asks CBI if it intends to examine Chidambaram

    NEW DELHI (TIP): The Supreme Court asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on October 9 if it proposed to examine former finance minister P. Chidambaram on the clearance given to the Aircel-Maxis deal over which charges had been filed some time ago.

    BJP leader Subramaniam Swamy told the court that while charges on deal had already been been filed, there seemed to be no progress on CBI’s part to seek clarifications on the nod given by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) at Chidambaram’s behest.

    The apex court bench of Chief Justice H.L. Dattu and Justice S.A. Bobde asked senior counsel K.K. Venugopal, appearing for the CBI, to apprise the court on this count at the next hearing, fixed for Oct 16.