The Indian Panorama

Tag: BJP

  • Oppn Creating Hurdles In Food Bill Passage: Sonia

    Oppn Creating Hurdles In Food Bill Passage: Sonia

    SURATGARH (TIP): Slamming Opposition parties for creating hurdles in passing of the Food Security bill, Congress President Sonia Gandhi accused them of creating instability in the country to grab power at any cost. “I would like to tell you that a few political parties are conspiring to create instability. These kind of political forces have nothing to do with progress….they are only eyeing the chair and they want it at any cost.

    There is a need to be vigilant against such powers”, she said addressing a rally here. In a veiled attack on the BJP, she said the party tried to create hurdles in the passing of the Food Security bill. “We (UPA) want that no one sleeps hungry. For that we wanted to bring a bill on food security but our ‘virodhi’ (rival) created hurdles. Had the Opposition allowed the Bill in Parliament, we would have passed the Food Security Act long ago.

    “But this is very sad that these Opposition parties are always opposing our public interest plans and programmes. It is now their habit to oppose every work that Congress wants to initiate and do”, she charged. Accusing some political parties of conspiring to create instability, she said whenever there is instability, it affects progress and development and indirectly aggravates the woes of the poor

  • Cong-JMM Exploring Govt Formation In Jharkhand

    Cong-JMM Exploring Govt Formation In Jharkhand

    NEW DELHI (TIP): The Congress and JMM appear to be inching closer towards forming an alternative government in Jharkhand which has been under President’s Rule — imposed after the fall of the Arjun Munda government on January 8. Newly-appointed Congress general secretary in-charge of the state BK Hariprasad will hold talks in this regard with state leaders of the Congress and JMM tomorrow in Ranchi.

    Shibu Soren’s party, which is supporting UPA-II from outside, has been keen on forming an alternative government in the state in alliance with the Congress ever since it broke up with the BJP leading to the imposition of President’s Rule there on January 18. While a large number of Congress leaders in the state are in favour of forming a government with JMM’s support as 18 months are still left for the current state Assembly’s term to get over, the top brass of the party was initially reluctant towards any such move.

    The JMM and Congress, which have 18 and 13 MLAs, need the support of 11 more legislators to form a government in the 81-member state Assembly. The Congress had supported an Independent Madhu Koda-led government in the state and had to face criticism later as Koda got embroiled in serious corruption cases. Besides, there are cases pending against some JMM leaders even now.

    Hence, the party leadership was wary of any such tie-up in the state. There, however, appears to have been a re-think over the issue of alliances now. JVM(P), which had forged an alliance with the Congress for the 2009 Assembly elections, parted ways with it in April last year over the FDI issue. The Congress now appears to be veering around to the view that it has to tie up with some party for the next Lok Sabha elections there.

    Out of the 14 Lok Sabha seats in Jharkhand, the Congress has one MP Subodh Kant Sahay, while JMM has two members. They had fought the last General Election separately. In 2004 Lok Sabha elections, when both parties had fought in alliance, the Congress had won six and JMM four seats respectively bringing 10 seats in the UPA kitty. There are indications that the formation of government with JMM will depend on an amicable seat-sharing agreement between the two parties for the next General Election.

    Another talk in political circles is that Assembly elections in Jharkhand could be held along with those in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi if the JMM and Congress fail to reach an agreement on the issue. Central rule in Jharkhand will expire on July 18 and a decision has to be taken before that. JMM MLAs Vishnu Prasad Bhaiya and Paulus Surin had a few days back issued threats of resigning from the House membership if the Congress failed to take a decision on government formation before June 16.

    Announcing his intent to lend unconditional support to the JMM and Congress if they joined hands for government formation, senior RJD leader and MLA Janardhan Paswan had earlier said that the Congress must come forward to give a new alternative to the people who have given a mandate for five years. The BJP, Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantric) and AJSU Party have been demanding dissolution of the House to seek a new mandate. Congress president Sonia Gandhi had on June 10 held consultations with senior party leaders, including AK Antony, Sushilkumar Shinde, Jairam Ramesh and vice-president Rahul Gandhi, on the way forward in Jharkhand.

  • Third Front Is Workable

    Third Front Is Workable

    The idea of a third front, after all is not a new idea. It is also not a bad idea. If the agenda worked out by the collaborating parties is carefully crafted and taken to people there is no reason why people will not vote for it. However, real problems arise after the victory is achieved. It is then that the fight starts for getting the best ministerial positions.

    If the leaders of the partner parties can ensure there will be no infighting within the front for portfolios there is a lot that it can deliver if it conscientiously executes the agenda. People of India are tired of both the major partiesthe Congress and the BJP. They will welcome a change. They will be ready to experiment for once with any alternative. Regional parties have enough talent and they also have a strong voter base that can stand the third front in good stead.

    They already have the experience of governing and some of these parties have proved their mettle and endeared themselves to people. Let them come together in the interest of the nation and its people and give to the country responsible governance, free from corruption and a new dawn to the people of India.

  • RSS Chief Offers No Assurances To Advani

    RSS Chief Offers No Assurances To Advani

    NEW DELHI (TIP): BJP stalwart L K Advani on June 20 failed to extract a firm commitment from RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat that his concerns about the functioning and direction of the party would be heeded. While Advani raised with Bhagwat the issues he had cited when he resigned in the wake of Gujarat CM Narendra Modi’s appointment as chairman of BJP’s national campaign committee, the RSS chief offered little except the assurance to hold more discussions and an advice to the veteran saffronite to stay engaged.

    In fact, Bhagwat, who had persuaded Advani to withdraw his resignation on June 11, also said that other stakeholders needed to be heard before he took a view: a rather candid assertion that Advani’s views on party’s affairs were not the final word. The hour-long “detailed and candid interaction” at the RSS headquarters in the Capital ended without Bhagwat committing himself to any timeline for addressing the issues Advani raised with him before withdrawing his resignation.

    In his resignation letter to party president Rajnath Singh, Advani had said, “For some time, I have been finding it difficult to reconcile either with the current functioning of the party or the direction in which it is going.” He also said that most party leaders had deviated from the ideals of the founding fathers, and were pursuing their selfish agendas.

    Sangh Parivar circles had interpreted Advani’s lament about the “functioning” and “direction” of the party as shorthand for the resentment of his supporters about the functioning of RSS’s joint secretary general Suresh Soni and Modi’s ascendancy. Soni, RSS’s liaison person who is respected by many in saffron circles for his ideological clarity and tough resolve, has earned a reputation for not allowing himself to be intimidated by seniority.

    A statement issued by the RSS on the meeting suggests that no decision on Soni, especially on whether he should continue on Sangh’s BJP desk, will be taken without hearing him and others. As for Modi’s elevation, it is irreversible, and Rajnath had made it clear even before Advani withdrew his resignation. The RSS statement made it plain that Advani got no concession from Bhagwat. “Shri Advaniji conveyed his views on various developments in the country and the role of the party and the broad nationalist movement led by Sangh.

    It was opined that several issues need further discussion and exchange of notes at various levels. Same will take place at appropriate time. Shri Bhagwatji suggested that such useful exchange of views should continue in future also,” the statement said. The meeting between the two leading Sangh Parivar figures was agreed upon after Advani took back his papers following a brief telephonic conversation with Bhagwat.

    The resignation, which was widely interpreted as a protest against Modi’s elevation and surprised many, ended equally dramatically the following day with Rajnath Singh emphasizing that Advani had retraced his step following talks with Bhagwat, while assuring that all his “concerns” would be “properly addressed”. Many who considered the assurance to be vague and meant more for soothing the veteran’s hurt rather than an expression of an intention to change decisions of the party, especially Modi’s appointment in Goa, claimed validation after seeing RSS’s version of the interaction between Advani and Bhagwat.

  • BJP meeting: Party plays down LK Advani’s absence in Goa on Day 1

    BJP meeting: Party plays down LK Advani’s absence in Goa on Day 1

    PANAJI (TIP): BJP senior leader Venkaiah Naidu said that the party’s senior leader LK Advani will arrive in Goa on Saturday to attend the national executive meeting and the media should not read too much about the delay in his arrival.

    Speculation has been rife after it became apparent that Advani will not arrive in Goa on Friday. Speaking to reporters outside the venue of national executive meeting, Naidu said Advani is not able to come to Goa on Friday because of ‘health reasons’ . There was speculation in the media about Advani’s delayed arrival. “There is no need to read too many things in everything,” Naidu said.

    Replying to queries from the media about a few other BJP senior leaders skipping the national executive meeting, Naidu said they are not able to attend the meeting due to prior engagements and that there is nothing new in that.

    BJP national spokesman Prakash Javdekar said that Advani is not angry about speculation that Modi will be projected as chief of election campaign for the Lok Sabha elections.

  • BJP Meeting: Party Plays Down LK Advani’s Absence In Goa On Day

    BJP Meeting: Party Plays Down LK Advani’s Absence In Goa On Day

    PANAJI (TIP): BJP senior leader Venkaiah Naidu said that the party’s senior leader LK Advani will arrive in Goa on Saturday to attend the national executive meeting and the media should not read too much about the delay in his arrival. Speculation has been rife after it became apparent that Advani will not arrive in Goa on Friday. Speaking to reporters outside the venue of national executive meeting, Naidu said Advani is not able to come to Goa on Friday because of ‘health reasons’ .

    There was speculation in the media about Advani’s delayed arrival. “There is no need to read too many things in everything,” Naidu said. Replying to queries from the media about a few other BJP senior leaders skipping the national executive meeting, Naidu said they are not able to attend the meeting due to prior engagements and that there is nothing new in that. BJP national spokesman Prakash Javdekar said that Advani is not angry about speculation that Modi will be projected as chief of election campaign for the Lok Sabha elections.

  • Bjp Sweeps Gujarat Bypolls, Rjd Triumphs In Bihar

    Bjp Sweeps Gujarat Bypolls, Rjd Triumphs In Bihar

    NEW DELHI (TIP): The ruling BJP in Gujarat has swept five of the six seats — two Lok Sabha and three assembly seats — to which bypolls were held last Sunday, while the JD(U) in Bihar is all set to suffer a setback in Maharajganj Lok Sabha seat. BJP is also leading in the sixth assembly seat of Dhoraji, which fell vacant after Vithhal Radadia left Congress to join BJP and resigned as an MLA.

    BJP candidate Pravin Mankadia is fighting against Congress rival Haribhai Patel on the seat. The party is leading by 6,803 votes after 26 rounds of counting. All the six seats were earlier with the Congress party. The BJP registered a significant win in the Porbandar Lok Sabha seat where Vithhal Radadia, who was caught brandishing his gun at a toll booth last year when he was a Congress MP and later crossed over BJP, won the seat with over 1,28,000 votes.

    The Sabarkantha Lok Sabha seat, which fell vacant after the death of Congress MP Mukesh Gadhvi, was won by Haribhai Chaudhary of BJP with the margin of more than 71,000 votes over his Congress rival Krishna Gadhvi, wife of Mukesh Gadhvi. BJP’s Jayesh Radadia, who also defected from Congress with his father Vithhal Radadia, won the Jetpur assembly seat defeating Jagdish Pambhar of the Congress. Nimisha Suthar of the BJP won the Morva Hadaf (ST) assembly seat by defeating Congress candidate Bhupendrasinh Khant.

    The seat was held by Bhupendrasinh’s mother Savita Khant, who died during the counting of assembly elections last December. Former state minister and BJP leader Kiritsinh Rana won Limbadi seat by defeating Congress candidate Satish Patel. The byelection was necessitated after Congress MP Soma Patel, who won Limbadi assembly seat too, resigned as an MLA. Congress had fielded his son Satish Patel on the seat.

    Trinamool wins Howrah seat

    In Bengal, Trinamool Congress candidate Prasun Banerjee won the Howrah Lok Sabha seat defeating his nearest rival, CPM candidate Sridip Bhattacherjee, by over 27,000 votes. Though official results were still to be declared, Election Commission sources said that Prasun Banerjee secured 4,26,273 votes and Sridip Bhattacherjee 3,99,258 votes. Congress candidate Sanatan Mukherjee was in third spot polling 96,727 votes. The sources said that counting of 300 votes in one EVM which developed a technical malfunction would be taken up before the official declaration of the result.

    The seat fell vacant following the death of TMC MP Ambika Banerjee. Senior TMC leader and panchayat minister Subrata Mukherjee told reporters that the poll result would give a boost to the party before next month’s crucial panchayat elections. The result prove that people reposed their faith on the performance of Mamata Banerjee government in the past two years, he also said.

  • BJP to decide PM candidate ‘soon’: Rajnath

    BJP to decide PM candidate ‘soon’: Rajnath

    NEW DELHI (TIP): There is “no question mark” on Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity and the party will “soon” decide its prime ministerial candidate, BJP president Rajnath Singh has said. “The decision on the prime ministerial candidate will be taken at the right time and it may be soon,” Rajnath Singh told IANS in an exclusive interview here.

    Asked if Modi could be the party’s choice for the prime minister’s post ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha battle, he refused to make a comment but said Modi’s popularity cannot be denied. “There is no question mark on the popularity of Modi.” What about the reservations against Modi expressed by ally Janata Dal- United? “We are old allies, the alliance is strong. If there is a difference, we will sit and talk and sort it out.”

    In 2009, the BJP projected L.K. Advani as its prime ministerial candidate, but the Congress won the election. Amid speculation on who the BJP would project as its prime ministerial candidate, Rajnath Singh,MP from Ghaziabad, told his party colleagues not to comment on the subject after taking charge in January. The 61-year-old said the BJP was hopeful of forging new alliances.

  • Thumping win for SAD-BJP in ZP, Panchayat Samiti polls

    Thumping win for SAD-BJP in ZP, Panchayat Samiti polls

    Chandigarh (TIP): Stamping its supremacy; the Shiromani Akali Dal- BJP combine won 299 out of the 331 seats in the Zila Parishad elections. The compiled list, released today; showed that the SADBJP romped home in as many as 2,122 out of 2,739 results for the Panchayat Samiti elections.

    Information released by the election office said election at Nadhor in Panchayat Samiti, Patti, in Tarn Taran district had been countermanded. The Congress candidate Sukhraj Singh Bhagupur had been murdered during the campaigning. The result of Panchayat Samiti, Moga, has been stayed by the commission as Makhan Singh, an independent candidate, turned out to be a proclaimed offender. His eligibility has been challenged.

    The SAD-BJP combine did particularly well in Amritsar, Ajitgarh, Bathinda, Barnala, Ferozepur, Faridkot, Moga, Muktsar and Tarn Taran where the party won all parishad seats. The Congress romped home in 26 seats in the state. The remaining six seats were bagged by ‘others’. The Congress won four seats each in Hoshiarpur and J alandhar.

  • UPA should declare its PM candidate first: BJP

    UPA should declare its PM candidate first: BJP

    JAMMU (TIP): BJP said, the Congress-led UPA should declare its Prime Ministerial candidate first and whether Rahul Gandhi is a stakeholder for the top job or not. While insisting that BJP Parliamentary Board will take a decision regarding its PM candidate at an appropriate time BJP national general secretary and former Gujarat Home Minister Amit Shah said, since UPA was in power, it should first take a decision in this regard. “I am a BJP worker. I don’t have any individual thinking. BJP Parliamentary Board will take a decision at the right time,” Shah said when asked whether the party will project Narendra Modi as its PM candidate. “UPA is in power, let them first decide whether their prince (Rahul Gandhi) is a stakeholder for the top job or he will be the Prime Minister. Let UPA first decide, after that the Opposition’s case comes in question,” he said.

  • Cong Back In Driving Seat In Karnataka

    Cong Back In Driving Seat In Karnataka

    The Congress recaptured power in Karnataka after seven years, crushing the BJP in the assembly elections – a victory that might boost the morale of the party facing a relentless opposition onslaught over massive corruption scandals.
    Congress stormed back to power in Karnataka in a spectacular fashion after seven years in its old southern bastion decimating the ruling BJP whose fate was sealed by a fractious split and corruption charges. BJP, which was wrecked by a split forced by former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa on top of a series of corruption cases, tied for the second place with JD(S) with both securing 40 seats each. The Yeddyurappa-led Karnataka Janata Paksha (KJP), which spoiled BJP’s party, could not do much for itself as it bagged only six seats. The BSR-Congress, led by former BJP Minister Sriramulu, considered close to the Bellary brothers, also chipped away BJP votes and ended up with four seats.

    The rout of BJP, whose rule saw ugly infights, three Chief Ministers and several ministers tainted by corruption charges, was complete as it was clobbered by the electorate who pushed it to a pathetic position of sharing the second place with JDS of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda. Both BJP and JDS secured 40 seats each. A three-way split in its voter base put paid to BJP’s hopes of securing a renewed mandate, bringing down its only citadel in the South. Yeddyurappa’s twin agenda of decimating BJP and emerging a kingmaker remained half-complete as he succeeded in one but failed to make an impressive debut through his nascent outfit securing only six seats out of 216 it contested.

    Several heavyweights, including Chief Minister Jagdish Shettar (Hubli-Dharwad Central), Yeddyurappa (Shikharipura), Siddaramaiah (Varuna) and H D Kumaraswamy (Ramnagaram) , won from their constituencies but Parameshwara (Koratagere) lost heavily. Kumaraswamy’s wife Anita and Yeddyurappa’s confidant Shobha Karandlaje suffered defeats from Channapatna and Rajaji Nagar respectively. Twelve ministers of the Shettar Cabinet, including Deputy Chief Minister K S Eshwarappa, fell by the wayside, rubbing salt into the wounds of the vanquished BJP. C P Yogeeshwara, who quit the Jagadish Shettar Ministry, towards the end of the tenure of the Government and contested on Samajwadi Party ticket, won from Channapata, defeating Anitha Kumaraswamy (JDS) by nearly 6,500 votes. For the BJP, the worst was in store in its heartland in the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, while it failed miserably to keep its base in tact in Bombay Karnataka and Hyderabad-Karnataka regions that gave electoral muscle.

    As expected, JDS maintained its hold in the Vokkaliga belt while making some gains beyond its traditional support base that fetched it 12 more seats than 28 it won in the last elections. With a clear cut verdict, JDS’ hopes of playing the role of a kingmaker have also been dashed. Polling was held in 223 segments, with the one in Periyapatna in Mysore district put off to May 28 following death of BJP candidate. BJP’s performance in its own strongholds was pathetic, reflected in the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi where its defeat was near complete as also in Yeddyurappa’s home district of Shimoga and Bellary. Eshwarappa’s loss in Shimoga is all the more significant as he was a former state unit President of the party and also held the key portfolios of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj and Revenue.

    He was in the “hit-list” of Yeddyurappa, who now had the “sweet revenge”. Another big gun to lose was Industries Minister Murugesh R Nirani, who spearheaded two global investors meet, and was in two minds till the last minute whether to join forces with the KJP but eventually continued to be in the BJP, in Bilgi. Congress candidate and former Union Civil Aviation Minister C M Ibrahim was pushed to third position in Bhadrawati. In the 2008 polls, the BJP had secured 110 seats, Congress 80, JDS 28 and Independents six. Falling short of numbers, the BJP had formed government with the support of independents and wooed Opposition MLAs who were made to resign and recontest on the BJP ticket that gave it stability of numbers.

  • Karnataka will regain pre-eminent position as IT superpower: Moily

    Karnataka will regain pre-eminent position as IT superpower: Moily

    NEW YORK (TIP): Union Petroleum Minister Veerappa Moily assured the Non- Resident Indians that the Congress government headed by Chief Minister K Siddaramiah in Karnataka will put the state back again on the global map in Information and bio technology. It will become IT superpower again and make India proud. Moily was addressing Indian-Americans over live audio conference by telephone from New Delhi at a victory celebration organized by Dr. Dayanand Naik, Karnataka chapter President of Indian National Overseas Congress (INOC) here on May 13 night.

    Moily told NRIs that the previous Bharatiya Janata Party government had done irreparable damage to the image of Karnataka abroad which was the most favored investment destination when the Congress Party ruled the State. “We will respond to the aspirations of Kannadigas not only in India but all over the world by providing a stable, corrupt-free, transparent and accountable government.” Terming the recently-held election as “liberation movement,” the Union Minister thanked Dr. Naik and his team from the Indian National Overseas Congress for their support and campaign using social media and mass email to their friends and relatives back home to bring back Congress to power. Moily said due to anarchy and misrule, Karnataka reached its lowest ebb in education and knowledge sectors. “They have destroyed the education system by sanctioning universities and educational institutions that had neither infrastructure nor any faculty. “The State built by statesmen like by Sir M. Vishweswarayya was in shambles and the people have made a good choice to retrieve Karnataka from the clutches of corrupt BJP,” he said.

    The election results in Karnataka indicate the shape of things to come and Congress will form the government for the third consecutive term in the center, he said. George Abraham, president of Indian National Overseas Congress (INOC) in his presidential address, said the people of Karnataka had spoken loud and clear disproving all negativities and fake poll predictions of a hung assembly.

    He appealed to the Congress High Command to reserve seats for Non-Resident Indian members of the INOC who are Indian citizens to contest Parliament and State Assembly elections. “There are some NRIs among MPs now and we need more to raise the issue of overseas Indians in Parliament,” he said. He mentioned Juned Qazi, President of Madhya Pradesh Chapter who is aspiring for a ticket to contest Aligarh Lok Sabha seat and said INOC (I) fully endorsed him.

    Shudh Parkash Singh, INOC Senior Vice President said Karnataka has proved that stable government is a must for development. Dr. Naik, a leading physician and former president of American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) said over 100 volunteers from the US will go to India to campaign for Congress candidates in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. He said plans are afoot to rope in and seek the advice of Indian-Americans who campaigned for President Obama on how to use social media and online campaigns to ensure victory of Congress Party.

  • CONG WINS KARNATAKA, BJP DECIMATED; JD(S) GAINS

    CONG WINS KARNATAKA, BJP DECIMATED; JD(S) GAINS

    BANGALORE (TIP): The Congress on May 8 prepared to take power in Karnataka with an absolute majority, leaving the ruling BJP far behind with less than 40 seats in the 224- member assembly. As votes were counted, the Bharatiya Janata Party appeared set for a humiliating rout in the state where it took power five years ago — relegated to the third spot. In contrast, the Congress headed for triumph.

    Congress workers celebrated wildly in Bangalore, bursting firecrackers. Congress strongman in Karnataka Siddharamiah was sanguine in victory. “It was only expected,” said the man who could be the next chief minister. Added BJP leader and former chief minister Sadanand Gowda soberly: “We have not been able to rise to the occasion. We could not reach out to the voter with whatever development work we did in Karnataka.”

    According to the latest trends available, the Congress could win 118 seats, comfortably over the halfway mark of 113. The BJP, which has seen three chief ministers in five years and found itself split right down the middle with BS Yeddyurappa forming his own party, was way behind with 36 seats. Even the Janata Dal-S (JDS) was ahead with 41 seats. And Yeddyurappa’s Karnataka Janata Party (KJP), who left the BJP amid allegations of corruption, made its political debut with an estimated 14 seats.

    It was a reversal of fortunes of sorts for the two main parties — the Congress, readying for power in Bangalore, is on the backfoot in New Delhi as the BJP demands the resignations of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as well as union ministers Pawan Kumar Bansal and Ashwani Kumar. For the Congress, battling an opposition offensive over graft charges in New Delhi, the victory was just what it needed to get a morale boost ahead of the general elections in 2014. Said Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi:

    “We are winning because people have seen through and rejected the BJP.” For the BJP, the election result was a sharp fall from five years ago when it won 110 seats and formed its first government in the south with the help of five independents. The rout saw deputy chief minister KS Eshwarappa, trailing in his home constituency in Shimoga along with law minister S Suresh Kumar in Rajajinagar in Bangalore and Muruegesh Nirani in Bilagi in north Karnataka. The party lost badly both in rural and urban areas.

    A sorry scenario because it had hoped to make Karnataka the base to make a major breakthrough into south India. “We have lost the election. And it is time for introspection,” BJP leadeer Rajiv Pratap Rudy said. JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy, who had hoped perhaps to be the kingmaker, said he was happy to be the main opposition. “We will be happy to be the main opposition in Karnataka.We will play our role well.

    The Congress is not going to come to us seeking our help, we know that,” the former chief minister said.assembly has 224 elected and one nominated members. The election took place on May 5 for 223 seats as election was cancelled in one constituency after the BJP candidate died.

  • CBI IS A CAGED BIRD, CHANGED HEART OF COAL SCAM PROBE, SAYS SC

    CBI IS A CAGED BIRD, CHANGED HEART OF COAL SCAM PROBE, SAYS SC

    NEW DELHI (TIP): On a day when the Congress decimated the BJP in Karnataka, the UPA-2 government, particularly the Prime Minister’s Office and the law and coal ministries, came under heavy fire from the Supreme Court over the government’s meddling in the CBI’s Coalgate draft report.

    Its observations have made the position of law minister Ashwani Kumar extremely vulnerable and the Congress leadership now finds it difficult to rally behind him. “After the Supreme Court observations, it has become extremely difficult to defend the law minister,” a senior Congress leader said. The court, in a scathing attack on the government and the CBI for colluding over the agency’s status report on its coal block allocation scam probe, said on Wednesday that the CBI was a ‘caged parrot’ which changed the ‘heart’ of the investigation on the suggestions of the law minister and joint secretaries of the PMO and the coal ministry.

    “How can you share the report with officials whose departments are under the scanner? Changes made (in the report) on the suggestions of government officials seem to have changed the heart of the investigation,” a bench headed by Justice R.M. Lodha told the CBI counsel.

    CBI should interrogate, not interact: SC
    Expressing dissatisfaction with the affidavit filed on Monday by CBI director Ranjit Sinha, which had stated the ‘heart’ of the status report was unch-anged despite changes by government officials, the Supreme Court bench said, “How on earth did joint secretaries hold a meeting and see the report? What business did they have in visiting the CBI office and perusing the report?” Disapproving of the CBI director’s clarifications SC bench said, “How can you give justification instead of accepting your mistake? Are you an investigator or collaborator? How can the CBI have regular interaction with government officials (as stated in the affidavit)? Your job is to investigate, not interact with the government,” the court told CBI counsel U.U. Lalit, adding, “The CBI must know how to stand against the government’s pulls and pressures.”

    Ruing that the CBI was a ‘caged parrot that speaks in the voice of its many masters’, the bench warned that any intrusion into investigations being carried out by the CBI would not be tolerated. Holding that the Centre’s interference in CBI investigations was ‘worrying’, the bench said the Centre must pass a law in the near future to ensure the agency’s autonomy. “The government will have to legislate to free the CBI from its clutches.

    If the CBI is not made independent, we will have to step in. A law to ensure the CBI’s autonomy has to be in the offing,” the bench said, directing the Centre to file an affidavit in this regard by July 3. The court also ordered that DIG Ravi Kant, who was earlier the investigating officer in the probe, be immediately reinstated. The bench also ruled that no one, except the CBI dire-ctor and the probe team, be allowed to see any report concerning the case without the court’s permission.

  • Finally, PM sacks Ashwani Kumar, Pawan Bansal

    Finally, PM sacks Ashwani Kumar, Pawan Bansal

    NEW DELHI (TIP) : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh axed scam-tainted ministers Pawan Kumar Bansal and Ashwani Kumar, two cabinet members seen to be close to him, late on Friday and hours after Congress president Sonia Gandhi expressed her displeasure at their continuance in office. In a meeting with Singh, Sonia is understood to have conveyed the party’s unease at growing public anger against the government for not acting against railways minister Bansal and law minister Kumar, who have made headlines for all the wrong reasons.

    Labour minister Mallikarjun Kharge is likely to be given additional charge of railways and telecom minister Kapil Sibal or petroleum minister Veerappa Moily may look after the law ministry, sources said. Bansal’s continuation had become untenable after his nephew was arrested by the CBI last week for accepting a R90-lakh bribe for fixing a high-level appointment in the railway board and subsequent investigations showed the scam was leading right up to the minister’s door.

    Kumar came in the line of fire for having interfered in the ongoing CBI probe into Coalgate, which led to the washout of the second half of the budget session with the Opposition demanding the PM’s resignation and the sacking of the law minister. Though Bansal’s resignation was a foregone conclusion given the incriminating evidence mounting against him, Kumar’s exit appeared uncertain due to the PM’s continued support, until Sonia stepped in.

    Her political secretary Ahmed Patel was present when the PM summoned Bansal and Kumar to seek their resignations and draw a line under the controversy that had even deflated some of the euphoria over the Congress’ win in Karnataka. Kumar’s continuation had given rise to strong speculation about a divide between the party leadership and the PM, since Singh was learnt to be of the view that Supreme Court had not made any adverse comments against Kumar and a case for ousting him was not made out.

    First signs that the Congress had decided to dump both the controversial ministers came during the party’s briefing earlier in the day, when its spokesperson stressed a zero tolerance policy for corruption and any kind of manipulation. “Congress is not going to tolerate any corruption.

    It will not spare anybody mired in corruption…If anybody is involved in manipulation, that cannot be spared,” said party spokesperson Bhakta Charan Das. The resignations of two key Congress ministers, coming less than a fortnight before celebrations to mark the UPA’s ninth year in office, gave the Opposition a chance to attack it yet again. Sushma Swaraj, leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, tweeted that the government could have prevented a washout of the budget session had it accepted the BJP’s demand to sack the two ministers.

    The session was adjourned on Wednesday, two days ahead of scheduled, and the passage of key bills was rendered impossible

  • Parliament Again Disrupted Over Coal Blocks Allocation

    Parliament Again Disrupted Over Coal Blocks Allocation

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Both houses of parliament were on May 3 adjourned till noon as the BJP persisted with its demand for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s resignation over irregularities in the allocation of coal blocks. The Lok Sabha was adjourned minutes after the day’s proceedings began at 11am as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members advanced to the speaker’s podium demanding the prime minister’s resignation over the issue. Speaker Meira Kumar’s efforts to calm BJP members proved futile and she adjourned the house till 12 noon. The scene in the Rajya Sabha was similar with BJP members shouting slogans against the prime minister. Amid the pandemonium, chairman Hamid Ansari adjourned the house till noon. Both houses have seen repeated disruptions by opposition parties over the allocation of coal blocks and 2G spectrum. The BJP has said it will not let parliament function till Manmohan Singh resigns over the alleged involvement of his office in the irregularities in the allocation of coal blocks and 2G spectrum.

  • Sonia: Bjp Damaged Karnataka, We’ll Reconstruct It

    Sonia: Bjp Damaged Karnataka, We’ll Reconstruct It

    BANGALORE (TIP): With just 60 hours left for the big day, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on May 2 quickened the pace of campaigning by attacking the BJP for the near-collapse of Karnataka and said her party has readied a plan to reconstruct the state to its glory. The Congress chief addressed two backto- back election meetings in Gulbarga and Bangalore. At both venues, Sonia chanted the accountability mantra and said Congress leaders will be accountable for their every act, if voted to power.

    Accusing the BJP of severely damaging the development and reputation of the state, Sonia said the Congress will reconstruct Karnataka. “Sadly, the BJP has floundered and betrayed the mandate of the people. It has earned the dubious reputation of being involved in largescale illegal mining, land grabbing and maladministration. The time has come for ‘badalavane’ (change) and the Congress will restore Bangalore and Karnataka’s pride,” she said. Sonia said Karnataka earlier was looked upon by other states as a model, but, in the past five years, it is known for wrong reasons like corruption. She lashed out at the BJP for not keeping its promises. “The Congress will never make false promises like providing 24×7 uninterrupted power supply to farmers and finally leaving them in lurch,” she taunted the BJP. In Gulbarga, Sonia accused the BJP of conspiring to divide the people based on their caste, creed and religion by sowing the seeds of communal hatred. “The BJP played with the sentiments of the people, and conspired to divide brothers by causing disputes between them in the name of culture and tradition.

    The Congress is very much against such communal forces which tried to incite and play with traditional sentiments of the people,” she said. The Congress chief said that as a result of BJP’s indiscriminate illegal mining, there is no water in the region. “The Bellary zone is reeling under severe drought and people are migrating to other states in search of jobs. Thanks to the absence of water and jobs, many people have migrated to other states.” Tom-tomming her government’s achievements, she said the UPA, in order to prevent the exodus of people, implemented the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act to provide jobs to rural people and released crores of rupees to the Karnataka government. “In the past five years, more than Rs 88,000 crore was released to the state under various schemes and programmes, but the BJP government had not utilized this money effectively and the needy haven’t benefited from this. A few BJP leaders became crorepatis with the amount. People should ask BJP leaders where that money gone and people should question them,” she said. Sonia asked the people to make best use of RTI Act to expose “the ugly face of the tainted BJP leaders” who allegedly misused the central funds in the state.

  • Karnataka State Election: A Key Test

    Karnataka State Election: A Key Test

    The 224-member Karnataka assembly will go to polls on May 5 and counting of votes will take place on May 8. Undoubtedly, this will set the tone for the 2014 general elections and will have significant impact on the political parties as to how they would conduct themselves in the realignment process. It is well known that the state of Karnataka has been beset with corruption, nepotism, ineptitude, public squabbling and internal rivalries and to simply put it, very bad governance. The BJP regime has also become known for its religious intolerance of the minorities and moral policing.

    In nutshell, BJP in their years as a ruling party saw Karnataka take a beating in terms of development as well as suffering a setback to the progressive image of such a vibrant state. I do believe the Kannada people deserve better governance. It was a state that created a Silicone Valley for India through its dynamism and energy under various Congress Governments. Non-Resident Indians working with entrepreneurs in India played a vital role in transforming the Karnataka State especially the city of Bangalore into a world class metropolis. US president Barack Obama has mentioned Bangalore in many of his speeches including once when he exhorted American students ‘to toil harder at school, saying their success would determine the country’s leadership in a world where children in Bangalore and Beijing were raring to race ahead’.

    Successive Congress Governments in Karnataka played key roles in making this a reality. It was the Congress governments under Veerappa Moily and S.M. Krishna who have ushered Karnataka into the modern age recognizing the potential of the Information Technology and Biomedical research and laid the foundation for their growth. In addition, the land reform act, major irrigation projects, establishments of several Universities including the University for Medical Studies and the prestigious Law School of India University were all part of those notable achievements. Moreover, four lakh houses were constructed during the last Congress Karnataka Government under “Rajiv Gandhi rural housing program.

    Since 1980 Karnataka leads the nation in GDP and per capita GDP as compared to other states in India and it should also be noted that with the initiatives undertaken during the Congress Government, Karnataka became home of largest biotechnology with 50% of large firms in Bangalore.” Sonia Gandhi in a major address pepping up the Congress cadres in Karnataka said “we all know corruption is a disease, a cancer. Who does it affect the most, it is the poor. No other party has done what UPA has done to fight corruption. We brought RTA (Right to Information Act) because we genuinely want to fight corruption”. She went on to say that the UPA government wanted to pass the Lokpal bill but BJP has indeed obstructed the initiative. There is no doubt that corruption is endemic and it is a national problem that transcends all boundaries. However, it is clear to those keen political observers who take an objective look at the issue that UPA Government has done a whole lot more to fight corruption than any one other party.

    Anyone who is directly accused of corruption has either resigned from the Government, or sent to jail or under active investigation and facing possible trial. The RTI itself has become the catalyst in unearthing numerous cases of corruption and has become a very effective tool in the hands of the civil society. In addition, the UPA Government has introduced a number of bills in the Parliament to combat corruption in public places that include The Public Procurement Bill, 2012, Grievances Redresser Bill, Foreign Bribery Bill, Judicial Accountability Bill as well as the Whistle Blowers Protection Bill. What happened to Karnataka under the stewardship of Yeddyurappa is out there for the record. He is accused of massive corruption, with 15 cases including him and his family members and was subsequently jailed. This is the first Chief Minister who has been jailed because of corruption.

    It has been reported in the media that “All restraint appears to have been thrown to the winds during the reign of Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa when the Reddy brothers, ministers in his Bharatiya Janata Party government who had allegedly bankrolled the party’s campaign, were given free rein and the illegal mining spilled into adjoining Andhra Pradesh” A former BJP leader and a junior central minister Mr. V. Dhananjaya Kumar has even alleged that one of the national leaders of BJP was on the take from the Yeddyurappa Government in this web of corruption and the misguided governance. BJP also tried to turn Karnataka into a mini Gujarat with fanning of the flame of communalism across the state.

    There were cases of people getting killed, worship places of minorities attacked and their leaders jailed for exercising their right to religious freedom under the Constitution. Once again the objective of the BJP Government was to divide the people along caste and religious lines. Sonia Gandhi while visiting the Mangalore city said, “We have to see the forces of communalism are defeated… We must stand up and fight these forces. We must fight communalism regardless of where it originates from”. The UPA Government under the capable leadership of Dr. Manmohan Singh has shown the way for economic growth and prosperity for all its citizens by leading India as an important player in the global arena while keeping the integrity of the nation and providing inclusive growth opportunity to everyone. The Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Act alone has given much needed relief for the so many unskilled laborers across the country.

    The reforms in the economic arena including granting of FDI to multinationals are not only to benefit the consumer but are also expected to bring technology and jobs along with. Undoubtedly, the NRIs in United States especially from the proud state of Karnataka with a long history and tradition would like to see their State continue to be a beacon of hope for freedom, liberty and Justice for all. The cosmopolitan city of Bangalore that has become a magnet for those with a vision, dynamism and energy has to be sustained and to be protected.

    The NRIs indeed have a stake in the outcome of this very important election. Therefore, the time is ripe for the people of Karnataka to speak out on the Election Day with their ballots. They can reclaim their state by electing clean candidates who are committed to good governance. I am certain that people of Karnataka will deliver their answer on May 5th. (The author is the President of the Indian National Overseas Congress (I) which is the recognized entity in USA by the All India Congress Committee and has various chapters that include a Karnataka Chapter headed by Dr. Dayan Naik)

  • Sarabjit Singh Returns In A Coffin

    Sarabjit Singh Returns In A Coffin

    NEW DELHI (TIP): The body of Sarabjit Singh was brought back on May 2 evening in a special aircraft sent by India. Two Indian diplomats accompanied the body, which was received at Amritsar airport by Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur and Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal. Following an autopsy in Amritsar, Sarabjit will be cremated in his village Bhikhiwind on Friday with full state honours extended by the Punjab government. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called Sarabjit a “brave son of India” and said it was “particularly regrettable” that Pakistan did not heed pleas to take a humanitarian view of his case. Sarabjit, who was assaulted in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail by fellow inmates on April 26, died at 1.30 am India time on May 2 after a “cardiac arrest”, according to doctors at Lahore’s Jinnah Hospital.

    The death row prisoner was reported to be in a “nonreversible coma” and close to “brain death” on Wednesday. Punjab announced financial assistance of Rs 1 crore for the family, and declared state mourning for three days. The state government has already announced government jobs for Sarabjit’s daughters Swapandeep Kaur and Poonam. A devastated Dalbir Kaur, sister of Sarabjit, called for her brother to be declared a martyr, and asked all political parties to unite for a strong collective response to Pakistan. The Prime Minister said that the criminals responsible for “the barbaric and murderous attack must be brought to justice”. The Indian government demanded that Pakistan conduct a “thorough probe” and ensure punishment for those responsible. “This was simply the killing of an Indian citizen while in the custody of Pakistani authorities,” Syed Akbaruddin, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, said in a statement. “The attack highlights the need for concerted action by Pakistan to safeguard Indian prisoners in Pakistan.” Parliament observed two minutes of silence in memory of Sarabjit.

    Both Houses adopted a resolution expressing Parliament’s “deep sense of shock and sorrow”, and condemning the “inhuman treatment” meted out to Sarabjit. The resolution hoped that the culprits would be brought to book. BJP president Rajnath Singh condemned the “cold blooded murder” and demanded that India call back its high commissioner in Pakistan and scale down diplomatic relations. Asked if normal ties with Pakistan were possible in the wake of Sarabjit’s death, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said, “I think it is a big question that in coming days we will have to examine and see how do we work.” Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi visited the distraught family of Sarabjit at the residence of Rajkumar Verka, vice-chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes. Rahul hugged Dalbir as she wept, and offered his condolences.

    In Lahore, police added murder charges to the FIR registered against two death row prisoners, Amer Aftab alias Amer Tambewala and Mudassar, who had been booked earlier for the attack on 49-year-old Sarabjit. Najam Sethi, the caretaker chief minister of Pakistan’s Punjab province, assured Indian High Commissioner Sharat Sabharwal that Sarabjit’s murderers would be brought to justice. The Indian envoy met Sethi on a scheduled visit to Lahore. Sethi also ordered a judicial enquiry and directed officials to ensure that the probe was completed in 15 days. The inquiry will be conducted by a high court judge, state-run Radio Pakistan reported. Sarabjit’s body was handed over to the Indian High Commission after an autopsy at Jinnah Hospital.

  • US based Kannadiga group appeals for restoring credibility in Karnataka

    US based Kannadiga group appeals for restoring credibility in Karnataka

    NEW YORK (TIP): The Karnataka Chapter of the Indian National Overseas Congress (INOC) USA has appealed to Non-Resident Kannadigas worldwide to help elect a corrupt-free and performance-oriented government in the ensuing state-level Vidhan Sabha elections in Karnataka Karnataka State and Bangalore in particular were on the forefront of rapid economic and technological growth and a major contributor to help build India’s GDP. All these were nullified during the last five years that brought a shame to Karnataka and Kannadigas worldwide with daily dose of corruptions and scams,” said Dr. Dayan Anand Naik, president of the Karnataka chapter of INOC. “We want to see Karnataka back on the path of progress as its image has gone down globally due to corruption and failures in all fronts in the last five years. Karnataka was world’s IT capital and knowledge capital.

    Congress Party had its share in building this unique brand and model of prosperous Karnataka. There are 60 million Kannadigas both in India and abroad, he said. Since 1980 Karnataka lead the nation in GDP and per capita GDP as compared to other states in India. During the Congress regimes of Chief Ministers Veerappa Moily and S M Krishna, Karnataka became home of largest biotechnology with 50 percent of large firms located in Bangalore, he said addressing the media in New York.

    The Congress government planned and executed one of the largest airports in India in Bangalore that became a boon to non-resident Indians. His “Munnade Karnataka” (Aghe Chalo Karnataka) campaign theme is a clarion call to throw out the corrupt leaders like B.S. Yeddyurappa and the BJP government and bring back the Congress whose manifesto is on development and good governance. Yeddyurappa the former Chief Minister faced in Court, fifteen cases of corruption and He was jailed.

    He was perhaps the first Chief Minister jailed because of corruption,” he said. Dr. Naik will be leading a delegation of Non-Resident Indians from the US to campaign for the Congress Party in the Karnataka Vidhan Sabha elections. “We will campaign for as many candidates as possible and tell the voters that the whole world especially the United States is awaiting their choice to bring back the state to glory that slipped in the BJP regime,” he said. Dr. Dayan Naik, an acclaimed cardiologist by profession, is the new Karnataka INOC Chapter President and also a leading community activist. He was born and educated in Karnataka and speaks with passion and power.

    He is recipient of several prestigious awards and accolades in USA. As President of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) the largest Indian-American professional association in the United States with 60,000 Indian physicians and 20,000 medical students and researchers as members, he initiated several community outreach programs to help the patients and improve the quality of treatment. He was responsible for inviting UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi to the AAPI annual Convention in Washington D.C. where she addressed over 5,000 Indian doctor physicians when she visited USA in 2001. Dr. Naik was born in Neethigere village near Thanda in Channagiri taluk of Karnataka and did his MBBS from Karnataka Medical College Hubli.

    He moved to the US in 1970 and rose to become the Clinical Associate Professor of Cardiology New York Medical College. He held various prestigious posts such as Fellow of American College of Cardiology; President of American Association of Indian Cardiologists; Board of Trustee of Xavier University Medical School Aruba and Board Trustee of AAPI. He raised funds for support 26 free medical clinics in India to serve the poor and needy and sent four plane loads of medical equipment, food, clothes and medicine for earthquake victims of Bhuj in Gujarat; initiated AIDS awareness program in India and conducted several free medical camps for poor and the needy in New York and New Jersey areas

  • Parties reach consensus on Land Bill

    Parties reach consensus on Land Bill

    NEW DELHI (TIP): The government on April 17 achieved “broad consensus” on the long-pending Land Acquisition Bill, paving the way for the contentious legislation to be taken up for consideration and passage in the Budget Session that resumes on Monday. “We have reached a broad consensus on the Land Acquisition Bill,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj said after the allparty meeting. The Bill proposes to replace the archaic Land Acquisition Act, 1894. The government agreed to a key demand of the BJP, which suggested that instead of acquisition, land could be leased to developers so that its ownership remains with farmers and also provides them with regular income. Sushma said the land mafia had bought huge tracts of land from farmers in the hope for four times compensation from the government. “I gave 12 suggestions and the government agreed to almost all of them.We have told the government that when you acquire land, you should give 50 per cent of the compensation to the original farmer and the government has agreed to that,” she said. Sources said the government would amend the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2011, to provide the enabling provision for states to enact laws in this regard as leasing of land was a state subject.

    However, Left parties and DMK still have reservations on certain issues. The CPM is demanding consent of all families affected by land acquisition, whereas the Bill currently provides for agreement from at least 80 per cent affected persons. CPM leader Basudeb Acharia said the original Bill had been diluted and the current version was against the interest of farmers. “We will move amendments when the Bill is taken up in Parliament,” he said. DMK leader TR Baalu claimed that the Bill was against the Constitution’s federal structure.

    He has been asked to give suggestions on the issues by tomorrow. The forward movement on the Bill is a big relief for Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh. The first all-party meet on the Bill on April 9 had failed to iron out differences between the government and the BJP, SP and the Left Front. Ever since, Ramesh had been reaching out to leaders of various political parties to work out points of disagreement. Over the past one week, he met BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and CPM’s Sitaram Yechury for their support to the Bill. “The atmosphere was positive. If Parliament functions, we will be able to get this Bill through,” he said today.

    The Land Acquisition Bill has emerged as one of UPA’s flagship projects and is followed keenly by chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. Congress strategists believe that land reforms can do for the UPA II what the job guarantee scheme and loan waiver had for the UPA I. It was Sonia who had vetoed the clause that said consent of 67% landowners would suffice for the government to acquire land.

    The draft legislation provides compensation for owners of acquired land to be four times the market value in rural areas and twice the market value in urban areas. In case of land acquisition for use by private companies or public-private partnerships, consent of 80 per cent displaced people will be required. Considering its far-reaching implications, the Bill has been through various procedural stages. Introduced in Parliament in September 2011, it was subsequently referred to a Parliamentary Standing Committee, which submitted its recommendations in May 2012. Ministries related to infrastructure and commerce insisted on changes to provisions that were perceived as hurdles to investment and industry. The industry felt that terms of compensation and rehabilitation provided by Bill would be detrimental to it.

    THE BREAKTHROUGH

    -The government agreed to a key BJP demand that instead of acquisition, land could be leased to developers

  • Terror Strikes Bangalore; 16 Injured

    Terror Strikes Bangalore; 16 Injured

    BANGALORE (TIP): At least 16 persons, including 11 policemen, were injured in a bomb blast near the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s state office in the Malleswaram area of the city on April 17. The blast later triggered a mudslinging fest among politicians in the poll-bound Karnataka.

    Police personnel bore the brunt of the blast triggered by an IED mounted on a two-wheeler. Five civilians, including three women and two teenagers, were among the injured. Fire tenders rushed to the scene to douse the fire and the police combed the area with sniffer dogs. National Investigation Agency (NIA) officials and forensic teams were also present at the scene to look for clues. The explosion comes on the anniversary of a series of blasts outside the Chinnaswamy Cricket Stadium in 2010 that forced the shifting of IPL matches from Bangalore to Mumbai. Describing the blast as a “clear act of terror”, Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister R Ashok said it was targeted at the party workers and its leaders. “It is a clear act of terror… It is targeted at the BJP, our senior leaders and workers,” Ashoka said. “State and central-level leaders keep coming to the party office for meetings in connection with the Assembly elections.

    The bomb was meant for them,” he said. Ashok said the date of the blast coincided with the Chinnaswamy Stadium blasts three years ago. The police would study this angle too during its investigations, he added. Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Siddaramaiah said the blast could be the handiwork of the BJP to attract the sympathy of voters. This charge was furiously refuted by Bangalore (South) MP and former union minister Anantha Kumar and other BJP functionaries. “A bomb-like material on a motorbike exploded around 10.30 am, injuring 16 persons, including 11 policemen, near the BJP office at Malleswaram,” state DGP Lalrokhuma Pachau said. “The injuries are not serious.

    The injured are being treated in a nearby government hospital,” Pachau added. “We do not know the type of material or bomb used in the blast. It is under investigation. The NIA and forensic experts are examining the charred vehicles,” he said. The motorcycle suspected to have been used in the blast bore a Tamil Nadu registration number and was parked between two cars. The explosion ripped through the twowheeler and charred both cars. The explosion also shattered the windowpanes of houses in the vicinity. BJP spokesperson Prakash, who was at the party office when the bomb went off, said they heard a loud noise. No senior leader of the BJP was in the office at the time of the blast, he added. The BJP used the incident to target the Election Commission of India, which had transferred senior police officers, including the police commissioner, of the city recently

  • Mayawati Woos Upper Castes Ahead Of Ls Polls

    Mayawati Woos Upper Castes Ahead Of Ls Polls

    LUCKNOW (TIP): With an eye on upper caste vote bank, BSP chief Mayawati announced names of 36 candidates for Lok Sabha polls, 18 of whom are Brahmins. Seeking to exploit the upper caste card to the hilt, she alleged atrocities were being committed on such people during the Samajwadi Party rule in Uttar Pradesh. “Just as Dalits are facing onslaughts, atrocities are being committed on Brahmins too under the Samajwadi Party government,” Mayawati told reporters on the sidelines of Brahmin Bhaichara Samiti office bearers’ meeting here.

    Citing the instance of humiliation to a Brahmin family in Etawah, she said most of those in the echelons of power in the SP government came from that district and it was a wellknown fact that people belonging to ‘sarv samaj’ (the entire society) are harassed there. “But Brahmins bear the maximum brunt of atrocities in Etawah…when the incident (of humiliation) took place, BSP raised the matter in the Assembly.

    Besides, its local unit tried to take up the issue and help them get justice,” she said. Mayawati regretted that during the last Assembly polls, the upper castes and Brahmins got influenced by non- BSP parties and did not vote for her party, “for which they are now repenting“. “For ensuring that they do not get further misled by the false propaganda of those parties, a detailed programme has been worked out by BSP to apprise them of various works done by my government in their interest. Besides, they would be apprised of atrocities on Brahmins under the SP rule,” she said. On why upper castes had got disenchanted with BSP in the last Assembly polls, she said, “Though our vote percentage rose, we lost seats due to our opponents’ (Congress and BJP) conspiracy, but we have learnt a lesson and would not allow them to succeed this time,” she said.

  • BJP slams JPC draft report

    BJP slams JPC draft report

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Slamming the leakage of the draft JPC report on 2G scam as a “gross breach of Parliamentary propriety”, BJP on April 18 said its contents appeared like Congress documents where attempts have been made to save its leaders including the Prime Minister. “The media showed the JPC draft report on 2G scam extensively.

    This is a gross breach of Parliamentary propriety where any report draft is debated, discussed, amendments are moved in the formal meeting and thereafter views are taken,” BJP spokesperson Ravishankar Prasad told reporters. “The draft report looks like a Congress document and not a JPC report in which there is an overpowering desire to save its leaders including the Prime Minister and the finance minister in the 2G scam and yet to objectively consider the wider ramification of this massive scam which shamed the country,” he said. Prasad said he was yet to go through the report as it was given to the members on Friday only. “This is a matter of grief and surprise that violating the tradition of discussing the draft report in the meeting in which amendments would be moved, even before a discussion could take place, this has come out in the media.

    This is highly unfortunate and we condemn it,” the BJP leader said. He said that whatever has come out in media on the contents of the JPC report, “We have strong objections over it and we shall convey our serious objection, firmly and forcefully in the formal JPC meeting which is scheduled for April 25.” However, the chairman of the JPC, PC Chacko rubbished opposition’s charges. Denying allegations of favouring the ruling party, Chacko said he did not work on the committee as a Congressman.

    Meanwhile, telecom minister Kapil Sibal warned against jumping to conlusions based on what had appeared in the media as the content of the draft report. He said it is time to learn from mistakes in the past so that they are not repeated in the future. The JPC has given a clean chit to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 2G spectrum allocation, saying he was “misled” by the then telecom minister A Raja whose assurances stood “belied”. The draft report of the JPC also rubbishes the loss figure of Rs 1.76 lakh crore estimated by CAG, saying it was “ill-conceived”.

  • Terror in Bangalore Learn from Boston

    Terror in Bangalore Learn from Boston

    April 17 blast in Bangalore and the Boston terror attack, which happened a day before, offer interesting parallels. While it was the first terror strike after 9/11 in the US, in India terrorism remains a persistent challenge. In the US there was no political blame game.

    President Barack Obama reacted cautiously: “We still do not know who did this and why, and people should not jump to conclusions before we have all the facts”. In India politicians often fail to exercise similar restraint. A Congress leader lost no time in tweeting about electoral gains accruing to the BJP following the blast. Karnataka assembly elections are scheduled for May 5. The BJP did not let go the silly comment but hit back at the rival contender for power even as the Congress tried to undo the damage.

    Without waiting for a clearer picture to emerge, the Karnataka Home Minister claimed the BJP leaders were the targets since the attack happened close to the party office. Why blame the state leader when the Union Home Ministry itself speculated that the incident could be the handiwork of the Indian Mujahideen. The media itself does not wait for the truth to come out and flashes whoever has anything to say, logical or illogical, in a game of one-upmanship. Be it a terror attack or a disaster like an earthquake, our response often tends to be inadequate or inappropriate.

    More than ordinary people, politicians, policemen and official spokesmen need to be told how to act in a responsible manner in a difficult situation and not to create panic or spread misinformation. Leaders should vow to depoliticize terror and show exemplary behavior during an hour of crisis. Media briefing must be done by an authorized expert. The immediate priority has to be the care of victims and TV talk shows can wait until facts are known. An insensitive handling of an act of terrorism can have serious consequences. The NSG (National Security Guard) and the NIC (National Information Centre) need to be strengthened so that issues like intelligence failure and lack of coordination are taken care of.