The Indian Panorama

Tag: Indian Politics

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  • Narendra Modi’s Supporters Rally To Offer Him Us Platform

    Narendra Modi’s Supporters Rally To Offer Him Us Platform

    WASHINGTON: Supporters of Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi are rallying to provide him a platform to address overseas constituents after a small group of liberal and leftist activists in the US nixed what would have been only a virtual engagement between him and students of the Wharton business school at an annual forum. Modi will address US audiences in Edison, New Jersey and Chicago “live from Karnavati” (the Hindu-ised name for Ahmedabad) on March 9, the Overseas Friends of BJP said on Tuesday. The move comes days after a group led by three Indian-American academics from the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) campaigned successfully to scupper an invitation to Modi from Wharton business school alumni, who are hosting the Wharton- India Business Forum (WIEF) on March 22-23. Meantime, rescinding of the invitation to Modi speak at the Wharton forum has been criticized in several quarters.

    Some saw it as an insult to India itself, while others felt that Modi, who would have been speaking over a satellite link given the ban on his physical entry into the US, after revocation of his US visa by the Bush administration, should have been heard and grilled about his record. The Obama administration has not reversed the visa decision.

    While Union Minister Shashi Tharoor was among those in India who felt Modi should have been heard and challenged at the Wharton forum, similar sentiments were expressed by people from different quarters and varied interests in the US. Eni Faleomavega, a lawmaker who argued in Congress last week that the US should resume dialogue with a person who could be a future prime minister of India, said Wharton has erred in shutting out Modi. “Universities are a place for divergent views. For Wharton to suppress the views of some at the expense of others simply is not right,” he said in a statement. “It is disappointing that Wharton rescinded its invite in response to a protest from a segment of professors and students who are reaching beyond the law and coming awfully close to violating the rights of others who have a different view,” he added. Two other invitees to this year’s Wharton Forum also criticized the student body decision, which some have suggested was influenced by UPenn administration and faculty and others have said goes against the free speech principles of the university’s founder Benjamin Franklin, one of America’s Founding Fathers. “If Wharton students have traditionally decided upon speakers for the 17-year-old conference, then why should faculty — from outside the business school at that — suddenly demand a say?” Sadanand Dhume, a Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, asked in a Wall Street Journal blog.

    Disclosing his decision to pull out of this year’s speakers’ panel following the Modi flap, Dhume wondered how seriously could one could take a conference on India’s economy if it “doesn’t have space for the leader of arguably India’s best performing state, one whose achievements are routinely noted in the international press.” However, those who campaigned to shut out Modi maintained that his claims are bogus and allowing him to address the conference “would help contribute to his efforts to sanitize his government’s record.” But Ron Somers, who as president of the US-India Business Council (USIBC) has been a votary of strong business ties with the state, and who attended the Vibrant Gujarat summit this year, termed the UPenn/Wharton decision “unfortunate and disrespectful,” and felt the institution came out poorly on the issue of free speech. “The Wharton Forum would have given the students a chance to ask the Gujarat chief minister hard questions,” he told PTI, pointing out that Modi had agreed to a “no ground rules” questioning, and it was condescending on part of the faculty and administration to assume that the students would have given the chief minister a free pass.

    Even the ethnic Indian-American media in US panned the UPenn/Wharton decision. “We wonder why these three astute advocates of democracy and their supporters feel so intellectually unequipped to engage Modi, who recently was reelected in a landslide, in an open public debate on these questions at a forum on their own territory,” the magazine Little India said in an editorial, referring to the academics who led the campaign against Modi. “The censorship of Modi by Wharton is borne of the same loom of intolerance his opponents inveigh against.” Modi’s natural constituency of selfdescribed Hindu-Americans also piled on to Wharton. “Political gamesmanship won over business savvy, and the losers are not just the students, but free speech, democratic ideals, and the leaders of Wharton and Penn,” Aseem Shukla, an associate professor of surgery at UPenn, who is also the a co-founder of the Hindu American Foundation (HAF).

  • Narendra Modi is an Icon of Resurgent India

    Narendra Modi is an Icon of Resurgent India

    After playing a hat trick in Gujarat elections,Narendra Modi’s stock has considerably gone upand he has emerged as the most dominant,dynamic and charismatic national leader. His election asChief Minister of Gujarat has also exposed the diabolicaldesigns of deadly combination of Leftist-Islamicfundamentalist axis, anti-Hindu and anti-national forces;and has emboldened patriotic forces all over India.

    Theentire national political landscape has been completelytransformed. He is held in high esteem all over India.This election has proved beyond any shadow of doubt thatSonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are no match forNarendra Modi, the Man with Capital “M”.

    Narendra Modi is considered an icon of resurgentIndia. He is an epitome of vigor and vitality. He hascreated confidence and respectability in the mind of anaverage Indian about his glorious past which had beendescribed as dirty word in the lexicon of pseudosecularists.The idiosyncratic projection of Hindus as an enemy ofthe nation from within as made explicit by his ‘Hinduterror’ remark recently by no less a person than SushilKumar Shinde in his official capacity as the country’sHome Minister, has terribly offended the sensibilities of850 million Hindus and further popularized NarendraModi as the next nationalist Prime Minister of India.

    There have been several Hindu Muslim riots in UP,Maharashtra and West Bengal, but there has not been anyHindu Muslim riot or even a terrorist attack in Gujaratduring his tenure. This is a positive reflection on hiscapability to contain terrorism.That is the reason senior BJP leaders like YeshwantSinha, Ram Jethmalani, Mahesh Jethmalani, ShatrughanSinha, VHP Chief Ashok Singhal and several RSSleaders are openly supporting him to be the next PMcandidate.

    Narain KatariaPresident,
    Indian American Intellectuals Forum

  • Modi ‘A State Leader’ For Congress

    Modi ‘A State Leader’ For Congress

    RSS drops hints of backing him

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Despite a section ofthe BJP seeing him as the PM candidate,the Congress has sought to project Gujaratchief minister Narendra Modi as a stateleader and dismissed suggestion that hehad hijacked Rahul Gandhi’s agenda ofconnecting with youth. It also steered clearof questions whether the next Lok Sabhapolls will be a Rahul Gandhi vs NarendraModi tussle.”Whom to project as the PM candidate isthe internal matter of the BJP and sinceModi is Gujarat chief minister, the GujaratPCC will appropriately respond to whateverhe has said,” was the response of partyspokesman Rashid Alvi to reporters onFebruary 7.

    He said that the Congress would like tosee Rahul, who is its leader, to become thenext Prime Minister.But, Alvi insisted that the party does notname its PM candidate before elections andthe leader is chosen by the high commandalong with the newly elected members ofParliament.The Congress spokesman dismissedsuggestions that Modi through his speechin New Delhi on Wednesday had hijackedRahul Gandhi’s agenda of connecting withyouth. However, in an oblique hint RSSchief Mohan Bhagwat on Thursdayappeared to back Narendra Modi as BJP’sprime ministerial candidate but said theparty will be responsible for theconsequences of its decision.

    Speaking at the VHP ‘dharma sansad’, agathering of religious leaders, he referred to the clamour for Modi as PM candidateat the meet and also elsewhere.Without referring to the Gujarat chiefminister by name, Bhagwat said, “Peopleknow what is in your heart. The wholecountry is echoing with the same voice.”And that is why we should not interferein what should be done. They (BJP) willhave to take a decision on what is to bedone….. Whatever we may say, those whoshould do it, it is their right.

    We shouldallow them to do it. If what they do comesout wrong, then we should let them eat thefruits as well.”Bhagwat was speaking after some santsspoke out in favour of BJP announcingModi as its prime ministerial candidate inthe last elections.At the same time, BJP chief RajnathSingh, in Chennai, parried questions on theissue, maintaining that the BJPParliamentary Board will decide the issueat an appropriate time.Earlier, when asked by reporters what hethought of Modi, Bhagwat said, “He is myfriend”.A section of BJP leaders have demandedthat Modi be declared as the party’s PrimeMinisterial candidate.

    VHP leader GirirajKishore also joined the Modi-for PM chorussaying like Gujarat the whole country canbenefit from his leadership as there hasbeen tremendous development in the stateunder his rule.The meeting on Thursday saw somepeople in the audience raising slogans insupport of Modi as religious leaders gavetheir speeches. Bhagwat and VHP leadersAshok Singhal and Parveen Togadia tried topacify them with the RSS chief saying thatthe Sangh Parivar was “well aware of thepeople’s wishes”.

    Togadia and Singhal requested that the’dharma sansad’ be allowed to remainfocused on its agenda.Raising the Ayodhya issue in his address,Bhagwat said that the RSS was fullycommitted to construction of Ram Templeat Ramjanmbhoomi.”It is the obligation of Parliament toremove hurdles in the way of constructionof Ram temple. Either Parliament shouldhonour the wishes of the people or thepeople should elect a Parliament that issensitive to the issue,” the RSS chief said.

  • Kejriwal’s Party To Launch Its Own News Channel

    Kejriwal’s Party To Launch Its Own News Channel

    Channel will fight for the rights of common man
    NEW DELHI (TIP): Social activist Arvind Kejriwal’sAam Aadmi Party (AAP) has announced its decision tolaunch its own news channel to focus on common issuesand propagate the party ideology.A decision to this effect was taken by the fledglingparty’s executive.To start with, the party will use the YouTubeplatform to upload three hour-hour news capsules. Afull-fledged channel would go on the air by the end ofthis year to coincide with state assembly elections inDelhi, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.The Aam Aadmi Party launched in October last yearis expected to make its electoral debut in these stateelections before contesting the next year’s generalelections.

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    Former television journalist Shazia Ilmi, who isclosely associated with AAP, would head the channel.According to Manoj Sisodia, a close confidante ofKejriwal, the channel would focus on news concerningthe common man and provide them a platform to fightfor their rights. The channel would in all probability benamed after the party.Political parties, particularly down south are knownto run news channels. Tamil Nadu chief minister JJayalalithaa’s All India Anna Dravida MunnetraKazhagam (AIADMK) runs Jaya TV, Kalaignar TV isassociated with her arch-rival M. Karunanidhi’sDravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).

    In neighbouringKerala, the Congress party runs Jaihind channel whilethe Left Front runs Kairali TV.The need to launch its own television channel wasfelt after Kejriwal, who broke away with anticorruptioncrusader Anna Hazare to enter into politics,felt several news channels had started avoidingfollowing deformation suit filed on behalf ofindustrialist and richest Indian Mukesh Ambani afterthey telecast in November live a press conference ofKejriwal in which he accused Ambani-owned RelianceIndustries Limited of being involved in several corruptpractices, particularly in the fields of petroleum andnatural gas.

    Kejriwal recently reacted by daring Ambani to takehim to court since he addressed the press conferenceand termed the deformation notice as attempt tobrowbeat privately-owned news channels.It is not yet clear if the information and broadcastingministry, which had laid down guidelines to denypolitical parties access to television channels, wouldissue the necessary clearance for launch of theproposed channel.

  • Saints To Hold Meeting To Back Narendra Modi’s Pm Candidature

    Saints To Hold Meeting To Back Narendra Modi’s Pm Candidature

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Narendra Damodarbhai Modi isundoubtedly the most preferred face for the PrimeMinisterial post as per the BJP workers are concernedbut there are several other sections of the society thathave joined the “Modi for PM” chorus.In order to mobilise support for projecting Modi asthe next Prime Ministerial candidate, the saintsassociated with Vishwa Hindu Parishad have conveneda meeting on February 7 in Allahabad.Notably, the newly elected BJP president RajnathSingh is also expected to meet these saints at MahaKumbh on February 6.

    Hindu saints and relatedorganisations have been discussing Modi’s candidaturefor PM since last two years.These saints have gathered here on the auspiciousoccasion of ‘Maha Kumbh’. The saints are of the viewthat Hindu religion and culture can be protected onlyunder the leadership of Narendra Modi.A major section of Hindu saints have in fact askedRSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to back Modi as BJP’s Primeministerial candidate.Meanwhile, a major section of BJP, including seniorleaders like Yashwant Sinha and Ram Jethmalani arecontinuously lobbying for Narendra Modi’s candidaturefor Prime Ministerial post.

  • 2012-The Year That Was

    2012-The Year That Was

    THE RISE OF ARVIND KEJRIWAL
    Activist-turned-politician Arvind Kejriwal launchedhis party ‘Aam Aadmi Party’ this December. AAP’sdeclared manifesto to provide – for the first time in 65years of independence – a totally graft-free government.Crucially, none of the party’s agenda spells out howreforms, essential to a middle class seeking jobs andgrowth, can be harnessed for the best possible socioeconomicdevelopment.

    ANNA HAZARE-ARVIND KEJRIWAL PARTWAYS; AAP LAUNCHED
    While Gandhian Anna Hazare captured theimagination of the nation in 2011 by taking on thegovernment over the Jan Lokpal Bill issue bill,Team Anna hogged the limelight in 2012 due to itsbreakup. Anna and his key members, ArvindKejriwal, Kiran Bedi, Prashant Bhushan and otherscame back one last time in August this year toprotest at Jantar Mantar. However, the responseboth by the general public and the government wastepid.Subsequently, Team Anna promised to provide a’political alternative’ to the nation but soon after thisthe veteran social activist announced that his teamwas being disbanded. Whereas Anna was of theopinion that they should remain outside the systemto fight the system, ex-IRS officer Kejriwal felt that tochange the system one had to embark on the politicalcourse. With diametrically opposite views, a split wasinevitable.Finally on November 26, Arvind Kejriwal and his teamformed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the presence ofthousands of supporters. Kejriwal was appointed thenational convener, Pankaj Gupta the national secretaryand Krishna Kanth the national treasurer.

    CABINET RESHUFFLE
    Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s “last reshuffle” ofhis ministerial team on October 28, before the 2014general elections, carried the first unmistakable stamp ofRahul Gandhi’s ascendancy in the Congress party. Thechanges appeared to mark the beginning of anothergenerational shift in the 127-year-old party. The reshuffleis also an effort to put the party in battle mode for the2014 polls.

    COALGATE
    At Rs 1.86 lakh crore, the coal mining scam is beingbilled as the ‘mother of all scams’. The scandalconcerning the government’s allocation of the nation’scoal deposits to public sector entities (PSEs) and privatecompanies led to repeated disruptions in Parliament withthe opposition even gunning for Prime MinisterManmohan Singh’s resignation. Meanwhile, the UPA’smanagers have hit out at the CAG and rebutted hischarges.

    PRANAB MUKHERJEE DONSPRESIDENT’S HAT
    The ‘Chanakya’ of Indian politics, Pranab Mukherjee,took over as the 13th President of India on July 25, 2012.Mukherjee wasn’t in the race initially to succeed PratibhaPatil at Raisina Hill. However, on June 15 this year his namewas announced as UPA’s Presidential candidate. VicePresident Hamid Ansari was among the other candidatesthe Congress mulled. However, the coming together of thetwo ‘M’s Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mamata Banerjee andtheir decision to name Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,former president APJ Abdul Kalam and former Lok Sabhaspeaker Somnath Chhatterjee as their Presidential choicesupset Congress’ plan. Mulayam Singh later broke ranks withMamata Banerjee and decided to go with the UPA candidateamid voices growing in favour of Pranab Mukherjee. TheBSP and several other parties also lent their support toPranabda, including JD(U) and Shiv Sena of the oppositionNational Democratic Alliance. Later, Mamata swallowed hersense of humiliation and decided to back the UPA candidatelater. Later in the year, the Supreme Court dismissed thepetition of PA Sangma, the Presidential candidate of theNDA, who had challenged Pranab’s election as presidentclaiming the former finance minister held an office of profit(chairman of the Indian statistical institute) on the day hefiled the nomination papers for the Presidential Elections.Mukherjee had rejected the allegations.

    BHARTIYA JANATA PARTY’S CUP OFWOES
    While the Congress-led UPA government at the Centrewas bogged down by issues of price rise, inflation andcoalgate, the main Opposition, the BJP had its owntroubles to deal with. The party saw its nationalpresident Nitin Gadkari embroiled in a major scandalwhich has almost rendered his second term as the party’schief untenable. After dubious funding was suspected inGadkari’s Purti Power and Sugar Ltd, the governmentdecided to probe the allegations.Gadkari faced more trouble after its Rajya Sabha MPRam Jethmalani took everyone by surprise by demandinghis resignation over the slew of allegations of corruptionagainst him. This after the maverick lawyer had openlypitched for Narendra Modi as BJP’s prime ministerialcandidate. BJP’s parliamentary board subsequentlysuspended Jethmalani from party’s primary membershipbut not before the damage was done.The BJP found its southern bastion breached afterformer chief minister BS Yeddyurappa launched theKarnataka Janata Party (KJP).

    TROUBLESOME YEAR FOR UPAGOVERNMENT
    The year 2012 would be remembered as one of the mostdifficult years for the Congress-led UPA government (in fact,the entire tenure of the UPA-2 has been mired incontroversies over corruption scams, policy paralysis etc).After keeping it in cold storage for long, the UPAgovernment re-launched a bid to bring in 51% foreign directinvestment (FDI) in multi-brand retail, amid accusations ofpolicy paralysis in the government. Though the governmentthis time modified the policy and allowed the states to taketheir decision on allowing FDI in multi-brand retail,Mamata Banerjee quit anyway. She has been one of the mostvocal voices against FDI in retail, saying the decision willhurt farmers and small retailers. The decision also led tomajor uproar in Parliament’s Winter Session and had to beput to vote. The UPA triumphed in both the Houses, thanksto direct and indirect support from the BSP and SP.However, the two allies who support the UPA from outsidegot involved in a fierce battle in the Rajya Sabha over theQuota in Promotions Bill. While BSP chief Mayawati forcedthe government to table the Bill in the Upper House, the SPwarned it would not let the House function if the Bill wastabled.During the year, the tussle between the Comptroller andAuditor General (CAG) of India and the UPA governmentcontinued, mainly over the report on the coal blocksallocation. After pegging the 2G scam presumptive loss at amassive Rs 1.76 lakh crore, the coal blocks allocation scam,which came to be popularly known as Coalgate, waspresumed to have caused a loss of Rs 1.86 lakh crore by theCAG. Since the coal blocks were mainly allotted during theperiod when PM Manmohan Singh held the coal portfolio,he too came under the direct attack of the Opposition. Whilethe government denied any scam and refuted the loss figure,an inter-ministerial panel which reviewed the allocationsdid recommend scrapping of several allotments both toprivate players and PSUs, over various reasons includingfavouritism and delay in execution of projects. PMManmohan Singh also came under attack from theinternational media, after the prestigious TIME magazinedubbed him as an underachiever over the policy paralysisthat was bogging his government. The major pro-economicreforms that the UPA government initiated in the later partof the year were seen as a move to rebut those allegations.In the middle of the year, the northeastern state of Assam,mainly Kokrajhar, witnessed fierce clashes between theethnic Bodos and the immigrant Bengali-speaking Muslims.The clashes started on the issue of land encroachment andled to nearly 100 deaths. Nearly five lakh people weredisplaced in the violence that raged during July-Septemberperiod.While the clashes were quelled following deploymentof the Army and Central paramilitary forces, Novemberalso reported fresh violence and deaths.

  • EC Reprimands Modhwadia for his Remarks Against Narendra Modi

    EC Reprimands Modhwadia for his Remarks Against Narendra Modi

    AHMEDABAD (TIP): The Election Commission of India has reprimanded Gujarat Congress chief Arjun Modhwadia for equating chief minister Narendra Modi with a monkey and a dog. The poll watchdog has also reproached the Congress leader for his comments of the CM’s marital status. Modhwadia had called Modi a monkey who challenges the lion (Prime Minister Manmohan Singh) and also said that Modi is a rabies infected dog. He had also commented about Modi’s married life and challenged him to disclose his marital status publically.The commission in its reprimand notice to Modhwadia noted that prima facie he has violated the provisions of the model code of conduct so the commission has instructed him to be careful in future.

  • Narendra Modi Demands Sonia Gandhi’s Apology

    Narendra Modi Demands Sonia Gandhi’s Apology

    AHMEDABAD (TIP): Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi today said that UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi should apologise for the union government’s failure to control inflation. Addressing different election rallies in the district, Modi attacked Gandhi and the union government over the rising inflation. “Did it (Congress before 2009 general elections) not promise to check inflation in 100 days if it came to power? Did the prices go down after they (UPA II) came to power? When Soniaji came to Rajkot, she did not speak anything about inflation. Is this not cheating?”

    Modi said referring to Gandhi’s recent visit to the state. “Soniaji should apologise for cheating the people of the country on the issue of price rise,” Modi stated. Ridiculing Sonia’s statement that there was no development in Gujarat and that whatever development the state saw was due to the Congress, Modi said that,”while addressing a rally in Ahmedabad, she may even say that this city was established by Ahmed Patel (advisor of Congress President).

    “She has no knowledge of history and that is the reason she is making such statements on development of Gujarat,” Referring to Gandhi’s remarks that chief ministers’ of the Congress-ruled states have decided to give three more LPG cylinders at subsidised rates, Modi said, “I want to give much more… we have laid pipelines in the state to supply LPG to households but the Central government has not allowed us to give connections. I am fighting the case in the Supreme Court for the last two years,”. Modi went on to say that he completed 11 years as chief minister of the state yesterday (Sunday). “Of all the chief ministers that the country has seen in the last 60 years, I have suffered maximum injustice at the hands of the Centre,” he stated.

  • Anna Says He Will Not Vote for Kejriwal’s Party

    Anna Says He Will Not Vote for Kejriwal’s Party

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Anna blames Arvind Kejriwal’s fascination for power for split in anti-graft movement and says his Aam Aadmi Party is also going the same way as others by taking the path of ‘money through power’. Blaming Arvind Kejriwal’s fascination for power for split in anti-graft movement, Anna Hazare on Thursday said he will not vote for the Aam Aadmi Party charging that it is going the same way as others by taking the path of ‘money through power’ and vice versa. Asked whether his former aide has become “greedy” for power, the 75-year-old activist said, “It was right”. “I thought I will (vote for AAP) but now I find it difficult because it is being seen that it is moving towards the path of ‘money through power and power through money’, I will not be anywhere near them,” he said at a session of a two-day programme ‘Agenda’ organised by ‘Aaj Tak’ news channel.

    He was responding to a question whether he will vote for AAP, the party formed by Kejriwal after his split with Hazare on the question of the anticorruption movement taking a political plunge. Hazare had earlier said that he will support the party if it fields honest candidates and that he will campaign for Kejriwal if he fights against union minister Kapil Sibal. Asked whether Kejriwal has become greedy for power and it resulted in the split, Hazare said, “This is right. Earlier I used to think that Arvind is into selfless service. But I don’t understand how this thought of entering politics came into his mind.” He also agreed to a question it was Kejriwal’s political ambition that led to the split. ‘A movement was on for the first time after independence for system change. People were coming out. I thought a good movement has been evolved.

    There was a feeling that this will earn results. But at that time, I don’t understand, how such a thought came into his mind,’ Hazare said. He said there was a need for unity in the fight for system change and against corruption among all including Kejriwal, Swami Ramdev and others. ‘This revolution is not complete. We need to stand united. We all, Ramdev, Arvind, should fight together. Arvind faltered on the way. Ramdev also should severe links with communal organisations,’ he said. On Narendra Modi, he said that there was a lot of corruption in Gujarat and as chief minister, he has not brought Lokayukta Bill in his state. ‘Why is he not bringing the bill? Everyone is into making money using power,’ he said.

  • US Lawmakers use ‘Visa Power’ to Target Narendra Modi

    US Lawmakers use ‘Visa Power’ to Target Narendra Modi

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Concerned that national and international recall of the Gujarat riots and pressure to bring its perpetrators to justice is waning, a group of American lawmakers on Tuesday renewed calls to the Obama administration not to relent on the bipartisan Washington policy of denying the state chief minister Narendra Modi entry to the US. Modi has not announced any plans to visit the US or sought a visa, but the lawmakers, prompted by families of victims of the carnage still seeking justice, fear justice will not be done and the BJP leader is positioning himself to a national role with the easing of international opprobrium over the riots.

    Several foreign missions and industry leaders have reached out to Gujarat for business opportunities, and the state has garnered much praise from the international media, including the Congressional Research Service, the lawmakers’ own information bank, for its rapid development. But some 25 US lawmakers reminded the Obama administration against the serious charges that continue to be levelled against the CM by many victims of the riots and his detractors. “CM Modi and his government’s response to the riots, obstruction of justice, following the (2002) attacks is a severe violation of human rights that the US has long condemned,” Congressman Joe Pitts, who is leading the informal congressional oversight on the matter, said Tuesday at a news conference on Capitol Hill. Congressman Pitts’ interest in the matter is also personal.

    He visited Gujarat in 2002 soon after the riots and says he cannot forget blood stains he saw in the home of a fellow Indian lawmaker, former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri, who was killed in the mob violence. Jafri’s wife Zakia was among the victims’ family who was present at the Capitol Hill event. While human rights advocates launched a campaign against Modi, Pitts later initiated moves that resulted in the Gujarat CM being barred from visiting US. His letter to then-US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice urging action against Modi under the US Immigration and Nationality Act was favourably received by the state department and Modi’s existing visas were revoked. The Obama administration did not change the policy in it first term. The 25 lawmakers sent out a letter to secretary of state Hillary Clinton last week amid signs that even Washington is having second thoughts on its continued ban on Modi.

  • Team Kejriwal is now ‘Aam Aadmi Party’

    Team Kejriwal is now ‘Aam Aadmi Party’

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Identifying themselves with common citizens, anti-corruption activist Arvind Kejriwal and his team on November 24 christened their political party “Aam Aadmi Party” (AAP) and adopted a constitution that focuses on the ideology of decentralised democracy.

    “Youth and women will play important role in the party,” Mr. Kejriwal told supporters after the party name was adopted at a meeting of the newly formed National Council. The name will be adopted at a public meeting on Monday at Jantar Mantar here. The party has already applied for registration with the Election Commission which will allot a symbol to it.

    He said the name India Against Corruption (IAC) would no longer be used by them. Stung by the choice of the name that strikes at the Congress’ core slogan — Congress ka haath aam aadmi ke saath (Congress is with the common man) — Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari said the term aam aadmi had been synonymous with the Indian National Congress since 1885. Nobody could hijack the intrinsic relationship between the Congress and the aam aadmi. Responding to it, AAP member Sanjay Singh said the Congress had never been with the aam aadmi.

    “It has been with the likes of Robert Vadra, Ambanis, A. Raja and Kalmadi.” The name, Aam Aadmi Party, was proposed by Mr. Kejriwal himself and adopted unanimously at the council meeting attended by 300 members. The constitution of the party was also adopted. The council elected a 23- member National Executive which has eight vacancies and can co-opt five more members. Among the National Executive members are Kejriwal, Prashant Bhushan, Anand Kumar, Yogendra Yadav, Christina Samy, Shazia Ilmi, Illiyas Azmi, Habung Peyand, Prem Singh Pahadi, Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, Gopal Rai and Mayank Gandhi. Questions were raised about lack of representation from the South, to which Mr. Kejriwal said they were looking for the right people. He admitted that the number of women too was lower than what they had hoped for.

    Asked if the AAP would contest all 545 Lok Sabha seats and give women 33 per cent representation, Mr. Kejriwal said the party would contest all seats. “But if there is an election tomorrow, we may not have candidates to contest all seats. As for women, we have said that one of the two conveners will be a woman at all levels from college, to village to block, district and upwards.” An ‘ordinary member’ would have no voting rights until he/she was made an active member after four months of working for the party. The party would contest the Delhi Assembly elections next year.

    The council decided that the gram sabha would be taken as the unit for development and mohalla panels in cities would decide about their development needs. They might exercise the “right to recall” candidates who did not deliver. Getting justice from judiciary would be a “right” and people would have the power to move an ‘initiative’ on any law they require or a ‘referendum’ on any legislation they want to be revised. Bhushan said the party would work for bringing about a systemic change in politics.

    Psephologist Yogendra Yadav described the birth of the AAP as a result of a “spontaneous upsurge of masses.” “The party will shun dynastic politics and have provisions against more than one member of a family holding office during one term,” Mr. Kejriwal said.

  • Gujarat polls: Hold on to your home turf, RSS tells Narendra Modi

    Gujarat polls: Hold on to your home turf, RSS tells Narendra Modi

    Mumbai (TIP): The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh brass has asked Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi to focus on the assembly elections in the state and leave the decision of prime ministerial candidate to the Nationalist Democratic Alliance (NDA). The RSS’ subtle message was necessary to rein in Modi on the one hand and bring the rebels to work for the party in the state polls.

    At a meeting held at the RSS headquarters in Nagpur last Sunday, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat issued a stern message to the Gujarat chief minister not to go overboard in self-projection for the top post using the assembly elections.
    Highly placed sources in the RSS told DNA, “While RSS leaders assured Modi of support in the state assembly elections, they made it clear that even he should know his grounds.” Modi had rushed to Nagpur to meet RSS leaders to apprise them about the growing dissidents against him by the former chief minister Kesubhai Patel and Vishwa Hindu Parishad lead by Praveen Togadia. Modi has also been wary about frequent visits of his rival former BJP general secretary Sanjay Joshi in Gujarat ahead elections.

    A senior RSS leader, who is now working in the BJP on conditions of anonymity said, “RSS leaders have been receiving complaints from various quarters about Modi using the assembly campaign to project himself as the next prime minister.”
    The political managers in the BJP are quick to point out that barely 24 hours after the RSS-Modi meeting, BJP president Nitin Gadkari found himself facing corruption charges related to his power plants and agriculture land in Vidarbha. In the last three days Gadkari also held series of meeting with RSS leaders to explain his case.

    The Gujarat assembly elections will be held in two phases on December 17 and December 20.

  • Amit Shah free to campaign for Narendra Modi

    Amit Shah free to campaign for Narendra Modi

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Former Gujarat home minister Amit Shah, who in facing the charge of abetting killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh and his wife in a fake encounter, can campaign with chief minister Narender Modi for the assembly elections as the Supreme Court on September 28 lifted the exile on him.

    Upholding the Gujarat high court order that allowed bail to Shah, the SC, however, said the murder trial would be shifted to Mumbai in view of the apprehension expressed by concerned petitioner that a fair trial isn’t possible in the BJP-ruled state.

    A bench of justices Aftab Alam and Ranjana Prakash Desai partially dismissed the CBI’s appeal. The agency had sought quashing of bail given to Shah and also shifting of the trial venue. It had said that Shah would try to influence witnesses in the case. It had said that Shah was a powerful minister till he was charged in the case and was subsequently arrested and sent to jail in 2010.

    After three months in Ahmedabad’s Sabarmati jail, Shah was granted bail but told to leave Gujarat. He started living in the Gujarat guest house in Delhi, a source said.

    The chargesheet filed by the CBI says Shah was allegedly involved in the killing of Tulsiram Prajapati, an eye witness to Sohrabuddin Sheikh’s encounter. According to the chargesheet, a small time history sheeter, Sohrabuddin, and his wife Kauser Bi were abducted by the Gujarat’s Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) from Hyderabad and killed in a fake encounter near Gandhinagar in November 2005. Shah was the state’s home minister and the CBI charges that it was under his instructions that the state’s trigger-happy police acted.

    Shah’s lawyer has maintained that he was a victim of politics and he had been used as a poster body by the anti-Modi political parties.

  • Urban India votes for Narendra Modi as PM

    Urban India votes for Narendra Modi as PM

    NEW DELHI (TIP):
    While BJP and allies tussle over Narendra Modi’s candidature for the prime minister’s post and the party itself maintains a studied silence, a majority of urban Indians think the Gujarat CM should be the next PM.

    In a survey conducted in 28 cities across the country by a Hindi news channel and Nielsen, Modi has emerged as the favourite ahead of even Rahul Gandhi and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar. While 42% of respondents wanted Modi as the next PM, only 29% were for Rahul Gandhi. Nitish Kumar got 12% in his favour.

    The survey indicates a steady decline in Congress’s popularity. If elections were held now, 27% potential voters would go with the saffron party, while only 18% would choose Congress. The dislike for the Congress is such that 46% respondents said they would not vote for a Congress led by Rahul Gandhi. PM Manmohan Singh’s ratings are even poor. Almost 68% believe his performance ranges from average to very poor, even though 66% feel he is non-corrupt but tolerates corrupt ministers.

    Only 66% of those who voted for Congress during 2009 Lok Sabha elections, are still intending to vote for it. However, the BJP is gaining only 8% of this vote swing. At the same time, for the BJP, 82% of its voters will stick with it and the Congress would gain only 4% out of this exodus, clearly showing an opportunity for regional parties to do well in urban centres.

    On Modi, the survey shows that he is favourite even within the BJP. He gets almost double the responses in his favour as against party veteran L K Advani (51% to Advani’s 28%). Respondents also feel that if Modi is chosen PM candidate opposing allies (read JD-U) will eventually come around.
    Urban voters, however, do not exonerate the Gujarat CM for 2002 riots completely and feel that he must apologize for it. About 44% cent respondents feel if Modi apologizes, his chances would improve whereas 39% feel there is no need for him to say sorry

    Interestingly, the issue of coalgate that has put Parliament under seize at the moment, hasn’t stirred such strong emotions among the people in the metros. In fact, 51% agree to government’s ‘zero loss’ theory as no coal has been mined. In case there is a loss to the nation, 45% feel Congress is responsible, while 36% blame both the Congress and the BJP. The PM is held responsible for it by 55% respondents. Importantly, a good 67% feel that electricity prices will go up if coal mines are auctioned.

    Interestingly, however, both the Congress and the BJP have lost confidence of urban voters. The combined response for willingness to vote for these two parties was less than 50%, even though BJP is ahead of Congress among voters.
    Part of this may be attributed to the Anna Hazare movement and the survey reflects the growing trend, with people showing overwhelming support for Team Anna entering politics and respondents hailing the activist as the country’s role model.

    The PM’s decline has been Hazare’s gain. For all those predicting Team Anna’s decision to enter politics as a doomed effort, urban voters have thrown their weight behind the activists. About 64% respondents said the decision to join politics is right and an overwhelming 77% said they would vote for Team Anna candidates in elections. Anna also emerges as country’s top role model with Dr A P J Abdul Kalam (both bagging 12% responses in their favour).
    Not surprisingly, Baba Ramdev despite his massive rallies in Delhi has been left behind in the race. On being asked who is more credible, a whopping 75% responded in favour of Anna, while only 12% favoured Ramdev. In north India, where Ramdev should have had more support, it turns out that Anna rules the roost with a 79% to 11% rating.