Damocles' Sword Delhi: Coalition partner aiadmk
is giving sleepless nights to the BJP-led Government. Recently, Tamil Nadu Governor Fatima
Beevi made a routine call on Home Minister L.K. Advani. As she was leaving Advani's
chamber, journalists asked her about the fate of the DMK Government, whose dismissal the
aiadmk has been demanding. "I'm satisfied with the law and order situation in the
state," was Beevi's reply. Minutes later, Advani's views were sought, but he brushed
aside the DMK business saying it was "only a courtesy call". When told about the
Governor's clean chit to the DMK, Advani suggested the journalists not spark another
controversy by printing the remarks. Clearly, if the normally unflappable Advani can get
edgy, then there must be something to this fever called Jayalalitha.
War Within
Chandigarh: Three major electoral defeats in about a year have done nothing to unify the
Congress in Punjab. Last fortnight's setbacks in the by-elections to the Tarn Taran Lok
Sabha seat and the Sham Chaurasi assembly constituency again exposed the rifts in the
party. Running out of excuses to explain the continuing slide, PCC President Rajinder Kaur
Bhattal resigned, pre-empting attempts to oust her.
Now the Congress high command has to find a replacement. With
factions led by Bhattal and former chief minister Harcharan Singh Brar engaged in a bitter
battle, that's difficult. The central leadership can opt for state leaders who are
neutral, but then they lack a support base. With the panchayat polls barely a week away,
the Congress is clearly ill-prepared to engage the ruling Akali-BJP combine in another
joust.
Deceptive Immunity
Delhi: The Samadhan scheme announced by Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha to help
tax-evaders is no samadhan (solution) for Jayalalitha's woes. And she is furious with the
BJP for spreading the word that the scheme was brought in to bail her out. Incidentally,
the benefits in the new scheme are already available under the Settlement Commission -- a
defaulter is not even required to accept his guilt while appealing against the Income-Tax
Department and usually ends up paying no interest. There is no penalty imposed by the
commission either. But under Samadhan, a tax-evader has to accept guilt before claiming
amnesty. Jayalalitha gets little reprieve as the scheme gives no immunity to those against
whom cases are pending in the courts.
Back to the Front
Lucknow: With
V.P. Singh's political sanyas (exile) ending in 1999, son Ajeya Singh is preparing the
ground for papa's re-entry into active politics. Ajeya, who currently heads the Indian
operations of an American FII, Lehman Brothers, recently spoke to some Thakur rjd leaders
of Uttar Pradesh about reviving the erstwhile Jan Morcha formed by his father. According
to RJD leaders, after his contract with the FII expires at the end of this year, Ajeya
would take a plunge into politics. State JD and RJD leaders are actively considering
merging their parties into the Jan Morcha to launch it with a bang. Whether it will make
any impact or once again end with a whimper remains to be seen.
Sweet Revenge
Shimla: Buoyed by the ruling BJP-Himachal Vikas Congress' (HVC) clean sweep of the
four assembly by-elections in Himachal Pradesh, former Union communications minister Sukh
Ram is in a combative mood. Forced to quit the state Cabinet recently after the cbi
chargesheeted him in the telecom scam case, the HVC chief has begun moves to extract his
pound of flesh from Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, whose survival depends on five MLAs
loyal to Sukh Ram. Having already arm-twisted Dhumal into giving prime portfolios to his
associates, Sukh Ram now wants the state Government to order a CBI probe against his
arch-rival and former Congress chief minister Virbhadra Singh on grounds of corruption and
financial irregularities.
Obviously quite relieved at having secured a clear majority
in the Assembly after the by-elections, the chief minister seems set to concede this
demand. "Many of the charges against Singh hold water and need to be
investigated," says Dhumal. The chief minister may feel obliged, but given Sukh Ram's
growing wish list, his problems in maintaining the precarious coalition balance may have
just begun.
Judge as Politician
Bhubaneswar:
Retired chief justices of the country are debarred under law from practising in any court
of law. But are they entitled to join politics? Though apparently there is nothing in the
Constitution to prevent them from doing so, the ethical question has assumed significance
following former chief justice of India Rangannath Mishra's recent nomination as a
Congress candidate for a Rajya Sabha seat from Orissa.
Mishra refuses to be drawn into the controversy while he
canvasses support. But there is no let up in the heated debate with many expressing the
fear that the "unhealthy" precedent would compromise the judiciary. State BJP
spokesman and former MP Anadi Sahu says that "the precedent would influence judicial
pronouncements since judges hereafter would nurse political aspirations and crave for
party tickets after retirement".
The Opposition in the state is dropping dark hints that
Mishra had been a Congress mole. Being the first to go against the grain, the former chief
justice should have expected that such flak would come his way.
Hi-tech Babus
Mumbai: Ask for a birth or death certificate from any gram
sevak's office in Maharashtra and you will be issued a computerised copy within 24 hours.
No excuses, no speed money. Any dilly-dallying by the official concerned and the Block
Development Officer can be approached for immediate action. This is no fiction. It's a
quiet computer revolution that has changed the very attitude of the state administration.
Once a decorative piece, the computer has suddenly acquired a
new meaning in the state secretariat Mantralaya. Says Mois Hussain, officer in-charge of
the Maharashtra unit of the National Informatics Centre: "Once averse to learning any
computer skill, the bureaucrats are now showing tremendous enthusiasm." The reason is
simple. As per a government resolution, by January 1, 1999, no correspondence from its 31
districts or 325 tehsil offices will be accepted in physical form.
Already, in districts like Kolhapur, Pune and Sindhdurg, the
local administration has successfully set up a single-window system through which a file
can be tracked by any computer logged on to the state Government. As other districts
replicate this model, all districts will soon be the hooked to the Disaster Management
Centre being set up at Mantralaya. "Information dissemination is the key to solving
most of the administrative hassles," says Jayant Kawle, state industry commissioner.
Clearly, the state machinery is all geared up to go hi-tech before the next millennium.
Beating Out a Different Tune
Bangalore: Are live bands dens of death? Yes, affirms Bangalore Police Commissioner L.
Revannasiddaiah. "These bands are centres of anti-social activities," says the
harried officer, who believes elimination of such bands should curb the crime rate in the
city, which has been gripped by almost a murder daily for the past two months.
The Bangalore police chief apparently reached this conclusion
after a man was found murdered in a bar featuring a live band last month. But the artistes
who eke out a living by performing before a rich clientele do not see it that way.
"Our artistes are decently dressed but the police book cases under obscenity
laws," says Y.R. Manohar, president, Karnataka State Association of Restaurants with
Music and Discotheques. According to him, about 30 female singers, who earn about Rs 1,500
a week, have been affected by the police action.
The men in khaki, however, are firm. "The singers should
look for respectable jobs. Live bands are not necessary," says Additional
Commissioner of Police C. Motiram." With the police resolved to rid the city of
crime, the sole recourse probably for the artistes is to tap their influential patrons.
Ruling In-Laws
Patna: Bihar
Chief Minister Rabri Devi should be happy that husband Laloo Yadav takes better care of
her brothers than his own. Laloo, who recently allowed the arrest of one of his brothers
for assaulting a government official, does treat Rabri's brothers rather differently.
After nominating his elder saala (brother-in-law) Sadhu Yadav as a member of the
Legislative Council, Laloo has again succumbed to his in-laws to give the RJD ticket to
younger brother-in-law Subhas Yadav. It is perhaps for the first time that three siblings
will be rubbing shoulders in the council. RJD aspirants, though disappointed, are happy
that at least Rabri's eldest brother isn't interested in politics.
Cellular Distraction
Bhopal: Madhya
Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh was addressing a meeting of the National Students
Union of India (NSUI), the students wing of the Congress, when a couple of cell phones
started ringing on the dais, occupied by dozens of NSUI office-bearers. Digvijay ignored
it. But soon, there were several cell phones ringing together, all in different tones. An
irritated Digvijay growled: "Switch off the phones." Later, he told NSUI leaders
not to bring cell phones to political meetings for they can be distracting. "These
are also the instructions from Soniaji," he disclosed. Apparently, Congress chief
Sonia Gandhi has banned cellular phones from CWC and parliamentary party meetings. No one
is allowed to carry cellulars to meetings chaired by her.
Charges for Prosecution
Bhopal: When, for months, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh refused to
allow the Lok Ayukta to prosecute his cabinet members B.R. Yadav and Pyarelal Kanwar in
the Madhotal land scam case, many had believed that he was doing so only to safeguard the
interests of his beleaguered political colleagues. Now that he has been forced to drop the
two ministers under pressure from the Congress high command, the cat is out of the bag.
Last week, Kanwar, the deputy chief minister, filed an affidavit before the Lok Ayukta
that he had acted at the behest of the chief minister in the deal in which the two
ministers are accused of allotting 21 hectares of commercial land worth Rs 13.8 crore to
some motor parts dealers of Jabalpur for just Rs 1.36 crore.
Singh has denied the charge. But Kanwar's affidavit supports
the contention of the opposition BJP which had maintained all along that Digvijay was the
kingpin. The party is demanding a CBI probe. Digvijay says he has no objection. "I am
clean," he says. Is he? |
