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Newsnotes Delhi: Between the Lines
Sonia Gandhi may have given a breather to Congress chief Sitaram
Kesri by deciding not to close his shop "for now". But it seems her loyalists
have got Kesri on the run already. His brainchild, The Congress -- a fortnightly in
English and Hindi -- collapsed even before it could take off. Tariq Anwar, Kesri's man
Friday, was made its editor and Pankaj Singh, formerly with the BBC, was brought in to
assist him. But party treasurer Ahmed Patel made it clear that he had no money to spare
for the mega venture, especially during elections. Although conservative estimate for the
magazine's expenses was Rs 3 lakh a month, Patel argued that it would not help even one
Congress candidate during the polls, while the same amount could finance one. Kesri, who
figured prominently in the magazine's inaugural issue, was stumped. And in the process,
party whizkid Vishwajit Singh Prithvijit Singh, who was on the editorial board of the
magazine, also found himself out in the cold. Obviously, like Kesri, Singh too does not
find favour with 10 Janpath.
Delhi: Khadi vs Khaki
Delhi Chief Minister Sahib Singh Verma is not in the best of moods these days. As
usual, making the bearded "sahib" angry is the Delhi Police. Verma thinks the
law-keepers are plain incompetent when it comes to solving bomb-blast cases in the capital
-- there have been 27 in a year. The last one just opposite the police chief's office left
60 injured. Besides, as Verma says "the BJP Government in Delhi is getting a bad name
because of the police", over which he has no direct control -- it comes under the
Union Home Ministry. The chief minister has demanded, in particular, the head of Delhi
Police Commissioner T.R. Kakkar. However, Kakkar is unfazed. "As the force still
looks up to its leader for direction and the leader is not demoralised, such demands don't
make a difference," he said. It may not make a difference to him. But to Verma,
Kakkar's ouster is top on the agenda. He complained to Lt-Governor Tejinder Khanna about
the series of blasts. Khanna, who as a representative of the Centre has some control over
Delhi Police, merely asked Kakkar to step up the vigil. Verma may have a point in saying
that the Delhi Police must be made accountable to his Government. After all, the elected
representatives of Delhi owe the citizens an explanation. Says Kiran Bedi, special
secretary in the Lt-governor's office: "In the past there were thana-level committees
which interacted with local representatives. The system has gone for a holiday for reasons
unknown." Till some sense is restored, there will be no love lost between Verma and
Kakkar.
Hyderabad: Enemies
Within
With some TDP ministers at the Centre and in his own Cabinet taking the law into their
hands, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu faces a new dimension to his pre-poll problem
of neutralising the anti-incumbency factor. First, Union Minister of State for Agriculture
S. Venugopalachary and state Tribal Welfare Minister G. Nagesh staged a late-night sit-in
at a police station in Adilabad demanding the release of three partymen arrested for their
alleged links with the outlawed People's War Group. Next, state Home Minister A. Madhava
Reddy, defying prohibitory orders, flagged off a motorcade in Hyderabad to welcome
history-sheeter Chinna Srisailam Yadav's entry into the TDP. The massive procession, led
by state Labour Minister T. Srinivas Yadav, broke through security cordons and created
traffic snarls that even had Governor C. Rangarajan stuck for an hour. When cautioned
about the errant behaviour of some partymen ruining the TDP's electoral prospects, Naidu
passed the buck, saying each candidate would be responsible for the party's performance in
their respective areas. Evidently, it is in line with Naidu's electoral law: credit a win
to me, a loss to others.
Lucknow: Burden of Proof
Like disputed properties, Kalyan Singh's jumbo Cabinet will have 12 ministers with a
seating problem when the Assembly begins its brief session on January 27. The ruling BJP's
embarrassment stems from the assembly secretariat listing the 12 "rebel BSP"
MLAs-turned-ministers as Vivadit Sadasya (disputed members) and including them in the BSP
list. While the BSP petition seeking their disqualification is still pending with the
Speaker as also before the courts, the secretariat is unable to decide whether to seat
them with the BSP or between the treasury and opposition benches. If they are seated with
the BSP, Kalyan will find it difficult to protect them from being humiliated at the hands
of the Opposition. While the suspense over their status remains, this will be the first
time that a state assembly would have "disputed MLAs". But then, creating
history is not new to the state..
Lucknow: Early Trends
If anything, this one battle could become the determining factor for the strategies
that the BJP and its main political rival in the state, the Samajwadi Party (SP), adopt in
fighting the Lok Sabha elections next month. But just now, it gives the BJP a lot to feel
upbeat about, winning as it has 25 of the 38 seats (the result from Pratapgarh was
delayed) in the recent biennial polls to the Legislative Council. As state BJP chief
Rajnath Singh says, "It's clearly a preface to the Lok Sabha polls outcome." For
one, the results would definitely give the BJP's rivals every reason to be worried: in one
stroke, Mulayam Singh's SP has been reduced to half its strength -- from 22 to 11 -- in
the council; as for the rest, while all the United Front partners and the BSP lost, the
Congress which had 12 members will now have to be content with one. Allegations, though,
were expected. "We would have won at least 30 seats had the BJP not misused official
machinery and resorted to blatant goondaism," said state SP President Ram Sharan Das.
The SP has, however, established its hold over the Bundelkhand area that had become known
for its "Dalit militancy" under the BSP. And, though defeated by the BJP, the
results would give Mulayam the upper hand when it comes to sharing seats with his UF
allies in the Lok Sabha polls. The outcome is even more significant given the fact that
the voters were chiefs of gram panchayats and other local bodies. And that could well
reflect the political mood in the villages.
Chandigarh: Poppy Problem
Haryana Chief Minister Bansi Lal loves to extol the lotus -- heading as he is a
coalition government with BJP support. But his hopes of riding a lotus wave in the
elections may be dashed by the growing fascination of some of his ministers' kin for
poppy. While reports of ministers' relatives having links with the "liquor
mafia" have mocked Lal's prohibition policy, the recent arrest of state Sports
Minister Ram Swarup Rama's brother for allegedly smuggling poppy husk has cast a shadow
over the ruling Haryana Vikas Party's election campaign. Some time ago, Rama had disowned
his brother-in-law who had been arrested on a similar charge. With the Opposition
demanding his sacking, Lal is certainly not amused at poppy blooming in his backyard
before the lotus does.
Chandigarh: Politically
Incorrect
Whether he intended it or not, maverick SGPC chief Gurcharan Singh Tohra has again
embarrassed Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. This time by attending a function that had
banners eulogising the assassins of Indira Gandhi and General A.S. Vaidya. The Ropar show
was held to mark the death anniversary of former Youth Akali Dal leader Sher Singh
Doomchheri, who was killed by militants. When the organisers refused to remove the banners
despite objections by the police, a message was flashed to Badal, the chief guest, who
immediately changed his itinerary. Tohra, however, turned up to honour three men who had
hijacked an Indian Airlines aircraft in the '80s. Though Badal steered away in the nick of
time, the damage was done. Specially since the Akali Dal-BJP alliance is seeking votes in
the name of peace and anti-militancy stance. Badal has always tried to keep Tohra in good
humour, but the SGPC chief's display of pro-militant sympathies can play havoc with the
Akali Dal's electoral politics.
Bangalore:
Legal Teasers
One of the first resolutions adopted by the Karnataka Advocates Federation (KAF),
launched on January 10 amid controversy and protest by the already existing Karnataka Bar
Council, was putting an end to the convention of addressing judges of lower courts with
"His Lordship" or "Your Honour". KAF would prefer to replace the first
with simply "Sir", and the second with "Swami" or a similar
expression. But Principal City and Civil Sessions Judge
D. Prasad Rao, who inaugurated the KAF in Bangalore, discouraged the advocates from
embarking on such a resolution, that too when it had met for the first time. Says an
advocate: "Today you may want to address a judge as 'Swami' while somebody in the
North would prefer 'Prabhu' or 'Bhagwan'." True, with so many languages recognised in
the Constitution, the move could have more than legal implications.
Bangalore:
Unpaid Dues
Once in a while, politicians too have to pay for their wanton ways. The gentlemen in
question this time have defaulted on payment of rent and telephone bills totalling Rs 93
lakh and include former chief minister and Karnataka Vikas Party President S. Bangarappa,
former deputy chief minister S.M. Krishna and state Congress President Dharam Singh. If
the 42 politicians thought they'd get away with it, they were mistaken. Acting on a public
interest petition, the Karnataka High Court last week directed the state Government to
suspend the payment of pension and salaries to the 42 legislators, past and present. While
Singh says he has paid his Rs 76,000 dues to the Gulbarga district commissioner,
defaulting former ministers like S. Ramakrishna have asked for a fixed amount of Rs 3,000
to be deducted from his pension every month. In some cases, like former minister S.M.
Patil who owes Rs 12 lakh, the Government has had to attach property. Unperturbed by these
developments, leaders like Bangarappa (he owes Rs 4.27 lakh) and Krishna (Rs 1.44 lakh)
are in no hurry to clear the bills; party sources say they will attend to the payments
only after the elections. They will have to, for the court has asked the state Government
to furnish the names of the defaulters in two dailies, one English and one Kannada, if the
payments are not made by February-end. Politicians with a penchant for profligacy should
get the message. |
