he BJP’s controversial Hindutva icon, the Gujarat Chief Minister, Mr Narendra Modi, on Saturday sent ripples across Bihar’s political spectrum without speaking a word and brought the BJP and the JD(U) on an unexpected collision course.
A full-page advertisement published in some Bihar newspapers on the first day of the BJP’s national executive meet showing Mr Modi and the Bihar Chief Minister, Mr Nitish Kumar, of the JD(U) raising joined hands and smiling angered Mr Kumar, prompting him to threaten legal action against those behind the advertisement carrying the year-old photo of the two leaders.
Mr Kumar also cancelled the dinner at his residence to which he had invited the BJP leaders attending the party’s conclave, causing embarrassment to the BJP and casting a shadow on the future of the shaky JD(U)-BJP alliance in view of Bihar’s Assembly polls, due in November.
Even as top BJP leaders from across the country were busy discussing the party’s national strategy and showering praise on Bihar’s JD(U)-BJP government at Patna’s Hotel Maurya, the chief minister expressed his deep discontent with the BJP for the advertisements. Mr Kumar’s words signified that Mr Modi remained an anathema for the JD(U).
“These advertisements were published without my knowledge and permission. We will explore all appropriate legal action against this act,” Mr Kumar said at Hotel Chanakya during a lunch he had organised for journalists. “I would not have objected if the photo would have been published in a news report in the newspapers,” he added.
He also strongly protested the praise in the advertisements for the Gujarat government for providing hefty aid to Bihar during the Kosi flood tragedy of 2008. “Seeking credit for the help we do to others in need is not in our culture. We would like to repay them if they want,” said a depressed-looking Mr Kumar, who had been instrumental in preventing Mr Modi from campaigning in Bihar during the last Lok Sabha polls.
The advertisements, which apparently carried a Modi-Nitish photo taken during the NDA’s Ludhiana rally in May 2009, did not carry the BJP’s name, electoral symbol or the name of any BJP leader, though the names of several little known people were published as those who brought them out.
But speculation was rife in Patna’s political circles that it was the BJP that was behind these advertisements so as to accord greater legitimacy to Mr Modi in Bihar and to mount indirect pressure on the JD(U), the senior partner in Bihar’s NDA coalition government.
RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav was quick to attack Mr Kumar and the JD(U), saying both stood exposed by the advertisements. “If Nitish Kumar still has any honesty and integrity, he must ditch the BJP or merge his party with the BJP. He is cheating Bihar’s Muslims by a fake show of secularism,” said Mr Lalu Yadav. Bihar Congress president Mehboob Ali Kaiser echoed Mr Lalu Yadav’s views and asked Mr Kumar to come clean on the advertisements.
In his cagey response, senior BJP leader and spokesman Syed Shahnawaz Hussain clarified that the advertisements had nothing to do with the BJP and were published by an “enthusiastic supporter of the party”. He also said the Gujarat government had nothing to do with the advertisements.
On Mr Kumar cancelling the dinner for BJP leaders, Mr Hussain said: “The BJP is discussing crucial issues of national importance and is not interested in food at this time.”
Showing posts with label BJP. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BJP. Show all posts
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Monday, May 31, 2010
Congress welcomes Soren’s resignation
Welcoming Shibu Soren’s resignation, the Congress tonight said it was proper that the JMM chief did not seek floor test having failed to muster majority.
“It is proper that Shibu Soren resigned after knowing he had no majority. It is always good to put in papers instead of going to house without majority,” the leader of opposition, Rajendra Prasad Singh of the Congress, told PTI over phone.
“If our high command directs us to initiate government formation we will go ahead, if not we won’t,” he said when asked whether the Congress would take initiative for formation of government after Soren’s resignation.
He said the party would meet tomorrow and held discussions with pre-poll ally Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantric).
“It is proper that Shibu Soren resigned after knowing he had no majority. It is always good to put in papers instead of going to house without majority,” the leader of opposition, Rajendra Prasad Singh of the Congress, told PTI over phone.
“If our high command directs us to initiate government formation we will go ahead, if not we won’t,” he said when asked whether the Congress would take initiative for formation of government after Soren’s resignation.
He said the party would meet tomorrow and held discussions with pre-poll ally Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantric).
Shibu Soren resigns
Three-time Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren resigned on Sunday night after failing to get the support of Congress and its ally Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (P) ahead of Monday’s trust vote in the assembly that may pave the way for a spell of President’s rule in the state.
The beleaguered chief minister, who has only 25 MLAs behind him in the 82—member house, submitted the letter to Governor M. O. H. Farooq shortly after 10 pm at Raj Bhavan. Mr. Soren needs to muster strength of 42 to sail through the trust vote.
Mr. Farooq asked Mr. Soren to continue as caretaker Chief Minster till further arrangement, the principal secretary to Governor, Sudhir Tripathi said.
66—year—old Soren’s resignation came after he and his deputy Sudesh Mahto failed to woo the BJP back into the fold ever since the 18—member BJP along with 2 from JD(U) withdrew support to his five—month—old government on May 24.
“We appealed to all parties and MLAs to rise above party lines and vote in favour of Guruji (Soren) and avert President’s rule or mid—term polls. But when we learnt that all the parties have resolved to vote against the government, we decided that Guruji should put in his papers,” AJSU President and Deputy Chief Minister Sudesh Mahto and Agriculture minister Hemlal Murmu told newsmen.
JMM legislative party leader and Soren’s son Hemant Soren, said “We tried our best and appealed to all parties. If Guruji’s remaining as CM was a hurdle, that has been removed now.”
“We will see what better alternative is on cards,” the leaders said when asked about the JMM/AJSU’s future course of action.
The beleaguered chief minister, who has only 25 MLAs behind him in the 82—member house, submitted the letter to Governor M. O. H. Farooq shortly after 10 pm at Raj Bhavan. Mr. Soren needs to muster strength of 42 to sail through the trust vote.
Mr. Farooq asked Mr. Soren to continue as caretaker Chief Minster till further arrangement, the principal secretary to Governor, Sudhir Tripathi said.
66—year—old Soren’s resignation came after he and his deputy Sudesh Mahto failed to woo the BJP back into the fold ever since the 18—member BJP along with 2 from JD(U) withdrew support to his five—month—old government on May 24.
“We appealed to all parties and MLAs to rise above party lines and vote in favour of Guruji (Soren) and avert President’s rule or mid—term polls. But when we learnt that all the parties have resolved to vote against the government, we decided that Guruji should put in his papers,” AJSU President and Deputy Chief Minister Sudesh Mahto and Agriculture minister Hemlal Murmu told newsmen.
JMM legislative party leader and Soren’s son Hemant Soren, said “We tried our best and appealed to all parties. If Guruji’s remaining as CM was a hurdle, that has been removed now.”
“We will see what better alternative is on cards,” the leaders said when asked about the JMM/AJSU’s future course of action.
Monday, May 24, 2010
BJP threatens to pull out Soren government on Monday
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will meet Jharkhand Governor M.O.H. Farook on Monday to withdraw support from the Shibu Soren-led government. "We will meet the governor at 11.30 am to withdraw support from Soren's government.
The JMM's changing stand has pushed the state into political uncertainty and the party has decided to withdraw support," the Jharkhand BJP president and the Deputy Chief Minister Mr Raghubar Das told IANS. Jharkhand has been facing a political crisis since April 27 when Soren voted against the BJP's cut motions in the Lok Sabha last month. This led the BJP, a junior partner in the Jharkhand coalition, to announce withdrawal of support from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) on April 28. On April 30, BJP put its withdrawal decision on hold. On May 8, JMM announced that it would support the BJP. Ten days later, on May 18, BJP agreed to a rotation of power with Soren. On May 20, however, Soren refused to quit and announced that talks were on with both the BJP and the Congress for the formation of an alternative government in Jharkhand.
Soren's defiant attitude prompted the BJP to withdraw support from his government.
The JMM's changing stand has pushed the state into political uncertainty and the party has decided to withdraw support," the Jharkhand BJP president and the Deputy Chief Minister Mr Raghubar Das told IANS. Jharkhand has been facing a political crisis since April 27 when Soren voted against the BJP's cut motions in the Lok Sabha last month. This led the BJP, a junior partner in the Jharkhand coalition, to announce withdrawal of support from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) on April 28. On April 30, BJP put its withdrawal decision on hold. On May 8, JMM announced that it would support the BJP. Ten days later, on May 18, BJP agreed to a rotation of power with Soren. On May 20, however, Soren refused to quit and announced that talks were on with both the BJP and the Congress for the formation of an alternative government in Jharkhand.
Soren's defiant attitude prompted the BJP to withdraw support from his government.
Monday, May 3, 2010
BJP formulating code of conduct for party workers: Parrikar
The Bharatiya Janata Party is formulating a code of conduct for party workers on tackling issues ranging from handling obstinate bureaucrats and time management to personal conduct while dealing with women, a senior party functionary said.
Manohar Parrikar, convener of the BJP’s newly formed governance cell, told IANS that the code of conduct would be shortly evolved by the cell after discussions with other senior party leaders and chief ministers of party-ruled States.
“The fulcrum of the code of conduct are these three principles, namely development of social, personal and financial character,” said Mr. Parrikar, an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay alumni and a former Chief Minister of Goa.
“Every person in a political life should be ready to be scrutinised by anyone at anytime till he is in public life...When you are in social life, there are so many people who meet you. So how do you place them? So all these aspects... you should have a clear cut understanding that you should not misuse your power for any purpose,” Mr. Parrikar said.
Mr. Parrikar further said that party workers and elected functionaries needed to adequately handle both time management techniques and obstinate bureaucrats.
“Time management is one of the most important factors. How do you manage your time? If time management is properly understood, then this problem can be reasonably taken care of,” he said.
The leader pointed out that new ministers often faced a problem while balancing their attention between an eager cadre and governmental responsibilities.
“If they don’t have appropriate control on the bureaucracy, they will not be able to implement the programme of the party. They need to be capable in tackling bureaucracy in order to get proposals of the government implemented,” Mr. Parrikar said, adding that some aspects of the code of conduct could be implemented within four months.
“The code will first evolve after discussions with stakeholders. The basic principle is that we are not going in with any fixed methodology. These are the areas of our operation and thinking,” Mr. Parrikar said.
He added that he would be incorporating inputs from chief ministers of BJP-ruled States and other senior party leaders before formalising the code.
Manohar Parrikar, convener of the BJP’s newly formed governance cell, told IANS that the code of conduct would be shortly evolved by the cell after discussions with other senior party leaders and chief ministers of party-ruled States.
“The fulcrum of the code of conduct are these three principles, namely development of social, personal and financial character,” said Mr. Parrikar, an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay alumni and a former Chief Minister of Goa.
“Every person in a political life should be ready to be scrutinised by anyone at anytime till he is in public life...When you are in social life, there are so many people who meet you. So how do you place them? So all these aspects... you should have a clear cut understanding that you should not misuse your power for any purpose,” Mr. Parrikar said.
Mr. Parrikar further said that party workers and elected functionaries needed to adequately handle both time management techniques and obstinate bureaucrats.
“Time management is one of the most important factors. How do you manage your time? If time management is properly understood, then this problem can be reasonably taken care of,” he said.
The leader pointed out that new ministers often faced a problem while balancing their attention between an eager cadre and governmental responsibilities.
“If they don’t have appropriate control on the bureaucracy, they will not be able to implement the programme of the party. They need to be capable in tackling bureaucracy in order to get proposals of the government implemented,” Mr. Parrikar said, adding that some aspects of the code of conduct could be implemented within four months.
“The code will first evolve after discussions with stakeholders. The basic principle is that we are not going in with any fixed methodology. These are the areas of our operation and thinking,” Mr. Parrikar said.
He added that he would be incorporating inputs from chief ministers of BJP-ruled States and other senior party leaders before formalising the code.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
For the BJP it is always win-win, whatever the outcome
No matter what the situation or turn of political events, the Bharatiya Janata Party has made it a habit to say it has emerged victorious. It was no different on Wednesday, the day after the Opposition-sponsored cut motions were voted upon and negatived.
The voting figures (289 for the government and 201 in favour of the cut motions) have established that the BJP, which has a strength of 115 in the Lok Sabha, managed the presence of only 110 members — Ramakant Yadav was in jail and could not come and Baliram Kashyap was too ill to attend, while Makhan Singh Solanki (Madhya Pradesh), Sadanand Gowda and S. Pakkirappa (both from Karnataka) absented themselves for unconvincing reasons.
Incidentally, Mr. Pakkirappa is a cousin of Sriramulu, one of the three powerful and cash-rich Bellary brothers. His absence immediately gave rise to speculation that the Congress could be up to some tricks to destabilise the Yeddyurappa government, which earlier found itself in difficulty when the Bellary brothers had come close to doing exactly this.
There were apparently three abstentions from the National Democratic Alliance ranks — two from the Janata Dal (United) and one from the Shiv Sena — taking the total of NDA absentees to 8, including the BJP, but not counting the two JMM votes, of which one (that of Shibu Soren) went against the Opposition and the other was not cast as Kameshwar Baitha is in jail.
The United Progressive Alliance too had three absentees, one each from the ranks of the Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party and the Trinamool Congress, parliamentary sources said. But the UPA “made up” the loss through the addition of 20-odd BSP votes and one from the JMM.
The failure of the BJP and the NDA to keep their own flock together, however, did not prevent Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj from claiming a “positive political fallout” for the party.
It “exposed” the UPA government to be in a minority as the government scored 289 votes, crossing the mid-way mark mostly with BSP help. This, the BJP argued, showed up the UPA as being a “non-stable minority government,” an argument that was immediately dismissed by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal as “specious” for, the votes in favour of the government were well past the mid-way mark of 273.
The BJP drew comfort also from the “expose” of “misuse” of the Central Bureau of Investigation by the government. Ms. Swaraj alleged that the government had used the CBI to arm-twist the Hindi heartland parties of Mulayam Singh, Lalu Prasad and Mayawati, all of whom had one criminal case or another pending against them. However, she did acknowledge that these three parties — the Samajwadi Party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the BSP — were technically still UPA supporters even if they were otherwise hostile to the Congress.
And, of course, as a direct result of the voting, the BJP had to bring down its own coalition government in Jharkhand. Another positive fallout?
The voting figures (289 for the government and 201 in favour of the cut motions) have established that the BJP, which has a strength of 115 in the Lok Sabha, managed the presence of only 110 members — Ramakant Yadav was in jail and could not come and Baliram Kashyap was too ill to attend, while Makhan Singh Solanki (Madhya Pradesh), Sadanand Gowda and S. Pakkirappa (both from Karnataka) absented themselves for unconvincing reasons.
Incidentally, Mr. Pakkirappa is a cousin of Sriramulu, one of the three powerful and cash-rich Bellary brothers. His absence immediately gave rise to speculation that the Congress could be up to some tricks to destabilise the Yeddyurappa government, which earlier found itself in difficulty when the Bellary brothers had come close to doing exactly this.
There were apparently three abstentions from the National Democratic Alliance ranks — two from the Janata Dal (United) and one from the Shiv Sena — taking the total of NDA absentees to 8, including the BJP, but not counting the two JMM votes, of which one (that of Shibu Soren) went against the Opposition and the other was not cast as Kameshwar Baitha is in jail.
The United Progressive Alliance too had three absentees, one each from the ranks of the Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party and the Trinamool Congress, parliamentary sources said. But the UPA “made up” the loss through the addition of 20-odd BSP votes and one from the JMM.
The failure of the BJP and the NDA to keep their own flock together, however, did not prevent Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj from claiming a “positive political fallout” for the party.
It “exposed” the UPA government to be in a minority as the government scored 289 votes, crossing the mid-way mark mostly with BSP help. This, the BJP argued, showed up the UPA as being a “non-stable minority government,” an argument that was immediately dismissed by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal as “specious” for, the votes in favour of the government were well past the mid-way mark of 273.
The BJP drew comfort also from the “expose” of “misuse” of the Central Bureau of Investigation by the government. Ms. Swaraj alleged that the government had used the CBI to arm-twist the Hindi heartland parties of Mulayam Singh, Lalu Prasad and Mayawati, all of whom had one criminal case or another pending against them. However, she did acknowledge that these three parties — the Samajwadi Party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the BSP — were technically still UPA supporters even if they were otherwise hostile to the Congress.
And, of course, as a direct result of the voting, the BJP had to bring down its own coalition government in Jharkhand. Another positive fallout?
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
My comment was only about Gujarat riots: Gadkari
BJP president Nitin Gadkari has said it will not be entirely correct to say the 1984 anti-Sikh riots were initiated by the Congress government.
In an interview given to BBC's Urdu service and broadcast on Sunday, Mr. Gadkari said that the media had focussed intensely on the Gujarat riots of 2002 but let off the Congress governments lightly for other riots. He first said the Gujarat riots were a fact, but “the basic thing is nobody can manipulate such incidents. These were unfortunate reactions by the people at large.”
Asked if this applied to the situation in 1984 also and whether there was no manipulation involved then, he said: “Look, some people may be involved in those riots but it would be entirely incorrect to say that the riots were initiated by the government.”
As news agencies put out reports based on the interview, Mr. Gadkari denied having said this. From Nagpur, he told PTI that his comment was about the Gujarat riots and the Gujarat government, not about 1984 and the Congress government.
Amit Baruah, head of the BBC Hindi service here, told The Hindu that it had received no denial or clarification on the interview. It had been 24 hours since it was on air, and the tape recording of the interview, in its possession, made it very clear that the question was about 1984 and Mr. Gadkari was certainly talking about the 1984 riots and the Congress government.
In an interview given to BBC's Urdu service and broadcast on Sunday, Mr. Gadkari said that the media had focussed intensely on the Gujarat riots of 2002 but let off the Congress governments lightly for other riots. He first said the Gujarat riots were a fact, but “the basic thing is nobody can manipulate such incidents. These were unfortunate reactions by the people at large.”
Asked if this applied to the situation in 1984 also and whether there was no manipulation involved then, he said: “Look, some people may be involved in those riots but it would be entirely incorrect to say that the riots were initiated by the government.”
As news agencies put out reports based on the interview, Mr. Gadkari denied having said this. From Nagpur, he told PTI that his comment was about the Gujarat riots and the Gujarat government, not about 1984 and the Congress government.
Amit Baruah, head of the BBC Hindi service here, told The Hindu that it had received no denial or clarification on the interview. It had been 24 hours since it was on air, and the tape recording of the interview, in its possession, made it very clear that the question was about 1984 and Mr. Gadkari was certainly talking about the 1984 riots and the Congress government.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Who is safe in this country, asks BJP
The BJP today slammed the Government on the issue of phone tapping of senior politicians, saying that it was resorting to such "despotic actions" as it has failed on all fronts.
The BJP today slammed the Government on the issue of phone tapping of senior politicians, saying that it was resorting to such "despotic actions" as it has failed on all fronts.
"In the garb of tracking terror, the Government is tracking politicians and even their own cabinet ministers from alliance partners. Apparently the Government has failed on all fronts, making them seemingly insecure and prompting such despotic actions," party spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy said.
He demanded a "clear statement" on the issue from the Prime Minister and "none else" in Parliament.
"BJP would like to question that in perception of the Government, if the cabinet ministers are not safe, if the chief ministers are not safe, then who is safe in this country," Mr. Rudy said.
He termed the alleged phone tapping as an "outright violation of laws and bizarre infringement of our fundamental rights."
A serious issue: Gowda
Terming the tapping of telephones of political leaders as a “very serious issue”, JD(S) chief H.D. Deve Gowda today said his party would toe the line of the 13-party political combine on the matter.
Speaking to reporters in Bangalore, he said it was a matter of concern that telephones of several senior leaders, including NCP leader and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, have reportedly been tapped.
“Pawar has been supporting Congress and UPA for more than 15 years,” the JD (S) chief said while referring to the issue.
The BJP today slammed the Government on the issue of phone tapping of senior politicians, saying that it was resorting to such "despotic actions" as it has failed on all fronts.
"In the garb of tracking terror, the Government is tracking politicians and even their own cabinet ministers from alliance partners. Apparently the Government has failed on all fronts, making them seemingly insecure and prompting such despotic actions," party spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy said.
He demanded a "clear statement" on the issue from the Prime Minister and "none else" in Parliament.
"BJP would like to question that in perception of the Government, if the cabinet ministers are not safe, if the chief ministers are not safe, then who is safe in this country," Mr. Rudy said.
He termed the alleged phone tapping as an "outright violation of laws and bizarre infringement of our fundamental rights."
A serious issue: Gowda
Terming the tapping of telephones of political leaders as a “very serious issue”, JD(S) chief H.D. Deve Gowda today said his party would toe the line of the 13-party political combine on the matter.
Speaking to reporters in Bangalore, he said it was a matter of concern that telephones of several senior leaders, including NCP leader and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, have reportedly been tapped.
“Pawar has been supporting Congress and UPA for more than 15 years,” the JD (S) chief said while referring to the issue.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
BJP to UPA: check prices or quit
Wrong policies of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance, rampant corruption among its Ministers and bad governance are responsible for price rise in the country, said Bharatiya Janata Party president Nitin Gadkari, while addressing an anti-price rise rally at the Ramlila grounds here on Wednesday.
The rally, the first under the leadership of Mr. Gadkari, was one of the largest by the party in Delhi and brought together the entire leadership in a show of strength.
Mr. Gadkari claimed the Congress-led government had not been able to give anything to the country. “Today we are facing spiralling prices of essential commodities, witnessing a large number of suicides by farmers and rampant corruption. The common man is baffled by the high cost of living and the Central government hasn't been able to do anything about the situation despite several promises.”
The BJP president lambasted the government for the rise in the number of the poor. “The number of poor are increasing in the country. While the world economy has been hit by inflation, India seems to be the worst affected,” he said, adding that so far, no Congress leader had given a convincing answer on the issue.
The large crowds occasionally raised slogans: “mehngai se ladna hai, Sansad chalna hai” (We have to fight inflation, march to Parliament) and “mehnat ki kamai kha gai mahngai” (High prices have eaten the fruits of labour). The party colour was spread all over in the form of banners, posters, hoardings and flags.
Earlier, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj said: “food prices in India have risen by as much as 20 per cent over the past year. We want to tell the government that if it can't bring the prices down it should quit.”
“Price rise in India is not an outcome of any natural calamity, it is the outcome of the wrong policies of the government. The cost of pulses, milk, sugar, wheat, rice and vegetables have gone up sharply, making it difficult for the common man to maintain a decent standard of living.”
Senior BJP leader L.K. Advani said: “The rich are becoming richer, while the middle class and the poor can't cope with the rising prices. Rising corruption among the Central government leadership is one of the main reasons why the government is unable to keep a check on the prices. This rally is a warning to the Central government, if it is unable to curb price rise, it should quit.”
Senior leaders Rajnath Singh, Murli Manohar, Venkaiah Naidu and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley were among those present.
Following the rally, the senior leaders boarded a “rath” for proceeding towards Parliament as the second part of the protest. However, having been under the sun for over two hours, Mr. Advani, Dr. Joshi, Mr. Jaitley, Mr. Singh and Vasundhara Raje were not able to go very far on the rath, which was repeatedly stopped by the police to keep the crowds under control.
Mr. Gadkari fainted while heading towards Parliament to court arrest. After he was revived by colleagues, party leaders decided to whisk him away in a car.
Soon after this, Mr. Advani, Dr. Joshi and Mr. Jaitley also got off the rath and left in their cars. Later, party national general-secretary Vijay Goel and S.S. Ahluwalia led the rath all the way to the Parliament Street police station, where the party leaders and workers courted arrest.
The rally, the first under the leadership of Mr. Gadkari, was one of the largest by the party in Delhi and brought together the entire leadership in a show of strength.
Mr. Gadkari claimed the Congress-led government had not been able to give anything to the country. “Today we are facing spiralling prices of essential commodities, witnessing a large number of suicides by farmers and rampant corruption. The common man is baffled by the high cost of living and the Central government hasn't been able to do anything about the situation despite several promises.”
The BJP president lambasted the government for the rise in the number of the poor. “The number of poor are increasing in the country. While the world economy has been hit by inflation, India seems to be the worst affected,” he said, adding that so far, no Congress leader had given a convincing answer on the issue.
The large crowds occasionally raised slogans: “mehngai se ladna hai, Sansad chalna hai” (We have to fight inflation, march to Parliament) and “mehnat ki kamai kha gai mahngai” (High prices have eaten the fruits of labour). The party colour was spread all over in the form of banners, posters, hoardings and flags.
Earlier, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj said: “food prices in India have risen by as much as 20 per cent over the past year. We want to tell the government that if it can't bring the prices down it should quit.”
“Price rise in India is not an outcome of any natural calamity, it is the outcome of the wrong policies of the government. The cost of pulses, milk, sugar, wheat, rice and vegetables have gone up sharply, making it difficult for the common man to maintain a decent standard of living.”
Senior BJP leader L.K. Advani said: “The rich are becoming richer, while the middle class and the poor can't cope with the rising prices. Rising corruption among the Central government leadership is one of the main reasons why the government is unable to keep a check on the prices. This rally is a warning to the Central government, if it is unable to curb price rise, it should quit.”
Senior leaders Rajnath Singh, Murli Manohar, Venkaiah Naidu and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley were among those present.
Following the rally, the senior leaders boarded a “rath” for proceeding towards Parliament as the second part of the protest. However, having been under the sun for over two hours, Mr. Advani, Dr. Joshi, Mr. Jaitley, Mr. Singh and Vasundhara Raje were not able to go very far on the rath, which was repeatedly stopped by the police to keep the crowds under control.
Mr. Gadkari fainted while heading towards Parliament to court arrest. After he was revived by colleagues, party leaders decided to whisk him away in a car.
Soon after this, Mr. Advani, Dr. Joshi and Mr. Jaitley also got off the rath and left in their cars. Later, party national general-secretary Vijay Goel and S.S. Ahluwalia led the rath all the way to the Parliament Street police station, where the party leaders and workers courted arrest.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Manmohan responsible for price rise, says BJP
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has failed to control the spiralling prices of essential commodities and the United Progressive Alliance government is insecure and has misplaced priorities, according to Bharatiya Janata Party's national spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad
“Mr. Singh, who is regarded as a noted economist, has completely failed to control the rampant price rise of essential commodities. Why is it that there is always a price rise whenever there is a Congress-led government at the Centre?” said Mr. Prasad said here on Sunday.
“Prices of essential commodities remained under a tight leash when the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government was in power for six years,” he claimed.
“The government is insecure and has misplaced priorities. It is more concerned instead with banal issues such as attacking actor Amitabh Bachchan for sharing the same podium with Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan,” he said.
Headley issue
Terming the Centre's stand on the Headley affair vapid and a “gross failure of diplomatic initiatives” on its part, Mr. Prasad said, “Headley has named four Pakistani officers as part of the 26/11 conspiracy. Why are only the Karachi and Lahore angles being looked at and the Pakistan Army establishment's direct role in the terrorist strike being ignored.”
“During the course of his two-day dialogue with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi smugly hailed a Pakistan-U.S. ‘partnership'.
So, does the U.S. now endorse Pakistan's sponsorship of terrorism in this ‘alliance',” he said.
Naxal challenge
On the Centre's armed operations to combat naxalism, he said he endorsed an armed offensive against naxals, but the nature of challenge must be well understood and the police action well coordinated.
“Naxals do not believe in capturing power by using constitutional means. They believe that power flows from the barrel of a gun,” he pointed out.
“Mr. Singh, who is regarded as a noted economist, has completely failed to control the rampant price rise of essential commodities. Why is it that there is always a price rise whenever there is a Congress-led government at the Centre?” said Mr. Prasad said here on Sunday.
“Prices of essential commodities remained under a tight leash when the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government was in power for six years,” he claimed.
“The government is insecure and has misplaced priorities. It is more concerned instead with banal issues such as attacking actor Amitabh Bachchan for sharing the same podium with Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan,” he said.
Headley issue
Terming the Centre's stand on the Headley affair vapid and a “gross failure of diplomatic initiatives” on its part, Mr. Prasad said, “Headley has named four Pakistani officers as part of the 26/11 conspiracy. Why are only the Karachi and Lahore angles being looked at and the Pakistan Army establishment's direct role in the terrorist strike being ignored.”
“During the course of his two-day dialogue with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi smugly hailed a Pakistan-U.S. ‘partnership'.
So, does the U.S. now endorse Pakistan's sponsorship of terrorism in this ‘alliance',” he said.
Naxal challenge
On the Centre's armed operations to combat naxalism, he said he endorsed an armed offensive against naxals, but the nature of challenge must be well understood and the police action well coordinated.
“Naxals do not believe in capturing power by using constitutional means. They believe that power flows from the barrel of a gun,” he pointed out.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Sealink row: Amitabh hasn’t committed a crime, says Thackeray
Coming out in defence of old friend Amitabh Bachchan, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray on Saturday said the actor has done nothing wrong by attending the inauguration of the second phase of the Bandra—Worli Sea Link.
“Amitabh hasn’t committed a crime by attending the event,” Mr. Thackeray said in an editorial in party mouthpiece ’Saamana’.
Lambasting Congress for “treating the actor as an untouchable”, Mr. Thackeray said “Shah Rukh Khan, who took cudgels on behalf of Pakistanis, will do for Congress, which is allergic to Amitabh.”
“Amitabh attending the function only added to the prestige of the event,” Mr. Thackeray said on the actor sharing the dias with Congress leaders at the sealink function.
Bachchan is not a thief, dacoit or a terrorist, Mr. Thackeray said.
The presence of Bachchan at the inauguration of second phase of the Sea Link a couple of days back had sparked a controversy with Congress leaders from Mumbai taking objection to Chief Minister Ashok Chavan sharing platform with the actor who is a brand ambassador for BJP-ruled Gujarat.
“Amitabh is targeted because he is brand ambassador of Gujarat. Ambani and Tata who live in Mumbai have invested heavily in Gujarat. Will anyone from Congress ask them why they were investing in Narendra Modi’s Gujarat,” Mr. Thackeray said.
The actor belongs to the nation and will remain so, he said.
“Amitabh hasn’t committed a crime by attending the event,” Mr. Thackeray said in an editorial in party mouthpiece ’Saamana’.
Lambasting Congress for “treating the actor as an untouchable”, Mr. Thackeray said “Shah Rukh Khan, who took cudgels on behalf of Pakistanis, will do for Congress, which is allergic to Amitabh.”
“Amitabh attending the function only added to the prestige of the event,” Mr. Thackeray said on the actor sharing the dias with Congress leaders at the sealink function.
Bachchan is not a thief, dacoit or a terrorist, Mr. Thackeray said.
The presence of Bachchan at the inauguration of second phase of the Sea Link a couple of days back had sparked a controversy with Congress leaders from Mumbai taking objection to Chief Minister Ashok Chavan sharing platform with the actor who is a brand ambassador for BJP-ruled Gujarat.
“Amitabh is targeted because he is brand ambassador of Gujarat. Ambani and Tata who live in Mumbai have invested heavily in Gujarat. Will anyone from Congress ask them why they were investing in Narendra Modi’s Gujarat,” Mr. Thackeray said.
The actor belongs to the nation and will remain so, he said.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Nuclear liability bill deferred in Lok Sabha
Apprehending trouble from opposition, Government on Monday deferred introduction in Lok Sabha of nuclear liability bill which is a key step in operationalisation of the landmark Indo-US nuclear deal.
“I have a request from the Minister Prithviraj Chavan that government does not intend to introduce the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill today,” Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar announced in the House.
The bill was mentioned in the list of business for the day and the government’s decision sparked protests the opposition.
Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj demanded that since the matter was listed, a motion had to be moved for withdrawal of the Bill from the agenda.
The Speaker, however, rejected the demand saying that such a motion cannot be moved as the bill has not been introduced in the House.
Accepting Speaker’s ruling, NDA working chairman L.K. Advani said the government should tell the House why it was not going ahead with introduction of the bill since it has been listed.
The government move came apparently in view of declaration by the Left parties and BJP that they would strongly oppose the proposed legislation.
The bill pegs the maximum amount of liability in case of each nuclear accident at Rs 300 crore to be paid by the operator of the nuclear plant.
However, the draft bill also has provisions that would enable the government to either increase or decrease the amount of liability of any operator.
Mr. Advani said the bill was an important business listed for the day but the government has suddenly decided not to introduce it.
“The government should tell the House why it is not introducing the bill. Government should tell the House whether it has a re-think on it or whether they are not introducing because of opposition to the bill,” he said.
However, there, was no response from the government.
Earlier objecting to the government’s decision, Ms. Swaraj said, “The House does not run by the intention of the government but by rules of the House“.
Left parties
Left parties have dubbed the Bill as “a harmful piece of legislation meant to serve the interests of the United States and its nuclear industry.”
Describing the legislation as “an outcome of the India-US nuclear deal”, they said “the government is seeking to fulfil a hidden commitment to deliver the legislation that safeguards the interests of the United States at the expense of the safety of Indian people“.
The BJP has said that it had “serious reservations” on the bill “since it caps the liability of American firms".
The Left parties said that under the proposed legislation all the liability would fall upon the operator which is state-owned the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL).
The operator’s liability has been fixed at Rs 300 crore, while the overall liability is capped at Rs 2,200 crore. “This means the government will have to foot the bill for the rest of the amount. Since the NPCIL is a public sector enterprise, the whole bill is to be footed by the Indian taxpayer, while the US supplier goes scot-free,” the Left parties said.
The bill was approved by the Union cabinet on November 20 last year.
Enactment of liability law
Enactment of the liability law is one of the three key requirements because of which the Indo-US nuclear deal, concluded in September 2008 could not be operationalised so far. The other two requirements are setting up of a dedicated reprocessing facility under IAEA safeguards and declaration by India on non-proliferation.
National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon had met BJP leader Arun Jaitley last week to brief him about the bill, but the main opposition is yet to have all its concerns addressed.
Mr. Jaitley is understood to have given a list of queries regarding the bill to Mr. Menon but was yet to get any reply.
According to the provisions in the draft legislation, the operator would not be liable for any nuclear damage if the incident was caused by “grave national disaster of exceptional character”, armed conflict or act of terrorism and suffered by person on account of his own negligence.
The bill also provides for establishment of Nuclear Damage Claims Commission, which will have one or more claims commissioners for a specified area.
The claims commissioner shall have all powers of a civil court for the purpose of taking evidence on oath, enforcing attendance of witnesses, compelling the discovery and production of documents and other material objects.
NGO launches campaign against bill
An international NGO has launched an online campaign against the nuclear liability bill alleging that the proposed legislation lets US corporations off the hook for any nuclear accidents they may cause on Indian soil.
The online petition posted by GreenPeace alleges that the UPA government is churning out “one hazardous bill after another“.
“The Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage bill lets US corporations off the hook for any nuclear accidents they cause on Indian soil. They would only have to pay a meagre amount and Indian taxpayers would be stuck paying crores for the nuclear clean up and to compensate the victims,” the petition read.
GreenPeace alleged the government was “appeasing American interests and ignoring our safety“.
The petition also asked the Prime Minister to hold a public consultation before a vote on the bill in Parliament.
“India must hold public consultation before changing the liability rules for any nuclear accidents caused by US corporations,” the petition read.
“I have a request from the Minister Prithviraj Chavan that government does not intend to introduce the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill today,” Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar announced in the House.
The bill was mentioned in the list of business for the day and the government’s decision sparked protests the opposition.
Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj demanded that since the matter was listed, a motion had to be moved for withdrawal of the Bill from the agenda.
The Speaker, however, rejected the demand saying that such a motion cannot be moved as the bill has not been introduced in the House.
Accepting Speaker’s ruling, NDA working chairman L.K. Advani said the government should tell the House why it was not going ahead with introduction of the bill since it has been listed.
The government move came apparently in view of declaration by the Left parties and BJP that they would strongly oppose the proposed legislation.
The bill pegs the maximum amount of liability in case of each nuclear accident at Rs 300 crore to be paid by the operator of the nuclear plant.
However, the draft bill also has provisions that would enable the government to either increase or decrease the amount of liability of any operator.
Mr. Advani said the bill was an important business listed for the day but the government has suddenly decided not to introduce it.
“The government should tell the House why it is not introducing the bill. Government should tell the House whether it has a re-think on it or whether they are not introducing because of opposition to the bill,” he said.
However, there, was no response from the government.
Earlier objecting to the government’s decision, Ms. Swaraj said, “The House does not run by the intention of the government but by rules of the House“.
Left parties
Left parties have dubbed the Bill as “a harmful piece of legislation meant to serve the interests of the United States and its nuclear industry.”
Describing the legislation as “an outcome of the India-US nuclear deal”, they said “the government is seeking to fulfil a hidden commitment to deliver the legislation that safeguards the interests of the United States at the expense of the safety of Indian people“.
The BJP has said that it had “serious reservations” on the bill “since it caps the liability of American firms".
The Left parties said that under the proposed legislation all the liability would fall upon the operator which is state-owned the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL).
The operator’s liability has been fixed at Rs 300 crore, while the overall liability is capped at Rs 2,200 crore. “This means the government will have to foot the bill for the rest of the amount. Since the NPCIL is a public sector enterprise, the whole bill is to be footed by the Indian taxpayer, while the US supplier goes scot-free,” the Left parties said.
The bill was approved by the Union cabinet on November 20 last year.
Enactment of liability law
Enactment of the liability law is one of the three key requirements because of which the Indo-US nuclear deal, concluded in September 2008 could not be operationalised so far. The other two requirements are setting up of a dedicated reprocessing facility under IAEA safeguards and declaration by India on non-proliferation.
National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon had met BJP leader Arun Jaitley last week to brief him about the bill, but the main opposition is yet to have all its concerns addressed.
Mr. Jaitley is understood to have given a list of queries regarding the bill to Mr. Menon but was yet to get any reply.
According to the provisions in the draft legislation, the operator would not be liable for any nuclear damage if the incident was caused by “grave national disaster of exceptional character”, armed conflict or act of terrorism and suffered by person on account of his own negligence.
The bill also provides for establishment of Nuclear Damage Claims Commission, which will have one or more claims commissioners for a specified area.
The claims commissioner shall have all powers of a civil court for the purpose of taking evidence on oath, enforcing attendance of witnesses, compelling the discovery and production of documents and other material objects.
NGO launches campaign against bill
An international NGO has launched an online campaign against the nuclear liability bill alleging that the proposed legislation lets US corporations off the hook for any nuclear accidents they may cause on Indian soil.
The online petition posted by GreenPeace alleges that the UPA government is churning out “one hazardous bill after another“.
“The Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage bill lets US corporations off the hook for any nuclear accidents they cause on Indian soil. They would only have to pay a meagre amount and Indian taxpayers would be stuck paying crores for the nuclear clean up and to compensate the victims,” the petition read.
GreenPeace alleged the government was “appeasing American interests and ignoring our safety“.
The petition also asked the Prime Minister to hold a public consultation before a vote on the bill in Parliament.
“India must hold public consultation before changing the liability rules for any nuclear accidents caused by US corporations,” the petition read.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Centre takes a bow, to hold meet on Bill
The Congress intends to field the finance minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, to hold talks with the advocates of a “quota within quota” for OBCs and minorities on the Women’s Reservation Bill.
Mr Mukherjee, also Leader of the LS will have a delicate task to keep ally Trinamul Congress in good humour as well, after the latter demanded reservations for minorities as part of the Bill, which is also being endorsed by the Samajwadi Party, RJD and Janata Dal (U). The Yadav leaders of these three parties had earlier opposed the Bill in its present form.
Ms Mayawati’s BSP is opposing the Bill for different reasons. Other allies of the Congress, including the DMK, NCP and National Conference, have so far not taken any strong stand regarding minorities and OBCs. The government might feel compelled to modify the Bill only if OBC and minority representatives come out openly against the existing Bill.
Mr Mukherjee, also Leader of the LS will have a delicate task to keep ally Trinamul Congress in good humour as well, after the latter demanded reservations for minorities as part of the Bill, which is also being endorsed by the Samajwadi Party, RJD and Janata Dal (U). The Yadav leaders of these three parties had earlier opposed the Bill in its present form.
Ms Mayawati’s BSP is opposing the Bill for different reasons. Other allies of the Congress, including the DMK, NCP and National Conference, have so far not taken any strong stand regarding minorities and OBCs. The government might feel compelled to modify the Bill only if OBC and minority representatives come out openly against the existing Bill.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Trouble in BJP over Women’s Bill, party decides to issue whip
Trouble is brewing for the Women’s Reservation Bill with a section of BJP MPs in Lok Sabha expressing their opposition to the measure and threatening to vote against it and the party on Thursday decided to crack on the dissenters by issuing a whip to them to back it.
The BJP top brass swung into damage control and decided to issue a whip to its MPs to make them toe the party line.
Facing rebellion, top party leaders including the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley and former party chief Rajnath Singh met the dissenting MPs on Thursday morning and sought to allay their fears over the Bill which seeks to reserve one third of the seats in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies for women.
“We will issue a whip to party MPs when the bill comes up in Lok Sabha,” Ms. Swaraj said after the meeting. Defiance of the whip can attract disqualification provisions against the members. BJP MPs had supported the measure in Rajya Sabha.
Prominent among those opposing the bill are Yogi Adityanath, MP from Gorakhpur, former Union Minister Hukumdeo Narayan Yadav, an old socialist from the Janata Dal parivar, and party’s chief whip in the Lok Sabha Ramesh Bais.
Some of the party MPs are even said to have threatened to vote against the measure when it is taken up in the Lower House. The support of BJP, which has 116 members in Lok Sabha, is crucial for the passage of the Constitutional Amendment Bill.
Mr. Bais, who had maintained on Wednesday that several party MPs had problems with the Bill in its present form and would air their grievances before the senior leaders, today said he had been misunderstood.
Former Union Minister Murli Manohar Joshi said there may have been differences among some sections of the party but once BJP takes a stand everybody will have to go by it.
“In a democratic party, members may have different opinions on an issue and these can be discussed. But on the Bill the party has taken a stand and everybody will have to adhere to it,” he said.
On the issue of a whip to members in the Lok Sabha like it had been done for the party MPs in Rajya Sabha, Mr. Joshi, however, said, “The issue of whether whip should be issued in a democracy is debatable.” Hukumdeo Narayan Yadav, who was said to be one of the main opponents of the Bill in the BJP, did a volte-face on Thursday morning, saying “I was with the BJP decision on supporting the Bill when it came in Rajya Sabha and will abide by the party decision when it comes up in Lok Sabha.Whatever I have to say about the Bill, I will say in the party forum,” he told PTI.
When asked about his earlier stand against the Bill, he said, “The press may have thought that since other Yadavs like Lalu and Mulayam are opposed to the Bill, I would be opposed too. Also because I am a socialist like them. But if I was in agreement with them, I would be in their party and would not have joined BJP.”
Yogi Adityanath, who had earlier also aired his views against the Bill, has warned the party that the measure could be a Congress strategy to divert attention from the BJP agenda of taking on the Government on price rise and internal security.
He may finally toe the party line after senior leaders like Mr. Joshi and Mr. Singh talk to him on the issue.
Meanwhile, some of the firefighters in the party are also hoping that the Government will not bring the Bill in Lok Sabha as it wants the finance Bills to be cleared first.
The BJP top brass swung into damage control and decided to issue a whip to its MPs to make them toe the party line.
Facing rebellion, top party leaders including the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley and former party chief Rajnath Singh met the dissenting MPs on Thursday morning and sought to allay their fears over the Bill which seeks to reserve one third of the seats in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies for women.
“We will issue a whip to party MPs when the bill comes up in Lok Sabha,” Ms. Swaraj said after the meeting. Defiance of the whip can attract disqualification provisions against the members. BJP MPs had supported the measure in Rajya Sabha.
Prominent among those opposing the bill are Yogi Adityanath, MP from Gorakhpur, former Union Minister Hukumdeo Narayan Yadav, an old socialist from the Janata Dal parivar, and party’s chief whip in the Lok Sabha Ramesh Bais.
Some of the party MPs are even said to have threatened to vote against the measure when it is taken up in the Lower House. The support of BJP, which has 116 members in Lok Sabha, is crucial for the passage of the Constitutional Amendment Bill.
Mr. Bais, who had maintained on Wednesday that several party MPs had problems with the Bill in its present form and would air their grievances before the senior leaders, today said he had been misunderstood.
Former Union Minister Murli Manohar Joshi said there may have been differences among some sections of the party but once BJP takes a stand everybody will have to go by it.
“In a democratic party, members may have different opinions on an issue and these can be discussed. But on the Bill the party has taken a stand and everybody will have to adhere to it,” he said.
On the issue of a whip to members in the Lok Sabha like it had been done for the party MPs in Rajya Sabha, Mr. Joshi, however, said, “The issue of whether whip should be issued in a democracy is debatable.” Hukumdeo Narayan Yadav, who was said to be one of the main opponents of the Bill in the BJP, did a volte-face on Thursday morning, saying “I was with the BJP decision on supporting the Bill when it came in Rajya Sabha and will abide by the party decision when it comes up in Lok Sabha.Whatever I have to say about the Bill, I will say in the party forum,” he told PTI.
When asked about his earlier stand against the Bill, he said, “The press may have thought that since other Yadavs like Lalu and Mulayam are opposed to the Bill, I would be opposed too. Also because I am a socialist like them. But if I was in agreement with them, I would be in their party and would not have joined BJP.”
Yogi Adityanath, who had earlier also aired his views against the Bill, has warned the party that the measure could be a Congress strategy to divert attention from the BJP agenda of taking on the Government on price rise and internal security.
He may finally toe the party line after senior leaders like Mr. Joshi and Mr. Singh talk to him on the issue.
Meanwhile, some of the firefighters in the party are also hoping that the Government will not bring the Bill in Lok Sabha as it wants the finance Bills to be cleared first.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
BJP fears Congress running away with all credit
The Bharatiya Janata Party is busy trying to take maximum credit for the passage of the Women's Reservation Bill by the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday even as it openly expressed fears that the Congress would run away with expected positive political fallout.
Leaders of the Opposition in the two Houses of Parliament, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, made it plain they took the initiative to ensure support from almost all the parties of the National Democratic Alliance (minus a section of the Janata Dal – United) and they also insisted on a proper debate and order at the time of voting.
They criticised the vandalism in the Rajya Sabha by those opposing the Bill and claimed it was their initiative that prevented a possible disgraceful presence of marshals in the House during the vote on the Bill.
“The uprooting of microphones, the climbing on the podium of the Chairman was shameful behaviour,” said Ms. Swaraj even as she criticised the Congress for not consulting and taking on board parties of the Opposition that were supporting the Bill. “We learnt from newspapers that the women's Bill constitutional amendment was being brought in in the Rajya Sabha on Monday,” she said. “All that has somewhat clouded my happiness on the passing of the Bill.”
The BJP's charge was that the government was inclined to put the Bill to vote without a debate, which would have also been disgraceful. Mr. Jaitley made the point that it was the BJP that had insisted on a proper debate, after which other parties took the same view. It was also the BJP that objected to presence of marshals when the division was called out and members asked to vote.
The party was also categorical in maintaining that it was committed to this piece of legislation that took to its logical conclusion the process that had begun with reservation for women in panchayats and local bodies. Ms. Swaraj recalled that way back in 1994 after the reservation was provided for women in local bodies, the BJP national council meeting in Vadodara had adopted a resolution supporting political reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies. The resolution was moved by the then party president, L.K. Advani, and pushed through without a debate.
Ms. Swaraj also recalled that when she was Parliamentary Affairs Minister in the Vajpayee government and met the then Leader of the Opposition, Sonia Gandhi, for support for the Bill, Ms. Gandhi had assured her: “I will fully support you. It was my husband's dream.”
Mr. Jaitley was vocal in his support for the principle of rotation of reserved seats envisaged in the Bill and said it would usher in a social revolution, preparing the ground for women leaders throughout the country.
And above all, the party received the go-ahead from its new president Nitin Gadkari, who had called a meeting of the party's core committee to send a strong message to the party cadre that the Bill must be supported by the BJP.
Leaders of the Opposition in the two Houses of Parliament, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, made it plain they took the initiative to ensure support from almost all the parties of the National Democratic Alliance (minus a section of the Janata Dal – United) and they also insisted on a proper debate and order at the time of voting.
They criticised the vandalism in the Rajya Sabha by those opposing the Bill and claimed it was their initiative that prevented a possible disgraceful presence of marshals in the House during the vote on the Bill.
“The uprooting of microphones, the climbing on the podium of the Chairman was shameful behaviour,” said Ms. Swaraj even as she criticised the Congress for not consulting and taking on board parties of the Opposition that were supporting the Bill. “We learnt from newspapers that the women's Bill constitutional amendment was being brought in in the Rajya Sabha on Monday,” she said. “All that has somewhat clouded my happiness on the passing of the Bill.”
The BJP's charge was that the government was inclined to put the Bill to vote without a debate, which would have also been disgraceful. Mr. Jaitley made the point that it was the BJP that had insisted on a proper debate, after which other parties took the same view. It was also the BJP that objected to presence of marshals when the division was called out and members asked to vote.
The party was also categorical in maintaining that it was committed to this piece of legislation that took to its logical conclusion the process that had begun with reservation for women in panchayats and local bodies. Ms. Swaraj recalled that way back in 1994 after the reservation was provided for women in local bodies, the BJP national council meeting in Vadodara had adopted a resolution supporting political reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies. The resolution was moved by the then party president, L.K. Advani, and pushed through without a debate.
Ms. Swaraj also recalled that when she was Parliamentary Affairs Minister in the Vajpayee government and met the then Leader of the Opposition, Sonia Gandhi, for support for the Bill, Ms. Gandhi had assured her: “I will fully support you. It was my husband's dream.”
Mr. Jaitley was vocal in his support for the principle of rotation of reserved seats envisaged in the Bill and said it would usher in a social revolution, preparing the ground for women leaders throughout the country.
And above all, the party received the go-ahead from its new president Nitin Gadkari, who had called a meeting of the party's core committee to send a strong message to the party cadre that the Bill must be supported by the BJP.
Monday, March 8, 2010
BJP not to vote on Women’s Bill sans debate
In the wake of frequent disruptions in Rajya Sabha over the Women’s Reservation Bill, the BJP on Monday criticised the Government for “not having a strategy” for its passage and indicated that it will not vote on the measure if it is held without a debate.
“The Government should have a roadmap and strategy for passing such an important Bill. We are not in favour of passing such a vital Bill without a discussion. It (a discussion) is a requirement for a Constitutional Amendment as the basic structure of the Constitution will change,” Deputy Leader of BJP in Rajya Sabha S.S. Ahluwalia said.
He maintained that unlike an ordinary legislation, a Constitutional Amendment requires discussion and division of votes.
BJP sources insisted that passing such an important Bill without any discussion in a way dents its legitimacy even though the numbers are overwhelmingly in favour of the Bill with the Left parties and the Congress supporting it.
The main opposition also sought to put the blame for the pandemonium in the Upper House to lack of strategy on part of the UPA coalition and its attempt to take “all the credit” for passing the important legislation.
“The Government should have a roadmap and strategy for passing such an important Bill. We are not in favour of passing such a vital Bill without a discussion. It (a discussion) is a requirement for a Constitutional Amendment as the basic structure of the Constitution will change,” Deputy Leader of BJP in Rajya Sabha S.S. Ahluwalia said.
He maintained that unlike an ordinary legislation, a Constitutional Amendment requires discussion and division of votes.
BJP sources insisted that passing such an important Bill without any discussion in a way dents its legitimacy even though the numbers are overwhelmingly in favour of the Bill with the Left parties and the Congress supporting it.
The main opposition also sought to put the blame for the pandemonium in the Upper House to lack of strategy on part of the UPA coalition and its attempt to take “all the credit” for passing the important legislation.
A political blunder: Lalu
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad on Sunday declared that the Women's Reservation Bill was ‘a political blunder' and a conspiracy hatched by the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party to suppress representation of women from the backward classes.
Talking to journalists before leaving for Delhi to elicit support against the passage of the Bill, Mr. Prasad said: “Why only 33 per cent? I am for 50 per cent reservation for women if you like. But you cannot ignore the interests of women belonging to Other Backward Classes [OBC], Scheduled Castes [SC], Scheduled Tribes [ST] and backward sections of the Muslim community.”
“Women like Sushma Swaraj never needed a ‘reservation plank' to reach the top. It proves that the proposed Bill will only serve to further the interests of the elite classes.”
Severely censuring Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's U-turn on the Bill, Mr. Prasad remarked that he had been a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee in 1997 to examine the Bill, and had submitted a note of dissent then.
Dubbing Mr. Kumar a bahurupiya (one who changes colours), Mr. Prasad said the Chief Minister's opportunistic tactics were merely to appease his alliance partner, the BJP.
Commenting that the RJD would not give up the fight to oppose the Bill, Mr. Prasad said: “We will fight it tooth and nail and are even prepared to be marshalled out for that matter.”
Further, he revealed that certain top leaders from the BJP and the Congress were in constant touch with him and told him if their parties had not issued the whip they would have voted against the Bill.
Stating that the Centre did not have the guts to implement the Ranganath Mishra and the Sachar Panel reports, Mr. Prasad said the renewed focus on Women's Bill was a “diversionary tactic” to draw attention away from real issues.
Talking to journalists before leaving for Delhi to elicit support against the passage of the Bill, Mr. Prasad said: “Why only 33 per cent? I am for 50 per cent reservation for women if you like. But you cannot ignore the interests of women belonging to Other Backward Classes [OBC], Scheduled Castes [SC], Scheduled Tribes [ST] and backward sections of the Muslim community.”
“Women like Sushma Swaraj never needed a ‘reservation plank' to reach the top. It proves that the proposed Bill will only serve to further the interests of the elite classes.”
Severely censuring Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's U-turn on the Bill, Mr. Prasad remarked that he had been a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee in 1997 to examine the Bill, and had submitted a note of dissent then.
Dubbing Mr. Kumar a bahurupiya (one who changes colours), Mr. Prasad said the Chief Minister's opportunistic tactics were merely to appease his alliance partner, the BJP.
Commenting that the RJD would not give up the fight to oppose the Bill, Mr. Prasad said: “We will fight it tooth and nail and are even prepared to be marshalled out for that matter.”
Further, he revealed that certain top leaders from the BJP and the Congress were in constant touch with him and told him if their parties had not issued the whip they would have voted against the Bill.
Stating that the Centre did not have the guts to implement the Ranganath Mishra and the Sachar Panel reports, Mr. Prasad said the renewed focus on Women's Bill was a “diversionary tactic” to draw attention away from real issues.
Friday, March 5, 2010
BJP urges Manmohan to introduce Bill on Telangana
Expressing concern over continuing violence and protests in Andhra Pradesh over the Telangana issue, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to immediately bring a Bill in Parliament to pave the way for creation of a separate State to help defuse the volatile situation in the southern State.
Stating that the BJP would fully support the Bill in Parliament, senior party leader Venkaiah Naidu criticised the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government for adopting a “casual approach” while dealing with the “burning issue.”
“Students are committing suicide… there are protests and bandhs everyday that is hurting the life and business in the progressive State. The Centre should take all political parties into confidence and create the separate State without any further delay,” he said in the Rajya Sabha while taking part in the discussion on Motion of Thanks to the President's Address.
Questioning the logic behind the constitution of Justice Srikrishna Committee, Mr. Naidu said that instead of putting the issue on a “pause” mode, the Centre should take a bold step and facilitate the early creation of the separate state. Criticising Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram for his hasty announcement that a Telangana state would be formed — which led to all kinds of trouble — he urged the Prime Minister to pay “personal attention” to the issue and talk to all parties for restoring normality to Andhra Pradesh.
BJP MP Prakash Javadekar, while raising the issue during zero hour in the Rajya Sabha, said his party was committed to statehood for Telangana and citied examples of the three States of Jharkhand, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh that were created during the NDA regime without any hassles.
Stating that the BJP would fully support the Bill in Parliament, senior party leader Venkaiah Naidu criticised the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government for adopting a “casual approach” while dealing with the “burning issue.”
“Students are committing suicide… there are protests and bandhs everyday that is hurting the life and business in the progressive State. The Centre should take all political parties into confidence and create the separate State without any further delay,” he said in the Rajya Sabha while taking part in the discussion on Motion of Thanks to the President's Address.
Questioning the logic behind the constitution of Justice Srikrishna Committee, Mr. Naidu said that instead of putting the issue on a “pause” mode, the Centre should take a bold step and facilitate the early creation of the separate state. Criticising Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram for his hasty announcement that a Telangana state would be formed — which led to all kinds of trouble — he urged the Prime Minister to pay “personal attention” to the issue and talk to all parties for restoring normality to Andhra Pradesh.
BJP MP Prakash Javadekar, while raising the issue during zero hour in the Rajya Sabha, said his party was committed to statehood for Telangana and citied examples of the three States of Jharkhand, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh that were created during the NDA regime without any hassles.
Centre keen on pushing through women's Bill
On March 8, the hundredth anniversary of International Women's Day, the government intends to push through the long-pending women's reservation Bill in the Rajya Sabha to give women 33 per cent reservation in the Lok Sabha and the State Assemblies.
Four hours have been allotted for consideration and passing of this Bill by the Rajya Sabha Business Advisory Committee meeting here on Thursday; Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal has indicated that he will make an announcement in Parliament on Friday on the government's intention to bring the Bill to the Upper House on Monday.
A strong political green signal came on Thursday from Congress president and chairman of its parliamentary party Sonia Gandhi, who told her party MPs that she attached the “highest importance” to the women's reservation Bill and it would take forward the former Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi's dream of women's empowerment. What a gift it would be if in the centenary year of International Women's Day the Bill were to be passed, she said.
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj was equally enthusiastic. She said the Bharatiya Janata Party would certainly issue a three-line whip to ensure that all its MPS were present and voted in favour of the Bill.
From the left of the political spectrum, Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M) suggested at the BAC meeting that the House pass the Bill without a debate or discussion. The idea, it seems, is to give no time to the handful of legislators opposed to the Bill to prevent the House from expressing its will on this legislation.
The government strategy, parliamentary sources indicated, was to ensure that those in favour of the Bill — from the Congress, the BJP, the Left and several other parties — remain in the seats allotted to them and press the buttons signalling a “yea' in favour of the piece of legislation as soon as division is asked for and it is put to vote. The projected numbers show a comfortable two-thirds majority for the Bill as required for a Constitution amendment.
The BJP is not too worried that the Bill could expose the recently demonstrated Opposition unity on the prices front. “It is an issue-based unity and if on the women's issue we are on the same side of the government, and some of our supporters on the prices issue like the Samajwadi Party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Janata Dal (United) take a different stand, it does not matter at all,” Ms. Swaraj said.
Four hours have been allotted for consideration and passing of this Bill by the Rajya Sabha Business Advisory Committee meeting here on Thursday; Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal has indicated that he will make an announcement in Parliament on Friday on the government's intention to bring the Bill to the Upper House on Monday.
A strong political green signal came on Thursday from Congress president and chairman of its parliamentary party Sonia Gandhi, who told her party MPs that she attached the “highest importance” to the women's reservation Bill and it would take forward the former Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi's dream of women's empowerment. What a gift it would be if in the centenary year of International Women's Day the Bill were to be passed, she said.
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj was equally enthusiastic. She said the Bharatiya Janata Party would certainly issue a three-line whip to ensure that all its MPS were present and voted in favour of the Bill.
From the left of the political spectrum, Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M) suggested at the BAC meeting that the House pass the Bill without a debate or discussion. The idea, it seems, is to give no time to the handful of legislators opposed to the Bill to prevent the House from expressing its will on this legislation.
The government strategy, parliamentary sources indicated, was to ensure that those in favour of the Bill — from the Congress, the BJP, the Left and several other parties — remain in the seats allotted to them and press the buttons signalling a “yea' in favour of the piece of legislation as soon as division is asked for and it is put to vote. The projected numbers show a comfortable two-thirds majority for the Bill as required for a Constitution amendment.
The BJP is not too worried that the Bill could expose the recently demonstrated Opposition unity on the prices front. “It is an issue-based unity and if on the women's issue we are on the same side of the government, and some of our supporters on the prices issue like the Samajwadi Party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Janata Dal (United) take a different stand, it does not matter at all,” Ms. Swaraj said.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Opposition walks out of Assembly
The Opposition parties including the Telugu Desam, the CPI, the CPM and the BJP walked out of the Andhra Pradesh Assembly on Thursday alleging large-scale diversion of funds earmarked under SC, ST sub-plans for the state.
The Praja Rajyam and Lok Satta too registered their protest on the issue even as the Congress government was caught on the defensive.
The matter was raised by senior Congress MLA, Mr D.L. Ravindra Reddy, who pointed out that the SC, ST sub-plan was not being implemented properly in the state.
He also referred to the Planning Commission of India's report that found fault with the state government for not utilising the sub-plan funds properly.
The MLAs from the Opposition joined chorus on the issue and cornered the government saying there was large-scale diversion of funds meant for SCs and STs.
"In the last five years more than Rs 10,000 crore earmarked under SC, ST sub-plans remained unspent. The amount spent were used for irrelevant works like construction of
Hyderabad Outer Ring Road, improvement of Hussainsagar lake, development of Krishnapatnam port and other works," said the leader of the Opposition, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu.
Of the Rs 5,000 crore allotted for SC welfare during the current fiscal, only 32 per cent were utilised, he said.
The Praja Rajyam leader, Mr K. Chiranjeevi, lamented that SC, ST students were languishing without basic facilities in government-run hostels due to diversion of funds.
The CPI, CPM and BJP MLAs too pointed out to the gross diversion of SC, ST funds and demanded that the government come out with a clear assurance on proper utilisation of these amounts meant exclusively for welfare and development of these sections.
Mr Naidu demanded that the Chief Minister convene a meeting with SC, ST legislators to look into the issue and take immediate corrective action.
When the Chief Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, did not respond, the Opposition MLAs staged a walk out from the House while the Praja Rajyam and the Lok Satta members registered their protest.
Later, the Chief Minister criticised the Opposition parties, particularly the TD, for trying to "talk like
champions of SCs and STs."
"It is only the Congress that always cared for the welfare and development of SCs and STs and we shall remain committed to them," Mr Rosaiah said.
The leader of the House, Mrs J. Geeta Reddy, took a dig at TD saying, "Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones at others."
The Praja Rajyam and Lok Satta too registered their protest on the issue even as the Congress government was caught on the defensive.
The matter was raised by senior Congress MLA, Mr D.L. Ravindra Reddy, who pointed out that the SC, ST sub-plan was not being implemented properly in the state.
He also referred to the Planning Commission of India's report that found fault with the state government for not utilising the sub-plan funds properly.
The MLAs from the Opposition joined chorus on the issue and cornered the government saying there was large-scale diversion of funds meant for SCs and STs.
"In the last five years more than Rs 10,000 crore earmarked under SC, ST sub-plans remained unspent. The amount spent were used for irrelevant works like construction of
Hyderabad Outer Ring Road, improvement of Hussainsagar lake, development of Krishnapatnam port and other works," said the leader of the Opposition, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu.
Of the Rs 5,000 crore allotted for SC welfare during the current fiscal, only 32 per cent were utilised, he said.
The Praja Rajyam leader, Mr K. Chiranjeevi, lamented that SC, ST students were languishing without basic facilities in government-run hostels due to diversion of funds.
The CPI, CPM and BJP MLAs too pointed out to the gross diversion of SC, ST funds and demanded that the government come out with a clear assurance on proper utilisation of these amounts meant exclusively for welfare and development of these sections.
Mr Naidu demanded that the Chief Minister convene a meeting with SC, ST legislators to look into the issue and take immediate corrective action.
When the Chief Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, did not respond, the Opposition MLAs staged a walk out from the House while the Praja Rajyam and the Lok Satta members registered their protest.
Later, the Chief Minister criticised the Opposition parties, particularly the TD, for trying to "talk like
champions of SCs and STs."
"It is only the Congress that always cared for the welfare and development of SCs and STs and we shall remain committed to them," Mr Rosaiah said.
The leader of the House, Mrs J. Geeta Reddy, took a dig at TD saying, "Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones at others."
