Uttar Pradesh Now

Lucknow Santa Claus is not well

2010-12-26T04:58:00.000-08:00

By Dilip Awasthi
Lucknow’s own Santa Claus is not well. The winning smile has turned into quizzical wide-eyed gaze. The eloquent, witty orator who could hold huge crowds across the country spellbound now makes futile attempts to mumble something but then raises his hands helplessly and quietly slumps back into his wheel chair. This Christmas, Atal Bihari Vajpayee will be 86.

All those politicians and friends, who are still in touch, recall their recent meetings with him to remember him fondly. Says Lalji Tandon, who succeeded him as the local BJP MP, “ He takes his time to recognize you but cannot talk coherently.” Tandon, his campaign manager in all elections, met him just a fortnight ago. He stared at Tandon for a while and then just laughed. “Doctors don’t allow many meetings unless senior leaders turn up”, says Shiv Kumar, his private secretary for 40 years, who still runs the ex-PM’s residential office. “There are 20-30 visitors each day,”says Shiv Kumar.

Lucknow has been dear to him always. Here he won five consecutive elections from 1991 to 2004. Just a couple of public meetings on each occasion fetched him huge victory margins. In 2004 he won with a margin of 37% votes against Samajwadi Party’s Madhu Gupta. His electoral opponents have been heavy-weights like Dr Karan Singh, Raj Babbar and Muzzaffar Ali. In 1996 he won from Gandhinagar (Gujarat) also but retained Lucknow as his seat.

As an MP from the state capital and as the Prime Minister, Vajpayee indeed proved to be Lucknow’s Santa Claus. Developmental works worth over Rs 25,000 crore guaranteed a new sheen to Lucknow. Most foundation plaques would display his name most projects including four to six-laned highways development, metro or memo rail concepts and projects, a web of power substations, several beautification schemes bear his stamp. For almost two decade (1991-2009) Atalji, as he was fondly referred to, has been integral part of Lucknow’s life.

Rajesh Pande, a former BJP MLA and Atalj’s election manager in Lucknow, fondly remembers his famous repartee during 1996 Lok Sabha election campaign. When somebody presented him a garland during his election campaign, “Arey bhai haar nahin, mai jeet lene aayaa hoon…” Vajpayee could devastate his critics with his oratory skills. During 1998 elections Jan Sangh leader Balraj Madhok called Vajpayee a “dual-faced politicians”, a “slippery person”and a “liar” in a campaign meeting in the city. Journalists rushed to Atalji for his reaction. There emerged the well-known mischevious smile, a pause and then, “….wo mere bahut senior hein….” And everybody in the room broke into laughter.

Atalji last visited Lucknow in October 2006, this time on a wheel chair. His health was failing but he still campaigned for BJP mayoral candidate Dinesh Sharma, His visit did turn the election in Sharma’s favour. Recalls Mayor Sharma, who met him a month ago, “I will always be indebted to him that despite his physical condition, he campaigned for me.” Present Lucknow MP Lalji Tandon contested and won the 2009 elections on Atalji’s signed appeal to Lucknowites.

These days, Atalji’s days, tells Shiv Kumar, are restricted to his Delhi house. Doctors are in attendance of the former PM throughout. He goes through a physiotherapy session in the morning and a general check-up in the evening. He watches TV for a while in the evening a meets senior leaders if there is an appointment. Shiv Kumar says L.K. Advani, Nitin Gatkari, Rajnath Singh keep visiting Atalji. But for infection he suffered in February 2009 for he was put on the ventilator in the ICU of AIIMS, there has been no serious cause of concern. He has lost weight. His responses are dulled and senses are failing. It all is age-related, says Tandon. But the legendary statesman, who could praise Nehru or Indira Gandhi and upset the RSS-BJP cadres, can still smile….

Congress working on Rahul formula for ‘viable’ candidates

2010-12-26T04:46:00.000-08:00

By Dilip Awasthi
Lucknow:
Rahul Gandhi’s grand plan for Uttar Pradesh is unfolding now. The Congress general secretary’s handpicked AICC volunteers have launched a massive hunt to short-list ‘winnable’ candidates for 2012 U.P. assembly elections. All these volunteers are drawn from different states so that only ‘merit’ prevails. They will report directly to Rahul.

The 10 volunteers have been allotted around 40 assembly constituencies each so that all the 403 seats are covered. They are traveling through their respective areas and interacting at the grass-root level. Their brief is to suggest a panel of three to five candidates for each seat in the order of `viability’. They have to go into the logistics of past elections and make final recommendations in the prescribed AICC format. The deadline is March 31, 2011.

The AICC instructions issued to these observers by general secretary Digvijaya Singh, also incharge of U.P., categorically state: “You have to submit your report directly to Shri Rahul Gandhi in a closed cover marked as `Confidential’….. The report is not to be shared with any other in the AICC or PCC.” Explains Singh, “The idea is to let Rahulji have an unadulterated feel of the ground.”

The observers have been drawn from different states. Three are from MP, two each from Mumbai and Delhi and one each from Rajasthan, Haryana and Gujarat. The instructions say: “Instead of meeting the workers in the circuit house, you should try to meet/contact commen people and take their opinion about the most viable candidates.” The observers are supposed to attend village chaupals (informal meetings) organized by the prospective candidates and make their assessment based on the spot feedback.

Most of these observers have already finished the first round. Some are into their third leg and already have had interim interaction with Rahul Gandhi. Muzzaffar Hussain, a Congress MLC from Mumbai has held more than 80 chaupals in eight eastern U.P. districts between November 15 and December 16. The district Congress President, the MP, MLAs of the area are invariably present in these chaupals. Says PL Punia Congress MP from Bara Banki, who has been attending these chaupals, “ You cannot fib in these chaupals. If you are popular it shows.”

The exercise has been happening simultaneously in other parts. Says Congress Legislature Party chief Pramod Tewari, “ The idea is to finish this homework and have final lists ready by May, 2011.” But obviously these AICC observers are having a tough time navigating through vested interests, pulls and pushes of the local leaders. Congress tickets have been traditionally decided through lobbying or pressure tactics. Says PCC chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi, “ This exercise will give us a fair and unbiased base to work on. The intention is to get the best possible candidates.”

The last point of the AICC instructions is even more unnerving for the local leaders. The circular states: “If there is a powerful and popular person, who is not as yet with the Congress Party, you should try to win him over….”

Samajwadi Party Amar Rahe…..

2010-01-28T04:32:00.000-08:00

By Dilip Awasthi
Lucknow:
The dazzling showcase of Samajwadi Party’s official website is awaiting a major revamp. At least three portraits of the nine high-profile leaders displayed on the welcome page have to be marked for deletion. The changes in store may help emergence of an unadulterated socialist face, which the party once claimed to represent.

For a change let’s not talk of Amar Singh and his plans. Let’s just stick to discussing the Samajwadi Party’s gains and losses in his adventurous company. Amar Singh’s contributions to the SP were visibly registered on August 29, 2003, the day Mulayam Singh took oath for his third term. Vastly in disagreement with the party’s pro-poor ideology, he added the tinsel town glitter and he brought a group of industrialists in close contact of the former chief minister. His third major contribution was that he was the articulate face of the party in Delhi hobnobbing with rival parties, striking political and other deals and handling media with his typical bluster.

All the three contributions boomeranged. The stars including the Bachchan family created a gulf between the “dhartiputra Mulayam” and his supporters at large, who could see him from a distance only. Amar Singh’s move to blindly back Jayaprada in Rampur elections infuriated party’s most known Muslim face Azam Khan, who quit just after the Lok Sabha elections. His decision to bring in Kalyan Singh in the SP cost “Maulana” Mulayam Singh, popular Muslim support and leaders like Azam, Saleem Sherwani, Shafiqur Rehman Berq, Shahid Siddiqui and Afzal Ansari. Even Mulayam’s trusted lieutenants like Beni Prasad Verma, Raj Babber, Naresh Agarwal and at least a dozen more left SP protesting against Amar Singh’s domineering ways.

Amar Singh’s political wheeling-dealing also cost SP and Mulayam dearly. The party reached a dead end as far as its rapport with Congress Party is concerned. Sonia would surely like to have Amar Singh in her foe-list. It was because of him that Sonia could not come to power even after bringing down the Atal Behari Vajpayee government in April 1999. After dashing Congress hopes of garnering “secular” support, Amar took a dig at Sonia, “ Main Banungi Raani, Tum bharo paani, aisey kaisey chalegaa?”

Then again in 2009 Amar Singh was instrumental in scuttling an almost certain Congress -SP alliance. “The Congress was seeking to contest just 22 seats to which he (Amar) did not agree”, says Naresh Agarwal, now BSP general secretary, who along with Saleem Sherwani quit SP after its decision not to have an alliance with the Congress. The Congress won 21 seats in 2009 Lok Sabha elections just two less than SP’s 23.

Amar Singh’s industrialists’ club, which included Anil Ambani, Adi and Parmeshwar Godrej, Kumar Manglam Birla, L.K Khaitan, Subrato Roy Sahara formed the UP Development Council with Singh as its chairman. It held some star-studded meetings with Amitabh Bachchan as the brand ambassador. The council promised to bring in investments of Rs 4000 crore and developing 15000 acres of industrial area but nothing happened on the ground. To add to Mulayam’s woes was the telephone-tap in February 2006, which had him and Amar Singh discussing settling sugar prices to suit the sugar lobby, ways and means to “manage” judiciary and other embarrassing issues.

The losses are far greater than the numbers reflect. Conceding 35 of the total 36 Vidhan Parishad elections held on January 7 or a massive shortfall of 18 Lok Sabha seats in 2009 are serious warnings. Oblivious as he has been until Amar Singh’s fourth resignation on January 6, there were enough and more red signals on the way for party chief Mulayam Singh.

The party lost 46 Vidhan Sabha seats in 2007,which resulted in a big way in bring BSP to power. There have been desertions galore. Party’s support base is shaken to the hilt. Mulayam’s daughter-in-law Dimple Yadav’s defeat in Firozabad byelection in November 2009 at the hands of Congress’s Raj Babber by 85,000 votes proves this beyond doubt. Mulayam Singh chose to ignore all.

But when he ignored his cousin Ram Gopal Yadav’s diatribe against Amar Singh as an aftermath of Firozabad defeat, Amar Singh was offended and reminded of his “failing health”. According to Ram Gopal, grass root party workers are euphoric after Amar’s resignation. There are several party leaders who share his views and believe that Mulayam Singh has the capacity to bounce back to his past glory. At best he would need an eloquent party spokesman in Delhi and return of some of the stalwarts who deserted the party because of Amar Singh. Azam Khan does not rule this out. “In politics doors are never closed for ever”, he says philosophically. But Mulayam should get over and out with Amar Singh or reinvent the party’s chant to: “Samajwadi Party Amar Rahe….”

Growing old but not wiser

2009-06-09T06:08:00.000-07:00

By Dilip Awasthi

1934, 1936, 1941 and 45 are not the participating models of a vintage car rally. In a world obsessed with youth, these are the entries in the year column of the frontline state BJP leaders.

Like in case of women, never ask the age of a BJP state leader. It will be a waste of time as a truthful answer is unlikely to come. In this age of information, it took a collective effort of three days to figure out the dates of birth of senior BJP state leaders. The reactions in the party office ranged from a confused “but what has happened….?” or a panicky “Is everthing allright?..” to the lame execuse “we don’t maintain such records…”.

At a stage when the Congress is celeberating the rise of 1971 born Rahul Gandhi and even Mulayam Singh Yadav is pinning hopes of his party’s future on his son Akhilesh (1973), who has been made the state party chief , the BJP seems to have run out of young blood in its ranks. Its playing eleven has proved infirm and incapable and the benches in the dugout are empty.

It all starts at the top with 1927 born LK Advani, who certainly would not like tobe referred to as prime minsietr still-in-waiting in 2012. It percolates down to Uttar Pradesh, the state which brought the BJP in political limelight in the late 1990s. The age list of party’s torch-bearers reads Keshari Nath Tripathi (1934), Lalji Tandon (1936), Kalraj Misra (1941), Om Prakash Singh (1945), national president Rajnath Singh and state president Dr Ramapati Ram Tripathi (both 1951) and Vinay Katiyar (both 1959). The list of state-level leaders virtually ends here.

They all are having a slippery relationship with time. Some of them are already puffing and panting. The rest would be knocking 55-60 and will join the superannuated club by 2012 when the state will have Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections together. The party office will be reminiscent of a geriatric ward by then. “An old head doesn’t always mean a wise one”, reflects a BJP well-wisher.

What is sad is that no one in the party seems to admit this. In a stock-talking meeting to analyse the Lok Sabha debacle, the state leaders concluded that the party had increased its voteshare. Just look at the figures to appreciate this audacity. The party could win just 10 seats and polled 17.5%, which is 0.5% more than 2007 Vidhan Sabha elections. They are celebrating this but convieniently choose to forget that the party polled 22.1% in 2004 Lok Sabha elections for a similar number of seats.

The party’s dismal performance is also proved by the fact that only 11 of its candidates finished as runners up and 30 were at number three whereas as many as 32 forfeited their deposit. In 2004 as many as 21 BJP candidates were runners up and 31 finished at number three whereas just 20 lost their security money.

That the party has run out of ideas and young state level leaders is proved by the decisions which it has been taking at crucial junctures. In 1999 when it had to replace towering Kalyan Singh as the chief minister, the best they could manage was 1923 born late Ram Prakash Gupta, who was 76 then. Yet again after the 2007 Vidhan Sabha humiliation when the party wanted to replace Keshari Nath Tripathi (1934) as the state president, the saffron archives could only yield Dr Ramapati Tam Tripathi, a 1951 born homeopathic doctor, who had been an unsung party general secretary for 11 years.

Now again a reshuffle is said to be in offing. In the absence of a second line, how many candles will be on the cake is anyone’s guess.

Turning Gandhigiri into Netagiri

2009-03-19T08:07:00.000-07:00

Lucknow, March 19, 2009: Supreme court's decision on his petition must be giving Sanjay Dutt sleepless nights these days. The fate of his dream to switch over to `netagiri' from `gandhigiri' depends on the petition wherein he has requested the court to allow him to contest Lok Sabha elections from Lucknow.

"Dua kijiyega, supreme court ka faisla mere haq mein ho," urged actor Sanjay Dutt, the supposed candidate from Samajwadi Party (SP) for the high-profile Lucknow parliamentary seat. He said this at Lucknow's Aishbagh Eidgah on March 16 during a 45-minute long informal meet with several Sunni clerics.

Accompanied by Rajya Sabha member from SP, Virendra Bhatia, Dutt claimed that there was no official or political agenda of the meeting. However, the actor was at his best in terms of mannerism and language with the obvious aim of winning over Muslims who form 24. % of the electorate in Lucknow.

Sipping a cup of lemon tea at the Aishbagh Eidgah, Dutt spoke of what his parents taught him of religion. "Ma and Papa always said that one should respect all religions. It is for this reason, that I visit all places of worship to seek blessings," said the actor.

He may be a beginner in politics, but Sanjay Dutt seems to be learning his lessons fast. On his fourth trip to Lucknow, a more politically mature Munna Bhai visited the Samajwadi Party's district headquarters in Kaiserbagh to attend a Holi Milan samaroh and interacted with the party workers from the grass-roots level.

What showcased an interesting mix of his maturity as a politician and skills of a good actor, was the manner in which Sanju Baba managed to avoid a controversies by spontaneously improvising on a slip during his address that caused quite a few heads to turn. Speaking on senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Lalji Tandon's remarks that he is an outsider, an emphatic Sanjay Dutt questioned the very basis on which the remark was made.

"Main bahar ka nahin hoon. Hum sab Hindu hain..."(I am not an outsider. We all are Hindus...), said Dutt, sounding like a staunch saffron leader. His statement did create a murmur leaving some of the senior party leaders sharing the dais him visibly uncomfortable. Apparently taking the cue, Dutt hastened to repeat: "...Hum sab Hindustani hain," (We all are Hindustanis) much to the relief of his political mentors around him.

From here on, he spoke like a seasoned neta and when asked to comment on Tandon, who is BJP’s candidate in Lucknow in place of Atal Behari Vajpai, said: "Woh bahut hi varisht neta hain....humare bare hain....hum unka samman karte hain...(He is a very senior politician....he is my elder....I respect him a lot)."

Dutt spent more than a couple of hours interacting with party workers on a one-to-one basis, in between smiling for lensmen and his fans-cum-party workers who sought a chance to stand beside their Bollywood hero for a quick photo session. Addressing the party workers, Sanjay Dutt confidently outlined their role at the grass-root level and went on to declare that a leader owes his existence to party workers.

His speech was greeted with obvious applause when Munna Bhai said that all the party workers were his `Circuits', name of Dutt's famous stooge in the flick Munna Bhai MBBS. "Aap sab humare Circuit hain...agar aap Circuit ki tarah saath denge to hi hum Munna Bhai ban payenge" (All of you are my Circuit. When you all will extend support to me like Circuit then only can I become a Munna Bhai), Sanjay Dutt said.

Though SP has declared Dutt as its candidate from Lucknow, the Bollywood star can contest elections only after he gets the permission from the Supreme Court. He was convicted by the special TADA court in Mumbai for possessing illegal firearms. Dutt has moved the Supreme Court seeking suspension of his sentence in order to allow him contest the polls.

Under the provisions of the People's Representation Act, any individual convicted in a crime that attracts a punishment of three or more years cannot contest any election. Sanjay Dutt stands debarred from contesting polls unless provided relief by the apex court in his case.
------------------

“Jai Ho Ram Kumarji….”

2009-03-06T19:11:00.000-08:00

By Dilip Awasthi
Between the proverbial cup and the lip, this story seeks to become the slip for state government’s intention of demolishing another institution of public trust. If it doesn’t, the all-important position of the state Chief Information Commission (CIC) may be served on a platter to one of the most controversial bureaucrats. The retired official’s sole claim to fame is that he is the only IAS officer in UP’s history, whose services were terminated for corruption and possession of assets disproportionate to known sources of income.

Both chief minister Mayawati and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav would share the honours for the contentious appointment. Mayawati has short listed the name of 1976 batch IAS officer Ram Kumar, once her most trusted lieutenant and Mulayam Singh has absented himself from the high-power committee meeting on February 20, which finalized the official’s name for the coveted post. The CIC is the custodian of the Right to Information Act (RTI), which aims to ensure transparency and accountability in working of all public authority including the state government.

According to highly placed sources, Ram Kumar’s name was short-listed from a panel of five including two former bureaucrats and an existing information commissioner. In absence of Mulayam Singh, the committee sent its recommendation to the Governor the same evening. Ram Kumar, who retired last year, was appointment secretary between June and October 1995 during Mayawati’s first term as CM. He became controversial as his own colleagues including some PCS officials leveled charges of corruption against him. Some of them even submitted in writing and alleged that he had accepted grafts for doling out plum postings. The Kalyan Singh government placed him under suspension in June 1998, which continued till December the same year.

A series of inquiries including Vigilance proceedings were initiated against Ram Kumar. In 2000, the state government under BJP’s Ram Prakash Gupta took up a tirade against corrupt public servants and short-listed 277 officials against whom charges had been substantiated. In this list Ram Kumar, then a director with the state planning institute, was the only official against whom the state government sought central government permission for dismissal of services under the Rule 16(3) of All India Administrative Services Rules 1958. Ram Kumar was found involved in 16 cases of corruption by various inquiries.

On July 12, 2000, chief minister Ram Prakash Gupta himself ordereed Ram Kumar’s dismissal. The compliance of the dismissal notice was done the same evening by the additional district magistrate by pasting the notice at his A-5, Dilkusha Colony residence. However the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) reinstated him in 2003. He retired as principal secretary, rural engineering services last year. Says Ram Kumar, “None of the charges could be substantiated against me in the court. I was a victim of political vendetta”.

The decision to appoint him as the state CIC now rests with Governor TV Rajeswar as he is the appointing authority. According to Section 15 (3) of the RTI Act, the recommendation for the appointment has to be made by a three-member committee comprising the CM who is the chairperson of the committee, the leader of opposition in the Legislature Assembly in this case Mulayam Singh Yadav and a cabinet minister to be nominated by the CM in this case Panchayati Raj minister Babu Singh Kushwaha.

The obvious intention of the act is to get the CIC or for that matter any state Information Commissioners appointed on merit and with consensus. Whereas two members of the committee represent the government, one member represents the entire opposition lobby. The Governor now has to take a call on the issue that in the absence of the leader of opposition should the recommendation of the committee hold? The act is silent on this aspect.

The RTI Act has been an eyesore for the state government and its officials, who have been wanting to castrate this institution, which promises at least some justice for the common man. Nonetheless there could be no better salute to UP government’s penchant for backing the wrong horses than Rehman’s Oscar wining ‘’Jai Ho’’ more aptly “Jai Ho Ram Kumarji”….

All in the name of Lord Rama…

2009-02-08T06:08:00.000-08:00

February 8, 2009

By Dilip Awasthi
Ram Bhakt Kalyan is on a special assignment. The Hindutva protagonist of yesterday is busy managing Muslim politics for his rediscovered friend Mulayam Singh Yadav. After issuing a letter to the press in Lucknow on February 4, Kalyan Singh issued another statement the next day in Delhi ``owning up the responsibility of Babri mosque demolition’’ so that Muslims do not fall apart from the Samajwadi Party fold.

How this ``owning up the responsibility’’ will pacify Muslims is a mystery because Kalyan Singh has all through brandished the Ayodhya demolition as a medal of pride. That he was squarely responsible for allowing the pulling down of the mosque is amply proved by the dismissal of his government on December 6, 1992, his trial as the main accused by the Liberhan commission and finally his one-day conviction by the Supreme Court on October 24, 1994.

Some famous Kalyan Singh quotes further underline his staunch stand on the issue. “I will appear in the Supreme Court on 19 January and will say that I was responsible for Ayodhya…”(Press conference December 19, 1992); “Let them try and build a mosque there and we will have a bigger agitation….”(Press conference January 11, 1993): “I am thankful to Bhagwan Ram that he chose me as the medium….”(Public meeting in Shikohabad February 21, 1993); “Demolition was an act of God. I have no regrets, no repentance, no sorrow, and no grief...(Statement before Liberhan commission on December 3, 2004). There are at least a dozen more such revealing quotes from the years gone by.

It always is fruitful to revisit Kalyan Singh’s public statements because he emerges as a perennial jumping jack of UP politics. Historically he seldom means what he says. On November 2, 1991 he made four promises before the National Integration Council (NIC) in Delhi, which included “complete security to disputed structure”. In a press conference on April 22, 1992 he says, “ I am not their (central government’s) `patwari’ (revenue record keeper) that they keep ordering me for documents…my party and I myself are committed to building the new Ram temple….”

On May 13, 1992 Kalyan says referring to NIC team’s Ayodhya visit on April 7, “The report of NIC team about demolishing of temples around the disputed site is baseless, biased and preconceived…” Finally on November 23, 1992, just 12 days before the demolition Kalyan boycotts the NIC meeting in New Delhi. On November 28, 1992, the Supreme Court finds his government’s reassuring affidavit `emphatic’ and decides to allow `symbolic karseva’ on December 6. How well Kalyan Singh kept all his promises needs no elaboration.

In his clarification letter of February 4 last Kalyan Singh states: “ Mulayam Singh and I have become friends. This is no political pact. No conditions are set in friendship and in our friendship there are none…this friendship has four purposes including dispensing social justice to the downtrodden and backwards...” Now consider this oratory in a public meeting in Mughalsarai (Varanasi) on September 20,1996, “ Do you know who was behind Purulia arms droppings? He (Mulayam) is traitor. CBI should inquire into Mulayam Singh’s ISI links…” And what he said in a public meeting in Varanasi in presence of BJP national president Rajnath Singh on December 1, 2005 is also worth a consideration. “If Mulayam Singh incites a communal riot, just give him a fiting reply. Dangaa rokna ho to ek ke badle chaar maro, dangaa ruk jayega…” A national news channel recently replayed video of this particular statement.

Kalyan Singh has not joined Mulayam camp for the first time. The Samajwadi Party had contested 2002 assembly elections in a pact with Kalyan Singh’s Rashtriya Kranti Party (RKP), which was formed after he was ousted from BJP in November 1999. Kalyan Singh’s main strength in the state is said to be the Lodh votes which comprise nearly three percent of the electorate in UP. The 2002 results candidly speak of Kalyan Singh’s net political worth. The RKP contested 335 seats and could win only four seats of which Kalyan Singh won two. The party’s vote share was a paltry 3.39%. Kalyan Singh campaigned against the BJP full throttle and supposedly damaged his erstwhile party’s chances in around 30 seats. That was about all.

But this time on when the BJP, as it is, is quite down and out in UP at least, Kalyan Singh could be cutting both ways for Mulayam Singh Yadav and his party.--------------------------

Muslims and the drag-n-drop game

2009-02-05T18:00:00.000-08:00

February 3, 2009
By Dilip Awasthi
The drag and drop technique is surely much more handy in present day politics than in computers. Drag hordes in from the rival camp and drop them high and dry after pocketing their votes. Muslims have faced this more than any voting bloc in the recent times. As the political parties go in the final leg of preparations for the Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, Muslims this time may be probing for more options.

Mulayam Singh’s clarification on Monday on Babri Masjid demolition and Kalyan Singh apart, the Muslim vote bank looks up for the grabs for all and sundry. For the first time since 1992, the Muslim community looks uncertain about its safe haven – the SP. Post Mulayam Singh-Kalyan Singh bear hug, the SP does not seem to be their unquestioned political bastion anymore.

The Muslim vote bloc unflinchingly has stuck to Mulayam Singh and his party ever since 1989 and till 2004 Lok Sabha elections. Despite adverse speculations at the hustings, Muslims have always turned in almost en bloc for the SP on the D-day. Their percentages in favour of bicycle symbol have been as high as 65-70 in 1993 and 1996 assembly elections. However, in 2002 Vidhan Sabha elections, the percentage went down to around 55 as BSP also positioned itself to share the cake. .

What Muslims have meant for the SP is clearly reflected by the statistics. In 2002 elections, of the 118 assembly seats where Muslims form 15% or more electorate, the SP won 28 seats, BSP 16, the BJP as backlash 19 seats and the Congress just six seats. Another important indicator is the Rohilkhand region having 50 seats where Muslims comprise at least 25% electorate in most seats. The SP won 21 seats against 10 of BJP and nine of BSP in 2002, 15 against 21 of BJP and five of BSP in 1996 and 16 against 24 of BJP and none of BSP in 1993. The Congress won three, five and three seats respectively in this region in the three elections. In the 2004 Lok Sabha election, the SP won three of the four seats in this region against BJP’s one seat. The BSP drew a blank but polled 26.98% votes against SP’s 32.15%.

SP’s charisma for Muslims seemed weaning out in 2007 assembly elections as BSP virtually ran a rout. Of the 118 Vidhan Sabha seats with 15% or more Mulsim votes
BSP won 34 seats, followed by SP’s 20, BJP’s 10 and four of Congress. Similarly of the
50 Rohilkhand seat BSP won 25, followed by merely 13 of SP, eight of BJP and one of Congress. Estimates indicate that by winning 206 seats in 2007, the BSP cornered nearly 45% Muslim votes in the state whereas SP could manage just 97 seats and could get support of 31% Muslims.

A fragmented Muslim community still would have enough lure for political parties in the impending Lok Sabha elections. Though its capacity to swing fortunes stands eroded, but in the light of Mulayam-Kalyan bonhomie, the BSP and Congress have every reason to smile in anticipation. The biggest fear, which Muslims would have from Mayawati, is her past record specially of joining hands with the BJP twice for coming to power. This is still a distinct possibility after the 2009 Lok Sabha results as Mayawati has distanced herself from the Congress and the BJP might need her again in case it comes close to forming a government at the centre. Muslims grudge that she had campaigned for Modi in Gujrat in 2002 elections. SP’s Azam Khan on March 31, 2007 also accused her for calling Muslims “traitors” in a rally in Roorkee in September, 1993. The SP also claimed to have video evidence to this effect.

On the other hand the next possible option is a beleaguered Congress, which does not look like winning many Lok Sabha seats. Muslims traditionally prefer backing any secular winning option against the BJP. With the BJP itself being on a weak wicket in U.P., the Muslim vote bank is likely to be in quite a disarray in the coming Lok Sabha election. All the three parties - SP, BSP and Congress may play the ``drag-n-drop’’ game with them this time on.
-----------------

After Dadua STF succeds in killing Thokia

2008-08-04T22:40:00.000-07:00

Lucknow, August 4:
The Special Task Force (STF) eliminated the last of the dreaded dacoits in Uttar Pradesh -Ambika Patel Alias Thokia - in a pre-dawn on August 4. Thokia faced 147 criminal cases and carried a reward of Rs six lakh was shot dead after a two-hour gun battle in Chitrakoot district.

The 36-year-old dacoit had created a reign of terror in various areas of the state and neighbouring Madhya Pradesh by lootings, kidnappings, extortions and murders.
STF personnel got a tip-off about his whereabouts and immediately surrounded the fields of Sikhlohi village. Thokia was killed after a two-hour encounter but 20 of his gang members managed to escape, police said.

One semi-automatic rifle, three guns and a large quantity of cartridges was recovered from the encounter site. The STF had been chasing the gizmo-freak dacoit ever since he killed six commandos in the jungles of Chitrakoot on July 23, 2007, who were returning after killing Dadua. Thokia had a penchant for sophisticated arms and referred to himself as ‘doctor’ having worked briefly as a medical representative.

Following a tip-off that Thokia was to visit Chilkan village in the Bharatkup area early on Monday, the STF team, led by SSP Amitabh Yash and additional SP Anant Deo, launched an operation. ‘‘First we couldn’t find the brigand’s body at the encounter site. Soon we surrounded the area and intercepted a section of his gang which was trying to take away Thokia’s body.

After a brief exchange of fire, the gang members fled, leaving behind Thokia’s body,’’ Yash said on phone from the village. According to Anant Deo, at least four other members of the gang have been injured and rest of them may have died.

Thokia -- a Hindi slang for the one who shoots -- was an illusive character in the region that has harbored bandits and renegades since the 12th century. Historians say nearly 5,700 dacoits have come and gone in the past five decades.

Rahul says Congress is ready to sacrifice Govt.

2008-07-16T17:39:00.000-07:00

Amethi, July 16, 2008:

It is not often that Rahul Gandhi interacts with the media specially when he is touring his parliamentary constituency. A little restless and contemplative Gandhi scion decided to hold a press conference to back Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's "vision, tenacity and leadership" over the Indo-US nuclear deal this after noon. He went on to say the nuke deal was worth the risk of sacrificing the government, if it came to that.

Rahul's almost desperate statement spilled the beans that the Congress was not ruling out the fall of government when it faces trust vote in the Lok Sabha on July 22. Speculations are rife that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh might step down even before his government seeks trusts vote on the floor of the house.

Coming out fully in support of the deal Rahul on second thoughts expressed confidence that the government would secure the vote of confidence in the Lok Sabha. "The deal is being opposed for political reasons. But in political life, risks have to be taken. The leadership the prime minister is showing...He thinks it is in the interest of the country. If the government falls in the process so be it," he told reporters.
"When you are convinced that it is in the interest of the people of the country, numbers don't matter. This decision that the prime minister has taken, in my view, is the right decision ," he said. In a reference to Left parties, "they" have an ideological position but the Congress has decided it is good for the country.
"There are people in BJP and other parties who are 100 per cent for the deal. I don't understand why there are people opposing the deal. It is not only Rahul Gandhi but every young person in the country who is bound to support the deal because it is going to change the future face of the country," he said.
When it was pointed out that this had led Congress to align with Samajwadi Party, a party it had opposed earlier and the new alignment may hurt Congress in the long run, he said, " we have staked whatever we could."
"I remember during my childhood when my father was doing this (ushering in the computer and it revolution) people used to say it is completely ridiculous. Various arguments were given. Some said how do the farmers gain from it and today almost everyone has a computer. And some have it on their watches," he said.
Once again during his two-day tour Rahul had his dinner in a dalit's house, adding to the growing irrigation of the chief minister Mayawati.

CBI counts Mayawati's Millions

2008-07-10T22:48:00.000-07:00

Lucknow July 10, 2008

CBI had to do as little as to retrieve the election-affidavits filed by Mayawati to nail her. The affidavits account for a rise from Rs 1.35 crore to Rs 52 crore in just four years. The astounding jump in Mayawati’s assets, with only flimsy evidence to prove how it was acquired, has become the focus of CBI's affidavit The agency filed this counter-affidavit in the Supreme Court on Thursday to justify its decision to charge sheet the Uttar Pradesh chief minister in a disproportionate assets case.

The charges listed in detail are backed by documents running into over 100 pages. On this very basis the CBI has insisted on prosecuting Mayawati. The affidavit says that in April 2004, Mayawati in her affidavit before the returning officer for Akbarpur LS constituency put her assets at Rs 1.5 lakh in cash, Rs 9.78 lakh in bank deposits and properties worth Rs 1.25 crore in Delhi. This totalled Rs 1.35 crore.

Four years later for the nomination papers filed during 2007 assembly elections in U.P., her affidavit puts the value of her total assets at Rs 52 crore. The sudden increase in wealth has not been explained, says the CBI affidavit. When questioned by CBI, Mayawati came up with the clever explanation that she had collected the money through her supporters contributions ranging from Rs 5 to Rs 10. CBI, however, said no evidence was provided by her towards this explanation.

CBI said in its affidavit that it did a professional job by thoroughly investigating each and every aspect of the DA case. It had painstakingly gathered evidence and came to a conclusion that it was a fit case for filing the charge sheet against her as mandated under Section 173 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). The affidavit was in response to Mayawati’s petition accusing CBI of harassing her by keeping alive the DA case.

The CBI affidavit claimed that 96 plots, houses and orchards were bought between 1998 and 2003 by Mayawati and her relatives. The affidavit gives graphic details of the properties acquired by the UP chief minister’s father Prabhu Dayal, her brothers Raj Kumar, Siddharth Kumar, Subhash Kumar and Anand Kumar, and cousins Tej Singh and Rajveer Singh. It says that they opened 94 bank accounts to stash away money unaccounted for.

The affidavit said the investigations into the disproportionate assets case against Mayawati were completed as far back as 2006, but the BSP supremo, who was questioned on May 10, 2005 at her residence, sent a fresh representation on July 17, 2006, requesting her re-examination by CBI.

‘‘Mayawati was re-examined at her residence. This was followed by a series of representations submitted by Mayawati and her family members raising new contentions and claims on each occasion, which resulted in continuation of the investigation, which now finally stands concluded,’’ the CBI said. ‘‘Final decision has been taken by the competent authority to file the Final Report (charge sheet) under Section 173 of the Criminal Procedure Code,” CBI said.

According to the affidavit following are the details of bank accounts in the name of UP chief minister Mayawati, her relatives and associates, and properties bought by them from 1998 to 2003. It says 74 properties, including 41 agricultural plots, 18 residential plots, 5 forest plots, 7 shops, business and commercial properties, 2 shops-cum-residences, 3 gardens/orchards are valued at Rs 7.78 crore. Besides there are 22 other properties acquired by Mayawati in own name or that of family members, relatives and associates include 4 residential buildings at Inderpuri, Delhi. According to the affidavit 54 bank accounts and deposits totalling Rs 7.36 crore were seized in Mayawati's and her relatives' names. Forty more bank accounts with a deposit of Rs 5.29 crore were frozen.

These were allegedly used to channel funds into her and her relatives' accounts. Mayawati's sister-in-law purchased 60% share in Hotel Shilton, Mussoorie, for Rs 90 lakh, 307 donations/gifts worth Rs 13.18 crore were shown to have been received by Mayawati, her family members and relatives from more than 130 donors. The CBI traced 30 donors, who said they do not have the means to donate the said huge amounts .

Mayawati has Mulayam on a sticky wicket

2008-07-02T07:11:00.000-07:00

Lucknow, July 2, 2008

Chief minister Mayawati's clever twist by calling nuclear deal anti-Muslim has Samajwadi Party (SP) and its chief Mulayam Singh Yadav on a sticky wickets. As a result Mulayam's younger brother and senior SP functionary Shivpal Singh Yadav convened a media conference today to call Mayawati's statement "mischievous and politically angled". But a group of important Sunni and Shia Muslim religious leaders called on Mayawati this afternoon and openly came out in support of her views.

Mayawati had in a press conference yesterday lambasted the Samajwadi Party for joining hands with the Congress and by doing so supporting the nuke deal. Terming Yadav as a great ‘opportunist,’ Mayawati said that he had decided to back the Congress on the issue of nuclear deal in spite of the fact that it had been widely opposed in the country and enraged Muslims in particular. “The cause for this is that the deal has been done at the cost of cheap gas from Iran,” she said.

Shivpal Singh today had to come out in defence of his party's position. He also charged," Mayawati has always joined hands with communal forces and the Muslims are too familiar with her real character." As he did the explaining, a parallel press conference was held by a Muslim SP MP and some former SP leaders to criticise the likely tie-up with Congress. Said SP MP from Muzzaffarnagar Munnawar Hasan in presence of former SP minister Gauri Shanker, "The party's interest is being traded away by Mulayam Singh and Amar Singh, who has struck a deal with US."

Meanwhile an influential group of Muslim religious leaders met the CM Mayawati today. They included Maulana Dr. Kalbe Sadiq, Maulana Hamidul Hasan, Maulana Khalid Rashid Firangimahali Nayab Imam Idgah, Maulana Fazlurrehman, Imam Tile wali Masjid, Maulana Naimurrehman, Maulana Aleem Faruqui, Sayyed Aijaz Ahmed, Siraj Mehdi, Wasim Rizvi, Sayyed Zaheerul Hasan and Amirul Hasan. According to official release of the government, these religious clerics of Shia and Sunni Community jointly said that the Chief Minister should use her influence to prevent the anti-national atomic deal with America.

The move is certainly rattling for the Samajwadi Party which is the self-proclaimed custodians of the Muslims.

Talking through your hat for a record

2008-07-01T06:26:00.000-07:00

Lucknow July 1, 2008

Can talking through your hat get you recognition? Yes if you are Pawan Kumar Srivastava. Srivastava has created a world record in talking continuously on the phone. Taking 1,150 odd calls, the Lucknow based record freak spent 72 hours blabbering non-stop on the phone. He entered the Limca Book of Records today.

Observers from the Limca Book of Records kept a close watch on Pawan throughout his feat. They later confirmed that he completed 72 hours of talking on phone at 4.10 pm on June 30. Srivastava already has four entries in Limca book of records and has got himself registered in the Guinness world record book as well. He has the record for longest basketball dribbling for 55 hours 28 minutes.

The event was supervised by Venkat JC Kasibatla as the observer from the Limca book of records. Pawan did show signs of fatigue on Monday morning but his chats with celebrities like Daler Mehendi and stand-up comedians Raju Srivastava and Naveen Prabhakar proved very refreshing, he said later. The most memorable was a caller who clocked a time of 12 hours talking to him on phone, said Pawan after accomplishing his feat.

The calls came from various countries but the maximum international calls came from the Gulf countries. Allowed a 10-minute break after every hour, Pawan took his halt on Sunday after 31 hours of continuous talking. He, however, took two more breaks before Monday evening, when he finally completed his record.

Mayawati harsh on black sheep in BSP

2008-06-30T06:25:00.000-07:00

Lucknow, June 30:

U.P. Chief Minister Mayawati likes to lead from the front even in setting precedents for today's politics. At a time when the measures taken to check criminalisation of politics or for that matter the ongoing debate on the issue seem to be going nowhere, controversial politician Mayawati is showing the way. On June 29, 2008 she once again showed how a top leader of a political party can weed out black sheep from its own flock.

Bahujan Samaj Party MLA Bhagwan Sharma alias Guddu Pandit was arrested from Mayawati's Noida residence for allegedly "abducting" a woman television reporter three days back. Pandit, who was shown as having been taken into custody from Sector 24 of Noida, has been charged under various Sections of Indian Penal Code by the police, officials sources said. The chief minister had acted against her party's mafia MP Umakant Yadav by getting her arrested from her Lucknow residence in May 2007.

An MLA from Dibai Assembly constituency in Uttar Pradesh, Pandit was summoned by Chief Minister Mayawati at her residence here after the reporter lodged a complaint with her about his misbehavior. The victim - Sheetal told Mayawati that Pandit had allegedly forced him to travel with him from one place to another. Sheetal’s father, Dinesh Chand Birla has complained that the legislator had married his daughter despite having a wife and two kids. Pandit was handed over a notice from investigation officer of Gijod police station for appearing before him.

Noida (city) Superintendent of Police Ashok Tripathi said he was summoned and placed under arrest. A case, under Section 147 (rioting), 366 (deceitful means to compel a person to travel places), 363 (whoever kidnaps or abducts a women and compels her to marry or have a sexual relation), 497 (adultery) and 420 (cheating), has been registered against the BSP MLA.

On May 31, 2007 Mayawati had got the BSP's MP, Umakant Yadav, arrested from the reception of her Lucknow residence. A dat before Yadav was named the main accused in a land grabbing case in Azamgarh district. The MP was promprtly suspended from the party for six years. His son, Dinesh Yadav, who was also named an accused in the case was expelled from the party. The MP's son had contested the recent Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections from Khuthan on a BSP ticket.

Yadav, who was arrested by the Hazratganj police, was taken on transit remand by the Azamgarh police, which had come to Lucknow to trace him.

In an official Press statement, the Chief Minister said that her Government would not spare any person involved in a criminal act, irrespective of his status.

Talking to newsmen at the police station, Mr. Yadav said he had gone to meet "Behenji" to present his viewpoint. He obviously claimed that he was not involved in the land grabbing case. But chief minister Mayawati was not convinced.

Paediatric problems in Lucknow Zoo

2008-06-28T18:52:00.000-07:00

Rearing kids is no mokey business. Lucknow Zoo authorities know this first hand. They are faced with peculiar problem of raising the new-borns of these days. Many of the cages have practically been turned into paediatric wards. There is a new-born Bonnet monkey, a spotted deer fawn, a Saras chik and a zebra calf.

Though some Lucknow residents have come forward to sponser the upkeep of the new-borns, the zoo authorities are working overtime for the survival of these animal kids. The most unfortunate of the lot is Bonnet monkey kid which has been abandoned by her natural mother. The zoo vet Dr Utkarsh Shukla has no idea why the mother rejected her newborn. The newborn has been named and has been adopted by a local resident Mayur Tomar Singh. The problem however is that even after a month it is still very difficult to feed her. She refuses to drink milk or water and keeps on looking blankly as if asking why has she been abandoned by her mother.

The spotted deer fawn was also creating similar anxiety for the zoo authorities till recently. For almost 25 days after her berth in May, she would refuse to feed on her mother's milk. She would keep wandering in the deer enclosure and would even trip because of weakness. The zoo authorities had to keep feeding the fawn and gradually intiating him to feed on her mother's milk. Her mother also started coming into the rejection mode but fortunately the fawn has started sucking her mother's milk and the bond is getting stronger.

The Saras chick is still too small and prefers remaining in close proximity of her parents. It perhaps realises that it can easily become prey of eagles if the parents are not around to protect her. But the authorities are still watchful. The chick is not giving any problems as far as eating is concerned. "But you never know when it decides that it is old enough to wander away from the parents. We have posted guards to keep an eye on it till it can manage on its own, " says Dr Shukla. Rearing kids is no joke, he agrees.

What a vulture and what a Ram

2008-06-26T22:48:00.000-07:00

Lucknow: All is fair when it comes to battle of ballots. Even it amounts to lampooning Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. But the Kanpur unit of BJP might find the going tough this time. The alleged indecent portrayal of the two top leaders in posters put up by the saffron brigade in run up to Lal Krishna Advani's Kanpur rally on Friday, has sent UP Congress leadership in a huddle.
An upset UP Congress Commiittee chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi is already on a revenge trail. On Thursday she told journalists that UPCC is hold legal consultation. "We will take to task leaders named in the offending posters, whatever be their rank in BJP," she said. The UPCC will also aprise the election commission by lodging a formal complaint against the launch of highly defamatory campaign by the BJP prime minister nominee. The party will also petition president Pratibha Patil on the same issue, she added.

Several hoardings appeared in Kanpur at strategic locations en route Phoolbagh - the venue of the BJP rally. They show Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on the wings of a monstrous vulture. The same poster presents LK Advani as lord Ram aiming an arrow at the vulture. The top of the hoarding has snapshots of BJP leaders Raj Nath Singh, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Advani, while the catchline emblazoned across reads "mahangai ke vadh hetu manniya Atalji ka sandesh, Advani ji ke hath mei saunpo Bharat desh" (To eleiminate inflation here is a message from Atal Bihari Vajpayee, hand over India to Lal Krishna Advani).
"This is no way to refer to national leaders," Ms Joshi said. "We have had our share of differences with Vajpayee, but Congress, during the election campaign in Lucknow or else where, never stooped to such levels as to demonise him. We will not take this humiliation lying down."
As if on cue, Congress workers in Kanpur launched an offensive by burning effigies of Advani in Kanpur on Thursday. The district president of Kanpur Congress unit, Mohammad Aseem Khan, was quoted in a section of the press saying that as a mark of protest against the disrespect shown to their leaders, the Congress workers would burn Advani's effigies in all Parliamentary constituencies whenever Advani takes to the podium.
But BJP remains unrepentant. State BJP president Ramapati Ram Tripathi said the motive was not to hurt anyone. "They should not take things personally. In any case, I have not seen the posters and will consider taking the next step only after viewing them," he said. However his fire brand colleague and former UP BJP chief Vinay Katiyar ruled out any compromise. "These people are bleeding the country dry and we can't even point it out", he said . They are welcome to the court if they so want, he said.

Jaya Bachchan in soup again

2008-06-24T19:10:00.000-07:00

Parliamentary membership has hardly added to Jaya Bachchan’s reputation. The film actress turned politician now faces a criminal case for hiding facts in her affidavit filed for the Rajya Sabha by-election held in June 2004.

An FIR against Bachchan has been lodged on behalf of Principal Secretary Vidhan Sabha R P Pandey, who was the returning officer of by-election, official sources confirmed. Pandey has asked the SSP Lucknow, Akhil Kumar to register a case against Jaya Bachchan for concealing facts about a land in Barabanki in the name of her husband Amitabh Bachchan in the affidavit.

Pandey took the action on the directives of election Commission on a petition filed by one Amir Haidar of Barabanki. Election Commission had sent a notice to Jaya on February 5, 2007 and gave her a fortnight to send an explanation. Later, Pandey had reserved his verdict on the reply sent by Bachchan. Pandey said concealing facts in the affidavit of the election amounts to violation of section 125(A) and section 33(A) of the Representative of Peoples Act 1951 and is punishable under section 177 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

''Hence, an FIR should be registered against Jaya Bachchan, resident of Pratiksha, North South Road No-10, Juhu Scheme, Juhu, Mumbai and legal proceeding launched against her'', he said in his letter to the SSP.

Amir Haider, an advocate and Congress worker in Barabanki, had filed a petition with the EC on October 19, 2006 stating Jaya had concealed facts about two properties in the name of her husband Amitabh, which were purchased just a fortnight before filing the affidavit for the RS by-poll.

This will be the second time that Jaya would be in trouble after resigning from the RS over office of profit controversy in March 2006.

The affidavit filed by Jaya on June 1, 2006 showed only one piece of land of 0.25 hectare and did not mention other two pieces of land measuring 1.3 and 1.5 hectares in Amitabh's name at Daulatpur village of Fatehpur tehsil, Barabanki. The land mentioned in the affidavit also entered into a controversy with a petition in the High Court claiming that it was a Gram Samaj land meant to be distributed among the poor and landless farmers.

However, Amitabh Bachchan surrendered the gram samaj land to the state government last year.

On February 09, 2007 within months of her re-election to Rajya Sabha after being disqualified, Samajwadi Party MP and actress Jaya Bachchan had been issued notice for an explanation for allegedly concealing property details while filing nomination papers for the Upper House polls last year. The notice to Bachchan was issued by the principal secretary of the Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha, who was the returning officer in this case, after the Election Commission had referred a complaint to him.

Bachchan was re-elected to the Rajya Sabha in a by-election from Uttar Pradesh in June last year after she was disqualified from the Upper House over an office of profit controversy in March 2006.

On March 17, 2006 President APJ Abdul Kalam approved the disqualification of Jaya Bachchan from the Rajya Sabha. The Election Commission of India had disqualified her from the Upper House of Parliament since in her capacity as chairperson of the Uttar Pradesh Film Development Council chairperson she was holding an office of profit, it contended. Bachchan had been elected RS member in 2004.

A Congress leader from Uttar Pradesh, Madan Mohan, had filed the disqualification petititon against Bachchan on the ground that as chairperson of the state Film Development Council she held an office of profit and attracted provisions of the Constitution in this regard. Articles 102 and 103 of the Constitution provide for disqualification of MPs on various grounds, including holding an office of profit. Whenever a petition for the disqualification of an MP is filed, the President is mandated by the Constitution to take a decision in consultation with the Election Commission. Normally, the President goes by the recommendation of the Commission.
Bachchan had also filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the EC recommendation and sought its views on what constituted an office of profit.

Sahara land under a scanner

2008-06-24T08:37:00.000-07:00

On June 23, 2008, the Supreme Court to some extent sealed the fate of Sahara Shehar, Sahara group's prestigious headquarter and residential complex in Lucknow. The Supreme Court stayed the High Court order and directed a status quo in the situation created after the demoloition of some major structures by the Lucknow Development Authority.

Following the Supreme Court order the LDA posted police on the site and removed a tin-shed boundary wall which the Sahara group had installed after the High Court's favourable order of June 20. The LDA also lodged an FIR against Sahara employees for erecting the tin boundary wall at the demolition site.

On June 19, 2008 at 10.30 pm the Lucknow Development Authority pressed more than 30 bull-dozers and a huge police pose to demolish a part of the Sahara Shehar in Lucknow's posh Gomti Nagar. The exercise to reclaim around 1.50 lakh sq. feet of land on which the Sahara group had built a huge state-of-art auditorium, its guest houses and other structures continued throughout the night.
However, the Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court passed an order on June 20 restoring the land to Sahara group and also allowing rebuilding of the demolished structures. Against this the UP government moved the Supreme court which will hear the case on Monday.
This is not the first time that the Sahara Shehar, constructed on 270 acres of prime land in the state capital, has come under the scanner. The property is located on land which was demarcated in the master plan as green belt and public parks. The state government headed by Kalyan Singh in 1997 had prepared a plan to demolish the structures within Sahara Shehar. Against this Sahara had filed regular suits in the civil court and had subsequently got the proceedings stayed.
Sahara Shehar is located on the land licensed and leased by the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) and LDA. The LMC had provided the land to Sahara in two parts. Firstly, 130 acres land was granted on a licence basis on October 22, 1994 during Mulayam Singh Yadav’s regime for construction of houses and commercial structures. Another 40 acres was leased out to the group for maintaining a green belt on June 23, 1995, again during Mulayam tenure. Mulayam Singh's proximity to Sahara chief Subroto Rai Sahara is well known. The LDA too had provided 100 acres of land to the group on February 22, 1995, for maintaining green cover.
However, in 1998 during Kalyan Singh’s regime, then LDA vice-chairman Prabhat Kumar had started demolition proceedings against the group by scraping the land deal between Sahara and the LDA. However, former Chief Minister Shri Mulayam Singh Yadav on February 16, 2007 took a Cabinet decision to recall the demolition orders.
According to official sources, the state government and the LDA have prepared an exhaustive case against Sahara this time.

Mayawati's withdrawal of support to UPA

2008-06-21T06:45:00.000-07:00

By Dilip Awasthi
BSP chief Mayawati does not seem to believe in springing surprises in politics. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati's decision to withdraw support to the UPA government on June 21, 2008 hardly had any shock-value.
The decision surely has come in difficult times for the Congress-led UPA government which is already facing the wrath of the people for its failure to check soaring prices and inflation. Mayawati's withdrawal of support means that the central government will be poorer by 19 members in the Lok Sabha. This would hardly threaten the government in any way apart from the political message which the withdrawal would send.
The Congress in any case had been working on its contingency plans ever since January 7, 2008 when CM Mayawati announced in a media conference in New Delhi that her party is contemplating withdrawal of support to the UPA government. Both Congress president and Prime Minister Man Mohan Singh had been angling for some kind of working relationship with the Samajwadi Party (SP) which has 35 members in the Lok Sabha.
The question whether SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav will come closer to the UPA government and to what extent will be answered shortly but it would be interesting to examine the political consequences of BSP's withdrawal of support. First of all in no case the two parties would have gone hand-in-hand for the next Lok Sabha elections. Both Congress and the BSP are heavily dependent on the dalit votes - Congress in most of the state and the BSP mainly in Uttar Pradesh.
The BSP is vying for a national status now and would like to carve in a support base in other states also. According to BSP insiders, chief minister Mayawati strongly believes that she can emerge as a compromise prime ministerial candidate if her party can win around 50 Lok Sabha seats in the next outing. Going by her strength in Uttar Pradesh, she can expect bagging 30-35 seats in her home state. Sharing its vote bank with Congress as it is would be disastrous.
In her letter to the President of India with copies marked to UPA chiarperson Sonia Gandhi, Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chaterjee and vice-president Mohd. Hamid Ansari, Mayawati has claimed people's, specially for the poor and downtrodden, woes following price-rise and inflation as the main reason for BSP's withdrawal of support. But then in her four-paged note, Mayawati criticises the Congress for not bailing her out in the "fictitious Taj corridor" case.
She recalls that this very case was the reason why she severed the alliance with BJP on August 29, 2003 and resigned as UP's chief minister. According to her the BJP had asked her party to leave 60 out of the total 80 Lok Sabha seats and contest for merely 20 seats in 2004 Lok Sabha elections. She refused point-blank. She claims that BJP vindictively started "falsely implicating me" in the Taj corridor case. "In national interest I ended the alliance with BJP. The Congress promised to ensure justice for me in the same case but as I can see it, the party has deliberately has kept the issue pending for the last four years. Both these parties in no case are liking BSP's increasing mass base in the country", she claims.
The reasons obviously are political and Mayawati is not camouflaging this. Now is the Congress's turn to react. The reaction could well be expediting the CBI investigation in the Taj case and Mayawati's assets case.