The Asian Age – In Delhi, death politics begins

Rajnish Sharma, Asian Age Correspondent

New Delhi, 3 May 2013. Hours after Sarabjit died in mysterious circumstances, a full-blown political slugfest erupted in New Delhi, with the Opposition, including the BJP and the Akali Dal, leaving no stone unturned to embarrass the government.

Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi was quick to criticise the government for “failing Sarabjit”. He said: “The Indian government had all the time to mobilise the world … it left the matter to Sarabjit’s family themselves to handle.”

At a Mangalore election rally, Mr Modi said Sarabjit’s death was a clear case of “extra-judicial killing”. Realising the issue could snowball into a huge political controversy, the government swung into damage control mode, with home minister Sushilkumar Shinde meeting Sarabjit’s family members early Thursday.

The MHA arranged for a helicopter to fly the family from Delhi to their native village Bhikiwind.

This was followed by an emotionally-charged meeting of family members with Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who promised all possible help to them. Rahul Gandhi hugged Sarabjit’s sister Dalbir Kaur while offering his condolences.

http://www.asianage.com/india/delhi-death-politics-begins-909

The Hindu – ‘Our main opponent is Congress’

‘The initial investigation has proved the Congress wrong’

Bangalore, 26 April 2013. Claiming that the initial investigation reports with respect to the bomb attack near the Bharatiya Janata Party headquarters in Bangalore have pointed to the alleged role of activists of Al-Umma, Bharatiya Janata Party State unit president Pralhad Joshi on Thursday demanded a public apology from the Congress for suspecting BJP’s role in the blast episode.

“If the Congress has any belief in morality, it should tender an apology to the people of the State in the wake of it’s serious allegations becoming false,” remarked Mr. Joshi while participating at a meet-the-press programme here on Thursday.

Describing himself as a “war-time general”, Mr. Joshi expressed confidence that the party would manage to get simple majority in the ensuing Assembly elections.

When asked if the BJP was desisting from attacking the Janata Dal (Secular) as a strategy to forge an alliance with it to form a coalition government in the event of a fractured verdict, Mr. Joshi maintained that the BJP would come to power on its own. He said the BJP was not going hammer and tongs against the Janata Dal (Secular) as it was not its main opponent. “Our main opponent is the Congress and hence we have been targeting it during the poll campaign,” he said.

Mr. Joshi said the BJP government had increased the budgetary allocation for Kannada and Culture Department from Rs. 21 crore in 2003 to Rs. 289 crore in 2013.He said the BJP was the only party which had taken up door-to-door campaign efficiently.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/our-main-opponent-is-congress/article4654446.ece

The Asian Age – Mulayam praises Advani, scolds son

Amita Verma, Asian Age Correspondent

Suday, 24 March 2013. Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav on Saturday publicly praised senior BJP leader L.K. Advani while upbraiding his son Akhilesh Yadav’s SP government in Uttar Pradesh, Mr Mulayam Singh said Mr Advani had told him that the image of the UP government was not good.

“I know Mr Advani for years and he is an honest man who never tells lies. He told me that there is corruption in UP.

We will have to deal with this firmly. Tell me, how many people have faced action for corruption in the government,” he asked. “I’ll go and meet him (Mr Advani) again,” Mr Mulayam Singh said.

The SP chief’s remarks can also be seen in the light of statements made by SP general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav who just days ago had said that the former BJP-led NDA government had been “more cohesive” and Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee’s style of functioning better. “NDA’s coalition was led by Vajpayee and he was a big personality. Other leaders in the coalition, such as L.K. Advani, are one of the biggest leaders of the country,” Mr Ram Gopal Yadav had said.

Mr Yadav, who was addressing a function to mark the birth anniversary of Dr Ram Manohar Lohia here, said UP’s ministers are not serious about their work. “I am not happy with the performance of the government. I have reports about each one of the ministers and if I ask the party workers to raise their hands on their performance, the situation will not be good.

The SP came to power because our workers faced atrocities during the BSP regime and those who have become ministers did not fight it out on the streets. They are taking their jobs for granted,” he said.

Mr Yadav gave the Akhilesh government another five months to improve. “I want to tell Akhilesh that he should not be very happy if people call him good-hearted and simple. To run a government you should be stern and firm, and not just simple,” he said.

“One of our senior ministers (Waqar Ahmad Shah) is in hospital batting for life but not a single minister has bothered to visit him. If this is your attitude towards a colleague, how can you be expected to reach out to the people,” he said.

http://www.asianage.com/india/mulayam-praises-advani-scolds-son-329

The Tribune – Pardhan Mantri Manmohan Singh : Sri Lankan Tamils and taking on the BJP in Rajya Sabha

Tamils must live with dignity in Lanka: PM

Girja Shankar Kaura, Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 8. Expressing concern over the plight of Tamils in Sri Lanka, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today made it clear that political reconciliation is a must for calm in that country and said India would strive to ensure dignity and self respect for the ethnic minority.

“It will be our effort to work with the Government of Sri Lanka to ensure that the Tamil population in Sri Lanka is given a chance to lead a life of dignity and self respect as equal citizens of that country,” Manmohan Singh said in the Rajya Sabha while replying to the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address.

The PM said the Lankan Government must talk to the Tamil leadership and political reconciliation was a must to bring lasting peace there to resolve the Tamils’ issue.

“There are problems in Sri Lanka. We have been worried about the fate of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka. It has been our effort to deal with the Government of Sri Lanka. There must be political reconciliation. Without national reconciliation, the situation cannot remain calm. The Sri Lankan Government must, therefore, take the initiative to talk to the Tamil leadership in Sri Lanka,” Singh said.

PM takes on BJP in Rajya Sabha

Picking up from where he had left in the Lok Sabha, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh again launched a frontal attack on the BJP in the Rajya Sabha, particularly Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley saying “men of envy” disparage everything.

Manmohan Singh, while expressing confidence that growth would bounce back to 7-8 per cent, urged the Opposition to be more objective in assessing the work of the government.

Taking on Jaitley, the Prime Minister said, “I agree with Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley saying that country needs a growth of 7-8 per cent to get rid of poverty. I would like to remind this House that this is precisely the intention of the UPA government.” (With PTI inputs)

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130309/main4.htm

The Tribune – Modi star at BJP’s conclave; Rajnath too showers praise

K V Prasad, Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 2. The BJP and its leaders today turned the spotlight on Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi by showering special praise on him for becoming the first person in the party to win an election in a state for the third time in a row.

Leading the brigade, newly-appointed BJP chief Rajnath Singh walked an extra length to single out Modi for the distinction, but later attempted to temper his exuberance by suggesting to two other party Chief Ministers — Raman Singh of Chhattisgarh and Shivraj Singh Chauhan of Madhya Pradesh — that they too were on the threshold of achieving it.

Clearly, the BJP top brass appeared inclined to keep Modi in good humour as all the delegates at the National Council – leaders on the dais and those who assembled in the Talkatora Indoor Stadium-stood up to give a standing ovation to the Gujarat Chief Minister after Rajnath Singh suggested it was the way.

That the BJP chief decided to garland Modi amid applause from the delegates could be taken as an acknowledgement by the party of the achievement in Gujarat but coming as it did in the backdrop of the clamour within the party to project the Gujarat Chief Minister as the party’s Prime Ministerial candidate, its significance was too obvious to be drowned in the loud applause.

On his part, Rajnath Singh underscored that doing an encore in Gujarat comes on top of the heap of praises for the development in Gujarat now acknowledged not just by the state but recognised by the world. He cited instances of how members of the European Union and the US Congress made mention of work done by the Modi government.

Public demonstration apart, the BJP maintains that the Parliamentary Party will at an appropriate time finalise who should be projected as its candidate for the top most political job in the country, but the manner in which party leaders are beating the drums indicates that Modi and his band of supporters are determined to clinch the issue sooner than latter.

The two-day National Council ending Sunday is scheduled to ratify the election of Rajnath Singh as the new party chief and give him the flexibility to chose a team that has the onerous task of preparing the organisation for assembly elections in Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and possibly Jharkhand this year while the delegates hope to hear Modi speak on the concluding day.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130303/main2.htm

The Tribune – Modi meets Rajnath, set for ‘bigger role’ in BJP

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 27. Newly elected BJP president Rajnath Singh remained closeted with Narendra Modi for over two hours on Sunday, renewing speculations of a bigger role for the Gujarat Chief Minister at the national level.

The leaders refused to divulge much about the meeting but confirmed that the discussion revolved around the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Political observers say the meeting, coming just four days after Singh’s election as the BJP chief, proves that the Gujarat Chief Minister is in for a bigger role in the BJP’s national-level plans.

While he is likely to be made the head of the party’s election campaigning committee, he may also be included in the BJP’s Parliamentary Board – the highest decision making body of the party.

That a bigger role is being planned for the Gujarat Chief Minister was also hinted at by Singh, who said he was in talks with other party leaders on the issue.

Party sources say while Modi may not be acceptable universally among BJP allies in the NDA that it leads, recent surveys favouring him as the Prime Minister have strengthened his position in the party.

It is keeping this in mind that his name has been finalised for the post of the head of the election campaign committee.

“Making him the head of the committee for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections will pitch him directly against Congress’ Rahul Gandhi, who also heads his party’s election coordination committee,” a source said.

With crucial states like Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh and three north-eastern states headed for elections in the coming months, Singh is keen on having in place a core team that he trusts.

Sources say the new BJP president plans to make some changes to the core team soon and Modi is likely to fit in his scheme of things.

The move also has the blessings of the RSS – the BJP’s ideological head. The announcement is expected soon but Modi is unlikely to resign as Gujarat Chief Minister since the RSS believes he should give up his post only when the BJP has all its numbers and other factors completely under control.

The party has so far kept quiet on its choice for the top post but the situation is evolving toward a scenario where Singh will head the BJP in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections with Modi as the frontrunner for the top post from the BJP.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130128/main2.htm

The Hindu – Karnataka, Shobha Karandlaje on her way out of Ministry

Her public criticism of government angers BJP

Special Correspondent

Bangalore, 6 January 2013. Attacking the former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa head-on, the Bharatiya Janata Party is learnt to have decided to drop his close aide and Energy Minister Shobha Karandlaje from the Ministry.

According to sources in the BJP, the decision, taken at a meeting of the party’s core committee held on Saturday, was on account of her embarrassing the government and the party by writing an open letter to Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar highlighting the government’s failures in handling of rape cases and also publicly alleging that there was no safety for women in the Chief Minister’s home district.

Cabinet expansion

A party leader told press-persons on condition of anonymity after the meeting that Ms. Karandlaje may be dropped in three to four days time. “The government is set to take up the Ministerial expansion in about four days from now to fill up the two vacant berths. She is expected to be dropped by then so that it is possible to induct three persons into the Ministry,” he said.

Not invited

Mr. Shettar is already said to have communicated his displeasure to her over her public remarks. “You can go ahead with such public criticism against the government and the Chief Minister, but only after relinquishing the post of Minister,” he is learnt to have told her. The anger of the BJP leadership against Ms. Karandlaje was visible as it did not even invite her for the Saturday’s chintan baitak programme. She was the only Minister who did not get the invite for the meeting, sources said.

It is learnt that the party was waiting for a suitable reason to sack her from the Ministry as she is one of the key members of the camp of Karnataka Janata Paksha president B.S. Yeddyurappa, who is threatening to topple the government. She had earlier embarrassed the party leadership by calling on Mr. Yeddyurappa in the media glare when he formally joined the KJP and quit the BJP.

Some of the controversial decisions that had been taken in a hurry by the Energy Department authorities in the last few days too had raised many an eyebrow in the BJP circles.

Interestingly, all the Ministers from Mr. Yeddyurappa’s camp stayed away from the chintan baitak.

Meanwhile, BJP State general secretary and MP Pralhad Joshi told presspersons in Bangalore that the party central leadership would take a decision on whether to appoint a new State president for the party soon.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/karnataka/shobha-karandlaje-on-her-way-out-of-ministry/article4277090.ece?homepage=true

The Asian Age – RSS boss, BJP draw flak for shockers

Asian Age Correspondent

New Delhi/Bhopal, 5 January 2013. After the Congress, Trinamul and CPI(M) defended shocking remarks by their leaders, it’s now the BJP’s turn to defend RSS boss Mohan Bhagwat, who blamed women for sexual attacks against them.

The Congress and Left, who had been on the backfoot over their legislators’ shocking remarks against women, pounced on the opportunity and tore into the saffron brigade on Friday.

Mr Bhagwat said: “You go to villages and forests of the country and there will be no such incidents of gangrape or sex crimes. They are prevalent in some urban belts. Rapes are in India and not in Bharat.”

Not to be left behind, a BJP minister in Madhya Pradesh, Mr Kailash Vijayvargiya, who on an earlier occasion had said “women’s safety depends on what they wear”, on Friday said a woman should remain within her “Laxman rekha (limit)” or else they would be punished.

A red-faced BJP publicly censured Mr Vijayvargiya but tried desperately to defend the RSS chief, saying he had been “misunderstood”.

The BJP also claimed that empowerment of women, and giving them respect and security, “form the core of RSS ideology”.

http://www.asianage.com/india/rss-boss-bjp-draw-flak-shockers-476

The Tribune – UPA on its way out, claims Sushma

Ravinder Sood

Palampur, October 27. Sushma Swaraj today alleged that the UPA government at the Centre had become a symbol of corruption as scams worth Rs 4 lakh crore were unearthed in the last three years.

She claimed that the government headed by Manmohan Singh would not survive after the winter session of Parliament as its main allies were leaving the coalition.

Addressing an election rally here this afternoon, Swaraj claimed that the government had failed to understand inflation which had hit the common man.

She said the UPA government was voted to power by the common man with the intention get good governance, but it was hiking prices of petrol and diesel and had put a cap on liquefied petroleum gas cylinders per year to six.

She said the decision to put a cap on the number of subsidised cylinders to six per family showed that the government was unaware of reality. She said price rise and corruption were key issues in the Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh as these had made it difficult for the common man to survive.

She alleged that corruption in high offices, poor governance and lack of political will were the main causes for the rising prices in the country.

She said the common man had got respite from the rising inflation only twice, first during the Morarji Desai government and then during the NDA regime.

She claimed that the way Manmohan Singh had allocated coal blocks to his party men at the cost of the state exchequer showed that the Prime Minister was aware of revenue loss.

She expressed concern that the UPA government was not ready to form a special investigation team to probe the scam even though the country had suffered a loss of Rs 1,86,000 crore.

She alleged that it was evident that the Prime Minister wanted to shield his colleagues and party men who had amassed huge amounts of money in the scam.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20121028/himachal.htm#2

The Hindu – Corruption is one of Congress’ gifts to people: Gadkari

Shimla, October 28, 2012.  A day after getting his party’s backing, Bharatiya Janata Party president Nitin Gadkari on Saturday made a scathing attack on the Congress on corruption, bad governance and unemployment.

Addressing election rallies at Reckong Peo in tribal Kinnaur district and Chopal in interior Shimla, Mr. Gadkari, who is facing allegations of dubious funding of his companies, said: “The Congress ruled the country for the longest time, except for brief period of eight years and poverty, unemployment, corruption and lack of infrastructure are their gifts to the people.”

Mr. Gadkari flew into Himachal Pradesh on Saturday morning to campaign for the November 4 Assembly elections.

He said that instead of helping people, the Congress had benefited big leaders and corporate houses while doing nothing to ameliorate the conditions of the poor, checking unemployment and curbing price rise.

Comparing the rule of the National Democratic Alliance and the United Progressive Alliance, he said prices were stable, the rupee was strong and steps were taken to strengthen the basic infrastructure during the NDA regime. The UPA government had failed on all fronts and did nothing for the overall development of the country.

“Farmers are committing suicide, the common man is reeling under rising prices and unemployment is on the rise. But the government has failed miserably to solve these problems,” he added. (PTI)

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/corruption-is-one-of-congress-gifts-to-people-gadkari/article4038880.ece