The Asian Age – PM ‘power centre’ in government: Digvijay Singh

Asian Age Correspondent

New Delhi, 18 May, 2013. Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh on Friday said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is the “power centre in governance” and “for political matters it is, of course, Mrs Sonia Gandhi”.

Mr Singh, a former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, is an AICC general secretary. His remarks on the controversy over “power centres” come as the UPA-2 government completes four years on May 22.

“There has to be one power centre and here the power centre is Dr Manmohan Singh in governance. And for political matters it is, of course, Mrs Sonia Gandhi,” Mr Singh told NDTV.

“Both are working separately in their own domain, Dr Manmohan Singh takes all decisions in the government of India, and Mrs Sonia Gandhi takes all decisions in the organisation,” he added.

Seeking to explain the context of his earlier remarks, which had triggered a controversy, Mr Singh said because of the media hype and Opposition’s allegations there is a general perception among the bureaucracy and in other forms of government that there are dual power centres.

“This is a perception created by the media — that there are dual power centres, a perception created by the Opposition. Frankly the Congress president has never interfered in the functioning of the government, not once,” he said.

http://www.asianage.com/india/pm-power-centre-govt-diggy-895

The Asian Age – Ensure a ‘free’ CBI is not a ‘rogue’: CBI director

Asian Age Correspondent

New Delhi, 16 May 2013. CBI director Ranjit Sinha on Wednesday welcomed the move to ensure the agency’s autonomy, but cautioned this should be coupled with measures to avoid making it a “rogue organisation”. In a democracy, he added, no organisation can be “totally independent”.Indepe

CBI sources said the agency will make a presentation by the end of May before the GoM headed by finance minister P. Chidambaram (charged with drafting a law to make the CBI independent, to be submitted to the Supreme Court on July 10) on ways to ensure its “functional independence”.

The agency is likely to refer to the 1993 Supreme Court Vineet Narain ruling that set guidelines insulating the CBI director’s office.

Mr Sinha told this newspaper: “We all want an independent agency. And we want total independence during investigations.”

He later added: “It will be well if it is accredited to a body overseeing its functioning, but at the same time not interfering in criminal investigations. We can look at organisations in some Western democracies. We can adopt any such model.”

http://www.asianage.com/india/ensure-free-cbi-not-rogue-chief-676

The Asian Age – Sibal is given law, Joshi gets railways

Venkatesh Kesari, Asian Age Correspondent

Delhi, 12 May 2013. Communications minister Kapil Sibal could play the role of “trouble-shooter” in his additional role as law and justice minister at a time when the Opposition is making Prime Minister Manmohan Singh the main target of attack ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

The PM gave road transport and highways minister C.P. Joshi additional charge of the railway ministry and Mr Sibal additional charge of the law ministry. It is unclear whether Mr Sibal and Mr Joshi will retain these additional portfolios till the general election or if full-fledged ministers will be appointed for them.

President Pranab Mukherjee, meanwhile, accepted the resignations of Mr Ashwani Kumar and Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal as law minister and railway minister, respectively.

Mr Sibal, an eminent jurist, would have to handle the coal block allocations case delicately as it may become the non-Congress parties’ main election plank. He was earlier involved in the negotiations with Anna Hazare on drafting the Lokpal Bill and with Baba Ramdev on the issue of black money.

The PM is comfortable with him, as he is with finance minister P. Chidambaram, external affairs minister Salman Khurshid and information and broadcasting minister Manish Tewari, who are known for their legal knowledge and crisis management skills.

http://www.asianage.com/india/sibal-given-law-joshi-gets-railway-132

The Asian Age – Bansal skips Cabinet, CBI inches closer

Pramod Kumar and Manish Anand, Asian Age Correspondents

New Delhi, 10 May 2013. Amid speculation that he could go soon, railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal on Thursday skipped the Cabinet meeting and reportedly was in his Ashoka Road residence throughout the day. The media was told “he was not well”, and sources said since there was nothing pertaining to the railways on the Cabinet’s agenda, “there was no urgent need for him to attend the meeting”.

Work at the railway ministry, meanwhile, seems to have almost come to a standstill with the minister and his top aides staying away from office.

The net appeared to be closing in on the minister with the CBI interrogating Mr Bansal’s private secretary Rahul Bhandari, a 1997-batch IAS officer from Punjab. Mr Bhandari went to the CBI headquarters on Thursday for a second round of questioning. Investigations have revealed some of the meetings to “fix” senior-level jobs in the railways were held at the minister’s residence and office.

Besides “Railgate”, Mr Bansal is also under a cloud for nominating one of his associates as a government director in a public sector bank during his stint as a minister of state at the finance ministry in 2007.

Reports of the railway minister’s son, Amit Bansal, taking a huge loan from the bank for family-run firms are also pouring in.

Tightening its grip, the CBI is now planning to question the officer on special duty (OSD) in the railway minister’s office, Vitul Kumar, with whom Mr Bansal’s arrested nephew, Vijay Singla, was in constant touch. The minister’s private secretary, Mr Bhandari, was during interrogation on Thursday confronted with his telephonic conversations with Mr Singla.

The duo apparently talked about suspended Railway Board member Mahesh Kumar’s elevation and the possibility of making him member (electrical), sources said. Mahesh Kumar, who has been arrested, told the CBI he paid `90 lakhs as the initial amount of bribe only after Mr Singla assured him that the railway minister had agreed to give him additional charge as GM, Western Railway, in addition to being member (staff), Railway Board. Mr Singla was arrested in Chandigarh on May 3 for allegedly accepting `90 lakhs in cash from Narayan Rao Manjunath, a businessman with links to Mahesh Kumar.

Sources said the CBI is also likely to question three more officials who are part of Mr Bansal’s staff. Mr Bhandari’s conversations were tapped by the agency after it put the phones of Mr Kumar and Mr Singla under surveillance. The CBI has so far arrested eight persons in connection with the alleged railway bribery scandal.

The employees’ unions at the railway ministry appear to be divided on the issue of Mr Bansal. While the All India Railwaymen’s Federation is seeking his resignation, the Federation of Officers’ Association, National Federation of Indian Railwaymen, All-India RPF Association and the Indian Railways Promotee Officers’ Federation have come out in support of the minister.

http://www.asianage.com/india/bansal-skips-cabinet-cbi-inches-closer-682

The Asian Age – ‘Railgate’ probe closer to Bansal

Pramod Kumar, Asian Age Correspondent

New Delhi, 8 May 2013. CBI investigations into “Railgate” appear to be reaching the doorstep of railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, with key accused Mahesh Kumar, suspended member of the Railway Board, spilling the beans during its custodial interrogation on Tuesday.

Mr Kumar told interrogators that he paid `90 lakhs as the initial bribe only after Vijay Singla, Mr Bansal’s nephew (also under arrest), assured him that the railway minister had agreed to give him the additional charge of GM (Western Railway) in addition to being member (staff), Railway Board. This would have been in place till June this year, when Mr Kumar would have been made member (electrical), a post that he had
sought.

Ajay Garg, a close associate of the railway minister’s nephew, who was absconding, surrendered in court on Tuesday and has been remanded to two-day police custody. The CBI also carried out searches at the premises of Mahesh Kumar in Mumbai and claimed to have found property documents and diamond jewellery of substantial value, which were removed from his residence soon after his arrest.

Sources said the CBI had got a tipoff that some property-related documents, bank passbooks and jewellery were removed from his official residence by family members soon after news of his arrest flashed on television channels. The agency is likely to question a Railway Protection Force official who allegedly helped Mr Kumar’s wife to move documents and valuables from their official residence in Mumbai after news of Mr Kumar’s arrest broke.

The railway minister could be in for more trouble as CBI sources revealed key appointments could not have been carried out without clearance from the top. The CBI will also question some top railway officials and go through all files relating to recent appointments. The CBI is also likely to question the minister’s private secretary, Rahul Bhandari. Investigations revealed that Vijay Singla was in regular touch with Mr Bhandari and two other officials at the railway ministry.

The investigations also revealed that the bribe money was intended for “someone at the top” in the ministry. Mr Bansal, sources said, could be summoned for interrogation soon after the Budget Session of Parliament ends on Friday. It is learnt that pressure is mounting on the government to take prompt action against Mr Bansal.

The agency is also going through the records of at least 1,000 calls between Mr Singla and senior rail ministry officials. The agency is focusing on conversations between Mr Singla, his associate and railway equipment supplier Narayan Rao Manjunath, Mahesh Kumar and two other railway board members. The CBI will also question Mr Kumar in front of Mr Singla and try to identify the end beneficiary of the bribe amount, sources said.

At this juncture, Mr Singla and Mr Manjunath, both of whom are in CBI custody, are giving conflicting versions and hiding crucial information, the sources said. The CBI is looking at the option of conducting lie-detection and brain-mapping tests on both of them.

It may be recalled that the investigative agency had been tracking the railway minister’s nephew for the past three months. The agency also arrested two courier boys — Vivek and Dharmendra — in connection with the case.

http://www.asianage.com/india/railgate-probe-closer-bansal-506

The Asian Age – Bribery case: Bansal distances himself from nephew

New Delhi, 4 May 2013. Distancing himself from his nephew arrested by CBI last night in a case of bribery for allegedly fixing a top level position in railway board, railway minister P K Bansal today said he had no business links with him and denied any wrongdoing.

In a statement, 64-year-old Bansal, who was made railway minister in October last year, claimed he has always observed highest standards of probity in public life and that nobody can influence his decisions.

He also sought an expeditious CBI inquiry into the issue.

“Regarding yesterday’s incident involving my sister’s firm in a CBI raid at Chandigarh, I have to say that I have no knowledge or proof about the matter at all. Though a close relative, he or any other relative of mine does not and cannot meddle in my official function or influence my decision. There is also no business relationship between his and my family. I have always observed highest standard of probity in public life
and look forward to an expeditious investigation by CBI in the matter,” he said in the statement.

Bansal’s nephew V. Singla was yesterday arrested by the CBI, which also held a member of the railway board in connection with alleged bribery of Rs. 90 lakh for fixing a top level position in the government.

Singla was arrested in Chandigarh for allegedly accepting Rs. 90 lakh in cash from Manjunath, the conduit of Mahesh Kumar, recently promoted as member (staff) and trying to get a lucrative position as member (electrical).

Kumar was arrested in Mumbai by a CBI team soon after he had flown in from Delhi. CBI has registered a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the IPC against him.

The other person arrested by the CBI was Sandip Goyal, who allegedly assisted in brokering the deal.

Kumar was general manager (Western railways) and promoted recently as member railway board, a post equivalent to secretary in government of India.

The railway minister, however, has not yet ordered any departmental inquiry into the matter.

The railway board had recently appointed Subodh Jain as member (engineering), Mahesh Kumar as member (staff) and Arunendra Kumar as member (mechanical). The post of member (traffic) is yet to be filled up.

The chairman of railway board is retiring in June along with the finance commissioner and the entire railway board is expected to see new faces. (PTI)

http://www.asianage.com/india/bribery-case-bansal-distances-himself-nephew-054

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 Asian Age – Sajjan Kumar acquitted in ’84 riot case

Hansa Verma, Asian Age Correspondent

New Delhi, 1 May 2013. A Delhi court on Tuesday acquitted Congress leader Sajjan Kumar of all charges against him in one of three 1984 anti-Sikh riot cases. Immediately after the verdict, a man named Karnail Singh Peer hurled a shoe at the judge as protests erupted inside and outside the Karkardooma court. (He was immediately arrested.)

District and sessions judge J.R. Aryan let off Mr Kumar in the 29-year-old case. He was accused of murder and instigating a riotous mob that killed five Sikhs in Delhi Cantonment on November 2, 1984. Five others were, however, convicted for their role in the riots.

http://www.asianage.com/india/sajjan-kumar-acquitted-84-riot-case-672

The Asian Age – Rajnath demands Khurshid’s visit to China be cancelled

New Delhi, 28 April 2013. BJP president Rajnath Singh today demanded cancellation of external affairs minister Salman Khurshid’s May 9 visit to China till it withdraws its Army personnel from Depsang Valley in Ladakh where they intruded a fortnight back.

“Despite all this, our foreign minister is going to China on a visit. I am sorry but I would humbly request the Prime Minister to stop the foreign minister. Till the time China leaves Ladakh and goes back, there should not be any visit to Beijing,” Singh said addressing the Matri Shree awards function here.

He also demanded that the area should be handed over to the Army instead of ITBP, which is currently posted there. “The area where China has infiltrated was under the Army till 2010. The government pulled out the Army from there and handed it over to ITBP, which fall under the home ministry.

“I request that without any delay, the area under ITBP be handed back to the Army because no other force can work there. It is a very sensitive matter and our country is facing grave danger from outside,” Singh said.

The government so far has decided to go ahead with Khurshid’s visit notwithstanding the Chinese intrusion. Khurshid’s trip comes ahead of the visit by newly elected Chinese premier Li Keqiang to India later next month. A lot of significance is being attached to Li’s visit, his first abroad after becoming Prime Minister last month.

The BJP chief said the way China was surrounding India from all corners was “not a recent thing” and that he had attracted the government’s attention to this five years ago.

“I was the first politician to raise the issue of China building a dam on Brahmaputra five-six years ago and trying to divert its water. I raised this issue in Parliament. The Prime Minister said it is a serious matter and I would speak to you personally. I suggested composition of a joint committee to probe the matter but it wasn’t done,” Singh rued.

On the attack on Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh in a Lahore jail, the BJP chief said had India been strong in protesting against earlier similar incidents in Pakistan, no one could have dared to attack him. (PTI)

http://www.asianage.com/india/rajnath-demands-khurshid-s-visit-china-be-cancelled-337

The Asian Age – Sarabjit Singh in coma, say Pakistan doctors

Lahore/Almaty, 27 April 2013. The death row convict Sarabjit Singh, who was attacked by two Indian prisoners in a Lahore jail, is in “coma”, Pakistani doctors told Indian officials today. “Doctors attending to Sarabjit Singh informed the Indian officials that he is in coma on ventilator and receiving IV drip,” External Affairs Ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said.

“The officials of India’s High Commission in Islamabad obtain access to Sarabjit in the ICU of Jinnah hospital, Lahore at 2:00 am,” he said. Earlier, India has sought consular access to the 49-year-old Sarabjit.

The attack occurred when the victim and other prisoners were brought out of their cells for an hour-long break. The two prisoners assaulted Sarabjit with blunt objects and he sustained a severe head injury.

Sarabjit was initially taken to the hospital within the prison.

After his condition worsened, he was moved in an ambulance to the state-run hospital, officials in Lahore said. Sarabjit was convicted for alleged involvement in a string of bomb attacks in Punjab province that killed 14 people in 1990 His mercy petitions were rejected by the courts and former President Pervez Musharraf.

The outgoing Pakistan Peoples Party-led government put off Sarabjit’s execution for an indefinite period in 2008. Sarabjit’s family says he is the victim of mistaken identity and had inadvertently strayed across the border in an inebriated state.

http://www.asianage.com/india/sarabjit-singh-coma-says-pak-doctors-237