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Political Notes

	October 17, 2005

Maharashtra : Shiv Sena heading for a split



Maharashtra Revenue Minister Narayan Rane who had recently joined the Congress after quitting the Shiv Sena is all set to deliver another body blow to his former party. There is speculation that eleven Shiv Sena MLAs backing him are set to join the Congress. There is talk that they would quit their seats and contest afresh on Congress tickets. Narayan Rane met Congress president Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi on October 14 and said later that the Shiv Sena MLAs backing him would join the Congress within eight to ten days.





Sonia tells Congressmen to stop ugly display of power



Congress president Sonia Gandhi has sent another letter to party bosses in the state, both Ministers and party heads to cut out ostentation and ugly display of power. She has laid down an 18-point code of austerity and ethics, specifying the do’s and don’s of public behaviour for party leaders.



In her letter to the states, Sonia has said that it was “shocking to see that violations of the code are being done even by Congress-ruled states.”



The code lays down strict measures like only economy-class air travel for Ministers and Government officials, putting a cap on official telephone bills of Ministers and officials, cutting STD and international call facilities on official phones and specifying that red lights and sirens can be used only on vehicles of the Governor and the Chief Minister.



Aimed at curbing misuse of Government money and uncouth display of power, the code says that Ministers should have only one official vehicle, that foundation stone-laying ceremonies should be discouraged, celebrations of new year and religious festivals at Government expense should be stopped and state planes and helicopters should be used sparingly.





Bihar Assembly elections : Campaign yet to hot up



Even though polling in the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections is scheduled for October 18, the election campaign is yet to gain momentum. BJP and RJD leaders have been holding election meetings in the state for some time, but the Congress top leaders joined the campaign only on Saturday, October 15. Addressing an election rally at Gaya, Congress president Sonia Gandhi claimed that her party’s alliance with the RJD, NCP and CPI(M) is not born out of political expediency. Later, addressing a rally in Patna she said the secular democratic front has been formed not just for political power, but for secularism and for ending injustice.



The BJP’s refrain during the election campaign has been on demanding Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s resignation on the issue of dissolution of the State Assembly. Speaking to reporters in Patna on October 14, BJP president L.K. Advani said that Prime Minister should resign as the Supreme Court has declared the dissolution of the Assembly as unconstitutional. He accused the Union Cabinet of misleading the President while seeking dissolution of the Assembly.



Two days earlier, a delegation of the National Democratic alliance met President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam in New Delhi on October 13 and urged him to advise the Prime Minister to resign owning moral responsibility for what they called “fraud on the constitution,” played by the dissolution of the assembly. The delegation also wanted Governor Buta Singh to be recalled.



Governor Buta Singh who came to Delhi last week refused to answer queries on the Supreme Court verdict on Bihar.



The BJP had its share of worries on Bihar with actor-turned politician, Shatrughan Sinha, refusing to campaign for the party in the state.





Right to Information Act comes into force



The Right to Information Act that gives legal right to the people to seek information from the Government came into force on October 12. This places India among 55 countries that have such legislation. Henceforth, the authorities will be obliged to provide official information to people through designated Public Information Officers and Assistant Public Information Officers. The citizens have the right to ask for records, documents, memos, e-mails, opinions, advice, logbooks, contracts, samples, models and electronic information from the authorities concerned. However, file noting is out of the purview of the Act.



A retired IAS officer Wajahat Habibullah took over as the country’s first Chief Information Commissioner.





A general court martial in Patiala has found Brig. Iqbal Singh guilty of professional and personal misconduct for accepting bribes in the sting operation carried out by the now defunct Tehelka.com. He has been sentenced to two years rigorous imprisonment and his services terminated. Tehelka had released tapes of its sting operation on alleged irregularities in defence deals in March 2001. The website’s scoop had put two other Army officers in the firing line. In January this year, Col. Anil Sahgal was sentenced to four years imprisonment and in March Maj. Gen. P.S.K. Choudhary was sent to jail for a year for accepting bribes from undercover journalists.





Mau violence : Shoot-at-site orders issued



In Uttar Pradesh, shoot-at-site orders have been issued in the communally sensitive town of Mau after fresh violence in which two more persons died despite curfew and deployment of paramilitary forces. The death toll in the clashes in the city since October 13 has now gone up to 5. More than 85 people have been arrested in connection with the riots which broke out on October 13 over Dasshera festivities. The BJP has demanded imposition of President’s Rule in Uttar Pradesh and accused the Mulayam Singh Yadav Government of failing to check the law and order situation from deteriorating. Party spokesman Prakash Javdekar said in New Delhi that the State police have been acting as silent spectators in the town.





84 riot cases to be reopened



Reports say that the Centre is all set to reopen cases against Congress leaders, Jagdish Tytler, Sajjan Kumar and Dharamdas Shastri, for their alleged involvement in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. This follows their indictment in varying degrees by the Nanavati Commission which went into the 1984 riots. The CBI will be asked to probe the cases afresh.



Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, speaking in Parliament on August 10, had apologised to the Sikh community and to the nation for the 1984 violence saying “he bowed his head in shame” that such a thing took place. He had promised that the Government would reopen cases against those whose names figured in the Nanavati commission report in which an adverse inference had been drawn about their conduct or behaviour.