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Political Notes

	March 27, 2006

Rajya Sabha elections



Union Ministers Arjun Singh, Sushil Kumar Shinde, H.R. Bhardwaj, Praful Patel and Dasari Narain Rao are among those elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha. The deadline for withdrawal of nominations ended on March 20 for the biennial elections to fill 59 seats in the Rajya Sabha from 15 states.



The Opposition ranks were bolstered by the election of former Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi (Shiv Sena), and the former Delhi Chief Minister Sushma Swaraj (Bhartiya Janata Party).



Shinde, Patel (Nationalist Congress Party), Joshi, journalist-turned-politician Rajiv Shukla (Congress), Vasant Chavan (NCP) and Prof. Bal Apte (BJP) were elected from Maharashtra.



Arjun Singh and former Union Ministers Sushma Swaraj and Vikram Verma (both BJP) were among the five candidates elected unopposed from Madhya Pradesh. The other two were BJP nominees Narayan Singh Kesri and Anasuiya Uike.



Bhardwaj was declared elected unopposed from Haryana to fill the vacancy caused by the retirement of sitting member Faquir Chand.



Union Minister of State for Coal and Mines Dasari Narayan Rao, INTUC national president G. Sanjeeva Reddy, Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president Keshava Rao, Azeez Pasha (CPI), M.V. Mysoora Reddy (TDP), and Rashid Alvi (Congress) were elected unopposed from Andhra Pradesh.



BJP leaders Ramdas Agarwal and Krishan Lal Valmiki and Abhishek Manu Singhvi of the Congress were declared elected uno-pposed from Rajasthan.



But with some surprise candidates having joined the fray, Rajya Sabha nominees may not have a smooth sailing in four states - Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Bihar and West Bengal.



If Sudhanshu Mittal factor has sent the ruling SP-RLD combine in a tizzy in UP since he might cut into the vote share of six of their own candidates, writer U.R. Ananthamurthy throwing in his hat into the Karnataka ring has queered the pitch for independent industrialist candidate Rajiv Chandrashekhar, who is backed by the ruling JD(S)-BJP combine. The state has to elect four persons to the Upper House.



In Bihar, LJP candidate Ranjan Prasad Yadav filing his nomination, with the official support of CPI, SP, BSP, and CPI(ML), and the tacit backing of the ruling JD(U)-BJP combine, has made things difficult for RJD nominee businessman Rajiv Ranjan aka Rajniti Prasad.



The scenario may not be as complicated in West Bengal where the Left is expected to bag four seats. But the Congress fielding a surprise candidate in Subrata Mukherjee at the last moment has certainly caused tension in the Left and Trinamul Congress camps.



In Uttar Pradesh, Mittal, a BJP member, having filed his nomination as an Independent, has been assured of nine surplus votes from the BJP. But with a majority of independents, including Ministers, backing industrialist Mittal, the ruling SP-RLD combine is a worried lot since it might find it difficult to ensure victory for six of its nominees.





Sakshi Maharaj expelled from Rajya Sabha



The Rajya Sabha has expelled Samajwadi Party Member, Swami Sakshi Maharaj who featured in a sting operation by a television channel on the misuse of MP Local Area Development Scheme. Another member, Bahujan Samaj Party’s Isam Singh, who also featured in the same operation, was given the benefit of the doubt. The Rajya Sabha action came on the recommendation of the House Ethics Committee.



The Lok Sabha on March 20 reprimanded and suspended four of its members - Churchill Braz Alemao, Parasnath Yadav, Faggan Singh Kulaste and Ram Swaroop Kili - till March 22 following a Committee report that went into allegations of improper conduct against them in the implementation of MP Local Area Development Scheme.



On December 20, Speaker Somnath Chatterjee had requested the MPs not to attend the House after a television channel carried a sting operation alleging their involvement. A committee was asked to go into the charges, and it submitted a unanimous report on March 14.



Moving the motion that was adopted by voice vote, leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee said he was performing a “painful duty” in having to act against colleagues and deal with the “misdemeanor.”



On the Committee’s recommendation that the Union Government take steps to lay guidelines and norms for sting operations, Mukherjee said it was not to gag the freedom of expression guaranteed under the Constitution.





Constitution Bench to examine tainted Ministers issue



A five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court is to examine the question whether a person with a criminal background or charge-sheeted in criminal cases can be appointed as a Minister. A Bench comprising Chief Justice Y.K. Sabharwal and Justice C.K. Thakkar, referred the matter to a Constitution Bench in view of the fact that important issues of public importance - good governance, moral turpitude, purity of the system and public perception - were involved. The decision came on a Public Interest Petition filed by one Manoj Narula challenging the induction of certain tainted persons in the Union Council of Ministers. The court issued notices to the Centre, Attorney General and Advocates General of all the states seeking their response in four weeks.



Since the Bench felt that individuals need not be made respondents in the petition, it ordered the deletion of the names of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union Ministers Lalu Prasad, Mohammed Taslimuddin and M.A.A. Fatimi. Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, amicus curiae in the case, said the issue was important since the induction of a person with criminal background as a Minister was not good for democracy. Solicitor General G.E. Vahanvati appearing for the Centre agreed that it was a matter of great public importance.





Uttar Pradesh : Breakaway BSP MLAs to continue as separate group



The Supreme Court has upheld for the time being former Uttar Pradesh Assembly Speaker Kesrinath Tripathi’s Sept. 2003 decision recognising 37 breakaway BSP MLAs as a separate entity. A Bench of Justices K.G. Balakrishnan and P.P. Naolekar, however, made it clear that this would be an interim measure till it disposed of a bunch of petitions filed by some BSP MLAs challenging the order of the Allahabad High Court overturning Tripathi’s decisionrecognising the split and subsequent merger of the group with the Samajwadi Party. The judges also allowed five of the 37 MLAs who had resigned from the Ministry to function as BSP MLAs. Observers say that the order is a shot in the arm for Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav as the group being distinct, its MLAs would not have to follow the whip issued by either the Samajwadi Party or the BSP. It buys him more time given that the High Court decision had reduced his Government to a minority.





Government committed to Women’s Reservation : PM



The Prime Minister has said that his government is firmly committed to ensuring the passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill to ensure allocation of seats for women in Parliament and State legislatures as early as possible. Dr. Manmohan Singh gave the assurance after Vanga Geetha (Telugu Desam Party) among the 58 Rajya Sabha members retiring on April 2, sought an assurance.



It was a time for reflection and assessment as the Rajya Sabha set aside the normal business to bid farewell to 58 Members, some of whom have been re-elected.



Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Singh said this was not the end of the political career of the retiring members and hoped they would continue to serve the country in diverse ways with the same commitment they displayed in the House.





Judgment on deporting foreigners



Foreigners staying in the country with valid passports and visas cannot be deported by the government without assigning a reason, the Supreme Court has ruled while coming to the rescue of a Mumbai-based Iranian national. The competent authority must inform the foreigner the reasons for deportation to enable him to represent against the proposed deportation, said a Bench. The court, however, said that a departure may be made from this procedure for compelling reasons like national security. It also clarified that it would not be applicable to illegal migrants.





West Bengal : CPI(M) leadere Anil Biswas dead



In West Bengal, senior CPI(M) leader Anil Biswas, who had suffered a massive brain haemorrhage on March 18, died on Sunday, March 26. He was 61. Biswas was a member of the party’s politburo and CPI(M)’s West Bengal state committee secretary.