India News Online » News Analysis » Indian Politics » 

Political Notes

	May 08, 2006

Chautala’s disproportionate assets unearthed



The CBI conducted raids at 24 places spread over six states on Wednesday, May 3, in connection with the disproportionate assets case against former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala. Later, the agency claimed that it had unearthed over Rs. 1467 crore of disproportionate assets.



The list of properties allegedly belonging to Chautala or his family members includes three plots in Gurgaon Phase V, worth Rs. 150 crore, a hotel and a restaurant in up-market Karol Bagh worth Rs. 150 crore, a shopping mall in Karol Bagh worth Rs. 180 crore, a plot on Ring Road worth Rs. 120 crore, and a plot in Karol Bagh worth Rs. 55 crore, the FIR alleged.



During searches, the CBI also recovered arms licenses for 12 weapons from a farm house in Mehrauli and the agency would verify them before registering yet another case under the Arms Act against the former Haryana Chief Minister.



The case came to light during the searches the CBI carried out in connection with the alleged malpractices in the recruitment of Junior Basic Teachers in Haryana, a case that was handed over to the CBI by the Supreme Court.



The CBI spokesman said the assets that were disproportionate to Om Prakash Chautala’s known sources of income were believed to be “phenomenal” and would need an in=depth probe. The agency also froze Rs. 1.84 crore in five accounts of the family in different banks.





Reservation issue : Balancing act begins



The Prime Minister has indicated that the Government may try to get over the controversy on the reservation issue by increasing the number of seats at all levels of technical education from ITIs to IITs. Speaking during his visit to Goa, Dr. Manmohan Singh said on Friday, May 5, “we have to increase the number of seats and also improve the quality of training at all levels.” The Prime Minister’s remarks appeared to be aimed at reducing opposition to the Government’s proposal, as spelt out by Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh, to provide for reservation for students belonging to the other backward classes (OBCs) in educational institutions of higher learning. Students belonging to the general category have been agitating against the proposal on the ground that it will reduce their chances of getting admission to institutions of higher learning.



There are reports that concerned about opposition to the OBC’s quota by students, Government may sit on the legislation for this purpose for some time longer. Whether the legislation will be introduced in the remaining part of the Budget session of Parliament, which is getting underway on May 10, is not certain.



Meanwhile, HRD Minister Arjun Singh has said that he has brought to the Prime Minister’s notice what he called violation of decorum by Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal in criticising the Government’s move to introduce OBC quotas in IITs, IIMs and other central institutions.



Arjun Singh met the Election Commission on May 4 to explain his views on the reservation policy. The Commission has taken up his alleged violation of the Model Code of Conduct in making the remark on reservation when Assembly elections are under way in several states. Arjun Singh said at his meeting with the Election Commission that the reservation policy is not a new move; as such he claimed that it does not come within the purview of the model code of conduct.



In a related move, President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, summoned the HRD Minister for a half-an-hour meeting on May 3 to get his clarification on the issue of OBC reservation. According to sources, Arjun Singh briefed the President on the status of the proposal. He is understood to have said that the proposal for 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in educational institutions is a logical outcome of the 93rd amendment to the Constitution.



A five-member delegation of students opposing reservations met President Kalam on Thursday, May 4, and sought his intervention to check the move to provide OBC quotas for admission to institutions of higher education.





Left to extend influence post-elections



Veteran CPI(M) leader Jyoti Basu has said that it is imperative for the Left forces to extend their influence beyond West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura. Speaking in Kolkata on May 1, he said it will take the Left parties only a day to topple the UPA Government at the centre, but that would not bring the Left to power. Speaking at the May Day rally, Jyoti Basu said, “we want the UPA Government to stay on for its full term by when we will have consolidated the strength not only of the Left parties, but also the various mass organizations.”



Meanwhile, CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat has said that he will move Parliament against the Election Commission’s “discriminatory attitude” towards West Bengal and Kerala where elections had been staggered into several phases. Speaking to reporters at Kasargod, he said that the EC tried to convey that the two Left leaning states were incapable of conducting free and fair elections. CPI(M)s’ Chief Minister aspirant in Kerala, V.S. Achhuthanandan said that the Election Commission is being carried away by Congress propaganda.





Clean chit to seven MPs in Office of Profit cases



The Election Commission has given a clean chit to seven members of Parliament including BJP’s V.K. Malhotra and Balbir Punj and two MLAs against whom “office of profit petitions” were pending.



Deputy Election Commissioner R. Balakrishna said in New Delhi on May 3 that the Commission has conveyed its views to the President in these cases. IN V.K. Malhotra’s case, the petitioner Vijay Kumar Arya had alleged that he held the position of the President of All India Council of Sports. The Election Commission rejected the petition on the ground that Malhotra held the office well before he was elected to the Lok Sabha. In Punj’s case, the EC did not conduct any hearing as his Rajya Sabha term had already expired.









Chhattisgarh : Police vacancies thwart anti-Naxalite drive



The police forces in Chhattisgarh are over 4000 men short, which is adversely affecting the drive against growing Naxalite violence. State Chief Minister Raman Singh took a meeting on May 2 to review the question of the vacancies and the efforts needed to fill up the posts at the earliest. Security advisor to the Chhattisgarh government K.P.S. Gill did not attend the meeting as it was a departmental review meeting. But at a meeting with the Union Home Secretary, Gill had made a plea for more security forces for Chhattisgarh which is among the states worst hit by Naxalite activities.



In neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, police shot dead four Naxalites who had hijacked two luxury boats on the River Krishna and taken hostage 10 holiday makers and 35 crew members. The Naxalites had freed the crew and were fleeing when the police intercepted them in Mehboob Nagar district. The Naxalites had hijacked the boats in retaliation for the police encounter in which nine Maoists were killed in Kadapa district.