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Political Notes

	May 15, 2006

Anti-reservation protests continue, spread to Mumbai



Protests against the reported Government move to provide for reservation for other backward classes (OBCs) in educational institutions continue to intensify. The protests spearheaded by medical students in Delhi are now spreading to other parts of the country including Mumbai. Medical services in the national capital have been hit by medicos strike.



Meanwhile, there is no clarity on whether the UPA Government will introduce the Bill for reservation for OBCs in the current session of Parliament. The Bill was not listed in the Parliamentary business last week.



The Knowledge Commission headed by Sam Pitroda by a 6-2 majority has given its view against Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh’s quota proposal for OBCs in central higher educational institutions. The Commission said the reservations should not come at the cost of merit. Members of the Knowledge Commission met the Prime Minister on May 10 and apprised him of their individual positions on the reservation issue. The Prime Minister is reported to have maintained a studied silence on the issue when the Commission members presented their views. Pitroda said later, “the Prime Minister was silent even as we presented our views on the quota. He just listened and did not offer any views.”





Maharashtra Minister sent to jail



The Supreme Court has sentenced a Maharashtra Minister, Swarup Singh Naik and Additional Chief Secretary Ashok Khot to one month’s simple imprisonment for contempt of court. They had given license to six saw mills in 2004 despite a Supreme Court ban on the same. A bench headed by Chief Justice Y.K. Sabharwal said on May 10 that the two had committed contempt of court and exemplary sentences were called for. The apex court later turned down appeal for review of sentences.



The Maharashtra Minister has since resigned and surrendered for serving his jail sentence.



In another significant judgment the Supreme court has ordered that the work on raising the height of the Sardar Sarovar Dam on the Narmada may continue. It refused to grant the Narmada Bachao Andolan’s request for staying the raising of the height. The court left it to the Prime minister to find a solution to the issue of relief and rehabilitation of the people affected by the dam construction.





MP gets 10 years sentence for rape



A West Bengal Court has sentenced a Forward Bloc MP, Bir Singh Mahato and three others to 10 years rigorous imprisonment in a 24 year old rape case. Additional Sessions Judge, Purulia, found the four persons guilty of raping a house-wife in Purullia in 1982. The four have been sent to Purulia District Correctional Home.



The Forward Bloc has, however, defended Mahato, saying that the MP had been falsely implicated in the case. Party general secretary Debabrata Biswas alleged that the landed gentry of Baghmundi had framed Mahato, who had been leading a farmers’ agitation in the region. Biswas said they would apply for bail and appeal in the high court.





TRS threat to walk out of UPA



The Telangana Rashtriya Samithi (TRS) has threatened to come out of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) if something concrete is not done in a week’s time on the issue of statehood for Telangana. TRS chief and Union Labour Minister K. Chandrashekhra Rao said in New Delhi, “I have spoken to UPA Chief Sonia Gandhi in no uncertain terms to get our demand of separate Telangana state fulfilled. I have given an ultimatum of a week, and if something does not happen, we will come out of the coalition and launch our agitation with utmost vigour.”



The TRS chief called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at his residence on Tuesday, May 9, where he is reported to have asked for an early decision on the formation of a separate Telangana state. Later Chandrashekhra Rao said, “we told the Prime Minister that the formation of Telangana state, which was included in the Common Minimum Programme, has now got two-thirds support in Parliament. We asked him to expedite the process.”



The TRS leader said the Prime Minister informed him that Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee who heads the UPA sub-committee on the Telangana issue has been asked to submit his report at the earliest.



Rahman Khan re-elected Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman



Senior Congress leader K. Rahman Khan has been unanimously re-elected Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. The election took place on Friday, May 12. This is Rahman Khan’s second term as Deputy Chairman of the House. He was re-elected from Karnataka last month as member of the Upper House. Besides the Prime Minister, several members from various political parties proposed and seconded the candidature of Khan and the entire House congratulated him when chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat announced his election.





Lok Sabha adopts Bill to stop Delhi demolitions



The Lok Sabha has unanimously passed the Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Bill, 2006, seeking to put a year-long moratorium on the ongoing demolitions and sealing of illegal buildings in the national capital. The Bill was introduced, considered and passed in just over an hour. Lakhs of residents of Delhi faced displacement following orders of the Supreme Court on the issue. The Bill gives the Government one year to frame policy guidelines to deal with the problem of unauthorised construction and mixed land use.



Observers say even when the Bill becomes a law after it is passed by the Rajya Sabha and approved by the President, it is not certain that the demolitions would stop. The apex court may again have to take a view on the legality of the legislation.





CEC calls for appointment of politically neutral ECs



Chief Election Commissioner B.B. Tandon has written to President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam to set up a procedure for the appointment of politically neutral Election Commissioners. He is reported to have suggested in the letter that a seven-member committee headed by the Prime Minister should be constituted to select the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners to strengthen faith and confidence in the public mind. Other members could include the Lok Sabha Speaker, Minister-in-charge of the Ministry of Law and Justice, leaders of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, a Supreme Court judge to be nominated by the Chief Justice of India and the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.



At present no such mechanism exists for the appointment of CEC or Election Commissioners.



Though nowhere in the letter, written last month, has Tandon referred to the Navin Chawla controversy, he however, indirectly hinted at the controversy. Chawla has been accused by the Opposition of being pro-Congress and for using funds from Congress MPs for an NGO run by his wife. Over 200 MPs have already written a letter to the President demanding immediate removal of Chawla.





Natwar Singh calls for GenNxt to take over



In a deft political move that could result in exit of all senior leaders including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, if adopted by the party high command, former External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh has advocated that it’s time the second generation took over the Congress party.



In an exclusive interview to a newspaper, he said he was “worried” that there were too many old people holding on to too many important posts. He even named the top brass of the UPA government, who are over 70: “Manmohan is 74, I am 75, Arjun is 77, Pranab (Mukherjee), Shivraj Patil are also in their 70s.”



The former External Affairs Minister, who was made to quit the Manmohan Singh Government after allegations against him that he was one of the beneficiaries in Iraq’s oil for food programme, said “the time has come for the second generation to take over... the country and the party can use our experience and wisdom, what can be called the wise man’s brain trust.”



Asked when it is possible, he replied: “If I have my own way, as soon as possible.” He agreed that the Generation Next takeover has to happen definitely before the next Lok Sabha elections.



Observers note that by suggesting that Generation Next should take over the Congress, Natwar Singh has indirectly conveyed that Sonia Gandhi’s son Rahul Gandhi should take over the party leadership and consequently be ready to replace Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the next Lok Sabha elections.



Commenting on the Left support to the UPA Government, Natwar Singh admitted that he was “left-of-centre intellectually”, but on the gained strength of the Red brigade, he said, “I don’t think Left will rock the boat, but they will certainly ensure, as our friends and allies, that the excessive tilt in some quarters towards America is not there.”