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Political Notes

	June 19, 2006

JD(S)-BJP coalition in Karnataka in trouble The four and a half month old coalition in Karnataka headed by H.D. Kumaraswamy is precariously poised with the JD(S) asking the BJP to either accept the proposed legislation to take

over the Bangalore-Mysore infrastructure corridor project or face the consequences. JD(S) president and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda said

in Bangalore that the BJP should cooperate if it was interested in the smooth running of the Government.

The relationship between the two parties took a turn for the worse on Tuesday when the Ministers of Cabinet rank belonging to the BJP failed to turn

up at the Cabinet meeting to discuss the draft of the legislation titled “Karnataka Streamlining of Infrastructure Development and Utilisation of Land Bill 2006” which was on the agenda. In a huff, Chief Minister Kumaraswamy threatened to put in his papers if the BJP did not `cooperate’ with the

proposed legislation.

Gowda said that he and the JD (S) had the highest respect for the judiciary and there was noquestion of going against the Supreme Court orders.

The apex court, in a judgment on April 20, directed

the State Government to provide the required land

for an expressway and “we are also committed to

the speedy completion of the project.”

The former Prime Minister’s statement was

obviously a reaction to the BJP stance that while it

was not opposed to the Government re-assuming

the excess land of 2,450 acres made over for the

project, the proposed legislation was not acceptable

to it since it went against the directions of the

Supreme Court.

The BJP has rushed senior leader M. Venkaiah

Naidu to Karnataka on an urgent fire-fighting

mission to sort out the differences with the Janata

Dal (S).

Naidu was one of a small group of BJP leaders

involved in negotiations with Kumaraswamy which

led to a JD(S) group aligning itself with the BJP after

breaking its existing alliance with the Congress. The

move saw Congress’s Dharam Singh having to resign

as CM to make way for Kumaraswamy. BJP, with

79 MLAs, is the largest group in the Assembly.

Kumaraswamy’s move was initially “opposed”

by his father, former PM H D Deve Gowda, but this

was seen to be a cosmetic exercise keeping in view

the senior Gowda’s anti-BJP position and his frequent

commitments to “secular politics”.



Industrialist Rahul Bajaj makes it to Rajya Sabha

Banking on the support of the BJP-Shiv Sena

and the Nationalist Congress Party,

Industrialist Rahul Bajaj, Chairman of the Bajaj

Auto Group has made it to the Rajya Sabha from

Maharashtra with an impressive margin. 195 of the

total 285 MLAs, who voted, opted for him. Avinash

Pandey of the Congress polled only 90. Observers

say that the Congress isolation could have

implications for the continuation of the Congress-

NCP coalition government in the state. The NCP

ignored its ties with the Congress, its ally in the

coalition government in Maharashtra as well as in

the Manmohan Singh Government at the Centre

and teamed with the BJP and Shiv Sena for the

election. The Congress has accused the NCP of

joining hands with a communal Shiv Sena while the

NCP told the Congress not to preach what it does

not practice. The Congress blamed the NCP for

making an already sidelined Shiv Sena relevant again

in Maharashtra politics.

Observers say that the Maharashtra

developments are fraught with ominous possibilities.

They say if Sharad Pawar can join hands with the

BJP and Shiv Sena in Mumbai, he may well replicate

it in New Delhi whenever he deems it expedient.

“Overactive” Minister : AIIMS chief threatens

to resign

Upset over administrative changes brought

about in the All India Insitute Medical

Sciences without his concurrence, AIIMS

director Venugopal has threatened to quit, perturbed

over what he called “undue interference” in the

premier health facility in the country. He has

proceeded on leave after making public his

differences with the Health Ministry. Observers say,

the simmering tussle between the AIIMS director

and Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss is almost

two years old. According to sources, the AIIMS

director and the Health Minister did not get along

from the very beginning as Venugopal was seen as

a “BJP appointee.”

Sources said Venugopal was not happy with

the Health Ministry’s appointment of Dr. R.C. Deka

as Dean superseding Dr. K.N. Reddy, head of

Cardiology and Dr. T.D. Dogra, head of Forensic

Medicine, as recommended by the search committee

of the institute.

Rahul Mahajan freed on bail

Rahul Mahajan, son of murdered BJP leader

Pramod Mahajan, has been freed on bail in

an alleged drug abuse case. The special judge

granted him bail as the prosecution had failed to

put on record that he had indulged in systematic or

organised trafficking of drugs or was found in

possession of drugs in commercial quantity. Rahul

Mahajan has been asked to surrender his passport

and not to leave the country without prior

permission of the court. Meanwhile, the BJP has

said that it will provide all possible help to Rahul

Mahajan. Mahajan himself said at a press conference

that he considers BJP as family.

Separate division to deal with Naxal violence

Cabinet Secretary B.K. Chaturvedi has cleared

a Home Ministry proposal to create a separate

division to check Naxal violence. The new

division will not only plan operational strategy to

deal with Naxal terror, but also focus on

developmental activities in the 72 Naxal hit districts

in the country. In the meantime, Home Ministry

officials said that except for Chhattisgarh, Naxal

violence was under control in 12 states including

Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar and Orissa. An

economic blockade call given by CPI(Maoists) in

protest against anti-Maoist campaign in Chhattisgarh

passed off peacefully on Wednesday, June 14. But

its impact was felt in the tribal areas of Chhattisgarh,

Jharkhand and Orissa. Markets remained closed and

vehicles were off the road in these areas.

Barnala gets another term as Governor

Tamil Nadu Governor S.S. Barnala has been

given another five year term as Governor of

Tamil Nadu. Sources say that the Centre

reappointed him on a special request from “old

friend” and state Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi.

Transcending politics, Barnala’s association with

Karunanidhi goes a long way. In 1990, he was

appointed Governor of Tamil Nadu for the first

time when the DMK was in power and Karunanidhi

was Chief Minister. He resigned a year later, after

he refused to recommend dissolution of the

Assembly and imposition President’s Rule.

Subsequently, the Chandrashekhar government

dismissed the DMK government accusing

Karunanidhi of helping the LTTE. Barnala returned

to the state as Governor in 2004. While the AIADMK

had been in power for the past two years, there

were few controversies to mar his term.

Republican Party of India (RPI) leader R.S.

Gavai has been appointed Bihar Governor. Observers

say that his appointment reflects the Congress

decision to farm out gubernatorial posts to other

parties to counter the growing resentment among

allies that key ministerial and Governors’ posts are

being cornered by Congressmen.