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Political Notes

	May 14, 2007

Parliament stalled on fake encounter issue



Parliament functioning was stalled on Monday, May 7, on various issues including the demand for ouster of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi over fake encounter killings. While the Congress, the Left, the RJD and the Samajwadi Party raised the demand for Modi’s ouster, the BJP retaliated by raising the Nandigram issue and seeking an apology from Shipping Minister T.R. Balu for what they called misleading the Parliament over the Sethusumdaram project. In the Rajya Sabha, the BJP and allies sought to put the government in the dock by referring to letters written by American senators to the Prime Minister on the Indo-US nuclear deal.



Meanwhile, both Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan Police have said that they have nothing to do with the fake encounter carried out by the Gujarat police in which Sohrabuddin Sheikh, a criminal from Madhya Pradesh, was killed after branding him as a terrorist. The Gujarat Government has suspended arrested DIG D.G. Vanzara and SP (Intelligence) Raj Kumar Pandian involved in the fake encounter. Three more policemen were arrested on May 7 in connection with the case.





Mamata Banerjee, Left agree to all party meeting on Nandigram



West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee have at last agreed to smoke the peace pipe to sort out the Nandigram mess.





Climbing down from earlier positions, both have shown willingness to discuss at an all-party meeting how the displaced people can be sent back to their homes.



The Chief Minister agreed to attend the meeting outside Writers’ Buildings to accommodate Mamata’s wish, which a CPI(M) leader described as an “unusual request by an Opposition leader’’.







Bhattacharjee also assured Forward Bloc secretary Ashok Ghosh on May 9 that “all decisions of the proposed meeting would be implemented’’, as demanded by the Trinamul Congress leader.



Mamata announced she wouldn’t mind being part of an all-party discussion that would witness Bhattacharjee’s participation.



In another climb down, Mamata said an all-party meet convened by Ghosh would suffice if Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi cannot call one. She had earlier demanded that the meeting be called by the Governor.





Setback for Congress on Goa poll eve



In a major setback for the Congress in Goa where Assembly elections are to be held next month, senior leader Churchill Alemao has quit the party and joined the regional outfit, Save Goa Front. He has also resigned from the Lok Sabha.



Alemao, who belongs to the Catholic community which accounts for 26 per cent of the State electorate is an important leader of South Goa. The Congress had been winning all the eight seats from the Salcete region to which Alemao belongs.



With Alemao quitting the party, Congress leaders admit that there could be serious problems for the party in the coming election to be held on June 2. Alemao, who belongs to the backward Chaddo community, has considerable clout among backwards within the Catholics. A split in the Catholic community may help the BJP in the elections. Although the State has 65 per cent Hindu population, there has been no instance of a polarisation in favour of the BJP.



RJD MP gets life term for murder



In Bihar, a court in Siwan has awarded life imprisonment to Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Mohd. Shahabuddin in a 1999 abduction/murder case. On May 5, the court had pronounced the Siwan MP guilty under section 364 (Kidnapping or abducting in order to murder) in the case relating to the abduction of a CPI(ML) worker, Chhote Lal Gupta.



The designated court of Additional District and Sessions Judge, Gyaneshwar Prasad Srivastva - located in Siwan jail - also fined Shahabuddin Rs. 10,000 and gave him three months to appeal in a higher court.



This is only the second time a sitting MP has been awarded life sentence, the first being the JMM chief Shibu Soren.



Chhote Lal’s family said they were hoping for the death sentence for Shahabuddin. “He killed my husband, orphaned my family. He deserved the death sentence,” said Chhote Lal’s wife Mamata.



The MP’s counsel said Shahabuddin would move the higher court.





Storm over Delhi Chief Minister’s remarks on outsiders



The Lok Sabha was adjourned on Thursday, May 10, without transacting any business when RJD, BJP and JD(U) members from Bihar objected to Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit’s remarks about migrants in the capital. Agitated members demanded the Chief Minister’s resignation for her remarks.



Raising slogans, some of the members entered the well of the House, forcing the Speaker to adjourn the House till noon. The tumultuous scenes were repeated when the House met again, and despite requests from the Chair the members did not relent, demanding an unconditional apology from Dikshit.



Amid the din, the Speaker said Dikshit had apologised for her remarks and urged the members to allow the House to function. But the din continued, and he adjourned the House till Friday morning.



Later, Sheila Dikshit had a meeting with the Leader of the Lok Sabha, Pranab Mukherjee, where she was understood to have shown the recording of the statement she made at a function in the Capital on Thursday, which resulted in all the furore.



Meanwhile, the CPI joined issue with Dikshit on her comments about migrants putting pressure on the infrastructure in the Capital and demanded that she withdraw her statement.



At a news conference in New Delhi on May 10, Sheila Dikshit expressed regret and extended her apology for this “unfortunate happening.” The Chief Minister said she was sorry to learn that the Lok Sabha was agitated over her alleged statement and the House could not discharge its functions.



She said her statement had been distorted by a section of the media. “I have no intention of hurting the sentiments of anybody.”



She was “fully aware of the contribution made by people coming from outside, especially from U.P. and Bihar, in the development of Delhi,” she said. “Delhi is the national Capital and is a home for people from every part of the country.”