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Political Notes |
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Haryana Vikas Party merges with Congress
Bansi Lal’s Haryana Vikas Party has merged into the Congress, the party it originated from. Bansi Lal himself was not present at the time of the formal announcement at the AICC office in New Delhi, but he authorised his son, HVP secretary, Surinder Singh, to go ahead with the merger. Describing his return to the Congress hold as a “homecoming”, Surinder Singh said his workers would work like loyal Congress “soldiers”. But there are reports that the merger will do nothing to allay Congress fears that it would lead to problems at the district level. HVP has a strong presence in certain districts and would obviously want that its partymen get tickets for the coming Assembly elections in the state.
A newspaper has also commented that with the HVP returning to the Congress, the stage may be set for a patch up between Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala and the Bharatiya Janata Party. BJP had broken its ties with Chautala since party chief Venkaiah Naidu had been misled by the State unit’s claim of its bright chances in the Lok Sabha elections.
Rahul Gandhi on Emergency
Sonia Gandhi’s son and Amethi Member of Parliament Rahul Gandhi has admitted that there had been excesses during the Emergency which were wrong. Similar confessions had come earlier from both Indira Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi. But observers say that Rahul Gandhi’s candour is significant because of its timing; it comes at a time when a controversy is raging on the emergency and Indira Gandhi’s role in it. The controversy erupted over Doordarshan’s refusal to telecast a film it had commissioned on Jayaprakash Narayan because it contained what the Government considered objectionable references to Indira Gandhi. Prakash Jha, Director of the documentary has refused to carry out the changes Doordarshan wanted.
Censor Board gets new Chairperson
The Government has replaced the Chairman of the Central Board of Film Certification, CBFC, Anupam Kher, by leading actress of yesteryears, Sharmila Tagore. Reacting to the move Anupam Kher said it is part of a political game and the Government should not make scapegoats of people like him. He has threatened to take the matter to court. The I & B Ministry officially maintained that Anupam Kher had been removed as he was not able to devote much time to the Censor Board in view of his increasing film commitments.
Anupm Kher said that he had also sent a legal notice to CPI(M) leader Harkishan Singh Surjeet asking him to withdraw his comment that Kher was an RSS functionary. Reacting to Anupam Kher’s charge, the CPI(M) denied that it had any hand in his removal from the Censor Board.
The Government has also dissolved the Khadi and Village Industries Commission, removing its Chairman, BJP leader, Mahesh Sharma. The Government says KVIC has been dissolved to revamp it as mandated under the UPA’s National Common Minimum Programme. The organisation will be made more professionally competent, effective and efficient for the development and promotion of village industries.
Petrol pumps scam : 297 outlets cancelled
The Supreme Court has approved the cancellation of 297 allotments of petrol pumps and kerosene outlets made by the National Democratic Alliance Government. These allotments were found tainted by a two-member judicial committee appointed by the Court. The committee comprising former Supreme Court Judge S.C. Aggarwal and former Delhi High Court Judge P.K. Bahri had examined all the 409 allotments and recommended the cancellation of 297 as they had been found to be made to “ineligible” persons.
The Committee was appointed by the Supreme Court to scrutinise the appointments after the Vajpayee Government had cancelled over 3000 allotments in the year 2000 in the wake of a national daily publishing a series of articles alleging that the then Petroleum Minister Ram Naik had made allotments to BJP and Sangh Parivar (RSS family) sympathisers in violation of rules.
Observers say that there is something inherently wrong with the Government doing business instead of merely regulating it. The Petrol Pump irregularities have confirmed this. Instead of following the logic of business practices, the allocations are made on grounds of equity or worse for patronage. If the Government needs to help the under-privileged, or families of personnel who die in wars, there ought to be a transparent quota instead of a selection process that is so murky that it is bound to be misused.
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