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Political Notes

	December 13, 2004

Raids on Bihar jails



The Bihar Military Police has carried out massive searches in all 55 jails of the state to crack down on criminals pursuing their nefarious activities from there. The raids came following an order by the Patna High Court on Wednesday, December 8. The High Court had earlier expressed concern at the law and order situation in the state, especially in the context of extortion demands being made from prisons including the one that led to the murder of a doctor last month. There were also reports that the Rashtriya Janata Dal MP, Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav had been holding “darbars” in the Beur Jail in Patna and prison officials, who tried to enforce discipline, had been assaulted.

In a swift action which followed the court directive, the troopers were at the Beur Central Jail grabbing three cell phones, four knives and a couple of VCD sets. The team was also said to have pulled out a cellphone hidden in the shoe of controversial Pappu Yadav.



The district police and jail officials were not engaged in the search in keeping with the direction of the High Court which ruled that the jail authorities too should be searched as also their offices where the criminal elements hid incriminating articles during a raid. The residences of officials located on the jail premises were also ordered to be searched.





Cases against NDA leaders in Tehelka expose



The National Democratic Alliance got a big jolt during the week with the CBI

registering cases against former BJP president Bangaru Laxman and Janata Dal United leader Jaya Jaitly on charges of accepting bribes to influence Defence Ministry officials as brought out in the Tehelka expose. Expectedly, the CBI cases snowballed into a major controversy with the NDA terming them as “political vendetta” and misuse of the investigating agency. Bangaru Laxman and Jaya Jaitly figure in the list of ten accused in the five FIRs registered by the CBI to probe corruption in defence teals.



As was widely shown on Television in March 2001, the CBI accused Laxman, who was also a Rajya Sabha MP, of allegedly accepting Rs. 1 lakh in the name of party funds and demanding further installments in dollars from the Tehelka journalists - posing as representatives of West End International, a fictitious firm. A big political controversy broke out after the tapes were made public on March 13, 2001 leading to sacking of Laxman and resignation of the then Defence Minister George Fernandes. Fernandes was, however, reinstated before the Phukan Commission of Inquiry gave its interim report - something which had invited criticism from the opposition parties.



The BJP-led NDA staged a walkout from the Lok Sabha protesting against the alleged “misuse” of the CBI by the UPA Government to nail the opponents. In Bangalore, NDA Convener George Fernandes tried to target Congress President Sonia Gandhi by accusing her of being the mastermind behind the Tehelka sting-operation and demanded that the CBI register cases against the bribe-givers too.

“If anybody has accepted bribe and someone has offered it, then the bribe-giver is a bigger offender than the bribe-taker. What the Government has done is to be very selective,” he said while speaking to reporters.



Government defends inclusion of tainted Ministers



The UPA Government has defended the induction of some tainted politicians in

the Manmohan Singh Ministry. In an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, the Government said, there is no constitutional restriction on inducting law-makers suspected of criminal offences as Ministers. The affidavit came in response to a petition challenging the induction of tainted MPs in the Union Cabinet. The Centre said it is the sole discretion of the Prime Minister to include an MP in his Council of Ministers and the President is bound by it.



Relying on the Constitution, the Centre’s affidavit said Article 70 did not contain any limitation as to who could or could not be included in the Council of Ministers. “The President would have no option but to appoint, as Prime Minister the person who commands the support of the majority in the House,” said the Government adding “Equally, the Prime Minister has the discretion to select his council of ministers, and persons so selected are required to be appointed by the President as being part of the council of ministers.”

The apex court had issued notices to the Centre on a review petition filed by one Major Narula challenging inclusion of Mohammed Taslimuddin, M.A.A. Fatmi and Jai Prakash Yadav on the ground that criminal cases were pending against them.



Rajiv Gandhi murder : Chandraswami may have financed it - CBI



The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has told a New Delhi court that godman Chandraswami may have financed Rajiv Gandhi’a assassination 13 years ago. This is the first time that the investigating agency has revealed details of Chandraswami’s alleged role in Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination by an LTTE human bomb at Sripirambudur in Tamil Nadu. The CBI made this point while opposing Chandraswami’s plea for permission to go abroad.



Evidence and material pointed an accusing finger towards Chandraswami and “raise serious doubts regarding his involvement in the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi,” CBI Superintendent of Police B.N. Mishra told Metropolitan Magistrate V.K. Khanna.



The enforcement directorate which has accused Chandraswami of foreign exchange regulations violations also opposed his application for permission to go abroad. The court has fixed December 13 as the next date of hearing and directed Chandraswami to appear in person.



Supreme Court notices on illegal Bangladeshi migrants



The Supreme Court, on December 10, issued notices to the Centre and the

Election Commission on a PIL seeking a CBI probe into the illegal presence of about two crore Bangladeshi migrants in several states, especially Assam. The PIL filed by an NGO, Image India Foundation, drew the apex court’s attention to the worst affected state of Assam from the illegal immigration from Bangladesh. The petition also sought a direction to strike their names off the electoral rolls for posing a threat to the security and adversely affecting the demographic profile of the country. The petition said that as a result of the population movement from Bangladesh, the indigenous people of Assam are being reduced to a minority in their home state. Other affected states are West Bengal, Bihar, Tripura, Nagaland, Maharashtra and Delhi.



The NGO stated that 85 per cent of the total encroached forest land in Assam was found to be in the hands of illegal Bangladeshi migrants and they have a major say in 43 out of 126 Assembly constituencies of the state.

On the security threat from the illegal migrants, the NGO pointed out that the Indian establishment believed existence of a close nexus between the illegal migrants and the extremist groups operating in the North-eastern states. A similar case is going on in Delhi High Court, which had recently asked the Government of the steps it had taken to deport unwanted people. The Delhi Police had asked its officers to find out Bangladeshis and send them back across the border.



Kanchi Shankaracharya again denied bail



The Madras High Court has denied another plea by the Shankaracharya of

Kanchipuram Sri Jayanendra Saraswati to be let out of jail on bail. Rejecting the plea, the court said that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the petitioner is shown to be guilty of an offence punishable with death or imprisonment for life. Justice R. Balasubramaniam said that the material relied upon by the prosecution constituted “reasonable” grounds.



Babri mosque demolition anniversary peaceful

The 12th anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya passed off peacefully on December 6 despite demonstrations by Muslim outfits as well as Hindu organisations. The Muslim outfits observed it as a Black Day while the Hindu organisations led by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad marked the day as Shaurya Divas. VHP activists demanded construction of a Ram Temple at Ayodhya. They also threatened to “liberate Kashi and Mathura.”



The Muslim community kept their business establishments closed and wore black badges as a mark of protest.



RSS attack on the Muslims



The RSS mouthpiece, the Organiser, launched an attack on the major minority

community in the country last week when it described Muslims as a “terror” community. The paper while commenting on the “poverty” among Muslims in India, put the poser : “Is there something wrong with a community that generates poverty ?”.



The journal then went on to add : “Either way, the community is being laughed at and taken for a ride by politicians who speak for them.” In an article, “Communalise polity, divide on religion : The UPA mantra,” Editor R. Balashankar wrote : “The Manmohan Singh Government has programmes only for the minorities, not for the common man.” In another article, “A case for deadly inertia,” the Editor lashed out at the Prime Minister and his “healing touch for the terror community.”



Referring to the Prime Minister’s recently announced special package for Jammu and Kashmir, he wrote : “Dr. Singh’s healing touch was reserved for the terror community.”



Attacking the Congress-led Government for their “Muslim-centric policies,” the RSS mouthpiece stated: “The Narasimha Rao Government had even announced a separate minority financial institution for Muslims. Yet the community is still poor and backward.” It then hits out : “Is there something wrong with the community that generates poverty, or rulers who make only pronouncements without bothering to implement them.” The article added : “Either way, the community is being laughed at and taken for a ride by politicians who speak for them.”



Sri Lankan action against Tamil Nadu fishermen



Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has sought the Prime Minister’s intervention in the issue of the Sri Lankan Navy’s action against Tamil Nadu fishermen on the charge of crossing the international boundary line. In a letter to Dr. Manmohan Singh, she said that disturbing reports have been received that 13 fishermen who ventured into the sea from Jagathapattinam, were taken into custody and that their three mechanised boats were seized. Fishermen in the state depended essentially on fishing in the waters around Katchatheevu, Jayalalithaa said. She recalled that she had taken up the “burning issue on several occasions” with the Centre urging that the traditional rights and privileges of Indian fishermen to carry on fishing in the area be recognised early and a suitable working arrangement developed.