Mayawati’s bid to revive BSP in northern States

May 29, 2011 11:25:40 AM

Amitabh Shukla | Chandigarh

In a bid to revive its shrinking political base in Punjab and to motivate its workers and apprise them of the party’s political strategy and changing ideological moorings, a day-long worker’s convention would be held here on Sunday.

Party chief and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati would address workers from all the northern States —Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and also UT of Chandigarh to increase the foothold of the party in these States in its attempt to expand in a big way beyond UP.

The BSP chief is expected to give a clarion call for the inclusion of “Sarva Samaj” or all castes on the party platform, a formula which paid rich dividends to the party in UP in the 2007 Assembly elections. The “all-inclusive” strategy of the party is the new mantra which Mayawati is likely to use as a catalyst for consolidating and expanding her footprint across the country, particularly the northern States. She is expected to underline the fact that UP could be replicated elsewhere only if the party becomes an umbrella organisation for all castes, including the upper castes.

Immediate priority for the BSP here, however is Punjab which goes to polls early next year and was the State from where BSP founder Kanshi Ram hailed and concentrated the most after 1984. Punjab has a dalit population of 30 per cent, one of the highest in the country and the party now sees an opportunity to revive this support base.

After initial success in Punjab and making inroads in the dalit vote base, BSP did not manage to capitalise in the long run and frittered away the electoral advantage which it had in the State. The other three main parties — Congress, Akali Dal and BJP have successfully managed to eat into the BSP votes since then.

With an eye on expansion, it was not surprisingly to find that almost every party worker — right from the booth level to the State level — in the northern States have been invited for the Sunday convention, which is billed as the first of its kind in recent years by the party in this part of the country.

(The Pioneer, May 29, 2011)

http://www.dailypioneer.com/341846/Mayawati%E2%80%99s-bid-to-revive-BSP-in-northern-States.html

‘No sympathy' for Bhullar in Punjab

May 28, 2011 4:02:35 PM

Amitabh Shukla | Chandigarh

Rejection of the mercy petition of Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar by the President Pratibha Patil would have no impact on the Assembly elections in Punjab. This is the refrain of the police and intelligence officials as well as politicians in the State.

“The issue lost what appeal it had a long time ago. It is a forgotten and dark chapter that no one wants to recall. Terrorism bred misery in Punjab and 20 years after it has come to an end, almost everybody realises this fact,” a senior officer in Punjab Police said.

That the issue has lost its relevance is underlined by the fact that no organisation has come forward with a response on the latest turn of events. They did not find it worthy of even issuing a statement.

“It is no longer an issue to bother ourselves about. The people of Punjab are looking to the future and no one has the time and energy to dig into the past. Elections in Punjab are fought on bread and butter issues such as development, unemployment, corruption, infrastructure and a better deal for farmers,” was how an Akali leader, who did not want to be named, summed up the issue.

Bhullar, a Khalistan Liberation Force terrorist, was the mastermind in the Delhi 1993 attack on Maninderjit Singh Bitta, then Youth Congress president, in which nine people lost their lives. Bitta survived the attack.

Speaking to The Pioneer, Bitta said the rejection of Bhullar's mercy petition would have no impact on Punjab's politics. “Some vested interests will try and politicise such issues but this time there are no takers. There are a few individuals in the State who get foreign money just to speak on sectarian lines. They will again try to play their dirty tricks. But I am happy to note that such voices no longer find sympathetic listeners.”

Eventhough the main parties refrained from comment on the matter, some US- and Canada-based individuals started a chain email titled 'Justice for Davinderpal Singh Bhullar'. This e-mail is from the time when Bhullar was convicted and sentenced to death by the Supreme Court.

When contacted, Kirpal Singh Bathinda, the signatory of the mail, admitted that almost all office bearers of his organisation are foreign-based but insisted that Bhullar should get 'justice' which, according to him, meant pardon for his crime.

(The Pioneer 28.5.11) http://dailypioneer.com/341704/%E2%80%98No-sympathy-for-Bhullar-in-Punjab.html

Peak hour Metro..

OFF-TRACK

Amitabh Shukla

Metro, touted as Delhi’s answer to London’s tube and Singapore’s MRTS, is fast turning into the Mumbai local in the evening peak hours. The rush pushes you inside the train and the same rush pushes you out even though you may not want to de-board and your destination is some other station.

Traveling in the evening hours, one got the taste of the new Metro in the city. While the journey from Nehru Place to Central Secretariat was just like it used to be – calm, peaceful and enjoyable, the taste of the bitter medicine was awaiting me at the junction of Central Secretariat.

The moment one changed the line and tried to enter the platform meant for the trains leaving for Jehangirpuri, a mass of humanity awaited me. I could see only heads from the steps leading to the platform. Some of them with black hair, others bald, some coloured and some left natural with pepper and salt.

However hard I tried, I could not push my way in the sea of humanity. Looking for some other openings, I walked across to the other end from a different side. The same scene awaited me. The train came, the crowd surged forward pushing aside all human obstacles. There was no place even for anyone to fall. Darwin’s theory of “Survival of the fittest” was at its display. I looked at the watch. It was intact and read 5.50pm.

The already crowded train could not take more than 5-6 passengers, whatever the amount of jostling, slugfest, wrestling and kick-boxing. Most of those carrying lunch boxes, clearly babus from the nearby government offices, cursed the system and everybody. I watched them, listened to them.

Another train came, equally crowded. The fittest amongst the bystanders managed to push their way inside, others left outside. Darwin must be smiling in his grave, I thought. After 4-5 trains passed, I could not count the numbers, I suddenly found myself close to the place where the doors of last coach of the Metro open. The train arrived and doors opened. I soon found myself

inside the coach, crushed from all sides by pot bellied men, teenagers, lunch boxes, backpacks. Different smells invaded my nostrils. I could not even move my handkerchief to my nose.

The doors of the train closed after several failed efforts. The train moved. At the next station of Patel Chowk, not a single soul was allowed to enter. Even a fly would have found it hard to cross the sea of humanity.

Used to the rush after Metro expanded in south Delhi, the daily passengers were now enjoying the rush. I watched around. Passengers clutching to whatever they could get hold of. “There was no need to hold anything, under no circumstance would you fall,” I told a babu. “This is to maintain balance,” he curtly replied back.

The Rajiv Chowk station arrived. A huge crowd was waiting outside. A few passengers de-boarded the train. It was again the display of brawn by those waiting outside. A lucky few managed to enter – waiving off their hands in air as if they have won a medal in the Commonwealth Games.

At New Delhi station, no one could de-board the train. The passenger with a bag was advised by the fellow-travelers that he should go right upto Kashmere Gate and then take the returning train to get down at the station. The same happened at Chawri Bazar and Chandni Chowk. No soul could get down or enter the train.

I managed to get down at the junction of Kashmere Gate. I looked at my shirt, it was crumpled. Touched my wallet, it was intact. It was then that I decided to go to a gym and become fit once again to board the Metro in the peak hours.

ashukla.mail@gmail.com

DEATH and BEYOND....

Amitabh Shukla

I have been a rather reluctant person to visit funerals and prayer meetings for the departed soul. But as I have started getting white strands in the hair and death seems more imminent than it seemed in the prime of my youth, a decade ago, I make it a point to share the sorrow of my friends whenever in town. The other day, I went to a prayer meeting and returned richer – spiritually.

A friend’s father-in-law had expired at the age of 95, after living life to the hilt and leaving behind a legacy which his children, grandchildren and relatives fondly cherished. I got an SMS about the prayer meeting being held at the Sai International Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi. I reached when devotional songs were being sung by a group of three on tabla and harmonium in the huge auditorium. The underlying message in all the devotional songs was the impermanent nature of life – the futility of collecting worldly goods and riches, the need to make God your constant companion and shun abhorrent practices which take you farther from the Supreme Being.

Kabir so dhan sanchiye jo aage ko hoye, sees charaye potli le jaat na dekha koye (Collect only the wealth that you can carry forward in your next life. Have you seen any person walking to meet God with a bundle of his money and worldly goods on his head). The Bhajan singer brought this out beautifully.

Also Maya mui na mai mua mar mar gaya sareer, asha trishna na mari kah gaya das Kabeer. (Maya (hallucination and desire) and mai (igo) did not die even as the physical body is on the verge of extinction. Hope and desire for worldly goods never dies, thus said Kabeer)

The gathering of a thousand odd persons in the hall was listening with rapt attention. Though there were some people who were scanning their mobile phones for that non-existent call or SMS and still others for whom talking business in that serene moment was more important than learning a lesson in life, but largely the singers got the attention they deserved.

I closed my eyes to connect to the devotional songs. Three-four minutes later, I could see myself perched onto a tree top, then on the top of snow clad mountains, I started flying like a bird, the body seemed without any weight. I also found myself in the middle of an island, on a boat traversing the sea and also moving around in dense forests. I forgot I had a body and was wandering everywhere. There was no consciousness for a fleeting moment.

Was it a hallucination? Was it a dream? Was I sleeping? Was it the soul wandering everywhere sans the physical body? I do not know. The answers are not easy to find.

A few years ago, I had undertaken lessons in Yoga Nidra in which the instructor (a Swami) of the Bihar School of Yoga, guided me to relaxation through this ancient practice. For a few fleeting moments, I felt that I am not the body but something different. The same feeling came again after a long time when the body ceased to exist momentarily and I found what could possibly happen as and when the physical body dissolves into nature from where it sprang.

The importance of looking within was once again underlined. I remembered the wisdom of our saints that God was within every living being – you just have to discover by looking within. That is why our saints asked us to practice “maun” or silence at any convenient time of the day. At that time, the dialogue (if any) should be with the self and not the outside world.

“You have to leave this world and everything which you have appropriated or misappropriated all your life but the self (soul) would never leave you. It is this self with which you have to connect,” I remembered a Swami giving sermon on the banks of river Ganga in Rishikesh.

FATHER.......

Amitabh Shukla

That was the time only for fun and frolic. There was no reason involved in whatever one did or thought. Being in high school gave me a passport for doing things which I now see as outright crazy.

Mohan happened to be one of my best friends. Being the next door neighbour in the colony housing only four doctors, including my father in the sleepy town of Hazaribagh, nestled in the Chotanagpur plateau, he was always available to play cricket, football or any other game.

The problem arose when Mohan's father, also a doctor, hired a teacher to teach Sanskrit and Hindi to the hapless guy. The problem compounded as the teaching hours were fixed at 4 in the afternoon. That was the time when we invariably went out to play whatever we fancied at. On the first day, I was slightly restive. On the second day, I tried to divert attention from denial of my playing time by cycling in full speed in the hospital premises. But the third day was the most difficult. I spent the entire evening thinking. I now realised that a solution had to be found to the "problem" and get Mohan rid of the teacher once and for all.

The very sight of the teacher now nauseated me. He came riding on a bicycle with dhoti and kurta being the normal dress. He seemed suffering from malnutrition being extremely thin and sported a one-line moustache to match his frame.

I did not discuss the plan of action which I had devised with my friend though he was equally suffocated by the teaching hours during the reserved for playing. The next day, when the teacher arrived and went to the first floor house for teaching, I hurried downstairs from my house. Armed with a blade, I teared apart the plastic seat cover of the bicycle. I could not damage the seat despite slashing it several times with the sharp blade as it was made of hard leather. I rushed to the safety of my house after a two-minute "operation" – the fear of being caught in the act was paramount.

When the teaching hours were over, I watched the expression on the face of the teacher from my balcony. He was seething in rage after discovering the disrobing of his seat cover. His expression and anger acted as a balm on my fraying temper of the last few days. The teacher went to Mohan's father and explained what had happened. But as no one has seen the vandalism inflicted on the seat cover, nothing could be done.

I had a sound sleep; hoping that the teacher would now run away and my playing hours would be back to normal. To my surprise and disbelief, the teacher returned the next day at the usual hour. Now, I had to devise a new strategy to deter the teacher from teaching Mohan.

The plan of action was ready in the night and I had to implement it the next afternoon. As soon as the teacher parked his bicycle and locked it, I got hold of a compass from the drawing box and rushed on the ground floor. Looking for people around and satisfied that no one was there, I punctured the back wheel of the cycle with full force. A loud sound emanated as the tyre burst.

The poor teacher rushed after hearing the sound. Though, I had hurriedly climbed a few stairs, it was obvious to him that I had done the act. My blood ran thin fearing that the teacher would complain to my father. The consequences were too grave to imagine.

Not surprisingly, the teacher came to the house as soon as I rushed in and asked for my father. When my father came out, the teacher explained everything, including the incident of slashing his seat cover. "What wrong have I done to your son?" I heard the teacher asking my father. I now expected something severe from my father now.

He came in and asked if I had done what the teacher had alleged. I nodded in agreement. "Do to others what you expect others to do to you," was his simple sentence instead of a sound slapping. The words still etched in my memory. (May 2011)

Security vehicle of Priyanka hit

Amitabh Shukla

Amethi, Nov 21 (PTI) A vehicle, part of the cavalcade of Priyanka Vadra here met with an accident as a police escort hit it from behind, creating a panic amongst the security personnel.

Interestingly, it was the same green-coloured Toyota Quallis SUV which Priyanka drove with her brother Rahul Gandhi sitting on the front seat for a little over 35 kms in the Amethi constituency yesterday. Rahul, then took on the driving for the later part of the day.

A security personnel described the accident as a “breach of security” as the escort vehicle was trying to enter the cavalcade and in a hurry hit the Toyota vehicle from behind. Every district has its own police escort and pilot vehicles which changes the moment the jurisdiction of a district ends. The accident apparently happened when change was taking place.

The accident comes in the backdrop of a letter written by a Home Ministry official to the UP government on security of Rahul Gandhi while visiting his constituency. In the past, vehicles strayed in the Cavalcade of Gandhi, leading to a security breach.

Kishori Lal Sharma, the representative of twin constituencies of Amethi and Rae Barely was sitting in the vehicle at the time of the accident. No injuries, however, have been reported.

In the two-day trip of Priyanka and the one-day stay of Rahul in the constituency, the security had been upgraded and people, including media persons were kept at least 2 kms from the venue where the two interacted with the villagers.

This led to angry remarks from villagers, some of whom were denied entry in their own houses as Priyanka met the women from self-help group in Khalispur village.

“This has never happened in the past. They are preventing us from meeting our leaders,” said Anokhe Lal Tiwari, a Congress worker who wears Khadi and carries the flag of the party most of the time in the twin constituencies here.

The UP police has deployed PAC battalions at the venue of the meetings. The roads leading to the venues are closed by these personnel and they do not even allow the movement of the villagers and their livestock.

Priyanka offers help to Amethi Kidney patient

Amitabh Shukla/Amethi | Nov 21, 2009

For 27-year-old kidney patient Arvind Jayaswal, Priyanka Vadra has proved to be the magic wand for all woes.

The unemployed youth, suffering from kidney failure, has been invited by Priyanka to visit Delhi with a promise that he will be provided every possible help in his treatment.

A grateful Jayaswal from Khalispur village said, "I do not have words to thank her. It is like giving life to somebody. People in my village will never forget this."

The young Gandhi met Jayaswal and two villagers, Ravi Shankar Tiwari and Samar Yadav. They also met AICC General Secretary and Priyanka's elder brother Rahul yesterday.

Priyanka is on a two-day visit to Amethi, the constituency of her brother Rahul and Rae Bareli, the constituency of her mother and Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

While she drove Rahul around the constituency and met people, she got down to work today by addressing women of the self-help groups, listening to them and offering them advice.

In Khalispur village, Priyanka went to inspect a school and the kind of infrastructure it had. Tarannum Parveen, who was teaching mathematics to students, was surprised to find Priyanka in front of her classroom.

"She asked me, how I teach. I explained to her. Then she asked me to teach the children in front of her. I did it for a while and she commended me for the efforts," Parveen said after Priyanka interacted with the teachers and the children in the school.

A school is being constructed in Khalispur village, having a population of 5,500 by the self-help group which has been promoted in a big way by Priyanka, Rahul and Sonia Gandhi through the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation.

During her interaction with the women, Priyanka was pleasantly surprised to hear the success story of Kisri Banu, a poor women, who got empowerment after becoming a part of the self-help group.

The middle-aged Banu told Priyanka that her husband was physically challenged and there was no income earlier.

"I borrowed Rs 15,000 from a bank through the self-help group. I bought a buffalo and also engaged in cloth business. Within six months, I was able to earn enough and returned the loan to the bank. I am now economically independent and run my family," Banu told Priyanka, who was impressed with the turnaround which self-help groups have brought in the twin constituencies.

Priyanka came face to face with several other similar success stories in her interaction with the members in Jayas today and earlier at Maderica and Argawan villages.

She chose to listen to the success stories in her interaction rather than issuing any directions to the women. Priyanka assured them of all cooperation. (2009)

http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?669864

Threat perception to CM increases

Amitabh Shukla

New Delhi, January 9

The security of Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit is likely to be beefed up now. The decision has been taken following a letter of National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan of terrorist threats to key political leaders following the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan.

The letter to all the Chief Ministers of the country was sent to the Delhi Chief Minister on the day following the killing of Bhutto. Narayanan said that the jehadi outfits are a major threat to the key political leaders and their security needs should be beefed up.

“The jehadi outfits are adopting much more sophisticated techniques that previously. They now engage in great deal of planning before an attack. This includes studying the habits, activities and day to day routine of their targets,” the letter of the National Security Advisor said. The vulnerability and weakness of the security system is also studied and then an attack carried out, warns the letter.

The letter, seen by HT, said the personal security of the Chief Ministers (of all states) and other key political leaders need to be instantly reviewed. “Weakness in the security system should be identified and properly plugged wherever necessary,” it said. The letter added that the leaders should be persuaded not to take “unnecessary” risks and adhere to the security drills.

Narayanan’s letter talked about the terrorists using the “new wave” tactics and said that the Prime Minister and the Home Minister have requested that in the light of the latest assessment, security needs to be tightened all round, including that of CMs and key political leaders.

Sources in the Delhi government said that a meeting is likely to be convened by the Chief Secretary early next week to make the security of Delhi CM more foolproof. At present, a pilot and an escort vehicle accompany the official vehicle of the Chief Minister and her residence and office is welll guarded. The Police Commissioner and the CS would also assess the threat assessment of other leaders, who are protected by the Delhi Police. (2008)

Polio eradication gets a setback in Delhi

Amitabh Shukla
New Delhi, December 25

The pulse polio eradication programme has received a severe setback in the national Capital with the detection of the second polio case in the year. With this, the government is at the receiving end with questions being asked on the efficacy of the high voltage drive for polio eradication.

Suhail, a resident of Seemapuri in north east Delhi, aged 2 years and 2 months, was detected with the P-III virus of polio. The child was admitted to GTB Hospital in the last week of November. A series of tests were conducted and after the reports came, he was declared to be a case of polio early this week. Suhail’s father runs a butcher shop in the area and his family told the team of investigators that polio shots were administered to the child in the past.

Delhi Health Minister Yoganand Shastri is shocked. “We will intensify the campaign now. We would ensure that the teams go to every nook and corner of the city to administer the polio drops,” the minister told HT.

Harish Verma, regional coordinator of the pulse polio eradication programme in north India of the WHO, said uniformly good immunisation might not have taken place all over the city. Asked how could polio resurface in a developed city like Delhi, Verma said as long as polio exists anywhere in the country, it can come to Delhi too.

Officials in Delhi government said the place where Suhail lives is hardly 200 metres from Ghaziabad border. “In Ghaziabad 34 cases of polio have been detected this year alone,” said an official in the Health Department. However the father of the affected child is a resident of Delhi for long and has not migrated to the city in recent years. “When a case comes up we try to find the reason and verify whether it was due to lack of coverage. If someone refuses to take the polio drops what can we do?” asked the official.

The year 2002 was the worst for Delhi in terms of polio cases. The surveillance teams had detected a high of 27 cases that year. Since then, the cases have come down with 2003 recording 3 cases, 2 cases in 2004, only 1 in 2005 and 7 cases in 2006. (2007)

All steps to prevent evasion: CBEC chief

Central Excise and Customs is considered one of the backbones of the country’s economy. To tone up the administration and increase the revenue collection, the department has taken several steps in recent months. In an interview with Amitabh Shukla, Chairman of Central Board of Excise and Customs, S.K. Shingal says that custom cooperation agreement would soon be signed with several countries to give a new orientation to information sharing. Excerpts.

Q: What are the major evasion prone commodities in excise and what are the steps taken to combat such evasion?

A: The main evasion prone commodities are pan masala, Iron and Steel, Plastics and pharmaceuticals. We have intensified our drive against the evasions in the last 2-3 months and have seen good results. There has been significant seizures and from pan masala alone, the monthly revenue has increased from Rs 35-40 crore to Rs 200 crore. We plan to be more stringent and known evaders have been raided in the recent past to bring tax compliance. Due to these measures, some of them have also come up with voluntary disclosure.

Q: Any major step being taken from the Customs on the airports to streamline the services and become passenger friendly.

A: Well, the privatisation of the airport has been done and when the renovation work is over and it is modernised, the customs too would adapt it to the surroundings. We are aiming at hassle free clearance for the passengers.

Q: Could you tell us the priority areas as Chairman particularly in human resource management with around 70,000 employees?

A: The problem areas in human resource management are now being tackled. Promotions were not being given on time and there was stagnation in the cadre and the service. This had happened due to the conflicting orders of the court and various administrative tribunals. We have now approached the Supreme Court to tide over these problems. We want to give ad hoc promotions so that the employees remain motivated to deliver.

Q: What is the green lane project which is being talked about?

A: In this India and Belgium would sign an agreement to facilitate trade. Simply put, Antwerp port in Belgium would be linked to Mumbai port in India. This would ensure real time information to both the ports from where large business is transacted. This is a method to facilitate trade wherein import document of one country would become export document of the other and vice versa. This would help save time for the business and make it more competitive. A few rounds of discussion have already taken place and we expect the system to be put in place by the end of the financial year – March.

Q: What are the major countries with which India is signing the Customs cooperation agreement?

A: There are several countries – Brazil, Russia, Nepal, United Kingdom, Japan, Italy, UAE, amongst others. Basically, we are looking at assisting each other in sharing information. This would help making the mechanism of enforcement smoother and effective.

Q: It is understood that there is a major shortage of staff, particularly in the growing service tax sector. What is the government doing about it?

A: Actually no separate staff was provided to us when service tax was carved out. We started the collection from the existing staff alone. But now the government has sanctioned 4647 posts for service tax alone. With the manpower, we would be able to increase the collection. So far, we have not been able to tap it completely. Service tax is being administered in a gentlemanly manner. (9.12.2007)

Games drive Delhi govt crazy..

Amitabh Shukla

New Delhi, December 6

The Delhi government has only the Commonwealth Games in mind now and it has reached the point of obsession. So much so that all administrative decisions and actions are aimed at the Games. Though, nothing concrete is visible at the ground, the government has appointed three officers to look after Commonwealth Games.

While Ramesh Narayanaswami, who retired as Chief Secretary last month, becomes Special Advisor of the Commonwealth Games in the rank of a Chief Secretary, Praveen Tripathi is the Principal Secretary of the Games. Another officer, Rajendra Kumar too has charge of the Games.

“All of them have overlapping jurisdiction and the posts created just for the heck of it. Moreover, there are so many agencies in Delhi that the officials cannot bring about a common point of view in the agencies concerned,” said a senior official.

The first letter of Rakesh Mehta as Chief Secretary to all the Heads of Departments of the state government too only talks about the Games. “The NCT of Delhi is hosting the Games in 2010 and each one of us has a role to play in contributing towards the success of the Games,” said Mehta’s letter. He said, “it is a matter of national pride that Delhi is hosting the Games and we have to do everything to live upto the expectations of the people of India whom this city will represent while hosting the Games.”

Officials say that the obsession of the government started as soon as the Games was awarded to Delhi. “A lot of officials have already made foreign trips at the cost of the government. The government has spent crores in sending its delegations to places like Athens, Manchester and Melbourne which hosted the Olympics or the Commonwealth Games. We do not know when the obsession would end,” said a senior official who has not been a part of these delegations.

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit too talks about the Games in almost all her official meetings. Moreover, the deadline for all infrastructure project is 2010 when the Games are to be held here. “It remains to be seen who is in power in 2010 when the Games are held – the present dispensation or some other party,” said another amused official who has watched the Games driven governance for a while. (2007)

War of words on monkeys...

Amitabh Shukla

New Delhi, November 13

The mayhem created by the monkeys of Delhi has generated a heated war of words between two prominent politicians of Delhi, both women – Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Mayor Arati Mehra.

Unable to find ways and means to control the menace and a meeting point between Dikshit ruled Delhi government and Mehra controlled Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), they spar over the monkeys. While Congress is in power in the Delhi government, the BJP snatched power from the Congress in the MCD early this year.

The war of words began soon after Dikshit’s comment. “After the BJP came to power, the monkey problem has only increased,” Dikshit told Reporters in the morning. When Mehra was contacted soon after, she said Dikshit was behaving “irresponsibly”. “She is making a mockery of the democratic process and the people of Delhi who elected the BJP to rule the MCD,” Mehra retorted back. The Mayor said the CM should desist from such remarks and behave responsibly.

Later in the day when Reporters asked for Dikshit’s comment on the Mayor’s statement asking her to behave responsibly, the CM insisted that the monkey problem indeed started after BJP came to power in the civic body. After making the statement, she smiled at the Reporters. “We want to help out the MCD with funds and other means to control the monkeys but first they have to come to us for this,” the CM said. She washed off the hands of the government saying that monkey problem was a “civic issue” and the BJP was in power in the civic body.

The BJP politicians in MCD on the other hand insist that monkey is a wild animal and the Wildlife Department is under Delhi government. “They are equally to blame, if not more for the situation going out of control,” said a senior BJP councilor in the MCD. (2007)

Gagging the press, govt style

Amitabh Shukla

New Delhi, November 16

In an age where Right to Information Act has brought a new transparency in the style of governance, the Delhi government wants to set the clock in the reverse motion. It has issued a circular banning the “leakage of confidential information”.

The circular, issued by the General Administration Department (GAD) last week, said that the Cabinet proposals are publicised even before they are passed. “The confidentiality of the Cabinet proposals should be ensured,” the note to all the Heads of Departments and Principal Secretaries to the government said.

The note was issued following the directions of Chief Secretary R. Narayanaswami who was upset at the way the Cabinet notes were being published in the newspapers even before being officially passed. The GAD circular, dated November 11, 2007 which too has been marked “confidential” and is not supposed to be with any “unauthorised person” is in possession of HT. It specifically says: “It is reiterated that all Cabinet proposals should be dealt with in strict confidentiality and secrecy”.

Interestingly, most of the issues which are taken up by the Delhi Cabinet are known to the media and through them the people as they are announced in advance by the ministers or the Chief Ministers. There are very few issues which are “fresh” in the Cabinet meetings, said a senior official of the government.

Some of last week’s announcement, construction of a over 500 bed hospital in Dwarka, giving money to the MCD for the construction of railway underbridges and phasing out of the Blueline buses were published long time ago. “We fail to understand how this information could be secret and barred,” the official explained.

Another senior IAS official, who is all for debate on crucial issues before being passed by the Cabinet, said that by publishing the Cabinet proposals in advance, the media initiates a healthy debate on a public issue. “In the Cabinet, 7 ministers pass a proposal on half baked Cabinet notes which do not even have complete information,” he added.

The latest circular of the GAD has become a butt of joke in the Players’ Building, the headquarters of the Delhi government. “I am passing you a confidential document,” said a smiling official, who handed over the GAD note to HT. (2007)

Who will be the Chief Secretary?

Amitabh Shukla

New Delhi, September 14

The race for the post of Chief Secretary for Delhi has begun in right earnest with several contenders lobbying with the political bosses for the most important post of a bureaucrat in the Delhi government.

Delhi’s Chief Secretary R. Narayanaswamy, a 1971 batch officer, would be retiring by the end of November this year. As the state government’s recommendation of a fixed tenure of 2 years for the Chief Secretary is yet to be implemented, the exit of Narayanaswamy is being considered a certainty in the bureaucratic circles. The only point which is in favour of the CS is the practice of giving extensions, particularly when the retirement time is a few months away from the close of a financial year.

“P.S. Bhatnagar, who was the CS some time ago, was given an extension as his retirement was months away before the end of a financial year,” said a senior officer. He said in such circumstances, the government cites ongoing work and says that the continuation of the officer is necessary for the completion of the projects.

If Narayanaswamy does not get an extension, there are over half a dozen officers to choose from. Neeru Nanda of the 1971 batch is retiring in April next year so she is effectively out of the race. B.B. Saxena, IAS of the 1972 batch too would retire in June 2008 and would not be considered.

P.M. Singh, an officer of the 1972 batch of the IAS and presently posted in the Delhi Commission for Women, was favoured till recently. However, due to a case pertaining to her stint in the NDMC, officials rule her out for the coveted post. R.S. Sethi, an officer of the 1973 batch and presently posted as Commissioner (Appeals) too would not find favour with the current dispensation. He has not been given any significant post in the last few years.

The choice is limited to the officers of the 1974 batch. Pradeep Singh, of this batch and presently on a deputation with the central government has a year’s service left. He, however, has not served in the state government for a while and this is considered an important yardstick by the decision makers. A serious contender for the post is Singh’s batch mate A.K. Nigam, Commissioner of the MCD. Nigam has steered MCD in the aftermath of the sealing and demolition drives.

Neeta Bali, another officer of the 1974 batch is another contender at this point of time. An MBA from Colombia University, Bali is presently the chairperson of the Delhi State Civil Supplies Corporation. She steered the corporation out of losses and made record profits in her tenure. The corporation, which was on the verge of being closed, has revived with her efforts.

The last, but not the least is Rakesh Mehta, the junior most amongst all these officers. Belonging to the 1975 batch of the IAS, Mehta was the MCD Commissioner for over 3 years and presently heads 4 departments in the Delhi government. He is believed to be close to Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. What may dampen his chances is the fact that certain irregularities in the MCD during his tenure is under scanner. Mehta’s batch mate Kiran Dhingra, presently on a central deputation too is a contender. It remains to be seen if the state government bypasses the seniority of the others to make a junior officer the Chief Secretary. (2007)

Cong MLA assaults his BJP counterpart in House

Amitabh Shukla

New Delhi, September 13

The Delhi Assembly on Thursday saw a Congress MLA move menacingly towards another, threatening him of dire consequences and then pushing him in the presence of the Speaker and the Chief Minister. The BJP MLA Sahib Singh Chauhan, who bore the brunt of the verbal and physical assault of Congress MLA Bheesham Sharma, fell on his seat.

“This is highly condemnable. This cannot be allowed,” CM Sheila Dikshit told Reporters after the House was adjourned. “Some legislators are converting the House into another MCD,” said another Congress MLA Narendra Nath, referring to the recent violent incidents in the corporation. “This was unfortunate. Issues are settled in democracy through debate not in any other way,” said legislator Jile Singh Chauhan.

The incident involving Sharma and Chauhan took place soon after the Question Hour was over. Sharma spoke on the delays in the construction of the Signature Bridge at Wazirabad. Chauhan took a dig at Sharma. This enraged the Congress legislator. He threatened Chauhan. “I will see you outside the House,” Sharma was heard saying. Chauhan, meanwhile, continued to speak. Soon Sharma got on his feet, jumped in the Well and moved menacingly towards Chauhan. Before anybody could realise what was happening, he pushed Chauhan, threatened him and sat on his seat.

The BJP legislators were soon on their feet. Chauhan, who started crying, sat in the Well of the House. Speaker Chaudhary Prem Singh asked Sharma to go out of the House. The Marshals soon evicted him. BJP members did not allow the House to function thereafter. The Speaker adjourned it first for 10 minutes. When the House reassembled, the BJP MLAs continued to demand a statement from Dikshit. She refused to give any statement on the floor of the House. It was adjourned for half an hour. When the Opposition refused to allow the House to function, it was finally adjourned for the day.

Chauhan, the aggrieved MLA, later wrote a letter to the Speaker asking him to direct the police to lodge a FIR of physical assault and threats. “I have been a member of the House for 14 years and such an incident has never taken place,” said Delhi BJP president Harsh Vardhan. He said the physical assault has brought disgrace to the elected representatives and cutting across party lines we should put an end to such abhorrent practices. The state BJP President said a privilege motion should be brought against the MLA and he should be punished to prevent a repeat of such incidents. The BJP has planned more protests on Friday and has decided that it would not allow the House to function till a resolution condemning the behaviour of Sharma is brought and passed. (2007)