UPA is only passing time in office: Modi

BANGALORE: At BJP's national executive, Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi has been at the centre of action, delivering a much-noticed speech to his colleagues and leading a sharp attack on the government's handling of internal security. TOI asked Modi about the media projecting him as a BJP mascot, a rung below L K Advani.

Q: Don't you feel your work in Gujarat is almost over and it is time you moved to the national scene?

A: As far as a chief minister is concerned, he is part of national politics, whether he is from Gujarat or elsewhere. As far as working for Gujarat's development is concerned, I feel sky is the limit. There can be no full stops to developmental work... innovation and initiatives are always required. You cannot fulfil people's needs in one lifetime.

Q: But as an individual you may want to do more at the national level. If you are asked to head the party, will you want to do it?

A: When Atal Bihari Vajpayee was PM, Venkaiah Naiduji was party president, when Advaniji is the prime ministerial candidate, Rajnath Singhji is looking after the party! As far as organisational work is concerned, when I reach the bridge, I will cross it.

Q: What is your opinion on BJP's prospects?

A: BJP is at the centrestage. It is ahead in terms of leadership. Probably, India does not have another leader like Advaniji who has visited 400 districts in the course of his long political career and that is why he understands real issues and problems. Organisationally, BJP is the biggest in the country now and in power in most important states except Uttar Pradesh. Alongwith its NDA partners, it shares power in important states. As opposed to this, the present government at the Centre is a faceless one, meaning it has no issues, achievements or individuals that it can be identified with. They (UPA) are only passing time. It cannot control inflation it is the first government whose decisions one after the other has been overruled by SC.

For the first time, we have a government that says something in Parliament and in the US, George Bush says something else. It protects terrorists. It repealed POTA, it has been denying legislations like GUJCOCA, national security is an issue today.

Q: You mentioned UP which is dominated by SP and BSP. Do you have a formula to improve things for your party in the state?

A: The Congress was dominant in UP which is why the state was always very closely connected to national politics. The people of UP want to be part of the national mainstream. I am hopeful of drastic changes in UP this time.

Q: Congress is setting out on Navnirman yatra in Gujarat?

A: Interestingly, Chimanbhai Patel was accused in the Navnirman scam, and today his son is heading a rathyatra in the state and calling it Navnirman yatra. What should I say after this. And, for the last 20 years, Congress hated raths and rathyatras, but now they are having to follow BJP's footsteps and set out on a rathyatra.

Q: Do you feel the need for a image makeover for acceptability at the national level?

A: Image makeover? If I serve other people, I can't be thinking of my image. I'm working for the image of Gujarat and branding of Gujarat. I don't have time to think about my own image.


Source : Times Of India

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UPA governemnt not cooperating with Karnataka: Yeddyurappa

BANGALORE: BJP ruled Karnataka has accused the Centre of "neglect and step motherly treatment" on all issues as Congress has turned panicky in the wake of the southern state slipping out of its fold.

At the same time the B S Yeddyurappa led government has offered an olive branch to its neighbouring states like Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra and said it was ready to discuss outstanding inter-state disputes if the Centre took the lead.

"It is all out of frustration as they are panicky because they are loosing ground in a state which stood by them even during emergency days when the Congress had lost elsewhere across the country," Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa said.

Expressing displeasure on the non-cooperation from the Centre when the state approached it for supply of fertilizers to farmers during this Kharif sowing season and for immediate financial assistance for relief to flood and drought affected people, Yeddyurappa said "neglect and step motherly treatment is being meted out to my state".

"There is not even a single instance in which the Centre cooperated with Karnataka," said Yeddyurappa, whose government completed 100 days in office on September 9.

The chief minister says he has already asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to take the lead to convene a meeting of concerned chief ministers to resolve inter-state issues.

Commenting on the non-cooperation of opposition Congress and JDS in the state, Yeddyurappa asked them to "join hands in development".

"From the day my government came to power, the opposition parties have been making attempts to destabilise it," he alleged.

Yeddyurappa, whose leadership helped the BJP come to power for the first time in the South, however shrugs off queries as to what advice he wanted to give for spreading the party's reach in the South.

"I am a humble worker. It is for the leadership to decide what has to be done. My job is limited to Karnataka and whatever directions the party leadership gives, I will follow," Yeddyurappa said.

The chief minister also sidesteps queries on whether Gujarat counterpart Narendra Modi was his role model. "Our role model is Atal Behari Vajpayee," is his refrain. At the same time he is all praises for the development work done by Modi.

Yeddyurappa said he would change the face of Karnataka and particularly Bangalore city in the next five years and "if I fail to do so, I will quit politics".


Source : Times Of India

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Cong tickets: Call for merit over quota

NEW DELHI: A desperate call to stamp out the infamous but all-pervasive "quota system" was raised at the CWC meeting, with speakers from poll-bound states saying the practice of the satraps distributing tickets among their supporters instead of choosing candidates on merit should be ended if the party has to fare well at the hustings. Congress chief Sonia Gandhi led the charge with an 'enough is enough' type of exhortation. She said, "We cannot continue with the quota system."

What came out of the CWC meeting was a concern that infighting and ignoring merit in the candidate selection could upset the party applecart in the packed poll season.

Sonia warned against assuming victory in the BJP-ruled states because of anti incumbency, saying that nothing happened on its own these days and reminding workers how mutual animosity had tripped the party in the past. It almost set the tone, with party leaders from Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh andMadhya Pradesh railing against the 'quota system' and infighting. Congress is a bitterly divided camp in these states which, it is feared, could neutralisethe incumbency disadvantage of BJP.

There were enough potshots. While MPCC chief Suresh Pachauri called for unity in the state unit, he was seen as referring to recent announcements from public platforms that Union minister Kamal Nath be the CM candidate. Mahendra Karma of Chhattisgarh was seen as aiming at Ajit Jogi when he said a few leaders made statements as if they were above the party. Rajasthan PCC chief CP Joshi too made strong observations.

While their's were words of concern flagging the urgency of a united face in the poll field, they did underscore that the state satraps were yet to bury the hatchet ahead of the crucial polls. Congress is comforted this year by the advance poll preparations in contrast to the past when it left the candidate selection and the campaign strategy for last days, with Sonia Gandhi herself monitoring the implementation of Antony committee's recommendations. The manifesto committee under Pranab Mukherjee has also circulated its draft to various social groups and partymen for comments, and it is expected to be ready in time.

The party feels it can use the nuclear deal to take on the rival BJP which is set to make an assault with terror and Hindutva as its poll planks. Congress is specially enthused by the assurances that inflation would soon be heading south. FM Chidambaram said the fiscal measures had begun to show trends and results would kick in by November.

Source : Times Of India

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Jaitley not keen on being BJP candidate for Delhi CM

BANGALORE: As BJP gears for a string assembly elections, attention has been focused on the party's chief ministerial choice for Delhi with the name of senior leader Arun Jaitley doing the rounds and being seen by some quarters as an effective nominee to take on the Congress in the Capital.

Some BJP leaders have broached the subject with Jaitley who remains uninterested in the prospect, pointing out that he has never been involved in local politics and has no interest in relinquishing his key role in the party's central set-up. The lawyer is understood to have said that he feels more suited for the role as BJP strategist, while declining the overtures.

Jaitley's profile might tempt some in BJP to seek his projection as this would also overcome the factional tensions in the state unit between leaders like Harsh Vardhan, Vijay Goel and V K Malhotra. But it is also being pointed out that placing Jaitley in the poll fray is no guarantee that factionalism will end. In 1998, BJP's decision to make Sushma Swaraj CM just ahead of elections only resulted in sabotage by state leaders.

In any case, Jaitley's role as BJP's key campaign strategist would be important to the party ahead of next year's general elections which are in all likelihood expected to be hard fought. It has been suggested that Jaitley could lead the party in Delhi and then move to a Lok Sabha seat next year. So far, the former law minister does not seem interested. This argument is also somewhat fraught as such talk may damage the BJP and allow Congress to argue that there is no use voting for a leader who will not lead the city government. The projection could then backfire.

Senior BJP leaders like L K Advani and party chief Rajnath Singh feel that the proposal is worth considering. However, the issue for Advani is also whether Jaitley can be spared of his considerable central duties in the crucial run-up to next year's general elections in a situation when the Leader of Opposition is vying for the Prime Minister's job. Jaitley is an important interlocutor with BJP units of Madhya Pradesh, J&K, Bihar, UP and Karnataka and even Rajasthan.

A Rajya Sabha member from Gujarat, Jaitley is not averse to the idea of contesting a Lok Sabha seat from either Gujarat, Punjab or even Delhi, but he is clear in the mind about not limiting himself to being a state leader from the Capital. Jaitley has held several portfolios as Union minister in the NDA regime and been a core players in the party's organization.


Source : Times Of India

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Former TDP MP Ramachandraiah joins Chiranjeevi's party

HYDERABAD: The political migration towards "Praja Rajyam", floated by Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi, continued today with another former TDP MP C Ramachandraiah joining the party and vowing to work for its success.
Ramachandraiah, a former Rajya Sabha member and prominent backward class leader from Kadapa district, joined the new party in the presence of the actor.
Ramachandraiah, who was with TDP since its inception in 1982 and held several key positions in the regional party, had resigned from Rajya Sabha recently following differences with the party leadership.
Speaking to reporters at Praja Rajyam Party office here, he said he was drawn towards Chiranjeevi's ideals of social justice, equality and corruption-free governance.
"I am confident that under Chiranjeevi's leadership, we will usher in the much-needed change in the society," he said.
Ramachandraiah, once considered a close confidant of TDP Chief N Chandrababu Naidu, said the regional party had deviated from the original ideals and objectives of the founder and matinee idol late N T Rama Rao.
"In Chiranjeevi, I see the same kind of commitment and dedication that NTR was endowed with," he said.
Ramachandraiah's move is the latest in the series of desertions from the main opposition TDP.

Source : Times Of India

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Mega BJP rally to affect traffic

BANGALORE: The big BJP bash, part of its national executive meeting in Bangalore, is all set to throw traffic out of gear around the National College grounds in Basavanagudi on Saturday evening. The international airport road is also likely to be jammed, as most BJP stalwarts will fly back late in the evening.

The BJP rally will start at 6 pm at the National College grounds. Over 1 lakh people are expected to participate in the event where many national leaders will speak.

VVIP movement from Residency Road, where the national executive is being held, will start at about the same time. This will have an impact on traffic movement on St Mark's Road, Kasturba Road, Rajaram Mohan Roy Road, Lalbagh Road and KR Road between 5 pm and 6 pm.

Heavy vehicular movement and parking problems are likely on KR Road, Bull Temple Road and Gandhi Bazaar from 2 pm once party workers begin streaming to the rally venue.

When the rally ends at about 8 pm, VVIP movement will start again. This time, traffic will be disrupted on KR Road, JC Road, Dr Ambedkar Road and Raj Bhavan Road.

While some VVIPs will head directly to the Bengaluru International Airport, others will leave by 9 pm. Traffic will be disrupted on the airport road between 8.30 pm and 10.30 pm.

Source : Times Of India

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Om Prakash Mathur heads BJP poll panel

JAIPUR: The BJP on Friday announced its state election committee for the forthcoming Assembly elections. The committee, which would be presided over by party's state chief Om Prakash Mathur, consists of 17 members.

Chief minister Vasundhara Raje, MP Ramdas Agarwal, cabinet ministers Gulab Chand Kataria, Ghanshyam Tiwari, Nathu Singh Gujjar, Rajendra Singh Rathod and party's Mahila Morcha president Suman Sharma are among its members.

The committee is expected to take the final call on the list of candidates for the elections soon. Senior party members have received more than 20,000 applications for tickets, of which several are women.

The party has already announced that only 'performing' MLAs would be allotted tickets. Party leaders, including Mathur and Raje, are following the 'report card' method, maintaining records of work done by sitting MLAs after approaching the people from their respective constituencies.

Meanwhile, after issuing orders for reconstruction of all roads in the city last week, the chief minister has now issued orders for repair of all the roads across the state.

On Raje's directive, a special committee to monitor the repair of roads, which are damaged in the monsoon, was formed on Friday. The repair work has to be completed by September 30.

Source : Times Of India

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Now, Maya gets a chance to have a go at Mulayam in SC

NEW DELHI: If the bonhomie between Mulayam Singh Yadav's Samajwadi Party and the UPA government was followed by a CBI affidavit in the Supreme Court threatening to chargesheet Mayawati in the DA case, then on Thursday the UP chief minister and BSP supremo had enough reasons to smile.

For the Mayawati government got a chance to get even with her political rival in a case relating to alleged diversion of huge amounts from the CM's contingency funds by then chief minister Yadav for his brother Shivpal Yadav's Rs 100 crore Chaudhury Charan Singh Degree College at Etawah.

A petition alleging diversion of Rs 80 crore from the contingency funds by Yadav for the college was opposed by then state government in a 2006 affidavit saying there was no truth in the allegation. The apex court had also sought responses of then CM Mulayam Singh Yadav and his brother, but both did not even bother to enter appearance or file any affidavit.

Seeking early disposal of the petition filed by Mahendra Nath Rai questioning the diversion of funds, counsel D K Garg cleverly argued before a Bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justice P Sathasivam that as there had been a regime change since the last affidavit by the state government, the new dispensation should be asked to file a fresh one stating whether it stood by its earlier stand.

Immediately after the CBI had filed the affidavit expressing its readiness with evidence to chargesheet her, a combative Mayawati had held a series of perss conferences alleging that this decision was taken by the Centre at the behest of Yadav's Samajwadi Party, which closed ranks with the UPA government after its divorce from the Left Front.

Thursday's order of the Supreme Court directing the matter to be posted for final hearing and allowing parties to file their responses, if any, would present an opportunity to Mayawati to dig up government records pertaining to alleged diversion of funds for the Yadav family-owned educational set up at Etawah.

This order could also force both Mulayam and his brother to file their responses to the charges levelled in the petition, which was filed in the apex court three years ago.

dhananjay.mahapatra@timesgroup.com

Source : Times Of India

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Sonia bats for Bachchans after Raj remark

NEW DELHI: In the ongoing Raj Thackeray Vs Jaya Bachchan controversy, the Bachchans have got an unlikely supporter.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi expressed her concern over Raj Thackey's tirade against Big B and Jaya.

Margaret Alva, a senior Congress leader confirmed that the party's president is concerned and said, "I have told the Chief Minister that they are disturbing reports and that the government should really see that it does not escalate and threaten the lives and property of people in Mumbai from all parts of the country."

She added, "I met Congress President Sonia Gandhi today and I also briefed her on the situation and she will probably talk directly to the Chief Minister because she is also very concerned."

On Wednesday, super star Amitabh Bachchan apologised and sought "forgiveness" for certain remarks made by his wife Jaya, in an apparent bid to placate Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray and his estranged nephew Raj Thackeray who attacked her for allegedly making anti-Marathi utterances.

"Everything that we possess today is what came to us from this great state and city. We never have and never can look at Maharashtra with disrespect. If inadvertently this is what has been construed, then we apologise and are sorry and seek forgiveness for any sentiments that have been hurt," he said.

Source : Times Of India

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MLA gets jail term for misbehaving with judge

PATNA: The Patna High Court on Wednesday awarded three months' simple imprisonment to suspended JD(U) MLA Sunil Pandey for appearing in a court in an inebriated condition and misbehaving with the judge.

Pandey, an MLA from Piro in Bhojpur district, has several criminal cases pending against him.

The high court found him guilty of misbehaving with the sub-divisional judicial magistrate of Bikramganj when he was taken to his court for production on April 10 last year.

The HC also awarded one month's simple imprisonment to sub-inspector Daroga Ram and seven days' sentence each to the five constables who escorted Pandey from the jail to the court.

A division bench comprising Justice Chandramauli Kumar Prasad and Justice Ravi Ranjan passed the order on a contempt petition initiated on an appeal of the Rohtas district and sessions judge. The order was passed under the provisions of Contempt of Court Act.

In course of inquiry conducted on the order of the high court, it was found that the MLA had not consumed liquor when he was taken out of Rohtas jail. It was on way to the court under police escort that liquor was made available to him.

The court acquitted the then jailer of the Rohtas jail of the charges of contempt of court.


Source : Times Of India

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