Neera, husband join BJP

LUCKNOW: Two trusted members of SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav's coterie - former chief secretary Neera Yadav and her husband Mahendra Singh
Yadav -left him for the saffron camp on Sunday. The high-profile couple was inducted into the BJP by party president Rajnath Singh amid fanfare in Ghaziabad.

The development is being interpreted as a shrewd move by the master strategist Rajnath Singh to improve his party's poll prospects. Mahendra Singh, a former minister and MLA from neighbouring Bulandshehar, can help the vote tally with his influence among the about 50,000 Yadav voters in his constituency. Neera, a Tyagi before her marriage to the former IPS officer, can come in handy wooing the sizable Tyagis in the belt. Moreover the defiance by the Yadav couple would also deal a great blow to Mulayam's vanity much to BJP's delight.

Neera Yadav had been Mulayam's most trusted chief secretary during the SP regime in UP who was assigned the top job despite a pending CBI inquiry in the Noida plot allotment case. She was removed only at the Supreme Court's directives in October 2007. Later appointed head of vigilance establishment, Neera took voluntary retirement in March 2008 miffed by the internal politics of the IAS cadre after the association, in a skilfully executed coup, displaced her as the head of the IAS association chairperson.

Mahendra Singh Yadav had joined politics in 1996 after a golden handshake with UP police. Yadav had also been the MLA from Bulandshehar on a BJP ticket. However after his differences with Kalyan Singh he dropped out and joined the SP. Yadav had contested the assembly election under SP banner in 2007 but lost.

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It's 'Prajarajyam' in Chiru party

HYDERABAD: The so-called discipline in Prajarajyam Party ranks is in tatters. Loyal workers protesting denial of tickets to their leaders are
resorting to violence, breaking furniture and setting party offices on fire.

At Kalwakurthy in Mahbubnagar district, PRP activists attacked the party office as their leader Jupalli Prabhakar Rao was not given the assembly ticket. They went on a rampage, damaging furniture and setting the PRP office on fire on Sunday.

Meanwhile, PRP Anantapur assembly candidate, T J Prakash, on Sunday lodged a complaint with district SP M K Singh that he suspected a bomb attack on his car on Saturday as his followers had heard a defeaning sound. "It could be the handiwork of those who did not get the ticket," he said. The car, parked at his residence in Ramnagar, was in flames and his family members alerted the police.

Earlier, a group of Chiranjeevi fans had attacked the party office and set the furniture and computers on fire on Saturday afternoon in protest against denial of Anantapur assembly ticket to Rayalaseema Chiranjeevi Fans Association president A Surendra Babu.

But party sources said Prakash, a lodge owner belonging to Balija community, has been leading the district party ever since PRP was launched. "He has close contacts with Chiranjeevi family and since Balija community votes are prominent in Anantapur the party favoured Prakash," a source said.

The PRP activists also staged a protest at Tadipatri in protest against the candidature of P Narasimhaiah for the assembly ticket. A group of dissidents are planning to field a rebel candidate from Kadiri assembly segment, sources said.

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TRS cadres vent ire on Telangana Bhavan

HYDERABAD: The rebellion in ranks of the TRS cadres over allotment of party tickets rocked the Telangana Bhavan on Sunday for the third
consecutive day. TRS activists on Sunday went on a rampage, damaged window panes and shouted slogans against party president K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) for denying tickets to their leaders.

The supporters of party state secretary S Kranthi Kumar barged into the office premises demanding that TRS should put pressure on TDP and ensure that TDP candidate Babu Mohan withdrew in favour of Kranthi Kumar from Andole assembly seat in Medak district and in a fit of anger damaged glass windows of the front office and that of the chambers of party general secretary G Vijayarama Rao. Earlier, the supporters staged a dharna at the party office premises and shouted slogans.

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Cong: Mayawati helped BJP turn Varun arrest into grand event

NEW DELHI: Congress on Saturday slammed the Mayawati government for being hand in glove with BJP, saying that permission to Varun Gandhi
to make
a spectacle of his arrest with a procession in Pilibhit reflected an understanding between the two parties.

AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh told reporters that it defied logic why the UP administration let Varun Gandhi turn his surrender in Pilibhit into a public event when it knew that the drama was aimed at creating religious polarisation.

"We have all along said there is close liaisoning between BSP and BJP, and this episode has proved it again,"
said Singh, AICC incharge of UP. Singh said, "If the administration was serious, it could have picked up Varun without the fanfare."

Saying that Varun's politics over religion was reflective of the larger BJP gameplan to communalise elections, Singh said there should be strong action against Varun for the venom he has spewed against Muslims and Sikhs.

Congress leader Veerappa Moily dismissed apprehensions that the Pilibhit episode would benefit BJP. "Every drama has a period and it sours after that. This one has a life of a day. We will let it die its natural death," he said.

CPM too expressed "grave concern" over clashes between BJP supporters and thepolice during Varun's arrest. "The big mobilisation in Pilibhit, the forcing of confrontation with police, rousing passions by rabble-rousing are clearly BJP's campaign strategy," politburo member Sitaram Yechury said.

Yechury added, "Communal polarisation is part of their vote consolidating mechanism. It shows that they have no other issue to garner votes."

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Congress needs grassroots leaders, not TV faces: Akhilesh

he SP is locked in a battle with the BSP for supremacy in Uttar Pradesh. Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav's son and two-term MP, Akhilesh Yadav, has been campaigning in the state for more than a month. Rustam Roy of Timesofindia.com caught up with Akhilesh on the campaign trail. Excerpts:

Q: Looking back at your first two terms in the Lok Sabha, what did you learn from them? Who inspired you the most in the Lok Sabha?

A: In politics you learn a lot. In the last two terms I had the responsibility of my party and the youth wing. I had to build the youth organization, so I couldn't devote much time in the Lok Sabha. I was mostly travelling around Uttar Pradesh, but still managed to raise questions in Parliament. This time I would devote more time in Parliament.

Q: What was your most memorable moment in Parliament?

A: Lots of things happen suddenly, just like during the nuclear deal trust vote. Many MPs spoke during the trust vote but Omar's speech stood out. I was in the House, I was in fact sitting just behind him and somebody from another party had managed to provoke him, so he gave a great speech. The words came from the heart for his country. It was a great speech. By the time my chance came, money was on the table and it all went haywire.

Q: Akhilesh, now several months later, the SP is at loggerheads with the Congress. You have almost moved towards a divorce.

Full Story

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Murder taint on AGP-BJP nominee

GUWAHATI: In the mudslinging game, each party is trying to score more points than the other. And why should the ruling Congress be left behind?
Firing a salvo at the AGP-BJP combine, chief minister Tarun Gogoi on Saturday said the coalition is fielding a candidate who has been chargesheeted in a murder case.

However, Gogoi refrained from naming the candidate. "Let them (AGP-BJP) deny it first, then I will name the nominee who has been chargesheeted in a murder case," he said, while underlining the Congress policy of keeping tainted persons away from contesting elections on the party's ticket.

In the same breath, Gogoi stressed that the two Independent legislators, Jiten Gogoi and Kushal Duori, against whom arrest warrants have been issued for their alleged vandalism inside the Kaziranga National Park, are absconding. The two MLAs support the Congress in the House and their respective Assembly constituencies are segments of Koliabor and Jorhat parliamentary constituencies.

Gogoi said their arrests would not have an impact on the Congress fortunes in these two Lok Sabha seats. "Lok Sabha elections are different and the view points of the same set of voters differ in the case of Assembly and parliamentary elections. I don't think their arrests would have any negative impact on the Congress," he added.

There is a common feeling among people that the two MLAs are still evading police action as they are in positions to influence their voters, at least in Assembly constituencies, which might hamper the Congress.

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Tharoor seeks to establish his Malayali credentials

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Hitting the campaign trail, former UN diplomat Shashi Tharoor, a Congress candidate for Thiruvanathapuram Lok Sabha seat,
made his debut in the murky world of electoral politics here with attempts to establish his Malayali credentials.

Tharoor, was born in London to Malayali parents hailing from a village in Kerala's Palaakad, surprised many in the media here at a meeting by speaking in good Malayalam.

Participating in the "anghathattu" (battle field) programme organized by Malayalam daily Kerala Kaumudi,he said there was no truth in the allegations that he cannot speak Malayalam. He said he was conversant enough to communicate with people in their language and understand their problems.

Tharoor said what was more important as a Member of Parliament was to raise the problems of the constituency and find solutions, for which Hindi and English were more useful.

Rejecting the impression sought to be created by certain quarters that he was a total stranger to Kerala, Tharoor said he knew Kerala quite well and was proud of its achievements in areas like social development, woman empowerment and social emancipation of the depressed classes.

An author with 11 books, he said many of his novels and short stories had the "Kerala settings".

"Though, I have gone out and worked in the UN, now I am back home. I have taken a house here two years back and am staying with my mother," he said.

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Sonia can debate if PM can't: Advani

PADRAUNA (UP): With Prime Minister Manmohan Singh refusing his offer for a television debate, senior BJP leader L K Advani on Saturday said that if he was not willing, he could ask Congress President Sonia Gandhi for the same.

"I have told the PM several times that it would be so nice that like in foreign countries (US presidential debate), we should also have a debate. Instead of a BJP public meeting, the Election Commission could organise a meeting (for the debate)," Party's prime ministerial candidate Advani told an election rally here.

"If the Prime Minister is not willing (for a debate), he can ask the Congress President (Sonia Gandhi)," he said.

On the lines of US Presidential debate, Advani had earlier this week asked the Prime Minister for a TV debate to help people judge who was the better prime ministerial candidate.

Reacting to this, Congress spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan said, "The BJP was too impressed with the US system".

Some of the Congress members have opposed such a debate, saying it was more suited to countries having a presidential form of government.

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After SRK, Salman Khan to campaign for Congress

KANPUR: After roping in Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta for canvassing, the Congress will bring another Bollywood star Salman Khan to campaign
for the party in Uttar Pradesh.

Salman Khan will start campaigning for the party from neighbouring Unnao Lok Sabha constituency from Sunday.

The actor is scheduled to take part in several party functions in the district, Congress candidate from Unnao, Annu Tandon, said.

The Congress had already announced that Shah Rukh Khan, Priety Zinta, Govinda and Nagma will campaign for the party and participate in rallies and road shows.

Govinda is a Congress leader and a sitting MP from Mumbai while Nagma had campaigned for the party in earlier elections too.

Tondon said Salman Khan would participate in 'Holi Milan Samaroh' at five villages of the district where other Bollywood artistes would perform.

The permission for Khan's programme has already been granted by the district administration.

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Ramadoss, Velu quit Manmohan ministry

NEW DELHI : Health minister Anbumani Ramadoss and minister of state for Railways R Velu on Saturday resigned from the union council of ministers, two days after the PMK quit the Congress-led ruling coalition.

Quite a principled stand unlike RJD and LJP.

"Velu and myself have submitted our resignation from the council of ministers to the honourable prime minister," Ramadoss told reporters in the capital.

"The prime minister said he will be forwarding the letters to the president with a heavy heart.

"We explained to the prime minister the circumstances... the problems we are facing with the DMK in Tamil Nadu," added Ramadoss, whose party walked out of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) two days ago.

In Chennai earlier on Saturday, the AIADMK and PMK announced a seat-sharing formula under which the PMK would contest six Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu and one in Puducherry.

source

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