Delhi BJP protests against AAP over power tariff hike

New Delhi: Delhi BJP today staged a three-km long protest march against the Aam Aadmi Party-Congress alliance government over the hike in power tariff, accusing it of mishandling the power sector.

"During AAP-Cong alliance rule so far not even a single promise has been fulfilled. People are fed up of political acrobatics of (Chief Minister Arvind) Kejriwal and his colleagues. Anyone who raises questions within AAP is forced to leave," BJP's state president Vijay Goel said.

Vijay Goel. PTI

On AAP's allegations that BJP was trying to topple the Kejriwal government, Goel said the AAP leaders were trying to divert attention of people from the power crisis and its non-performance by making "wild allegations".

"Why did the AAP MLA keep quiet from December 7 uptil now if an alleged offer was made to him? Where was his conscience? The fact is that AAP is forging lies as it is not able to deliver on its promises."

"It is clear that AAP-Cong alliance has betrayed the people of Delhi and are unfit to rule. If this government cannot deliver it should quit instead of blaming others," Goel said.

PTI

Why Modi will only benefit from critics of the Gujarat riots

Some time in September last year, an unsolicited and somewhat unexpected mail landed in the inboxes of several hundred Gmail users, much like how matrimonial websites and placement agencies invade our mailboxes. Only, it sought to clarify 'facts on riots in India'.

The subject line of the mail read 'Facts on riots in India to clear all doubts'. While it isn't too difficult to understand what the intent of such a mail is - and that is defending Narendra Modi against accusations of inaction during Gujarat riots - it gave an interesting insight into several flaws in the popular political narrative unfolding in India in the run up to the elections this year.

Let's look at the issues that merit immediate attention and discussion in India on this day - inflation, women's security, corruption and following the Muzaffarnagar riots, issues of social security of the minorities. Ideally, a voter should be offered individual visions of the contesting parties in the mentioned issues and asked to choose which they find the most convincing. However, with Modi's ascension as the BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate, the country's political narrative has assumed a largely singular direction - it's as if the parties in the poll fray are asking us to decide who is a lesser rioter and hence vote for him.

Narendra Modi. Agencies.

The said mail, which came from an id belonging to one Sagar Roy (presumably a fake one), listed out incidents of communal violence (18 to be precise) that has occurred in the Congress regime since 1947. The list included every incident of violence from the Noakhali massacre and anti-Sikh riots to the communal unrest in Surat in 1992, as an offshoot of the Babri Masjid demolition in Ayodhya the same year. Apart from the customary insinuations in troll vocabulary, the mail concluded with the following lines:

"The youths of India say :

We are not interested in excuses like 'Godhra-2002'. 

We are only interested in Development, Vision & 'Growth-2022'.

We know 'Where there is Will there is way" 

While such extreme enthusiasm is something all political parties in India are guilty of, what is immensely disturbing about this strain of thought is how the Gujarat riots, which took the lives of 1,000 people, has been reduced to being an 'excuse'. And these are political discourses that are fast gathering strength in the run-up to the general elections this year. Vinay Sitapati, in an excellent piece on The Indian Express, points out what this greater rioter versus lesser rioter debate has effectively done:

"In their sloppily argued, partisan bid to pin a larger tragedy on one man, the Congress party and some NGOs have unwittingly made the Gujarat riots seem less horrific than they actually were."

Sitapati argues in his piece that in a bid to paint Narendra Modi as the primary accused in the Gujarat riots case, Modi's opponents are just giving him enough ground to expand his image as a victim of unsubstantiated slander. He points out that it is a fact that Modi couldn't be pinned for instigating the riots and the SIT and the Supreme Court have rightly given him the clean chit in that regard.

However, everyone from the opposition parties to some NGOs, with their bombastic and vacuous rhetoric, seem to be missing the glaring mistakes that Modi's government should be made accountable for. Sitapati cites that the investigations and probes instituted by the Gujarat government led to just 5 percent convictions, whereas ones outsourced to agencies like SIT and the Supreme Court and scrupulously kept away from the Gujarat government's influence, led to a whopping 39 percent convictions - including big names like  Maya Kodnani and Babu Bajrangi.

But what has the constant pillorying of Modi as the one responsible and culpable for the Gujarat riots done? It has given him an opportunity to magnify his image as a victim of political elitism and given culprits - with credible proof against them - an opportunity to hide behind him and go scot-free. Calling Modi a 'murderer' doesn't change the fact that there is no legal evidence that he either incited a mob or orchestrated the proceedings of the riots. However, like Sitapati points out, there is enough evidence against the Sangh parivar workers, and other BJP leaders who killed, attacked and raped Muslims. There is evidence that the police refused to act on time. However, in the clamour to paint Modi as a villain, these culprits have been let off, quietly relishing the anonymity lent to them by the spotlight on Narendra Modi.

And Modi's defence - that the SC has given him a clean chit - is impeccable. So, is his allegation he is being victimised for something he is not guilty of - at least legally.

It is difficult to extricate the BJP from the RSS, in fact, Modi's ascent to power in the BJP was reportedly facilitated by the strong backing of the Hindu fundamentalist organisation. The very organisation, whose offshoots played a discernible role in the Gujarat riots. However, that correlation too will be lost in the din of the Congress-BJP trading riots accusations.

No one's going to ask how we can possibly vote for a party and a leader who has made a quiet little place for violence mongers in his coterie. The misfortune of the Indian voter is that - most parties we know, have made place for such atrocities at some point of their evolution.

The issue in Gujarat, like it has been reported several times over, is not so much communal disharmony, as it is the discrepant opportunities and development of the Hindu and the Muslim communities. Sitapati points out how it is still difficult for Muslims to buy property in middle class neighbourhoods in Ahmedabad. There have been several reports on how Muslims are moving into ghettos in Juhapura. Modi's poll pitch being 'development' , it possibly also merits questioning those claims on these grounds.

Given how Modi has been harping on his beginnings as a chai-wallah, the polls this year is already sounding like a battle between the political elite and the 'outsider'. An outsider, who in his own admission, is also being accused of a heinous crime he is not guilty of. However, it was a crime, whose perpetrators are roaming, free, fearless and possibly even emboldened in his fiefdom. What is he doing about it? It is a question the Congress will not ask. Because, possibly, they have a few cover-ups to take care of themselves. The casualty, therefore, is the Indian voter - who will now have to vote on the basis of which half-truth he is willing to believe more.

Read the Indian Express article here.

Nitish’s Third Front efforts will fail to shape up: BJP

Patna: The BJP today said Bihar Chief Minister's efforts to build up a third front for the ensuing Lok Sabha elections would fail to shape up.

"There have been bids to set up a third or federal front at the outset of the LS elections in the past too, but the exercise has always failed to take shape, much to the disappointment of some regional satraps," BJP national general secretary Dharmendra Pradhan told reporters.

Nitish Kumar. AFP

Describing efforts of leaders of regional parties to work out a third front as "gathering of defeated and despondent leaders", Pradhan said the experiment would fail this time too.

He also claimed people had already made up their minds to give a decisive mandate to NDA led by Narendra Modi.

Observing that there was an inherent contradiction in the likely contours of the prospective third front, he asked those spearheading this exercise to explain as to how they would bring Mamata Banerjee and the Left parties on board in West Bengal or SP and BSP in Uttar Pradesh.

Pradhan charged Congress with being behind the third or federal front arrangement this time, saying that the ruling party at the Centre would leave no stone unturned to stop Modi.

Describing Congress as an astute master of bringing disparate political forces at one platform, he said it had successfully forced SP and BSP to support the UPA government for a decade.

In Bihar too, Congress was trying to carrying out similar experiment by bringing together the RJD-LJP alliance and JD(U), the senior BJP leader said.

The Congress, he said, would throw out all possible dices ahead of the LS elections to scuttle Modi's stride for power and the third front concept was part of such a sinister design.

Pradhan alleged that by propping up the third front concept, Congress and other regional parties were trying to confuse the electorate but expressed confidence that the electorate will not buy such an idea.

PTI

TMC will emerge as third largest party in Lok Sabha: Mukul Roy

Bhubaneswar: Claiming that Trinamool Congress would decide the fate of next government at the Centre, party general secretary Mukul Roy today said the Mamata Benerjee-led outfit was all set to emerge as the third largest party after the Lok Sabha elections.

"TMC will be the third largest party in Lok Sabha after the next general elections," Roy told reporters after addressing partymen in Bhubaneswar.

Trinamool Congress general secretary Mukul Roy. Image courtesy PIB

He claimed TMC would capture at least 32 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal.

As both Congress and BJP along with their allies would fail to form government, TMC as the third largest party would decide who will form the government at the Centre, Roy claimed.

To a question, Roy said BJP's tally could be below 100 seats as the saffron party had no existence in South India.

"Of the 170 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka, BJP may take 10 seats," he said, adding that similar was the situation in Assam, West Bengal, Odisha and Bihar.

BJP could win 30 of the 130 Lok Sabha seats in eastern India, Roy said, adding that the condition of Congress was equally bad as it had been in power only in few states.

He said a Federal Front would come to power at the Centre with assistance of regional parties. Roy also rejected the possibility of the proposed front by Left parties.

The TMC general secretary announced that the party would field candidates in Odisha in the coming general elections. He, however, said the party was yet to decide the number of seats it wanted to contest in Odisha.

Stating that there had been no alliance with any party in Odisha, the former railway minister said TMC was in consultation with other parties.

PTI

Those talking about inclusive growth should see Sabarmati Riverfront: Modi

Ahmedabad: Gujarat Chief Minister and BJP's prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi today said those who talk about 'inclusive growth' should see the Sabarmati Riverfront development project here.

"Those who are singing the tune of inclusive growth, inclusive growth, I ask them to visit Sabarmati Riverfront and study the inclusive growth at the riverfront and understand it," Modi said, inaugurating the newly-built Gujari bazaar market on the banks of the Sabarmati river.

Narendra Modi. AP

"A day does not pass when India's economists don't utter the word inclusive growth. If they want to know how does inclusive growth take place, they should come here."

Gujari Bazaar is a 597-year-old trader-organised market, governed by member-elected Ahmedabad Gujari Association (AGA), comprising traders from all communities. It was originally located in the southern corner of Ellisbridge.

The new Gujari bazaar is located in the eastern corner of Ellisbridge, on the banks of the Sabarmati river.

"Gujari bazaar used to be open only on Sundays. Now, it will function on all days. We have shown how development can take place by taking care of environment and the poorer sections of the society," he said.

"There were many who asked what will happen to the slum-dwellers. Today is an example of how their lives have changed. They have become partners in state government's development programmes."

He added no attention should be paid to those who slander Gujarat.

Modi also inaugurated a CCTV surveillance system for the city and opened a flyover near Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) for public.

Draws were also conducted for Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation's housing project for Economically Weaker Section and Lower Income Group.

Modi said 22 lakh houses would be built in urban areas and 28 lakh in rural areas in a time-bound manner.

PTI

Rahul’s decision to join NE youth protest was after Modi remark: BJP

New Delhi: Questioning Rahul Gandhi's stand on violence against youth from the North East, BJP today said his decision to join those seeking justice for murdered Arunachal Pradesh student appeared to have been taken after Narendra Modi condemned the incidents.

Speaking to reporters here, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said the question that needed to be asked is what steps Gandhi has taken to ensure that police respond better in such situations as the Delhi police are effectively under the control of his party's government.

Rahul Gandhi at the protest by youth from the North East. PTI

"Rahul Gandhi is entitled to go and meet (the agitating youth from North East) but he needs to explain that the Delhi Police are directly under the control of the central government. Why did the police not take proper, effective action to control this kind of attack on many students of the North East?" Prasad said.

He said while the boy from Arunachal Pradesh had been killed, two young ladies from Manipur were subjected to physical assault.

"Right in the heart of the capital of India, if a police effectively under the control of the government of India is not controlling rampant execesses and also murder of north-eastern boys and girls, what did Rahul Gandhi do to stem this"? Prasad added.

"May be the way Narendra Modi strongly condemned it in his Meerut rally has provoked Rahul Gandhi to take this kind of window dressing," he added.

Rahul Gandhi today joined youth from the Northeast agitating to bring to book those involved in the killing of Nido Taniam, a student from Arunachal Pradesh, and promised "very strict action" apart from setting up of a committee to look into the treatment meted out to people from that region.

PTI

Rahul steps in, vows strict action in killing of Arunachal boy

New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi today vowed "very swift action" into the killing of a student from Arunachal Pradesh here and asked Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde to order a judicial probe, as he stepped in to address concerns of people from the northeast in the wake of attacks on them.

The Union Home Ministry, meanwhile, directed Delhi Police to sensitise all police stations in the capital about people
from the northeast living in their respective jurisdiction and resolve their grievances.

Rahul Gandhi. AP image

The Delhi High Court also took suo motu cognisance of the death of the student Nido Tania last week after he was allegedly beaten by some shopkeepers in Lajpat Nagar and asked the Centre to file a report on the incident by  Wednesday.

Rahul met protesting student groups from the northeast who had gathered at Jantar Mantar demanding that those involved in the attack on the student be brought to book. Asserting that "what has happened was unacceptable", Rahul in his brief address said,"....You can expect a very strict action and detailed study done by a committee on the
issues of north-easterners of this country. We are trying to move forward on that."

Minister of State for Minority Affairs Ninong Ering earlier in the day said that Rahul has asked the Home Minister to order the judicial probe and provide justice to the family. "Rahulji has called up Shindeji in front of us and requested the probe. Since the Home Minister is out of station, he told Rahulji that he would do the needful once he is back in Delhi tomorrow," Ering, who hails from Arunachal Pradesh, told PTI here.

Rahul's call to Shinde came after Ering led a delegation of students from northeast seeking the Congress Vice-President's help for a speedy probe and justice to the family.

The Union Home Ministry directed Delhi Police to adopt zero tolerance approach in cases of attacks on people from
northeast and asked it to strictly follow the guidelines in providing security to those hailing from the region.

At a high-level meeting, it also directed Delhi Police to immediately register cases of atrocities on people from northeast, launch probe upon receiving complaints and book the guilty.

The meeting was convened in the wake of a series of attacks on people from the northeast in the capital recently. A High Court bench of Chief Justice N V Ramana and Rajiv Sahai Endlaw issued notices to the Union Home Ministry, Delhi Government and Delhi Police seeking a status report on the incident by Wednesday and also details of the steps taken for safety of people from northeast staying in the capital.

PTI

Delhi: Why BJP wouldn’t bother to poach AAP’s MLAs

Aam Aadmi Party MLA Madan Lal shot to instant celebrity-hood on Monday afternoon. Lal, who holds a MA and a LLB degree from MMH College, Meerut University, today announced that he had been offered a hefty bribe by intermediaries of Narendra Modi and Arun Jaitley to defect and dissolve the AAP government. He said that he had been offered Rs 30 crore in cash and the post of Delhi's chief minister if he managed to break the AAP government. Every MLA he manages to get with him would be given Rs 10 core, he declared. 

"Only a principled man like me could say no to them," said Lal about the 'intermediaries' he refused to name.

Despite the serious nature of the AAP's claims, the incident reeks of sensationalism for more reasons than one. Maybe the AAP is trying to cash in on the wave of cynicism against established political traditions by lobbing big accusations against big names in India's contemporary politics. However, it is easy to see the various lapses in logic in their body of allegations.

Arun Jaitley rejected AAP's claims saying, " Rubbish claims by AAP. AAP's alternative politics includes a fundamental right to falsehood and lies." And there's probably some truth in that. 

Arvind Kejriwal during his oath taking ceremony. Agencies.

MLA Madanlal and an entire battery of AAP leaders want people to believe that Jaitley, who is an eminent lawyer and Modi, who has been a state's chief minister for 12 years, aren't aware of the existence of the Anti-Defection law. The Hindu states that the 10th Schedule to the Constitution, popularly referred to as the 'Anti-Defection Law,' was inserted by the 52nd Amendment in 1985.

"The grounds of disqualification are specified in Paragraph 2 of the 10th Schedule.

A member would incur a disqualification under paragraph 2 (1) (a) when he "voluntarily gives up his membership of a party" and under 2 (1) (b) when he/she votes (or abstains from voting) contrary to the directive issued by the party."

Even if the law fails to make defection impossible, it does make it very difficult.

Another argument that makes AAP's claims difficult to believe is why would the BJP risk poaching AAP MLAs in the first place? Even if manages to break the AAP government and prove that no political party is immune to the evils they themselves are assumed to be guilty of, the party will only end up looking corrupt and unprincipled enough. Why would they leave Dr Harsh Vardhan in the cold and choose Madan Lal as the state's CM candidate? Rest assured, a move like that would completely derail BJP's anti-nepotism, anti-corruption stance that is being steered by Narendra Modi. In fact, such a move would even risk Modi's Prime Ministerial prospects.

Despite what Madan Lal claims, the fact remains that as per constitutional provisions, Lal and the nine MLAs would only lose their seats. They could form a breakaway group only if two-thirds of the legislators of parliamentarians split and formed a separate entity -- if 19 of 27 AAP MLAs had revolted, not any less. Surely Madan Lal, who holds an LLB degree, would know that.

Madan Lal claimed that he was approached by 'intermediaries' three times on behalf of Modi and Jaitley. The first call he received was on December 7, midnight. This was the night before the Delhi poll results were revealed. The call couldn't be traced. So, presumably this caller knew that Madan Lal would win.

Madanlal, evidently, is not following his leader, Kejriwal who had exhorted all residents of Delhi through various means that corruption should be reported by all means. In fact, he suggested Delhiites conduct a sting when approached for bribes. Why then Madan Lal is not following the advice?

These 'intermediaries' - an advocate and two persons who claimed to be from Gujarat - have not been named yet. Forget performing a sting, he even seems to have forgotten his name.  Do AAP's ideas then not apply to the party members themselves?

AAP seeks probe on Sheila Dikshit over unauthorised colonies

New Delhi: The Delhi government on Monday wrote to the President seeking action against former chief minister Sheila Dikshit for alleged irregularities in regularising unauthorised colonies in the metropolis.

The move comes after President Pranab Mukherjee sought Delhi government's comments on the report of the Lokayukta in which Justice Manmohan Sarin in November 2013 had ruled that granting of provisional certificate for regularisation of unauthorized colonies in 2008 by Dikshit was done to gain political mileage in the elections.

Sheila Dikshit. PTI

During the subsequent hearings, the Lokayukta also had observed that the conditions of the Supreme Court order have not been complied with during the issuance of the provisional certificates prior to the election and sent the report to the President.

A complaint regarding the matter was filed by BJP leader Harsh Vardhan in 2010.

Vardhan had alleged that Dikshit had misused her power while issuing provisional regularization certificates to unauthorized colonies in 2008.

Delhi government had issued provisional regularization certificates to over 1,218 unauthorized colonies before the 2008 assembly polls and had announced regularization of 1,639 colonies just before the polls now.

These unauthorized colonies in which around 40 lakh people reside do not have basic amenities.

PTI

Manish Tewari hits out at AAP’s corrupt list, says it is baseless

New Delhi: Congress today hit back at Aam Aadmi Party for listing some of its leaders as "corrupt", saying it is levelling "baseless" allegations while giving clean chit to its people through its own "khap panchayats".

Senior Congress leader and Union Minister Manish Tewari said AAP has been entrusted with government Delhi and it should focus on fulfill promises made by it rather than diverting to some other issues.

Manish Tewari. PTI

"It is a strange procedure that when people make accusations at their leaders, they call their khap panchayat and give them a clean chit. But at the same time, in an irresponsible manner, they make allegations against leaders who have a long public standing," Tewari, Information and Broadcasting Minister, told reporters here.

He was responding to a question on AAP leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal bringing out a list of "corrupt" politicians which includes names of some Congress leaders.

Instead of making "false and baseless" allegations, the AAP should fulfil the responsibility given to them by the people of Delhi, Tewari said.

"They have to fulfil the promise made to the people of Delhi. Instead of diverting attention from the issues at hand, they should take care of their responsibilities," Tewari said.

Several leaders have threatened Kejriwal with legal action if he does not apologise for the list.

Asked about Delhi Government writing to the President seeking action against former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit for alleged irregularities in regularising unauthorised colonies, the Congress leader said the party had extended its support to save the people of Delhi face fresh polls. "We do not remote control their administrative decisions," he said.

PTI

Delhi cabinet clears Jan Lokpal Bill, now seeks assembly nod

New Delhi: The Delhi cabinet under the leadership of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today cleared the final draft of the Jan Lokpal bill which will now be placed in the state assembly for its perusal.

"People were waiting for a strong law that would punish the corrupt. Their long wait has ended. Today is a historic day for Delhi. The government has cleared the Jan Lokpal bill," said Education Minister Manish Sisodia after he emerged from a Cabinet meeting shortly after 6.30 pm on Monday.

Delhi Education Minister Manish Sisodia. PTI

"Everyone from the chief minister to the peon have been included in the bill. The special feature of the bill is that there are no special privileges to any one. Everyone will be dealt with in the same way," said Sisodia, addressing reporters at the Delhi secretariat.

Unlike in the Uttarakhand bill, on which the Delhi Jan Lokpal is modelled, complaints against the chief minister will not be heard by the full bench of the Lokpal but will be treated on par with other complaints, the minister said.

The Lokpal will consist of a 10-member panel and will selected by a seven member selection committee that will have only one representative of the government - the chief minister.

The tenure of the Lokpal will be seven years and will guarantee "certainty and swiftness", said Sisodia.

Describing the main features of the bill, Sisodia, said that it was the first time legal protection to whistleblowers, witnesses and complainants and that in "sensitive cases" the punishment would extend up to life imprisonment.

On business entities found guilty of corruption, Sisodia said they would be liable for five times the loss they cause to the exchequer.

Sisodia, however, refused to get into the nitty gritties of bill, not commenting on when asked whether the Delhi Police would be under its ambit.

In a departure from practice followed so far, Sisodia said that draft bill will not be sent to the Lieutenant Governor but will be introduced in the Assembly directly.

We don’t have faith in WB police for Modi’s rally: BJP

Kolkata: The West Bengal BJP today expressed concern over security arrangements made by the state and Kolkata Police for Narendra Modi's rally in the city on February 5, saying it does not have faith in the police.

"We are cooperating with the state police, but we don't have any faith in it. Today there was a meeting between state,
Kolkata and Gujarat police officials at the airport. Airport officials and BJP leaders were also present," state BJP chief
Rahul Sinha said at a press conference.

Narendra Modi. AFP image

Sinha said more than 100 officials of Gujarat Police in separate teams had visited the state to oversee the security arrangements.

Meanwhile, senior officials of the Kolkata police today visited the Brigade Parade Ground, the venue of the rally. Sinha scoffed at Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee's call for "Delhi Chalo", saying she should stop day-dreaming about becoming PM and instead concentrate on work in her hand.

"Mamata Banerjee is day-dreaming about becoming the next PM. She should rather concentrate on her work as CM. Nobody till now has expressed support for the so-called Federal Front. And those parties that she is taking about, themselves have PM aspirants," said Sinha.

Sinha said the party's state unit had given Modi four "talking points"--Declassification of Netaji Subhas Bose's
files, granting of citizenship to Bangladeshi refugees who are coming to India, chit fund scam and violence by TMC.

Meanwhile, several former bureaucrats and police officials today joined BJP. Former DG R K Handa and B D Sharma as well as noted Bengali actor Nimu Bhowmick were among those who joined today. Last week, IPS officer R K Mohanty, IAS officers R K Tripathy and S K Magon and former joint director of CBI Sujit Kumar Ghosh joined BJP.

PTI

Mani Shankar Aiyer calls Kejriwal a ‘political clown’

Kumbakonam (TN): Describing AAP leader Kejriwal as a "political clown", Congress leader Mani Shankar Iyer today said the Delhi Chief Minister was levelling allegations "against all".

Talking to reporters after inaugurating a water tank constructed from the MP area development fund, the nominated member of Rajya Sabha said "Mr Kejarival is a political clown who is levelling allegations against all."

Arvind Kejriwal. PTI

"Congress has given Kejriwal an opportunity to form government in Delhi and he should use it properly and do well for the society. I am happy that my name does not figure in the list of "corrupt leaders" issued by him, Iyer said.

PTI

Delhi cabinet clears Jan Lokpal Bill, CM’s office under its ambit

The Delhi cabinet today cleared the final draft of the Jan Lokpal bill. The Chief Minister's office has been included under the ambit of the Lokpal.

The Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government had earlier said that it will try to get the bill passed in the Delhi assembly by 16 February.

Arvind Kejriwal. AFP

Manish Sisodia had earlier told reporters following the cabinet meet that the last day of the session will be held in the Indira Gandhi Stadium and requested Delhi's public to come and witness the bill's passage. The first three days will be a closed session held at the Delhi Assembly.

The bill was one of the key issues in AAP's manifesto and it had promised to pass the bill within 10 days of coming to power.

Soon after the bill is passed by the cabinet, it would be put in the public domain. The draft version of the bill had fixed a maximum tenure of six months for the agency to complete an investigation.

The punishment for corruption is likely to range from six months in jail to life imprisonment. A committee headed by the Chief Secretary and secretaries of Urban Development, Law and Finance departments, besides eminent advocate Rahul Mehra has been given the responsibility of drafting the Jan Lokpal Bill.

However, the proposal to include DDA and Delhi Police is likely to be a bone of contention between the Delhi government and Union home ministry as the latter has the charge of the two departments, reports Zee News.

Highlights of the Delhi Jan Lokpal Bill

- The Delhi Lokpal bill differs from Centre's Lokpal in the quantum punishment, composition of the selection panel, the jurisdiction of the ombudsman and the inclusion of the whistle-blower and witness protection and the citizen charter.

- The maximum punishment under Delhi government's Jan Lokpal Bill is life imprisonment and the minimum is six months.

- The Delhi Jan Lokpal will comprise 10 members plus one chairman. The selection panel for the Lokpal will comprise only two politicians

- the chief minister, the leader of opposition. The others in the selection panel will be two sitting high court judges, two eminent persons and a former Lokayukta.

- There will be no caveat on public servants who can be prosecuted. The CM will also come under the Delhi Lokpal. The Lokpal will be able to take suo moto cognisance of cases and will have unfettered powers to probe cases of corruption.

- The anti-corruption bureau will be merged with the Delhi Lokpal and with that the Delhi Police and the Delhi Development Authority will be brought under the ambit of Delhi Jan Lokpal.

- The Delhi Lokpal will also include provisions for whistleblower protection, witness protection and include a citizen's charter.

Regional parties key to govt formation at Centre: Brinda Karat

Dhanbad: Regional political parties hold the key to government formation at the Centre after Lok Sabha polls, CPI-M politburo member Brinda Karat said here today.

Her party is working on a formula for alliance with regional parties ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, besides unity among Left parties, Karat told reporters here. "Actual position will be clear in the near future," the Rajya Sabha MP said.

Brinda Karat. PTI image

She said her party would hold discussions with an open mind for an alliance at least in Jharkhand, Bihar and West Bengal.

Asked about a Left party allying with political parties like AIADMK, Karat said its chief Jayalaithaa had not been indicted by any court on the issue of corruption.

She claimed if fair elections were held in West Bengal, the Left would repeat its 2004 performance in the Lok Sabha polls.

She urged the Election Commission to keep a special watch on West Bengal during the elections, alleging that Trinamool Congress might rig them. The CPI(M) leader hailed Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for providing a job to the father of a rape victim of West Bengal.

She criticised Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for rapes in West Bengal.

PTI

Cong, RJD alliance will fall flat in Bihar: Nitish Kumar

Patna: With Congress in all probability entering into alliance with RJD and LJP to repeat the success of 2004 general elections in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today said that the alliance would "fall flat".

"Bihar me Muh ke baal girenge (they will fall flat in Bihar)...much water has flown down the Ganges since 2004," Kumar told reporters.

"Every election has its own story," he said on chances of the new secular alliance of Congress, RJD and LJP repeating
its 2004 general elections performance in Bihar, when they had won 34 seats out of 40 in the state.

Nitish Kumar. AFP image

Kumar said there would be no uniform pattern in the coming Lok Sabha elections in the states. "In Bihar anti-incumbency of UPA government and good works done by the JD(U) government will decide the results in the Parliamentary polls," he said.

Kumar took a snipe at Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi saying that it would be an alliance of idea and not individual to escape negativity of RJD President Lalu Prasad conviction in a fodder scam case.

"It shows they share the idea," he added. Kumar said there was no anxiety in JD(U) over forging of alliance between Congress and RJD as from the beginning we knew that they have been together in the UPA alliance and their bonding was natural.

PTI

Modi will only benefit from critics of the Gujarat 2002 riots

Some time in September last year, an unsolicited and somewhat unexpected mail landed in the inboxes of several hundred Gmail users, much like how matrimonial websites and placement agencies invade our mailboxes. Only, it sought to clarify 'facts on riots in India'.

The subject line of the mail read 'Facts on riots in India to clear all doubts'. While it isn't too difficult to understand what the intent of such a mail is - and that is defending Narendra Modi against accusations of inaction during Gujarat riots - it gave an interesting insight into several flaws in the popular political narrative unfolding in India in the run up to the elections this year.

Lets look at the issues that merit immediate attention and discussion in India on this day - inflation, women's security, corruption and following the Muzaffarnagar riots, issues of social security of the minorities. Ideally, a voter should be offered individual visions of the contesting parties in the mentioned issues and asked to choose which they find the most convincing. However, with Modi's ascension as the BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate, the country's political narrative has assumed a largely singular direction - it's as if the parties in the poll fray are asking us to decide who is a lesser rioter and hence vote for him.

Narendra Modi. Agencies.

The said mail, which came from an id belonging to one Sagar Roy (presumably a fake one), listed out incidents of communal violence (18 to be precise) that has occurred in the Congress regime since 1974. The list included every incident of violence from the Noakhali massacre and anti-Sikh riots and communal unrest in Surat in 1992, as an offshoot of the Babri Masjid demolition in Ayodhya the same year. Apart from the customary insinuations in troll vocabulary, the mail concluded with the following lines:

"The youths of India say :

We are not interested in excuses like 'Godhra-2002'. 

We are only interested in Development, Vision & 'Growth-2022'.

We know 'Where there is Will there is way" 

While such extreme enthusiasm is something all political parties in India are guilty of, what is immensely disturbing about this strain of thought is how the Gujarat riots, which took the lives of 1,000 people, has been reduced to being an 'excuse'. And these are political discourses that are fast gathering strength in the run-up to the general elections this year. Vinay Sitapati, in an excellent piece on The Indian Express, points out what this greater rioter versus lesser rioter debate has effectively done:

"In their sloppily argued, partisan bid to pin a larger tragedy on one man, the Congress party and some NGOs have unwittingly made the Gujarat riots seem less horrific than they actually were."

Sitapati argues in his piece that in a bid to paint Narendra Modi as the primary accused in the Gujarat riots case, Modi's opponents are just giving him enough ground to expand his image as a victim of unsubstantiated slander. He points out that it is a fact that Modi couldn't be pinned for instigating the riots and the SIT and the Supreme Court have rightly given him the clean chit in that regard.

However, everyone from the opposition parties to some NGOs, with their bombastic and vacuous rhetoric, seem to be missing the glaring mistakes that Modi's government should be made accountable for. Sitapati cites that the investigations and probes instituted by the Gujarat government led to just 5 percent convictions, whereas ones outsourced to agencies like SIT and the Supreme Court and scrupulously kept away from the Gujarat government's influence, led to a whopping 39 percent convictions - including big names like  Maya Kodnani and Babu Bajrangi.

But what has the constant pillorying of Modi as the one responsible and culpable for the Gujarat riots done? It has given him an opportunity to magnify his image as a victim of political elitism and given culprits - with credible proof against them - an opportunity to hide behind him and go scot-free. Calling Modi a 'murderer' doesn't change the fact that there is no legal evidence that he either incited a mob or orchestrated the proceedings of the riots. However, like Sitapati points out, there is enough evidence against the Sangh parivar workers, and other BJP leaders who killed, attacked and raped Muslims. There is evidence that the police refused to act on time. However, in the clamour to paint Modi as a villain, these culprits have been let off, quietly relishing the anonymity lent to them by the spotlight on Narendra Modi.

And Modi's defence - that the SC has given him a clean chit - is impeccable. So, is his allegation he is being victimised for something he is not guilty of - at least legally.

It is difficult to extricate the BJP from the RSS, in fact, Modi's ascent to power in the BJP was reportedly facilitated by the strong backing of the Hindu fundamentalist organisation. The very organisation, whose offshoots played a discernible role in the Gujarat riots. However, that correlation too will be lost in the din of the Congress-BJP trading riots accusations.

No one's going to ask how we can possibly vote for a party and a leader who has made a quiet little place for violence mongers in his coterie. The misfortune of the Indian voter is that - most parties we know, have made place for such atrocities at some point of their evolution.

The issue in Gujarat, like it has been reported several times over, is not so much communal disharmony, as it is the discrepant opportunities and development of the Hindu and the Muslim communities. Sitapati points out how it is still difficult for Muslims to buy property in middle class neighbourhoods in Ahmedabad. There have been several reports on how Muslims are moving into ghettos in Juhapura. Modi's poll pitch being 'development' , it possibly also merits questioning those claims on these grounds.

Given how Modi has been harping on his beginnings as a chai-wallah, the polls this year is already sounding like a battle between the political elite and the 'outsider'. An outsider, who in his own admission, is also being accused of a heinous crime he is not guilty of. However, it was a crime, whose perpetrators are roaming, free, fearless and possibly even emboldened in his fiefdom. What is he doing about it? It is a question the Congress will not ask. Because, possibly, they have a few cover-ups to take care of themselves. The casualty, therefore, is the Indian voter - who will now have to vote on the basis of which half-truth he is willing to believe more.

Read the Indian Express article here.

BJP to support Telangana Bill in parliament

Hyderabad: Slamming the Congress for enacting a "political drama" over the Telangana issue, senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu today asserted his party would certainly support the statehood bill in Parliament but with certain riders. BJP would support the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill "without compromising on the basic principles" and only after securing "justice to all" (regions), he said here.

Lashing out at Congress General Secretary Digvijaya Singh for his statement that the Bill, which stipulates creation of Telangana state, would get Parliament's nod if the BJP co-operated, Naidu said, "You never consult... you want to insult. What is this political tamasha (drama)?" Addressing the state executive committee meeting of BJP this afternoon, the Rajya Sabha MP said the Congress had no right to question his party over the statehood issue.

Supporters of Telangana. AFP.

"The Prime Minister proposes and the (AP) Chief Minister rejects. The Congress delayed a decision on Telangana for ten years calculating votes and percentages that will accrue to it. Is it a party at all?" While 1,000 youths lost their lives in Telangana for the cause of a separate state, 350 died in Seemandhra for a united state, the former BJP President said.

"Is not the Congress responsible for this? Now they are building temples for Sonia Gandhi and hailing her as the mother of Telangana. What is this tamasha going on in the state?" the former Union Minister asked. Referring to Singh's remarks that they permitted the Andhra Pradesh Congress leaders to "defeat" the Telangana Bill in the State Legislature, Naidu said that there could not be a more ridiculous claim than this.

Asserting that the BJP, which favours creation of smaller states, would not go back on Telangana, with ten districts and Hyderabad as the capital, Naidu, however, wanted the Centre to address the concerns of both the regions. "Our demand is that justice should be done to all regions. Without compromising on the basic principles, we are ready to support the Bill (in Parliament)," he said. State BJP President G Kishan Reddy and other leaders attended the meeting.

IANS

Sharad Pawar-led NCP to announce LS poll candidates after talks with Cong

Mumbai: Sharad Pawar-led NCP today said it would announce its candidates for the Lok Sabha elections only after talks with Congress and that it had given no "ultimatum" to the alliance partner.

Talking to reporters here, senior NCP leader Jitendra Awhad said the list of candidates had been finalised, however, the announcement would be made after holding discussions with Congress.

Sharad Pawar. AFP

"We have prepared our list of candidates. It has been finalised. We will make the announcement 24 hours after our talks with them," he said.

He also dismissed media reports that NCP had given an ultimatum to Congress.

"We have not given any ultimatum to Congress. We are not keeping anybody guessing. We are following our footsteps. We are taking the elections seriously," he added.

Last week, NCP leaders had expressed annoyance with Congress for delaying the seat-sharing talks.

PTI

Protection for Stalin: Jaya questions timing of such demand

Chennai: With DMK approaching the Centre seeking protection for party chief M Karunanidhi's son M K Stalin, AIADMK supremo and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today said the timing of such a demand and ongoing "confusions" in the party's first family hinted the threat came from suspended Madurai leader M K Alagiri.

Jayalalithaa recalled Karunanidhi's statement to the media about Alagiri's remarks about Stalin's "death" -- that he will
die in three or four months, and that the DMK chief had not stopped with that, asking party M P TR Baalu to write to the Prime Minister seeking protection to Stalin.

J Jayalalithaa. AFP image

There were reports that Baalu had claimed threat to Stalin's life from LTTE, religious fundamentalists and political rivals, she said in Tamil Nadu assembly, adding the party had sought Z Plus category security for Stalin.

"With thousands of Sri Lankan Tamils besides LTTE being killed in the war, a threat from LTTE is non-existent. Without mentioning anybody, it says about threat from some religious fundamentalists. This is also imaginary, she said. "Finally, it says there is threat from many political rivals but has not mentioned who they are. Comparing the
timing of the letter and the confusions in Karunanidhi's family, it is a tacit mention that the threat is from Alagiri," she claimed.

Alagiri was recently suspended from the party as relations between him and his father and DMK chief Karunanidhi soured, especially in the wake of his differences with Stalin.

Questioning Karunanidhi for approaching the Centre for his son's security, she asked what was his stand on the issues of DMK leader T Kiruttinan's murder and the death of three employees of a Tamil daily run by the Maran brothers when the newspaper office was set on fire over a survey in that daily putting Stalin ahead of Alagiri as Karunanidhi's political heir apparent.

Jayalalithaa was making the remarks while rebutting DMK's claim of bad law and order situation in the state, while recalling incidents in the previous DMK rule such as the law college violence besides others.

Her government was committed to maintaining law and order, she said, adding, various instances of crime had come down. The state was better placed when it came to comparing other states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh among others, the Chief Minister said.

PTI

After Modi attack, Mulayam blames BJP of instigating riots

Gonda (UP): Under attack from BJP's prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi, SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav today hit back at him asking whether education and irrigation had been made free in Gujarat like UP, and charged his party with instigating riots to impede growth.

"I heard his (Modi's) speech... He said nothing has been done for farmers, but I ask whether he has made education, irrigation and health care free in his home state like Uttar Pradesh," Yadav said addressing the "Desh Bachao, Desh Banao (Save the Country, Build the Country)" rally here.

Mulayam Singh Yadav. AFP

"Over Rs 16.50 crore of loans of the Land Development Bank has been waived off and provisions have been made to ban auction of farmers' land, but what have you done Modi sahab?" he asked, and added the state cabinet had also okayed free medical treatment for serious ailments like cancer.

Rejecting allegations of discrimination in relief work in Muzaffarnagar, he said "riots are unfortunate and should not have happened", but the state government had done everything possible to provide employment and house to the victims.

The Samajwadi Party chief questioned Modi as to what he had done for the riot victims in his home state Gujarat, and recalled how the locals, especially women, apprised him of their problems which he "cannot utter from the dais" here.

Alleging that hurdles are being created in development of the state, Yadav asked who was behind the Muzaffarnagar riots.

"When we start development, murders are committed and fires are set on... who did Muzaffarnagar... are your MLAs not involved?" he asked.

"You said we helped only one section of society why is your eye only on Muslims... We do not do so, if there is anyone who does discrimination, it is you," he said, "We had given land to Sikhs in the terai region of the state, but in Gujarat you have been trying to snatch lands from Sikhs and conspiring to throw them out."

"It is my open charge why are Sikhs being troubled in Gujarat... Why is the government trying to grab their land?" he asked.

PTI

Kamal Nath seeks support on anti-corruption bills for next Parl session

New Delhi: Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath Monday appealed to all political parties not to disrupt the last session of the 15th Lok Sabha and allow passage of important bills.

Addressing a press conference after an all-party meeting ahead of the second part of the winter session beginning Feb 5, Nath said parliament has to debate and pass crucial bills, including six anti-corruption bills.

Kamal Nath. PTI

"As we come to the last session of the 15th Lok Sabha, I request political parties to rise above politics and give the highest priority to the anti-corruption bills because they form a package with the Lokpal bill," Nath said.

He said the 15th Lok Sabha has had disruptions "like never before".

The minister said that though the 15th Lok Sabha passed a lesser number of bills, some historical bills were cleared.

"We have done work in terms of substance," he said, appealing to all parties not to "instigate or inspire disturbances".

Stating that though all bills listed cannot be passed, he said the "six anti-corruption bills, and four-five other bills should be passed".

"We are not looking at contentious, combative bills," he said.

Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said that along with the anti-graft bills, the bill for formation of Telangana and the communal violence bill were among the most important ones.

IANS

Venkaiah Naidu slams Cong for ‘staging drama’ over Telangana

Hyderabad: Slamming the Congress for enacting a "political drama" over the Telangana issue, senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu today asserted his party would certainly support the statehood bill in Parliament but with certain riders.

BJP would support the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill "without compromising on the basic principles" and only after securing "justice to all" (regions), he said here.

Venkaiah Naidu. AFP

Lashing out at Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh for his statement that the Bill, which stipulates creation of Telangana state, would get Parliament's nod if the BJP co-operated, Naidu said "You never consult... you want to insult. What is this political tamasha (drama)?"

Addressing the state executive committee meeting of BJP this afternoon, the Rajya Sabha MP said the Congress had no right to question his party over the statehood issue.

"The Prime Minister proposes and the (AP) Chief Minister rejects. The Congress delayed a decision on Telangana for ten years calculating votes and percentages that will accrue to it. Is it a party at all?"

While 1,000 youths lost their lives in Telangana for the cause of a separate state, 350 died in Seemandhra for a united state, the former BJP President said.

"Is not the Congress responsible for this? Now they are building temples for Sonia Gandhi and hailing her as the mother of Telangana. What is this tamasha going on in the state?" the former Union Minister asked.

Referring to Singh's remarks that they permitted the Andhra Pradesh Congress leaders to "defeat" the Telangana Bill in the State Legislature, Naidu said that there could not be a more ridiculous claim than this.

Asserting that the BJP, which favours creation of smaller states, would not go back on Telangana, with ten districts and Hyderabad as the capital, Naidu, however, wanted the Centre to address the concerns of both the regions.

"Our demand is that justice should be done to all regions. Without compromising on the basic principles, we are ready to support the Bill (in Parliament)," he said.

State BJP President G Kishan Reddy and other leaders attended the meeting.

PTI

Mr Flip-flop: Why Nitish Kumar could embrace the NDA again

By Manoj Chaurasia

Patna: In June last year, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar snapped his 17-year-old association with the BJP and then walked out of the NDA. The provocation was the promotion of Narendra Modi, his arch rival, in the saffron party. Now that he has walked into a political mess, virtually isolated in Bihar, is his party—JD(U)—contemplating a re-think on the NDA? There are indications that it is. There's no official confirmation though.

Over the weekend, Sharad Yadav, the national chief of the party, was widely quoted in the local media saying the JD(U) may return to the NDA post the general elections. It began with a local daily making it front page news. Though both Yadav and Nitish have issued a quick rebuttal, speculation is rife in the state political circles about the party's game plan.

"There does not appear any question of returning to the NDA…Words have been put in Sharad Yadavji's mouth to create a controversy," Nitish told the media. This was soon followed by another quick denial from Yadav himself who wondered "having made any such statement". Strangely, none of them threatened to file defamation case against the newspaper. Political observers feel this could be part of the JD(U)'s strategy to hold together the upper caste vote bank which is drifting away from the party after the NDA split.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. PTI

The BJP has already added fuel to the fire over the possibility over the JD(U)'s return to the NDA. "There was only political disagreement between us, not permanent divorce," remarked BJP national vice-president CP Thakur, adding "If a proposal comes from their side, we will consider it favourably."

Experts say the JD(U) might have been forced to rework its strategy in view of reports that the Muslims will vote carefully this time to ensure that the division in their votes does not benefit Modi. Nitish had initially sought to ignore the upper castes, who are considered the traditional vote bank of the BJP, and had played Muslim and Mahadalit cards to the hilt but as thing stand today, the party itself does not look amused with the major "secular parties" joining hands, thus leaving very little space for it.

The apparent apprehension in the JD(U) camp is that the party which won 20 of the total 25 seats in the last Lok Sabha polls may flounder this time since it is a part of neither the NDA nor the UPA. The next elections would witness a direct fight between both these formations in Bihar and in that case parties standing alone would hardly have a chance to put up a decent fight.

Muslims, who initially appeared to be cosying up to the JD(U), are not showing the same warmth now that it is clear that it would be a fight between the NDA and the UPA (the RJD-Congress-LJP-NCP combine). Voting for the JD(U), they feel, would thus may indirectly benefit BJP candidates. The way Nitish tried hard to be invited at the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the AMU at Kishanganj—a Congress function—and then went out claiming the JD(U) had a major role to play in the entire project as it was his government which made available more than 200 acres of land free of cost speak volumes about his desperation to impress the Muslim.

This is, however, not the first time that the JD(U) appears to be taking a different stand from its established line. Nitish himself has been fairly inconsistent. Earlier, Nitish had hit out the Congress, terming it as the "mother of corruption" and "inflation party". A few days ago, he blamed the Congress for anti-Sikh riots in 1984 and Bhagalpur riots in 1989 saying it could not be absolved of its responsibility. This is a bit surprising given his government survives on the support of the four Congress members. The Congress had come to his rescue when his government had come in minority after Nitish broke off relations with the BJP. Nitish has dared the Congress to withdraw support.

In the same way, Nitish has declared a war on "corruption" and his government in Bihar is confiscating the properties of the corrupt officials. Nitish also mocked the anti-corruption stand of Rahul Gandhi describing it as dikhawa (show) when he appeared sealing the electoral deal with Lalu Prasad's RJD but strangely he does not mind shaking hands with AIDMK chief J Jayalalitha and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav who face corruption charges. Nitish is actively working for formation of a non-Congress and non-BJP federation of like-minded parties of which these two parties are expected to be its part.

Nitish Kumar also claims that there is no place for criminals in the JD(U), but recently his party inducted three alleged gangsters, namely Rajesh Kumar alias Chunnu Thakur, Shad Alam alias Shaboo and Rahesh Kumar Roshan alias Babloo Dev. Of them, Thakur was allegedly involved in the kidnapping of school boy Kislay which made headlines all through the 2005 assembly polls. He was removed from the party after the move was bitterly criticized in the media.

In the backdrop of his frequent flip flops, nobody's would be surprised if he decides to go back to the NDA.

Jaitley, Vardhan deny AAP bribe allegations, say it’s rubbish

Denying allegations by AAP of BJP trying to bribe MLAs to topple the Delhi government, BJP leader Harsh Vardhan called the allegations 'nonsense'.

Harsh Vardhan told Firstpost that AAP's allegations were baseless. "It's all nonsense and completely wrong. Everyday they come up with a new lie. They can keep saying what they want to," a visibly agitated Harsh Vardhan said.

Harsh Vardhan. AFP

BJP leader Arun Jaitley also rubbished the claims on his Twitter account.

His tweet read, "Rubbish claims by AAP. AAP's alternative politics includes a fundamental right to falsehood and lies."

The AAP earlier today had alleged that the BJP and Congress were plotting against its Delhi government and that the recent power crisis with the Discoms was part of a larger political conspiracy.

AAP made the allegations at a press conference in the Constitution club of India and said that there was an attempt to buy out its MLAs, directly naming leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitley.

"Even before there is news of the power crisis, BJP is out on the streets ready to protest. How did they know that such power cuts would take place in Delhi, even before the government? As soon as Kejriwal threatened to cancel the licenses, a whole series of events starts. Jaitley gives his opinion, then Modi also talks, followed by Harsh Vardhan. There are threats that 'sarkar gira di jayegi (the government will be toppled)," said AAP leader Sanjay Singh.

"This whole game is being played by those who support Adani and Ambani's interest. They even tried to politicise the issue of the death of the Arunachal Pradesh student. I want to ask Modi who is responsible for the incidents that took place against Northeast students in Karnataka," he said, referring to the NE exodus.

"We will start a pol-khol abhiyaan across Delhi from tomorrow to showcase the real truth behind the face of BJP," he said. He didn't specify exactly what would be part of this 'abhiyaan.'

"Arun Jaitley and his few friends in the media are sitting together and playing this whole game against the AAP," said AAP leader Ashutosh.

AAP MLA from Kasturba Nagar Madan Lal was also present and he alleged that he was approached by people who claimed to be part of Arun Jaitley and Modi's team.

"On 7 December, I got a call at 12 in the night, where someone who claimed to be from Arun Jaitley's team approached me. It was an international number but I said 'shut up' and hung up,"said Madanlal.

"Two days after the result was declared, someone else told me since you don't have a majority why don't you join us. We will give you what you want. Then days before two people approached me. One person claimed to be from Gujarat and close to Narendra Modi. He told me if I get 9 more MLAs, then we will form a new front, and make you CM. In addition to this they also offered Rs 20 crore," he said.

"Then two or three days earlier, other people tried to bribe me. I was even offered post of Deputy CM and Binny is being offered as CM. Shiromani Akali Dal MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa told me that AAP government won't last too many days. Binny told me that the govt will collapse within 10 days and that I should rethink," he added.

However when grilled by the media on what proof he had that the men who had approached him were indeed from the BJP and linked to Jaitley or Modi, Madanlal said that he didn't need to give evidence as he was only trying to show the true face of the BJP.

"You need evidence for a criminal case. I'm not trying to file a case. I just want to showcase a certain truth to you," he said.

AAP appeared to be on the defensive when asked how they were naming senior BJP leaders. Sanjay Singh defended the allegations and instead chose to point out that BJP was quick to protest on the electricity crisis and the Khirki extension issue but had not done anything when the Danish woman was gangraped.

Congress, meanwhile, questioned whether it was indeed true that so much money had been offered to bring the AAP government down.

Where the AAP government is concerned, rebel MLA Binny along with JDU's Shoaib Iqbal, and independent candidate Rambeer Shokeen had threatened to withdraw support to the government in 48 hours if the government did not fulfill it's promises of free water, women's security and a probe in the CWG scam on Sunday.

However, earlier today Iqbal and Shokeen said that the Delhi CM had met them and agreed to their demands and that both of them were satisfied with the response. Firstpost tried to contact rebel MLA Binny on the issue, but he did not reply to our messages on calls.

BJP or Third front? Either way it’s advantage Jayalalithaa

With her alliance with the Left parties firmed up and 'Captain' Vijayakanth still not deigning to take cognisance of the DMK, it's advantage Jayalalithaa all the way in Tamil Nadu in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

As of now, it's a fully loaded Jaya versus a forlorn Karunanidhi.

Although Jayalalithaa had initially announced that her party would go it alone, her game-plan apparently was to ultimately accommodate the CPI and the CPM, which had also been her loyal alliance partners in 2009 and 2011. Jaya's stated rationale for not aligning with anybody initially was to contest all 40 seats (39 in Tamil Nadu and one in Pondicherry) and win the maximum, if not all. With such a prospect, Jaya said her party would play a key role in forming the next government in Delhi, while senior leaders and cadres said that they wanted her to be the next prime minister.

With her reported proximity to Narendra Modi, it was widely speculated initially that Jaya's numbers would ultimately help the Gujarat chief minister at the crux situation. Now, it's clearer that Jaya herself will be a contender if the third front emerges as an alternative. In the existing electoral scenario, her front is likely to win majority of the seats.

Larger than life: Jayalalithaa has every reason to celebrate

The factors that favour her are the ally-less dilemma that the DMK finds itself in. It very badly wants to partner the DMDK, which contested alone in 2009 and polled about 10 percent of the votes, and about eight per cent in the assembly elections when it contested in partnership with the AIADMK.

But the DMDK not only remained cold all the while, but also indicated on Sunday that it preferred to go it alone. It could be a ploy to make DMK nervous and bargain more seats to contest, but DMDK going it alone or even aligning with the BJP cannot be completely ruled out.

If the DMK ultimately doesn't get the DMDK to relent, it will be in serious trouble. Its trouble will multiply if the DMDK aligns with the BJP and if the Vanniyar dominated PMK and the Congress - both of which also are devoid of allies - contest alone. Such multi cornered fights are really bad news for the DMK although it's difficult to predict who will eat into whose votes. However too many loose cannons in the fray will certainly cause some collateral damage because in the past, the electoral space had been aligned optimally along two major fronts in the past.

The DMDK's reluctance to tie up with the DMK also raises interesting questions - does it confirm the general impression that the party is weak on strategy or is it because the DMDK is influenced by forecasts that the BJP-led NDA is likely to form the next government? Moreover, has it also been swayed by the predictions such as the Lokniti-IBN tracker poll which estimated that the BJP's voteshare will rise from two per cent to 16 percent in the coming elections? Interestingly, the same tracker poll has predicted the DMK's voteshare to fall to 18 percent from 25 percent. The Congress, which is projected to garner a voteshare of 17 per cent, too is an option for Vijayakanth.

When the odds are more or less similar, perhaps what he wants is a post-poll advantage. It's certain that the DMDK wants to take a decision that will benefit the party even if it doesn't do well in the elections. It might also want to contest maximum number of seats because that will ensure the party more votes and hence a better voteshare. A better voteshare is a good tool to negotiate with allies for the next assembly elections.

If the DMDK ultimately decides to go with the BJP, the DMK's only option is to side with the Congress; but if the DMDK goes with the Congress, it has no option but to be a loser because the BJP is unlikely to tie up with it.

So, Jayalalithaa has all the reasons to be jubilant even before the elections. There is no visible anti-incumbency factor, she has scored well on the welfare front, and all she has to face is a weakened DMK-front and possibly a multi-cornered fight. On top of that, the national left leaders of stature have now joined the Jaya-for-PM chorus of her party workers and followers.

Kickstarting a campaign with such an early headstart can generate a decisive electoral momentum, which as the elections in the past had shown, can create a crucial high and a subsequent wave.

Meanwhile, Jaya is likely to keep her post-poll options open. In the wake of the BJP making it close to the top, her numbers will make her a king maker. Either way - whether it's a BJP-led front or a third front - it's advantage Jayalalithaa. And it's highly unlikely to change.

AAP should probe charges of BJP trying to topple govt: Kamal Nath

New Delhi: As Aam Aadmi party accused BJP of trying to topple its government in Delhi by bribing its MLAs, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath today asked the party to initiate a probe into the allegations.

"AAP is not only a party but also runs the government in Delhi. It should order a probe," Nath, a Congress leader, told reporters here.

Kamal Nath. PTI

Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley has rubbished claims made by AAP that it is trying to destabilise its government in Delhi.

"Rubbish claims by AAP. AAP's alternative politics includes a fundamental right to falsehood and lies," he said on Twitter.

AAP leader Sanjay Singh alleged at a press conference that a number of senior BJP leaders along with some "media persons" were backing the move to bring down the government.

Madan Lal, AAP's MLA from Kasturba Nagar, claimed that two persons having links with a senior BJP leader had met him around 10-12 days ago and offered Rs 20 crore to split AAP.

PTI

Rahul’s claim of RTI exposing scams is wrong: Rajeev Chandrasekhar

By Rajeev Chandrasekhar

Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha

Rahul Gandhi's recent interview on Times Now has received an unprecedented number and range of responses. It seems Twitter messages and video downloads broke several records. It is broadly agreed that Mr. Gandhi stuck to five premeditated themes – "women empowerment", "improving the system", "changing candidate selection process", "involving youth in the Congress party", and the one that he cited most – over a dozen times - was the "RTI Act" – as the Congress' contribution, along with the Lokpal Bill, as effective instruments to fight corruption and expose scams. Regardless of the questions, Mr Gandhi kept with these themes.

His attempt to use RTI as a shield against corruption is understandable since the main blot on the Congress during UPA-II has been corruption. Sadly, Mr Gandhi's claim that large number of scams were exposed due to the RTI, fails the test of scrutiny.

Corruption worsened 

The first macro and well-accepted evidence of corruption in a country, comes from the Corruption Perception Index – an analysis put out by the world renowned Transparency International. The rankings show that a year after the RTI Act came into effect, India's ranking amongst 177 countries of the world, has declined from a 2006 position of 70th to 72nd (2007), 85th (2008), and by the end of UPA-I in 2009, 84th. In UPA-II, it fell from 87th in 2010, to 95th (2011), 94th (2012) and has stayed there in 2013. In effect, perception worsened 24 positions down since the RTI Act.

Rahul Gandhi. Firstpost image

Even countries such as Botswana, Bhutan, Rwanda, Senegal, and Mongolia fare better. Post the RTI Act 2005, corruption has become much worse in the eyes of a global expert organization on corruption, which is both neutral and credible.

No scams uncovered 

The claim by Mr Gandhi that big scams have been uncovered because of the RTI again falls flat when tested against hard facts. India's biggest scams which have sullied India's reputation across the world have neither been stopped nor stand exposed due to the RTI.

The 2G scam was uncovered for the most part by the Times of India which was reporting the nefarious designs of Mr A Raja and the companies involved since October 2007, nearly three months before the scam was perpetrated on January 10, 2008. Later, through 2008, several newspapers and TV channels continued to report on the scam. It finally blew up when CAG released its report in November 2010 (loss of Rs. 1,76,000), followed by Raja's resignation and arrest, and eventually Supreme Court cancelling licenses on February 2, 2012.

In fact, 2G-related RTI applications were blocked by the Telecom Ministry immediately after the FIR was filed in October 2009, by seeking exemption under Section 8(1)(h) of the RTI Act. Later when the JPC on 2G was announced, the 2G-related RTI applications were blocked even in Finance Ministry and PMO, by citing further exemptions under Section 8(1)(c) relating to breach of parliamentary privilege.

The results were no different for "Coalgate". The Coalgate scam was uncovered by the CAG's report of March 2012 (Loss of Rs.185,591). Nothing was exposed through RTI applications. Same for the CWG scam, which was broken by Times Now in 2010, and confirmed by former CAG VK Shunglu, leading to the arrest of Mr Kalmadi in April 2011, under Prevention of Corruption Act. The Adarsh Housing scam is perhaps the only one where some information came out through RTI applications, but even there, the fear of RTI did not prevent corrupt politicians from duping war widows.

RTI collapsing

A simple evaluation of the Central Information Commission (CIC) annual report 2011-12, shows that the Act is collapsing under its own weight. Data shows that opening balance of applications for the year 2011-12, is up to 4,30,425 from a mere 23,926 in 2007-08. This makes the RTI slow and thereby ineffective, prompting CIC's self-critique, that the pendency is "very high in view of past trend of opening balances. This aspect requires to be investigated for immediate corrective action after identifying the reason(s)".

The report admits "that 35% of times rejected RTI applications fall in 'others' category", forcing the CIC to state "This calls for scrutiny and introspection by Public Authorities to ascertain the reason(s) for rejecting requests for information on this ground instead of judiciously applying provisions of sections 8(1), 9, 11 and 24".

Modus Operandi

In fact the modus operandi in the bureaucracy for defeating all but sensitive RTI applications is simple. The Public Information Officer (PIO) ensures a frivolous reason to reject an RTI application including by using 'others' as a reason. In most cases the PIO's boss, usually a Joint Secretary, who is the "appellate authority", already has visibility to this rejection. The appellate authority then justifies the rejection taking full 30 days. This delays the information by two months already. Then the appeals process under Section 19 which constitutes multiple hearings, especially in sensitive cases, can easily delay the outcome between 8-18 months. By then, the value of the information for a journalist or RTI activist uncovering a scam becomes useless. Meanwhile, there is no penalty on officers using frivolous reasons to reject RTIs, and thus encouraging the system to institutionalise the delay tactics into a fine bureaucratic art. Even if the Commission directs that the information be given, the government simply appeals the matter all the way to Supreme Court, making the Act nearly infructuous.

In effect, there is a well-rehearsed regime ready with the politicians and bureaucrats, between the use of "post-its" which give political directions on sensitive issues without placing RTI traceable comments on the file and the institutionalised process of delays, coupled with CIC's backlog, has completely blunted RTI's anti-corruption abilities.

Without question, RTI is an important step in allowing citizens access to information. It enhances their rights and promotes "transparency and accountability in the working" of public authorities, at some minimum levels. But to pitch it as the most strategic anti-corruption legislation and to project it as the harbinger of uncovering scams is letting hype get ahead of reality, a normal behavior come election time! But as the old adage goes "never overpitch your case".