Protests against Congress RS nominee Sanjay Sinh in Assam

Guwahati: On the eve of the Rajya Sabha elections in Assam, various organisations like the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) and Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) took out rallies today against Congress nominee and Uttar Pradesh MP Sanjay Sinh and demanded that only local people be allowed to represent the state in Parliament.

The AASU took out rallies across the state demanding that the Sultanpur MP "goes back to his home Amethi".

MP Sanjay Sinh with Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. PTI

The demonstrators were carrying placards against Congress president Sonia Gandhi, APCC vice president Rahul Gandhi, APCC president Bhubaneswar Kalita and Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi for "insulting" the people of Assam by imposing Sinh on them.

Addressing the rally, AASU adviser Samujjal Bhattacharya said, "When all other states refused to accept Sinh as their representative in the Rajya Sabha, Gogoi and Kalita accepted him. Sinh has no connection with the state, its people, culture, heritage, politics and geography."

"We demand 100 percent reservation of the Parliament seats from Assam for indigenous people. Assam will not be allowed to be a dumping ground for politicians from other parts of the country," he said.

In their rally in front of the Assembly, KMSS activists shouted slogans asking Sinh to go back as he would not be acceptable to the people of the state.

The KMSS alleged that Congress could resort to "horse trading" during the Rajya Sabha poll.

KMSS leader and RTI activist Akhil Gogoi threatened that if any BJP MLA vote against the combined opposition candidate, Haidar Hussain, then Narendra Modi would be prevented from addressing his public rally in Guwahati on Saturday.

"(In that case) we will also put an end to AIUDF president Badruddin Ajmal's political career in Assam. AGP leader Prafulla Kumar Mahanta is also warned", Gogoi said.

The Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) activists also took out rallies across the state and burnt effigies of Sanjay Sinh.

The Rajya Sabha candidates in the fray are sitting Congress and Bodo Peoples' Front (BPF) MPs Bhubaneswar Kalita and Biswajit Daimary, along with Sanjay Sinh and Haidar Hussain.

PTI

Dhumal stooped low and acted meanly: Virbhadra Singh

Shimla: Himachal Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today lashed out at opposition BJP for disrupting the proceedings of the Assembly, and dubbed BJP leader PK Dhumal "mean".

"Dissent and policy differences are part of parliamentary democracy. But Dhumal stooped to the lowest ebb and acted meanly," Virbhadra said during the response to debate on Motion of Thanks on Governor's address.

Virbhadra Singh. AFP

Mentioning various cases in which he was given clean chit, the Chief Minister accused Dhumal of instituting cases against him and said if there was any gold medal for "meanness", it should be given to Dhumal.

Virbhadra said the Dhumals were facing the heat due to inquiry into the HPCA scam, in which lands worth over Rs 250 crore were found to be given to the association in violation of norms.

The clearances to HPCA, which is headed by BJP MP Anurag Thakur, were given by the then cabinet presided by Dhumal, who is also Anurag's father and the chief patron of HPCA, he said.

"Every thing was done under pressure and HPCA, registered as a society, was converted into a Company and all the assets of the society were transferred to the Company," he said.

Referring to his remarks on bonded labourers, Singh said, "I did not make any such remarks before the press."

Later the house adopted the motion of thanks on Governor's address presented on opening day on 3 February with voice vote.

PTI

Parl panel says Coal mine allotments most non-transparent during 1993-2010

New Delhi: "Most non-transparent procedure" was adopted from 1993-2010 for allotment of coal mines and the entire selection process of Screening Committee seems to have favoured certain companies, a Parliamentary panel said today.

"The Committee had observed that most non-transparent procedure was adopted from 1993-2010 for allocation of coal blocks," the Standing Committee on Coal and Steel said in its 42nd report.

Representational image. AFP

It added: "The...entire selection process of Screening Committee seems to have favoured certain individual companies without going into merits of the company's track record and preparedness to set up end use projects as majority of coal blocks could not be developed even after 13 to 15 years of allotment of coal blocks."

Official auditor CAG had earlier estimated a notional loss of Rs 1.86 lakh crore on account of mines being alloted to private companies without auction.

CBI is probing irregularities in the allotment, and the matter is before the Supreme Court.

The panel said applicants used to identify a coal block and approach the Coal Ministry for allocation and their applications were considered by Screening Committee consisting of Coal Secretary and representatives from various ministries, including steel and power, besides Coal India Ltd and the state governments.

"The natural resources and State largesse were distributed to few fortunate for their own benefit without any transparent system, was total abuse of power by the Government," it said.

The Parliamentary panel further said that review committee had not undertaken the periodic reviews and progress of the allocated coal mines, resulting in failure of the government policy to allocate coal blocks to private entrepreneurs for captive mining.

The Committee added that it is dismayed to note that out of 195 allocated coal blocks from 1993 to 2010, only 35 coal blocks have been developed so far.

"What has further surprised the Committee is the fact that the government have nowhere accepted the fact that both the Screening Committee and the Review Committee did not function in objective and transparent manner and had acted arbitrarily," the report said.

Without commenting further "on the subject matter as the same is reportedly sub-judice", the Committee concluded that both Screening Committee and Review Committee had miserably failed to ensure allocation and the review of coal blocks.

"The Committee expect the IMG (Inter-Ministerial Committee) to immediately complete the review of all the 195 coal blocks allocated for captive mining and would also like to be apprised of the present status of their review," it said.

PTI

Kala Ghoda pulls out play after Hindu right wing groups protest

By Vishwas Waghmode

The organisers of the Kala Ghoda Art festival were forced to cancel the play Ali J, after Hindu right wing groups threatened the organisers and artists and the Maharashtra government failed to provide protection them.

The show, which was scheduled at 5.30 pm in Colaba today, was cancelled following a suggestion from the police authorities. The Hindu Janjagriti Samiti (HJS) has lodged a complaint with a local police station demanding that the show be canceled as it is "anti-Hindu and anti-national".

A file photo of the Kala Ghoda fesitval. Chandrashish Ray/Firstpost

"The play shows Hindus in poor light and glorifies Muhammad Ali Jinnah. It is basically anti-Hindu and anti-national and tries to spread hatred in the community," Shivaji Vatkar, Mumbai coordinator for HJS, told Firstpost.

Vatkar added that they will continue to oppose such plays. "Also, the organisers did not have the permission from censor board to run the show," claimed Vatkar.

The play, produced by theatre group Evam, has a Muslim boy as a protagonist who is in jail and has also references to the life of Mohammed Ali Jinnah.

The theatre group expressed dissatisfaction over the cancellation of show. "It is sad that we were not allowed to stage the show. The play is a work of art and is fiction. It talks about Gandhian thoughts," said Vasanth Subramaniam, executive producer of the play.

He added that the group had faced similar opposition from the right wing outfits in Banglore as well. "But we were able to stage the show as we got sufficient police protection. Now, we have put it on online so that everyone can see it," he added.

Recently, Shiv Sena activists protested against Pakistani musicians, the Meekal Hasan band, who were in the city to announce the first Indo-Pak music meet.

Similar incidents have also been reported in the past few years such as the protests by HJS against Kolkata-based painter Eleena Banik demanding to remove two paintings depicting Hindu goddesses in the nude in April 2013. Threats by MNS workers to disrupt Sur-Kshetra, a music show in August 2012 was also another incident.

Fresh FIR filed in CWG scam, Sheila Dikshit not named

The anti-corruption bureau of Delhi today filed a fresh FIR in the CWG scam relating to the purchase of street lamps. However, despite the Delhi government seeking action against her, former chief minister of the national capital Sheila Dikshit was not named in it.

On Thursday, the Arvind Kejriwal government had reportedly asked the anti-corruption bureau to file an FIR against Dikshit for her alleged role in a scam related to the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

Former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit. PTI

This particular case refers to Dikshit's alleged involvement in the purchase of imported street lights at an inflated price.

In a note, the Delhi government had told the anti-corruption bureau that she had taken 'unusual interest' in the purchase of the lamps.

The note also said that the meeting where the lamp models were decided were held at the CM's house and the bidding process was restricted to only three companies, reported CNN-IBN.

The anti-corruption bureau had been asked to probe her involvement, after the scam came to light in investigations carried out by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), and the Shunglu Committee, which was constituted to investigate the event.

Dikshit had trashed the findings and had sent a point-by-point rebuttal to the Centre.

"We will ensure thorough investigation of all cases of corruption in CWG projects," Law Minister Somnath Bharti told PTI when asked about the government decision.

He said ACB has been told to examine all cases of irregularities but maintained that the probe will not target "any particular individual".

With inputs from PTI

AAP hits back at Jaitley for calling the party ‘urban Naxalism’

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today hit back at senior BJP leader Arun Jaitely for calling the party "urban Naxalism", saying that some BJP leaders were "mentally bankrupt" and need to be reminded of their own history.

The AAP said that the BJP should do some introspection as it had resorted to same ways while protesting against Indira Gandhi during the JP movement.

Arun Jaitley. AFP

Responding to Jaitley's statement, senior party leader Sanjay Singh said that some "BJP leaders were mentally bankrupt" and should read their own history.

"In 1975 when there was an emergency, they were with Jai Prakash Narayan for two years protesting on the roads. At that time Jana Sangh and ABVP (Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the student's wing of the then Jana Sangh) participated of which Arun Jaitely was a part of.

"If he terms street protests as Naxalism, he should apologise to late leader Indira Gandhi for participating in Naxalism in 1975 along with people's leader Jai Prakash Narayan," Singh said.

He also lashed out at the BJP for calling the party "hired men of the Congress".

"In the street lights case during the CWG, both the Congress and the BJP are involved. Preparation of action is underway against Delhi government (then led by Congress) and MCD (led by the BJP).

We have found that both have consensus on many issues...be it coal scam in which leaders from both the parties names cropped up. Both came together during opposition of Jan Lokpal bill of the Delhi government. Similar was the case when both parties came together to stall the process of stopping the tainted ministers (contesting elections)," Singh said.

He also criticised both the parties for opposing the Janlokpal bill and said they oppose the bill as they fear their corruption cases will come to light.

"There is an Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi, the Chief minister and ministers belongs to AAP and government officials, IAS officers belong to a government led by the AAP. So the Janlokpal bill is against its own government.

Why are BJP and Congress opposing it. Are they scared that the corruption they have done would be unearthed because of Janlokpal bill," he said.

PTI

Left parties strong enough to seek coalition for Third Front: Bardhan

New Delhi: Keen on having the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party out of power at the Centre, the Left parties have started looking for allies to form the Third Front. But to muster a strength of 272 for a majority without involving either the Congress or the BJP is no mean task. Who else knows better than CPI general secretary AB Bardhan on the challenges of creating such a political unit with diverse regional interests and more importantly making it formidable enough to win elections and form government. Firstpost speaks to AB Bardhan in an exclusive interview to know it first hand. Excerpts from the interview:

How did the the front came into being?

The idea was to get a non-congress and non-BJP front. In the recent years, Indian politics has turned into a two-party system. This has to go. At a time like this it is important to get a coalition of the parties who has shown lack of confidence into both the Congress and BJP.

CPI general secretary AB Bardhan. AFP

What is the prospect of having such an alternative front, specially when it has already witnessed a smashing defeat in the elections in 2009?

Defeat is a part of the procedure. BJP has been gunning for the government for how many years now? But it actually been there for only one term. Time has never been better for a front as this. According to my assessment, Congress is not going to get more than 100 odd seats and BJP will get around 140 to 150 seats. Even if there is a huge sweep BJP will get not more than 180 seats.

What is the prospect of the Left parties apart from the coalition?

The Left parties are also in a good position and that's why we could reach out to the other parties with the proposal of a coalition.

But the talk of a federal front was already doing its rounds even before the idea of the Third Front was floated.

It's all different names. Why do we even need a name? It's all a post election equation. Earlier also there have been fronts like these, like the United Front in 1996. Earlier the name federal front was proposed by the head of the states who were talking from a perspective of a federal structure in their on state.

If it's still a matter of post-poll equation, will the parties go for mutual seat sharing in the respective states?

Of course there will be seat sharing among the allies. But nothing concrete has come up yet. We are meeting regularly and trying to form a common ground.

Will there be a common manifesto for all the parties?

There will be no common manifesto but we will go for manifestos for different states. But we are looking for a common ground. The Left parties have always emphasised on a common minimum programme. Even during the UPA 1 we had brought a CMP. During UPA 2 there was none.

What are the agendas of the campaigning going to be?

There will be an alternative stand on the policy making. But it's too early to comment on that. Why are we only being asked about our agendas? Neither BJP nor Congress have come up with their agendas for the election.

Why did you approach the Samajwadi Party when it is already being criticised for its abating and handling the riots in Uttar Pradesh?

If there is an argument about communal politics, then BJP is far ahead of all. Then why is Samajwadi Party solely be attacked?

But that cannot be an excuse for the Samajwadi Party to save its face.

True. But in a coalition one has to do a few compromises also. It's not possible to get a coalition which is extremely secular, extremely liberal and shares the same point of view on various issues.

Why not Bahujan Samaj Party? Specially when Samajwadi Party losing its ground in Uttar Pradesh after the riots?

We reached out to the 14 parties that are together now. We reached out to parties that in the past showed interest in the prospect of such a front. We have not got any such hint, officially or unofficially, from the BSP.

Will you be interested in having the Aam Aadmi Party with you?

We have not approached them. If they want to join this non-Congress or non-BJP front, they are welcome. So far we have not heard anything from them.

Why didn't the coalition reach out to any of the parties in Andhra Pradesh?

We have very consciously kept the Andhra parties out. The state is in a mess now. And within our coalition also we don't share the same stand on the Telangana issue. CPI supports Telangana but CPM does not support the move. So, we will wait until the situation solves in Andhra Pradesh. Hopefully they have to find a way out for the Telangana issue before the elections.

Is the front going propose a name for a prime ministerial candidate?

Why? There is no mandate that says that there has to be a prime ministerial candidate. And how can there be a prime ministerial candidate from a coalition of 14 parties? We will only look into the matter of choosing a candidate once the election results are out.

Rahul reins in Congress spokespersons, asks them to maintain decorum

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi today directed party spokespersons to refrain from launching personal attacks on opposition leaders while making public statements. The Congress second-in-command specifically referred to Mani Shankar Aiyar's 'chaiwala' remark on BJP prime ministerial Narendra Modi on 18 January during the AICC session in New Delhi.

"It is wrong to make personal attacks on the Opposition," Gandhi told Congress spokespersons on Wednesday during an internal meeting, NDTV reported.

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi. PTI

Aiyar had on 18 January mocked Modi's prime ministerial ambitions and said a place will be identified for the Gujarat chief minister to distribute tea at the venue of the AICC session.

"I promise you in the 21st century Narendra Modi will never become the prime minister of the country. But if he wants to distribute tea here, we will find a place for him," Aiyar had said.

Aiyar's remarks had come against the backdrop of Modi's reference to his own socio-economic background and humble origins at rallies while targeting the Gandhi-Nehru family.

On the following day in an attempt to limit the damage, Congress general secretary Ajay Maken, who is in charge of the media department, had said, "The party does not approve of the statement."

However, this did not protect the Congress from BJP's ire.

While BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar described Aiyar as an "icon of cheap thinking", Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitley posted on Twitter that "the strength of Indian democracy will be proved when a former tea vendor defeats a dynasty representative. Let this be the battle of 2014."

Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agarwal had earlier made similar remarks against Modi, saying a person who used to sell tea cannot have a national perspective.

With PTI input

No attempt to protract assets case, Jayalalithaa tells court

Bangalore: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa today filed objections against DMK General Secretary's memo alleging that Special Public Prosecutor was trying to protract the disproportionate case against her and three others by submitting irrelevant facts before the court.

Jayalalithaa prayed before Special Court Judge John Michael D'Cunha that the DMK General Secretary K Anbazhagan's memo be rejected as not maintainable with costs and thus render justice.

J Jayalalithaa. AFP image

SPP Bhavani Singh, in his plea on February 3, had sought Court's direction to produce before it the seized silver articles weighing 1,116 kg, which were entrusted to V Baskaran, Jayalalithaa's secretary and consultant in 1996.

Anbazhagan, in his objection on February 4, had alleged that the SPP had filed the petition inspite of being fully aware of the death of Baskaran. He also alleged that the SPP in collusion with Jayalalithaa is trying to suppress facts to prolong the case.

Countering these allegations, Jayalalithaa submitted that Baskaran's death does not absolve the liability of producing 1,116 kgs of silver wares in the court.

The silver articles were entrusted to Baskaran, who was Jayalalithaa's secretary and consultant in 1996, after the investigating agency took the seized gold and diamond in its custody and produced before Special Court in Chennai in 1998.

Jayalalithaa submitted that she and three other accused were not present at the time of the alleged search and seizure of silver articles and there is no record to show she was intimated about entrustment of the seized silver articles.

"Hence allegation that the custody of silver articles were entrusted to me by the court, is without any basis, imaginary and made with ulterior motives," she said.

Jayalalithaa submitted that Singh has discharged his duties diligently and without any favour or fear. "Anbazhagan is in the habit of making false allegations against the SPP and also made defamatory statements against him," she said.

On December 12 last year, the court had ordered the transit of the seized material by December 21, stating it was required for giving fair justice. A plea in this regard was filed by Anbazhagan before the court.

In his application, Anbazhagan had pleaded that the court take custody of 800 kg silver, 28 kg gold, 750 pairs of shoes, 10,500 sarees, 91 watches and other items seized in a raid in 1997 as evidence.

The judge posted the matter to February 15.

PTI

Jaitley takes dig at AAP for appeal against cashscam acquittals

New Delhi: Expressing surprise at the AAP government's decision to challenge discharge of accused in the 2008 cash-for-vote scam, BJP leader Arun Jaitley today took a dig at the new outfit saying if its standards are applied, everyone would be guilty of criminal conspiracy.

"AAP ostensibly claims to be a product of a movement which campaigned for Lokpal and Whistleblowers legislation. It, therefore, surprises me that one of the earliest decisions of the AAP government would be to challenge the discharge of whistleblowers by a competent court.

Arun Jaitley. PTI image

"...Political consistency is becoming unknown for some. Interestingly, Mr Kejriwal is exhorting everybody to do sting
operation on corrupt officials. But were AAP's standards be applied to such cases, everybody would be guilty under 120-B of IPC (criminal conspiracy)," the Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha said.

Defending the discharged persons, he said they were "whisteblowers" who had exposed one of the greatest scandals
in independent India's history and "They were wrongly charged, and rightly discharged."

He said people had cross-voted in the vote of confidence in July, 2008 after the Indo-US civil nuclear deal was signed
and money had been offered to MPs.

Hailing the judgement discharging the accused in the case, he said it is a "significant victory" for those who were campaigning for the rights of whistleblowers and grant of protection to them and expressed hope that the Bill pending in Rajya Sabha would be passed at the earliest.

"India needs more whistleblowers so that acts of corruption can be exposed. Lok Sabha has already passed the Whistleblowers Bill and it is pending before Rajya Sabha. If there is any window of opportunity for legislation, which is available in this session, I do hope that this Bill can be passed at the earliest," he said.

The Delhi Government yesterday decided to file an appeal against the acquittal of seven persons, including former SP
leader Amar Singh, Sudheendra Kulkarni, former aide of L K Advani, and three BJP leaders by a trial court in the 2008 cash-for-vote scam.

A trial court in November last year had given a clean chit to Singh, Kulkarni and BJP leaders Ashok Argal, Faggan Singh Kulaste, Mahabir Singh Bhagora and party activist Sohail Hindustani, saying facts on record do not create sufficient grounds for proceeding against them.

Of the seven accused, only one, Amar Singh's former aide Sanjeev Saxena was ordered to be proceeded against under section 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act (abetment of offence relating to illegal gratification to a public servant). He was discharged of criminal conspiracy.

The cash-for-vote scam pertains to BJP MPs displaying wads of currency notes during the July 22, 2008 trust vote in
Lok Sabha after the Left Front withdrew its support to the UPA-I government on the issue of Indo-US nuclear deal.

While Singh and Kulkarni spent 49 and 52 days respectively in jail before they were granted bail, Kulaste, Bhagora and Hindustani spent two-three months in jail. Argal was granted anticipatory bail.

PTI

Fodder scam: Lalu Prasad will have to wait for fresh date

Ranchi: RJD president Lalu Prasad, who was asked by a special CBI court to record his statement in a fodder scam case tomorrow, will have to wait for a fresh date after the judge was relieved today.

"Judge Sitaram Prasad has been promoted as Lohardaga district judge and has been relieved. Now the new judge will
fix a fresh date for recording of the case," Prasad's advocate Prabhat Kumar said here.

Lalu Prasad Yadav. PTI image

A CBI counsel had on January 30 said the court of Sitaram Prasad had fixed February 6 for Prasad's appearance before it to record his statement in connection with a case pertaining to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 84.53 lakh from Deogarh Treasury during his tenure as chief minister in the 1990s.

Later, on the request of Prasad's counsel, the court had fixed February 7 to carry out the exercise. Prasad was found guilty in a case pertaining to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 37.7 crore from Chaibasa treasury by another special CBI court on September 30 last year. He is presently on bail.

The special CBI court had ended 46 out of 53 fodder cases in convictions in the Rs 950 crore AHD scam.

PTI

Rahul unaware of agri-life, misfit to be PM: Badal

Rai Ke Kalan, Punjab: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said Rahul Gandhi would be a "complete misfit" as prime minister because he was unaware of the basics of agriculture and village life of the majority of the population of the country.

Calling the Congress vice-president "inexperienced and politically naive", Badal said he was ignorant about the basic topography of the nation

Punjab Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. Image courtesy PIB

Addressing a gathering at a Sangat Darshan programme in Bathinda, Badal said a country where nearly 60 per cent of population resides in the villages cannot be run by a person who was not acquainted to the problems faced by them.

Badal, who heads the Akali-BJP alliance in Punjab, backed the BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, saying the country was in need of "a decisive leadership", and Modi was the only "ray of hope" for the people of the country.

Attacking Congress for its step-motherly treatment to the state, Badal said instead of rewarding Punjabis for their contribution in making the country self-reliant in food production, Congress governments had adopted a discriminatory posture toward them.

Badal rued that farmers of the state were reeling under a whopping debt of Rs 32,000 crore.

Slamming the Centre, he said Punjabis could never forget how Congress had denied the state its capital, a legitimate share in river waters, Punjabi-speaking areas in neighbouring states besides irrelevantly meddling in its social, political, economic and even religious affairs.

He also said that mass exodus of industry was taking place due to denial of economic package to Punjab on the lines of those given to neighbouring Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

PTI

Fresh FIR filed in CWG streetlight case, Sheila Dikshit not named

The anti-corruption bureau of Delhi today filed a fresh FIR in the CWG scam relating to the purchase of street lamps. However, despite the Delhi government seeking action against her, former chief minister of the national capital Sheila Dikshit was not named in it.

On Thursday, the Arvind Kejriwal government had reportedly asked the anti-corruption bureau to file an FIR against Dikshit for her alleged role in a scam related to the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

Former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit. PTI

This particular case refers to Dikshit's alleged involvement in the purchase of imported street lights at an inflated price.

In a note, the Delhi government had told the anti-corruption bureau that she had taken 'unusual interest' in the purchase of the lamps.

The note also said that the meeting where the lamp models were decided were held at the CM's house and the bidding process was restricted to only three companies, reported CNN-IBN.

The anti-corruption bureau had been asked to probe her involvement, after the scam came to light in investigations carried out by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), and the Shunglu Committee, which was constituted to investigate the event.

Dikshit had trashed the findings and had sent a point-by-point rebuttal to the Centre.

"We will ensure thorough investigation of all cases of corruption in CWG projects," Law Minister Somnath Bharti told PTI when asked about the government decision.

He said ACB has been told to examine all cases of irregularities but maintained that the probe will not target "any particular individual".

With inputs from PTI

Two BJP MLAs suspended for praising CM Nitish Kumar

Patna: The BJP Thursday suspended two of its legislators in Bihar for choosing to back Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and not the party's prime ministerial hopeful Narendra Modi, as the next prime minister.

Bharatiya Janata Party's state president Mangal Pandey said the party has suspended two legislators — Rana Gangeshwar Singh and Avanish Kumar Singh — for anti-party activities.

Nitish Kumar. AFP

"The party has suspended both for crossing the party line. It will send a strong message," Pandey said.

Rana Gangeshwar Singh, BJP legislator from Mohiuddinnagar in Samastipur district, has been backing Nitish Kumar instead of Narendra Modi as the next prime minister for the last few months.

Last week, he had said that the people of Bihar should vote for the Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United) in the 2014 general election.

He said that as Nitish Kumar turned around the conditions in Bihar, he would turn around the country for better.

Avanish Kumar Singh, who represents Chiraia in East Champaran district, praised Nitish Kumar for developing Bihar and dared senior BJP leader and former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi to take action against him.

He had said there was no respect for honest leaders in the BJP.

He also hinted that he would contest the next general election from the Motihari parliamentary constituency.

Last year, BJP had suspended its legislator Amarnath Gami for praising Nitish Kumar. Gami is a legislator from Hayaghat, in Darbhanga district.

Another BJP legislator, Vijay Mishra, has already declared his intention to join JD-U and has praised Nitish Kumar on many occasions. He is a BJP legislator from Jale assembly seat in Darbhanga.

Since Nitish Kumar dumped the BJP in June this year, several BJP leaders, including a party spokesperson, have joined the JD-U.

IANS

Congress-TMC rift widens ahead of Rajya Sabha polls

The West Bengal chapter of the Congress never had any valuable contribution in fostering the alliance between Trinamool and the party at the Centre. There were critical voices like Deepa Dasmunshi in the Congress throughout the parties tumultuous relationship with Trinamool Congress. The trouble also probably initiated from the fact that Trinamool Congress was formed by breaking away from the Congress and several leaders who chose to stay with the latter, came to grudge Mamata's breakaway group.

Also, while TMC's political fortunes rose steadily, Congress' remained on a perpetual wane. Several prominent leaders from the Congress in West Bengal, like Somen Mitra and Sougata Chatterjee, joined the TMC.

Mamata Banerjee. Reuters.

So, after TMC walked out of the UPA, the fissures just deepened. Very recently, Trinamool MP Somen Mitra also defected and decided to go back to Congress.

Given that the Congress' fortunes in Bengal seem to be mirroring its possible future nationally, several cracks seem to have surfaced within the party in the state. Possibly sensing that the TMC will be a party crucial to the fate of the government at the Centre in the upcoming general elections, several Congress MPs have decided to cross over to Trinamool Congress anew.

CNN-IBN reports that Congress MLA from Sujapur in Malda district, Abu Naser Khan Chowdhury, is set to switch camps and join the Trinamool Congress. Another Congress MLA from Gajole in Malda, Sushil Chandra Roy, is also reportedly planning to join TMC.

The report said: "The decision of the two Congress MLAs to switch camps a day ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls narrows down the race between the Congress and Trinamool Congress for the fifth seat from Bengal. Five RS seats are up for grabs from Bengal this year."

Actor Mithun Chakraborty, painter Jogen Chowdhury and KD Singh - all TMC candidates - have already been assured berths in the Rajya Sabha based on the votes of 187 MLAs, which TMC currently has in the Bengal Assembly. The total number of MLAs in the Bengal Assembly is 293.

Ritabrata Banerjee, a candidate from the Left Front has also secured a berth in the Rajya Sabha, bolstered by the votes of 61 MLAs which the Left parties currently have in the state Assembly.

With the Congress MLAs reportedly crossing over to TMC, the race for the fifth seat, between the Congress-backed independent candidate, sitting RS member Ahmad Saeed Malihabadi and Trinamool Congress's Ahmed Hasan Imran gets hotter. The Left has committed to cast its additional vote in favour of the Congress-backed candidate.

"With two Congress MLAs crossing over, the difference between the two sides for the fifth seat has now boiled down to just one vote. In the eventuality of a tie, the TMC candidate would win by virtue of greater weightage of legislators in the state Assembly. The TMC claims that even a few Left legislators could cross over during the polls tomorrow," the report said.

Are CWG, Sheila key to reviving AAP’s anti-corruption image?

AAP is a party in a hurry.

The first signs of this came up in a hastily convened press conference on Tuesday, when AAP leader Prashant Bhushan levelled a new set of allegations against the DMK and party leader Karunanidhi in particular, claiming that they had access to an incriminating telephone conversation that proved his involvement in the 2G scam.

Today, Chief Minister Arvind Kejirwal directed the anti corruption bureau to file an FIR against his predecessor Sheila Dikshit in connection with the CWG scam, where government and games organisers allegedly siphoned off huge sums of money.

Will Kejriwal be able to win back voters by raking up old cases? PTI

With their image of a 'viable political alternative' to big guns BJP and Congress taking a battering thanks to their recent antics in Delhi, the party is clearly keen to regain their image of anti-corruption crusaders as opposed to the current perception of vigilante moral police.

And with Lok Sabha elections months away, they barely have any time. Law Minister Somnath Bharti's actions have found few takers, and Kejriwal's dharna was quite frankly a disaster.

Many of Kejriwal's middle class supporters who shook off their lethargy to actually stand in line and vote for him were conspicuous by their absence at his recently concluded dharna.. This is a constituency that has come out in droves previously for the Lokpal agitation and the Delhi gangrape protests, a history that makes their absence all the more conspicuous.

And although there were initial attempts to paint the opposition to AAP's actions as the opinion of 'elitist' people who were 'benefitting from corruption', the fact is that AAP cannot afford to alienate this class. For one thing, it pays the bills.

The Economic Times  did some basic number crunching and discovered that AAP's online donations declined sharply the day after Bharti's midnight shenanigans were revealed in the media, and continued to drop as Kejriwal went on his dharna. This is a situation that AAP quite literally, cannot afford.

Secondly, the urban middle class is more relevant today than it has ever been before. They cannot be simply discounted, a lesson that Congress has learned much to its discomfiture. For AAP, which has pretty much swung to power on the disgruntlement of this very class, it would be suicidal to continue ignoring the writing on the wall.

So by bringing up in quick succession two scams that triggered off mass public anger, culminating in the formation of the India Against Corruption movement and subsequently AAP itself, the party is clearly trying to remind people why they voted for them in the first place. It's back to square one in many ways. Forget the dharna, forget the moral policing, forget Somnath Bharti. It's the aam aadmi versus big gun corruption.

As Firstpost editor R Jagannathan wrote in this piece, it is this same mentality that has also caused AAP to target the BJP, accusing Arun Jaitley of trying to bribe one of its leaders, Madan Lal, into toppling the Delhi government.

He says, "This involves making wild allegations against both and hoping that Congress will pull support and help AAP achieve martyrdom. It is also intended to provoke the BJP so that it acts like a big bully and make AAP appear like a poor victim".

Its allegations against the BJP and DMK have both fallen flat so far. As far as the DMK was concerned, AAP's actions were very much akin to flogging a dead horse. In terms of the anti-BJP allegations, Madan Lal could not provide proof, and many people discounted it as a publicity stunt.

In targeting Sheila Dikshit, AAP may have finally got it right. But coming as it does on the back of so many mess ups, will this FIR be seen as genuine or yet another publicity stunt?

Can CWG, Sheila help revive AAP’s anti-corruption image?

AAP is a party in a hurry.

The first signs of this came up in a hastily convened press conference on Tuesday, when AAP leader Prashant Bhushan levelled a new set of allegations against the DMK and party leader Karunanidhi in particular, claiming that they had access to an incriminating telephone conversation that proved his involvement in the 2G scam.

Today, Chief Minister Arvind Kejirwal directed the anti corruption bureau to file an FIR against his predecessor Sheila Dikshit in connection with the CWG scam, where government and games organisers allegedly siphoned off huge sums of money.

Will Kejriwal be able to win back voters by raking up old cases? PTI

With their image of a 'viable political alternative' to big guns BJP and Congress taking a battering thanks to their recent antics in Delhi, the party is clearly keen to regain their image of anti-corruption crusaders as opposed to the current perception of vigilante moral police.

And with Lok Sabha elections months away, they barely have any time. Law Minister Somnath Bharti's actions have found few takers, and Kejriwal's dharna was quite frankly a disaster.

Many of Kejriwal's middle class supporters who shook off their lethargy to actually stand in line and vote for him were conspicuous by their absence at his recently concluded dharna.. This is a constituency that has come out in droves previously for the Lokpal agitation and the Delhi gangrape protests, a history that makes their absence all the more conspicuous.

And although there were initial attempts to paint the opposition to AAP's actions as the opinion of 'elitist' people who were 'benefitting from corruption', the fact is that AAP cannot afford to alienate this class. For one thing, it pays the bills.

The Economic Times  did some basic number crunching and discovered that AAP's online donations declined sharply the day after Bharti's midnight shenanigans were revealed in the media, and continued to drop as Kejriwal went on his dharna. This is a situation that AAP quite literally, cannot afford.

Secondly, the urban middle class is more relevant today than it has ever been before. They cannot be simply discounted, a lesson that Congress has learned much to its discomfiture. For AAP, which has pretty much swung to power on the disgruntlement of this very class, it would be suicidal to continue ignoring the writing on the wall.

So by bringing up in quick succession two scams that triggered off mass public anger, culminating in the formation of the India Against Corruption movement and subsequently AAP itself, the party is clearly trying to remind people why they voted for them in the first place. It's back to square one in many ways. Forget the dharna, forget the moral policing, forget Somnath Bharti. It's the aam aadmi versus big gun corruption.

As Firstpost editor R Jagannathan wrote in this piece, it is this same mentality that has also caused AAP to target the BJP, accusing Arun Jaitley of trying to bribe one of its leaders, Madan Lal, into toppling the Delhi government.

He says, "This involves making wild allegations against both and hoping that Congress will pull support and help AAP achieve martyrdom. It is also intended to provoke the BJP so that it acts like a big bully and make AAP appear like a poor victim".

Its allegations against the BJP and DMK have both fallen flat so far. As far as the DMK was concerned, AAP's actions were very much akin to flogging a dead horse. In terms of the anti-BJP allegations, Madan Lal could not provide proof, and many people discounted it as a publicity stunt.

In targeting Sheila Dikshit, AAP may have finally got it right. But coming as it does on the back of so many mess ups, will this FIR be seen as genuine or yet another publicity stunt?

Modi’s mission 272: Will Uttar Pradesh make or break him?

By now, it is a no-brainer that Narendra Modi's Mission 272 hinges on the BJP's performance in Uttar Pradesh. A rich harvest from the 80 Lok Sabha seats on offer in UP will be critical for the party's math, and the target for UP, where Modi's trusted aide Amit Shah is handling party affairs and the campaign strategy, is 50 seats.

In the 2012 Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh that saw Akhilesh Yadav ride convincingly to the chief ministerial chair, the BJP actually saw a small dip in its numbers, going from 51 to 47 MLAs. But prepoll surveys in 2013 and January 2014 have shown a clear upswing in the party's fortunes.

Narendra Modi. Reuters image

What has led to this saffron surge in Uttar Pradesh? Clearly, much of it is on account of the BJP's prime ministerial candidate. The ruling Samajwadi Party's inept handling of the Muzaffarnagar riots and the bad publicity for Mulayam Singh Yadav and his son around the Saifai Mahotsav may have injected more fuel, but Modi appears to have set the UP fire.

According to a report in The Economic Times, three things apart from Modi go in favour of the BJP's ascension in UP -- Amit Shah's "organisational acumen", the OBC and youth support the party has drummed up for Modi and, this is critical, a split in the votebank of the Samajwadi Party that may have alienated its Muslim votebank with its goof-ups in Muzaffarnagar.

But there's no room for overconfidence for the BJP. Mayawati has emerged stronger, and the BJP may have a rather tough time fighting the old guard of the party to make way for Modi's hand-picked candidates.

Shah's role cannot be stressed enough, apparently. Having toured 44 constituencies already, the former minister of state for home in Gujarat has been wrestling disputing factions and senior leaders' egos. State leaders are sending Shah reports every month about the performance of district-level officers, who have been asked to camp in their districts for at least 20 days every month.

"The target is to cover all 1.27 lakh polling booths in the state," the report says of Shah.

Kalyan Singh, former chief minister whose rebellion in 1999 cost the BJP dearly, is back helming affairs with Shah, indicating the possible return of the OBC vote to the BJP.

Modi himself, it has been reported earlier, could contest from Varanasi or eastern UP. Choosing to contest in a highly polarised state just when he has spent the past months apparently softening his image of a Hindutva hardliner is a gamble. The Economic Times report says this could go either way. There could be an additional five to seven seats for the BJP in UP, or a harkback to the time when the party lost seats even when Atal Behari Vajpayee contested from Lucknow at the height of his popularity.

In what is either carefully engineered situation or pure chance, Modi has studiously avoided any hardline references throughout his campaign over the past few months, but other saffron parties have ensured that communal politics remains at the centrestage of the Uttar Pradesh polity -- junior BJP leaders have continued to talk of the Ram temple, the state BJP felicitated two MLAs accused of inciting communal tensions in Muzaffarnagar, the VHP has rallied at frequent intervals for support for the Ram temple in Ayodhya including its 84-kosi yatra.

Amit Shah has also relied on RSS men for key posts in election campaign monitoring and coordination. Shah also visited Ayodhya in July last year, offering propitiations to Lord Ram.

According to the CSDS-Lokniti ELection Tracker survey, the jump in seats the BJP can hope to win in UP has been quick, even from July. In a July 2013 survey, the BJP got 27 percent of the vote share while the SP and BSP got 22 and 21 percent respectively. The Congress was at 16 percent even then. The estimated voteshare now for the BJP is 38 percent.  

The Modi wave is clear too -- the BJP's prime ministerial candidate has widened the gap betwene himself and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi at 35 percent believing Modi will make a better PM and 12 percent for Rahul.

For now, 40 seats in UP looks possible, probable even, according to the Economic Times report quoting leaders. For 50 seats, Modi has some challenges: "... a ruthless cull of old guard, far better use of Narendra Modi and an effective counter to Mayawati. And Modi contesting from UP is not necessarily the best strategy for either the party or its PM candidate."

Why AAP is targeting Sheila: To rebuild its anti-corruption image

AAP is a party in a hurry.

The first signs of this came up in a hastily convened press conference on Tuesday, when AAP leader Prashant Bhushan levelled a new set of allegations against the DMK and party leader Karunanidhi in particular, claiming that they had access to an incriminating telephone conversation that proved his involvement in the 2G scam.

Today, Chief Minister Arvind Kejirwal directed the anti corruption bureau to file an FIR against his predecessor Sheila Dikshit in connection with the CWG scam, where government and games organisers allegedly siphoned off huge sums of money.

Will Kejriwal be able to win back voters by raking up old cases? PTI

With their image of a 'viable political alternative' to big guns BJP and Congress taking a battering thanks to their recent antics in Delhi, the party is clearly keen to regain their image of anti-corruption crusaders as opposed to the current perception of vigilante moral police.

And with Lok Sabha elections months away, they barely have any time. Law Minister Somnath Bharti's actions have found few takers, and Kejriwal's dharna was quite frankly a disaster.

Many of Kejriwal's middle class supporters who shook off their lethargy to actually stand in line and vote for him were conspicuous by their absence at his recently concluded dharna.. This is a constituency that has come out in droves previously for the Lokpal agitation and the Delhi gangrape protests, a history that makes their absence all the more conspicuous.

And although there were initial attempts to paint the opposition to AAP's actions as the opinion of 'elitist' people who were 'benefitting from corruption', the fact is that AAP cannot afford to alienate this class. For one thing, it pays the bills.

The Economic Times  did some basic number crunching and discovered that AAP's online donations declined sharply the day after Bharti's midnight shenanigans were revealed in the media, and continued to drop as Kejriwal went on his dharna. This is a situation that AAP quite literally, cannot afford.

Secondly, the urban middle class is more relevant today than it has ever been before. They cannot be simply discounted, a lesson that Congress has learned much to its discomfiture. For AAP, which has pretty much swung to power on the disgruntlement of this very class, it would be suicidal to continue ignoring the writing on the wall.

So by bringing up in quick succession two scams that triggered off mass public anger, culminating in the formation of the India Against Corruption movement and subsequently AAP itself, the party is clearly trying to remind people why they voted for them in the first place. It's back to square one in many ways. Forget the dharna, forget the moral policing, forget Somnath Bharti. It's the aam aadmi versus big gun corruption.

As Firstpost editor R Jagannathan wrote in this piece, it is this same mentality that has also caused AAP to target the BJP, accusing Arun Jaitley of trying to bribe one of its leaders, Madan Lal, into toppling the Delhi government.

He says, "This involves making wild allegations against both and hoping that Congress will pull support and help AAP achieve martyrdom. It is also intended to provoke the BJP so that it acts like a big bully and make AAP appear like a poor victim".

Its allegations against the BJP and DMK have both fallen flat so far. As far as the DMK was concerned, AAP's actions were very much akin to flogging a dead horse. In terms of the anti-BJP allegations, Madan Lal could not provide proof, and many people discounted it as a publicity stunt.

In targeting Sheila Dikshit, AAP may have finally got it right. But coming as it does on the back of so many mess ups, will this FIR be seen as genuine or yet another publicity stunt?

AAP trying to revive anti-graft wave with Dikshit probe?

AAP is a party in a hurry.

The first signs of this came up in a hastily convened press conference on Tuesday, when AAP leader Prashant Bhushan levelled a new set of allegations against the DMK and party leader Karunanidhi in particular, claiming that they had access to an incriminating telephone conversation that proved his involvement in the 2G scam.

Today, Chief Minister Arvind Kejirwal directed the anti corruption bureau to file an FIR against his predecessor Sheila Dikshit in connection with the CWG scam, where government and games organisers allegedly siphoned off huge sums of money.

Will Kejriwal be able to win back voters by raking up old cases? PTI

With their image of a 'viable political alternative' to big guns BJP and Congress taking a battering thanks to their recent antics in Delhi, the party is clearly keen to regain their image of anti-corruption crusaders as opposed to the current perception of vigilante moral police.

And with Lok Sabha elections months away, they barely have any time. Law Minister Somnath Bharti's actions have found few takers, and Kejriwal's dharna was quite frankly a disaster.

Many of Kejriwal's middle class supporters who shook off their lethargy to actually stand in line and vote for him were conspicuous by their absence at his recently concluded dharna.. This is a constituency that has come out in droves previously for the Lokpal agitation and the Delhi gangrape protests, a history that makes their absence all the more conspicuous.

And although there were initial attempts to paint the opposition to AAP's actions as the opinion of 'elitist' people who were 'benefitting from corruption', the fact is that AAP cannot afford to alienate this class. For one thing, it pays the bills.

The Economic Times  did some basic number crunching and discovered that AAP's online donations declined sharply the day after Bharti's midnight shenanigans were revealed in the media, and continued to drop as Kejriwal went on his dharna. This is a situation that AAP quite literally, cannot afford.

Secondly, the urban middle class is more relevant today than it has ever been before. They cannot be simply discounted, a lesson that Congress has learned much to its discomfiture. For AAP, which has pretty much swung to power on the disgruntlement of this very class, it would be suicidal to continue ignoring the writing on the wall.

So by bringing up in quick succession two scams that triggered off mass public anger, culminating in the formation of the India Against Corruption movement and subsequently AAP itself, the party is clearly trying to remind people why they voted for them in the first place. It's back to square one in many ways. Forget the dharna, forget the moral policing, forget Somnath Bharti. It's the aam aadmi versus big gun corruption.

As Firstpost editor R Jagannathan wrote in this piece, it is this same mentality that has also caused AAP to target the BJP, accusing Arun Jaitley of trying to bribe one of its leaders, Madan Lal, into toppling the Delhi government.

He says, "This involves making wild allegations against both and hoping that Congress will pull support and help AAP achieve martyrdom. It is also intended to provoke the BJP so that it acts like a big bully and make AAP appear like a poor victim".

Its allegations against the BJP and DMK have both fallen flat so far. As far as the DMK was concerned, AAP's actions were very much akin to flogging a dead horse. In terms of the anti-BJP allegations, Madan Lal could not provide proof, and many people discounted it as a publicity stunt.

In targeting Sheila Dikshit, AAP may have finally got it right. But coming as it does on the back of so many mess ups, will this FIR be seen as genuine or yet another publicity stunt?

Telangana row washes out second day of Parliament

New Delhi: Controversy over Telangana along with a number of other issues today washed out proceedings in Parliament for the second day which also saw two members from Andhra Pradesh, including one from Congress, giving notices for a no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha.

Both the Houses were disrupted as members created uproar over creation of separate Telangana state, harassment of Tamil fishermen by Sri Lanka, 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Pathribal fake encounter case and killing of a student from Arunachal Pradesh in Delhi last week.

Representational image. AFP

Trouble started in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha as soon as they met for the day, leading to adjournments. Lok Sabha was adjourned till noon and then till tomorrow. Rajya Sabha was also adjourned, first till noon and then till 2 pm and finally for the day.

The Lok Sabha saw members from Andhra Pradesh, cutting across party lines, storming the Well shouting slogans in favour or against separate Telangana. While YSR Congress chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy as also several members from Seemandhra were holding placards for 'United Andhra Pradesh', those from Telangana wanted the bill for the separate state to be brought early.

TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao and his party colleague Vijaya Shanthi were, however, in the aisle.

The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill is expected to come before Parliament next week and the state is sharply divided on regional lines on the issue.

Meanwhile, Sabbam Hari (Cong) and M Venugopala Reddy (TDP), who are opposed to division of the state, gave the no-confidence notices shortly before the House met for the day.

Speaker Meira Kumar expressed her inability to ascertain the support for the notices in view of the disruptions.

She repeatedly appealed to agitating members to go back to their seats, contending that unless the House is in order, she will not be in a position to count the 50 members, whose backing is required for admitting such notices.

Three members, including one from Congress, had given no-confidence motion notices yesterday also. They were V Aruna Kumar (Cong), Modugula Venugopala Reddy and Konakalla Narayana Rao (both TDP).

Besides, DMK members were in the Well drawing attention to Sri Lanka's harassment of fishermen from Tamil Nadu while Akali Dal members raised the issue of 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

In the Lok Sabha, National Conference members held placards on the Pathribal encounter issue seeking justice. The Army's clean chit to its own personnel accused of carrying out fake encounter has become a major issue in the Kashmir Valley.

In Rajya Sabha also, members raised issues of Telangana, Tamil fishermen and killing of a student from Arunachal Pradesh in Delhi.

As soon as the House met for the day, members from different political parties demanded a discussion on the death of Nido Taniam after he was beaten up in the national capital last week. Chairman Hamid Ansari agreed to it.

When Ravi Shankar Prasad (BJP) rose to speak, AIADMK members rushed to Well demanding a discussion on the arrest of Tamil fishermen by Sri Lankan authorities.

TDP members also came rushing to the Well opposing bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.

Ansari pleaded with the agitating members to respect the dead. However, as din continued, he adjourned the House till noon.

When the House reassembled, TDP members CM Ramesh and YS Choudhary trooped into the Well opposing any move to carve out a separate Telangana from Andhra Pradesh. They were carrying placards saying "Save Andhra Pradesh" and "We Want United Andhra Pradesh".

AIADMK and DMK members too rushed to the Well protesting against the arrest of Tamil fishermen by Sri Lankan authorities and displayed placards saying "Save Fishermen".

SP, Left and Akali Dal members were also on their feet raising various issues, which could not be heard in the din.

As pandemonium continued, Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien adjourned the House till 2 PM and then finally for the day as similar scenes prevailed when the House met again.

PTI

Probe against Dikshit: AAP trying to ride anti-corruption wave?

AAP is a party in a hurry.

The first signs of this came up in a hastily convened press conference on Tuesday, when AAP leader Prashant Bhushan levelled a new set of allegations against the DMK and party leader Karunanidhi in particular, claiming that they had access to an incriminating telephone conversation that proved his involvement in the 2G scam.

Today, Chief Minister Arvind Kejirwal directed the anti corruption bureau to file an FIR against his predecessor Sheila Dikshit in connection with the CWG scam, where government and games organisers allegedly siphoned off huge sums of money.

Will Kejriwal be able to win back voters by raking up old cases? PTI

With their image of a 'viable political alternative' to big guns BJP and Congress taking a battering thanks to their recent antics in Delhi, the party is clearly keen to regain their image of anti-corruption crusaders as opposed to the current perception of vigilante moral police.

And with Lok Sabha elections months away, they barely have any time. Law Minister Somnath Bharti's actions have found few takers, and Kejriwal's dharna was quite frankly a disaster.

Many of Kejriwal's middle class supporters who shook off their lethargy to actually stand in line and vote for him were conspicuous by their absence at his recently concluded dharna.. This is a constituency that has come out in droves previously for the Lokpal agitation and the Delhi gangrape protests, a history that makes their absence all the more conspicuous.

And although there were initial attempts to paint the opposition to AAP's actions as the opinion of 'elitist' people who were 'benefitting from corruption', the fact is that AAP cannot afford to alienate this class. For one thing, it pays the bills.

The Economic Times  did some basic number crunching and discovered that AAP's online donations declined sharply the day after Bharti's midnight shenanigans were revealed in the media, and continued to drop as Kejriwal went on his dharna. This is a situation that AAP quite literally, cannot afford.

Secondly, the urban middle class is more relevant today than it has ever been before. They cannot be simply discounted, a lesson that Congress has learned much to its discomfiture. For AAP, which has pretty much swung to power on the disgruntlement of this very class, it would be suicidal to continue ignoring the writing on the wall.

So by bringing up in quick succession two scams that triggered off mass public anger, culminating in the formation of the India Against Corruption movement and subsequently AAP itself, the party is clearly trying to remind people why they voted for them in the first place. It's back to square one in many ways. Forget the dharna, forget the moral policing, forget Somnath Bharti. It's the aam aadmi versus big gun corruption.

As Firstpost editor R Jagannathan wrote in this piece, it is this same mentality that has also caused AAP to target the BJP, accusing Arun Jaitley of trying to bribe one of its leaders, Madan Lal, into toppling the Delhi government.

He says, "This involves making wild allegations against both and hoping that Congress will pull support and help AAP achieve martyrdom. It is also intended to provoke the BJP so that it acts like a big bully and make AAP appear like a poor victim".

Its allegations against the BJP and DMK have both fallen flat so far. As far as the DMK was concerned, AAP's actions were very much akin to flogging a dead horse. In terms of the anti-BJP allegations, Madan Lal could not provide proof, and many people discounted it as a publicity stunt.

In targeting Sheila Dikshit, AAP may have finally got it right. But coming as it does on the back of so many mess ups, will this FIR be seen as genuine or yet another publicity stunt?

Probe against Dikshit: AAP trying to recapture anti-corruption wave?

AAP is a party in a hurry.

The first signs of this came up in a hastily convened press conference on Tuesday, when AAP leader Prashant Bhushan levelled a new set of allegations against the DMK and party leader Karunanidhi in particular, claiming that they had access to an incriminating telephone conversation that proved his involvement in the 2G scam.

Today, Chief Minister Arvind Kejirwal directed the anti corruption bureau to file an FIR against his predecessor Sheila Dikshit in connection with the CWG scam, where government and games organisers allegedly siphoned off huge sums of money.

Will Kejriwal be able to win back voters by raking up old cases? PTI

With their image of a 'viable political alternative' to big guns BJP and Congress taking a battering thanks to their recent antics in Delhi, the party is clearly keen to regain their image of anti-corruption crusaders as opposed to the current perception of vigilante moral police.

And with Lok Sabha elections months away, they barely have any time. Law Minister Somnath Bharti's actions have found few takers, and Kejriwal's dharna was quite frankly a disaster.

Many of Kejriwal's middle class supporters who shook off their lethargy to actually stand in line and vote for him were conspicuous by their absence at his recently concluded dharna.. This is a constituency that has come out in droves previously for the Lokpal agitation and the Delhi gangrape protests, a history that makes their absence all the more conspicuous.

And although there were initial attempts to paint the opposition to AAP's actions as the opinion of 'elitist' people who were 'benefitting from corruption', the fact is that AAP cannot afford to alienate this class. For one thing, it pays the bills.

The Economic Times  did some basic number crunching and discovered that AAP's online donations declined sharply the day after Bharti's midnight shenanigans were revealed in the media, and continued to drop as Kejriwal went on his dharna. This is a situation that AAP quite literally, cannot afford.

Secondly, the urban middle class is more relevant today than it has ever been before. They cannot be simply discounted, a lesson that Congress has learned much to its discomfiture. For AAP, which has pretty much swung to power on the disgruntlement of this very class, it would be suicidal to continue ignoring the writing on the wall.

So by bringing up in quick succession two scams that triggered off mass public anger, culminating in the formation of the India Against Corruption movement and subsequently AAP itself, the party is clearly trying to remind people why they voted for them in the first place. It's back to square one in many ways. Forget the dharna, forget the moral policing, forget Somnath Bharti. It's the aam aadmi versus big gun corruption.

As Firstpost editor R Jagannathan wrote in this piece, it is this same mentality that has also caused AAP to target the BJP, accusing Arun Jaitley of trying to bribe one of its leaders, Madan Lal, into toppling the Delhi government.

He says, "This involves making wild allegations against both and hoping that Congress will pull support and help AAP achieve martyrdom. It is also intended to provoke the BJP so that it acts like a big bully and make AAP appear like a poor victim".

Its allegations against the BJP and DMK have both fallen flat so far. As far as the DMK was concerned, AAP's actions were very much akin to flogging a dead horse. In terms of the anti-BJP allegations, Madan Lal could not provide proof, and many people discounted it as a publicity stunt.

In targeting Sheila Dikshit, AAP may have finally got it right. But coming as it does on the back of so many mess ups, will this FIR be seen as genuine or yet another publicity stunt?

Probe against Dikshit: AAP’s attempt to recapture anti-corruption wave?

AAP is a party in a hurry.

The first signs of this came up in a hastily convened press conference on Tuesday, when AAP leader Prashant Bhushan levelled a new set of allegations against the DMK and party leader Karunanidhi in particular, claiming that they had access to an incriminating telephone conversation that proved his involvement in the 2G scam.

Today, Chief Minister Arvind Kejirwal directed the anti corruption bureau to file an FIR against his predecessor Sheila Dikshit in connection with the CWG scam, where government and games organisers allegedly siphoned off huge sums of money.

Will Kejriwal be able to win back voters by raking up old cases? PTI

With their image of a 'viable political alternative' to big guns BJP and Congress taking a battering thanks to their recent antics in Delhi, the party is clearly keen to regain their image of anti-corruption crusaders as opposed to the current perception of vigilante moral police.

And with Lok Sabha elections months away, they barely have any time. Law Minister Somnath Bharti's actions have found few takers, and Kejriwal's dharna was quite frankly a disaster.

Many of Kejriwal's middle class supporters who shook off their lethargy to actually stand in line and vote for him were conspicuous by their absence at his recently concluded dharna.. This is a constituency that has come out in droves previously for the Lokpal agitation and the Delhi gangrape protests, a history that makes their absence all the more conspicuous.

And although there were initial attempts to paint the opposition to AAP's actions as the opinion of 'elitist' people who were 'benefitting from corruption', the fact is that AAP cannot afford to alienate this class. For one thing, it pays the bills.

The Economic Times  did some basic number crunching and discovered that AAP's online donations declined sharply the day after Bharti's midnight shenanigans were revealed in the media, and continued to drop as Kejriwal went on his dharna. This is a situation that AAP quite literally, cannot afford.

Secondly, the urban middle class is more relevant today than it has ever been before. They cannot be simply discounted, a lesson that Congress has learned much to its discomfiture. For AAP, which has pretty much swung to power on the disgruntlement of this very class, it would be suicidal to continue ignoring the writing on the wall.

So by bringing up in quick succession two scams that triggered off mass public anger, culminating in the formation of the India Against Corruption movement and subsequently AAP itself, the party is clearly trying to remind people why they voted for them in the first place. It's back to square one in many ways. Forget the dharna, forget the moral policing, forget Somnath Bharti. It's the aam aadmi versus big gun corruption.

As Firstpost editor R Jagannathan wrote in this piece, it is this same mentality that has also caused AAP to target the BJP, accusing Arun Jaitley of trying to bribe one of its leaders, Madan Lal, into toppling the Delhi government.

He says, "This involves making wild allegations against both and hoping that Congress will pull support and help AAP achieve martyrdom. It is also intended to provoke the BJP so that it acts like a big bully and make AAP appear like a poor victim".

Its allegations against the BJP and DMK have both fallen flat so far. As far as the DMK was concerned, AAP's actions were very much akin to flogging a dead horse. In terms of the anti-BJP allegations, Madan Lal could not provide proof, and many people discounted it as a publicity stunt.

In targeting Sheila Dikshit, AAP may have finally got it right. But coming as it does on the back of so many mess ups, will this FIR be seen as genuine or yet another publicity stunt?

Is AAP hoping to recapture the anti-corruption wave by targeting Dikshit?

AAP is a party in a hurry.

The first signs of this came up in a hastily convened press conference on Tuesday, when AAP leader Prashant Bhushan levelled a new set of allegations against the DMK and party leader Karunanidhi in particular, claiming that they had access to an incriminating telephone conversation that proved his involvement in the 2G scam.

Today, Chief Minister Arvind Kejirwal directed the anti corruption bureau to file an FIR against his predecessor Sheila Dikshit in connection with the CWG scam, where government and games organisers allegedly siphoned off huge sums of money.

Will Kejriwal be able to win back voters by raking up old cases? PTI

With their image of a 'viable political alternative' to big guns BJP and Congress taking a battering thanks to their recent antics in Delhi, the party is clearly keen to regain their image of anti-corruption crusaders as opposed to the current perception of vigilante moral police.

And with Lok Sabha elections months away, they barely have any time. Law Minister Somnath Bharti's actions have found few takers, and Kejriwal's dharna was quite frankly a disaster.

Many of Kejriwal's middle class supporters who shook off their lethargy to actually stand in line and vote for him were conspicuous by their absence at his recently concluded dharna.. This is a constituency that has come out in droves previously for the Lokpal agitation and the Delhi gangrape protests, a history that makes their absence all the more conspicuous.

And although there were initial attempts to paint the opposition to AAP's actions as the opinion of 'elitist' people who were 'benefitting from corruption', the fact is that AAP cannot afford to alienate this class. For one thing, it pays the bills.

The Economic Times  did some basic number crunching and discovered that AAP's online donations declined sharply the day after Bharti's midnight shenanigans were revealed in the media, and continued to drop as Kejriwal went on his dharna. This is a situation that AAP quite literally, cannot afford.

Secondly, the urban middle class is more relevant today than it has ever been before. They cannot be simply discounted, a lesson that Congress has learned much to its discomfiture. For AAP, which has pretty much swung to power on the disgruntlement of this very class, it would be suicidal to continue ignoring the writing on the wall.

So by bringing up in quick succession two scams that triggered off mass public anger, culminating in the formation of the India Against Corruption movement and subsequently AAP itself, the party is clearly trying to remind people why they voted for them in the first place. It's back to square one in many ways. Forget the dharna, forget the moral policing, forget Somnath Bharti. It's the aam aadmi versus big gun corruption.

As Firstpost editor R Jagannathan wrote in this piece, it is this same mentality that has also caused AAP to target the BJP, accusing Arun Jaitley of trying to bribe one of its leaders, Madan Lal, into toppling the Delhi government.

He says, "This involves making wild allegations against both and hoping that Congress will pull support and help AAP achieve martyrdom. It is also intended to provoke the BJP so that it acts like a big bully and make AAP appear like a poor victim".

Its allegations against the BJP and DMK have both fallen flat so far. As far as the DMK was concerned, AAP's actions were very much akin to flogging a dead horse. In terms of the anti-BJP allegations, Madan Lal could not provide proof, and many people discounted it as a publicity stunt.

In targeting Sheila Dikshit, AAP may have finally got it right. But coming as it does on the back of so many mess ups, will this FIR be seen as genuine or yet another publicity stunt?

Live: Both Houses of Parliament adjourned for the day

2.05 pm: Rajya Sabha adjourned for the day

Shortly after resuming at 2 pm, Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day following an uproar over the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh as well as protests by AIADMK MPs over the arrest of fishermen by Sri Lanka  authorities.

12.43 pm: Northeast students demand anti-racism law

Following the death of Nido Tania, students from Northeast have carried out a protest march towards Parliament house demanding MPs to legislate an anti-racism law for the country.

Delhi Police detained protesters at the Parliament House police station before they could reach Parliament.

Earlier today, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi met Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde asking for immediate remedial steps.

The Minister then constituted a six member commission to look into the issue and submit a report within two months.

12.31 pm: 'Can we not respect the dead?'

An anguished Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari on Thursday morning was distraught with Parliament disrupting a discussion on the death of Nido Tania, a 19-year-old student from Arunachal Pradesh, who died in Delhi.

MPs from AIADMK and TDP disrupted the House over the issue of fishermen arrest and Telangana respectively.

The House will now reconvene at 2 pm.

12.12 pm: Lok Sabha adjourned for the day

After functioning briefly for 12 minutes, Speaker Meira Kumar adjourned the House for the day. In that brief period, the Speaker skipped the no-trust motion against PM Manmohan Singh's government, allowed MPs and ministers to table their reports and lay papers on the House, as well as repeatedly appeal to MPs to go back to their places as this was the last session.

12.00 pm: Lok Sabha skips no trust motion as House not in order

Despite Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar repeatedly asking MPs to go back to their seats so that the no confidence motion against the Prime Minister, MPs from Seemandhra region stormed the Well disrupting proceedings.

"Dear members, this is the last session of Parliament... I appeal to you please go back to your seats and let this House function," she said.

"The House is not in order and I cannot count 50 members to take up the vote of no confidence."

The Speaker then went ahead and asked MPs to table their reports and papers before the House.

Meanwhile, Dy Chairman of Rajya Sabha PJ Kurien adjourned the House till 2 pm after repeated disruptions.

11.07 am: Here is today's Parliament business

 

Lok Sabha

1. Right of Citizens for Time Bound Delivery of Goods and Services and Redressal of Their Grievances Bill, 2011

2. Prevention of Bribery of Foreign Public Officials and Officials of Public International Organisations Bill, 2011

3. Regional Centre for Biotechnology Bill, 2011

4. Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Amendment) Bill, 2011

Rajya Sabha

1. Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Bill, 2013

2. Governors (Emoluments, Allowances and Privileges) Amendment Bill, 2013

3. Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University Bill, 2012

4. Whistle Blowers Protection Bill, 2011

11.00 am: Both Houses adjourned till 12 pm

Seconds after Parliament reconvened on Thursday, both the Houses were adjourned till 12 pm after disruptions over bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.

10.41 am: No trust motion against PM in Parliament

In what comes as a major embarrassment for the Congress-led UPA government in its final Parliament session, it's own MPs from Seemandhra region of Andhra Pradesh have issued notice for a no trust motion against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

This, after the government has indicated that it will, by all means, pass the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill in Parliament this final session.

Meanwhile, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath has again appealed to MPs to rise above politics so the 15th Lok Sabha "can go down in history to have passed anti-corruption bills like never before.

 

Updates for 5 february end

2.43 pm: Ruckus in Rajya Sabha as Antony reads out statement on chopper deal

After a demand by the Opposition, Defence Minister AK Antony read out a statement on the VVIP chopper scam amid protests by MPs from the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party, which termed the government anti-dalit.

Meanwhile, Arun Jaitley requested time until tomorrow to reply to Antony's statement. Kurien then adjourned the House for the day.

2.35 pm: Communal Violence bill deferred

Rajya Sabha deputy Chairman PJ Kurien deferred the Prevention of Communal Violence Bill hours after he accepted a motion to discuss it. This, following protests by the Opposition which termed the bill a violation of federalism. "The bill is beyond legislative competence," Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley said.

The House saw further protests after Law Minister Kapil Sibal brought up the 2002 Gujarat riots.

"Following Opposition by members in the House, I defer the bill," Kurien said.

2.22 pm: BJP demands Sushilkumar Shinde's answer, Kapil Sibal retorts

As the House breaks out in a din, demanding Sushilkumar Shinde address the RS members' queries, Kabil Sibal offers to answer all doubts. However, the Opposition members demand the Home Minister explain the Bill. Sibal jumps at the opportunity and asks testily, "Are you worries about my response?"

Sibal finally gets to speak with Kurien scolding MPs like a school teacher and says, "We have a provision in the Bill which makes the state's permission necessary for the Centre to intervene when it comes to a state subject."

2.04 pm: Communal Violence Bill interferes with the federal structure of the country, says Jaitley

Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley pointed out that many provisions of the bill actually come under the state subjects and hence the central parliament and the central government has no right to trample over them. "Law and order, public order and service of the state are all state subjects. The Central parliament doesn't have the legislative competence to pass such a Bill. It is detrimental to the federal structure of our country," pointed out Jaitley.

CPM echoed Jaitley's concerns when Sitaram Yechury said that the Parliament doesn't have the competence to implement the Bill.

12.55 pm: PM to meet TDP, Seemandhra MPs today

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will meet protesting TDP MPs later today after continued protests against the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.

TDP party workers also clashed with Telangana supporters outside Andhra Bhavan in New Delhi.

12.20 pm: Communal Violence bill moved in Rajya Sabha

The Communal Violence bill was moved in the Rajya Sabha amid protests by the BJP who questioned the move of the government.
"In this environment it's difficult for me to speak.. I'm addressing you and the MPs but they can't hear me," Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley said, with Andhra MPs shouting 'Save Andhra Pradesh' slogans.

"I wish to oppose the introduction of the Prevention of Communal Violence Bill...," Jaitley said, to which Kurien replied, "Who are you getting angry with? The bill is not introduced... only the motion has been moved."

Kurien then adjourned the House till 2pm.

Earlier, BJP's Ravi Shankar Prasad brought up the AgustaWestland deal where Congress President Sonia Gandhi has been named in a letter allegedly written by a middleman to AgustaWestland officials.

The government assured the House that a statement on the issue will be made later in the day.

12.19 pm: End racism against Northeast children, says Ninong Ering

Ninong Ering, Union Minister for Minority Affairs and an MP from Arunachal Pradesh appealed to politicians  not to politicise the death of Nido Taniam.

Speaking in Lok Sabha, Ering said discrimination against people from the Northeast was a serious issue and it needs to be addressed at the earliest.

"Racial discrimination against our children from the Northeast is a very serious thing. We must stop it," he said.

The Lok Sabha was then adjourned for the day.

12.15 pm: Sushma Swaraj raises death of Nido Taniam in Lok Sabha

Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday said it was the government's responsibility to ensure the safety of North East people in the country and criticised Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal for failing to ensure their protection.

"They don't have proper schools and hospitals so they come to Delhi for a better life... but we have failed to ensure their safety," she said.

"Congress Vice President, Delhi CM are sitting on a dharna instead of ensuring people's safety," she said.

"Arunachal Pradesh is also a part of India... children of the Northeast are as Indian as anyone else... we must address this bias against people from the North East."

She also appealed to the government to make hostels for people from Northeast where they can stay with students from other parts of India.

12.00 pm: Both Houses of Parliament reconvene

Despite protests from various Members, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar allowed MPs to present reports before the House, post which she announced the names of those MPs who have resigned.

In Rajya Sabha, BJP MPs shouted slogans, while MPs stormed the well of the House with posters protesting the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.

 

11. 10 am: Aise karne se kya hoga?

Minutes after Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar completed obituary references, MPs began shouting slogans raising various issues including with Kumar's appeal seeking order in the House for the last session falling on deaf ears. "Aise karne se kya hoga? This is the final session... please... let there be order," she appealed.

The Speaker then adjourned the House till 12 pm.

Meanwhile in Rajya Sabha, Chairman Hamid Ansari warned MPs not to storm into the well of the House threatening disciplinary action. "Do not come into the well of the house... your place is there... I'm cautioning MPs not to come to the Well of the House."

The House was then adjourned till 12 pm.

11.00 am: Final session of both Houses of Parliament begin

The final session of the 15th Lok Sabha began on Wednesday with the Chairman and Speaker of Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha respectively paying obituary references to Members who passed away this year.

10.45 am: Expect Parliament to pass long pending bills, says PM

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had a different opinion than his finance minister saying he was hopeful that the final session of Parliament will see the passage of bills pending for years, and also the Telangana bill.

"Expect Parliament to pass long pending bills... appeal to all parties in Parliament to co-operate with govt to pass important legislation," Singh said.

10.30 am: Don't think Parliament will pass any bills, says Chidambaram

Speaking to reporters before walking into Parliament House, Finance Minister P Chidambaram said it was unlikely that Parliament will see the passage of key legislation.

"I don't think Parliament will pass any key legislation this session," Chidambaram said.

The final Parliament session of the 15th Lok Sabha is set to begin on Wednesday and is likely to face continuous disruptions not just from the Oppostion BJP, but from within the Congress party as well.

Congress MPs from Seemandhra, along with TDP MPs who have been protesting against the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in the first half of the Winter session, are likely to continue their opposition in Parliament as the government is keen on passing the Telangana bill this session.

For the list of pending bills as well as those that may come up in Parliament this session, click here.