Wife Vs protege Raje: Jaswant’s final duel is both personal and political

Kalu Bai Sa versus Vasu Bai Sa. Has Jaswant Singh been drawn into his last duel to settle a long-pending war between his wife and an erstwhile protégé?

The manner in which Vasundhara Raje is going out of her way to rub Singh's nose in the Barmer sands suggests there is more to it than just politics. Their fight has all the bitter ingredients of a medieval war between the marauding forces of a powerful Maharani and an ageing Thakur eager to protect his turf and pride.

Jaswant Singh in this file photo. PTI

This is not just an ordinary election; egos, feminine vanity and Rajput pride are also at stake as Maharani Raje takes on Jasol Thakur Jaswant. As they say in Rajasthan, ye moonch ki ladai hai, though both the principal protagonists don't have one for different reasons.

A quick look at the history of the unfolding grudge match. Raje was once a junior minister in the external affairs ministry headed by Jaswant. When Raje was sent to Rajasthan to replace an ageing Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, her Boss was seen as one of the brains behind the elevation.

The bonhomie didn't last long. What had begun in the external affairs ministry degenerated into a domestic dispute, courtesy Kalu Bai Sa, Singh's wife.

In 2007, when Raje was the chief minister, some BJP workers released a poster depicting her as goddess Annapurna. Goddess Raje found instant bhakts when one of her ministers Pratap Singh Singhvi performed a puja and a worker vowed to build a temple.

Singh's wife, however, filed an FIR with the police saying that her religious sentiments were hurt because of this blasphemous act. The battle of FIRs had begun.

Raje got the opportunity to strike back when Singh organized a get-together at his home to celebrate the birth of his grandson. Alleging that Singh had performed the banned ritual of 'riyan', where guests are offered opium-laced milk, somebody filed an FIR against the organizer. An enquiry was ordered with alacrity and soon it was Singh's turn to run.
According to rumors, a truce was brokered after LK Advani intervened and asked both Kalu Bai Sa and Vasu Bai Sa to back off. But the bitterness lingered.

Though it remained behind the veil of diplomacy and decency, both sides made many attempts to harm each other. One more instance: When Singh led a delegation to Pakistan, the Raje camp tried to ridicule him by pointing out that one of the delegates was allegedly a history-sheeter with a proven record of dabbling in ant-national activities.

The masks are being thrown away now. Pent up pride, bottled desire for vengeance are being unleashed in full anger and hatred. The BJP's decision to deny Singh a ticket, reportedly at the behest of Raje, has forced them, like hate-filled gladiators, to lunge at each other's throats.

Raje, never to back off from an ego clash, has announced that she would be present in person to lead Col Sonaram, the Congress turncoat who is now the BJP nominee from Barmer, when he files his nomination on Tuesday.

Singh, in response, has given a call to arms to fellow Rajputs. The Rajputs already have a reason for being upset with Raje: She has given tickets to seven Jats. The humiliation of Singh is now being cited as Raje's final act of atrocity on the community.

Singh had pulled out the Rajput card in the past too. When he was ejected from the BJP for writing a book on Jinnah, Singh rushed to Shekhawat for support. 'Babo Sa, main nahin jaun wapas, Rajput aan ka sawal hai," Singh had complained to his mentor Shekhawat. But the wily Shekhawat had his own score to settle.

Though he consoled Singh in the privacy of his drawing room, a few minutes later he ridiculed the ex foreign minister in public for turning a personal issue into a community's war.

But things have changed now. Shekhawat was the tallest leader of Rajputs then, his public reprimand nipped Singh's efforts to become a warrior for the community's cause. But this time the Rajputs have some valid grouses against Raje, who is seen as increasingly pro-Jat.

Interestingly, Singh will get overt support from Pakistan in this fight. Barmer has a large number of Sindhi Muslims. They generally vote in accordance with the decision taken by Peer Pagaro, a shrine on the other side of the border. By all indications, the fatwa this year is in Singh's favour this election; a just reward for his paeans to Jinnah and his pilgrimage to Pakistan.

Rajputs and Muslims have been traditional allies in Rajasthan since Akbar brought them together through (disputably) Jodha Bai Sa. The forgotten forces of war are coming together again, this time to take on Vasu Bai Sa.

Muthalik says membership cancelled due to Congress ‘conspiracy’

Belgaum, Karnataka: Controversial chief of right wing outfit Sri Ram Sene, Pramod Muthalik, on Monday claimed it was Congress' "conspiracy" that had stalled his entry into BJP, which quashed his party membership within hours after opposition from within and severe flak from other parties.

"It is a Congress conspiracy. There was a lot of enthusiasm among the majority community after I joined BJP. Congress conspired and stalled my entry into the BJP as their leaders realised my hold among Hindu votes," he said.

Pramod Muthalik in this file photo. PTI

Muthalik, who is facing some 45 cases, including those relating to promoting enmity between two communities, was welcomed into the party fold yesterday and hours later dumped following severe flak from within the BJP and opposition parties, including Congress.

A red-faced BJP central leadership had set aside the membership of Muthalik, linked with the attack by his outfit activists on women in a Mangalore pub in 2009 that had sparked national outrage, as the state leaders' move backfired.

In spite of the "unfortunate development", Muthalik said Ram Sene and its leaders will work toward strengthening BJP from outside. "Once we have accepted each other, there is no point in parting ways," he said.

Muthalik said he was hurt by BJP's "hasty" decision, which was taken after somebody gave a wrong impression about Sri Ram Sene and his leadership.

"Somebody has given wrong information to them. So, in this backdrop, they took a decision. They sould not have taken such a hasty decison. This has hurt my feelings," he said.

51-year-old Muthalik had shot into the limelight after activists of his right-wing outfit barged into a pub in Mangalore in 2009 and assaulted youngsters - women and men - after accusing them of behaving in an "obscene manner".

PTI

Live: Raje, Rajnath have betrayed principles of BJP, says Jaswant

2:15 pm: Jaswant goes after Rajnath Singh and Vasundhara Raje

Jaswant Singh in a rally questioned how a man who lost the election just two months ago is now in place of him in BJP.

"If there is anything behind this decision it is your love. Who are the people who are going against your sentiments? " Singh said.

The BJP leader said that it was the second time that the BJP leadership was playing with the sentiments of the cadre.

He also criticised Vasundhara Raje who he said used to come to meet Bhairon Singh Shekhawat and Rajnath Singh.

"I am very sad that these two people have betrayed me. But they haven't just betrayed me but the party and its principles as well," he said.

1.00 pm: Contesting on principle and honour, says Jaswant after filing papers

Jaswant Singh who will be contesting the Barmer seat as an independent candidate, said that he was "contesting on principle, and honour - not just my honour, but the honour of all the people of Barmer" shortly after filing his papers at the District Magistrates office.

The senior BJP leader added that he would issue a statement  shortly. Although Singh will be contesting against the BJP, he has not resigned from the party as yet.

12.40 pm: Jaswant Singh files nomination as independent candidate

Jaswant Singh has made good his threat and filed his nomination from the Barmer seat as an independent candidate.

He is currently meeting the election officer in the seat, and is expected to address a gathering of his supporters shortly, where he will campaign as an independent candidate against the BJP.

10.50 am: Jaswant Singh to file nomination as independent today?

Asserting that he is "not a piece of furniture" to be "adjusted" after polls, senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh is expected to file his nomination papers from Barmer as an independent later today.

He has also made it clear that the party will have to suffer the consequences of internal strife coming to the fore ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

Back channel efforts were underway to bring him around, BJP sources said, but the veteran leader showed no signs of relenting.

Jaswant Singh may contest as an independent

Training his guns on BJP president Rajnath Singh who said the 76-year-old leader's services will be utilised appropriately, Jaswant Singh retorted, "I am not a piece of furniture. The choice of the adjective 'adjust' itself is indicative of the mentality. You cannot adjust with principles and it is insulting".

Slamming the BJP President's remarks that the party will compensate him after the elections, Singh said, "I reject the thought and I reject the mentality behind it. Assumption is that they shall form the government and offer me some throttle. They can keep it for themselves".

Jaswant Singh is, however, not resigning from the party yet and said he would consult his colleagues before taking that decision.

"Yes, I am filing my nomination papers tomorrow from Barmer. Independent or not, will depend on the party's attitude," he told PTI when asked whether he would contest despite denial of a ticket from his home constituency.

On the specific query about his resignation in the wake of his 48-hour deadline to the BJP, the party stalwart said, "I will speak about this after consulting my colleagues and others in Barmer and then take a decision."

"If I am not emotional about my home and my political party, then what am I going to be emotional about...If the party decides to talk to me, they know my numbers and how I can be reached. Since I came here, nobody has tried to reach me," he said today, putting the onus of preventing his exit on the BJP.

In indications that that there will be no reversal of decision, party leader Arun Jaitley said when a senior leader is not accommodated for some reasons, that is when his discipline and political loyalty are to be tested.

"He must accept the decision with a smile. This becomes a test of his loyalty and discipline. Restraint and silence are always a preferred option. Over-reaction may prove be a transient storm in a tea cup. Silence is always dignified and more gracious," Jaitley said.

Sharad Pawar’s ‘vote twice’ comment: EC to look at further action

Poll authorities in Maharashtra have taken cognisance of NCP leader Sharad Pawar's remarks asking party workers to vote twice in the multi-phase polling in the state by rubbing off indelible ink, and have sought details of his speech in Navi Mumbai yesterday.

The office of the Chief Electoral Officer has initiated the process of procuring the video/audio recording of the Union minister's speech before moving ahead in the matter.

Sharad Pawar has said he was joking: PTI

Once the recording is available, the remarks of the concerned District Electoral Officer will be sought.

Sources said the matter is also likely to figure before the Election Commission in Delhi, which will decide whether Pawar's remarks are in violation of the Model Code of Conduct and provisions of the electoral laws, and take a call on whether it needs to act further on the matter.

The EC is likely to discuss the issue today.

Pawar had yesterday asked his party workers to take advantage of the multi-phase polling in the state by voting twice, first at their hometowns and then at places of work.

"Last time (in 2009), the polling in Satara and Mumbai was on the same day and people went to their hometowns. But this time, polling in Satara is on 17 April and here on 24 April," Pawar had said, addressing a gathering of "mathadi" workers who hail from that district in Western Maharashtra.

Pawar however, warned voters to take necessary precautions.

"Do erase the ink mark which will be put when you vote first," he had said.

"Vote for the clock (NCP symbol) there (in Satara) and come back to vote for the clock here as well," he had said, to loud laughs at the gathering held in the APMC market in Navi Mumbai.

Pawar, however, had later told reporters in Mumbai that his statement was made in "a lighter vein and had a tinge of satire to it".

PTI

Sriramulu surrenders before court, apologises for past poll code violation

Bellary (Karnataka): Former Karnataka minister B Sriramulu, who joined the BJP recently to contest Bellary Lok Sabha seat, today surrendered before a court here which had issued a Non-Bailable Warrant against him in a case relating to poll code violation during Assembly polls last year.

Sriramulu appeared before the Judicial Magistrate First Class and tendered an apology for failing to present himself before it earlier despite notices issued to him.

Sriramulu recently joined the BJP. Ibnlive image

A case for violating the model code of conduct was filed against him during the May Assembly polls for conducting the campaign beyond the deadline, following which the court had issued notices to Sriramulu.

After Sriramulu's appearance today, the magistrate Zarina granted bail to him.

Sriramulu, a one-time close associate of mining baron Janardhana Reddy, had first announced merger of BSR Congress with BJP but after party leader Sushma Swaraj publicly opposed  it, he joined the saffron party alone.

PTI

LS polls: Only 8 women get tickets for Arunachal Assembly poll

Itanagar: Despite promises made by various political parties to provide 33 percent reservation to women candidates in the Arunachal Pradesh Assembly elections scheduled for 9 April, only eight women are in the fray for the 60-member house.

Representational image. Reuters

While ruling Congress has handed over tickets to only two sitting women MLAs, opposition BJP has not nominated any woman.

NCP has fielded Taba Nirmali (Yachuli) and Marpi Basar (Basar) and People's Party of Arunachal (PPA) has issued ticket to Toko Sheetal for Itanagar constituency.

Three other women-- Yai Mara (Likabali), Jane Mimi (Anini) and Anita Payeng-- are contesting as Independent candidates in the assembly elections.

"We did mobilise women to come forward and participate in the election. Within the Congress there were seven aspirants and we issued tickets to two in view of their winning prospects," said Mukut Mithi, President of Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC).

The Chairperson of the Arunachal Pradesh State Commission for Women (APSCW) Gumri Ringu said "all political parties before election assure to provide opportunity to women to represent in state politics but the real scenario changes when time comes."

She also equally blamed women for not coming out of the four corners of their houses to participate in the electoral process.

Secretary of National Alliance of Women (NAW) Jarjum Ete attributed the reason of low participation of women candidates this election to the sudden dissolution of the state assembly on March 6 last.

"The term of the assembly is to be ended on October next... but the sudden dissolution before six months has forced the aspiring candidates to decline as they did not get time to gear up," Ete said adding that financial condition had also deterred several candidates.

PTI

How BJP’s handling of Jaswant Singh, Muthalik could hit Modi

The believers are still euphoric, but the expectations among BJP activists about a week ago has been somewhat dampened. The momentum of  Narendra Modi's campaign has suffered an unexpected slowdown at a time when it should otherwise have been peaking.

The wide range of people making a beeline for the BJP's central party headquarters at 11 Ashoka Road, either seeking tickets or investing for a share in fruits of power, was taken a healthy sign. It was taken as an indicator of the national mood, a yearning for a change and a yearning for Narendra Modi. This lasted until Sunday afternoon when Pramod Muthalik, a lumpen fringe element and chief of Sri Ram Sene who thinks that people with a slightly liberal outlook needed to trashed in public for deviating from his version of Hindu philosophy, was welcomed in the BJP by party's Karnataka unit. If others, including non-believers in the BJP and Sangh Parivar's core ideology could be welcomed, why not Muthalik, who supposedly has his ideological moonings in Hindutva and has a following of hundreds of goons, whose services could come handy on polling day?

When he last made news in January 2009, again before the general elections, Muthalik hit the headlines for organising the chasing and beating of young girls in Mangalore. At the time he was only seen as a goon, using some a distorted philosophy of Hinduism to hog headlines.

But on Sunday he acquired the legitimacy of a front ranking supporter of the BJP's prime ministerial candidate and of being a respected leader of the principal opposition party in the state. This was expected to give him basic immunity against law despite his actions as an outlaw on previous occasions.

Will decisions like inducting Muthalik damage Modi's chances? PTI

The Sri Ram Sene chief had bargained his entry into the BJP with the threat of eating into the party's vote base. He had two grounds to threaten the BJP with. The first, that he would contest the elections from Dharwad, a move that could affect the re-election of state BJP chief Prahlad Joshi. The second, that he would field seven to eight candidates in other parts of the state, not to win, but to jeopardise the prospects of the BJP in those areas.

A source in Karnataka unit of the BJP told Firstpost that a proposal to induct him was first made over a fortnight ago but it was nixed after leaders like Ananth Kumar protested against it. Kumar, the BJP's national general secretary and candidate from Bangalore South, is pitted against Congress's Nandan Nilekani and could ill afford to have Muthalik by his side during the campaign.

As a result when Muthalik's was welcomed into the party on Sunday by former chief minister Jagdish Shettar, his former deputy in government KS Eshwarappa and state party chief Prahlad Joshi, it took everyone concerned by surprise.

No central party leader was willing to accept that they had prior information about this decision, leave alone consenting to it. But before he could start celebrating his new found honour, the move sparked outrage in the media and Muthalik was shown the door by the BJP central leadership.

The BJP's prime ministerial candidate has so far steered clear of anything related to Hindutva and could easily see the potential loss emanating from inducting Muthalik in the party. Modi has earned some negative perceptions in the public over the alleged ill treatment of the party's older leaders. The embarrassment in the form of Muthalik's induction was announced barely an hour after Modi had asked supporters not to use Har Har Modi chants because it had the potential to shift the electoral discourse from development to accusations of Hindu communalism.

In the past Modi had avoided attending any VHP function. Muthalik with his image of being a rogue was a big no. As a result, Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar, Sushma Swaraj, Anath Kumar and other senior leaders got on the phone lines immediately to express their displeasure over the move to those concerned.

Modi, who had landed in Delhi to attend a Baba Ramdev function, and party chief Rajnath Singh got in touch which each other and swiftly decided to cut their losses. Singh read the riot act to Karnataka unit chief Prahlad Joshi and the Muthalik membership was promptly rescinded.

But the damage had already been done. Modi's carefully crafted strategy to lure the youth to his side, in one stroke was hit with the kind of losses that Congress with months of meticulous planning and Rahul Gandhi ads, worth crores of rupees, had failed to do. Modi's advertisement tagline Bahut Hua Nari Par Var, abki bar Modi Sarkar (Enough attacks on women have taken place, this time bring in a Modi government) was suddenly questioned and seemed hollow to many. It was only natural that the Congress latched on to the issue to deride BJP's prime ministerial candidate.

The geographical continuity between coastal Karnatka and Goa, also impacted the latter's chief minister Parrikar directly. Parrikar over a period of time has earned a reputation of as a good clean administrator. He is also the one who brought the church in Goa closer to the BJP, giving the party a chance to highlight its inclusiveness. It therefore comes as no surprise that Parrikar went public with his protest against the move.

"His (Muthalik's) membership should be cancelled. I have told the central leadership that he should not be in the party," he said.

Muthalik was thrown out just like DP Yadav, an alleged mafia don of western UP, was thrown out in 2004. The two situations are slightly different but it shows that the party had learnt nothing from the past.

Yadav was inducted the BJP by their then campaign strategists in their enthusiasm to maximise the votes for the party in the region. At the time, LK Advani, then the Deputy Prime Minister, got to know about it in the evening after he finished watching a film at Mavlankar Hall. Even as he was taken by surprise, he instantly gave his verdict that Yadav would have to be thrown out. The next morning he spoke to Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the then BJP chief Venkaiah Naidu was asked to cancel Yadav's membership in the party.

Following the decision on Muthalik, many have expressed surprise over the party's decision and spoke passionately of improving intra-party communication. Muthalik's case has generated revulsion and acted as a wake up call to party top brass that they must employ a filtering process while inducting new people. A series of incidents over the past ten days have shown that though there existed a clear communication gap between senior leaders, like Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley responding to each other through social and mainstream media, there was a determined push to force decisions that had been cleared by the Modi-Rajnath duo. While not many in the party dispute the decisions taken by Modi and Rajnath, there is concern and unhappiness over the manner in which these were being taken.

The party could have avoided so much of the present controversies. It has, in fact, hopped from one controversy to another, as if they were taking place by design or things were just getting out of control.

A BJP leader said while one could debate whether Harin Pathak, a seven time MP, or film star Paresh Rawal was better suited for the Ahmedabad East constituency, there couldn't be much debate on the mishandling of the Advani and now Jaswant Singh issues. The leader's point was that Advani was mollified and the damage was contained because Modi took personal initiative to resolve it, but in Jaswant's case there was no such endeavour.

What will the party do, if he does not resign from the BJP and enter the fray as an independent candidate? Most likely expel him like it did in August 2009. But that would amount to days of "bad press".  Jaswant's candidature as an independent, given the support he enjoys among the Rajputs and a section of Muslims, could make it really difficult for chief minister Vasundhara Raje's pick Colonel Sonaram Chaudhary.

The issue has also led to senior leaders Swaraj and Jaitley disagreeing with each other in public.

Swaraj had expressed her pain over denial of ticket to Jaswant Singh and said,  "As far as the issue of Jaswant Singhji is concerned, it was a decision of the party. It was not a normal decision."

"Such type of decisions (asaadharan nirnay) are not taken without any reason. There must be some reason because that ticket was not decided by the (BJP) Central Election Committee. It was decided later. There must be some reason, but personally I am pained with this," she said.

A day later Jaitley responded and wrote on his blog:

"What does a politician do when after a successful political career the party is unable to accommodate him once? That is when his discipline and political loyalty are to be tested. Membership of political party is a privilege. It is also an act of self oppression where personal views and ambitions are subjected to the collective wisdom of the party. "

"At times, the party may flood leaders with privileges and positions. On other occasions, the leader may have to take "no" as an answer to his desires. How does a politician or a leader react to such "no"? He must accept the decision with a smile. This becomes a test of his loyalty and discipline. Restraint and silence are always a preferred option. Over-reaction may prove be a transient storm in a tea cup. Silence is always dignified and more gracious," Jaitley wrote

However, Jaswant is not accepting Jaitley's advice and his son Manvendra, the MLA from Barmer, has gone on "medical leave". The intra-party politics in BJP will continue making headlines till the last phase of nominations are over. Modi will have to watch out.

Jaswant Singh snubs BJP, files nomination as independent from Barmer

Barmer: Defying the BJP over ticket denial, Jaswant Singh today filed his nomination papers as an independent candidate from Barmer Lok Sabha seat.

Jaswant Singh was denied a ticket from Barmer. PTI

The 76-year-old leader, who was accompanied by some of his supporters, filed the nomination papers in four sets in the collector's office.

The former Union Minister decided to contest the Lok Sabha elections as an independent after the BJP fielded former Congress MLA Sonaram Chowdhry, who last week joined BJP from the Barmer seat.

Soon after filing his nomination, Singh said, "I have taken a step for Barmer. Relief is what I am feeling right now."

"I am contesting on principles and for honour, not just for my honour, but for the honour of all citizens of Barmer," he said.

The veteran BJP leader had yesterday made his intentions known, saying he was "not a piece of furniture" to be "adjusted" after polls and warned that the party will have to suffer the consequences of internal strife coming to the fore ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

Training his guns on BJP president Rajnath Singh who said the leader's services will be utilised appropriately, Jaswant Singh had retorted, "I am not a piece of furniture. The choice of the adjective 'adjust' itself is indicative of the mentality. You cannot adjust with principles and it is
insulting".

Slamming the BJP President's remarks that the party will compensate him after the elections, Singh had said, "I reject the thought and I reject the mentality behind it. Assumption is that they shall form the government and offer me some throttle. They can keep it for themselves".

BJP leader Arun Jaitley had said that Singh should accept the decision with a smile.

"He must accept the decision with a smile. This becomes a test of his loyalty and discipline. Restraint and silence are always a preferred option. Over-reaction may prove be a transient storm in a tea cup. Silence is always dignified and more gracious," Jaitley had said.

Jaswant Singh's earlier three terms in Lok Sabha have been from Jodhpur, Chittorgarh (Rajasthan) and Darjeeling (West Bengal).

He has been demanding a party ticket from his home constituency of Barmer, saying this is his last election. He represented the Darjeeling constituency in the outgoing Lok Sabha, from where the party has nominated former Rajya Sabha member S S Ahluwalia.

PTI

 

How the BJP’s handling of Jaswant Singh, Muthalik could hit Modi

The believers are still euphoric, but the expectations among BJP activists about a week ago has been somewhat dampened. The momentum of  Narendra Modi's campaign has suffered an unexpected slowdown at a time when it should otherwise have been peaking.

The wide range of people making a beeline for the BJP's central party headquarters at 11 Ashoka Road, either seeking tickets or investing for a share in fruits of power, was taken a healthy sign. It was taken as an indicator of the national mood, a yearning for a change and a yearning for Narendra Modi. This lasted until Sunday afternoon when Pramod Muthalik, a lumpen fringe element and chief of Sri Ram Sene who thinks that people with a slightly liberal outlook needed to trashed in public for deviating from his version of Hindu philosophy, was welcomed in the BJP by party's Karnataka unit. If others, including non-believers in the BJP and Sangh Parivar's core ideology could be welcomed, why not Muthalik, who supposedly has his ideological moonings in Hindutva and has a following of hundreds of goons, whose services could come handy on polling day?

When he last made news in January 2009, again before the general elections, Muthalik hit the headlines for organising the chasing and beating of young girls in Mangalore. At the time he was only seen as a goon, using some a distorted philosophy of Hinduism to hog headlines.

But on Sunday he acquired the legitimacy of a front ranking supporter of the BJP's prime ministerial candidate and of being a respected leader of the principal opposition party in the state. This was expected to give him basic immunity against law despite his actions as an outlaw on previous occasions.

Will decisions like inducting Muthalik damage Modi's chances? PTI

The Sri Ram Sene chief had bargained his entry into the BJP with the threat of eating into the party's vote base. He had two grounds to threaten the BJP with. The first, that he would contest the elections from Dharwad, a move that could affect the re-election of state BJP chief Prahlad Joshi. The second, that he would field seven to eight candidates in other parts of the state, not to win, but to jeopardise the prospects of the BJP in those areas.

A source in Karnataka unit of the BJP told Firstpost that a proposal to induct him was first made over a fortnight ago but it was nixed after leaders like Ananth Kumar protested against it. Kumar, the BJP's national general secretary and candidate from Bangalore South, is pitted against Congress's Nandan Nilekani and could ill afford to have Muthalik by his side during the campaign.

As a result when Muthalik's was welcomed into the party on Sunday by former chief minister Jagdish Shettar, his former deputy in government KS Eshwarappa and state party chief Prahlad Joshi, it took everyone concerned by surprise.

No central party leader was willing to accept that they had prior information about this decision, leave alone consenting to it. But before he could start celebrating his new found honour, the move sparked outrage in the media and Muthalik was shown the door by the BJP central leadership.

The BJP's prime ministerial candidate has so far steered clear of anything related to Hindutva and could easily see the potential loss emanating from inducting Muthalik in the party. Modi has earned some negative perceptions in the public over the alleged ill treatment of the party's older leaders. The embarrassment in the form of Muthalik's induction was announced barely an hour after Modi had asked supporters not to use Har Har Modi chants because it had the potential to shift the electoral discourse from development to accusations of Hindu communalism.

In the past Modi had avoided attending any VHP function. Muthalik with his image of being a rogue was a big no. As a result, Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar, Sushma Swaraj, Anath Kumar and other senior leaders got on the phone lines immediately to express their displeasure over the move to those concerned.

Modi, who had landed in Delhi to attend a Baba Ramdev function, and party chief Rajnath Singh got in touch which each other and swiftly decided to cut their losses. Singh read the riot act to Karnataka unit chief Prahlad Joshi and the Muthalik membership was promptly rescinded.

But the damage had already been done. Modi's carefully crafted strategy to lure the youth to his side, in one stroke was hit with the kind of losses that Congress with months of meticulous planning and Rahul Gandhi ads, worth crores of rupees, had failed to do. Modi's advertisement tagline Bahut Hua Nari Par Var, abki bar Modi Sarkar (Enough attacks on women have taken place, this time bring in a Modi government) was suddenly questioned and seemed hollow to many. It was only natural that the Congress latched on to the issue to deride BJP's prime ministerial candidate.

The geographical continuity between coastal Karnatka and Goa, also impacted the latter's chief minister Parrikar directly. Parrikar over a period of time has earned a reputation of as a good clean administrator. He is also the one who brought the church in Goa closer to the BJP, giving the party a chance to highlight its inclusiveness. It therefore comes as no surprise that Parrikar went public with his protest against the move.

"His (Muthalik's) membership should be cancelled. I have told the central leadership that he should not be in the party," he said.

Muthalik was thrown out just like DP Yadav, an alleged mafia don of western UP, was thrown out in 2004. The two situations are slightly different but it shows that the party had learnt nothing from the past.

Yadav was inducted the BJP by their then campaign strategists in their enthusiasm to maximise the votes for the party in the region. At the time, LK Advani, then the Deputy Prime Minister, got to know about it in the evening after he finished watching a film at Mavlankar Hall. Even as he was taken by surprise, he instantly gave his verdict that Yadav would have to be thrown out. The next morning he spoke to Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the then BJP chief Venkaiah Naidu was asked to cancel Yadav's membership in the party.

Following the decision on Muthalik, many have expressed surprise over the party's decision and spoke passionately of improving intra-party communication. Muthalik's case has generated revulsion and acted as a wake up call to party top brass that they must employ a filtering process while inducting new people. A series of incidents over the past ten days have shown that though there existed a clear communication gap between senior leaders, like Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley responding to each other through social and mainstream media, there was a determined push to force decisions that had been cleared by the Modi-Rajnath duo. While not many in the party dispute the decisions taken by Modi and Rajnath, there is concern and unhappiness over the manner in which these were being taken.

The party could have avoided so much of the present controversies. It has, in fact, hopped from one controversy to another, as if they were taking place by design or things were just getting out of control.

A BJP leader said while one could debate whether Harin Pathak, a seven time MP, or film star Paresh Rawal was better suited for the Ahmedabad East constituency, there couldn't be much debate on the mishandling of the Advani and now Jaswant Singh issues. The leader's point was that Advani was mollified and the damage was contained because Modi took personal initiative to resolve it, but in Jaswant's case there was no such endeavour.

What will the party do, if he does not resign from the BJP and enter the fray as an independent candidate? Most likely expel him like it did in August 2009. But that would amount to days of "bad press".  Jaswant's candidature as an independent, given the support he enjoys among the Rajputs and a section of Muslims, could make it really difficult for chief minister Vasundhara Raje's pick Colonel Sonaram Chaudhary.

The issue has also led to senior leaders Swaraj and Jaitley disagreeing with each other in public.

Swaraj had expressed her pain over denial of ticket to Jaswant Singh and said,  "As far as the issue of Jaswant Singhji is concerned, it was a decision of the party. It was not a normal decision."

"Such type of decisions (asaadharan nirnay) are not taken without any reason. There must be some reason because that ticket was not decided by the (BJP) Central Election Committee. It was decided later. There must be some reason, but personally I am pained with this," she said.

A day later Jaitley responded and wrote on his blog:

"What does a politician do when after a successful political career the party is unable to accommodate him once? That is when his discipline and political loyalty are to be tested. Membership of political party is a privilege. It is also an act of self oppression where personal views and ambitions are subjected to the collective wisdom of the party. "

"At times, the party may flood leaders with privileges and positions. On other occasions, the leader may have to take "no" as an answer to his desires. How does a politician or a leader react to such "no"? He must accept the decision with a smile. This becomes a test of his loyalty and discipline. Restraint and silence are always a preferred option. Over-reaction may prove be a transient storm in a tea cup. Silence is always dignified and more gracious," Jaitley wrote

However, Jaswant is not accepting Jaitley's advice and his son Manvendra, the MLA from Barmer, has gone on "medical leave". The intra-party politics in BJP will continue making headlines till the last phase of nominations are over. Modi will have to watch out.

In Darjeeling, BJP offers Bharat Ratna for Tenzing if voted to power

Darjeeling: In an attempt to connect with the local populace, BJP vice president and nominee for the Darjeeling parliamentary seat S S Ahluwalia has said mountaineer Tenzing Norgay Sherpa deserves Bharat Ratna and the BJP will look into the matter if voted to power.

Edmund Hillary (R) and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay smile during an interview with Reuters.

Accusing both the state and the Centre of failing to recognise Tenzing's contribution, Ahluwalia said, "Successive governments had not even taken a Cabinet decision to recommend Tenzing Norgay's name for a Bharat Ratna to the President."

Ahluwalia visited the house of late Sherpa, who was the first to scale the Mount Everest alongwith Edmund Hillary in 1953, at D B Giri road here and met his son Jamling Tenzing Norgay Sherpa yesterday.

Jamling took the BJP candidate around the family's private museum and they spent around half-an-hour discussing Tenzing's achievement.

Later, Ahluwalia told reporters, "Tomorrow, I am filing my nomination but before doing so, I wanted to come and pay homage to the tallest figure of Darjeeling. Today is also a historic day as Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev were sent to the gallows on this day in 1931."

With Jamling by his side, the BJP candidate said, "Tenzing was given Padma Bhushan only in 1959, six years after such a major international event in which an Indian was involved after Independence."

According to him, even the RBI should have issued coins of Tenzing Norgay.

The BJP candidate also said that the award should also be given to other sportsmen like Dhyan Chand and Milkha Singh.

"Have we forgotten our heroes of the 50s and 60s?" Ahluwalia asked.

"Ahluwalia has specifically said he will fight for Bharat Ratna for my father. I hope he lives up to his word. I am happy we have the support of the BJP candidate from Darjeeling. This will be an honour and recognition for Darjeeling," said Jamling, who has also conquered the world's highest peak.

The chorus for conferring Bharat Ratna on Tenzing, a resident of Darjeeling, gathered steam in the hills after the Centre had in 2012 extended the ambit of the country's highest civilian award to "recognise excellence in any field of human endeavour".

The population of the Sherpa community is pegged at around 1.4 lakh in the hills.

Earlier, the country's highest award was restricted to exceptional achievements in art, literature, science and public service.

Tenzing had received the George Medal in 1953 from the British government, Iran Shah Medal and the Nepal Tara and Nepal Pratap Vardak awards. He was also conferred with the USSR Sports Special Medal, French Sports Special Medal, Italian Sports Special Medal and Coronation Medal of Queen Elizabeth II.

The people of Darjeeling and particularly, the United Sherpa Association, had demanded that Tenzing be bestowed with Bharat Ratna.

Tenzing, who had scaled Mount Everest on May 29, 1953, died in 1986.

PTI

Live: Contesting for honour says Jaswant, after filing nomination

1.00 pm: Contesting on principle and honour, says Jaswant after filing papers

Jaswant Singh who will be contesting the Barmer seat as an independent candidate, said that he was "contesting on principle, and honour - not just my honour, but the honour of all the people of Barmer" shortly after filing his papers at the District Magistrates office.

The senior BJP leader added that he would issue a statement  shortly. Although Singh will be contesting against the BJP, he has not resigned from the party as yet.

12.40 pm: Jaswant Singh files nomination as independent candidate

Jaswant Singh has made good his threat and filed his nomination from the Barmer seat as an independent candidate.

He is currently meeting the election officer in the seat, and is expected to address a gathering of his supporters shortly, where he will campaign as an independent candidate against the BJP.

10.50 am: Jaswant Singh to file nomination as independent today?

Asserting that he is "not a piece of furniture" to be "adjusted" after polls, senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh is expected to file his nomination papers from Barmer as an independent later today.

He has also made it clear that the party will have to suffer the consequences of internal strife coming to the fore ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

Back channel efforts were underway to bring him around, BJP sources said, but the veteran leader showed no signs of relenting.

Jaswant Singh may contest as an independent

Training his guns on BJP president Rajnath Singh who said the 76-year-old leader's services will be utilised appropriately, Jaswant Singh retorted, "I am not a piece of furniture. The choice of the adjective 'adjust' itself is indicative of the mentality. You cannot adjust with principles and it is insulting".

Slamming the BJP President's remarks that the party will compensate him after the elections, Singh said, "I reject the thought and I reject the mentality behind it. Assumption is that they shall form the government and offer me some throttle. They can keep it for themselves".

Jaswant Singh is, however, not resigning from the party yet and said he would consult his colleagues before taking that decision.

"Yes, I am filing my nomination papers tomorrow from Barmer. Independent or not, will depend on the party's attitude," he told PTI when asked whether he would contest despite denial of a ticket from his home constituency.

On the specific query about his resignation in the wake of his 48-hour deadline to the BJP, the party stalwart said, "I will speak about this after consulting my colleagues and others in Barmer and then take a decision."

"If I am not emotional about my home and my political party, then what am I going to be emotional about...If the party decides to talk to me, they know my numbers and how I can be reached. Since I came here, nobody has tried to reach me," he said today, putting the onus of preventing his exit on the BJP.

In indications that that there will be no reversal of decision, party leader Arun Jaitley said when a senior leader is not accommodated for some reasons, that is when his discipline and political loyalty are to be tested.

"He must accept the decision with a smile. This becomes a test of his loyalty and discipline. Restraint and silence are always a preferred option. Over-reaction may prove be a transient storm in a tea cup. Silence is always dignified and more gracious," Jaitley said.

Wife Vs protege Raje: Jaswant’s final duel is more personal than politics

Kalu Bai Sa versus Vasu Bai Sa. Has Jaswant Singh been drawn into his last duel to settle a long-pending war between his wife and an erstwhile protégé?

The manner in which Vasundhara Raje is going out of her way to rub Singh's nose in the Barmer sands suggests there is more to it than just politics. Their fight has all the bitter ingredients of a medieval war between the marauding forces of a powerful Maharani and an ageing Thakur eager to protect his turf and pride.

Jaswant Singh in this file photo. PTI

This is not just an ordinary election; egos, feminine vanity and Rajput pride are also at stake as Maharani Raje takes on Jasol Thakur Jaswant. As they say in Rajasthan, ye moonch ki ladai hai, though both the principal protagonists don't have one for different reasons.

A quick look at the history of the unfolding grudge match. Raje was once a junior minister in the external affairs ministry headed by Jaswant. When Raje was sent to Rajasthan to replace an ageing Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, her Boss was seen as one of the brains behind the elevation.

The bonhomie didn't last long. What had begun in the external affairs ministry degenerated into a domestic dispute, courtesy Kalu Bai Sa, Singh's wife.

In 2007, when Raje was the chief minister, some BJP workers released a poster depicting her as goddess Annapurna. Goddess Raje found instant bhakts when one of her ministers Pratap Singh Singhvi performed a puja and a worker vowed to build a temple.

Singh's wife, however, filed an FIR with the police saying that her religious sentiments were hurt because of this blasphemous act. The battle of FIRs had begun.

Raje got the opportunity to strike back when Singh organized a get-together at his home to celebrate the birth of his grandson. Alleging that Singh had performed the banned ritual of 'riyan', where guests are offered opium-laced milk, somebody filed an FIR against the organizer. An enquiry was ordered with alacrity and soon it was Singh's turn to run.
According to rumors, a truce was brokered after LK Advani intervened and asked both Kalu Bai Sa and Vasu Bai Sa to back off. But the bitterness lingered.

Though it remained behind the veil of diplomacy and decency, both sides made many attempts to harm each other. One more instance: When Singh led a delegation to Pakistan, the Raje camp tried to ridicule him by pointing out that one of the delegates was allegedly a history-sheeter with a proven record of dabbling in ant-national activities.

The masks are being thrown away now. Pent up pride, bottled desire for vengeance are being unleashed in full anger and hatred. The BJP's decision to deny Singh a ticket has forced them, like hate-filled gladiators, to lunge at each other's throats.

Raje, never to back off from an ego clash, has announced that she would be present in person to lead Col Sonaram, the Congress turncoat who is now the BJP nominee from Barmer, when he files his nomination on Tuesday.

Singh, in response, has given a call to arms to fellow Rajputs. The Rajputs already have a reason for being upset with Raje: She has given tickets to seven Jats. The humiliation of Singh is now being cited as Raje's final act of atrocity on the community.

Singh had pulled out the Rajput card in the past too. When he was ejected from the BJP for writing a book on Jinnah, Singh rushed to Shekhawat for support. 'Babo Sa, main nahin jaun wapas, Rajput aan ka sawal hai," Singh had complained to his mentor Shekhawat. But the wily Shekhawat had his own score to settle.

Though he consoled Singh in the privacy of his drawing room, a few minutes later he ridiculed the ex foreign minister in public for turning a personal issue into a community's war.

But things have changed now. Shekhawat was the tallest leader of Rajputs then, his public reprimand nipped Singh's efforts to become a warrior for the community's cause. But this time the Rajputs have some valid grouses against Raje, who is seen as increasingly pro-Jat.

Interestingly, Singh will get overt support from Pakistan in this fight. Barmer has a large number of Sindhi Muslims. They generally vote in accordance with the decision taken by Peer Pagaro, a shrine on the other side of the border. By all indications, the fatwa this year is in Singh's favour this election; a just reward for his paeans to Jinnah and his pilgrimage to Pakistan.

Rajputs and Muslims have been traditional allies in Rajasthan since Akbar brought them together through (disputably) Jodha Bai Sa. The forgotten forces of war are coming together again, this time to take on Vasu Bai Sa.

People treat me as family, will sail through: Mani Shankar Aiyar

Nagapattinam (TN): Former Union minister and the Congress candidate for the Mayiladuthurai Lok Sabha seat, Mani Shankar Aiyar strongly believes that the good work done by him as an MP for the constituency over the past two decades will fetch him a comfortable victory in the upcoming polls.

Senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar. IBNLive

At a time when Congress leaders in the state are worried about the lack of any tie-ups going into the polls, Aiyar is unperturbed by alliance arithmetic. He is facing the battlefield with all the confidence and eagerness of a seasoned campaigner.

Aiyar, a Rajya Sabha MP, is locked in a very tough contest against AIADMK's Bharathi Mohan, DMK-ally Manithaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK)'s Hyder Ali and PMK's Agoram in BJP's rainbow alliance.

Addressing a recent meeting of party cadre at Tirukkadaiyur near Porayar, Aiyar said, "Forget the elections. People treat me as one of their family. I have visited all the villages, even the remotest ones, several times since 1991. I am very concerned about the welfare of the rural people and have done my best to address their grievances."

He said that his achievements and services to the constituency would enable him to sail through smoothly.

"I do not make empty claims. I can publish a 200-page book on my achievements, which stand tall as industries, buildings, hospitals, roads and bridges. People recognise my services well and I only ask them to judge me by my achievements," he said.

He claimed he had done a lot to bring industrialisation to the constituency, citing as examples the natural gas collecting station and an LPG bottling plant at Kuthalam. He also pointed at the multipurpose indoor sports stadium, a special area games centre at Mayiladuthurai and the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Aquaculture Research at Sirkazhi.

"During 2004-2009, Mayiladuthurai stood first in the country in implementing the Prime Minister's village road scheme," he said.

As a close friend of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, Aiyar entered the electoral fray at Mayiladuthurai in Nagapattinam district in 1991 after resigning from the Indian Foreign Service.

In the last six general elections, Aiyar has won thrice and lost thrice. In 1998, when he contested as an independent, he polled 77,000 votes.

PTI

Live: Jaswant Singh files nomination as independent

12.40 pm: Jaswant Singh files nomination as independent candidate

Jaswant Singh has made good his threat and filed his nomination from the Barmer seat as an independent candidate.

He is currently meeting the election officer in the seat, and is expected to address a gathering of his supporters shortly, where he will campaign as an independent candidate against the BJP.

10.50 am: Jaswant Singh to file nomination as independent today?

Asserting that he is "not a piece of furniture" to be "adjusted" after polls, senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh is expected to file his nomination papers from Barmer as an independent later today.

He has also made it clear that the party will have to suffer the consequences of internal strife coming to the fore ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

Back channel efforts were underway to bring him around, BJP sources said, but the veteran leader showed no signs of relenting.

Jaswant Singh may contest as an independent

Training his guns on BJP president Rajnath Singh who said the 76-year-old leader's services will be utilised appropriately, Jaswant Singh retorted, "I am not a piece of furniture. The choice of the adjective 'adjust' itself is indicative of the mentality. You cannot adjust with principles and it is insulting".

Slamming the BJP President's remarks that the party will compensate him after the elections, Singh said, "I reject the thought and I reject the mentality behind it. Assumption is that they shall form the government and offer me some throttle. They can keep it for themselves".

Jaswant Singh is, however, not resigning from the party yet and said he would consult his colleagues before taking that decision.

"Yes, I am filing my nomination papers tomorrow from Barmer. Independent or not, will depend on the party's attitude," he told PTI when asked whether he would contest despite denial of a ticket from his home constituency.

On the specific query about his resignation in the wake of his 48-hour deadline to the BJP, the party stalwart said, "I will speak about this after consulting my colleagues and others in Barmer and then take a decision."

"If I am not emotional about my home and my political party, then what am I going to be emotional about...If the party decides to talk to me, they know my numbers and how I can be reached. Since I came here, nobody has tried to reach me," he said today, putting the onus of preventing his exit on the BJP.

In indications that that there will be no reversal of decision, party leader Arun Jaitley said when a senior leader is not accommodated for some reasons, that is when his discipline and political loyalty are to be tested.

"He must accept the decision with a smile. This becomes a test of his loyalty and discipline. Restraint and silence are always a preferred option. Over-reaction may prove be a transient storm in a tea cup. Silence is always dignified and more gracious," Jaitley said.

DMK rebel Alagiri to start loyalists’ mobilisation across TN

Madurai: Amid speculation about him campaigning in favour of Narendra Modi after he endorsed the BJP's PM candidate, rebel DMK leader MK Alagiri is soon set to launch a statewide tour to hold consultations with loyalists across Tamil Nadu as he looks to galvanise them ahead of Lok Sabha polls.

Expelled DMK leader MK Alagiri. PTI

Sources indicated that he will meet both leaders and party workers who are "committed to the core values of the party and (were) against authoritarianism".

A strategy will be evolved "well in advance" of Lok Sabha polls and declared at the appropriate time, sources added.

"'Annan' (Alagiri) is facing pressure from supporters not only in the southern districts but across Tamil Nadu. They want to meet him and have him hear them out," suspended DMK general council member and staunch Alagiri loyalist, Mubarak Manthiri, told PTI.

Asked if Alagiri would launch his tour immediately, Mubarak said, "It depends (on the circumstances)". He added that cadre from several areas, including Villupuram, Thanjavur and Arani, had sought his dates.

Expressing anguish that rather than taking steps to "resolve the impasse", the DMK leadership was "aggravating" the situation, he said, "I don't understand what stops them from doing this (resolving the issue). Now they say action will be taken against party workers who have links with our leader."

On 19 March, DMK announced it would take disciplinary action against those who kept in touch with Alagiri. The party has accused Alagiri of "misleading party workers".

Alagiri is likely to participate in domestic functions of supporters at Rajapalyam (23 March) and Mudukulatur (26 March) and also meet people.

Ramanathapuram DMK MP and Alagiri loyalist JK Ritheesh is making arrangements for meetings with supporters.

On 27 March, a grand meeting is being organised at Thanjavur which is expected to be a show of strength for Alagiri.

PTI

Move away from politics of fear: MJ Akbar defends pro-Modi stance

Throwing his weight behind BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, senior columnist and author NJ Akbar defended his decision to support the party by saying it was the only party that could wipe out poverty and put India back on the path of development.

Senior journalist MJ Akbar. Facebook image

Speaking to CNN-IBN's editor-in-chief Rajdeep Sardesai, Akbar said it was time the country moved away from the politics of fear, adding that it was time to give Modi a chance and "see what happens".

"It isn't the easiest thing in the world for a Muslim to join hands with Modi... but I'm not troubled...I think this person (Modi) can deliver to help the Muslim community as much as the Hindu community in the country," he said.

On being asked whether he found no conflict with the ideas of secularism propagated by the RSS, Akbar said the definitions provided to him by the party were that of inclusiveness and development, saying, "Modi had said the only religion of an Indian is the constitution of India, and that is enough for me."

Akbar however, refused to elaborate on what he felt about the scarce distribution of tickets among Muslims in the BJP. "It's an evolutionary step, parties look at winnability also."

Arguing that in the field of journalism one should not let biases influence reprotage, Akbar said he didn't agree that journalists have the right to claim all knowledge of the truth. "If after 10 years of Congress scrutiny, there has been no linkages of Modi to Gujarat riots, we have to change our view," he said.

On being asked why Modi has not yet visited certain riot his areas of Gujarat if he was truly inclusive in his approach, Akbar said that development need not just be wiping away tears of the Muslims.

"In last ten years, Muslims have been impoverished, nothing has been done for them... Governance now has risen to the very top of BJP's agenda and the voter's agenda... Best way to wipe the tears of Muslims is to wipe away hunger among them."

In an article published in today's edition of the Economic Times, Akbar had argued that Modi had to face intense scrutiny from a 10-year UPA government rule with 'the absolute determination to trace guilt to a Chief Minister'. Views, quite contrary to those he had aired and were published in the past.

"Every relevant instrument of state was assigned the task of finding something, anything that could trace guilt to Modi. They could not.

The Supreme Court, which is above politics and parties, and which is our invaluable, independent guardian of the law and Constitution, undertook its own enquiries. Its first findings are in, and we know that the answer is exoneration.

One suspects that only some politicians have a vested interest in the past during an election when Indians want to vote for their future."

 

Tamil Nadu: Alagiri to start mobilising loyalists

Madurai: Amid speculation about him campaigning in favour of Narendra Modi after he endorsed the BJP's PM candidate, rebel DMK leader MK Alagiri is soon set to launch a statewide tour to hold consultations with loyalists across Tamil Nadu as he looks to galvanise them ahead of Lok Sabha polls.

Sources indicated that he will meet both leaders and party workers who are "committed to the core values of the party and (were) against authoritarianism". A strategy will be evolved "well in advance" of Lok Sabha polls and declared at the appropriate time, sources added.
"'Annan' (Alagiri) is facing pressure from supporters not only in the southern districts but across Tamil Nadu. They want to meet him and have him hear them out," suspended DMK general council member and staunch Alagiri loyalist, Mubarak Manthiri, told PTI.

MK Alagiri. Agencies.

Asked if Alagiri would launch his tour immediately, Mubarak said, "It depends (on the circumstances)". He added that cadre from several areas, including Villupuram, Thanjavur and Arani, had sought his dates.

Expressing anguish that rather than taking steps to "resolve the impasse", the DMK leadership was "aggravating" the situation, he said, "I don't understand what stops them from doing this (resolving the issue). Now they say action will be taken against party workers who have links with our leader."

On March 19, DMK announced it would take disciplinary action against those who kept in touch with Alagiri. The party has accused Alagiri of "misleading party workers". Alagiri is likely to participate in domestic functions of supporters at Rajapalyam (March 23) and Mudukulatur (March 26) and also meet people.

Ramanathapuram DMK MP and Alagiri loyalist JK Ritheesh is making arrangements for meetings with supporters. On March 27, a grand meeting is being organised at Thanjavur which is expected to be a show of strength for Alagiri.

PTI

Telangana: Congress, CPI on the verge of an alliance

Hyderabad: An electoral alliance between the Congress and the Communist Party of India (CPI) in Telangana is likely to be announced soon. The Congress has agreed to leave one Lok Sabha and 12 assembly seats for the CPI, sources in the Congress said.

Telangana supporters. AFP.

The alliance will provide some relief to the Congress, which suffered a setback after Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) declined to merge or even an alliance with it. The CPI had also held seat adjustment talks with the TRS but the latter did not respond positively to its demand.

The Congress leadership seized the initiative and agreed to the CPI's demand.  Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) chief Ponnala Laksmaiah, who is camping in Delhi for three days, will meet CPI state secretary K. Narayana after his return from the national capital.

The two leaders are likely to announce the tie-up after final round of talks. Telangana, which has 119 assembly and 17 Lok Sabha seats, is going to polls April 30.

IANS

SP workers smear black paint on Modi posters in Varanasi

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party (SP) workers Monday smeared black paint on posters of BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi following a row over a slogan.

A controversy has broken out over the slogan "Har-har Modi, ghar-ghar Modi" and religious seers and local intellectuals have raised objections over the slogan that likens Modi to Lord Shiva.

The party has officially distanced itself from it. However, angry SP workers  on Monday smeared posters of Modi with black paint. Taking to the streets, SP workers accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of equating Modi to Mahadev.

The SP supporters and workers have also released posters mocking it. Their posters said "Thar-thar Modi, dar-Dar Modi (Modi is afraid, shivering)". Posters by party leader Arun Gupta have been plastered all across important places in Allahabad.

A Narendra Modi supporter holding a poster in this file photo. AFP

While the BJP had been using the slogan in many of its public rallies and election campaigns, state leaders abandoned the slogan Sunday in wake of the controversy. Opposition parties slammed BJP for equating Modi with Lord Shiva, whose capital is supposed to be Varanasi.

Shankracharya Swaroopanand Saraswati rang up Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat and aired his disapproval of the slogan after which the BJP said the slogan was not its official one. It said that the official slogan is "Abki Baar, Modi Sarkaar" (This time, Modi government).

On Sunday, Modi too tweeted requesting party workers and supporters not to use the slogan that has triggered a row.

IANS

Telugu star Nagarjuna set to meet Narendra Modi

Hyderabad: After Pawan Kalyan, another popular Telugu actor Nagarjuna is set to declare support to BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.

Nagarjuna left for Ahmedabad to call on Modi on Monday evening, sources close to the actor said.

The star is also likely to seek Lok Sabha ticket for his wife Amla. For last few days, political and film circles were abuzz with speculations that the actress-turned-activist is keen to contest Lok Sabha elections from Vijayawada.

Nagarjuna. AFP.

The actor held talks with senior BJP leader M. Venkaiah Naidu during last few days. It was immediately not clear if Nagarjuna would also take a plunge into electoral politics.

Son of thespian Akkineni Nageswara Rao, who died recently, Nagarjuna is one of the top actors of Tollywood. Nageswara Rao was never interested in politics but the family maintained good relations with TDP and Congress when they were in power.

Nagarjuna is meeting Modi two days after Pawan Kalyan met the Gujarat chief minister in Ahmedabad to extend his support.

Pawan, youngest brother of central minister and Congress leader K. Chiranjeevi, floated a political party Jana Sena March 14 and called upon people to bury the Congress.

IANS

Live: Jaswant Singh to file nomination as independent today?

10.50 am: Jaswant Singh to file nomination as independent today?

Asserting that he is "not a piece of furniture" to be "adjusted" after polls, senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh is expected to file his nomination papers from Barmer as an independent later today.

He has also made it clear that the party will have to suffer the consequences of internal strife coming to the fore ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

Back channel efforts were underway to bring him around, BJP sources said, but the veteran leader showed no signs of relenting.

Jaswant Singh may contest as an independent

Training his guns on BJP president Rajnath Singh who said the 76-year-old leader's services will be utilised appropriately, Jaswant Singh retorted, "I am not a piece of furniture. The choice of the adjective 'adjust' itself is indicative of the mentality. You cannot adjust with principles and it is insulting".

Slamming the BJP President's remarks that the party will compensate him after the elections, Singh said, "I reject the thought and I reject the mentality behind it. Assumption is that they shall form the government and offer me some throttle. They can keep it for themselves".

Jaswant Singh is, however, not resigning from the party yet and said he would consult his colleagues before taking that decision.

"Yes, I am filing my nomination papers tomorrow from Barmer. Independent or not, will depend on the party's attitude," he told PTI when asked whether he would contest despite denial of a ticket from his home constituency.

On the specific query about his resignation in the wake of his 48-hour deadline to the BJP, the party stalwart said, "I will speak about this after consulting my colleagues and others in Barmer and then take a decision."

"If I am not emotional about my home and my political party, then what am I going to be emotional about...If the party decides to talk to me, they know my numbers and how I can be reached. Since I came here, nobody has tried to reach me," he said today, putting the onus of preventing his exit on the BJP.

In indications that that there will be no reversal of decision, party leader Arun Jaitley said when a senior leader is not accommodated for some reasons, that is when his discipline and political loyalty are to be tested.

"He must accept the decision with a smile. This becomes a test of his loyalty and discipline. Restraint and silence are always a preferred option. Over-reaction may prove be a transient storm in a tea cup. Silence is always dignified and more gracious," Jaitley said.

Jaswant Singh to LK Advani: Is BJP treating its old guard right?

Delhi: Bilochan Prasad, 54, hails from Chhapra in Bihar but, has spent half his life plying auto-rickshaws in Delhi. He is quite amused by the milling crowds at the headquarters of various political parties during the ticket distribution season. "If Narendra Modiji wants to come to power to fight the bad parties, why does he need so many from those very parties?" he asks about a stream of new inductees being offered tickets for Lok Sabha.

Most senior leaders in the BJP now seem to be echoing Bilochan Prasad's simple question.

The quarrel within the BJP is not just over the formulae evolved to shut out the old guard or the pestering senior leaders who keep demanding tickets for their relatives but, over their selective application.  While the party stood firm in denying tickets to relatives of all the ministers' relatives in Madhya Pradesh it has gone out of its way to endorse the candidature of Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh's son Abhishek Singh for Mahasamund. Now a demand is being orchestrated to get Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's wife Sadhna Singh to contest from Vidisha assembly seat which he had vacated on his election from Budni.

Jaswant Singh and LK Advani. AFP.

Some old candidates needed to be replaced in the changing situation and the selections would always be disputed. But, with Narendra Modi, and Rajnath Singh taking calls on all the tickets, sweeping aside objections by all other members of central election committee, the conflict of their own political interests can't be overlooked.

Rajnath's Singh's shift from a vulnerable Ghaziabad to Lucknow is a case in point. He seems to be settling scores with many old tormentors during his first stint as party president.

So is the case of denial of ticket to Harin Pathak in Ahmedabad East. Paresh Rawal is a valid choice by all means. But has Pathak been dropped on merit or his poor equation with Modi – or the tag of being Advani supporter? In Uttar Pradesh the party's list has a whopping 37 per cent of candidates drawn out of the rivals like Samajwadi Party, the BSP or the Congress.

They have been preferred over loyal members. The new leadership believes the old party hands have lost connect with the masses and shakeup could revive the party. Given the state of the BJP in the 2009 elections it was unthinkable to expect the party to improve its performance. The squabbling old leaders would not have let the party move forward. But do the new imports enjoy impeccable credibility or a winning edge; or it's just a calculated risk.

One can't hide one's amusement when the parties campaign for the candidates they had opposed during the past elections. Caste has often been simplistically held out as one most significant factor in the heartland elections. If it had not been for the caste dynamics the voting pattern should have remained constant. Why are Yadavs moving away from Mulayam Singh's Samajwadi party; or, for that matter, why Muslims, stereotyped as Samajwadi or Congress voters, are drifting to Mayawati? Even Mayawati is not sure of shoring up the entire 17 percent Dalit vote that has remained with her through all ups and downs so far.

Harin Pathak airs the same views about the defectors getting precedence over old guard over the past three months. "The party has been inducting Congress' third grade turncoats, who have noisily criticised the BJP earlier and they are even being felicitated here," Pathak laments and wonders why Modi needed to do this when he is so popular. During the OBC resurgence Modi perhaps can afford to antagonise the Brahmin votes that rallied behind Pathak, who is yet to decide his course. His confrontation with the party may not work. But his silence could amplify the dissent within the party.

In Rajasthan Vasundhara Raje's antipathy for Jaswant Singh has cost him the Barmer nomination. Nobody from the party tried to reach him after he set the 48-hour deadline for quitting the party. "If I am not emotional about my home and my party, then what am I going to be emotional about... If the party decides to talk to me, they know my numbers and how I can be reached," Jaswant Singh said.

He was sought to be slighted along with former vice president Bhairon Singh Shekhawat during Vasundhara Raje's earlier stint as chief minister. The party is in ferment in Madhya Pradesh as most ministers whose relatives were denied tickets are still sulking. They have been warned they would lose their ministry if they failed to back the official candidates.

Real issue in Darjeeling is lack of development, not separate state: Bhutia

Kolkata: Pitted against BJP's SS Ahluwalia who has the backing of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, Trinamool Congress nominee Baichung Bhutia said the real issue in Darjeeling hills was not a separate state, but lack of development.

Bhaichung Bhutia. AFP

"If people have no jobs, if they remain half-starved and if their children are not getting proper education, they are bound to fill the streets and agitate," Bhutia, former captain of India's national football team, told PTI.

"The real issue in the hills is development for all. Since only a government can bring development to a region, it is the Trinamool Congress which is running the state government can do it," Bhutia explained.

Bhutia's appeal for support from the Morcha was earlier spurned by its chief Bimal Gurung. Bhutia called up Gurung, whom he addressed as 'daju', on 10 March seeking his support even though the TMC had earlier ruled out partnering with the Morcha in the hills.

Bhutia is not happy at being called an 'outsider' by the Morcha and said if he were indeed so, so were the sitting Darjeeling MP Jaswant Singh of the BJP and present nominee of that party SS Ahluwalia.

"I am never an outsider. I have always stood by the people of the hills in their time of distress, be it an earthquake or any happy occasion. I have always been there," he argued.

Bhutia's nomination by the TMC has raised eyebrows in many quarters with doubts expressed over whether a successful player can make a successful public representative too.

Asked about this, Bhutia bristled: "Nobody is born a politician. Neither Narendra Modi nor Rahul Gandhi were born as politicians. Just like a game of sports, a politician too has to learn politics over time. I personally feel successful sportspersons can also make good politicians."

Explaining his argument, the footballer said a player is successful when he toils hard to perform on the field and to win the respect and love of the people. Likewise, a politician too can gain the trust of the people by performing sincerely and tirelessly.

"I think a sportsperson can use his credibility as an individual to bring in change in politics which is losing its credibility," he said.

Bhutia maintained that his more-than-a-decade-long career as a sportsperson had prepared him as a team man and handed him the ability to keep his head cool in tense situations.

"Politics too is a team game just like football where you need to keep your head cool. I think my experience as a sportperson will help me to better deal with pressure situations and challenges."

Coming back to his development plank, Bhutia alleged that the sitting BJP MP from the hills, Jaswant Singh, had not done enough for the people in the region.

He said that the Morcha was playing dirty politics by making false promises, but expressed confidence that "this time it is going to lose this match".

Bhutia said there was no question of his defeat in the April 17 election and said that even if he lost, he would stick to politics and work for the development of the hills.

The GJM, which plays a decisive role in Darjeeling politics, has been at loggerheads with the state government led by the Trinamool Congress over the demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland.

PTI

 

Gujarat: Cong to focus on denying Modi a clean sweep in LS polls

Ahmedabad: The Congress has decided to focus on its strongholds in Gujarat -- the central and the tribal belt -- in the Lok Sabha polls, to deny BJP's prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi a clean sweep in the state. The BJP has kept the target of winning all the 26 seats of the state to give a boost to the leadership of Modi from his home state.

Though the BJP has performed well in the assembly elections, its performance in the 2004 and 2009 Lok Sabha in Gujarat has been average.
"Although an atmosphere has been created that there is a Modi wave, but we have worked to ensure that the Lok Sabha election results in Gujarat will not be as it is being predicted," Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi said.

Representational image. Agencies.

"We will win almost the same seats as that of last time, or even one or two seats more," he said. In 2009, Congress had won 11 out of the total 26 Lok Sabha seats, while in 2004 it had won 12 seats. The focus areas for the Congress is Central Gujarat, the tribal belt apart from some seats in Saurashtra, which the party is hoping to surely win.

The Central Gujarat region comprising six seats in the tribal belt stretching from Banaskantha in north to Valsad in South Gujarat, and some seats of Saurashtra and Kutch have been classified as Grade 'A' seats by the Congress in Gujarat. The Central Gujarat region and the tribal belt have strongly backed the Congress inspite of wave in favour of BJP after the 2002 riots.

"The Congress has completed its meticulous planning before selection of candidates by identifying its strong and weak seats," party  spokesperson Manish Doshi said. "We have divided Lok Sabha seats in grade A, B, C and D. Accordingly, we declared names of candidates on our strong seats ahead of the BJP, which has put that party on the back foot," Doshi said.

"It was difficult for BJP to select candidates on our strong seats and they had no option but to go for some Congress turncoats like in Surendranagar seat of Saurashtra where they have given ticket to our assembly election candidate Devji Fatehpura who lost from Chotila," Doshi said.

"The party high command has given much thought in selection of candidates on our A grade seats and on other seats also," he said. The party has also focused on campaigning in their strongholds to maximise the gains in such seats. It has also held rallies and meetings in tribal belts, where senior leaders like Ahmed Patel have campaigned.

Party vice-president Rahul Gandhi, during his two visit to the state to campaign had addressed rallies in tribal seat of Chotta Udepur and one seat of Central Gujarat and had also interacted with salt pan workers in Surendranagar district.

PTI

Jaswant to Advani: Is BJP treating its old guard right?

Delhi: Bilochan Prasad, 54, hails from Chhapra in Bihar but, has spent half his life plying auto-rickshaws in Delhi. He is quite amused by the milling crowds at the headquarters of various political parties during the ticket distribution season. "If Narendra Modiji wants to come to power to fight the bad parties, why does he need so many from those very parties?" he asks about a stream of new inductees being offered tickets for Lok Sabha.

Most senior leaders in the BJP now seem to be echoing Bilochan Prasad's simple question.

The quarrel within the BJP is not just over the formulae evolved to shut out the old guard or the pestering senior leaders who keep demanding tickets for their relatives but, over their selective application.  While the party stood firm in denying tickets to relatives of all the ministers' relatives in Madhya Pradesh it has gone out of its way to endorse the candidature of Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh's son Abhishek Singh for Mahasamund. Now a demand is being orchestrated to get Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's wife Sadhna Singh to contest from Vidisha assembly seat which he had vacated on his election from Budni.

Jaswant Singh and LK Advani. AFP.

Some old candidates needed to be replaced in the changing situation and the selections would always be disputed. But, with Narendra Modi, and Rajnath Singh taking calls on all the tickets, sweeping aside objections by all other members of central election committee, the conflict of their own political interests can't be overlooked.

Rajnath's Singh's shift from a vulnerable Ghaziabad to Lucknow is a case in point. He seems to be settling scores with many old tormentors during his first stint as party president.

So is the case of denial of ticket to Harin Pathak in Ahmedabad East. Paresh Rawal is a valid choice by all means. But has Pathak been dropped on merit or his poor equation with Modi – or the tag of being Advani supporter? In Uttar Pradesh the party's list has a whopping 37 per cent of candidates drawn out of the rivals like Samajwadi Party, the BSP or the Congress.

They have been preferred over loyal members. The new leadership believes the old party hands have lost connect with the masses and shakeup could revive the party. Given the state of the BJP in the 2009 elections it was unthinkable to expect the party to improve its performance. The squabbling old leaders would not have let the party move forward. But do the new imports enjoy impeccable credibility or a winning edge; or it's just a calculated risk.

One can't hide one's amusement when the parties campaign for the candidates they had opposed during the past elections. Caste has often been simplistically held out as one most significant factor in the heartland elections. If it had not been for the caste dynamics the voting pattern should have remained constant. Why are Yadavs moving away from Mulayam Singh's Samajwadi party; or, for that matter, why Muslims, stereotyped as Samajwadi or Congress voters, are drifting to Mayawati? Even Mayawati is not sure of shoring up the entire 17 per cent Dalit vote that has remained with her through all ups and downs so far.

Harin Pathak airs the same views about the defectors getting precedence over old guard over the past three months. "The party has been inducting Congress' third grade turncoats, who have noisily criticised the BJP earlier and they are even being felicitated here," Pathak laments and wonders why Modi needed to do this when he is so popular. During the OBC resurgence Modi perhaps can afford to antagonise the Brahmin votes that rallied behind Pathak, who is yet to decide his course. His confrontation with the party may not work. But his silence could amplify the dissent within the party.

In Rajasthan Vasundhara Raje's antipathy for Jaswant Singh has cost him the Barmer nomination. Nobody from the party tried to reach him after he set the 48-hour deadline for quitting the party. "If I am not emotional about my home and my party, then what am I going to be emotional about... If the party decides to talk to me, they know my numbers and how I can be reached," Jaswant Singh said.

He was sought to be slighted along with former vice president Bhairon Singh Shekhawat during Vasundhara Raje's earlier stint as chief minister. The party is in ferment in Madhya Pradesh as most ministers whose relatives were denied tickets are still sulking. They have been warned they would lose their ministry if they failed to back the official candidates.