July 15, 2011

"Indians are angry and asking why their government did not ensure their safety. Indian officials say they have made significant security reforms but it may never be possible to stop all terrorist attacks. That is true, but New Delhi still must learn from this experience and keep trying to perfect its intelligence and counterterrorism efforts," the New York Times said in a lead editorial.


"After the 2008 attacks, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh warned that his country would retaliate if hit again. We applaud his continued restraint and urge both sides to think hard about the horrifying cost of a war," the daily said.




Also read

The Strongest and the Weakest Prime Minister

Very less people know about Lal Bahadur Shastri and the values he stood for. But Manmohan Singh is considered by many as one of the most moral ministers and an epitome of integrity. Lets have a look how these 2 responded to the challenges faced by them.





In 2011 on 2G Spectrum Scam (From ToI)-


"I am not as big a culprit as being made out to be....... Quite frankly I have never felt like resigning."




Also read-

The strongest and the weakest Prime Minister

For those who dont know much about him, Dr. Subramanian Swamy has been the pioneer in the anti-corruption fight against the government in the 2G spectrum scam. He has filed the petition in the Supreme Court and it is on his petition that action is being taken and A. Raja has already been arrested. He states that A. Raja was a mere pawn in the scam and at a later date he would also implicate Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Read HERE. (Highly recommended)













Brief History (Achievements and why you should listen to this man)


Dr. Subramanian Swamy was born on 15 September 1939 in Chennai and is presently the President of Janata party.


Dr. Subramanian Swamy studied his masters degree in statistics at the Indian Statistical Institute. He then went to study at Harvard University on a full scholarship. He did his doctoral research with two Nobel Laureates namely Simon Kuznets and Paul A Samuelson. Dr. Swamy has also jointly authored with Professor Samuelson a path breaking study on Index Number Theory. He was awarded a doctorate in Economics by Harvard University (Class of 1965).


In 1964, Swamy joined the faculty of economics at Harvard and from then on he has till date taught at the Department of Economics for a total period of 12 years. From 1969 to 1991, he was a Professor of Economics at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. He is accounted by some to be an authority on the comparative study of India and China and is also well-versed in the Mandarin Chinese (Hanyu) language.


He was one of the founding members of the Janata Party which formed the 1st ever non-congress govt in the history of Independent India and has been its president since 1990. He was elected Member of Parliament 5 times between 1974 and 1999. He has twice represented the city of Mumbai North East during 1977 and 1980, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in the Parliament. He is regarded as a proponent of Hindutva.


Dr. Swamy has been subject to several defamation cases. He is known to argue these cases himself without the agency of lawyers and has won all the cases till now.


He can't be ignored because if you look closely he does not actually lose many legal battles. From the Islamic bank case to one concerning gold-plating of the Tirupati temple to the issue of Ram Sethu his activism brings the results he strives for.










Full Wikipedia Article

Introduction-


Syama Prasad Mookerjee [July 6, 1901 - June 23, 1953) was a nationalist political leader of India, and is considered the godfather of modern Hindutva and Hindu Nationalism. Mookerjee founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the first Hindu nationalist political party of its kind, and was also the leader of the Hindu Mahasabha and closely associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.



Relevance to Kashmir-


Syama Prasad Mookerjee opposed the Indian National Congress's decision to grant Kashmir a special status with its own flag and Prime Minister. According to Congress's decision, no one, including the President of India could enter into Kashmir without the permission of Kashmir's Prime Minister. In opposition to this decision, he once said "Ek desh mein do Vidhan, do Pradhan and Do Nishan nahi challenge" (A single country can't have two constitutions, two prime ministers, and two National Emblems).


Mookerjee went to visit Kashmir in 1953, and observed a hunger strike to protest the law that prohibited Indian citizens from settling in a state within their own country and mandated that they carry ID cards. He was arrested on May 11 while crossing border into Kashmir. Although the ID card rule was revoked owing to his efforts, he died in detention on June 23, 1953 under mysterious circumstances.


Death-

Shyama Prasad was arrested on entering Kashmir on May 11, 1953. Thereafter, he was jailed in a dilapidated house. Shyama Prasad had suffered from dry pleurisy and coronary troubles, and was taken to hospital one and a half months after his arrest due to complications arising from the same. He was administered penicillin despite having informed the doctor-in-charge of his allergy to penicillin, and he died on May 23, 1953.

His death in custody raised wide suspicion across the country and demands for independent enquiry were raised, including earnest requests from his mother, Jogmaya Devi, to Jawaharlal Nehru. Nehru declared that he had enquired from a number of persons who were privy to the facts and, according to him, there was no mystery behind Mookerjee's death. Jogmaya Devi did not accept Nehru's reply and requested the setting up of an impartial enquiry. Nehru however ignored the letter and no enquiry commission was set up. Mookerjee's death therefore remains a matter of some controversy.



Also Read-

A tribute to Shyama Prasad Mookerjee

New Delhi: The Opposition has cornered the Congress-led UPA Government on not one but three scams, including the controversy over the allocation of 2G spectrum. A CAG report accessed by CNN-IBN clearly indicts Telecom Minister A Raja.

The CAG report on the 2G spectrum scandal has clearly indicted Raja as well as the telecom regulator TRAI. The report says Raja ignored the advice of the Finance Ministry, the Law Ministry and the Telecom Commission while allocating the spectrum, which was done in an arbitrary manner without giving any logic or reasons.

The report states that the eligibility criteria were changes to suit a few operators. The loss to the exchequer is between Rs 90,000 to Rs 1,40,000 crore.

The CAG report also slams TRAI for being a 'helpless spectator'. It also indicts the Department of Telecom for flouting eligibility guidelines and says of the 122 licences issued, 85 were illegal.

The DoT, the report says, sold off precious natural assets cheaply.

"Action has been initiated against the lieutenants of corruption but the raja of corruption has escaped. The Congress has disassociated itself and made a statement that the enquiry against Raja is the prerogative of the Prime Minister. So the onus is on the Prime Minister," says AIADMK leader Dr V Maitreyan.

"The matter of A Raja has been in focus for many months now and matter is now sub judice and is pending in the court. So until the court takes a view on the matter, it will be difficult for us to comment or take any action," says Congress spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan.

The AIADMK is planning to disrupt Parliament over the Raja issue by putting the heat on the Congress. With the exit of Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan over a scam that runs into a few crores, the Congress will be hard pressed to explain why it cannot take action in a scam that is worth at least Rs 1,40,000 crore. The fig leaf of coalition compulsions is something the UPA can no longer hide behind.

LINK

The style of functioning and political leanings of the two young Gandhi cousins may be different but their concern for the Dalits is the same. While one shows concern for this section of society in full media glare, (And still does nothing-

Read-

1.) When Rahul gandhi met Kalavati

2.) Yahan koi Rahul gandhi nahi rehta!!

3.) Gandhi villagers complain of 'betrayal'


the other expresses his sympathies and offers a helping hand in his own way, sans publicity. In one such gesture, the saffron Gandhi -- BJP national secretary Varun Gandhi -- sent drafts of one lakh rupees each to the families of the two Dalit girls who committed suicide after being gang-raped.


The BJP Member of Parliament from Pilibhit recently visited the families of the two Dalit girls who were raped and subsequently committed suicide as they could net bear the trauma. While 15-year-old Vandana, daughter of Ashok Diwakar, committed suicide at Ramabai Nagar in Ghatampur, 20-year-old Kavita Rawat, daughter of Kiran Rawat of Shukla Ganj in Unnao, who also ended her life after being gang-raped.


Varun visited the families of both Dalit girls and mounted pressure on police to nab the rapist who were absconding because of laxity of the local police.


According to BJP's state media in-charge Narendra Singh Rana, Varun Gandhi handed over the drafts to former MP Shyam Bihari Mishra and former Legilsative Council Chairman Manvendra Singh to delive them to the families of the victims.


It may be recalled that some time back, Varun had visited some ailing old timers of the BJP and had promised monetary help to them for better treatment. The BJP national secretary had assigned this task to BJP state secretary Ashutosh Tandon Gopalji, who handed over the drafts to the ailing BJP old timers on Varun's behalf.


LINK

What was mentioned in the blog earlier "In coalition era, has CBI become govt's best ally?" has now been accepted by Supreme court. The UPA government is using CBI as a tool to control its allies.

Read-

CBI slammed by Supreme Court over alleged 2G scam

AHMEDABAD: Rahul Gandhi's comment equating the "fanatical" RSS with SIMI, have met strong reactions, significantly, from Muslims supporting the RSS. Rashtrawadi Muslim Manch, which was formed by the RSS in 2002 to include members from the minority community to its fold, has stated in a media brief that Congress leaders have this tendency to propagate falsehood before elections in order to appease Muslims to strengthen its vote bank.


"As elections for Bihar assembly and civic polls in Gujarat are to take place, Gandhi has equated RSS with SIMI to mislead Muslim community. But Muslims have realised these tactics adopted by the Congress," said the Manch's regional coordinator Yasin Ajmerwala.


The Manch has sought an apology from Gandhi.


Times of India link

About 18 months ago, the then UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband accompanied India's star politician Rahul Gandhi on a visit to the remote village of Semra in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

The village is in the heart of Mr Gandhi's Amethi parliamentary constituency and the arrival of the two dignitaries - officially to see rural India in action - was met with much optimism among the villagers.

Mr Miliband even went so far as to spend the night in a small brick hut with only a simple bed and the braying of cattle outside for company.

Now embittered villagers say the arrival of the two men did little to alleviate their poverty and that promises by Mr Gandhi to help them out have not been fulfilled.

'No guaranteed employment'

Shiv Kumari, the poverty-stricken widow who provided accommodation for Mr Miliband in the ramshackle thatched hut - her only asset where she lives with her five little children - says that she feels let down.

While Mr Miliband to her remains just another "gora saheb" (white man), she says that she had many hopes from Mr Gandhi, who promised her a "pukka" house and a job that would enable her to make ends meet.

"Alas, all that I have received after his visit were four brick walls, without doors, windows or even a roof," she said.

"Rahul Gandhi also promised to get me inducted as a mate [supervisor] under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS)."

But she says the only work she has got so far under NREGS was over a period of 12 days and another time for a period of 15 days.

"I am barely able to make 45 to 50 rupees after a day's work in privately-owned fields and that employment is not guaranteed seven days of the week," the 25-year-old widow said.

"There are days when our family of six has to remain content with three rotis [unleavened flat bread] because we have no other option."

Mr Gandhi is a regular visitor to his Amethi constituency, recently showing Microsoft chairman Bill Gates around the area.

But Ms Kumari says she can get close enough to persuade him to carry out his pledge.

Full Article-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-10551568#

The Group of Ministers (GoM) constituted to re-examine the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy has recommended that the Central Government dole out an additional compensation worth Rs 1,500 crore to the victims. Where will this Rs 1500 crore come from? Through additional taxes. In short, you and I would have to pay up for the crime that we have not committed. And what about Union Carbide Corporation – the company that was grossly negligent in running the plant at Bhopal despite repeated warnings? Not a penny.

And the GoM has another impossible wish - to bring the former chief of UCC - the 91 year old Warren Anderson - back to India after allowing him to flee more than 25 years ago. For what? To crucify him? To make him pay up? To settle old scores?

Instead of the tax payer being made to pay up, why not ask those who allowed Anderson to flee to cough up Rs 1500 crore? We have many on the list of suspects - Rajiv Gandhi, Narasimha Rao, the then Madhya Pradesh chief minister Arjun Singh, the CBI. Two of them are no more, so the Congress, not the Centre, should pay up. This because the decision to allow Anderson to go was taken at a personal level; it was NOT a government of India decision.

Not surprising, the GoM report has given a clean chit to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi vis-a-vis the circumstances in which Anderson was allowed to leave the country after being arrested. The report cited the absence of any records either in the Ministry of External Affairs or the Home Ministry which could indicate that the former PM was in the know of things. If there was no evidence, the GoM could have summoned the then foreign secretary Rasgotra or questioned the then US envoy. That ofcourse would have caused a major embarrassment to the GoM and the Congress (read Sonia Gandhi).

Link And full article

NEW DELHI: Despite claims made by the UPA towards gender empowerment, nothing could be further from the truth. Under the Congress-led UPA, not only has allocation for women-centric schemes in the Union Budget dropped from 9.2% in 2004-2005 to 3.2% in 2009-2010, but worryingly, gender specific schemes form only 2.4% of the women and child development ministry's total budget.


An analysis of the budgetary allocation by Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability (CBGA) has revealed that child development schemes form 97.2% of the WCD ministry's budget. The lion's share is taken up by the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) leaving only a measly 2.4% for women-related programmes.


Also, while allocation for the WCD ministry in the Union Budget has increased from Rs 2,454 in 2004-2005 to Rs 7,218 crore in 2009-2010, as a proportion of the Budget, this marks a decline from 9.2% to 3.2% in the same period.


"Priorities for women and children have gone up in absolute numbers but in relative terms, it's a marginal increase and is still abysmally low. So UPA's claims regarding creation of a separate ministry must be taken with a word of caution," Bhumika Jhamb, CBGA's programme officer, said.


The lack of priority given to women shows up in data. According to the `People's Mid-Term Appraisal' by CBGA and Wada Na Todo Abhiyan, health and education indicators are less than heartening. The percentage of married women aged 15-49 years who are anaemic increased to 56.2% in 2005-2006 from 51.8% in 1998-1999. While girls constitute 48.4% of primary enrolment, they also constitute half of the `out of school children' -- three percentage points more than their share in the population -- pointing to gaps in gender-wise provision of education.


As a consequence of poor public facilities and low health status, over 120,000 mothers die due to child birth-related problems every year and shockingly, maternal mortality rate is still over 300 per 1 lakh deliveries. Another indicator of women's condition is that about 35% women in India have experienced physical or sexual violence.


Feminist groups have demanded higher allocation in the budget for women for decades. It is time the government kept its promise.



Article at Times of India

Congress leaders are understandably the most vociferous in displaying righteous outrage at the unfortunate speech delivered by Varun Gandhi, just as they spare no occasion to castigate Narendra Modi for the Gujarat riots of 2002. However, their words would have more credibility if they expressed comparable shame at the fact that their party led the way in showing that riots and massacres can be used as means to manipulate vote banks. Apart from the infamous massacre of Sikhs in 1984, the 1970s and 1980s witnessed a series of communal riots presided over by the Congress party in places like Meerut, Malliana, Jamshedpur, Kanpur, Bhiwandi, Bhagalpur, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.


The arrest of Congress leader Meghsingh Chaudhary at the instance of the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigative Team for his active participation in the Gulbarga Society massacre in Ahmedabad in 2002 confirms what knowledgeable people in Gujarat have for long alleged that many Congressmen enthusiastically joined hands with members of the sangh parivar in the anti-Muslim riots of 2002.



Full article at Times of India

For all those who don't know Afzal guru was the mastermind behind the parliament attack which happened around 10 years ago. He has been given death sentence by Supreme Court of India yet it doesn't look like anything will happen in near future! Now the general belief in people is that the delay is because he has sent a mercy petition to the president and he will be hanged when his turn comes and when president rejects the petition. But president would reject the petition when it reaches him (her in this case). In reality the congress govt have been sitting on the file for years and have not sent the file to the president! Now the basic question is "Why?" and the answer is there for all of you to see. Another bigger question is-



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Parliament was attacked on December 13, 2001, the Congress and all political parties described it as an attack on democracy. Ten years later, the Congress dismisses an important letter on the punishment to be given to Mohd Afzal Guru as `routine’ and tucks it into some dog-eared file.

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs sends a letter to the Delhi Government on April 27 asking the government headed by Shiela Dikshit to furnish its views on the mercy petition of Afzal Guru. The letter gets buried and the MHA sends a reminder. Again no reply. And the Home Ministry of the Delhi Government is under Shiela Dikshit herself!

The MHA letter was rather strongly worded, but the Delhi Chief Minster chose to sit over the file. In fact, the Delhi Government has been sitting on Guru's file since September 2006!

This is not the first time that Sheila Dikshit is getting a letter from the MHA located a few blocks away from her office. A similar notice was sent in April last year. At that time, Dikshit had said she would study the matter after the elections and take appropriate action. But, a year after the Lok Sabha elections, Dikshit has not decided on the matter.

It was in August 2005 that the President sought the MHA's views. The MHA, in turn, sought the opinion of the Delhi Government as the comments of the government of the state where the crime has been committed are sought before deciding a mercy petition. That is where Afzal Guru is stuck - on the table of Shiela Dikshit.

So who is fooling the public? The MHA or the Delhi Government or both?

So, is the Congress going soft on terrorists just for petty vote bank politics? One Congress leader sits over an important letter on Afzal Guru, another senior leader - Digvijay Singh -- visits Azamgarh, the hotbed of terrorists and give the Batla House encounter in Delhi a new spin.

Probably Shiela Dikshit does not want to take any action on the letter before the Commonwealth Games. If Guru is hanged now, there may be a backlash and this is the last thing that the Delhi Govt wants before the Games. One minor backlash and the Games would be `up for a toss'.

The BJP is right when it says that the clean chit to two suspected Indian accomplices of 26/11 convict Ajmal Kasab and the delay in hanging Parliament attack culprit Afzal Guru was fast giving India the reputation of being soft on home-grown terrorists.

"I have not received any letter (from the MHA). Maybe the Home Department (of the Delhi government) received it," said Dikshit. Maybe? This is no routine letter on the weather or traffic jams in Delhi. This was a letter on a terrorist who attacked the symbol of democracy.

The reminder from the MHA came just a week before a Mumbai court sentenced Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab to death for the 26/11 attacks.

The letter had a sense of urgency as Kasab cannot be hanged before Afzal Guru. Questions are bound to arise on why.

"We are aware questions may be asked on what we are doing about the Afzal Guru case once the file pertaining to Kasab's death sentence lands with us if somebody files a mercy plea," a senior MHA functionary was quoted in The Indian Express.

Source: R Shankar, India Syndicate

LINK

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The art of politics in the real sense was probably first codified in the book `Arthashastra'. Kautilya aka Chanakya, regarded as the `first great political realist', gave some scintillating answers to many basic yet vital questions of governance that had troubled ruling classes for centuries.



Some important answers mentioned in `Arthashastra' are: When killing of domestic opponent is wise? How one uses secret agents? When one needs to sacrifice one's secret agents? In what cases must a king spy on his own people?



The questions were framed in 4th century BC, that is, nearly 2,500 years ago. What a coincidence! All of them are equally relevant now when smaller parties offer unsolicited support to the government from outside, demand and get all benefits of a coalition partner, share no blame and even join the Opposition in criticising the government for bad decisions, and not the least, pull the rug when it becomes inconvenient.



At a time when these smaller parties had thought they had successfully created an enigma in politics to be in power without being held accountable, someone in the UPA government did go back to basics and scrupulously read through `Arthashastra' to find a perfect antidote for it.



In the present political conundrum, let us attempt reframing the questions for the `Kautilya' in the government: "When is it wise to file a chargesheet against a domestic opponent? How effectively does one use CBI, police and prosecuting agencies to win support of political opponents? In what cases must the government tap the telephones of its own people?



The CBI, which came into existence on April 1, 1963, did a marvellous job in cases that did not involve political figures. It did earn the faith of the common man. But, in the last decade or so, it has lost quite a bit of its stature as an "independent investigating agency" being quietly amenable to the diktats of political masters.



Governments have used CBI's investigations and law officers' opinions to either launch or drop prosecutions against political opponents and coerce support even from the bitterest of rivals.



The CBI probe and chargesheets in disproportionate assets has been used as a common tool against political leaders -- be it RJD's Lalu Prasad, SP's Mulayam Singh Yadav or BSP's Mayawati -- to create a situation where the chieftains despite their differences with the ruling dispensation fall in line to bail out the government in critical situations.



Nothing is permanent in politics which makes strange bedfellows. But given the flippant coalition partners, the government appears to have found the best possible ally, CBI.



CBI refused to file appeal against clean chit to Lalu in a DA case and even contested the Bihar government's locus standi to question it. If the agency does not appeal, and if the state had actually lost a huge amount of money to alleged corruption, then can the state be not regarded as victim and permitted to seek redressal? The Supreme Court thought otherwise.



The disproportionate assets case against Mulayam and his kin kicked up a lot of dust in the courts and political arena after the SC ordered CBI probe into it. Since then, the investigating agency and the law officers have tangoed perfectly to keep Mulayam at a reachable distance in the political game.



After declaring for years before the Supreme Court that it had unimpeachable evidence to prosecute Mayawati in a DA case, the CBI, at a time when political equations were getting a little bothersome, found the perfect opportunity to take the heat off the case by telling the apex court that it was ready to consider the BSP leader's plea for dropping the case in the face of clean chit from Income Tax department.



Such are the games of politics in the coalition era and the CBI becomes a handy tool for the government to seek safety in numbers, which alone counts in the House of People. Does this gamemanship harm the national motto "Satyameva Jayate", meaning truth alone triumphs?




LINK-

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/NEWS/India/In-coalition-era-has-CBI-become-govts-best-ally/articleshow/5884049.cms

The Congress workers noted the genuine voters' details from their EPICs and entered these on fake cards kept ready. Photos of the fake voters were then pasted on them. These fake cards were designed as 'employment' identity cards.


The Election Commission (EC) has approved use of any photo identity, including office identity card, as valid ID proof to cast one's vote.

More than a vote:

The fake voters sauntered into the booths and cast their votes after flaunting the fake EPICs.

Outside, a few of their associates armed with a certain chemical to erase the indelible ink mark on their forefinger. Many fake voters re-entered the booths with a new fake EPIC to cast their vote again.

Officialspeak:

Bharatlal Meena, BBMP Commissioner, said, "If we come across such an irregularity, we will probe the case and refer it to the Election Commission."

The other side:

Congress candidate Gowramma's husband, C Govindaraju alias Jinke Govinda, said his party work had done no wrong. He said, "Those caught on camera are not my men."

'I don't know the full form of BBMP'

Name: Seema Khanum
Age: 30 years
Candidacy: Contesting on a Congress ticket from Jagajeenram Nagar (Ward no 136).
Qualification: A matriculate, Khanum is the wife of Altaf Khan, a local rowdy.

What is BBMP?
It is the corporation.

Do you know the full form of BBMP?
No. I don't.

All right, do you know where is the BBMP's head office?
I have seen it. It is somewhere in the city.

Do you at least know which election you are contesting?
Yes, that of a councillor.

Do you know what are the duties of a councilor?
Sorry, I don't. I'm not educated. But all I know is that a councillor should work for the people.

What do you intend to do for the people if you win the election?
My husband will look after it. I can't interact with people that well, as I can't speak any language other than Urdu.

Then how will you take part in the discussion at the BBMP council meetings?
I'll take my husband along.

But he won't be allowed there.
Oh, I didn't know about it.





Link-

http://www.mid-day.com/news/2010/mar/290310-bogus-voting-civic-polls-EPIC-BBMP-polls.htm

NEW DELHI: Congress-leaning lawyers have raised the pitch for assignments from the government. A Congress convention, which brought together lawyers from Congress legal cells in the states, was set abuzz when populist voices were raised, with one directly asking for party-affiliated lawyers to be accommodated in various panels, and even in the judiciary.



Union law minister Veerappa Moily urged the AICC’s legal department headed by Abhishek Singhvi to create a national database of lawyers affiliated with Congress. ‘‘... we can form domain expertise using their experience; we can train them in different fields and ultimately bond them into mainstream of judiciary,’’ he said.



The call, with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the dais, led to murmurs in the gathering as it was interpreted that there will be a preference for lawyers affiliated with the Congress in the selection for judiciary.



The organizing body headed by Abhishek Singhvi demanded that an Alternative Disputes Redressal system be formed and named after Rajiv Gandhi. Government sources said there is an International Centre for ADR lying dysfunctional and the Prime Minister is unhappy about it. Sources said it could be renamed and made active.



DPCC chief J P Aggarwal got a thunderous applause when he said Congress needed to bring its lawyers on official panels and appointments. Aggarwal, speaking at a working session on ‘‘Human rights, common man and contemporary exigencies’’ chaired by home minister P Chidambaram, said it was found that lawyers who were with the Congress were ignored at the time of selection for various panels. ‘‘Why will they carry your flag?’’ he asked, making a forceful plea.



At the end of the day, Singhvi assured the meeting that the law minister agreed with the demand made by Aggarwal and steps would be taken in this direction in future.



Link



======================================

Already almost all govt departments are allegedly filled with corruption ranging from Police to CBI. Now another attempt by congress to even fill the judiciary on the criteria of political leanings rather than the actualy capability?




And if you hadnt notice 1 more name scheme after the Gandhi family apart from 500 odd which are already named after them.

CHANDIGARH/VALTOHA: Union home minister P Chidambram’s categorical no to including Sikhs in the ‘welcome-back’ call extended to Kashmiri youth who had gone over to PoK, has come as a rude shock for Punjab, where people are slamming the government’s stand as ‘‘discriminatory and unjust’’.



Soon after PC’s offer to PoK youths, the Jathedar of Akal Takht, in an exclusive interview with the TOI, had asked the minister to make the same offer to Sikh youths on February 13. On Thursday, Chidambram’s party colleague and former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh said he ‘‘did not agree with the (PC’s) decision’’.



‘‘There has to be some logic to it. When we are extending this offer to those who are still resorting to violence (in J&K), then why can’t we call back those who have shunned arms years ago and returned to the mainstream,’’ said Amarinder, who had, during his chief minister’s tenure, carried back a list of 50-odd such youths from Canada for having their names cleared from the High Commission, after taking clearance from Indian authorities. He also took up the matter with External Affairs ministry later.



BJP MP from Amritsar, Navjot Sidhu called the decision ‘‘a shocking violation of Indian constitution where Union government was indulging in discrimination on the basis of caste, colour and creed. Anybody, who violates the constitution should be made to face action,’’ Sidhu told The Times of India on phone from Indore.



Even as criticism is pouring in from Sikh leaders cutting across party lines, human rights lawyer Navkiran Singh has decided to file a PIL in the Punjab and Haryana High Court challenging PC’s decision on the ground that ‘‘all the citizens are equal in the eyes of India’s constitution but the Union government is discriminating against Sikhs while appeasing Muslim community.’’




Full Article

Joshi’s proposal goes beyond what the Saxena committee report — it was appointed by the Rural Development Ministry — recommended. While it said that weightage should be given to certain social groups, including Muslims, it did not favour automatic inclusion.


According to the Saxena report, SCs/STs would get three points and Most Backward Castes (MBC) two points. The Saxena report said that Muslims and OBCs be given one point each.

Automatic inclusion of Muslims in the BPL list could be the first major attempt by the Congress-led UPA government to woo the vote bank that roughly constitutes 18% of the country’s population.


The decision could be significant given that Uttar Pradesh and Bihar go to state polls in 2012 and 2010 respectively, states where the Congress is desperately trying to get a foothold.


Inclusion and exclusion from the BPL list is a big issue in villages, particularly in the Hindi heartland, since benefits of most Central and state-sponsored welfare schemes like Indira Awas Yojna, old age pension are decided on the basis of the list.

Link-

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/include-all-muslims-in-bpl-then-exclude-the-welloff/569084/2