Prime Minister fails to break Lokpal logjam in all-party meet

New Delhi:  There were no surprises as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's all-party meet failed to evolve a consensus on the Lokpal Bill on Friday. BJP leader Arun Jaitley, after the meeting, aptly put it as "the only consensus was on the lack of consensus."

Along with Mr Jaitley, BSP's S C Mishra, RJD's Ram Kripal Yadav, SP's Ram Gopal Yadav, NCP'S Tariq Anwar and CPI's A B Bardhan met at the Prime Minister's residence to discuss the controversial bill, to which 97 amendments have been moved by Opposition members in the Upper House. Union Ministers Pranab Mukherjee, P Chidambaram, A K Antony and Salman Khurshid were among those present at the meeting.

But after two hours of brainstorming, a consensus eluded the political spectrum and the Congress found itself standing among friends and foes on the issue of Lokayuktas.

After the meeting, the BJP slammed the government for not being sincere on the Lokpal Bill.

"The UPA partners were not in favour of the government draft. I think they should present an amended bill in Parliament; they have got the message loud and clear," BJP leader Arun Jaitley told NDTV.

"On certain issues, there was consensus but the consensus was completely against the government draft (of the Lokpal Bill)," Mr Jaitley added.

It wasn't just the Opposition, but the UPA's key allies like the Trinamool Congress and the DMK also called the government's draft of the Lokpal Bill a 'flawed bill'. The Opposition and the key allies were unified on the issue of Lokayuktas in states. All of them want states should be free to decide on the Lokayukta's constitution and if the Centre wants to talk about the issue, it should largely be an enabling legislation.

"It (the govt draft) will affect the federal character of the constitution and the autonomy of the state," said Trinamool's Sukhendu Sekhar Roy. DMK leader Tiruchi Siva, said, "the states' rights should be taken care of."

The biggest stumbling block for the government is the division over the powers of the Lokayukta in states and the role of the CBI. This means the bill is likely to be further stalled. (Read 10 big facts on the Lokpal Bill)

The Left and some other parties want the CBI to be monitored by the Lokpal, especially in corruption investigations. There have also been demands for an independent investigation agency under the Lokpal to look at corruption cases.

"Whether it's CBI or any other investigation agency, the power to investigate and supervise the whole process should be granted to the Lokpal. If the CBI is investigating a corruption case, then that investigation should come under the Lokpal. There was no consensus on this issue but this is what our stand is," CPM leader Sitaram Yechury told reporters after the meeting.

"The bill cannot come up in the Rajya Sabha this week as we have to pass the Budget," he added.

The Samajwadi Party, which has been supporting the UPA in Parliament, is also not interested in Lokpal in its present form. The SP said it is a "flawed bill" and that it should be sent to a select committee of Parliament for review.

Social activist Anna Hazare and his team, meanwhile, have renewed their pressure on the government.

Mr Hazare told reporters in Delhi today," We've learnt that the PM's meeting has failed to evolve consensus. On March 25, we'll protest at Jantar Mantar. We will tell the people that the government is not serious about the Lokpal Bill, about fighting corruption. The bill in its present form will not be an effective tool against corruption." (Team India gears up for protest at Jantar Mantar)

The Congress faces a major dilemma; it can't have allies moving amendments which the opposition wants as its numbers in Rajya Sabha are poor. Congress needs to win back disagreeing UPA allies. If not, then go with what the friends and foes want.

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No increase in passenger fares, says new Railways Minister

New Delhi:  Mamata Banerjee has had her way. The new Railways Minister, Mukul Roy, announced in Parliament today that there will be no fare hike in the sleeper class, AC 3-tier and AC chair car.

He, however, kept untouched the increase of 15 paise per km and 30 paise per km respectively in passenger fares in AC 2-tier and AC First Class, announced by his predecessor Dinesh Trivedi in the Railway Budget last week.

That announcement cost Mr Trivedi his job - a furious Ms Banerjee, who is the chief of Mr Trivedi's party, asked the Prime Minister to remove him, creating an unprecedented political crisis with a minister stepping down before his budget was discussed in Parliament. Mr Trivedi defied Ms Banerjee for four days, then finally resigned on Sunday night.  He was replaced by her party's Mukul Roy.  

Mr Roy described the rollback as "in the interest of the common man." Mr Trivedi had suggested an increase ranging from 2 paise per km to 30 paise per km.
With 19 Lok Sabha MPs, Mr Banerjee is a senior member of the ruling coalition but has often clashed with the government she belongs to.
Ms Banerjee had said that an increase in passenger fares would hurt the aam aadmi or common man.  The rollback greatly dents the government's image by proving that with a shaky coalition, the Prime Minister is in no position to introduce even small reforms like increasing train ticket prices.  Ms Banerjee forced the Prime Minister late last year to suspend his reforms in retail - his government wanted to allow 51% foreign direct investment or FDI in multi-brand stores which would have allowed international super-chains like Wal-Mart to sell directly to Indian consumers.

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Coal report not final, leak causes us anguish: CAG writes to Prime Minister

New Delhi:  The government has been accused of a massive coal scam by the opposition - both Houses of Parliament were adjourned this morning.  The latest crisis for the government is based on a draft report on coal mining by the government's auditor, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). The leaked draft finds fault with the allocation of 155 coalfields to about 100 private and some public sector units or state-run firms between 2004 and 2009 instead of auctioning them off to the highest bidder.  The losses, according to the draft report, add upto Rs 10.7 lakh crore. The auditor does not make accusations of corruption, but says the government had extended "undue benefits" to the companies, and that in the absence of an auction, the sale of the coalfields was "subjective" and allowed "windfall gains."  (Excerpts from coal scam report by Govt auditor (CAG)

The Prime Minister oversaw the coal ministry for some of the period in question in the draft report. The government says it has so far not received a copy of the report. The Prime Minister's Office says that it got a letter from the Comptroller and Auditor General of India this afternoon. The letter allegedly states that "In the extant case the details being brought out were observations which are under discussion at a very preliminary stage and do not even constitute our pre-final draft and hence are exceedingly misleading...Pursuant to clarification provided by the Ministry in exit conferences held on 9.02.2012 and 9.03.2012, we have changed our thinking  .... In fact it is not even our case that the unintended benefit to the allottee is an equivalent loss to the exchequer. The leak of the initial draft causes great embarrassment as the Audit Report is still under preparation." (Prime Minister's Office on CAG report on coal mining)

The emphasis by the CAG on an auction echoes the Supreme Court's recent order which said the government must use an auction to distribute all natural resources.  That order came as the Supreme Court cancelled 122 telecom licenses that were sold, not through a bidding process, but to companies that were allegedly favoured in a distorted first-come-first-served process. In its draft report, the auditor says that the coal offered to firms was severely under-valued by the government and an auction of the coal-blocks would have helped ensure that the benefit of the low costs of coal production is passed on to the public.
India is the world's third-largest coal producer in the world after China and the United States.  State-run power company NTPC told Reuters it had made no windfall profits from the allocations and that the lower costs meant cheaper electricity for consumers.
Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal said that the government used advertisements in newspaper ads to invite offers for the coal fields in question.  He also said that all state governments were consulted before the allocations were completed, and that BJP or Left led governments in states like West Bengal and Rajasthan had expressed reservations about an auction. "The coal blocks are allocated through a screening committee which is chaired by Coal Secretary," he said.   Before that, he explained, "We gave advertisements for allocation of coal blocks and invited applications...after the applications were received by us (Coal Ministry), the state governments were consulted and thereafter the coal blocks were allocated."

The Indian subsidiary of ArcelorMittal and steel makers Tata and Jindal Steel and Power, are among the companies named in the report. Jindal's controlling shareholder, Naveen Jindal, who is also a member of parliament, defended the policy of direct allocations, saying it had allowed private companies to jump-start production at mines left idle by state-run Coal India Limited, the world's single largest producer

The UPA has spent the last year trying unsuccessfully to beat its image as a government operating in a continuum of corruption and crisis, unable to implement reform or introduce transparency. "The Congress-led UPA government is looting the country. We can't allow this to happen. We have given notices under various rules today and will discuss with the leaders today and decide our next course of action," said Prakash Javadekar, BJP spokesperson as the party demanded a CBI probe into the alleged scam. Gurudas Dasgupta of the Left said, "This is a government of scams. All CAG reports indicate about misuse of public money...ministers, politicians are involved." 

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Andhra Pradesh minister quits over Congress' defeat in by-polls

Hyderabad:  Andhra Pradesh Health Minister DL Ravindra Reddy has submitted his resignation to Congress president Sonia Gandhi over the party's defeat in the by-polls.

He has cited the dismal performance of the Congress party as the reason behind his resignation and has reportedly owned moral responsibility for the party's defeat.

The Telangana Rashtriya Samiti or TRS won four of the seven assembly seats in the by-poll results declared yesterday. Voting was held on Sunday. Six of the seven seats are located in Telangana.

The TRS, headed by K Chandrasekhara Rao (KCR), defeated the ruling Congress party and main Opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Station Ghanpur, Kollapur, Adilabad and Kamareddy constituencies. Both the TDP and the Congress are accused by the Telangana movement of not supporting its demand of statehood.

The results pose a serious survival threat for the ruling Congress and also make the writing on the wall clear: That the demand for a separate Telangana state cannot be wished away.

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Raja Bhaiyya, controversial minister, allegedly lied about his age

Lucknow:  The decision to make Raja Bhaiyya a minister in the new government in Uttar Pradesh has generated new controversy - he has apparently lied about his age. The MLA from Kunda in the Pratapgarh district of Eastern Uttar Pradesh has serious cases pending against him including charges of murder and dacoity. The new chief minister, Akhilesh Yadav, made him the minister for prisons and five other ministries including food and civil supplies and consumer affairs.
In the documents submitted to the Election Commission before he contested the election, Raja Bhaiyya, whose real name is Raghuraj Pratap Singh, said he is 38 years old. This means he would have been 19 when he won his first election in 1993. That's impossible because any candidate for an election has to be at least 25 years old.
Akhilesh's father, Mulayam Singh Yadav, has defended the minister. "Who knows it might be the handiwork of some members of opposition parties...it's a conspiracy against the party," he said.

Sources in the Election Commission say that Raja Bhaiyya cannot be disqualified for lying about his age. At most, he could face six months in prison or be charged a fine.

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Where are the numbers, Mr Prime Minister, asks Sushma after vote on anti-terror centre

New Delhi:  The government won a vote today on its proposed National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), but that victory, according to the BJP, exposes that the government is in a minority. The opposition has also highlighted that ministers of the Trinamool Congress, headed by Mamata Banerjee, walked out of the House before the vote.  

After the vote, the BJP's Sushma Swaraj tweeted, "There were 227 votes in favour of the Government. It is 45 less than the majority. The Government's majority claim has been exposed." She added, "They have been saying - 'We have the number, we have the number'. Mr Prime Minister Where is the number?" Referring to the fact that the Trinamool did not vote in favour of the government, she said, "It is for the first time that even Ministers of alliance partner (TMC) walked out of the House. It is huge embarrassment for the Government."

The BJP and the Left had pushed for votes against the government for violating the federal structure of the country via the NCTC. A simple majority is 272 in the Lok Sabha which has 543 seats. The government came in under that mark, but members of the Trinamool Congress and Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) walked out during the vote, reducing by 40 the number of MPs present and voting. Mulayam Singh Yadav, who today denied reports that he will formally join the ruling coalition, also lent assistance by voting along with the government. But 60 MPs from the UPA - including 12 from the Congress, which leads the ruling coalition - were absent during the vote. The Congress had issued a whip to its MPs, ordering them to be present. Those who were missing are likely to be served a showcause notice with the party demanding an explanation.

Ms Banerjee, who is both Trinamool chief and West Bengal chief minister, has led a contingent of 10 chief ministers who objected to the NCTC. By walking out during the vote, her MPs were not forced to vote against the government alongside the BJP and the Left. At the same time, they avoided voting in favour of a policy that they have criticised fiercely. Sources in the Trinamool Congress say that this was part of a strategy worked out with the Congress this morning. But the BJP was quick to point out that Trinamool ministers like Mukul Roy and Sudip Bandyopadhyay were among those who left the House.    

The vote on the contentious NCTC today was held in the form of amendments moved by the Left and the BJP to the Motion of Thanks given by the Prime Minister this morning for the President's address. Last week, President Pratibha Patil inaugurated the Budget session of Parliament with her speech in which she outlined the agenda of the government. The NCTC was mentioned. The opposition wanted that reference to be deleted. The Prime Minister in his Motion of Thanks said that consultations with state governments will continue about the plans and powers for the NCTC.

He also reiterated that the Home Minister will meet with all chief ministers on April 16 to discuss their concerns. The NCTC has the right to arrive in any state, conduct searches for suspects, and make arrests. State governments say this impedes upon their right to handle law and order, and that the state police force must play a larger role in the NCTC's operations.

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Akhilesh Yadav sworn in as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister; SP workers on bad behaviour

Lucknow:  New Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav will be hoping hard this is not a portent. Barely had the 38-year-old been sworn in as  the state's youngest Chief Minister, that his biggest challenge was demonstrated by his party workers who shoved their way onto the stage and were seen climbing on sofas.

So shortly after being sworn in, the young SP leader assured the people of his state that his government "will not tolerate lawlessness and will tackle it with an iron hand." "Samajwadi Party will fulfill promises made in the manifesto. Law and order will be our responsibility from today," he said. During extensive campaigning in Uttar Pradesh during the recently held polls, Mr Yadav had vowed to cleanse his party of "goonda-giri" or hooliganism; he had also said
that his top priority would be to deliver law and order to a state besieged by crime.

Earlier in the day, Mr Yadav, dressed in white kurta pyjama and black sleeveless jacket and looking uncannily like his father Mulayam Singh Yadav, took oath at 11.34 am at the La Martiniere College grounds in Lucknow.  He firmly shook hands with Governor BL Joshi, and then, a picture of calm, reached into his left breast pocket for a pen, signed and waved to the hundreds of SP supporters who had gathered at the venue since early morning.
Nineteen Cabinet ministers and 29 ministers of state also took oath, among them the controversial independent MLA with criminal antecedents, Raghuraj Pratap Singh or Raja Bhaiyya, who expectedly thrown his lot with the SP. After taking over as the CM, Akhilesh defended Raja Bhaiyya, who has been a minister before in a Mulayam Singh government, and accused his predecessor Mayawati of filing false cases against him. "We all know how cases against Raja Bhaiyya were filed," he said.
"Organised corruption as happened in the previous regime never took place in the state. There were restrictions during the previous government and UP is now celebrating democracy," he added.

In the star-studded audience cheering Mr Yadav at the swearing-in ceremony were Sitaram Yechury, Biman Bose and industrialist Anil Ambani.

His unruly cadres are already proving to be the new UP Chief Minister's Achilles Heel. He has the advantage of having come to power with an unambiguous majority with 224 seats in the 403-seat UP Assembly. He scripted that Samajwadi Party win with a forward-looking agenda that has promised the people of UP freedom from goonda raj and good law and order, jobs and education, and good economics. He now has his task cut out - he has vowed to implement his election manifesto to the full.

Rival parties wager that law and order will deteriorate in a Samajwadi Party regime, as has happened before. Even before Akhilesh was sworn in, he has been called upon to explain violent conduct of SP workers in several places. He had so far pleaded that officials of the old dispensation were to blame. Now, having taken charge, he has to prove that those were not empty words.
Among other things he promised in that document were sops like laptops students who passed class 10, tablet computers to those who passed class 12, allowance to unemployed youths, free treatment to patients suffering from serious ailments and loan waivers for farmers.

Akhilesh will also have to take a call on constituting a commission for taking legal opinion on providing reservation to Muslims and implementing recommendations of the Ranganath Mishra Commission and the Sachar Committee.

The SP leader has also said that rooting out corruption in the state is among his top priorities. And has promised to remove the ban on student politics in the state.

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Is Dinesh Trivedi Railways Minister or not? Opposition asks govt to explain

New Delhi/Kolkata:  Like much of the country, an aggressive opposition today asked in Parliament if Dinesh Trivedi is still the country's Railways Minister. Yes, says the government, acknowledging that Mr Trivedi has not resigned yet. But the Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee also acknowledged that the Prime Minister has received a letter from Mr Trivedi's boss, Mamata Banerjee, asking for his removal. Dr Manmohan Singh was non-committal despite the opposition's demands for an explanation. "If the situation arises, we will consider it," he told reporters.
Mr Trivedi was in the House, and was seen smiling.  He has reportedly defied Ms Banerjee's instructions to attend Parliament today.    
Mr Trivedi has provoked the wrath of Ms Banerjee because he allegedly did not consult her about the hike in passenger fares that he announced in his Railways Budget yesterday- the first in nine years. Ms Banerjee wants a rollback in those fares, at least for the cheap tickets that are normally bought by the aam admi or common man.
Ms Banerjee's Trinamool Congress is a key member of the government with 19 Lok Sabha MPs.  Its leaders today said in Parliament that they remain committed to the ruling coalition, the lone piece of good news this morning for the Congress. Trinamool leader Sudip Bandhopadhyay also told the Lok Sabha, "We have not asked for Dinesh Trivedi's resignation."  Sources say this was meant to indicate that the party will not be content with Mr Trivedi resigning, it wants him to be fired.
But the opposition pointed out that the drama over Mr Trivedi is an unprecedented political crisis.  "Is he the Railways Minister and is the budget he presented yesterday alive or dead?" asked the BJP's Sushma Swaraj. Other leaders pointed out that even as Parliament was discussing Mr Trivedi's status, MPs from his party were on a dharna outside against the minister and the new fares he announced in his Railways Budget yesterday.  This is a theatre of the absurd," said the BJP's Arun Jaitley
This morning, sources said that the Congress had given in to Ms Banerjee's two big demands: that Mr Trivedi would be replaced by her close confidante Mukul Roy as Railways Minister, and that the increased fares would be rolled back, at least for the cheaper tickets.  However, Mr Mukherjee has urged Ms Banerjee to wait for these changes till after the union budget is presented tomorrow.   But Ms Banerjee is not known for compromises.  So her party members have begun a protest at parliament, demanding that the hike in passenger fares be reversed.  They also want a financial package from the centre for West Bengal, which is seeped in debt. Among the Trinamool Congress leaders on "strike" at Parliament is the man tipped to be the next Railways Minister, Mr Roy.
Even as that drama continues, Ms Banerjee is needling the Congress on another front.  A group of MPs from her party will meet the Prime Minister today.  "We will convey we are upset with the NCTC," said Sudip Bandhopadhyay, who will be among them. He is also a minister from Ms Banerjee's party, the Trinamool Congress.
The NCTC refers to the new National Counter Terror Centre.  Ms Banerjee, who heads the Trinamool Congress and the Bengal government, has captained a group of ten chief ministers who have objected to the NCTC, forcing a delay in its commissioning.  Non-Congress states say the anti-terror hub has powers that over-ride those of state governments on law and order, and that violates the federal structure of the country.  

Ms Banerjee amplified her opposition to the NCTC by moving amendments to the vote of thank to the President's address.  Earlier this week, President Pratibha Patil outlined for parliament the agenda of the government.  Ms Banerjee wants the term "NCTC" to be deleted from that address.  The BJP has filed similar amendments. What that means is that the BJP will push for a vote.  And Ms Banerjee's MPs may find themselves voting alongside the opposition and against the government that they belong to.  When asked if that's likely, Mr Bandhopadhyay said, "We will talk when the cup of tea comes to my lip."

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Akhilesh Yadav to be sworn in as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister today

Lucknow:  Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav is set to take oath as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh today for the first time, after his party gained absolute majority by winning 224 seats in the 403-member Assembly.

38-year-old Akhilesh will be the state's youngest chief minister and his Cabinet is likely to be a mix of youth and experience.

He, however, will have his task cut out fulfilling the long list of promises made by his party in its poll manifesto.

Samajwadi Party had announced a slew of poll sops, including providing laptops to intermediate pass students, tablet computers to high-school pass outs, allowance to unemployed youths, free treatment to patients suffering from serious ailments and loan waivers for farmers.

Akhilesh will also have to take a call on constituting a commission for taking legal opinion on providing reservation to Muslims and implementing recommendations of the Ranganath Mishra Commission and the Sachar Committee.

The SP leader has said improving law and order situation and rooting out corruption in the state are among his top priorities.

Besides, restoration of student unions in universities and colleges will also be a challenge for him.

Even before taking the reins of the state, the party is under attack from Opposition parties, including outgoing Chief Minister Mayawati, who has alleged that the law and order situation had deteriorated following declaration of poll results in favour of SP.

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Vijay Bahaguna sworn in as new Uttarakhand Chief Minister after Harish Rawat rebels

Dehradun/New Delhi:  Vijay Bahuguna has been sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Uttarakhand. It was a short ceremony on Tuesday evening, with only Mr Bahuguna taking oath. Getting his government together is likely to be less simple - in resolutely appointing Mr Bahuguna the Congress has ignored the loud rebellion of veteran leader Harish Rawat, who says he should be CM and claims he has the support of many Congress MLAs. Less than half of the Congress' 32 MLAs attended the ceremony in Dehradun.
Many of them were reportedly in Delhi with the sulking Mr Rawat, who has been looked over before by the party leadership, and has written to Congress president Sonia Gandhi. He is said to have threatened to quit the party. Mr Rawat scoffs at his party saying that not too many MLAs support him. "The Congress General Secretary said Harish Rawat has the support of just six MLAs...so if that were true how come only eight Congress MLAs attended the swearing-in ceremony? Where were the rest? My point has been proved," he said to NDTV on Tuesday evening.
Mr Bahuguna, whose problems seem to have only just begun, said before being sworn in, "This is a family matter and will be solved within the family...We will convince everyone...This party is like the Himalayas, it can't be broken."
The BJP clearly thinks differently. It got one seat less than the Congress' 32 in the state and still smells a chance; BJP leaders in the state say they will still form the government in Uttarakhand. Towards that objective, the party is happy to fuel the Congress fire. Sources say Harish Rawat has already met BJP chief Nitin Gadkari; if Mr Rawat quits the Congress, the BJP is said to not be averse to supporting a government led by him.
Both the BJP and Mr Rawat's camp have officially denied any meeting, but BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan said before Mr Bahugana was sworn in, "Bahuguna does not enjoy majority support among Congress MLAs. The Congress is breaching constitutional norms. If the Governor administers oath to Bahuguna, it will allow the Congress to indulge in horse trading to whip up support."
Here are the top 10 facts of this moment in this fast-developing story:
1) Harish Rawat, a veteran Congress leader from the hill state, has written a letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi protesting against the "injustice meted out" to him. Mr Rawat contends that he should be the Chief Minister and says he has the support of a majority of the Congress's 32 MLAs. Mr Rawat is a Union Minister and he has reportedly asked Mrs Gandhi to relieve him of his ministerial duties if the party does not believe in him. There are reports that the sulking Mr Rawat might leave the Congress to form his own party along with the MLAs who support him.
2) Though Mr Rawat was a front-runner for the CM's post, the Congress picked Vijay Bahuguna for CM. Vijay Bahuguna is the brother of Rita Bahuguna Joshi, the Congress' president in neighbouring UP. Sources say though  Mr Rawat enjoys the support of many MLAs, the party leadership did not pick him for CM as he had put up many rebel candidates in these elections, which the Congress had expected to win comfortably, but did not.
3) Mr Rawat is in his home in Delhi right now. He says he has the firm support of at least 11 MLAs. With him at his house are 17 Uttarakhand MLAs. Rawat supporters have been raising slogans today demanding that the party leadership do a rethink on who should be CM.   
4) The Congress leadership has held an emergency meeting but has been firm that it will not change its mind. The message from Delhi is that Vijaya Bahuguna will be the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand. For the Congress, it is not as easy as making problems vanish by picking Mr Rawat instead of Mr Bahuguna. Both of these local leaders and another one, Harak Singh Rawat, enjoy pockets of influence and the party will face problems whoever it picks.     
5) Harish Rawat did not attend the swearing-in ceremony in Dehradun. 24 MLAs stayed away too.
6) It is a numbers game in Uttarakhand. In the 70-seat House, neither of the two main parties got the 35 seats needed for simple majority. The Congress got 32 and has managed to stake claim with the support of seven others including three BSP MLAs and four Independents, who have made it clear that only Vijay Bahuguna is acceptable to them as CM.
7) The BJP is breathing down the Congress' neck with 31 seats. And still thinks it is in with a chance at forming the government in the state. "We have said from day one that BJP will form the government in Uttarakhand," said BJP leader Bhagat Singh Koshiyari today, from the sidelines of the Congress high drama.
8) The Congress announced that Mr Bahuguna would be CM after three days of deliberation, on Monday. The factional feud then came out in the open with Mr Rawat's supporters protesting against the announcement. Raising slogans, angry supporters of Mr Rawat gathered at his house here last night, wanted to know why he was ignored for the top slot and egged him to split the party.
9) This is the second time that Mr Rawat's claim has been ignored. About ten years ago, ND Tiwari was made the Chief Minister almost at the 11th hour by the party leadership.
10) In a bid to placate a sulking Mr Rawat, Mr Bahuguna, his sister and UPCC chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi met the union minister at his residence. Asked what transpired at the meeting with the brother-sister duo, Mr Rawat said, "They had come to console a loser".

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Vijay Bahuguna to be sworn in as Uttarakhand Chief Minister today; Harish Rawat quits

Dehradun:  Taking a firm stance, the Congress decided to go-ahead with the swearing-in ceremony of Vijay Bahuguna as the Uttarakhand Chief Minister today. Congress leader and union minister Harish Rawat has reportedly threatened to quit the party unless he is made the Chief Minister of the state. Anguished at Vijay Bahuguna being chosen as the Chief Minister, Mr Rawat has reportedly threatened to leave the Congress and take MLAs with him. He has reportedly claimed support of 11 MLAs. Sources say Mr Rawat, who is the Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Parliamentary Affairs, could form his own party in the state.

The swearing-in ceremony of Mr Bahuguna as the new Chief Minister is scheduled to be held at 5 pm today.  

According to sources, Mr Rawat has written a letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, saying, "he cannot execute his duties" as a Congress leader anymore unless he is made the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand.

This was the second time that Mr Rawat's claim has been ignored as some ten years back ND Tiwari was made the Chief Minister almost at the 11th hour by the party leadership.

The Congress, however, attempted to play down the reported revolt by Mr Rawat and his MLAs in Uttarakhand.

"The decision was taken after taking the opinion of the majority. There may be some disappointment with the decision, but I am sure with time, all leaders and their supporters would back the decision," said union minister and Congress leader Ambika Soni.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which had to settle with one seat less than the Congress' tally in the Uttarakhand elections, now is sniffing an opportunity and it seems it hasn't given up its hopes on forming the government in the state.

"We have said from day one that BJP will form the government in Uttarakhand," said BJP leader Bhagat Singh Koshiyari today.

Mr Bahuguna's name as Uttarakhand's new Chief Minister was announced by Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad in Delhi on Monday. The announcement of the Chief Minister came after a considerable delay with Congress leaders and MLAs caught in discussions for around three days after staking claim to form the government.

Mr Rawat and Mr Bahuguna had held a two-hour meeting with Mr Azad and Birender Singh ahead of the decision.The two central leaders had then submitted their report on the views of the party's 32 MLAs on legislative party leadership to Sonia Gandhi on Sunday.

"It was decided by the MLAs and all the party leaders that Vijay Bahuguna will be the chief minister," Mr Azad announced on Monday evening. He also recalled that the party MLAs had, in their meeting after the results were out, authorised Congress president Sonia Gandhi to name the chief minister.

Congress, with 32 seats in a house of 70, had staked its claim to form a government in the Himalayan state late last week after the results on March 6 threw up a hung assembly.

Yesterday, the factional feud came out in the open in Congress' Uttarakhand unit with legislators supporting Mr Rawat protesting the announcement of Mr Bahaguna as the Chief Minister. Raising slogans, angry supporters of Mr Rawat, who gathered at his house here last night, wanted to know why he was ignored for the top slot and egged him to split the party.

In a bid to placate a sulking Mr Rawat, Mr Bahuguna, his sister and UPCC chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi met the union minister at his residence. Asked what transpired at the meeting with the brother-sister duo, Rawat said, "They had come to console a loser".

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Vijay Bahuguna to be new Uttarakhand Chief Minister

New Delhi/ Dehradun:  After nearly a week of deadlock, Uttarakhand will get a chief minister with the Congress naming its Tehri-Garhwal MP Vijay Bahuguna as the leader of its legislative party.

Bahuguna's name was announced by party leader and Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad in New Delhi."It was decided by the MLAs and all the party leaders that Vijay Bahuguna will be the chief minister," Mr Azad announced.He also recalled that the party MLAs had, in their meeting after the results were out, authorised Congress president Sonia Gandhi to name the chief minister.

Congress, with 32 seats in a house of 70, had staked its claim to form a government in the Himalayan state late last week after the results on March 6 threw up a hung assembly.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has 31 seats in the Uttarakhand assembly. The Congress has won the support of three Bahujan Samaj Party MLAs, apart from three independents and the lone MLA from the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal.

"A decision has been taken that Vijay Bahuguna will be the leader of the legislature party in Uttarkhand and the new chief minister," Mr Azad said in the presence of Bahuguna and Congress general secretary Chaudhary Birender Singh, who is in charge of party affairs in Uttarakhand.

Soon after his name was declared for chief ministership, Mr Bahuguna, 65, thanked Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi and said, "I will take all sections of the party along and there will be no break up,"

Mr Bahuguna is the son of former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna and brother of present Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee president Rita Bahuguna-Joshi. He is a vice president in the Uttarakhand Congress unit. An advocate by profession, He has served as a judge of the Allahabad and Bombay High Courts. He also served as the vice chairman of the Uttarakhand Planning Commission.

The decision comes a day after Union Minister from the state Harish Rawat and Bahuguna held a two-hour meeting with Azad and Birender Singh.The two central leaders had submitted their report on the views of the party's 32 MLAs on legislative party leadership to Sonia Gandhi Sunday.

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In the mood for Akhilesh, Samajwadi Party agrees he will be chief minister of Uttar Pradesh

Lucknow:  As the votes for the Uttar Pradesh elections were being counted, Mulayam Singh Yadav's two young grand-daughters were asked who would be chief minister. "Daadu," they cooed, referring to Mulayam. The political instincts of the youngest generation of the Yadav family apparently need some fine-tuning.  
It is their father, 38-year-old Akhilesh, who will tomorrow be declared the head of the new government, sources have told NDTV. His father has established that his own political acumen remains top-grade - in a matter of three days, he has wooed a faction of the party that was opposed to a rookie as chief minister into consensus.
So Akhilesh's name reportedly will be proposed at a meeting of all its elected representatives to the Assembly by Azam Khan. Before Holi, Mr Khan was among those who reportedly did not share the enthusiasm of most other party members who said it was time for the younger Yadav to take charge. The swearing-in will most likely be on Monday. 
There were signs today of things to come - it was Akhilesh who addressed the press amid a continuum of acts of violence by his party workers in different parts of the state. "We will throw people out of the party if necessary to ensure that fair inquiries can be held," he said, with the authority of a leader with weighty mandate. "I've asked our workers to remain calm and polite even if members from other parties try to provoke or instigate them," he added.
The zero-tolerance for goonda-ism or hooliganism was emphasized by Akhilesh through his long campaign. Pedaling his party symbol, the cycle, he wheeled his party into a whopping 226 seats - the biggest total in two decades in UP for any political party. His youth helped testify for the change he promised - "Ummeed ki cycle" became his mantra. In a complete reversal of earlier agendas, he announced laptops for all college-going students. Three years ago, before the 2009 General Elections, the SP had said it was against the use of English and the use of computers. Voters seemed charmed by his sincerity - he would often hop off his cycle and talk to them for hours, spending as much time at these roadside chats as at the massive rallies that formally requested the people to vote for his father aka "netaji."
His ferocious share of the vote came at the cost of another young leader being projected as Generation Next. 41-year-old Rahul Gandhi took the responsibility for managing the Congress campaign. When the results were declared, he took the responsibility for a lost opportunity. Exhausted by the corruption and misadministration of Mayawati, UP sought a change in record numbers, its turnout through the different days of voting a healthy indicator of a state looking for an option. Despite Mr Gandhi's committed and energetic campaign, the Congress was dismissed as an unsuitable option, placing fourth. It added just six seats to the 22 it won in the last election.  
In his implausibly large victory, Akhilesh has shown humility. "Someone comes first, another person comes second," he said. His experience on the wrong side of the finish line is not inadequate. In 2007, his father was evicted from office by Mayawati, who merged UP's caste equations into a Perfect 10 formula. Then in 2009, Akhilesh's wife Dimple contested a by-election for the Lok Sabha from Ferozabad in UP - a seat her husband had won and vacated just five months earlier. The SP took the voters for granted; the Congress turned the election into a prestige point. Mr Gandhi led a pantheon of leaders to campaign for actor-politician Raj Babbar, a former Samajwadi party man. Embarrassed and bitter, Akhilesh had blamed Mr Gandhi for his wife's defeat.
The political maturity that has been visible during his campaign will be challenged by the state he leads. UP struggles with poverty, malnutrition, illiteracy, unemployment, crime and corruption. While he deals with that dire agenda, his father is expected to push the party's fortunes in Delhi. In its alliance with Mamata Banerjee at the centre, the Congress is beginning to feel that it isn't getting a great bargain for the MPs she brings to the UPA coalition. Mulayam's renewed strength in UP makes him an attractive option. His numbers in UP will give him more Rajya Sabha seats, where the UPA is in a minority. With general elections scheduled for 2014, Mulayam is expected by his party to work on the bigger picture.
For Akhilesh, it is the details that will count. He has been handed his state; what he does with it could make history - good or bad.
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Goa: Manohar Parrikar sworn in as Chief Minister

Panaji:  BJP leader Manohar Parrikar was sworn in for the third time as the Chief Minister of Goa.
Governor K Sankarnarayanan administered the oath amidst a huge public affair ceremony arranged by the party.
Riding high on the anti-incumbency wave in state, the BJP-led alliance, which includes Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party(MGP), drubbed the Congress by winning 24 of the 40 seats.
Mr Parrikar has been the chief minister twice from October 2000 to February 2005.
Mr Parrikar said yesterday that all the BJP ministers from his 2005 Cabinet would find place in the new dispensation, and that the Budget would be presented around March 24.
"There are five ministers who were in my old Cabinet. They will be sworn-in again," Mr Parrikar said.
Mr Parrikar has promised to make petrol cheaper by 11 rupees by removing the Value added tax (VAT) and set up a Lokayukta within 100 days.
On his Facebook page, Mr Parrikar has also said that an amount of Rs. 1000 will be credited in the bank accounts of housewives every month as a measure to combat price rise and undertaking other infrastructural developments in the state.
"The BJP-MGP alliance will start implementing the manifesto immediately but it would take little time to deliver," he said.
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Manohar Parrikar sworn in as Goa Chief Minister

Panaji:  BJP's Manohar Parrikar was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Goa today.
Mr Parrikar was sworn in by Governor K Sankarnarayanan in a huge public affair ceremony arranged by the party.
A full 12-member Cabinet was sworn in by the Governor. Mr Parrikar has been the chief minister twice from October 2000 to February 2005.
Mr Parrikar said yesterday that all the BJP ministers from his 2005 Cabinet would find place in the new dispensation, and that the Budget would be presented around March 24.
"There are five ministers who were in my old Cabinet. They will be sworn-in again," Mr Parrikar said.
Party sources said that along with Mr Parrikar, five ministers from BJP and two from ally Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) would also take oath today.
Mr Parrikar later told PTI that soon after the swearing-in, there will be a Cabinet meeting which will list out the priorities.
"I will hand over the list of priorities to the Chief Secretary after the Cabinet meeting," he said.
BJP-MGP alliance will start implementing the manifesto immediately but it would take little time to deliver, he said.
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Government to lift cotton export ban: Commerce Minister Anand Sharma

Union commerce and industry minister Anand Sharma has said that the government has decided to lift the ban on the export of cotton from India that was imposed last week.

"Keeping in view the facts, the interests of the farmers, interest of the industry, trade, a balance view has been considered by the Group of Ministers to roll back the ban and a formal order will be made public tomorrow by the government," he said.
"The matter of cotton exports has been discussed. MPs from Gujarat had met the Prime Minister and senior MP, Mr Ahmed Patel, Leader of Opposition in Gujarat, Mr Shakti Singh Gohil, CPP President, Arjun Modwalia met me and discussed the issue," he added further.
The decision was taken by the GoM, headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, which met on last Friday, after a directive from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to "urgently" review the decision.
On March 5, the Commerce Ministry had imposed the ban on cotton exports, which had come under fire from various states, including Gujarat, and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar.

Objecting to the ban, Pawar had said, "They (Commerce and Textiles ministries) kept me in the dark. I came to know about this only after a notification was issued by Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT)."

Early last week, the Textile Ministry had said the ban was imposed after taking into account "the trend of domestic consumption and depletion of domestic availability".
It had pointed out that the country had already shipped 10 lakh bales more than the exportable surplus, reducing the domestic availability.
"Almost 94 lakh bales (170 kg each) have already shipped out, against an estimated export surplus of 84 lakh bales," the ministry had said. It feared the exports could reach 100 lakh bales by mid-March with registration of export contracts touching 120 lakh bales so far.
India is the second largest cotton exporter and Maharashtra and Gujarat are the biggest producers of cotton.
Cotton production 340 lakh bales of is estimated during the current season.
Meanwhile, a delegation of Gujarat cotton farmers also met Sharma today, demanding lifting of the ban.
(With PTI inputs)
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Maharashtra's former minister arrested in housing scam case

Mumbai:  Maharashtra's former minister and Jalgaon MLA Suresh Jain was arrested last night in connection with the 2006 multi-crore Gharkul Housing scheme scam, police said.
Mr Jain, who was a Minister for Housing in the Shiv Sena-BJP government in the 1990s, was arrested at Dharangaon late last night while he was trying to escape to Indore.  He will be produced in the court in the afternoon, they said.
The arrest was made by a police office while Mr Jain was trying to escape to Indore.
Mr Jain, a Shiv Sena MLA, is demanding the arrest of minister of state for transport Gulab Devkar, who is a co-accused in the case.
Incidentally, Mr Jain had filed a defamation case against social activist Anna Hazare, which is still pending.
(With PTI inputs)
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UP health scam: CBI arrests former Family Welfare minister Babu Singh Kushwaha

Lucknow:  The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested Babu Singh Kushwaha, former Family Welfare Minister of Uttar Pradesh, in connection with the multi-crore National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scam. Mr Kushwaha is a prime accused in the scam and had been named in one of the FIRs filed by the CBI.

Mr Kushwaha, the most high-profile arrest in the case so far, was arrested immediately after the final phase of polling ended in Uttar Pradesh. Mr Kushwaha, a former Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) minister, had joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) just before the UP polls. Along with Mr Kushwaha, his close aide RP Jaiswal, a BSP MLA from Deoria, was also arrested, taking the number of people arrested in the case to eight.

Sources say Mr Kushwaha and Mr Jaiswal were produced before a Special CBI court in Ghaziabad this evening which sent them to CBI remand for 10 days.

In 2005, the UPA government launched the National Rural Health Mission Scheme. Huge amounts of money were to be sent to states to provide accessible and affordable health care to the poorest families in remote regions. The government's auditor has said that more than half of 8500 crores sent by the Centre to UP (from 2005 to 2011) have been embezzled.

The large scale bungling in the centrally funded programme involved not only heavy over-invoicing, but even fake supply of medicines and hospital equipment by fictitious firms as well as huge kickbacks in construction activity undertaken with a view to improving the available health services in government-run primary health centres in rural areas.

The scam saw corrupt bureaucrats and politicians siphoning away crores meant to improve health facilities. It was birthed in the Family Welfare department in Mayawati's government, which handled the huge funds sent by the Centre for the NRHM Scheme. Mr Kushwaha was sacked by Mayawati in April last year after the murders of three chief medical officers forced the government to acknowledge the deep-rooted graft in his department.

Two senior doctors affiliated to the department were murdered; another was found dead in a Lucknow jail in mysterious circumstances. In January, an officer with the UP Jal Nigam committed suicide allegedly because he was being investigated for his role in the scam.    
The Allahabad High Court has ordered the CBI to investigate the trio of deaths and the swindle entrenched in the department.  Chief Minister Mayawati has, however, described the investigation into the swindle, and its findings, as a political conspiracy against her.

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