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Telecom Disconnect:UPA HANGS-UP ON DMK, by Insaf, 18 Nov, 2010 Print E-mail

Round The States

New Delhi, 18 November 2010


Telecom Disconnect

 

UPA HANGS-UP ON DMK

 

By Insaf

 

In the season of scandalous exposures, the Congress-led UPA has disconnected its phone lines with ally DMK. By getting the scam-tainted Union Telecom Minister A Raja to resign over the 2G Spectrum scam. This follows strictures by the Supreme Court and shocking revelations by the CAG report accusing the DMK Minister of causing a net loss of Rs.1.76 lakh crore to the national exchequer. By playing favourites on the factitious plea that he was only following rules laid down in 2001 (of first-come-first basis) and adhered to by his predecessor. This, however, was not all. The Congress has dealt a double whammy by giving the prized ministerial berth to one of its own Ministers, HRD’s Kapil Sibal. Putting paid to DMK’s patriarch, Karunanidhi, anointing his poet daughter Kanimozhy as the new Minister. Adding insult to injury, Karunanidhi’s bete noir, AIDMK’s Jayalalitha, has suo motto offered unstinted support to the UPA. That Sonia means business is clear from the fact that she has refused to participate in the grand wedding celebrations in the DMK’s patriarch family.

 

Clearly, the Congress’ success in forcing A Raja to resign, has not only changed political equations within the UPA but is certain to make a major impact on the Congress-DMK’s seat-sharing formula for the next State Assembly polls early next year.  Sonia Gandhi on her visit to the State last month sounded the bugle for strengthening her cadres in Tamil Nadu and is busy holding her cards close to her chest. For the wily Karunanidhi, the scam could not have come at a more inopportunate time when  he is busy warding off a fresh challenge from rival Jayalalitha as also trying to cobble together a rainbow coalition to consolidate various social groups. Given that the Congress forms a key part of non-Dravidian outfits if it gets enough votes, could make or mar his chances. Topping this, the DMK Chief has to negotiate his family minefield wherein his sons Alagiri and Stalin are busy crossing swords to take over the Party reins post-Karunanidhi. Call it poetic justice or what you may, but ‘wrong number’ is now writ large on Congress-DMK ties!

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Karnataka’s Adarsh Scam

 

The BJP which is sounded the bugle over the 2G Spectrum/CWG and Maharashtra’s Adarsh scam is itself engulfed in a corruption inferno in Karnataka. Whereby its first Southern Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa has been accused of allotting  prime land in Bangalore and Shimoga to his kith and kin besides other Ministers and party functionaries by violating all land guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court and High Court. Worse, the Saffron Sangh is now caught in a quagmire: how to defend its Chief Minister and Government in the State even as it ups the corruption ante at the Centre. Complicating matters further, the former Chief Minister JD(U)s Kumaraswamy has threatened to carry his protest to Parliament. All eyes are now on what Party President Gadkari handles the Karnataka land blaze.

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Chhattisgarh’s Land Scam

 

Not only in Karnataka, in Chhattisgarh too, serious differences have cropped up within the Raman Singh-led BJP Government over a controversial mega town development scheme. Senior Ministers and other leaders have questioned various aspects including land acquisitions of the Rs.815.38 crore Kamal Vihar project to come up on 14,000 acres around State Capital Raipur. Instead, many senior ministers advocate that before any allocation of land is made, the Government should come forward with a legislation to protect farm land from being diverted for industrial use and other purposes. Particulalry as the owners would only get back 35 to 51 per cent of the total land that had been taken over. Making matter worse for the Chief Minister the Congress too has joined the anti- development plan chorus.

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Bihar’s Poll History

 

Phew, the last vote for the battle for the 217 Bihar State Assembly seats will be cast today. But even prior to the declaration of who sits on Patna’s rajgaddi, the six-phase polling has recorded a first of sorts in India’s electoral history. Whereby the voter turnout in the State touched an all time high of 53%, a jump of 8.61%  compared to the 2005 November State Assembly elections and over 9% since the 2009 Lok Sabha poll. It matters little as to which political combine will benefit from the higher voter turnout. Is it a traditional anti-incumbency wave? Is it a vote for development? All in all, the huge voter turnout has ensured that it would not be a hung verdict. Clearly, this could spell bad news for the RJD-LJP combine, prove to be Lalu’s waterloo and have JD(U) Nitish Kumar laughing  all the way to the bank.

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Rajasthan’s Legal Tangle

 

The RSS has decided to go hammer and tongs against the Rajasthan Government with its senior leader Indresh Kumar accused in the 2007 Ajmer bomb blast sending a legal notice to the Rajasthan Home Minister Shanti Dhariwal for defamation. Whereby he has charged Dhariwal for “deliberately mis-stating and distorting” the charge sheet to coerce the investigating agency to toe the State Government’s line. On its part, an unperturbed  Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot made plain that Kumar would soon be summoned for investigation. A clearly worried RSS which launched a political campaign on the issue, is now in a fix over finding ways to legally challenge Kumar’s mention in the charge sheet. It remains to be seen who wins the legal battle?

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Church Plays ‘Tourist God’

 

In God’s own country, it is now the turn of the servants of God to play God to tourists visiting the State. Kerala’s Church of South India, a prominent non-Catholic Christian segment, last week made a debut in ‘home stay’ tourism. Whereby it plans to tap the tourist potential of various church properties in the lush green southern tip of India. Billed  as healthy value based tourism, the church has given a thumbs down to sex tourism which presently takes place under the guise of home stay. Instead, the Church intends giving tourists counseling and prayer assistance by the priests to promote inter-action of different people and cultures to have a calming effect on society as a whole. Needless to say, a God sent opportunity! ---INFA

 

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

 

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