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By the time you have come as far as
this page of your newspaper this morning, the assembly election results of
Jammu & Kashmir should have begun trickling onto your television screen.
Therefore I shall not speculate on results, and move to its significance.
J&K is
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Harish Gupta
New Delhi, Dec. 21 |
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has neither threatened to quit or has any intention to put in his papers in protest against the statements made by the RSS functionaries and its affiliate organisations on religious conversions.
Highly placed sources considered close to the Prime Minister told Lokmat that some of the media reports (not Lokmat) were without any basis and figment of imagination.
"Why shall Prime Minister quit ? "These sources wondered and said, " Modi knows how to handle these elements." After all Modi as chief minister of Gujarat had taught a lesson to Praveen Togadia and other functionaries who owed their allegiance to saffron ideology.
Modi is certainly extremely upset with the statements made by some of the leaders of the BJP including MPs and even ministers. While he has reined in the ministers and BJP president Amit Shah has also cracked the whip on party leaders. So much so that even ministers have been directed not to speak on controversial issues without the permission of the PM and MPs directed to concentrate on development agenda of their constituencies and task assigned.
However, Modi and Amit Shah have no control over the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh and other such bodies who have their own agenda. Modi has been sending signal to the RSS leadership that these wings should be restrained and allow him to implement his agenda of development. But if these organisations did not desist, Modi had no reason to quit.
Some of the hard line Hindutva organisations like the Hindu Maha Sabha who are bent upon stalling the statue of Mahatma Gandhi's killer Nathuram Godse, has been a serious worry as Maha Sabha Bhavan is in the heart of Delhi and can cause problems. Therefore, Delhi Police will be directed to crack the whip the moment these leaders do anything "sinister".
Modi, on his part, doesn't want confrontation with these frontal organisations and messages have been sent to them through intermediaries to refrain from indulging in such activities at least for the next two years. If they continue with their agenda, Modi is tough enough to rein them irrespective of political consequences. He had sought votes during the Lok Sabha campaign in the name of development and growth and he won't tolerate any deviation.
The Modi supporters do not see any problem in the statement of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat who has only advocated that a law be brought to ban conversions. Neither the Muslims and nor the Christians are willing for such a law.
No doubt, the Bhagwat statement will certainly lead to ruckus in Parliament on Monday and it may not function properly.
But there is no reason for Modi to even think of quitting.
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Govt gets tough, Oppn unrelenting
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Harish Gupta
New Delhi, Dec. 16 |
The fate of the much-touted Insurance Bill waiting for passage in the Rajya Sabha has become uncertain during the Winter Session as the Opposition and the treasury benches have failed to find a compromise formula.
The government seems to have realised that the Opposition parties are wanting to delay the passage of the Insurance Bill and using the religious conversion issue as a stick to get the RS stalled.
The government is aware that it doesn't have a majority in the Rajya Sabha and even the presiding officer belongs to the Congress party. Therefore, there is a no way that it will be able to get the insurance Bill passed or even rejected. Therefore, it is gearing up to make a last ditch effort but without accepting Opposition's demand for the presence of the PM on the issue.
The insurance Bill, which is considered a big ticket reform agenda of the government, awaiting passage before the visit of the US President Barack Obama in January. The Opposition parties are insisting that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi would accept its demand of coming to the Rajya Sabha and even make a statement on the conversions so that Bill is passed.
The government has rejected the proposal saying that the PM cannot be subjected to the "blackmail" of the Opposition which has a majority in the Rajya Sabha. It feels that this was a trap the Opposition is laying and embarrass it one pretext or the other. The government has said it has nothing to do with the statements of some of the MPs or party leaders and the PM had made a statement on the issue last week. Therefore, the Rajya Sabha is being bulldozed passed.
Union finance minister Arun Jaitley who also addressed the BJP Parliamentary Party meeting in the morning, gave a detailed account of the political situation prevailing in the Rajya Sabha.
He said until the party gets a majority in the Rajya Sabha, the Opposition parties would continue to derails the agenda. However, he hoped that situation will take turn for the better.
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There are many who believe that the falling oil price—it was $62.45 last week but around $105 six months ago—is a blip, and that there will soon be business as usual. As expected, conspiracy theories abound, some of which, though, may be true. It all originated, it is said, from two places in the US, Texas and North Dakota, where hydraulic fracturing of shale, known as 'fracking', was so successful that it is producing 7.4 million barrels a day. |
Four parties oppose
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Harish Gupta
New Delhi, Dec. 10 |
Decks seems to have been cleared for the passage of the controversial Insurance Bill in the Rajya Sabha with the Congress lending its support to hiking foreign investment cap to 49 per cent.
With the Select Committee of the Rajya Sabha presenting its report on Wednesday as scheduled and the Cabinet accepting most of the 110 amendments proposed by various parties, the prospects of passage of the Bill have brightened. Though only four members representing CPI-M, TMC, SP and JDU out of 15 opposed hike from the present 26%, the government signaled it would ensure passage before December 24. The Bill will be brought before the RS next week, indicated the parliamentary affairs minister M Venkaiah Naidu.
The Select Committee appointed in August recommended after marathon deliberations that the composite cap of 49 per cent should be inclusive of all forms of foreign direct investment and foreign portfolio investments. The Bill was held up for nearly six years on account of BJP's opposition and now other parties are opposing it as the BJP has taken a U-Turn.
One of the suggestions being given by these four parties is that let the Bill be considered and passed during the Budget Session. But the government doesn't seem to be willing to heed to the suggestion. The panel, headed by Rajya Sabha MP Chandan Mitra, has suggested inclusion of a person from the insurance industry in the Securities Appellate Tribunal as an expert.
It has recommended suitable amendment to the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act for the inclusion. The panel also recommended that penalties on insurance companies be linked to seriousness of offences committed by them. It has suggested mechanism to ensure that there is minimum scope for subjective interpretation.
The panel report, however, contains dissent notes from four members -- P Rajeev (CPI-M), Derek O"Brien (TMC), Ram Gopal Yadav (SP) and K C Tyagi (JDU).
In the House of 243 Members, the four parties together have a combined strength of 50.
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Harish Gupta
New Delhi, Dec. 9
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The ban on Uber cab service in Delhi and similar action proposed in other Indian cities by the Union home minister Rajnath Singh was publicly opposed by surface transport & shipping minister Nitin Gadkari.
Gadkari disagreed with the decision to ban Uber cab services in the wake of the alleged rape of a 27-year-old woman in a taxi plying under it, saying banning the railways for train accidents, buses for bus accidents and taxi service for such incidents is not correct. Such a move could not be a solution," he added without blinking.
Surprisingly, Gadkari's reaction came on a day when Rajnath Singh made a detailed statement in the Rajya Sabha on the incident which rocked Delhi for 36 hours and tremours were felt across 200 cities in the world where Uber runs the tax service.
While Rajnath Singh declared that Uber violated norms of taxi operators and gave a detailed account of how the home ministry was proceeding in the matter by writing to states and Union territories to ban such illegal operations, Gadkari opposed the move.
Lokmat was the first to report the division within the Modi government on the issue and had published on Monday itself that parliamentary affairs minister M Venkaiah Naidu termed the banning of service a hasty decision.
Even finance minister Arun Jaitley expressed the view that the $41 billion Uber cab service company had been evolved from nowhere and efforts be made to correct the systems.
In fact, he told the Lok Sabha later in the day that Uber was even found to be violating the FEMA regulations as it was transferring funds abroad collected through credit cards from commuters without RBI permission.
It was only on December 1 this year that Uber took corrective steps on the strict instructions of the RBI.
Whatever be the outcome of ban on the Uber and other cab service providers, the incident highlighted massive loopholes in the capital city of India under the Union home ministry.
If the transport department under the Delhi government didn't act tough against the Uber when the company was not following the Motor Vehicles Act and checking antecedents of the drivers operating under Uber banner, the Delhi Police also played ball with the foreign company operating from San Francisco without even having an Indian call centre or contact number. The company had not even opened a helpline for commuters though it is operating in more than 30 cities of India.
Gadkari said that state governments have the right to take a decision in such matters. But lacunae in such systems should be plugged.
He said "As per a report, 30 per cent of the driving licences in the country are bogus... We are going to change the 1988 Motor Vehicles Act by which we will have a centre comprising all records of drivers. That would help solve the problem of accessing the accident and criminal records of drivers."
It is learnt that BJP leaders in Delhi were pressing the government for taking firm action against Uber as it had created waves in the city which is set to go to polls in early February. In all likelihood, the ban on Uber will continue at least for sometime.
Rajnath Singh has an added problem in hand as Delhi police is directly under him and also even the Lieutenant Governor and Delhi government, NDMC and other agencies report to him directly. By taking firm action, he is only trying to whether the storm outside North Block. Lokmat was the first to report the division within the Modi government on the issue and had published on Monday itself that parliamentary affairs minister M Venkaiah Naidu termed the banning of service a hasty decision.
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Harish Gupta
New Delhi, Dec. 8 |
Differences of opinion within the Modi government emerged today after the Delhi government banned the Uber Taxi service with immediate effect after the rape incident involving a 26-year-old woman.
Though the driver of the Taxi service was arrested and produced in court by the Delhi Police after solving the case within 24 hours, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh agreed with the proposal of Delhi government to ban the Uber Taxi service as it is "misleading customers" by offering them Taxis with All-India permits that cannot ply in Delhi from point-to-point ferrying customers. He even made a statement in the House today on the issue. It is learnt the Union Home Minister stepped in the picture after the Aam Admi Party led a demonstration outside his residence demanding immediate banning of Uber and firm action.
However, other Taxi service companies like Ola and Taxi-For-Sure who employ similar methodology as Uber to provide Taxis to customers through a mobile application, no ban has been imposed.
However, Parliamentary Affairs and Urban Development Minister M Venkiah Naidu while praising the alacrity with which the Police arrested the accused said the decision to ban the entire private taxi network on this ground seemed hasty.
Finance Minister Arun jaitley was also reported to be upset with the decision to impose a ban on Uber valued at $41 billion dollar and providing huge employment to people in the country by adopting a unique model.
Obviously, the Union Home Minister was more governed by the media pressure and political compulsions that the logic behind banning such service particularly when the accused driver was given character certificate by the Delhi Police itself.
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If Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a 'honeymoon period', it was more with the people at large than his political opponents. His prime opponent, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, remained uncivil to him not only from his electoral victory in May but since the beginning of Modi's rise, when she hurled the abuse, Maut ka Saudagar, and saw it boomerang on her own party's electoral prospects in Gujarat.
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￭ Non-NDA states back Modi
￭ Cong, TMC oppose ￭ SP, JD (U) cautious
The exclusive story on what
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to do with the
Planning Commission and how it will be revamped was
first published on August 4 in Lokmat.
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Harish Gupta
New Delhi, Dec. 7
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After abolishing the 64-year- old Planning Commission in August this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered an olive branch to states by making them active partners in the revamped National Planning & Reforms Commission. (NPRC).
Though the old body has not been renamed as yet till the time of going to the press, the PM signalled that he had received lakhs of suggestions on the issue through various portals.
However, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis suggested the name of the revamped body which was a signal what the NDA wants.
But the deliberations with the chief ministers showed that the Congress and some of the like-minded parties are not ready to accept winding up of the body created by India's first Prime Minister in March 1950.
But some of the non-NDA states Tamil Nadu (AIADMK), Odisha (BJD), Telangana (TRS) & North-Eastern states gave Modi reasons to smile. Majority of chief ministers supported the idea of revamping the commission making Modi to say at the end of the conference that it was a "fruitful" exercise.
It is pertinent to mention that Lokmat was the first newspaper to publish the report after Modi came to power that the Planning Commission would wound up.
In the 30-page presentation made during the day-long first-of-its kind interaction with 29 chief ministers at his 7 Race Course residence, the Prime Minister passionately said how the new revamped body would do wonders for the economy & growth of the country as it would like "Team India".
Giving detailed account of what had gone into the decision of abolishing the Planning Commission and restructuring the same was aimed at promoting "cooperative federalism".
The presentation trashed the old concept of the Planning Commission thoroughly by saying that the commission was fundamentally a Central government institution where states had no role; the approach paper had to be approved by the Cabinet and the Five-Year Plan needed Cabinet approval. There was virtually no role to states.
The Prime Minister tried hard to woo even the Congress chief ministers during his opening remarks recalling that even the former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh himself had noted that the body has no futuristic vision in the post-reform period. Dr. Singh also wanted the Planning Commission to reinvent.
The role had been repeatedly questioned for more than two decades.
The first introspection was done after the launch of economic reforms in 1992. Even in 2012, the Parliamentary Consultative Committee stressed on the need for a serious look at the Planning Commission and the need for a new body to replace it.
Modi also noted that in countries such as the USA, think tanks that function independently of the government have a major role in policy-making.
A formal announcement about revamping commission is likely to be made later.
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Gives 6 months' extension to Ajit Seth
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New Delhi, Dec. 5
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In an unusual development, the Modi government gave Cabinet secretary Ajit Seth another extension in service for a period of six months.
This was the third extension in a row – the first given by the UPA government headed by Manmohan Singh in June 2013 for full one year and two extensions of six months each by the Modi government -- making him the darling of both the UPA and NDA governments.
The extension of Seth was approved by Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday and formal orders were issued as he was to retire on December 13.
Though South Block mandarins say there is nothing unusual in such extensions as Cabinet secretaries had served beyond their stipulated tenure of two years fixed. But in the case of Seth, the bureaucrats are baffled as Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to repose faith in the top IAS officer who was UPA's choice.
But some insiders say that the 6-month extension to Seth was aimed at eliminating some of the senior IAS officers who were in the race for the Cabinet Secretary's post. There were couple of them whose claim to the top post could not have been brushed aside.
With Seth getting another extension, decks have been cleared for the finance secretary Rajiv Meharshi or power secretary P K Sinha to get a chance in June to stay in the race.
Home secretary Anil Goswami, petroleum secretary Saurabh Chandra, corporate affairs secretary Naved Masood and several others are out of the reckoning with Seth getting extension.
Seth, a 1974-batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre, had taken over as Cabinet secretary on June 14, 2011 with a fixed tenure up to June 13, 2013. The UPA government had extended his tenure by a year. The Modi-government had given six-month extension to Seth in June. He was due to retire on December 13.
The Cabinet secretariat is under the direct charge of the Prime Minister. The administrative head of the Secretariat is the Cabinet secretary who is also the ex-officio chairman of the Civil Services Board.
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Sadhvi issue continues to rock Parliament
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New Delhi, Dec. 4 The face-off between the Modi government and the combined Opposition in Parliament continued despite the Prime Minister urging the parliament to accept Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti"s apology for making an abusive remark. While the Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day after repeated disruptions and Lok Sabha continued its business as usual after the entire Opposition walked out of the House. The AIADMK and the BJD did not join the Opposition chorus of sacking the minister of state Sadhvi Jyoti saying that the apology was enough. The Prime Minister's plea that being first time MP and a minister and coming from a certain "background" , she used certain words at an election rally which she should not have used. "I had made my displeasure clear on the very day the abusive statement was reported in the media. Now, that the minister has apologised, therefore, let the House function." The PM went on to say that "It is a lesson, we should all speak carefully." In fact, the Prime Minister was to come to the Rajya Sabha at 12 noon as Thursday was his Question Hour time. But he came at 11 in the morning and had come prepared to make a statement on the Sadhvi issue bowing to the demand of the Opposition. Since Monday, the Opposition has been making the absence of the PM from the House an issue and also wanted action against the Sadhvi. In the Lok Sabha, leader of the Congress Mallikarjun Kharge said, "What we are demanding is Prime Minister's statement condemning the conduct of the minister. But he even refused to make a mention of it." But the Opposition in Rajya Sabha became more vociferous and the PM's appeal had little effect. The 10-party combined Opposition in the Rajya Sabha forced the chair to adjourn for the day without any business. It is clear that the Congress has been able to galvanise the Opposition on the Sadhvi issue and put the Modi government on the backfoot. No doubt, the government has the support of nearly 350 Lok Sabha MPs. But in the Rajya Sabha more than 140 out of the 245 MPs are with the Opposition. Therefore, the government will have to consider whether to allow continuous disruptions in the Rajya Sabha on an emotive issue or get the crucial insurance and other Bills passed. There are as many as six Bills pending for the passage in the Rajya Sabha. |
Wings of Paswan clipped, Nadda shines
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New Delhi, NOv. 30
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If the wings of Ram Vilas Paswan, Union food & consumer affairs, are clipped, health & family affairs minister J P Nadda shines in the various Cabinet Committees re-constituted by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.
Paswan, president of the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) and a key ally of BJP in Bihar, does not find a place in the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA). Its this committee which takes almost all key economic decisions. The meeting of the full Cabinet takes place only after the CCEA clears economic decisions. But Paswan despite being the food minister does not figure in the list. Instead of the food minister, the PM chose to keep food processing minister Harsimrat Kaur in the committee. Even the representative of the TDP civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapati Raju has been retained in the CCEA.
Even Anant Geete (Shiv Sena) who is Union heavy industries minister, does not find a place in the CCEA. However, Paswan has been retained in the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) which has 13 members and Parliamentary Affairs Committee.
The Cabinet Committees were reconstituted by the PM yesterday after the expansion & reshuffle of the Council of Ministers three weeks ago.
The importance of the Cabinet Committees is immense under Modi dispensation as he has abolished the system of Group of Ministers (GoMs) and empowered-Group of Ministers (e-GoMs) and brought down the number of the Cabinet Committees from 15 to a mere six. Therefore, there is virtual clamour amongst the ministers of the Cabinet & those holding Independent charge to get into these committees.
Political observers are somewhat baffled over the inclusion of J P Nadda, Union health minister into the CCPA. Nadda hails from Himachal Pradesh and was senior-most general secretary of the BJP. His induction into the CCPA is an indication that he may get a larger role in future.
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New Delhi Dec. 2
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The ruling BJP is facing its first litmus test in Parliament's Winter Session with the combined Opposition demanding the resignation of Union minister of state for food processing Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti for using expletives at a public rally. Though the minister tendered apology in Parliament and the Lok Sabha functioned smoothly, the Rajya Sabha had to be adjourned for the day as the Opposition wants to taste the blood.
The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, on his part sent out strong warning to party MPs this morning. As if this was not enough, Modi went on to say that he would not "compromise on this kind of indiscipline."
But the PM's statement did not douse Opposition's fire against Sadhvi saying how could a minister of the Central government use such words against the members of the minority community and divide the country on communal lines. Sensing that the issue has given an opportunity to unite against the government in Rajya Sabha where it is in a hopeless minority, Arun Jaitley made the minister to apologise for her statement. The minister tendered similar apology in Lok Sabha too.
But the Rahul Gandhi-led agitation outside and inside the parliament gained grounds with SP, BSP, JD (U), TMC, Left parties and others joining. But the AIADMK, BJD and a couple of other parties opted to watch the situation quietly.
The unity amongst the Opposition parties was more visible in the Rajya Sabha rather than in the Lok Sabha.
The Congress leadership has conveyed to the treasury benches that the Opposition would not allow the House to function until the minister resigns. It is stated that even the BJP had held up the Parliament for weeks together on various issues including the 2G and coalgate.
It is pertinent to mention that the Sadhvi had said at a public rally in Delhi, "You have to decide. Do you want a government of Ramzaadon (followers of Ram) or those who are illegitimate?"
When the Opposition said the apology is not enough, Jaitley said in the Rajya Sabha that she had not done anything inside the Parliament. She has already apologised for what she had unintentionally said at an election rally. Therefore, if someone had a problem outside, he or she could launch criminal proceedings.
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￭ Pawar looking for a new role
New Delhi, Dec. 3
In a reversal of stand, the National Congress Party (NCP) on Wednesday joined the chorus in parliament seeking the removal of Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti as Union minister of state for food processing for her expletives at a public rally in Delhi a few days ago.
Though the Congress & other Opposition parties have been asking for the minister's resignation despite tendering an unqualified apology in both the Houses of parliament, the NCP had been somewhat maintaining a distance. Six NCP MPs including Sharad Pawar maintained a studied silence and did not go to the Well of the House or issued any statement.
However, with the Shiv Sena finally joining the BJP government in Maharashtra, the NCP is now charting out a new role. Hence, the NCP MPs stalled the proceedings in the Rajya Sabha though in Lok Sabha its MPs watched the disruptions during the Question Hour quietly.
D P Tripathi, NCP spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP told Lokmat, "We have demanded Sadhvi's resignation and we are part of the agitation." He said that the NCP had always stood for secular values and opposed to the divisive politics. The sooner the BJP sack the minister the better it would be for the polity, he added.
Political observers in Maharashtra say that with the BJP-Shiv Sena joining hands, the NCP will move towards consolidation of the like-minded parties. Sharad Pawar being the senior-most Central leader of this plank, he may even emerge as a rallying point.
The leaders of the Samajwadi Party, Janata Dal (U), RJD, INLD and JD (S) are meeting over lunch on Thursday to form a new party. The objective is that all five parties merge and form a new party to take jointly on the Modi government.
Sharad Pawar, on his part, will try forge a new alliance with other like-minded parties.
Sources say that even in Maharashtra, the NCP will form a joint front with the Congress.
The Sadhvi issue has given these parties a breather to come together. Therefore, the NCP joining the chorus to be seen in this perspective.
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