Rahul Gandhi’s absence Baffles all ……..

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Rahul Gandhi’s absence Baffles all ……..

 Goes Abroad again 

Harish Gupta

New Delhi, Nov 24

Rahul Gandhi's continued absence in parliament since November 18 when the Winter session began, has left everyone baffled. Most likely, he will not show up in Lok Sabha tomorrow as well.

If sources are to be believed, Rahul Gandhi has left for an unknown destination abroad on Friday night. No one has a clue of when he will come back so far.

He stay put at his 12 Tughlaq Lane residence throughout the past week and did not mingle with the party leaders. He did not participate in any of the meetings called by Interim party president Sonia Gandhi relating to Maharashtra either. Though some media reports attributed him saying he was against any tie up with Shiv Sena in Maharashtra. But his Man-Friday and party general secretary K C Venugopal and political “Guru” A K Antony gave the go-ahead for such a tie up at the CWC meeting.

The party leaders say in private that Rahul Gandhi is not responding to mobile calls & SMS messages too. In fact, Sonia Gandhi has been left alone to fight a tough battle all alone with Rahul Gandhi completely distancing from political developments.

Sources say that he is very dejected and feeling disappointed that things did not move the way he wanted in the party and leaders did not follow him. It was largely because of this very reason that he pushed off to Brazil on a private visit after coming back from Cambodia. He returned to Delhi on November 15 (Friday) and left the country again on November 22.

Rahul Gandhi did  not go to Shakti Sthal, where tributes were being paid on the birth anniversary of late Indira Gandhi on November 19. He did not step out even to go to Parliament to the Central Hall where floral tributes were paid by all top leaders of all political parties.

As many as 10 questions were listed against the name of Wayanad MP last week alone. But he did not show up to ask questions listed against his name. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla noticed Rahul Gandhi's absence and said he had wanted to give him the chance to raise his question.

Rahul Gandhi is serving his fourth term as a Lok Sabha MP.

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Exclusive report with Time Line of events

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Exclusive report with Time Line of events

How dramatic coup was planned, executed and ….....

Harish Gupta

New Delhi, Nov 23:

The BJP pulled off a coup in Maharashtra when it formed the government early Saturday morning after the Governor B.S. Koshyari recommended revocation of President’s Rule in the state at midnight. The recommendation was sent to the President through the Ministry of Home Affairs over fax and email and also through a special messenger by flight. The Union Home Ministry lost no time in forwarding the recommendation to the President, Ram Nath Kovind overnight.

The President used his special powers conferred upon him under Clause 2 of the Article 356 of the Constitution whereby he can revoke the imposition of the President's rule on his own without waiting for the recommendation of the Union Cabinet. Otherwise, the President has to wait for the recommendation of the Union Cabinet to revoke the rule. But the Constitution gives adequate powers to the President to take a decision in his own wisdom and powers under the law.

How events unfolded:

22 November

8.00 pm: Governor B.S. Koshyari cancels his scheduled visit to Delhi causes some surprises;

8.45 – 9 pm: Ajit Pawar leaves NCP-Congress the meeting

11.30 pm: Ajit Pawar finalises a deal with BJP

23 November

12 am: Devendra Fadnavis apprises Home Minister Amit Shah details of developments, Shah discusses within party, gives go ahead;

12.15 am : BJP and NCP leader Ajit Pawar send letters of support satisfying the Governor of reasonable and stable majority

1.00 am : Koshyari recommends revocation of President’s Rule in the State, sends report through fax/email to Union Home Ministry.

1.45 am : Amit Shah's secretariat at his 6 Krishna Menon Marg residence here worked in full swing preparing all necessary documents for the President;

5.00 am: Special messenger of the Union Home Ministry hands-over documents to the President's secretariat and keeps waiting at the Rashtrapati Bhawan reception which was specially opened

5.30 am: The President walks down to his official chambers;

5.47 am: Uses his special powers and revokes President's rule

6.00 am Activities begin at the Governor House in Maharashtra

7.50 am: Koshyari starts the swearing-in ceremony process and oath ceremony complete 

8.16 am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulates Fadnavis and Pawar on the government formation.

New Govt. in Maharashtra Next Week only ?

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

New Govt. in Maharashtra Next Week only ?  

Koshiyari to Visit Delhi on Nov. 23-24

Harish Gupta

New Delhi, Nov 21

Even as the efforts of the Sena-NCP-Congress are in full swing to form the government in Mumbai within the next two days, the Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari will be out of the State. He is traveling to Delhi to attend the two days conference of the Governors & Lt. Governors.

The President, Ram Nath Kovind has called a conference of Governors and Lt. Governors on November 23 and 24 at Rashtrapati Bhavan. This will be the 50th such Conference to be held in Rashtrapati Bhavan and the third Conference to be presided over by President Kovind.

It is learnt that Koshiyari will be returning to Mumbai only on Monday i.e. November 25.

The Vice President; Prime Minister; Union Ministers of Home Affairs; Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare; Law and Justice; Human Resource Development; Tribal Affairs; and Jal Shakti; the Vice Chairman and the CEO of NITI Aayog and other senior officials from various Ministries will also participate.

During his stay, Koshiyari is likely to meet the Central leaders too.

Thus, the process of government formation in Maharashtra will begin only next week.

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NCP-Congress form 10-member Committee

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Lokmat Exclusive

NCP-Congress form 10-member Committee

Coordination Committee to prepare CMP by Friday

Talks with Sena to begin on Sunday

Harish Gupta

New Delhi, Nov. 19

The process for installing the non-BJP government in Maharashtra moved further with the NCP and Congress parties agreeing to constitute 10-member coordination committee.

The committee will comprise five members each from both the parties. The first meeting between leaders of the two parties will be held tomorrow in Delhi.

Praful Patel, party general secretary and Rajya Sabha MP told Lokmat today that the two parties will prepare a Common Minimum Program (CMP) first. When asked why the two parties need a CMP, he said the two parties had contested on their own manifesto separately though they were partners. “We have to hammer out a our own CMP and then we will talk to Shiv Sena to evolve a CMP of the three parties,” he added.

He said this decision was taken when Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi and NCP chief Sharad Pawar held a meeting on Monday.

Bala Saheb Thorat, president of the Maharashtra Congress, Ashok Chavan, Prithviraj Chavan, Mallikarjun Kharge and one more leader may represent the Congress Party at the coordination committee.

Ajit Pawar, Praful Patel, Jayant Patil, Sunil Tatkare and others.

Sonia Gandhi and Sharad Pawar reported to have informally decided that the Congress-NCP CMP will be prepared within the next three days and then the talks with Shiv Sena will be held on the CMP of three parties.

Since Uddhav Thackeray has already cancelled his visit to Ayodhya on November 24 and has also called off his visit to Delhi to meet L K Advani, it indicates that he is now moving towards NCP-Congress to form an alternative government in Maharashtra minus BJP.

Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari had invited Sena and NCP to prove its ability to form the government, failing which the President's Rule was imposed in the state on November 12. The assembly is in suspended animation. But can be revived anytime within six month if any of the parties stake claim to form the government.

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Sena-NCP-Congress struggling to Obtain MLAs signatures

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Lokmat Exclusive 

Sena-NCP-Congress struggling to Obtain MLAs signatures

Governor’s rider Puts parties in the Dock

Harish Gupta

New Delhi, Nov. 17

 A simple rider by the Maharashtra Governor to Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress leaders to submit letters from individual MLAs of their respective parties in separate sheets “signed in Blue Ink”.

He wants that All MLAs should sign to say clearly that they support the formation of the new government. 

The Leaders of their respective parties must counter sign and certify that the signatures so submitted  are not obtained through coercion or other means.

Highly placed sources, on the condition of extreme confidentiality told Lokmat this evening that this rider has put spoke in the plans of the combined Opposition parties to form an alternative government. The leaders are now running after the MLAs to obtain their signatures individually and MLAs are putting their own conditions before signing these letters.

 In fact, the governor refused to allow the MLAs to be paraded. He simply told the leaders to give him signed support letters of each MLA of their respective parties. This precedent had been adopted by the Governors in the past and that’s why the Opposition parties are not making hue and cry and keeping quiet on the issue.  

Sources say at least half a dozen MLAs of Sena are unwilling to go with Congress or seeking their price for support. This is what the whole ruckus was making Uddhav Thackeray and his son to rush to the hotel to meet and pacify some of the MLAs yesterday. It’s the same story in Congress and NCP where each MLA is now wanting his own pound of flesh if he is not being made a Minister. There are more than 9 MLAs whose signatures had not been obtained until yesterday noon. 

It is because of this very reason that senior Party functionary Ahmad Patel is working round the clock to prompt the party leaders in Maharashtra to obtain signatures as early as possible.

 The crucial meeting of NCP chief Sharad Pawar with Sonia Gandhi has not been put off because of differences on Common Minimum Program (CMP) or power sharing arrangements. These continue to be on the table and under discussions.  But at least 15-16  MLAs of the three parties have not signed the letters of support. If the number is not right, the three parties cannot submit the letters to the Governor. Hence, the delay.  

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