CVC whips the corrupt babus

• Stern letter issued to Ministries, PSUs,
• Timeline for action fixed

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

New Delhi, Sep 10

The country corruption watchdog, Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has come down heavily on the ministries and departments for adopting delaying tactics when it comes to punishing the corrupt.

The CVC discovered that disciplinary action against a large number of Babus is delayed by the ministries on the ground that the files have been sent to the CVC for reconsideration.

The Commission was tired of file pusher Babus who were delaying action being taken on one ground or the other. Therefore, the CVC decided that action once recommended by it against the guilty officers will not be reconsidered for “second-stage” advice.

The Babus were taking advantage of a rule brought in the year 2000 and 2008 whereby they were sending files back to the CVC for reconsideration not once but twice; first stage advice and second stage advice.

In a significant order, the CVC plugged second stage advice and capped the time limit for even first stage by one month. In the process, the action against the corrupt and those involved in misconduct was delayed for a long time.

In a Demi-Official letter sent to all the secretaries of ministries & departments, Chairman & MD of all PUSU, autonomous organizations and others, the CVC came down heavily on such practice.

The Lokmat has a 2-page copy of the official DO letter sent yesterday.

The CVC said after detailed analysis of the long pending cases, it has been decided that there will be no second stage advice for such cases. The ministries and departments must adhere to timelines for finalisation of disciplinary cases.

The CVC directed that no proposal for reconsideration would be entertained in future.

The CVC amended its Manual to make it clear that the first stage advice would be final unless fresh material/evidence is brought before the CVC for a review.

Asthana may be CBI Chief! Fly on the Wall

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Asthana may be CBI Chief! 

The three months long Rhea Chakraborty saga may finally come to an end after the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) doused the political fire in Bihar by arresting her. The graph of Rakesh Asthana, DG, NCB has jumped manifold in the eyes of political masters in Delhi. Asthana has succeeded where CBI Director R K Shukla and Enforcement Director Sanjay Kumar Mishra failed in the task even after 50 hours of grilling running for weeks together. A top ED officer who specially flew down from Delhi to Mumbai and part of the extensive grilling told his bosses: Sorry Sir! Not an iota of evidence.” Thus, the NCB stepped in. This column had said last week itself that NCB will arrest Rhea. Insiders tell us that Asthana’s prospects of becoming new CBI chief have brightened when Shukla retires early next year. Asthana had been extremely unhappy ever since he was shunted out from the CBI last year.

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Sonia offensive, Dissidents defensive 

The 23 dissident Congress leaders are running for a cover after raising a banner of revolt against the Gandhis. Instead of buckling under the pressure, Congress’ interim president Sonia Gandhi has gone on the offensive. If she shocked dissidents by appointing Rahul loyalists in key parliamentary panels, she humiliated a few by dropping them from UP committees. As if this was not enough, Akhilesh Prasad Singh, Rajya Sabha MP and Bihar Campaign Committee chief was dropped from the powerful Bihar Election Committee. If sources are to be believed, the G-23 is a house divided with Mukul Wasnik, Manish Tewari and Shashi Tharoor singing different tunes. Tewari went public recently saying the letter’s drafting could have been better. Obviously, it’s a dig at Anand Sharma who drafted the letter. Tharoor is buying peace as BJP has no strong presence in Kerala while Mukul Wasnik has his own reasons for backtracking. Prithviraj Chavan who owed his rise to the post of Maharashtra Chief Minister to Sonia Gandhi, has gone into hiding after raising a banner of revolt.

Whispers galore over Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is back at his Krishna Menon Marg residence and recouping after suffering from Covid and fatigue. Being Prime Minister Modi’s Man Friday, Shah has been batting from the front foot. But for the past some time, he has been away from public glare.

The Fly learns that he is fully active and clearing files at a faster pace though avoiding attending office. The gossip mongers in Lutyen’s Delhi have all kinds of tails like Amit Shah being upset for not being invited to the Ram Janmabhoomi foundation stone laying ceremony, appointment of C R Patil as Gujrat BJP chief etc. etc. Insiders assert there is no truth as the equation between the PM-HM remains strong. The PM inquired about his health on a daily basis since August 2 when he was admitted to Medanta and visited him after he returned from AIIMS. These sources say, “Modi-Shah relationship is like that of Ram and Hanuman and no power on Earth can separate them.”

Selling Air India Herculean Task

India’s flagship Air India is first on the block among the 26 PSUs to be sold before March 31 next year. While there are many takers for BPCL and others, selling Air India is turning out to be a Herculean task for the Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. It transpires that the House of TATAs is somewhat disinclined. The TATAs already operate Air Asia & Vistara and CEO N Chandrasekaran is reluctant to put in this kind of money in the aviation business. However, two gulf nations have shown interest riding on the back of cordial relations with PM Modi. The government is keen to mop up at least two lakh crores from the PSU sale during 2020-21 to bridge 8% Budget deficit.

Modi to prune Bureaucracy, “Deadwood” above 50 years on Way out

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

• 320 officers already dismissed
• Quarterly review of 36L Central Govt. employees
• All above 50 years of age under lens
• Retirement prematurely is no punishment
• 50 IRS officials among 320 dismissed so far by Modi
• Review includes all non-Gazette to Secretary level posts

Harish Gupta 

New Delhi, Sep 6

With the Prime Minister outlining his plans to provide a “responsible, responsive and efficient administration,” pnic has gripped 36 lakh employees.

The 10-page circular notified by the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT), directly under PM Modi, has kick-started review of every three months instead of earlier practice of every year. The plan is aimed at weeding out the inefficient and persons of doubtful integrity. 

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Modi has also brought down the age of review from 55 years to 50 years to start Quarterly review of all employees. Modi has already sent a record number of 320 officers packing of Class A & B and wants to fast-track this process now at all levels. The DoPT has directed all ministries and departments to undertake a first review by December 2020 and on a “Quarterly basis” regularly from next year. 

Modi may be ridiculing the Congress regimes for the country’s mess. But when it comes to cleansing the government he invoked laws and rules enacted by late Indira Gandhi in 1972 to weed out corruption in the bureaucracy. The Act was made by the Indira Gandhi government in 1972 and rules so framed give enough powers to any government to change them as needed.

The process of fresh hiring has also slowed down due to pandemic. According to official sources 6.80 lakh posts are vacant at the Centre including Railways. All recruitments in the PSUs are halted for the time being. Fresh hiring of consultants/advisers discouraged.

Worried Pawar deputes Patel on Congress crisis

Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

New Delhi, Aug 26

NCP supremo Sharad Pawar is extremely worried over the internal crisis developing in the Congress Party. Since the Congress is the catalyst for the unity among the Opposition parties in the country, any weakening at this juncture will have a direct bearing on the stability of many Opposition ruled states.

It was primarily because of this very reason that he deputed his Man-Friday and NCP general secretary Praful Patel to keep a close watch on the development and get an update at the earliest. It was perhaps because of this very reason that Praful Patel rushed here from Mumbai yesterday and is camping here.

When contacted, Praful Patel told Lokmat, “We have no role in the internal affairs of the Congress. Of course, it’s a matter of concern as we are running a government in Maharashtra in alliance with Congress and any such development may have a bearing.” When asked if he had talked to Congress leaders, he smiled and said, “We talk to everybody on a daily basis. We want Congress to be strengthened and become a strong party so that the Maharashtra experiment can be taken at the national level.” However, he declined to say anything on the issue and also clarified that the main purpose of his visit here was to attend the meeting of the Standing Committee of Parliament on Finance. 

If sources are to be believed, many top Congress leaders were talking to Praful Patel on a daily basis. The NCP sees an opportunity in the Congress if there is another split in the party as it happened in 1999. “Any such development will prove the point Sharad Pawar has been making for a long time that Rahul Gandhi is not capable of leading the Congress,” said another senior NCP leader on the condition of anonymity. Patel is understood to have briefed Pawar on the internal crisis which has been pushed under the carpet for now.

Sonia may offer step down on Monday, May appeal to elect a non-Gandhi

Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

New Delhi, Aug. 22

Congress Interim president Sonia Gandhi may offer to step down from her post at the meeting of the Congress Working Committee on Monday next.

Highly placed sources in the party told Lokmat tonight that Sonia Gandhi has made up her mind and informed a select group of leaders about her intentions to make room for a non-Gandhi to occupy the post. This in a way, is bowing to the wishes of her son Rahul Gandhi who took moral responsibility for the debacle of the party in 2019 Lok Sabha polls and quit. He also desired that a non-Gandhi be elected to run the party.

But the entire CWC rejected the decision and later elected Sonia Gandhi an interim president. However, the experiment failed and now it is emerging that an upset Sonia Gandhi may offer to quit. Though she has full one more year to go an Interim president of the Congress, she is pained and may offer to quit. 

It is reliably learnt that some of the senior Congress leaders including Kapil Sibal and Anand Sharma among others have written a letter to Sonia Gandhi about the state of the party and how it should be reorganised. 

When contacted, no senior leader was willing to comment. Kapil Sibal did not respond to phone calls and neither Anand Sharma responded. Ghulam Nabi Azad has also been upset as he had not been renominated to the Rajya Sabha and may not remain Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha. However, Mallikarjun Kharge, senior-most member of the CWC and Rajya Sabha MP told Lokmat over the phone that he would participate in the virtual meeting on Monday.  He declined to say anything more exceot that he is a loyal soldier of the party.