Not the best of times for Mamata Banerjee

Kolkata, June 23: This is not the best of times for West Bengal’s maverick Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Checkmated by the Congress High Command in her presidential poll manoeuvre, Didi, as she is popularly known, now faces a belligerent Congress in her own state.  And the Calcutta High Court has only added insult to injury by striking down her pet Singur law as unconstitutional and void.

The political drama which unfolded last week with Banerjee trying to nix Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s chances of becoming the President culminated in an anti-climax.

Her preferred candidate, APJ Abdul Kalam, opted out of the race after finding the electoral arithmetic unfavourable. Kalam’s decision to opt out came despite a politically isolated Banerjee, whose administration had arrested a professor for circulating online cartoons allegedly derogatory to her, launching a campaign on networking site Facebook, backing the former president. Meanwhile, already peeved at Banerjee for constantly ignoring and ill-treating them, the state Congress leaders crowed with delight over the humiliation.

“The Congress has shown Banerjee her place. The Trinamool should behave properly. Otherwise, they are free to leave the government,” Congress member of Parliament Adhir Choudhury said.

The humiliated Trinamool leadership retaliated by stating that the party did not want to topple the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, but its ministers were prepared to put in their papers if the situation so demanded. But apart from widening the rift between Congress and Trinamool, the election has also exposed cracks in the Left's unity as its parties failed to reach a consensus on the poll.

The Communist Party of India-Marxist and Forward Bloc has decided to support Mukherjee while the Communist Party of India and The Revolutionary Socialist party deciding to abstain from voting.

The rift in the Left Front comes at time when the Marxists have called for a broader Left unity and the communists are facing tough times both at the national level and in Bengal-- once a red bastion.

Following the presidential poll goof-ups, Banerjee received another setback as a division bench of the Calcutta High Court termed the Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Act, 2011, passed by her government last year as “unconstitutional and void”.

The verdict can be a dampener for the Trinamool before the crucial rural elections slated next year as the party came to power riding on the dividends of the Singur and Nandigram anti-land acquisition movements.  Banerjee, however, remained confident.

“Throughout my life, I have struggled for the cause of the farmers, working class, poor and under-privileged. Our commitment to be with them will remain, whether I’m in power or not. I’ll continue to fight for this cause. Finally, the people’s choice in democracy will prevail,” Banerjee posted on Facebook.

Although she has vowed to stand by the farmers, at this moment, the fate of Singur farmers looks uncertain. (IANS)

Presidential fight finalized, focus shifts on Ansari?s successor

New Delhi, June 23: With the battle lines drawn for the July 19 presidential election, the focus is gradually shifting to the vice-presidential poll in August, for which incumbent M Hamid Ansari appears to be a strong contender, Congress sources said on Saturday.

After having its way on fielding Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee as the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) nominee for the next president, the Congress appears keen to call the shots in the vice-presidential election as well.

Congress sources said that there was a possibility of Ansari getting a second term at the high post but other names were also doing the rounds. These included former union minister Mohsina Kidwai, the Rajya Sabha’s former deputy chairman K Rahman Khan and Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief Saifuddin Soz.

A party leader, insisting on anonymity, said that generally the vice president was chosen for the post of president if the same party continued in power. However, since Mukherjee was named for presidency, “I feel Ansari may be renominated,” the leader said.  He said the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), which announced support for Mukherjee in the presidential poll, may back Ansari if he was renominated as vice-president.

Ansari was a common candidate of the UPA and the Left parties in the vice-presidential poll in 2007. His term comes to end on August 10.

Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh, in a recent TV interview, praised Ansari saying he had conducted himself admirably as the vice-president.

At one point, Ansari was in the reckoning as the Congress choice for the post of president along with Mukherjee, who was eventually chosen as the official UPA nominee.  A party leader said that there was high probability of Ansari being re-nominated as the vice-president as he had missed the UPA’s nomination as the presidential candidate.

Congress leaders said there was “sufficient time” to decide the vice-presidential candidate and an announcement was likely to be made after the declaration of the presidential poll result on July 22.

The main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party is expected to chart its course warily in the vice presidential election as two of its allies in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) broke ranks with it and declared their support to Mukherjee in the presidential poll.

The party decided to contest the presidential poll so as to not allow a “walkover” to the Congress and not to be seen as backing a nominee of what it has consistently called a “failed” government.  The name of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was doing the rounds, initially, as a possible choice of the NDA in the vice-presidential poll.

The vice president is elected by an electoral college consisting of members of both houses of parliament, in accordance with the system of proportional representation by the means of the single transferable vote. The voting is by secret ballot.  (IANS)

Pranab tries to woo Trinamool, to resign on June 26

Kolkata, June 23: Noting that his four-decade-long involvement in party politics was coming to an end, UPA presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday announced he would quit as finance minister on June 26. He also sought to reach out to the Trinamool Congress, appealing for all undecided parties to support his candidature.

In an obvious reference to the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) constituent Trinamool Congress, Mukherjee said that except one, all parties which are partners in the central government have supported him.

Noting that parties not associated with the UPA, like the Communist Party of India-Marxist, the All India Forward Bloc, the Janata Dal-United and the Shiv Sena, also have backed him, Mukherjee reiterated his appeal to all undecided parties to extend their support to him for the top job.

The Trinamool, second largest constituent of the UPA, is yet to announce its stand on the presidential choice after its preferred candidate, former president APJ Abdul Kalam, declined to contest. However, Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee has so far been firmly opposing Mukherjee’s bid for the country’s presidency.

Earlier, speaking to reporters at his ancestral village Mirati in Birbhum district, Mukherjee said he would quit his central government and the Congress party posts.

“I have been in politics for a long time. After becoming a presidential election candidate, I won’t have any party, I will not be in politics. This is a constitutional tradition,” he said. “I will relieve myself of the post of finance minister on June 26. I could not take such a decision earlier because the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was out of the country. I have to perform some duties in the Prime Minister’s absence,” said the veteran politician, considered the number two in the UPA government and its chief trouble shooter.

Mukherjee would return to Delhi on Sunday evening.

“Then I will put in my papers. I am still a Congressman and a member of its highest policy making body - the Working Committee. I will send my resignation from this post also to the Congress president Sonia Gandhi. I shall then start my campaign. A big chapter in my four-decade old involvement in party politics has ended,” said the 76-year-old leader.

Mukherjee is pitted against former Lok Sabha speaker Purno A Sangma, who has the backing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and some constituents of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), as also the AIADMK and the Biju Janata Dal. (IANS)

Supported Pranab as NDA did not gain from 2007 contest: Sharad Yadav

New Delhi, June 23: The JD-U chose to break ranks with the BJP-led NDA to support a “sensible person” like Pranab Mukherjee, who was the UPA’s candidate, as the opposition alliance did not gain politically by fielding Bhairon Singh Shekhawat against Congress candidate Pratibha Patil in the 2007 presidential election, NDA convenor Sharad Yadav has said.

After the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had fielded Bharatiya Janata Party stalwart Shekhawat as its candidate, lesser-known Pratibha Patil, the UPA nominee, won the 2007 contest and created history by becoming the first woman president of the country.

Stating the JD-U’s decision to support United Progressive Alliance’s nominee Mukherjee in 2012 was taken keeping in mind the 2007 result, Yadav denied there is any division in the alliance over the presidential poll. However, he refused to comment on the recent rift between senior JD-U leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and BJP leader and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi over who should be NDA’s prime ministerial candidate in the 2014 general elections.

Yadav, who represents Bihar’s Madhepura constituency in the Lok Sabha, said his party’s support to Mukherjee is due to the “complex” political realities in the country. “India is a big and diverse country...there are many contradictions in politics,” he said.

Yadav clarified that the entire NDA would have supported former president APJ Abdul Kalam for a second term had the former president not backed out of the 2012 presidential race.

Observing the 2014 Lok Sabha polls are likely to throw up a big challenge before the country, he said the need of a “sensible person” like Mukherjee will be felt strongly in the Rashtrapati Bhavan then. But he said it was too early to comment on a possible grouping of the regional parties at the centre.

Stating the finance minister’s shift to the Raisina Hill was certain against BJP’s presidential nominee PA Sangma, Yadav said it would be more a victory of Mukherjee and less of the UPA. (IANS)

Karnataka minister quits over land row, CM rejects

Bangalore, June 23: Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Kumar on Saturday resigned following a controversy over allotment of a housing site in the city in alleged violation of rules governing government land. Chief Minister DV Sadananda Gowda, however, rejected Kumar’s resignation, asserting that he was aware of the issue and would consult officials concerned to ascertain the facts. Claiming that Kumar was being wrongly targetted, Gowda said the purported controversy did not warrant his resignation and not even an investigation. Reacting to a report in a English tabloid (Bangalore Mirror) based on a piece of information obtained by an activist through the Right to Information (RTI) Act, Kumar said later that he had resigned because he did not want to cause embarrassment to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or its government and the Chief Minister. Asserting that he did no wrong in obtaining the site, measuring 4,000 square feet in the upscale Raj Mohan Vilas (RMV) area under the Chief Minister’s discretionary quota (‘G’ category), Kumar said he was ready for any probe by the authorities concerned, including the judiciary. In the light of similar or related allegations against a few of BJP’s former ministers and lawmakers being probed by investigation agencies at the state and central levels and in courts, Kumar said he had offered to return the site to the state-run Bangalore Development Agency (BDA). The agency allotted it in the city centre as an alternative to the one that was allotted to him earlier but freed from government control subsequently. “Moreover, when the alternative site was allotted, neither me nor my family members had any property in the city. I have also mentioned details in my affidavit filed with the state Lokayukta (ombudsman) on assets belonging to us,”" Kumar said. (IANS)

Digvijay stands by his words on Mamata

New Delhi, June 23: Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh has said that he stands by every word he said about Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee’s conduct in the run-up to the presidential election, despite the party distancing itself from his remarks. He had termed Banerjee’s behaviour as “immature” and “erratic” during the discussions on the July 19 presidential poll.  He said that Banerjee by naming Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as one of her choices for the president’s post was “certainly an embarrassment for the prime minister” and the party.  The Congress had earlier this week snubbed Digvijay Singh after his remarks concerning Banerjee.  “Digvijay Singh is not officially authorised to speak on behalf of the party,” a party statement said. In a television interview earlier, Digvijay Singh termed Banerjee’s revelation of the names of the Congress’s presidential contenders and her own suggesting three other names without the consent from these leaders as a mistake and “not a mature thing to do”. “She has been erratic in some way but let us also confess that she has been a great fighter all her life,” the Congress leader said.  (IANS)

CBI again grills BCCI chief in Jagan wealth case

Hyderabad, June 23: For the second time this week, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday questioned Indian cricket board chief and India Cements managing director N Srinivasan here in YSR Congress Party leader YS Jaganmohan Reddy’s illegal wealth case. The CBI officials were questioning Srinivasan, who is the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president, at Dilkusha Guest House, the camp office of the central investigating agency.  Srinivasan was earlier questioned by the CBI officials for over seven hours on June 18. He was grilled about the quid pro quo investments his company made into the firms of Jagan, as the YSR Congress leader is popularly called. The CBI believes the then government issued two orders allocating additional water from Krishna and Kagna rivers to two plants of Srinivasan’s India Cements. The water allocation for India Cements’ Nalgonda plant was enhanced from three lakh gallons to 10 lakh gallons per day, while for its plant in Ranga Reddy district the supply was raised from three lakh gallons to 13 lakh gallons per day. The orders reportedly helped the company to double its production in the state. Besides India Cements, the CBI is also conducting investigations into the investments made by Penna Cements and Dalmia Cements. They pumped money into Jagan’s firms allegedly in return for the limestone mines allotted to them. (IANS)

Vigilance quizzes Achuthanandan in land transfer case

Thiruvananthapuram, June 23: A team of vigilance department officials on Saturday arrived at the official residence of former Kerala chief minister VS Achuthanandan to quiz him on the controversial land transfer case, which occurred when he was Chief Minister during 2001-06. This is the second time that vigilance department officials are taking statements from the present Leader of Opposition in the Kerala assembly. Achuthanandan has been named the first accused by the vigilance, after a preliminary inquiry. The first information report has already been filed before a court in Kozhikode early this year. The investigating team has named four Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officials, including the then principal secretary to Achuthanandan, Sheela Thomas, as accused in the case. The others in the list include the then revenue minister and Communist Party of India (CPI) leader K.P. Rajendran, besides the personal assistant to Achuthanandan, Suresh. The cabinet also decided to cancel the land allotment in Kasargode district involving Soman, a former defence official. The alleged land transfer took place at the fag end of Achuthanandan's tenure as the chief minister. According to government norms, when land is given to people in the defence category, it should not exceed more than an acre. But Soman was given 2.33 acres. As soon as he was named in the list of accused, Achuthanandan offered to quit as Leader of Opposition, but his party top brass in New Delhi asked him not to do so. (IANS)

Pranab?s hometown rolls out red carpet for its ?Poltu?

Mirati (West Bengal), June 23: Union Finance Minister and UPA presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday arrived at his ancestral village home to a rapturous welcome as relatives, neighbours, fans and friends literally rolled out the red carpet for their beloved “Poltu”. This sleepy village in West Bengal’s Birbhum district was abuzz since early morning awaiting the arrival of their famous son who is first from the state on way to becoming the president. Welcome arches were erected on the way to the Mukherjees’ residence while hundreds of people gathered on both sides of the road for a glimpse of the leader who was born in the village in 1935. As the 76-year-old leader climbed down from his car and walked on the 200 metre-long red carpet towards his ancestral house, people showered him with flower petals and women ululated and blew conch shells to show their solidarity. Mukherjee’s lawmaker son Abhijeet sought support for his father. Received with a five-foot long flower garland amid chants of Pranab Babu zindabad, a smiling and relaxed Mukherjee greatly enjoyed the adulation as he kept on saying: “I am just one of you”. (IANS)

BJP workers court arrest in Ranchi

Ranchi, June 23: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Yashwant Sinha along with more than 500 party workers courted arrest in the Jharkhand capital on Saturday to protest the rise in prices of petrol and essential commodities. Addressing a small gathering near Raj Bhavan, where he courted arrest, the BJP leader blamed the wrong polices of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government for the price rise. Sinha was accompanied by state BJP president Dineshnand Goswami and others during the party’s 'jail bharo andolan (Fill jails movement). On Friday, hundreds of BJP workers courted arrests across Jharkhand as part of party’s nation wide agitation on the issue. The leaders were later freed. (IANS)

?Allegations made by Lankan President against Indian fishermen unconfirmed?

Chennai, June 23: Minister of State in Prime Minister’s Office V Narayanasamy on Saturday said that the accusations made by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa against the fishermen from Tamil Nadu were unsubstantiated. Narayanasamy on the contrary said that the Indian fishermen were being harassed, and added that they face a lot of problems. “As far as the point that has been raised by the President of Sri Lanka that their fishermen are being attacked, but on the contrary, we found that there is proof to show that our fishermen were attacked by the Sri Lankan Navy,” said Narayanasamy. “Some of the fishermen were fired at, their boats have been damaged, their boats have been captured, our fishermen were captured and put in the Sri Lankan jail, but none of the Sri Lankan fishermen are kept by us,” he added.  (Agencies)