In a huge setback for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), its candidate Justice (retd) Fakhruddin has withdrawn from the electoral fray in Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituency from where Congress president Sonia Gandhi is contesting.
The AAP led by Arvind Kejriwal has confirmed the development on Tuesday.
Confirming the news, the party said that the former Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh high court judge has recused himself from the polls.
AAP state spokesman Vaibhav Maheshwari told reporters that he informed the party that he would not be available for the Lok Sabha election.
The party has now decided to field Archana Srivastava, a social worker against Sonia Gandhi.
The AAP has fielded poet-turned-politician Kumar Vishwas against Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi in Amethi.
BJP’s candidate from Amethi, activist and lawyer Ajay Agarwal filed his nomination papers Monday.
I have watched Amit Shah on television a few times and have been judging his performance in taming vested interests in BJP. I appreciate his brevity and composure. The people, who are accusing Mr Shah of communalizing the atmosphere in his speech, are simply trying to discourage him. He had merely spoken about of talking revenge by pressing the button of EVM. There is nothing wrong in it. Mr Shah did not say that he will murder some person therefore complaints registered against him are unjustified.
We need a strong man to become the Home Minister of India. He should be provided professional assistance by appointing Kiran Bedi (persuade her) as his deputy. Narendra Modi must be put on probation for three months to see what work he will perform after becoming the Prime Minister. There is a possibility that leaders like Uma Bharti and Shatrughan Sinha may come forward and start demanding a ministerial berth in the party. Sushmaji may say, “I am very fit and I persuaded Advani to support you so please make me Deputy PM. I will not organize any rally against you like Devi Lal.”
Advani might support Sushma Swaraj as the deputy PM but he might urge the party to atleast make him a Home Minister as he is the original “loh purush”. He may even threaten to join Mulayam Singh, Mayawati and Sharad Pawar and they might even make him Deputy PM. If Modi succumbs to such pressures and agrees, then, the slogan has to change from Congress mukt Bharat to BJP mukta Bharat”. So, friends, be watchful to see what Modi eventually does. I have more faith in Amit Shah in this matter, this man will most likely say , “None of the above”.
Our country is passing through a very difficult phase so please remain very wise and alert. A lot of discipline will have to be injected in our Civil Services so that they become active partners in development and not remain a hindrance, as at present. Radical reforms are needed but it is necessary to stick to basic. The “safai karmacharis” must commence cleaning the roads and surroundings. Teachers must start teaching and refrain from blackmailing. Training must be imparted to women for policing, driving the autos and providing health care in the hospitals. Men should work in factories. Nargis had played the role of a teacher in Shree 420. “Ichak dana bichak dana dane upar dana…..hari thee manbhari thee lakh moti jadi thee, rajaji ke bag me dushala odhe khadi thee…). The actress’s daughter must emulate her.
The Lok Sabha election is yet to begin in Maharashtra but the anti-Prithviraj Chavan leaders have started lobbying against him for the coveted job. According to sources, leaders like MPCC president Manikrao Thakre, Narayan Rane, Dr Patangrao Kadam and Ashok Chavan have already started a negative campaign against Prithviraj Chavan and doesn’t want him to continue with the CM’s post if the Congress fails to maintain the 17 seats won by it during the 2009 Lok Sabha election. All these leaders share a hate relationship with Chavan and consider him as an outsider. They have often criticised Chavan for making slow-paced decisions which was hampering the state’s development.
No senior leader has come forward to support Chavan when he had campaigned in his home constituency. This only goes to show that Chavan doesn’t feature in good books of these leaders. Earlier too there have been reports about differences between Manikrao Thakre and Prithviraj Chavan which both of them have denied. However, the manner in which incidents are unfolding within the party only goes to show that most of these leaders are planning a strategy to corner Chavan. Thus Chavan finds himself isolated within the party and is fighting a lone battle in this election.
It was a huge setback for Prithviraj Chavan when Ashok Chavan was granted a ticket even though his name had featured in the Adarsh scam. Chavan commands the support of 45 MLAs of the state and is likely to stake his claim for the post the Maharashtra CM after the conclusion of election. The battle for CM’s post is only going to intensify as the assembly election too is scheduled to happen in the state this year. Chavan commands a huge support base in the Marathwada region of the state.
“Though circumstances were different in 2009, if Prithviraj Chavan is not able to retain those 17 seats, then a group of state Congress leaders will start a negative campaign against his leadership. Ashok Chavan and Manikrao Thakre will intensify their anti-CM campaign after the Lok Sabha results. Other aspirants for CM’s post Narayan Rane, Balasaheb Thorat, Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil and Harshw-ardhan Patil are not taking much interest beyond their own constituency, which clearly means that the CM is all on his own and fighting this battle as a one man army,” said the Congress leader.
Many feel that irrespective of the outcome of the parliamentary polls, a change of guard in Maharashtra is necessary if the party is to retain power in the ensuing assembly elections. “Prithviraj Chavan has the Mr Clean image, but the need is of an administration which can take fast decisions,” a Congress minister observed.
There was a large photograph and some text describing Shashi Tharoor’s works in last five years as an MP of Thiruvananthapuram on flex board and in front of that, Mr. Tharoor was addressing the people. Through his speech, you can make out that, he has totally forget that sometimes ago his wife’s body was found mysteriously in a hotel room at Delhi.
It was one of the biggest tragedies in Tharoor’s life, but there is no evidence of his hurt. As she was found and post mortem revealed that she has committed a suicide but who has abetted her for suicide is also mystery. His aide tries to clear any possible doubts voters may have about Sunanda Pushkar’s death. Tharoor moved in his life, he is innocent till he proven guilty, but to prove that he is guilty, investigations needs to go in the right direction. So far, there is no development on Pushkar’s death, and media is also silent over such a brutal issue.
There was a lot of talk about Sunanda Pushkar’s death. No news channels have exact knowledge and reason for her death but everyone has their own speculations and giving their own logics. Sunanda Pushkar, the wife of Union Minister Shashi Tharoor, was found dead in Room No. 345 of Leela Hotel. Her death came within 48 hours of her going public about her husband’s alleged affair with a Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar, raising suspicions of suicide, although no suicide note was found from the unfortunate place. The tragedy came to an end and even Twitter was still buzzing about the public display of anger, betrayal and accusations involving Tharoor, Sunanda and Pakistani journalist. There were also reports of Sunanda talking of divorce, although she scotched the talk on Thursday. She rocked the social media constantly for two long days and finally was found dead. Every senior journalist is claiming that she gave them call before the tragedy, she wanted to expose her hubby, but none of these journalists on the humanitarian grounds went to solace her knowing the level of her depression. The news has spread like fire in the Jungle.
This is not the first instance any politician’s wife was found dead or committed suicide. Earlier, Anuradha Bali alias Fiza Mohammad, the 39-year-old estranged second wife of former Haryana deputy Chief Minister Chander Mohan, lived a controversial life, and her death was no different. Then Naina Sahni was the victim of Tandoor murder case. On 2 July 1995, she was killed by her husband Sushil Sharma, a Congress youth leader and MLA. Naina herself was a worker in the Congress party. Sushil Sharma was convicted for the murder by the Trial Court, Delhi High Court and then Supreme Court. On 8 October 2013, Sharma was awarded life imprisonment by the Supreme Court. Every time, journalists came up with their own stories and accused got scot free or due to media pressure, the decisions went wrong, such as Nupur and Rajesh Talwars’ conviction.
In India, sting operation is in fashion, Tehelka was popular just because of this act. Tarun Tejpal is the owner and Editor in Chief of the publication; that’s the reason no one could question him or blame him for anything. However, if he would have been an employee or paid as an editor of the publication then he would have been out of the market. Today Tarun Tejpal is in jail under rape charges by his own employee and Tehelka is distorted. Few years ago, India TV did sting operation on Shakti Kapoor and as viewers we enjoyed rather than objecting upon such trends.
Aaj Tak conducted a sting operation on Pramod Muthalik, Asaram Bapu and many others like them, by violating all ethics and rules of journalism. But no one goes against them. News channels need TRPs and viewerships, which is only possible through controversies and scandals. If the editor bans such practices, then he would be accused for his inefficiency. However, if he does the sting operation and someone raises objections against it, then the banner and owner put the blame on the editor and washes their hands off.
I understand the pain of Rebekah Brooks. Actually, it was not her fault; it was the fault of her thankless job and position she was holding in the newspaper. I am sure, every newspaper and news channel definitely possesses taped conversations of thousands of celebrities, politicians, sports stars and common people. For the simple reason, if the desk questions reporter about the conversation proof then they have to produce the records by default. Moreover, many times a source denies his statements, so one need to keep the proof. Rebekah Brooks is not the omission. I can understand why she had to fall on her own sword which she has sharpened for the interest of the newspaper and its readers.
I have one personal story to tell. One day, my editorial team was too much tensed over lead story. The deadline was nearing. Then I remembered Kumar Ketkar’s speech in a Rotary Club function at Dombivli where he had recalled a situation from the time when he was the Editor of Maharashtra Times. Kumar was revealing the other side of Journalism regarding which said Bad news is a Good news, a compulsory virtue of journalism all over the world. And just then, Poonam Chambers collapsed. It was a huge sigh of relief as finally there was something worth a lead. War journalists, crime journalists and others strive for off-routine pictures and reports. Every journo aims for a Watergate, a life-turning event/scam. The class of journalists is reflected by their investigative journalism. There is equal scope for an investigative talent in all the beats of journalism. Press Freedom, liberty to write, investigative journalism, journalism of courage are terms that have been imposed upon us since ages.
The most hypocritic profession is journalism. One may recall Arun Shourie’s rise and fall in the Indian Express group. A layman remembers Mr. Shourie as a courageous journalist who exposed the cement scam of then Maharashtra CM Barrister A.R. Antulay. He then had to quit ‘Express’ as a prize for his courage. The reality is entirely different. But this scam and consequences ended the journey of Shourie as an editor. The policy of publishing is guided by the affiliations and interests of the managements. A journalist or an editor is merely a salesman. He can shoot only at the sweet will of the paymaster. Media is a business venture as clear as a profit-making organisation which has to pay salaries in time.
It is a harsh reality that journalism as a profession is a paid job. What is so chaotic about paid-journalism, when journalists at any level are doing a paid job? I feel, we must end the hypocrisy in the fourth-estate and tell the world that we are not Superman, but we are sales executives working on salaries and hidden perks. Here, I’m stopping myself and will continue tomorrow with other revelation. Till that time follow me on twitter @vaidehisachin.
Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Manish Tiwari was granted bail by the Mumbai court on Monday in the defamation case filed by former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Nitin Gadkari.
The case was filed by Gadkari in 2010 after the Congress spokesperson allegedly accused him of holding a ‘benami’ flat in the scam-tainted Adarsh Society.
As per the complaint, Tewari had told that Ajay Sancheti, who was close to Gadkari, had a benami flat in Adarsh in the name of his driver.
The BJP leader had denied the allegations and said that the accusations were false and defamatory.
The court also reportedly directed Tewari to pay an amount of Rs 10,000.
Sharad Pawar-led NCP on Monday promised reservations to Muslims as well as Marathas, implementation of Rajinder Sachar committee report, and support for ‘statehood to Andaman and Nicobar’ in its manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections, released here.
It also advocated privatisation of agriculture; privatisation and price protection to farmers would be government’s strategy “to synergies agriculture growth”, the manifesto said. Private sector’s participation would be promoted through contract-farming, it added.
The party, which is in alliance with Congress in Maharashtra and is a part of the UPA, has presence in (apart from Maharashtra) Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, Gujarat, Odisha and Kerala, manifesto pointed out.
It promised support to statehood to Andaman and Nicobar Islands, full state status to Delhi, and “zero tolerance” approach to terrorism.
The 44-page manifesto also said that NCP did not support introduction of uniform civil code. It was for continuance of personal codes so long as they did not violate the Constitution, it said.
It promised representation to minority communities in public sector, government and semi-government establishments.
It would work for passage of Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence Bill, 2013, the manifesto said. Further, it promised that NCP would ensure implementation of Sachar committee’s recommendations including job reservations for Muslims without delay.
Reservations would be provided to weaker sections such as the Muslims and Marathas in education and jobs, it said.
Marathas, who are politically dominant in Maharashtra, form a backbone of NCP’s base in the state.
The manifesto said NCP wanted job reservations for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes in the private sector too, and was in favour of quotas for OBCs in the higher education as well.
The capabilities of senior citizens should be used as “a social asset” in promoting adult education, immunisation, AIDS awareness, etc, it said.
Tourism infrastructure would be strengthened through public-private partnership, it said. The manifesto also highlighted the achievements of UPA I and UPA II, and the performance of NCP ministers.
The party was committed to secularism, equity and social justice, it said.
It mentioned UPA’s flagship achievements such as introduction of MGNREGA, Right to Food Act, RTI Act, etc.
It promised to boost budgetary provisions for agriculture and irrigation, boost production of oil seeds and pulses, and increase remunerative prices of crops.
It also promised an insurance policy to cover the entire agriculture sector and debt waiver to landless labourers, SC/ST.
On state-Centre relations, it underlined that NCP would strive to provide genuine financial autonomy to states and restrict use of article 356 only to cases where there is a threat to the national security or the secular fabric of the country.
The Bombay High Court on Monday scheduled for May 5 the framing of issues on the petition filed by Uddhav Thackeray, Shiv Sena president, seeking probate of the will of his late father Bal Thackeray. The petition was today heard by Justice R D Dhanuka.
Jaidav Thackeray, estranged son of the Sena patriarch, has opposed the petition, contesting the will.
Jaidev, who does not get anything as per the will, has demanded one-third share in the family property.
The court last week refused to grant an interim relief to Jaidev, who had sought an order restraining the beneficiaries of the will from selling off the properties.
Probate petition is filed to get a will of a deceased person certified by the court. Uddhav Thackeray’s probate petition, filed in January 2013, was converted into a testamentary suit after Jaidev moved the HC opposing it.
The estate left behind by Thackeray senior includes immovable property and bank deposits worth Rs. 14.85 crore.
The High Court also refused to express any opinion on Jaidev’s allegation that Uddhav, being a political leader, may use his influence to get the will executed.
Jaidev has said that the property is worth much more that what is stated in the will; the Bandra bungalow ‘Matoshri’ itself is valued at Rs. 40 crore. Although he was living separately, he had cordial relations with his father, and the latter could not have cut him out of the will, Jaidev’s petition contends.
The will gives the first floor of bungalow to Bal Thackeray’s grandson and Jaidev’s son Aishvary, and Jaidev’s divorced wife Smita. The second floor has been bequeathed to Uddhav and his sons Aditya and Tejas; the ground and the third floors have been given to Uddhav alone.
The Congress-NCP tie-up in Maharashtra for last 15 years has struck the best ever co-ordination during Lok Sabha polls and it may help the alliance shore up its tally this elections, state Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan has said.
“The 2014 Lok Sabha election has probably brought both NCP and Congress much closer with the determination to increase its (alliance) overall tally in Maharashtra,” Chavan told.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar has spared maximum time for the joint campaign and has mounted sharp attack on the BJP-led Opposition and particularly against BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. He has repeatedly been telling how Congress MP Ehsan Jafri was allegedly burnt to death during the 2002 Gujarat riots, the senior Congress leader said.
Asserting that there was no “Modi wave,” he said, “I have been touring the entire Vidarbha region but have not experienced this.”
“While campaigning till now, I found the enthusiasm among Congress workers perceptibly high. In fact, in seats like Nagpur, Akola where we were slow to pick up, there is a marked improvement,” he said.
“Consolidation of our traditional votes has now taken place, giving us confidence of victory in Vidarbha and we will win more than five seats this time along with NCP,” Chavan expressed.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s election meeting in the city recently has again boosted the morale of the party workers. The campaign has picked up and the party will add to our 2009 tally of four seats in Vidarbha and also in the state, he said.
For the April 10 first phase Lok Sabha polling in Vidarbha region of the state, the chief minister has covered almost all the constituencies.
Defending the nomination of former Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, one of the accused in the Adarsh scam, from Nanded, he claimed it (nomination) was purely on technical grounds as “the former CM has not been debarred by any court of law from contesting the election.”
Even the CBI intends to drop charges against him in the Adarsh housing society matter, he said, adding that he will even go to campaign for Ashok Chavan for the Lok Sabha elections.
The Bombay High Court on Monday disposed of a petition filed by the father of 24-year-old Priti Rathi, who was killed in an acid attack case last year, seeking CBI probe, after it was informed that the accused person has been arrested and chargesheeted.
The High Court had earlier directed for investigation in the case to be carried out by the city police’s crime branch instead of the railway police.
Additional public prosecutor Aruna Kamat Pai on Monday informed a division bench of Justices N H Patil and Anuja Prabhudessai that pursuant to the order, the crime branch had completed the probe and arrested one accused.
A charge sheet had also been filed in the metropolitan magistrate court, she said. The crime branch had arrested one Pawankumar Gahlan in January this year for allegedly throwing acid on Priti on May 2 last year at the suburban Bandra railway station.
A Delhi resident, Priti Rathi had come to Mumbai to join Colaba naval hospital as a staff nurse. As soon as she alighted at Bandra Terminus on May 2, an unidentified man threw acid on her face at Bandra station.
Priti suffered severe damage to her lungs and succumbed to injuries a month later on June 1 at Bombay Hospital. Priti was selected for short service commission in the military nursing service and was asked to report at the naval hospital in Colaba on May 15.
The police had initially arrested a person. However, he was later released as they were not sure whether he was the real culprit.
Priti’s father Amar Singh Rathi had expressed apprehension that if such serious crimes were not investigated expeditiously then women would not be able to walk fearlessly on the streets.
The Bombay High Court on Monday disposed of a petition filed by the father of 24-year-old Priti Rathi, who was killed in an acid attack case last year, seeking CBI probe, after it was informed that the accused person has been arrested and chargesheeted.
The High Court had earlier directed for investigation in the case to be carried out by the city police’s crime branch instead of the railway police.
Additional public prosecutor Aruna Kamat Pai on Monday informed a division bench of Justices N H Patil and Anuja Prabhudessai that pursuant to the order, the crime branch had completed the probe and arrested one accused.
A charge sheet had also been filed in the metropolitan magistrate court, she said. The crime branch had arrested one Pawankumar Gahlan in January this year for allegedly throwing acid on Priti on May 2 last year at the suburban Bandra railway station.
A Delhi resident, Priti Rathi had come to Mumbai to join Colaba naval hospital as a staff nurse. As soon as she alighted at Bandra Terminus on May 2, an unidentified man threw acid on her face at Bandra station.
Priti suffered severe damage to her lungs and succumbed to injuries a month later on June 1 at Bombay Hospital. Priti was selected for short service commission in the military nursing service and was asked to report at the naval hospital in Colaba on May 15.
The police had initially arrested a person. However, he was later released as they were not sure whether he was the real culprit.
Priti’s father Amar Singh Rathi had expressed apprehension that if such serious crimes were not investigated expeditiously then women would not be able to walk fearlessly on the streets.
The Lok Sabha election is yet to begin in Maharashtra but the anti-Prithviraj Chavan leaders have started lobbying against him for the coveted job. According to sources, leaders like MPCC president Manikrao Thakre, Narayan Rane, Dr Patangrao Kadam and Ashok Chavan have already started a negative campaign against Prithviraj Chavan and doesn’t want him to continue with the CM’s post if the Congress fails to maintain the 17 seats won by it during the 2009 Lok Sabha election. All these leaders share a hate relationship with Chavan and consider him as an outsider. They have often criticised Chavan for making slow-paced decisions which was hampering the state’s development.
Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Manish Tiwari was granted bail by the Mumbai court on Monday in the defamation case filed by former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Nitin Gadkari.