Railway Budget: 'Bengal bias' plays to Mamata's poll script

NEW DELHI: Delivering perhaps the longest-ever budget speech by a rail minister, Mamata Banerjee was speaking on the Kolkata Rail Vikas Corporation when the Bihar contingent erupted. 

When Banerjee claimed that the corporation "will kickstart Kolkata's return to its glory", MPs belonging to JD(U) and BJP from Bihar protested against the discrimination against their state. "Why don't you shout when I announce things for Hyderabad and Gujarat or Kerala. Why is it that you scream only when I mention Bengal," Banerjee retorted. 

The aggression failed to cut ice with the complainants, leading to disruptions and a short suspension of proceedings. The hold-up would not have displeased Banerjee one bit. 

In fact, it played to the script that she has in mind for the coming West Bengal elections: paint herself as the saviour of Bengal, someone who has unabashedly used her perch in Rail Bhawan to shower projects on the home state. 

The charges of partiality towards her home state only enhances her persona as the benefactor of Bengal. 

Parochialism, just like nepotism, has never been considered to be a vice in India. But when grafted to a larger cause; for instance, rescuing West Bengal from the morass of backwardness and unemployment, it becomes glamorous and, politically speaking, profitable. 

Banerjee, who used her maiden rail budget to add steel to her campaign to dislodge the Marxists, knows it very well. Which was why moments after protesting that she had wrongly been charged with parochialism, she responded to the same charge with a defiant "I will do it" declaration. That she has no qualms in demonstrating her bias for West Bengal is brought out by her plans for exhibition trains. 

Banerjee knows that she can get away with the brazenness not just because her support is crucial for UPA's survival but also because no one with a stake in Bengal politics can afford to come in her way. That she has reckoned right was evident when CPM's criticism skirted the bias for Bengal. Congress has also to play along for the same reason, although Banerjee kept in mind the party's interests in the poll-bound states of Kerala, Assam and Tamil Nadu, as well as the besieged stronghold of Andhra Pradesh. BJP did protest against what it called the Bengal-centric budget, but that is only because it has bigger stakes elsewhere. 

Source:-http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/rail-budget-2011/Railway-Budget-Bengal-bias-plays-to-Mamatas-poll-script/articleshow/7578405.cms

Budget session begins today, BJP ready to attack

New Delhi:  The government has been hoping for a smoother Parliament session than the last after giving in to the Opposition's demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) inquiry into the 2G spectrum scam, but an aggressive Bharatiya Janata Party has upped the ante. It is all set to confront Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the floor of the House. The Budget session begins today. 

 

Speaking exclusively to NDTV, Arun Jaitley, the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, said that the Budget session would be a "session of accountability".

 

Speaking on the slew of corruption charges and scams, especially the 2G spectrum scam, that have cornered the UPA government, Jaitley said the Prime Minister and his government had a lot of questions to answer.  "What was the Prime Minister doing for the last three years when this huge case of corruption was on?" Jaitley asked.

 

He said a mere statement from the Prime Minister would not do and severely criticised Manmohan Singh for saying that the decision to appoint A Raja as Telecom Minister was forced on him by the compulsions of coalition politics.

"Where is the principle of collective responsibility? Is this a leader of the team which runs away from the battlefield and says, well, 'I did not make him a minister...I did not allocate the portfolio...somebody else compelled me to do that under compulsion'...?" Jaitley said.

 

The BJP's stinging attack on the government follows the Prime Minister's statement on Sunday expressing hope of a "peaceful, productive" Budget session after the all-party meet convened by the Speaker, where it the Centre agreed to the demand for a JPC on the 2G spectrum scam.

 

"We are looking forward to a fruitful and productive session of Parliament. The government on its part is ready to discuss any issue which may be brought by the Opposition. So I am hopeful this will be a peaceful productive session. Lot of legislative work has to be accomplished...the Budget of the Central government has to be passed and this therefore is truly the most important session of Parliament," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said after the all-party meet.

 

The government's no to a JPC inquiry into the 2G spectrum scam had led to a complete paralysis of Parliament in the Winter session, with less than 10 hours of business being conducted.

Source:-http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/budget-session-begins-today-bjp-ready-to-attack-86725

BJP MP threatens economic blockade against CIL, NTPC

BJP Lok Sabha MP from Godda (Jharkhand) Nishikant Dubey has written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, threatening to block coal mining operations of Coal India Ltd (CIL) and enforce economic blockade against the CIL and NTPC in Santhal Pargana region as these two are “not doing” enough for the betterment of the local people.

“I am informing your good office about the economic blockade from 15th February, 2011, onwards against Coal India Limited and NTPC for not doing any CSR (corporate social responsibility) activities in Naxal-affected most backward Santhal Pargana region of Jharkhand,” Dubey wrote to the PM on Thursday, alleging his repeated attempts to secure desired attention from both the PSUs for the local people had failed.

“We will stop coal mining operation of Coal India Limited in this region and supply of coal to NTPC’s Kehlgaon and Farakka Super Thermal Power Plant will be completely stopped. The supply of coal to NTPC plants based in Punjab will be stopped as well,” he added.

The BJP MP said the NTPC had incurred an expenditure of only about Rs 2 crore in his constituency since the inception of its plant about 29 years ago. “Coal India says that they are in loss but the fact is that the operation in Santhal Pargana region is very profitable for them and they simply cannot escape/elude/avoid their CSR responsibilities in this region,” the letter noted.

He alleged that the NTPC had failed to provide jobs to the people displaced during the setting up of the NTPC project in Santhal region.

Source: BJP MP threatens economic blockade against CIL, NTPC

Omar foils BJP's flag-hoisting plan

JAMMU: Police on Wednesday released four top BJP leaders detained as part of the crackdown on the saffron party's Ekta Yatra to hoist the tricolour at Lal Chowk in Srinagar on the Republic Day.

The state government deployed thousands of troops and arrested hundreds of BJP activists to foil the march "aimed at vitiating the state's peaceful atmosphere" on Tuesday.

Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Ananth Kumar and Shanta Kumar were released from a hotel in Kathua, where they were being held, after the official Republic Day celebrations ended at Jammu's Maulana Azad Stadium. Officials said a case against the four for violating prohibitory orders in Kathua was withdrawn before their release. DIG Gareeb Dass escorted them to Jammu where they addressed party workers at BJP's state headquarters.

"The yatra has concluded because it was to culminate on January 26. Now it is for the government to answer why opposition leaders were kept in custody on Republic Day," Swaraj told reporters.

The BJP leaders earlier spurned Jammu & Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah's invitation to attend the celebrations in Jammu or Srinagar. "It was a face-saving exercise. We were released at 12.40 when these functions had concluded," said Swaraj.

Republic Day celebrations ended peacefully in Kashmir amid heavy security. Police said BJP activists made several attempts to hoist the national flag at Lal Chowk. "Seven BJP workers were arrested around Lal Chowk while trying to hoist the flag there," said an officer. One worker was identified as Gurgaon's Srikant Sharma. "He was arrested after he appeared at Lal Chowk carrying the flag in the morning."

Hundreds of troops carrying automatic rifles, patrolled empty streets and put up barricades to prevent a separatist march to Lal Chowk. "Curfew was imposed in several parts of Srinagar," the officer said.

Several separatist leaders, including JKLF leader Yasin Malik, were arrested to foil their Lal Chowk march.

BJP youth wing president Anurag Thakur, who led the yatra from Kolkata, claimed three activists managed to unfurl the tricolour at Lal Chowk. "The culmination of the yatra with hoisting of the tricolour at Lal Chowk is the victory of nationalism."

Blocking yatra shores up CM's image

J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah's tough handling of BJP's Tiranga Yatra made him unpopular with the saffron party but it appears to have improved his image in the Valley.

The Rising Kashmir newspaper, that was scathing in its criticism of his handling of the summer agitation in the state, likened Omar's approach to the yatra to his grandfather Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah's crackdown on Bhartiya Jan Sangh leader Shyama Prasad Mookerjee's march in 1953.

Source:-http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Omar-foils-BJPs-flag-hoisting-plan/articleshow/7368954.cms

Won't give up, we will enter J&K again: Sushma Swaraj

CHANDIGARH: Hours after being deported out of Jammu, BJP leader Sushma Swaraj said that she, Jaitely and Anant Kumar will once again lead BJP workers to enter J&K on Tuesday.

"If we had our say we will reach Lal Chowk at Srinagar on January 26 with large number of people to hoist the national flag," she added.

Sushma tweeted, "We did not come for a Satyagraha. We have come for Tiranga Yatra. Won't give up. Come what may...We will enter J&K again."

Around 50,000 BJP and BJYM activists are likely to gather at Madhpur on Tuesday morning where first they will be addressed by senior party leaders and then they will head for Lakhanpur border to enter J&K.

Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and Anant Kumar held a close door meeting alongwith BJYM national president Anurag Thakur to decide their strategy for Tuesday morning.

Anurag Thakur before heading for meeting with top BJP leaders told TOI that they are determined to enter Jammu to hoist national flag at Lal Chowk.

The three leaders were brought to Lakhanpur border from Jammu airport under tight security. Even the doors of their cars were locked and were opened only by security officials when the cavalcade reached Lakhanpur.

They were brought to Lakhanpur border in three bullet proof amabassador cars which were further surrounded by four gypsys and one jammer.

Meanwhile, reacting to the move by Omar Abdullah government to forcibly move them out of Jammu, senior BJP leader Arun Jaitely said that the situation in J&K today is worst than it was in 1953 when one needed a permit to enter the state.

"Today you can physically pick up people and throw them out of the state," he said.

He described the Jammu and Kashmir government's action against them as "unprecedented and undemocratic."

Jaitely said "I don't know whether there is any rule of law left in the country and in this state. There is absoutely no law."

He said the Yuva Morcha is determined to proceed ahead with the yatra.

Source:-http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Wont-give-up-we-will-enter-JK-again-Sushma-Swaraj/articleshow/7357326.cms

Govt feels the heat on black money haul

Under pressure from Supreme Court, the govt is signing agreements with 22 tax havens to dig out unaccounted wealth.

Name Swiss bank account holders: BJP
Swiss money: 'Indian' link revealed?
CIC asks for affidavit on Swiss accounts
Secret Swiss bank accounts revealed