Hasan net widens to Puducherry LG, Maya secy

NEW DELHI: Investigation in the Hasan Ali case has reached a crucial stage with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) deciding to question Puducherry lieutenant governor Iqbal Singh and UP chief minister Mayawati's principal secretary Vijay Shankar Pandey in the $8 billion money-laundering probe. 

While summons were issued to Iqbal Singh on Friday, ED is likely to issue notice to Pandey in the next few days asking him to appear for questioning, sources said. 

Faced with Supreme Court's adverse observations on the probe into one of the country's biggestmoney laundering cases, the ED has brought important functionaries under the scanner. Hassan Ali and his associates, including Kolkata-based businessman Kashinath Tapuriah, both in ED custody, have been slapped with tax evasion penalty of Rs 70,000 crore. 

The decision to summon Iqbal Singh and Pandey was taken after a key Hassan Ali aide and a Congress functionary from Bihar, Amlendu Pandey, stated under oath that he had been in regular contact with both Singh and the UP CM's principal secretary. 

Mention of the UP CM's office in connection with Hassan Ali also came up in the Supreme Court on Friday when counsel for ED pointed out how the CM's office was taking undue interest in allegedly derailing the money-laundering investigation. 

ED informed the court that Jasvir Singh — a co-petitioner with "tainted" former IIT Kharagpur professor S K Dubey seeking inquiry against top agency officials — is a DIG-rank officer attached to the office of the CM's principal secretary. 

In an affidavit submitted to the court, ED director Arun Mathur and his senior officials S K Sahni and Prabhakant said they were never present in Kolkata on August 1, 2009 and therefore there was no question of taking any undue favour for their hotel stay from anybody, as alleged by petitioner Jasvir Singh. 

Amlendu Pandey was questioned by ED officials in Mumbai on Thursday. The ED is investigating Tapuriah's UP connection. Both Tapuriah and Pandey had allegedly accompanied Hassan Ali toSingapore to open bank accounts. 

Pandey's statements were video recorded and taken under Section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, which is admissible as evidence in court. He was raided by ED sleuths in the last week of March for his association with Ali. Pandey is believed to have helped the Pune-based punter to obtain a passport from Patna under forged documents. 

The ED argued that there was an attempt to malign senior officials to derail the ongoing investigation in the Hassan Ali case which has reached a conclusive stage. ED director Mathur, in his affidavit, said his house was never searched by CBI when he was administrator, Daman. His deputy Balesh Kumar affirmed that he was cleared by vigilance/CVC and his name was on the panel before he was selected for special director in ED.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Hasan-net-widens-to-Puducherry-LG-Maya-secy/articleshow/7996015.cms

Cabinet rejig with eye on polls

NEW DELHI: Congress seized the reshuffle window to rev up its election machine in Uttar Pradesh and Kerala by broadbasing participation from these states in the Union ministry.

The elevation of Salman Khurshid and Sriprakash Jaiswal and induction of Beni Prasad Verma as steel minister have upped the share of UP in the Cabinet to put it on a par with its political heft. (Read: PM inducts 3 new ministers, drops none )

K V Thomas's surprise elevation as food and consumer affairs minister and the filling of Shashi Tharoor's slot is another leg-up for the party in Kerala which takes on the Left Front in May polls. Giving temporary charge of civil aviation to Vyalar Ravi and making K C Venugopal junior minister for power fits the 'K C Venugopal' pattern.

Sources said the focus on short-term political battles in the reshuffle, which was expected to be a performance appraisal of UPA-2, underlined the importance of the coming polls in the party matrix.

Congress is banking heavily on victories in Kerala and Assam where it is the main player to turn the tide after the negativity of scams.

Victories on ally turfs such as West Bengal and Tamil Nadu would supplement party strategy. UP polls would also decide the fate of the party's revival attempt in the 80-seat state and give a peep into the possibilities of 2014 Lok Sabha battle.

The rejig seeks to broadbase Congress's UP outreach. A position to Verma can renew the party's appeal among OBCs. Verma's entry in the power echelons is a snub to Samajwadi Party, his home before the high-voltage rebellion against Mulayam Singh Yadav in 2007.

Verma's gain compounds Mulayam's woes because he too is eyeing a power perch at the Centre to rival the clout of an imperious Mayawati. His PMO visit on Monday evening had set tongues wagging in the Congress camp.

A cabinet rank for Khurshid aims to neutralise SP's bid to dent Congress among Muslims. SP's Azam Khan has accused Congress of denying the community its due share in power with only Kashmir's Congress among Muslimshaving Cabinet status. Khurshid's elevation sets right the balance.

Congress has lent weight of key portfolios to Kerala leaders to add to its momentum in the Left-held state. Autonomous charge of food and consumer affairs to Thomas and civil aviation to Ravi are steps in that direction.

The criticality of Kerala in Congress matrix stems from the prospect of double whammy for Left in Bengal and Kerala. A defeat-induced disarray in Left camp can soften the Red resistance in Delhi which will be big relief for the cornered Congress.

The political subtext of the rejig in UP follows a realisation in Congress that the waning of post-2009 mood after scams and price rise will test its bare cupboard of leaders and appeal among caste groups. Though Rahul Gandhi leads a campaign among dalits who are loyal to Mayawati, the key to party success in the state lies with Muslims, OBCs and upper castes.

Also read: PM will now keep a sharper eye on key economic ministries

Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Cabinet-rejig-with-eye-on-polls/articleshow/7323296.cms