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National Politics BJP-Congress
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  • 18 Apr 2012
  • Hindustan Times (Delhi)
  • HT Correspondent letters@hindustantimes.com

BJP keeps MCD, says price rise, graft big poll factors

BOTTOM LINE Party fares worse than in 2007, Congress makes small gains

NEW DELHI: In an election that many saw as a referendum on the UPA and Sheila Dik**** governments’ inability to control corruption and price rise, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday retained control of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), winning 137 of its 272 seats.

getimage.aspx?regionguid=8eaa3913-aa59-4530-83af-7beb9e499435&scale=220&file=10872012041800000000001001&regionKey=MT7%2byyk%2b9xRdDFP0hUvPnw%3d%3d

This is the first time Delhi voted for three corporations that the MCD was divided into this year — East, North and South Delhi. While the BJP won East and North Delhi comfortably, it was the largest party in South Delhi but nine seats short of a simple majority. On the whole, the BJP fared worse than the last time when it had won 164 seats while the Congress did slightly better by winning 78 seats compared to 67 in 2007.

This is the Congress’ second defeat in municipal polls in a metro this year. In February, it was defeated by the Shiv SenaBJP in the Mumbai civic polls. Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi did not make much of his party’s defeat. “Last time, the BJP had won the MCD polls but the Congress came to power in the assembly. The Congress even went on to win all seven Lok Sabha seats. The MCD polls should be seen only as MCD polls,” he said.

Delhi BJP president Vijender Gupta, however, said that unlike the 2007 elections when sealing and demolition was an immediate and visible factor, there was no such factor this time. “The price rise and corruption in both Delhi and at the Centre were big issues and I feel the people of Delhi voted on these issues,” he said.

Political analyst Sanjay Kumar agreed that there was no anti-incumbency wave against the BJP but there were some pockets where voters were not happy with the councillor and voted against the BJP, resulting in its loss of 27 seats.

“But this result also does not indicate that people voted against the Congress on price rise and corruption. The Congress primarily lost its vote share because smaller parties like the BSP and SP ate up its votes. The Congress voters looked for bi-polarity and instead of going with the BJP, chose to vote for other parties,” said Kumar, who is a fellow at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies.



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Centre Now Ready to Amend Forest Rights Act 

NIDHI SHARMA NEW DELHI 

After rejecting recommendations of the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council (NAC) to strengthen Forest Rights Act,the Centre has decided to take all suggestions on board and introduce an amendment bill in the current Parliament session.The tribal affairs ministry will bring the amendment bill to correct basic contradictions within the Forest Rights Act that had been pointed out by NGOs before NAC last year.NAC had sent these suggestions to the ministry in February,2011.Interestingly,the same suggestions were rejected by tribal affairs minister Kantilal Bhuria.After V Kishore Chandra Deo assumed charge,Gandhi wrote to Deo,asking him to consider the suggestions once again.As per sources,the same suggestions have now been incorporated into the bill in totality and a note has been prepared for Cabinet approval.Speaking to ET,Deo said: There are some rules that come in the way of implementation of the Act itself.We need to do away with the contradictions and have prepared an amendment Bill,which would be tabled in this session. A senior official said,there are many contradictions.While tribals have been given the right to collect minor forest produce,they havent been given the right to transport these.This leaves them at the mercy of forest officials,who tend to harass them. The amendment bill will specifically address these issues.The bill proposes insertion of new rules to facilitate communities to access and enjoy these rights.


Pc0021300.jpg 



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  • 20 Apr 2012
  • Hindustan Times (Delhi)
  • HT Correspondent htreporters@hindustantimes.com

Every 2nd councillor a crorepati

NEW HOUSE Dropouts, crorepatis, youth, criminals — all make presence felt

NEW DELHI: The new municipal corporations will bear an interesting look. Every second councillor is a crorepati, every third councillor a school dropout and every sixth councillor has a police case against him/her. Above all, many are young.

getimage.aspx?regionguid=14925009-f77a-4d6d-a5cc-1c65be02570d&scale=333&file=10872012042000000000001001&regionKey=foZPVW0Y0TlkL5MXigG0fA%3d%3dRajni Abbi is one of the two councillors of the new House who are doctorates.
SONU MEHTA/HT PHOTO

These facts have come up from the analysis of the affidavits of 236 councillors done by the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) a non-government election monitoring group. These affidavits were submitted by the councillors to the state election commission while filing their nominations for the municipal polls.

According to the analysis, 120 newly elected councillors (or 51 per cent of the 236 affidavits scrutinised by ADR) have assets worth more than R1 crore.

The BJP, which has 137 councillors across the three corporations, has 68 crorepatis, the Congress has 30 and the BSP has four. Among male councillors, 55 per cent are crorepatis. Also, 47 per cent of women councillors are crorepatis.

Though the educated generally do not consider politics a profession worth trying, the new MCD does have many educated faces. Two councillors — Rajni Abbi and Shobha Vijender, both from BJP — are doctorates.

In contrast, another two — Om Wati (from Vasant Kunj) of Congress and Rekha Poswal (from Pul Pehlad) of the BJP — are illiterates.

The new House boasts of 68 graduates and 23 post-graduates. On the flip side, there are eight who have studied up to Class V and 23 who could only reach Class VIII.

Also, it seems that young faces will be calling the shots in the new House. Almost 75 per cent of the councillors are less than 50 years of age, which according to the Indian standard is considered young for a politician. While six councillors are less than 25 years old, 16 are below the age of 30. There are 73 councillors who are yet to cross 40 years.



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  • 25 Apr 2012
  • Hindustan Times (Delhi)
  • Harish V. Nair harish.nair@hindustantimes.com

HC backs eviction drive at Prez estate

SENSITIVE ZONE Delhi high court upholds Centre’s plea that shops operating from Rashtrapati Bhavan premises pose security threat

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NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has cleared the decks for the sealing of shops running from the premises of President’s Estate on Talkatora Road. Some of the shops have been conducting business there since 1946.

The court upheld the Centre’s move to seal shops on the ground that commercial activity in the sensitive area was a security risk and would also affect the area’s tranquillity.

Apart from the six shopkeepers in the market in the estate, those facing eviction also include residents of six quarters. Justice Sunil Gaur also ruled that mere acceptance of licence fee during the period after termination of licence agreement does not affect licensor’s right to evict the licensee.

Petitions filed by a dozen other shopkeepers in the premises are pending before the court. The shopkeepers and residents had challenged the eviction process, initiated in 2003 under Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act. The eviction order was issued in 2006.

The Centre said they (shopkeepers) had no right to occupy the premises, as they did not pay licence fee after 1993 and “commercial use of the premises was a high security risk and was affecting the tranquillity in the area”.

“Eviction of the petitioners from the subject premises does not suffer from any arbitrariness or material procedural lapse, warranting any interference in these writ proceedings”, Justice Gaur said.

The court rejected the argument of the petitioners that they could not be evicted in this manner, as they had been continuously paying the licence fee. The security angle was something the Centre suddenly raised ; the security issue had no mention in the eviction notice.

Rejecting the argument, the court said: “It is true that issue of security concerns was not there in the eviction notice but the plea was certainly there in the eviction petition…. besides, mere acceptance of payment from the petitioners during the period post-termination of the Licence Agreements would not justify raising the plea of acquiescence.”



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Bangaru Laxman held guilty of taking bribe 

1st Neta To Be Convicted In Sting Op 

Smriti Singh TNN 

New Delhi: The arms firm was fake,the deal fictitious.But the bribe was real and former BJP president Bangaru Laxman on Friday earned the dubious distinction of being the first politician to be convicted in a sting operation that recorded him accepting Rs 1 lakh in cash.
The tape capturing the leader putting bundles of cash away in a drawer unleashed a political storm that took a heavy toll of the Atal Bihari Vajpayees NDA government.And 11 years later,it has resulted in Laxmans conviction under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The convictionthe sentence is to be pronounced on Saturday and Laxman has been sent to Tihar jailcomes as a setback to the BJP at a time when it is targeting the Congress over graft scandals.It revives memories of a sordid chapter during the NDA governments tenure when the scandal claimed then defence minister George Fernandes besides Laxman.
Special CBI judge Kanwal Jeet Arora held 72-year-old Laxman guilty under the anti- corruption law that provides for a maximum of five years in jail for having taken a bribe from fake arms dealers to recommend to the defence ministry a contract for thermal imagers for the Army.
The conviction saw Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari asking the BJP to introspect instead of hurling baseless allegations at others.People in glass houses should not target others, Tewari said.

11 YRS ON,LAW CATCHES UP 


Tehelka scribes held 8 meetings with Laxman between Dec 23,2000 and January 7,2001,posing as suppliers of defence products,says CBI chargesheet 
Laxman took 1 lakh from representatives of fictitious UK-based firm West End Intl,on Jan 1,2001,to recommend hand-held thermal imagers,a fictitious device,for the Army 
Laxman was caught on camera,accepting the money in his chamber at the BJP headquarters.Had to quit as BJP chief 
Delhi court convicts Laxman under Prevention of Corruption Act,namely Section 9,for taking gratification for exercise of personal influence with public servant


Pc0031700.jpg 
A file photo of Bangaru Laxman accepting cash 



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Tehelka method objectionable,not purpose 

New Delhi:The BJP,under attack from the Congress over Bangaru Laxman,sought to defend itself by claiming that it had acted immediately against its former chief.
However,it was clearly on the defensive on the sting that is embossed in public memory by TV shots of Laxman accepting bundles of cash from alleged defence middlemen.
The judge held that Laxman received money to influence public servants and said,I am of the considered opinion that the CBI has been able to establish the necessary ingredients of offence under section 9 (taking gratification for exercise of personal influence with public servant). 
The judge also ruled that Laxmans case was not one of entrapment,although the defence had argued that he had no knowledge of the arms equipment being discussed.
Upholding the sting,the court said,I am of the opinion that the methods adopted by Tehelka people may be objectionable but their purpose was not.The material collected by the Tehelka people cannot be thrown overboard at the outset. 
The Tehelka sting heralded an era of such operations.After Laxman,Fernandes had to resign after fake agents entered his official residence and offered money to his associate Jaya Jaitly.
It took the Vajpayee government months to get over the storm,but Fernandes never quite recovered,being repeatedly targeted by the Congress that got back against a long-time tormentor.Laxmanspolitical career also did not do any better although he did contest elections.
Pronouncing the conviction,the court said,The CBI has been able to establish the case of accepting Rs 1 lakh bribe against Bangaru Laxman.Accused Bangaru Laxman stands convicted for the offence under Section 9 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.



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