Panel probing May breakdown goes easy on Spanco

NAGPUR: Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray maybe sparring with anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare but the effect of his campaign is clear on the party. Deputy mayor and district party chief Shekhar Sawarbandhe said the party will give preference to candidates who are honest and have no criminal background for the NMC elections. Sawarbandhe, who himself has a post graduate degree, said that this time candidates must at least be a tenth class pass.

Sena has started preparations for civic polls. "Collective leadership and alliance with Bharatiya Janata Party will steer us to victory in civic election. A team of state unit recently visited the city and finalised the action plan for the polls. The party has started accepting forms from candidates," Sawarbandhe told TOI.

The ruling BJP-Shiv Sena are busy planning strategy and as is the Congress that has already held several meetings in the presence of state ministers and leaders in the city.

"We have a started mass communication programme. Our corporators and party leaders are working at ward levels to strengthen the network. There is no leadership crisis in the party. We are united and committed to retain power in NAGPUR municipal corporation," Sawarbandhe said.

In last civic polls, Sena had won from eight seats though it contest from 12. This time, the party is eyeing more seats, claimed the deputy mayor. The party has a strong base and committed voters in Nagpur, he said. "The response to the gatherings reflected the feelings of the masses. We are encouraged by the support and will continue our work ahead of the polls," he said.

The Congress and NCP's performance in both state and Centre has been dismal and the BJP-Shiv Sena has gained strength in city. The recent fuel hike will also help the alliance win votes, he added.

Interested candidates can collect the forms from the party office near Reshimbagh from 7 pm to 9 pm, he said, adding they will be accepted till November 15.

Anna, Wikileaks rewrite political equations in UP

Congress:


Anna Hazare's movement against corruption has virtually taken the sting out of Congress attack against Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati on the issue of corruption. What has added to the chaos is internal bickering on the issue of ticket distribution for the 2012 assembly elections.

The central leadership is hurrying with the Land Acquisition Bill to compensate the loss due to the Anna effect. Congress would also like to bring a Lokpal Bill, which may not be as strong as Anna"s Jan Lokpal Bill, but acceptable to a majority in the parliament. However, the task may not an easy one, as BJP and Left parties will not give up easily on corruption and Lokpal issue.

In such a situation, it will be essential for Congress to enter into an alliance or at least a seat sharing formula with small parties like RLD for 2012 assembly polls. However, party leaders admit that post-Anna movement, their bargaining power has reduced. In a bid to minimise the loss caused due to Anna effect, the Congress is not only playing communal card by projecting RSS hand in Anna's movement, but may also announce reservation for Muslims in government educational institutes and job.

Besides (mis)using CBI probe against SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav in disproportionate assets case, another factor, which will decide its future relations with SP is the WikiLeaks expose that Congress president Sonia Gandhi was in favour of fielding a weak candidate against Mulayam Singh Yadav's daughter-in-law in 2009 Firozabad parliamentary by-elections. But, Rahul put the foot down and fielded Raj Babbar, who won the seat. The anxiety in Congress is not about 2012 alone. A loss in assembly election may have a cascading effect on 2014 general election. At stake is Gandhi scion's credibility.

Bahujan Samaj Party:

The WikiLeaks expose has given the Opposition a weapon to launch a personal attack on Mayawati, who has been taking high moral ground after sacking four ministers on charges of corruption in recent past. Though the party has not changed its strategy for the 2012 polls, leaders admit that WikiLeaks have injected 'some amount of mistrust' in Team Maya, which may have an adverse impact on poll results.

Bhaiyyu Maharaj: Model-turned spiritual seeker whom no one knew until he touched base with Anna

Anti corruption crusader Anna Hazare and self-proclaimed spiritual guru Bhaiyyu Maharaj are like chalk and cheese. Hazare, a former army truck driver and son of a poor farmer, is revered for his simplicity; his home is a small room in a village temple at Ralegaon Siddhi in Maharashtra.

Bhaiyyu Maharaj, a zamindar's son and a former model, is known for a lifestyle rather higher on the opulence scale. He is nattily dressed, operates from a sprawling ashram at Indore, travels in a white Mercedes SUV with a small band of followers and is comfortable in environs such as the Taj Chambers. He has a wide following among politicians and businessmen, particularly in Maharashtra who flock to him for 'advice' on matters worldly spiritual, according to several politicians we spoke to.

Naqvi flays Rahul's uttrances on Lokpal Bill

VARANASI: Terming Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi as the first 'political casualty' of Anna Hazare's anti-corruption crusade, Bharatiya Janata Party vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi advised him to change his speech writer, who wrote that instead of Lokpal Bill, he (Rahul) wanted a constitutional body on the lines of Election Commission to tackle the issues of corruption.

Talking to reporters at BJP office in Gulab Bagh on Sunday, Naqvi said Rahul Gandhi spoke only what was told or written by his advisers or speech writer. He said making such a suggestion in Parliament was surprising. Regarding the notices being issued to Anna Hazare's team members, he said: "These moves show the frustration in a government that is deep into corrupt practices."

Commenting on fresh revelations by Wikileaks on David Coleman Headley, the key planner of terrorist attack on Mumbai, Naqvi alleged that the UPA government proved again that it was befooling countrymen and also portraying a wrong picture of the country on the issue of terrorism. He said the fresh revelation by Wikileaks had exposed how the UPA government is giving concessions to the terrorists. The compromises being made by this government on the issue of terrorism were alarming.

Reacting on the increasing demands of abolition of capital punishment for terrorists, including the killers of late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, he said that no mercy should be shown to the terrorists. The people or the parties seeking mercy for terrorists should be asked to quit politics and go with terrorist groups.

Naqvi said that he was camping in UP for past five days to finalise the action plan for the forthcoming 'Jan Swabhimaan Yatra' that will expose the secret alliance of Bahujan Samaj Party, Samajwadi Party and Congress, which had been formed to patronise the corrupt practices of each other. He said that two yatras would commence in the state from Varanasi and Mathura simultaneously on October 13. Former BJP president Rajnath Singh and senior leader Kalraj Mishra would lead these yatras at Mathura and Varanasi, he said. Many senior leaders like Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti, Vinay Katiyar and Surya Pratap Shahi would take part in these yatras.

The yatra would cover 244 kms in the first phase which would end on October 22. The second phase of the yatra would begin in the state on November 13 and end at Lucknow on November 21. These yatras would cover 382 assembly areas. A Vijay Sankalp Samagam would be held at Lucknow on November 21.

He said that the basic objective of the yatras is to prepare an atmosphere to uproot corruption in UP.

Naqvi said that the list of 70 per cent candidates for next UP polls had been finalised. He made it clear that the party would contest elections without projecting any leader as chief ministerial candidate. He said that corruption would be only agenda of BJP's electioneering in the state.

City witnesses more protests in support of Anna

VARANASI: The city continued to witness dharnas, processions and candlelight marches in support of Anna Hazare's anti-corruption campaign in the city on Wednesday.

It was the 9th day of Anna's fast.

For the well-being of Anna, the vedic students of Juna Akhada performed a havan-pujan in Baijnatha locality. Traders associated with the Uttar Pradesh Yuva Udyog Vyapar Mandal, while extending support to the Jan Lokpal Bill, performed the ritual of 'dugdhabhishek' of Ganga at Dasaswamedh Ghat. The traders of Luxa Vyapar Mandal also took out a procession in support of Anna.

Meanwhile, responding to the call of Anna, the local residents staged demonstrations and gheraoed the residence of Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Jyotsana Srivastava in Shivaji Nagar colony on Wednesday.

The processions were also carried out by different organisations and groups in various localities.

The newspaper hawkers also came forward in support of Anna by carrying out a procession in Englishiya Line locality. The journalists associated with the Uttar Pradesh Patrakar Parishad staged a dharna in Asi locality in support of anti-corruption campaign.

On the other hand local sports persons held a rally in Sigra stadium to express their support to Anna.

While the volunteers of India Against Corruption ( IAC) continued their dharna at the district headquarters, the girl students of UP College also joined them on Wednesday. The people associated with the Bharat Vikash Parishad held a signature campaign at Bharat Mata Mandir. Similar events were also held in Lanka area by students and local residents.

The people of Christian community also hit the streets in support of Anna and carried out a procession in Sigra area.

The priests of different churches joined the demonstration.

Addressing a gathering, they said that every individual should try his best to end corruption from the society. Describing corruption as a dreaded cancer, they said that every citizens of the country wants a corruption-free society. The medical professionals associated with the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and chartered accountants also supported the Anna's campaign against corruption.

The city has been witnessing protests and rallies since the beginning of Anna's movement.
The Anna wave is not limited to urban areas only, but is also spreading in to rural pockets of the region.

People living in villages and small towns are also carrying out processions in support of Anna. Braving showers, a group of youths carried out a procession in support of Anna in rural area of Mohamadabad in Ghazipur district on Tuesday.