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Home , Arif Mohammad Khan, Govind Narain, Kaptan Singh Solanki, Raghunath Jha

SABRANG PRINT MEDIA MONITOR February 18, 2004

NATIONAL CAMPAIGN

Economic Strangulation of by BJP ‘Backward’ Bihar fires statistics salvo The Bihar government today produced statistics to counter the Centre’s claims of two days ago, in a battle to prove the state the country’s most underdeveloped. Economist Mohan Guruswamy today submitted to the Rabri Devi government a “study report” titled The Economic Strangulation of Bihar, which contended that the Centre was responsible for the state’s development mess. Guruswamy, who represents -based thinktank, the Centre for Policy Alternatives, was an adviser to the Union finance ministry during ’s second 13-month stint as Prime Minister. He had left the post after trading corruption charges with the Centre.[ Source: Statesman]

TIPS: This is a substantive election issue as whether it is Bihar, Rajasthan or MP non BJP governments have been complaining of deliberate sidelining with political motives on the issue of Central grants. Even the Maharashtra government had complained about this issue. Does this not militate against the statesmanlike image of Vajpayee?

Withdraw Shining Campaign

Withdraw 'India Shining' campaign: Lyngdoh Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a seminar on 'Elections and Democracy' he said even if it was not wrong legally at this juncture, it was not proper considering that it involved tax payers' money. To a question on the use of aircraft by Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani for electioneering, Lyngdoh said, "The prime minister is different from anyone else. That distinction should be maintained." "The problem in India is that the candidate does not stand a chance in the elections if he does not spend a heavy amount irrespective of the party he belongs to," he said. "In the government service one is taught ethics, but in politics there is no one who can teach ethics." [Source: Rediff on Net]

Muslims and the Congress The Congress is the original sinner: What the Congress is doing is piecemeal. In , it aligned with the Muslim League. In the assembly elections in Gujarat, it didn’t hesitate to turn to Hindutva. It is strange that a party that attacks Hindu communalism has no compunction in playing the Hindu card when it finds it expedient. The BJP, too, has been playing the communal card. When it comes to the communalisation of politics, the Congress is the original sinner. The BJP has certainly benefited from the communal situation following 1986. If a party which claims to uphold secularism has no compunction in playing the Muslim card by undoing the Shah Bano verdict and opens the gates of Ayodhya, how can it expect its main rival not to take advantage of it? There are reports that you will support the BJP in these elections. Comments? Some friends tell me that if I criticise the Congress, I will be supporting the BJP. But in politics there is nothing like an ideal situation. You have to settle for the lesser evil. [Source: Hindustan Times]

TIPS The party does not have a clearcut stand on the issue of one of its major support bases, the religious minorities. 1.On the issue of their security, protection before the law, right to life and property, the party remains embarassingly silent. 2. There are Muslim groups mushrooming all over the country who are demanding their share of the developmental stake—Education and Jobs, fair representation in the right to education and in employment. Also representation in the Parliament and Assemblies. Are secular parties going to come up with a clearcut strategy on the issue of Minorities in India? Unless it does, greater disenchantment will grow and a section among the Muslims who are advocating truce/compromise with the BJP because it is the winning horse will get, slowly greater and greater mileage. Already 15 per cent of Muslims in Rajasthan have voted for the BJPin recent assembly polls. Once this trend sets in and gains momentum, the BJP will have a perenially winning combination.

Maneka v/s Sonia Maneka vs Sonia It can be said with some justice that had Maneka Gandhi, and not Sonia Gandhi, assumed the Congress mantle, as could have happened had the Family trajectory and tragedies taken a different turn, the BJP would have faced a more formidable Opposition. Maneka scores better than her sister-in-law on most of the necessary ingredients of political calibre and she is free of the “foreign origin” baggage. That ’s younger daughter-in-law has now joined the BJP is, therefore, not only a twist in the history of India’s foremost political dynasty but also a reminder to Congressmen, however much they may dislike it, that they didn’t get the best bargain out of the division of Family affairs.[ Source:Editorial, Statesman]

Gandhi Children The bachhas are here To be sure, the pictures in the morning papers demanded a second look. A Gandhi, make that two, in the BJP.Nearly three decades ago, Jan Sangh stalwarts dug in their heels against the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi and her son; they have made criticism of the Family and its dynastic politics a calling card ever since. Go back further in time and exclaim at a great grandson of Nehru joining a party that many say articulates the most violent, and perhaps most successful, critique of the Nehruvian legacy. Truly a strange coming together, of Varun and Maneka Gandhi and the BJP. [Source: The Indian Express]

Poll Strategy, BJP Poll script ready, BJP casts stars Source: The Indian Express

Alliance Politics Jaya seals deal: 7 seats for BJP The BJP will contest seven of the 40 seats in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry in alliance with the AIADMK. ‘‘Madam (AIADMK chief and TN CM J. Jayalalithaa) se baat ho gaya (we have spoken to her). The announcement will be made tomorrow,’’ BJP chief M. Venkaiah Naidu said. Sources said the BJP had been given Nagercoil, Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Dharmapuri, Chidambaram, North Madras and Pondicherry. Of these, the BJP already has MPs in Nagercoil, Nilgiris and Coimbatore.[ Source: The Indian Express]

Punjab Indira assassin’s son gets LS poll ticket Source: Hindustan Times

The Akali Dal (Amritsar) headed by Simranjit Singh Mann will field Sarbjit Singh Khalsa, son of Indira Gandhi's assassin Beant Singh, from the Bathinda Reserve constituency in the Lok Sabha elections. This was announced by party vice-president Jathedar Toga Singh in Bathinda on Tuesday.

Jha joins RJD, JD wonders why so late Barely a month after the controversial merger of the Samata Party into the (U), one of the prime rebel MPs, Raghunath Jha, has joined Laloo Prasad Yadav’s (RJD). Jha, along with Brahmanand Mandal, both erstwhile Samata Party members, had raised the banner of revolt even before the merger, against the autocratic style of party colleague and Union Railway Minister . They had castigated party president for succumbing to Kumar’s bullying tactics. [Source: The Indian Express]

Rajasthan Wanted: Face to fill Vasundhara gap After over a decade, the BJP is on the hunt for a suitable candidate for Vasundhara Raje’s Jhalawar parliamentary constituency. And after being under the ‘‘maharani sahiba’s’’ reign for 15 long years, Jhalawar is eagerly awaiting her successor. ‘‘This seat has fallen vacant after 15-odd years, obviously political circles here are buzzing with excitement,’’ admits a BJP worker. ‘‘When Vasundharaji was contesting there was no question of anyone opposing her. Now it’s an open playing field.’’ Since 1989, Vasundhara has won every Lok Sabha election from Jhalawar, beating her Congress rivals hands down. The BJP considers Jhalawar to be one of the safest seats, ‘‘where defeat is out of the question’’. And this is why every contender is going all out to get this ‘‘coveted seat’’.[ Source: The Indian Express

Uttar Pradesh Party MLA says Mulayam lied on Auriyan firing Source: The Indian Express legislator Kamlesh Pathak, known as a close aide of Mulayam, stunned the House today when he strongly criticised the government for the police firing and lathicharge on demonstrators protesting the decision to disband Auriyan district. The Speaker has asked the government to file an explanation in this regard on February 20. ‘‘Mera haath tuta hain aur Auriyan ki diworn par abhi bhi police ki goli ke nishan hain (My hand was fractured and the walls at Auriyan bear the marks of police bullets),’’ Pathak said, adding that the CM had claimed two days ago that the police had used only rubber bullets at Auriyan.

Mulayam poaches on Maya’s men, one by one, he gets three so far Quietly, in the face of a possible threat to his government, Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav has initiated pre-emptive moves. The surprise resignation of three (BSP) MLAs, Ramesh Sharma, Madan Gautam and Satya Narain, in the last one week is one. [Source: The Indian Express]

Indo-Pak cricket No Indian securitymen will go with cricket team, says Advani Source: The Hindu

He said: "I do not know how reports attributing this [Indian security personnel accompanying the cricket team] to the Home Ministry have been appearing. We have no role to play." It is for that country to provide security to the team, he said . To a question whether the three-member BCCI team, which visited Pakistan recently to oversee the security arrangements there for the coming tour, had submitted a report to him, Mr. Advani said: "why should they?" He expressed surprise over earlier media reports involving the Home Ministry in the speculation over the postponement of the proposed tour.

Karnataka People waiting to throw out Krishna Government: JD(S) The Janata Dal (Secular) has welcomed the decision to hold simultaneous polls in Karnataka, and said that it would form the next government. "We welcome the decision; the people are just waiting to throw out the Krishna Government," the party's national spokesman, Danish Ali, said today.[ Source: The Hindu]

We will bring Bommai, Deve Gowda together: Swamy Source: The Hindu

Minorities Christian Council assails harassment of converts Source: The Hindu The All-India Christian Council has condemned the tonsuring of six women in Orissa for embracing Christianity. The incident took place in Kilipala village in Jagatsinghpur district on February 6. In a statement here, Joseph D'Souza, president, and other office-bearers said the State Government had been a passive spectator and "often connived, by its deliberate inaction, in the violence against Christians."

TIPS: The BJP-VHP combine is on the offensive all over India. Tonsuring in Orissa of Christians, 500-odd Muslim families being ‘recoverted’ in Ajmer Rajasthan in the presence of Ashok Singhal [monitor, afternoon Feb 17] and why is this not being brought up by secular parties??

Bofors Where’s the smoking gun? (Opinion: ) There is no evidence against , so apologise On the first day of the 13th Lok Sabha in October 1999, the freshly-minted NDA government filed its chargesheet in the Bofors case naming the dead Rajiv Gandhi as an accused. On the last day of the 13th Lok Sabha, the Delhi high court threw out the case against Rajiv Gandhi, saying 16 years of investigation had turned up not a “scintilla of evidence” against the dead man. Because, as an NDA minister flaunted on his masthead when he was editor of this newspaper, the truth involves us all. Sadly for Arun Shourie, it has.[ Source: The Indian Express]

India Feels Good More feelgood: foodgrain production at all time high In feelgood season, there’s more reason to celebrate: India is all set to reap a bumper harvest this year. Government estimates for the year have pegged production of foodgrain at an all-time high of 212.2 million tonnes and oilseeds at 24.9 million tonnes. This means that foodgrain production is up by 38.01 million tonnes from last year, 2002-03, — an increase of nearly 22 per cent. In 2001-02, the production was 212.02 million tonnes, the nearest ever to this year’s yield. [Source: The Indian Express]

Wave for the BJP? Positive political wave in BJP’s favour, says Advani Mr LK Advani today said it was for the first time that a political wave without any negative content was prevailing in the country which he was sure was in favour of the BJP. “Because of this, there is a positive urge to give this (BJP-led NDA government) another five-year mandate,” he said, welcoming Congress leader and former chief minister Mr Govind Narain Singh into the BJP. In this context, he said in 1977 the wave was against the Emergency and Congress lost the Lok Sabha elections. “For the first time, we are feeling a political wave in 2004 which has no negative content but more positive content for the government of last five years and the wave is that this government be given another five years mandate.” [Source: Statesman]

Carry PM's message, BJP workers told The Bharatiya 's campaign for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh would be focused on "development under the leadership of the Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee". The party's election campaign committee met here today to discuss the strategy for the elections. Briefing newspersons later, the State party general secretary, , said that the elections would be fought by the BJP under the leadership of the "Vikas Putra" Atal Bihari Vajpayee. [Source: The Hindu]

Andhra Pradesh Naidu showers election sops Source: The Telegraph

Taking a leaf out of Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s book, the Chandrababu Naidu government today announced pre-poll sops worth Rs 1,010 crore for widows, victims of violence, pensioners and coal workers. An emergency meeting of the state cabinet decided to release dearness allowance arrears amounting to Rs 356 crore for the 4.5 lakh pensioners, which was announced a year ago but was kept pending. The arrears for 2003 will be given in two instalments in 2005 and 2006. The dues for the last two months will be paid along with the pension of March 2004.

The Election Count---The Ebb and Flow of Political Fortunes Figuring India Source: The Indian Express 1952 First Parliament After Independence 489 total seats 364 India National Congress 12 Samyukta (United) Socialist Party, nearest rival 3 Bharatiya Jan Sangh (BJS) 1957 494 total seats 371 Congress 27 Communist Party of India (CPI), biggest Opposition 1962 Nehru becomes PM for third successive term 361 Congress 29 CPI 18 Swatantra Party 14 BJS 1967 Under Indira Gandhi, Cong retains power but suffers setbacks 520 total seats 283 Congress 44 Swatantra Party 35 BJS 1971 Cong emerges stronger on ‘‘garibi hatao’’ platform 518 total seats 342 Congress 1977 19-month Emergency takes toll on Cong 542 total seats 295 Janata Party 154 Congress 1984 Rajiv Gandhi rides to power on sympathy wave 542 total seats 415 Congress 2 (BJP), successor to BJS 1989 Hung Parliament, National Front coalition forms Govt 197 Congress 142 Janata Dal 86 BJP 1991 Cong returns to power in mid-term polls, after Rajiv Gandhi is assassinated at an election rally 543 total seats 232 Congress 120 BJP 1996 Cong’s worst-ever defeat. After 12-day minority BJP Govt, Cong supports two United Front Govts led by H D Deve Gowda and I K Gujral 140 Congress 161 BJP 1998 Mid-term polls see another fragmented Parliament. Vajpayee forms minority Govt but loses majority after 13 months 182 BJP 1999 Post Kargil Elections 537 total seats 296 BJP and allies 134 Congress and allies 42 Left parties