Insaf
Round the States
From London to New Delhi, the LaMo (Lalit Modi)Gate has now reached Jaipur, entrapping Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje in its sordid facets. Reportedly, Rajasthan’s diva pushed the former IPL czar Lalit Modi’s bid to obtain UK immigration clearance in 2011. Worse, she pitched that it be kept a secret from Indian authorities! Undeniably, this has come to bite the ruling BJP government both at the state and Centre. Even if the party tried to look the other way as its ‘‘humanitarian’’ approach to Union foreign minister Sushma Swaraj impropriety, the sleaze has additionally engulfed Raje’s son and BJP MP Dushyanat Singh for receiving Rs 11.63 crore from Modi through a combination of loan and extraordinary share purchase. True, both Raje and Swaraj seem to have bought time, but all depends on how successfully the Congress and Opposition rake up the issue during Parliament’s ensuing monsoon session.
As of now, it is going to town on the ‘suit boot’ sarkar. Either which way, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pet projects –that of the Land acquisition and GST Bills may be sacrificed at the altar of one-upmanhsip politics. Additionally, NaMo’s loud procrastination of zero tolerance towards corruption has taken a bit hit. Raje’s discomfiture is music to her arch opponents and the knives are waiting to strike. Who will LaMo Gate singe next?
Cong states woo Dalits?
With its eye on the upcoming polls in Bihar, followed by Punjab next year, the Congress has upped the ante to woo Dalits in states ruled by it, post its embracing of renowned Dalit icon B R Ambedkar. The Grand Dame’s high command has signalled to Kerala, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Assam to ensure funds are earmarked for SC/ST welfare in proportion to their population. Purportedly, party president Sonia Gandhi would like the four states to adopt the Karnataka model, whereby SC/ST funds can only be used for schemes catering to the two communities to reinforce its promise for Dalit welfare. Not only will it seek to score brownie points in Punjab, which has a high SC concentration but should put pressure on the Centre to adopt the same model. Alongside, the party intends raising this demand in the monsoon session of Parliament as also to key legislations for the Dalits – promotion quota and changes in the atrocities laws. Whether the Congress’ clear shift from pro-Muslim to pro-Dalit credentials will harvest the benefits, remains to be seen.
Cleaning up Maha
Prime Minister Modi’s zero tolerance towards corruption has a major follower in his henchman Chief Minister Devinder Fadnavis in Maharashtra. A big feather in the state’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) is the netting of rival NCP’s senior leader and ex-PWD Minister Chhagan Bhujbal. Two cases have been registered against Sharad Pawar’s major factum under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. And out tumbled are scandalous details of Bhujbal and family amassing various properties in Mumbai, Pune, Lonavala, Nasik, Thane and Navi Mumbai. Reportedly, what nailed him was his awarding works to favourite contractors for the swanky seven-star Maharashtra Sadan in Delhi worth Rs 100crore without inviting bids as well as handing over the pricey Kalina University land to a private estate developer to build a library along with flats for a paltry `124crore. Bhujbal is accused of receiving kickbacks of Rs 2.5crore in his welfare foundation. The ACB officers were dumbfounded on entering the 35,000 sq ft Bhujbal palace in Nasik and its accompanying 15,000 sq ft guest wing which boasted of a private health club, sauna, bar and a billard room et al. Any wonder why politics is the favourite playground for rags-to-riches players.
J&K aid ‘peanuts’
Peanuts, is how Jammu and Kashmir citizens have in a nutshell reacted to the Centre’s largesse of `1667 crore. Scandalously, this is nearly `1000crore less than what was announced to the state by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to tide over the devastation left in the wake of last year’s flood. Apparently, this has poured cold water on Mufti Mohammad’s PDP-BJP government’s hope of garnering `44,000crore for reconstruction of the economy and housing. It’s another matter that `5039crore has been released by the Centre so far to placate the people. But, Kashmiri is unhappy. Predictably, the former ruling party National Conference is busy fanning the people’s discontent by calling for rival PDP to break its ties with the Hindutva partner, which was an ‘enemy’ of the people. Even as the PDP goes dousing the flames of angst, it has put forth another plea for more doles. Will the Centre accommodate and keep its partner in good humour?
Tripura’s chitgate
Are the people of Tripura not Indians, asks the Opposition Congress leaders of the North-Eastern State. Their grievance is that while the CBI is investigating the chit fund scams in West Bengal and Orissa, it is soft on Tripura. According to the party’s claim, 142 chit fund companies started their business in the state since 1993, when the CPM government took over the reins. Of these 92 ran away with the people’s money but the Manik Sarkar government has not only been sitting pretty but is in cahoots with scamsters. Worse, the Centre is unwilling to heed to their woes. A whopping 14 lakh investors are said to have lost their hard earned money. The Opposition parties in the state Assembly demanded that 37 companies be investigated by the CBI. However, only five have been taken cognisance of, giving the excuse that the amount involved in the cases was “very small!” An upset Congress has sought to draw Prime Minister Modi’s attention to the scandal and has been knocking his door for an appointment. Having made no headway, the high-level Congress team has reached out to the national media to unravel the scandal in the hope the people will get justice. Will it help?
Expensive Delhi
Forget Delhi’s rancid pollution; believe it or not it is the second costliest Indian city for expats and Mumbai, the most expensive metro. Surprisingly, African State Angola’s capital Luanda is numero uno, followed by Hong Kong and Singapore. At number three is Chennai, Bangalore and Kolkata. Another revelation is that Pakistan’s commercial capital Karachi was ranked the world’s third least-expensive city. The Mercer’s 21st Annual Cost of Living Survey 2015 lists 207 cities worldwide is a handyman for countries and multi nationals to determine the quantum of compensation and allowances to their expat employees. Notorious Delhi’s second black mark, the German embassy has cut short its diplomats’ tenure from four to three years, thanks to the
environment.
–INFA
