The Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP)' s image of being 'a party with a difference' and disciplined unit stands dented once again. And it is not a rival political group, which has caused the damage.
The opposition party's own firsttime lawmakers are responsible for the loss of reputation as over 40 percent of them skipped a two- day training camp the saffron group organised here in New Delhi on August 28 and August 29 to teach them how to become an effective MP. The long list of absentees included Varun Gandhi, the Lok Sabha MP from Pilibhit, Tarun Vijay, the former editor of Panchjanya and now Rajya Sabha MP, Anurag Thakur, son of Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal and Lok Sabha MP from the State. While Thakur, Tarun Vijay and 12 others had intimated the party in advance about their inability to attend, Varun Gandhi and 23 others absented without information. The party is in the process of seeking explanation from them. " I'll give the list of absentees to Advaniji and Sushmaji.
It will be for them to seek an explanation," says Ram Naik, the former Union Minister and National Convener of BJP's MPs and MLAs Development Cell.
Naik told The Free Press Journal that the first- time MPs from Goa, Dadra Nagar Haveli and Karnataka could not attend as they had either panchayat or municipal elections in their area. The first time parliamentarians from Bihar, he added, were busy in preparing for the forthcoming assembly polls.
Senior BJP leaders Advani, Swaraj, Nitin Gadkari, Arun Jaitely, Bal Apte, Gopinath Munde, SS Ahluwalia and Vinay Sahasrabhuddhe, Director General of Mumbaibased Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini lectured the parliamentarians on different issues. The training camp, organised in a Naturopathy and oga centre on the outskirts of Delhi, was held after a decade. Naik said that the participant MPs had suggested increase in the duration and frequency of the training workshops.
Showing posts with label Political News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Political News. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Immature Sena leaders should contest polls, face people: Pawar
In a scathing attack on the opposition parties and leaders, Union Minister of Agriculture and Civil Supplies Sharad Pawar on Saturday termed the Shiv Sena and MNS agenda as hollow and its leaders as childish.
Those who cannot maintain the unity of their own party and agenda have no business in aspiring to rule the state, he said in a direct reference to the warring cousins Uddhav and Raj. He claimed that friction between Sena and MNS could ruin and hamper the progress of the state.
When his attention was drawn to the remark of some opposition leaders ( read Uddhav) that instead of Dadaji Kondeo, there should be statues of Pawar and Kalmadi, Pawar said that both the Sena and MNS were not politically mature and he did not care for remarks of immature men.
He also advised them to do proper work among the masses and prove themselves in their constituencies instead of invoking divisive tendencies through such speeches.
Hitting back at Shiv Sena, NCP chief Sharad Pawar said its leaders should face the electorate rather than giving hollow orders. " Let them ( Thackerays) contest any elections and face the people, rather than just giving orders," he said addressing an extended working committee meeting of the party in Mumbai.
He was also scathing of the BJP, which, he said had held Parliament to ransom on the issue of pay hike for the MPs.
" There is a proper podium for everything and the Parliament should not be misused and disturbed for such narrow ends," he said. He also advised his own coalition members Home Minister R. R. Patil and Finance Minister Jayant Patil to solve the problems of the state, without trying to involve New Delhi and advised leaders of his party to solve contentious issues by themselves without in fighting.
He also asked what was behind pointing fingers at the civil supplies minister for the precarious financial situation in the country. Why aren't questions being put to the finance minister, he quizzed.
On the proposed airport issue, he said that Mumbai was once the aviation capital of India - a position now claimed by New Delhi. He said the civil aviation authorities should coordinate with the environment ministry on the issue. He said there should be no loss resulting to Maharashtra adding that Mumbai definitely needed a second airport. He also supported the coming up of the lake city at Lavasa, saying he had formed a committee in this regard when he was chief minister and it had visited a lake city project in UK to study its feasibility. He said, not a single hill station had come up in the state after the British left India. He said the lake city could be a big boost to the tourism industry.
Those who cannot maintain the unity of their own party and agenda have no business in aspiring to rule the state, he said in a direct reference to the warring cousins Uddhav and Raj. He claimed that friction between Sena and MNS could ruin and hamper the progress of the state.
When his attention was drawn to the remark of some opposition leaders ( read Uddhav) that instead of Dadaji Kondeo, there should be statues of Pawar and Kalmadi, Pawar said that both the Sena and MNS were not politically mature and he did not care for remarks of immature men.
He also advised them to do proper work among the masses and prove themselves in their constituencies instead of invoking divisive tendencies through such speeches.
Hitting back at Shiv Sena, NCP chief Sharad Pawar said its leaders should face the electorate rather than giving hollow orders. " Let them ( Thackerays) contest any elections and face the people, rather than just giving orders," he said addressing an extended working committee meeting of the party in Mumbai.
He was also scathing of the BJP, which, he said had held Parliament to ransom on the issue of pay hike for the MPs.
" There is a proper podium for everything and the Parliament should not be misused and disturbed for such narrow ends," he said. He also advised his own coalition members Home Minister R. R. Patil and Finance Minister Jayant Patil to solve the problems of the state, without trying to involve New Delhi and advised leaders of his party to solve contentious issues by themselves without in fighting.
He also asked what was behind pointing fingers at the civil supplies minister for the precarious financial situation in the country. Why aren't questions being put to the finance minister, he quizzed.
On the proposed airport issue, he said that Mumbai was once the aviation capital of India - a position now claimed by New Delhi. He said the civil aviation authorities should coordinate with the environment ministry on the issue. He said there should be no loss resulting to Maharashtra adding that Mumbai definitely needed a second airport. He also supported the coming up of the lake city at Lavasa, saying he had formed a committee in this regard when he was chief minister and it had visited a lake city project in UK to study its feasibility. He said, not a single hill station had come up in the state after the British left India. He said the lake city could be a big boost to the tourism industry.
Friday, August 27, 2010
PC loves saffron, Cong chooses to be colour blind
The Congress is mastering the art of doublespeak, until now a preserve of the BJP. The party, extremely wary of a backlash to Home Minister P Chidambram’s loaded ‘ saffron terror’ remarks, was in a tearing hurry on Friday to explain that ‘ terror has no colour’. “ The issue was of terror.
Terror has no colour. Terror is black. Saffron was part of freedom struggle, mythology, and ancient history. It cannot be the prerogative of any political party,” Congress General Secretary Janardhan Dwivedi said, appearing to distance itself from Chidambaram’s remarks.
Others within the party, too, tried to brush aside the controversy. Party spokesperson Manish Tiwari said that there was no need to get bogged down in nomenclature but to look at the substance of the Home Minister’s remarks on the activities of organizations affiliated to right- wing ideology which have been found to be involved in acts of terror.
Earlier, there was a furore in the Rajya Sabha over the remarks with the BJP and Shiv Sena demanding their withdrawal. The two allies accused the government of giving a religious hue to terrorism for political reasons. The BJP even accused Chidambaram of insulting India’s national flag -– the Tricolour – of which saffron is one of the colours.
Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley said Chidambaram was fighting an “ imaginary” battle against saffron terror instead of concentrating on fighting Maoists and tackling the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. BJP leader Rajnath Singh saw in the remarks a “ conspiracy” by the Congress- led UPA government to “ demoralise nationalistic forces”. Averring that the home minister has committed a blunder, Singh said: “ Terror has no caste, creed or religion. Moreover, those believing in Hindutva or Indian culture can never be terrorists.” Addressing a meet of top policemen in Vigyan Bhawan, Chidambaram had said on Thursday, “ There is no let- up in the attempts to radicalise young men and women in India. There has been a recent uncovered phenomenon of saffron terrorism that has been implicated in many bomb blasts in the past. My advice to you is that we must remain ever vigilant and continue to build, at both Central and state level, our capacities in counter- terrorism.” Understandably livid, senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi warned the Home Minister against making such remarks again. Joshi said, “ Such remarks could have dangerous repercussions.” In a discussion in the Lok Sabha on Friday, BJP MP from Gorakhpur ogi Adityanath lashed out at Chidambaram and called him mentally unstable.
“ On the internal security issue, Chidambaram has flopped badly. He is just trying to divert attention. His statement is not only anti- Hindu, but against the nation. Only someone with a psychological problem can think like this.
His mental condition should be checked,” Adityanath said.
Chidambaram has in the past rubbed colleagues within the Congress on the wrong side, too. Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh had lambasted the Home Minister on his approach against the Naxals. The former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister had even called him ‘ intellectually arrogant’ in a write up in a business daily. In a recent interview on a television channel, Singh reiterated his views on Naxalism and claimed he had only voiced the party’s views.
Besides Singh, Chidambaram has several other detractors within the Congress who do not quite agree with his ‘ high handed’ approach.
Terror has no colour. Terror is black. Saffron was part of freedom struggle, mythology, and ancient history. It cannot be the prerogative of any political party,” Congress General Secretary Janardhan Dwivedi said, appearing to distance itself from Chidambaram’s remarks.
Others within the party, too, tried to brush aside the controversy. Party spokesperson Manish Tiwari said that there was no need to get bogged down in nomenclature but to look at the substance of the Home Minister’s remarks on the activities of organizations affiliated to right- wing ideology which have been found to be involved in acts of terror.
Earlier, there was a furore in the Rajya Sabha over the remarks with the BJP and Shiv Sena demanding their withdrawal. The two allies accused the government of giving a religious hue to terrorism for political reasons. The BJP even accused Chidambaram of insulting India’s national flag -– the Tricolour – of which saffron is one of the colours.
Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley said Chidambaram was fighting an “ imaginary” battle against saffron terror instead of concentrating on fighting Maoists and tackling the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. BJP leader Rajnath Singh saw in the remarks a “ conspiracy” by the Congress- led UPA government to “ demoralise nationalistic forces”. Averring that the home minister has committed a blunder, Singh said: “ Terror has no caste, creed or religion. Moreover, those believing in Hindutva or Indian culture can never be terrorists.” Addressing a meet of top policemen in Vigyan Bhawan, Chidambaram had said on Thursday, “ There is no let- up in the attempts to radicalise young men and women in India. There has been a recent uncovered phenomenon of saffron terrorism that has been implicated in many bomb blasts in the past. My advice to you is that we must remain ever vigilant and continue to build, at both Central and state level, our capacities in counter- terrorism.” Understandably livid, senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi warned the Home Minister against making such remarks again. Joshi said, “ Such remarks could have dangerous repercussions.” In a discussion in the Lok Sabha on Friday, BJP MP from Gorakhpur ogi Adityanath lashed out at Chidambaram and called him mentally unstable.
“ On the internal security issue, Chidambaram has flopped badly. He is just trying to divert attention. His statement is not only anti- Hindu, but against the nation. Only someone with a psychological problem can think like this.
His mental condition should be checked,” Adityanath said.
Chidambaram has in the past rubbed colleagues within the Congress on the wrong side, too. Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh had lambasted the Home Minister on his approach against the Naxals. The former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister had even called him ‘ intellectually arrogant’ in a write up in a business daily. In a recent interview on a television channel, Singh reiterated his views on Naxalism and claimed he had only voiced the party’s views.
Besides Singh, Chidambaram has several other detractors within the Congress who do not quite agree with his ‘ high handed’ approach.
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