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Newsnotes Delhi: Moles Within
Officials dealing with the Bofors investigation seem to be jinxed.This time, it is N.R.
Wasan, a dig in charge of the probe, who is in trouble. Not for being unable to crack the
case, but for losing a computer that may have contained vital information relating to
several cases, including Bofors. The brand-new machine disappeared mysteriously from his
department one fine morning. Rattled by the theft, Wasan tightened security in the
building. But that didn't deter the thieves from striking at the country's premier
investigating agency again. Soon, a car belonging to CBI Director R.C. Sharma's private
secretary vanished from the parking lot. Not only that, another car belonging to an
executive in charge of computer maintenance at the CBI headquarters was also stolen. To
prevent further embarrassment, Wasan has now introduced parking tokens at the CBI
premises. Seems like the agency has another case on its hands.
Calcutta: Capitalist Luxury
After entertaining guests in five-star hotels, diplomats hand over a card to the waiter
which entitles them to a sales taxes waiver on their bills. Calcutta's Consular Corps, a
body of diplomats which meets frequently to discuss matters of common interest, was
surprised to learn recently that the state Government had withdrawn the exemption. The
diplomats point out that the exemption has to be honoured since India is a signatory to
the Vienna Convention. They are particularly incensed at the exception made in favour of
their American counterparts -- "no exemption for luxury tax is to be given to any
diplomat ... except for the diplomats of the US". Are the Marxists finally bowing
before the big, bad capitalist?
Mumbai: Mayawati Memsaab
Imagine Mayawati, the feisty former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, striding across a
70 mm screen. Improbable, but true. A docu-drama on the Dalit leader's life is getting the
finishing touches. And, even more surprising than the subject of the film is the
Bollywood-like treatment -- songs, drama, action (the MLAs' hostel incident has been
recreated). While Mayawati is not exactly lip-synching, Anuradha Paudwal sings to a
background score praising the "Dalit singhni" (lioness) and comparing her to the
Rani of Jhansi as the camera captures Mayawati merging her real- and reel-life roles. But
what remains to be seen is how Mayawati's fan club -- including Bahujan Samaj Party chief
Kanshi Ram -- reacts to the pop tunes. The biographical film also subtly hints at
Mayawati's close relationship with Kanshi Ram. And no, it doesn't end with the duo riding
into the golden sunset -- it climaxes with her issuing orders as chief minister.
Mumbai: High-Sea Rally
As protests go, it was an unusual one. Nearly 400 boats of various shapes and sizes
with some 4,500 fishermen, chikoo farmers and die-makers navigated their way to the high
seas off the Dahanu coast, near Mumbai, last week to protest against the Maharashtra
Government's move to set up the country's largest port there. Led by the National
Fishworkers' Forum, the activists contended that the 25-km strip off Dahanu had been
declared an "eco-friendly" zone seven years ago and major industrial activity
was prohibited in the area under not only various state and Central government
notifications but also an order by the Supreme Court.
Last year, the state Government signed an MOU for the Rs 3,000 crore project with a
multinational company, Peninsular & Oriental (P&O), and shifted the project site
from Alewadi to Vadhwan, oblivious of the locals' concerns. As residents of 16 villages in
the area protested against the destruction of their chikoo orchards, fishing and
die-making activity, the company commissioned a study to find out the actual response. And
though the study revealed that only 11 per cent of the locals favoured the idea of a port,
the company pushed its case, with due support from Chief Minister Manohar Joshi. Says
Jimmy Sarbh, P&O's regional manager for India: "You can't afford to have the same
environmental and other standards that are applied in the US." But with two British
MPs recently writing to the company, urging it to pull out of the project, the locals are
now hopeful and have stepped up their protests. Clearly, neither Sarbh nor Joshi had
bargained for that.
Hyderabad: Common Problem
Before it launched its election campaign, the United Front's Core Committee met -- for
the first time outside Delhi -- at Hyderabad's five-star Krishna Oberoi hotel. Top of the
agenda was the rather tricky issue of its poll manifesto. The question was, should they
come out with a common manifesto or retain the original idea of a Common Minimum Programme
(CMP). The majority argument was that the CMP, after all, was a post-poll arrangement and
the Front had come a long way since then. All this while Marxist patriarch Jyoti Basu was
listening quietly. But after some time, when he saw the argument was heading no-where, he
chipped in: "What's the argument all about? Get a dictionary and check the meaning of
programme and manifesto. They mean the same thing." That effectively ended the
debate.
Chandigarh: Getting the Boot
For former Punjab Police chief K.P.S. Gill, it was a case of double ignominy. Soon
after a court upheld his conviction in the bottom-pinching case, another bombshell dropped
on the "supercop": a notice to vacate the sprawling bungalow in Chandigarh's VIP
Sector 2. Ever since his retirement two years ago, Gill had ignored with disdain the state
Government's pleas to vacate the house. But recently, the Government came up with an
ingenious plan. First, it informed Gill about the house being allotted to a cabinet
minister. And once the adverse court verdict against Gill came, teams of workers swarmed
the bungalow for renovation work -- virtually forcing him to pack up and leave.
Bangalore: Short-lived Unity
There was more than just the painstaking translation that went into former Karnataka
deputy chief minister S.M. Krishna's Kannada version of Sonia Gandhi's speech at
Bangalore. It was a reflection of the fine caste divisions within the state unit of the
Congress. As state party chief Dharam Singh says, "The only reason we gave him
(Krishna) the (translator's) job was because he was a Vokkaliga." Indeed, the unity
shown during Sonia's visit was a short-lived one. The north Karnataka-south Karnataka
divide within the state unit continues as never before. "Southern" leaders like
Veerappa Moily, Krishna, C.K. Jaffer Sharief, former Union railway minister, expectedly,
complain in private that those from the north -- Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of the
opposition in the Assembly, H.K. Patil, leader of the opposition in the Legislative
Council and Singh -- are taking all important decisions without consulting the others.
Their equation with Sonia too seems to have changed. Twice in the recent past when the
trio gathered at the Bangalore airport to receive Sonia, leaders like Sharief and Moily
were kept at a distance. But just now, Sharief, who threw an impressive Iftar party which
was attended by Sonia is upbeat. But the divide is taking its toll, making it increasingly
difficult to select candidates for the forthcoming polls. Admits Singh: "It is a very
complex job, drawing the list of candidates." Even the loyalties of the state's youth
Congress workers stand divided. It would obviously take more than a Sonia Gandhi to unite
the Congress in Karnataka.
Bhopal: No Throughfare
It seems the prime minister's staff is more familiar with the chief secretary of a
state than the chief minister. Recently, when Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay
Singh, accompanied by three cabinet colleagues, called on I.K. Gujral, the security staff
at the prime minister's residence denied him entry. Digvijay had come to plead for more
Central funds for the hailstorm-affected farmers of the state. However, the only person
allowed in was the state Chief Secretary K.S. Sharma who was accompanying his political
master. It was an embarrassing moment for Digvijay when his cabinet minister had to step
forward and introduce the bespectacled chief minister. And Digvijay, much to his chagrin,
had to tell the security staff that he was indeed the chief minister. Apparently, the
security staff recognised the babu easily, while the men in khadi were like commoners to
them.
Lucknow: Burdened by Guilt
When Additional Director-General of Police C.D. Kainth shot himself with his service
revolver at his Raj Bhavan Colony residence on January 18, it appeared to be a case of a
senior officer falling victim to his unfortunate ways. A 1966 batch IPS officer, Kainth
was placed under suspension in November last year when he submitted a false report after
inquiring into the murder and rape of a Dalit woman in Muzaffarnagar. He was also facing
serious charges of corruption, including involvement in the multi-crore float-pump scandal
of the fire department. Kainth, who was heading the fire wing of the state police earlier,
is believed to have been under pressure from former chief minister Mayawati to sign the
float-pump deal with a company owned by a Bahujan Samaj Party functionary.
He is said to have been threatened with suspension in connection with another
corruption case involving a police inspector in Bareilly district if he did not sign the
deal. Mayawati, who at that time was on a suspension and transfer spree, had just
suspended Ghaziabad Senior Superintendent of Police Arun Kumar, reportedly because he did
not comply with her orders to remove four Yadav police inspectors from their posts. With
Kalyan Singh taking over as chief minister, a CBI inquiry was ordered into the fire-pump
scandal and Kainth was removed from the fire wing. Even in the Dalit woman's murder case,
Kainth is said to have played into the hands of some politicians and misled the Government
with an incorrect report. Giving in to political pressure, among other things, obviously
cost the controversial Dalit officer dear.
Lucknow: Bitter Pills
Here's an antidote for an antidote. Two years after the country's medical practitioners
were brought under the purview of the Consumer Protection Act, doctors in Uttar Pradesh
now have at their service a novel scheme designed to cover the financial losses that they
may suffer as a result of litigations. Launched two months ago, the Docland (insurance)
Scheme already covers more than 75 doctors in the state.
With the insurance cover extending up to Rs 15 lakh -- the company even bears the court
expenses -- the popularity of the scheme was only to be expected. According to the former
chief of the Indian Medical Association (Uttar Pradesh chapter), Dr N.C. Mishra, the
scheme had become necessary in view of the growing "blackmail" of doctors in the
name of consumer rights. Among the doctors seeking insurance cover, the biggest chunk
comprises gynaecologists, who face the risk of paying more compensation in case of death
of the new-born or the mother. But others are scurrying for cover as well -- and it
includes homoeopaths and ayurvedic practitioners who frequently prescribe allopathic
medicines to ignorant patients.
Thiruvananthapuram: The Past
Catches Up
Former chief minister K. Karunakaran's woes are mounting. First, a vigilance court
sentenced his long-time aide and private secretary R. Velayudha Menon and two others to
two years' rigorous imprisonment and imposed a Rs 2 lakh fine each in a bribery and
cheating case. The very next day, the Supreme Court rejected Karunakaran's special leave
petition (SLP) for stopping proceedings in the Rs 2.75 crore palmolein import scam being
investigated by the state Vigilance Department.
In the first case, Menon, who was then Karunakaran's additional private secretary, was
indicted for getting medical admissions under the "chief minister's quota"
against bribes. But the Supreme Court's rejection of Karunakaran's SLP in the palmolein
deal -- the Vigilance Department charge-sheet says the state lost Rs 2.75 crore on the
import -- is more damaging. Though the Supreme Court directed that he should not be
arrested without its permission, that is little consolation for Karunakaran. Already
sidelined in the Congress, he may now find it tougher to wrest Lok Sabha tickets for
himself and his son. |
