More scams of the Chouhan regime

Opinion

ScribeShah

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January 9, 2019

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PDS scam

Kamal Nath, Congress Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, constituted his cabinet on December 25. Ten days later, new Food Minister Pradyuman Singh Tomar inspected a Public Distribution System (PDS) shop in Bhopal city and found mud and stones in wheat and rice, in addition to detecting other irregularities. The PDS scam had grown into gigantic proportions in the BJP government of Shivraj Singh Chouhan with his blessing. It was by accident, or call it by a little carelessness of his officers, that the enormity of the scam had come to light.

Bhopal witnessed heavy rains in July 2016 when it rained cats and dogs without a glimpse of sun for days together. The low-lying colonies were flooded, houses collapsed, people died and thousands had to be evacuated to hastily put up camps. It was then revealed – once again – that these colonies had been allowed to be built on sewage drains and there was no outlet for the rain water to flow out.

But the flood-victims, belonging mostly to the lower strata of society, had to be fed. Chouhan directed the Civil Supplies Department to disburse grains among them and the Department promptly sent some bags of wheat to these people. In the hurry they sent them the wrong bags which were not meant to be opened in cities but in remote villages. Because, when the people opened the bags they found a substantial quantity of mud cakes and stones along with the wheat. They cried foul inviting the media persons and activists. Mud cakes and stones were separated in presence of the media and activists and weighed. In a 50-kg bag, mud cakes and stones weighed 15 to 20 kgs.

This accidental exposure led to the revelation that mud cakes and stones were mixed in certain number of wheat bags at warehouses where the grain is kept. These ‘mixed’ bags were meant to be sent to remote areas to be distributed through fair price shops in villages. As the individual consumer got a certain quantity of wheat at a time, all that he complained of was that the wheat was dirty or had some mud and stones in it but he never came to know of the actual quantity of the adulteration. Sometimes some people did create ruckus but they were taken care of by the police or the Sub-Divisional Magistrate of the area. The reason was simple: Chouhan’s most trusted officers were put at the helm of affairs in both the departments; Civil Supplies and Warehousing Corporation. Some close relatives of Chouhan were said to be having interest in the working of the two departments.

Chouhan’s criminal intent

What the Congress and other opposition parties could not do was done by a member of Chouhan’s cabinet to make the Chief Minister and his RSS mentor (late) Anil Madhav Dave aware of their criminal intent in trying to rob the poor of their land fraudulently. Minister of Food and Civil Supplies Akhand Pratap Singh vehemently opposed at a cabinet meeting the proposal to allot 13.766 hectares of land in the Chief Minister’s Budhni Assembly constituency by overruling the objections of the revenue and finance departments to Narmada Samagra Trust floated by Anil Madhav Dave. The land near Uma Bharti’s favourite Bandrabhan Ashram was the pastureland belonging to the poor people of Ramnagar village on the bank of river Narmada.

Under the rules, this land could not be converted into the land for construction of houses. Dave’s Trust was to be allotted the land at throwaway prices. The Chief Minister’s criminal intent became clear in giving the khasra number of some other land in the newspaper advertisements inviting objections. Narmada Samagra Trust was registered with the Registrar of Public Trusts only a few months earlier, its movable property amounting to only Rs 11,000 and no immovable property. Anil Madhav Dave, as secretary, was the only person authorised in the Trust deed to enter into legal proceedings. The required application fee was not deposited while applying for allotment of land to the Trust. The move to allot land to Dave’s Trust was dropped after the fraud was exposed by Akhand Pratap Singh.

Murder of IPS officer

Chouhan and his wife Sadhna Singh were celebrating Holi at the Chief Minister’s sprawling residence in Bhopal when the news of IPS officer Narendra Kumar Singh’s murder by the mining mafia at Morena was conveyed to them. If they were affected, they did not show it and the revelry continued unabated with full gusto. Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) of Chambal range D P Gupta had told media persons after the incident that Singh had tried to stop a tractor carrying illegally mined stones but the driver ran over him. “We won’t call it an accident. Even after he was stopped, the driver crushed the officer with his tractor. It’s a clear case of murder. The tractor driver (identified as Manoj Gurjar) has been arrested and a case (under Section 302 IPC) has been registered against him and we are trying to ascertain whom he was working with”, the DIG was quoted as having stated.

Home Minister Uma Shankar Gupta and Director General of Police (DGP) Nandan Dubey rushed to Gwalior on the way to Morena and with that the murder became accident. The police also spread the word that no mining mafia was behind the incident, that the driver was carrying the stones to his village for his own use and that he had become nervous on seeing the police officer and lost control of the vehicle resulting in the “accident”.

IPS officer’s wife Madhurani Tewatia, an IAS officer posted in Gwalior (who later got herself transferred to UP cadre), said: “One day you say it is a murder and the other day you say it is not – this is not acceptable… If someone has done something good for the country, you can’t just get hold of the driver and feel that it is enough. You need to start from the roots to eradicate this mafiasm.” Madhurani Tewatia asked if a poor driver dare trample an IPS officer, or even a constable, under the wheels of his vehicle unless he was assured of full protection – legal, monetary and otherwise – by those in control of the illegal operations?

Another murder

Constable Dharmendra Singh Chauhan, an ex-army man, was posted at the Noorabad police station in Morena district. One night he was part of a patrolling party when they saw sand-laden truck parked under suspicious circumstances. As the police party challenged the vehicle, its driver started the engine and tried to flee the scene. Chauhan ran forward to stop the truck. He had almost reached the engine when the driver abruptly turned the truck trampling the constable under its wheels. The driver ran away from the scene. Chauhan’s colleagues in the patrolling party took their own time to reach the scene of the ghastly murder.

Note: Illegal mining in Madhya Pradesh was directly supervised by Chouhan’s wife Sadhna Singh through a promotee IAS officer with a dubious record S K Mishra.

Jhabua blast

A blast in a store in the small town of Petlawad in Jhabua district killed 90 persons and injured over 100 others. The law does not permit storage of explosives in a residential area but here the explosives were kept in a house at the centre of Petlawad town. Moreover, the owner of the explosives store Rajendra Kasawa did not even have a licence to store or sell the explosives. The licence for explosives is issued by the Petroleum and Safety Organisation (PESO). Deputy Chief Controller of PESO M K Jhala, based in Bhopal, said a day after the blast that no licence had been issued in the name of Rajendra Kasawa. Jhala said: ‘it is a serious matter. I have checked records and no licences were issued from our side. Our officials will be visiting Petlawad and submit a report’, he added. The residents of Petlawad had been complaining to the district administration about the storage of the explosives in the residential areas but the district administration always ignored the complaints. Chouhan’s close associates were said to be the beneficiaries of the racket.

Bharat Bandh impacts normal life, Bengal most affected, school bus attacked in Kolkata

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January 9, 2019

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Bharat Bandh impacts normal life, Bengal most affected, school bus attacked in Kolkata

Kolkata: The West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights has taken cognizance in the matter of an attack on a school bus in Barasat with school children on board allegedly by members of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), during the first day of the two days’ Bharat Bandh.

A press communiqué released by the WBCPCR mentioned that commission has issued a show-cause notice to Sujan Chakraborty and other office bearers of the CPI(M).

Earlier, few sporadic incidents of vandalism was also reported to have taken place in some parts of Bengal on Tuesday following the 48-hour-long nationwide general strike called by central trade unions protesting against the “anti-people” policies of Narendra Modi led NDA government in the center. Scuffles between police and the strike supporters were witnessed in some areas. At Jadavpur area in south Kolkata, CPI(M) leader and MP of Jadavpur Lok Sabha constituency Sujan Chakraborty along with several other strike supporters were detained by the police.

Stones were pelted at a school bus in Champadali area of Barasat in North 24 Parganas district. A government bus was also ransacked by strike supporters at Champadali. Protestors also vandalised a bus at Jamuria in Paschim Bardhaman district.

Protestors squatted on tracks in some places to stop trains and burnt tyres on the roads. Members of Students’ Federation of India staged agitation at the gates of Presidency University in Kolkata. In Siliguri, protesters organised a big procession. But the trading hub in the city was open, though roads had fewer vehicles compared to a normal working day.

There have been reports of clashes between TMC and CPM workers in Asansol during the first day of the ongoing 48-hour nationwide strike. Train services came to a halt at Madhyamgram, Hasnabad-Bongaon, Krishnagar, Duttapukur and Lakshmikantapur train line. At Sodepur, in North 24 Parganas district, protesters threw banana leaves on overhead wires to disrupt train movement.

The state government had earlier announced that state employees would be barred from availing casual leave or half day leave on Tuesday and Wednesday. No leave will also be allowed on the day preceding the two-day strike or following it, as per the government notification issued on Friday.

A circular for no adverse order was also issued by the Calcutta High Court that prevails over all the lower courts under it.

Joint Entrance Examination

The Joint Entrance examination has begun from Tuesday which coincides with the 48-hours-old strike. But the state government has made special arrangements for examinees. Special examination bus and other vehicles in large numbers were seen plying on the metropolis streets. The security has been tightened too. This year, 9.5 lakh students are appearing for the Joint Entrance main examination. Through this exam, one can take admission in a graduation course in engineering at IIT, NIT, CFTI, SFTI, etc. The exam which started on Tuesday will continue till January 12.

At least 391 people including 34 women were detained across Bengal during the bandh.

In Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan too, bandh was effective, however, no major violence was reported.

Watch Madhya Pradesh MLAs entering Assembly on day one

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January 8, 2019

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Watch Madhya Pradesh MLAs entering Assembly on day one

Bhopal: On January 8, when the MLAs entered the Madhya Pradesh Assembly for the first time after the fifteenth Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls, most members were seen bowing at the entrance. Among the MLAs, mostly first timers, eNewsroom spotted ruling Congress’ Education and Sports Minister Jitu Patwari, Public Relations Minister PC Sharma, Revenue and Transport Minister Govind Rajput, MLA Kalawati Bhuria, Omkar Singh Markam bowing at the Assembly entrance along. BJP MLAs, Aakash Vijayvargiya and Kamal Patel were also seen doing the same. Onlookers maintained that had the elected representatives bow before the people who elected them it would have been better for democracy. What matter for MLAs are their attendance, raising public issues and answering the queries of the common man will be a reflection of how much they respect the Assembly.

In other development, Narmada Prasad Prajapati became the Speaker. The four times Congress MLA Prajapati, for the first time in 52 years got elected after voting.

All pictures by: Raj Patidar.

Amartya Sen says, We as humans have failed to fulfill our basic human responsibility to stand with the oppressed

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January 7, 2019

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Amartya Sen says, We as humans have failed to fulfill our basic human responsibility to stand with the oppressed

Kolkata: Humanity is connected through our art and literature even though politics and geography divide us. That was the message sent out at a recent event attended by Nobel Laureate and renowned economist Professor Amartya Sen.

Speaking at the occasion Professor Sen came out in full support of actor Naseeruddin Shah, who recently got into a controversy when he expressed concern regarding the rising mob violence in India and had also spoken against the alleged crackdown by the government on NGOs.

Since then the veteran actor is facing the wrath of right wingers and even the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s leaders. One BJP MLA even went on to say that if he were to be made a minister he will bomb such people who speak about intolerance in India.

In his speech, Professor Amartya Sen stressed on the need for fostering and maintaining humanity, “During the liberation war of Bangladesh in 1971, what we did, does not come under social responsibility but it is in our humanity to stand by the oppressed. What is happening to Bengali Muslims in Assam in the name of NRC or the deportation of Rohingyas to Myanmar can never be justified. We as humans have failed to do our basic human responsibility to stand with the oppressed.”

The nobel laureate also said, “We need to come out in full support of people like Shah and at the same time be vociferous against those who condemn views expressed by the likes of Naseeruddin Shah.”

Earlier intellectuals of Kolkata had expressed support for Naseeruddin Shah and had even called out Bollywood for not coming out in support of the legendary actor.

Professor Sen further added, “The atmosphere of religious intolerance is gaining momentum each passing day. So every rational person should come forward and protest against this kind of environment.”

When asked why a country like India, which is secular, is witnessing such religious intolerance and what are the reasons behind it, Professor Sen smiled and said, “This could well be qualified as a doctoral thesis. But yes, social reasons coupled with political reasons is the cause.”

Regarding the change of RBI governors in quick succession, Professor Sen didn’t elaborate much, but simply stated that they have been removed as the present government didn’t like them.

The 85-year-old renowned economist was in town to attend the golden jubilee celebration of a Bengali magazine Samatat. He addressed a gathering at Purbashree auditorium, EZCC on Sunday evening.

Along with Prof Sen, Indologist Nrisingha Prasad Bhaduri, singers Srikanta Acharya and Sraboni Sen, elocutionist Ratna Mitra, Mayor of Bidhannagar Corporation Sabyasachi Dutta were also present at the occasion.

Professor Bhaduri spoke at length about his association with Samatat and it’s editor Arghyakusum Duttagupta who happens to be economist Prof Amlan Dutta’s younger sibling. “My association dates back to the time when I was still a college student. I once wrote an article for Samatat where I wrote an introduction of my book ‘Sukhosaptati’ which is a collection of stories, our folklores that have a message.”

Elaborating further on this Professor Bhaduri said that our folklore are the same stories that have been found in an Arabic book ‘Tuti Nama’ in Arabia which had probably travelled from India. From Arabia these folklores travelled to Italy and then to England. “The well known book of English literature, Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, are a collection of such stories that have their origin in India. I was surprised and so happy to see it,” said the Indologist.

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary celebration, Samatat has published a 400 pages book where the best articles that created storm in the literary world were republished along with some new articles.

Kolkata hosts its first Queer Literary Festival

Let There Be Light

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January 6, 2019

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Kolkata hosts its first Queer Literary Festival

Kolkata: The season to celebrate literature has set in. And Calcutta alone will be hosting not one but three literature festivals in January itself. In fact, between November to January, several literature festivals have already taken place at several Indian cities. But there has been few sessions dedicated to ‘queer’ literature in the popular Lit Fests and the number of authors specialising in it being invited as speakers is even lesser in number. Thereby, feeling the need of a separate fest for the community, Kolkata hosted its first Queer Literary Festival on January 5.

Celebrating the ‘queer’

On a cold winter afternoon, seeing three of the four panelists occupying the stage, representing a form of literature that not many choose to talk about, in the heart of the city, was appreciated by many. Setting the motion for the session – Every Struggle Is Our Struggle: Queer Voices, Literature of Resistance was Aulic, writer and anthropologist from Dhaka, currently residing in Berlin. She said, “I don’t write to resist but to exist.”

Actor and poet Tista Das, a prominent face of the West Bengal Trans Movement, began by saying, “Being a transgender woman, I am also part of the society. I have never thought myself to be different, so, I never began my poetry or writing as ‘queer poetry’ or ‘queer writing’. I began writing to voice against the injustice that exists in the society till date. To be honest, I never thought myself to be different from the society, but it was this very society that made me feel that I was different and gradually, my writing also got a tag.”

QUEER LGBT Transgender Kolkata — A painting at the entrance of the Queer Literature Festival site

Abhijit Majumdar, a professor and researcher by profession and writer by passion, who has penned a couple of books on ‘queer emotions’ and human rights, among which the most prominent being Noishobdyer Potroguccho said, “I am not a writer by profession but I write, not to exist but to resist, unlike Aulic. I am being very candid, my writings are agenda based, if they are considered as literature, I have no issue.”

Need for another setup

With write-ups, poems and even reports written in support of the ‘queer’ community adorning the walls of the Goethe Institut, the organizers made their need for being talked about or being taken into the fold evident.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Eb3N5syzIo[/embedyt]

Talking about the need of a literary meet dedicated to the queer authors and literature, was Mallobika, co-founder Sappho for Equality, she said, “Because people don’t have the courage to talk about queer issues let alone queer literature. This festival is an attempt to open up conversations with writers, readers and publishers about our struggles, joys and sorrows. It is also an attempt to listen to other movements of struggles, resistances and movement.”

Adding to that, Avinaba, independent gender, sexuality and policy researcher currently associated with Sappho for Equality, said, “The whole idea of organizing this literary meet was to create a pace for the writers and poets from the community to come and share their work. None of the mainstream festivals has ever invited writers from the community.”

All minorities are ‘one’

Speaking about the need of a platform, which gives space to other representatives of the minority community – be it religious, sexual, class or caste. Avinaba said, “The primary idea was to focus on queer and other marginalized representatives of the society, who for different reasons – gender, sexuality, class, caste, religion, geographic locations, cannot come forward, or rather let’s say are not allowed to put forward their work. We often hear from others, “we do not discriminate” “we do not see one’s gender and sexuality!” However, the mainstream publishing houses – both regional and national – often complained about not finding enough talent in the queer community, in terms of literature.”

Adding to that, Md Reyaz, Assistant Professor, Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Aliah University said, “As a religious minority, I empathise with the sexual minorities, for I believe that living in a secular country, if I am taking benefits of being a minority and say that people have no business to know what’s being cooked in my kitchen then we should not peep into other’s bedroom. On the contrary, we have reached a stage, where I would say all minorities should come together on one platform.”

The organisers, also used the event to raise their voice against the Transgender Bill. “We have dedicated a complete session on this issue as the law is draconian in its present form. An individual belonging to the male and female category don’t need to be verified as male or female by specialists. They why are trans men and women being subjected to such humiliation. This bill if enacted will be misused by those being authorised to scan our bodies. As it is we are humiliated by the society, this will subject us to further humiliation,” said Prabhat Majumdar, one of the panelist for the session on Transgender Bill. Another bill which was much talked about in between the session was the Triple Talaq Bill, the demand being – redrafting of the bill, as the bill in its present form, many felt would lead to a witch hunt of Muslim men in particular

Kolkata girl promotes dying Madhubani Art using new-age technology

Let There Be Light

ScribeShah

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January 3, 2019

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Kolkata girl promotes dying Madhubani Art using new-age technology

Kolkata: On a lazy summer afternoon, which was meant to be spent at leisure, Wasma Mirza was left awestruck by the beautiful bed sheets and tablecloth that adorned the rooms of her grandmother’s residence in Darbhanga, Bihar.

Mesmerised by its beauty, she was compelled to trace the history of the artwork that was displayed before her. “My grandmother told me that those artwork had been sourced from a village called Madhubani, which wasn’t very far from our Darbhanga residence. I decided to pay a visit to the village, from where the now-dying art-form Madhubani Art or Mithila Paintings has originated.”

ABC of Madhubani/Mithila Art

Determined to have a closer look and better understanding of what this art was all about and why it was dying, she along with her parents (Shahanshah Mirza, great-great-grandson of Wajid Ali Shah and Fatima Mirza) went to Madhubani.

“On the day we visited Madhubani, I was extremely delighted to witness the haat in progress. I was left fascinated with what I saw – women selling their Madhubani artwork, as some in small batches sat under the tree, giving the final strokes to some of their near finished products,” she said. She further added, “However, my visit to this haat left me a bit disheartened, as I saw that there were not many buyers for this artwork.”

E for Entrepreneur

As locals speak Mithila, in her first visit, Wasma took an interpreter with her to understand both the artwork and communicate with the artist in order to seal the deal. “I am in the second year of college and will soon be graduating. So, career happens to be on the top list of our discussions. When I saw these handicrafts at my grandparent’s house, I got an idea of starting a small business by buying from these women and selling it to my family and friends, back in Kolkata. However, I was appalled by the response that these artists were getting in their own town. There were very few buyers and most of the artists were from the economically backward community. This further encouraged me to promote their work in my own small way,” she told to eNewsroom.

Social Media to boost the sale

Madhubani Art Mithila kolkata — Wasma Mirza

Determined to help the artists, she used her savings to purchase a couple of artworks from the haat. “I used WhatsApp and Facebook to promote the handicrafts, and I got a great response from my family and friends in Kolkata. Overwhelmed with the response, now on a regular basis I am getting a number of these products from Madhubani, straight from these women artists and am selling them in Kolkata, for a very marginal profit. This is my small way of reviving a dying art and paying the artists their due. They are generally left underpaid by middlemen.”

Wasma’s work model may be new and small in size, but experienced artists in Mithila Art, believe that this can be beneficial for them. Speaking to eNewsroom, from Madhubani was Anjali Jha, who ekes out a living by doing Madhubani painting, said, “In our villages, almost every house has an expert in Mithila art. So, there is a surplus product but less number of buyers. The maximum money made by artists like us is Rs 10000 a month. Agents make more profit than us, but if someone could directly contact us like this girl from Kolkata and give us regular work, then at least we can expect a steady flow of income.”

Adding to that Shalini Karn, an emerging Madhubani artist said, “This kind of an initiative will be beneficial for the local artists. Today, it has become essentially important for the artists to have a market beyond the the local haat, to market their product and make a steady income. It’s encouraging to see urban girls taking interest in us.”

The last sunset and sunrise of 2018

Live Frame

ScribeShah

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January 1, 2019

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Jaipur: The year 2018 has came to an end with the promise of a fresh start in 2019. To make moments memorable, Chandra Mohan Aloria captured the last sunset and sunrise of the year gone. Enjoy the pictures as it is, as we are not giving any caption to these pictures captured by the photographer. The first photo captures the last sunset of 2018 and rest are of last sunrise of the last day of 2018. Let us pledge to make the world a better place to live in for everyone. Wishing our readers – A Very Happy New Year 2019!

Modi’s popularity registers sharp decline in 2018

Opinion

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December 30, 2018

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Modi’s popularity registers sharp decline in 2018

The popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi registered a sharp decline towards the close of 2018 — merely four and a half years after he had come to power with a bang. During the year he was surrounded by many unsavoury controversies. After the BJP’s drubbing in the Assembly elections in the five States of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram, he has become more and more incoherent and occasionally irritable in his public speeches. The election results show that he has ceased to be a vote-catcher; rather, Narendra Modi has become a liability for the BJP.

That the people voted decisively against the BJP in all the five States where elections were held in November-December was much too evident. In Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh the party could not retain its government in spite of spending a scandalous amount of money on the campaign. The BJP had fielded its candidates on almost all the seats in Telangana and Mizoram. BJP general secretary in charge of north-east Ram Madhav had announced much ahead of the polling day in Mizoram: “we are willing to forge an alliance with like-minded non-Congress parties after the elections.” But the BJP could win only one seat out of 39 it contested (Mizoram Assembly has 40 members), and its dream of ruling, directly or indirectly, the entire north-east was shattered. So was the case in Telangana where it was hopeful of an impressive electoral victory to dictate terms to Telangana’s ruling party Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) for an alliance for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The BJP could get only one seat in Telangana also.

According to an IndiaSpend analysis of electoral data, the BJP lost more than 70 per cent of the Assembly constituencies where Prime Minister Narendra Modi campaigned in the five States. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath fared slightly better than Modi, with a winning percentage of 39 as against Modi’s less than 30.

Even though Prime Minister Modi’s two major “achievements” did not figure prominently in the high-pitched campaigns, these two seemed to have considerably influenced the mind of the voters, particularly in the three Hindi heartland States of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. The scars created by the demonetisation on the middle and lower classes have not healed so far. Similarly, the GST continues to be a sore point with the middle rung traders. The party leaders in the three States were apparently aware of this because the party in the three States did not seek the vote in the name of Narendra Modi but in the names of their chief ministers, Vasundhara Raje in Rajasthan, Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Madhya Pradesh and Raman Singh in Chhattisgarh. In the full page newspaper advertisements also, the photos of the chief ministers were displayed prominently while a small photo of Narendra Modi was tucked behind the chief minister of the State.

The people just wanted to oust the BJP in the three States though they did not repose full confidence in the Congress, except in Chhattisgarh where it won 68 seats in a House of 90. The BJP got only 15 seats. Former Congress Chief Minister Ajit Jogi had formed his own party Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (JCC). He had entered into an alliance with Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in the hope of emerging as an alternative to the BJP and the Congress but the alliance could get only 7 seats — JCC 5 and BSP 2.

In both Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, the Congress failed to get the clear majority. In Madhya Pradesh, its tally stopped at 114 seats in a House of 230. The BJP won in 109 constituencies. As many as 120 parties were in the fray in Madhya Pradesh. Only two of them could taste victory: Bahujan Samaj Party got two seats and Samajwadi Party was able to win one seat. Four independents also got through. These seven members lent their support to the Congress, raising the strength of the alliance to 121 and, thus, allowing the Congress to form the government. It was ironic that BJP received slightly more votes in Madhya Pradesh than the Congress but the Congress got more seats. The BJP received 41 per cent (1, 56, 42,980 votes) of the total votes cast while the share of the Congress was 40.9 per cent (1, 55, 95,153 votes). Besides, in as many as 22 constituencies, the votes cast for NOTA (none of the above) exceeded the victory margins of the winning candidates. In Rajasthan, too, the Congress reached near-majority point, getting 99 seats in a House of 200. The election for one constituency was countermanded following the death of a BSP candidate.

Kolkata shows spine, backs actor Naseeruddin Shah

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December 29, 2018

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Kolkata shows spine, backs actor Naseeruddin Shah

Kolkata: At a time when the Bollywood fraternity is maintaining a distance from Naseeruddin Shah, intellectuals from Kolkata have expressed their solidarity for the veteran actor. Condemning the way Naseeruddin Shah’s session at the Ajmer Literature Festival, was called off, due to the pressure from the Right-Wing groups, they maintained that the actor had just shown the mirror and was unnecessarily being witch-hunted.

“I don’t see anything wrong that Naseeruddin Shah has said. He has just expressed a valid concern and as a citizen of this country he is justified in raising this question. I completely support his statement. He has highlighted what India has been witnessing in the past four years,” said former Supreme Court Judge, Justice Ashok Kumar Ganguly, during an intellectual meet organised in Kolkata.

During the meeting, a resolution was passed, in which they not only pledged solidarity with the Naseeruddin Shah, but have also decided to organise rallies, to condemn the way the actor is being criticised by the right-wingers.

“What is more disturbing was the fact that he was barred from attending a session at the Ajmer Literature Festival after he had expressed himself. The ring-wing politicians and foot soldiers should be grateful to him, as he has shown a mirror to them. Instead of hounding him they should contemplate into what they have made of India in these four years,” said Md Nesar Khan, former member of West Bengal Human Rights Commission (WBHRC).

Adding to that justice Ganguly, who is also a former chairman of WBHRC, said, “Sadly enough, what ever the actor said is true. Look at the Bulandshahr case. Didn’t the CM ask the cow slaughtering case to be first investigated, instead of the police murder to be first probed.” He then added, “People like Naseeruddin Shah and Dilip Kumar have contributed a lot towards our culture, they shouldn’t be hounded for speaking their mind. Any right-thinking person would have made the same comment as him.”

Khan pointed out, “This is not the first time in the history of India that a person from the minority community or a dalit is being tortured. But sadly, enough today, they are state sponsored. The attitude of the police while investigating cases related to mob lynching etc clearly indicates that they have been told by the government to act in that particular way.”

Also, present at the meet was the actor’s niece Saira Shah Halim. Saira, who is also a social activist said, “I am overwhelmed by the kind of support that he has been getting from across the country. But sadly, the industry that he works in has been maintaining an eerie silence. None has spoken in support of what he has said. It reflects the hypocrisy of the industry. People are there just to earn their living and not take a stand. They are just pretending as if nothing has happened. We had witnessed the same during the Aamir Khan episode. The actor had to pay dearly. Snapdeal had even cancelled their contract with the actor.”

The event, which was organised by Save Democracy Forum, was attended by former mayor of Kolkata and former advocate general of Tripura Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, Dr Fuad Halim, visual artist Wasim Kapoor, Poet Madrakanta Sen among others.

Cabinet formation renews infighting in Madhya Pradesh Congress

N D Sharma

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December 28, 2018

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Cabinet formation renews infighting in Madhya Pradesh Congress

Cabinet formation in Madhya Pradesh has renewed infighting not only in the ruling Congress party but in former chief minister Digvijaya Singh’s family also. With Chhindwara MP Kamal Nath appointed as the PCC president and Guna MP Jyotiraditya Scindia as the chairman of the Campaign Committee, the party had displayed a semblance of unity during the Assembly election campaign after a long time. The selection of candidates was without much hassle, unlike in 2008 and 2013. It appeared that it would sail smoothly if it got majority and formed the government. Voters of the State, though, did not trust the party fully and gave it 114 seats, two short of a clear majority, in a House of 230. The BJP won 109 seats. With the support of four independents, two BSP members and one SP member (total 121), the Congress staked the claim and was invited by Governor Anandiben Patel to form the government.

The unity which was visible during the campaign started dissolving. After an exercise lasting several days and with the intervention of party president Rahul Gandhi, Kamal Nath was declared to be the Leader of Congress Legislature Party (CLP). He was sworn in as Chief Minister. Selection of members of the Council of Ministers proved to be a tortuous task. The week-long efforts by Kamal Nath, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Digvijaya Singh in Bhopal and Delhi failed to produce an agreed list. The intervention of Rahul Gandhi was of not much help. The only point of agreement was that those who had won for the first time would not be inducted into the Council of Ministers.

The problem, it was said, arose because of Digvijaya Singh’s insistence that his son Jaivardhan Singh (who has won from Raghogarh constituency for the second time) should be given the cabinet rank. This prompted Scindia to push some names of his own supporters. Ultimately, the three agreed on 28 names — 22 of them first entrants to the Council of Ministers and only six old hands who had served as ministers in the past. Exasperated by claims and counter-claims of Digvijaya Singh and Jyotiraditya Scindia, Kamal Nath then announced cabinet rank for all the 28 ministers.

This was followed by public protests including chakka jam (road-block) by some senior members of the party who were hopeful of getting berths in the cabinet but were ignored. A former minister said that he was told to get ready for swearing in and he had organised a celebration meal at his residence for his workers but at the last moment his name was dropped causing so much embarrassment to him. One of the four independents was made a minister, leaving the other three sulking. Public dissatisfaction was displayed by the lone SP MLA and two BSP MLAs.

When it came to the allotment of portfolios to the ministers, the Congress was jolly well at its old game of full blown infighting. While Digvijaya Singh and Jyotiraditya Scindia fought for important departments for their supporters, Chief Minister Kamal Nath appeared a helpless spectator. No other Congress leader has as much grip over State’s politics as Digvijaya Singh. This gives him immense power of manipulation. Kamal Nath has to mainly depend on him. The problem with Kamal Nath is that he has never been active in State politics, keeping himself confined to Chhindwara which he has been representing in Lok Sabha since 1980 except for one term. While he gets along well with Scindia also, his relationship with Digvijaya Singh is much deeper as both of them were protégés of the late Arjun Singh. (The decision on portfolios could not be arrived at till the evening of December 28).

Among the senior party leaders left out of the cabinet is Lakshman Singh, younger brother of Digvijaya Singh. Lakshman Singh has been elected to the State Assembly for the third time and was also a member of Lok Sabha for five terms. He was a claimant to a berth in the cabinet but Digvijaya Singh was said to have insisted only on his son’s inclusion. This appeared to have renewed the bitterness in the Raghogarh household which Digvijaya Singh was able to adroitly paper over in the past few months.

The tension in the Raghogarh family had started when Digvijaya Singh married Amrita Rai in 2015, not long after the death of his first wife Asha Singh. His marriage was opposed by his son and daughters, but more bitterly by Lakshman Singh and his wife Rubina Sharma Singh. Rubina is Lakshman Singh’s second wife. The major cause of Rubina’s bitterness was that Digvijaya Singh had opposed tooth and nail Lakshman’s marriage to Rubina on the ground that she was not of their Thakur caste; and now Digvijaya Singh was marrying Amrita Rai who was also not a Thakur. Property, too, was said to be behind the family feud. Digvijaya Singh has not yet been able to visit Raghogarh after his marriage to Amrita Rai.

Master of manipulation as he is, Digvijaya Singh had managed to appease Lakshman Singh and Rubina and a semi-normal relationship was re-established in the family. Digvijaya Singh and Amrita were said to have invited Lakshman Singh and Rubina over lunch in their Delhi residence.

Digvijaya Singh’s “refusal” to get his younger brother included in the cabinet has rekindled the old bitterness. In her comment on a post in Facebook, Rubina Sharma Singh observed: Digvijaya Singh “has a serious insecurity problem. Can’t stand it that Lakshman wins elections. You should have seen what all was done to try and to make him lose. Absolutely pathetic!” She also scotched the rumours that Lakshman Singh would contest for Lok Sabha.

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Cabinet formation renews infighting in Madhya Pradesh Congress

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