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Journalism of Courage
After their experience in Karnataka, Election Commission officials believe that money power plays a bigger role in the south than in the north in the poll process. The EC seized Rs 40 crore as well as a huge cache of saris and liquor meant for distribution to voters, which it believes was just the tip of the iceberg. The average assets of a Karnataka MLA are Rs 14 crore, with the Reddy MLAs from Bellary tipping the scales with assets of some Rs 300 crore. If one compares the collective assets of the Congress nominees in 2008 with those in 2004, one find there is a 1,230 per cent increase. The increase in collective assets for the BJP nominees was 630 per cent and for those from the JD (S) 532 per cent.
Gulf at Golf Club
There is a flutter in Delhi’s prestigious Golf Club. Lt Colonel S.J. Chaudhary, one of its very active members, was recently sentenced to life imprisonment by the lower court for murdering prominent Delhi businessman Krishna Sikand using a parcel bomb. Some outraged members demanded Chaudhary’s immediate expulsion, following which a special meeting of the club managing committee was convened. The discussion was heated, since the club’s articles of association do not spell out the procedure in such circumstances. A Chaudhary supporter pointed out that leading businessmen Gopal and Sushil Ansal, who were sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for their role in the Uphaar fire tragedy, are still members. It was agreed that the decision could be taken after Chaudhary’s appeal is decided by the Delhi High Court.
CEC in five
The Congress is furious with Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswami. They believe he was behind the EC’s show-cause notice to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy. The notice charges Reddy with the criminal offence of publicly asking for votes for the Congress less than 48 hours before the state by-elections. The punishment for this offence can be a fine of Rs 50,000 and two years’ imprisonment. To dilute Gopalaswami’s authority some senior Congress leaders are seriously considering a move to induct two more election commissioners to make a total of five, including the CEC.
Securing help from outside
Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia has gone public on her misgivings about the Union home ministry’s ability to help the state combat terrorism. Scindia has decided to seek advice elsewhere. The state DGP has been asked to form an advisory committee of retired police officials who are experts on terrorism. Ajit Doval, former IB chief was not able to make it, but A.S. Dulhat, former R&AW chief, B. Raman, who once headed the counter terrorism desk in R&AW, and Ajay Sahni, who heads a think tank on terrorism and runs a South Asia terrorism portal, were consulted.
Outsiders Vs Insiders
Karnataka has probably the highest representation in the Congress Working Committee. The Karnataka caucus includes four powerful general secretaries — Margaret Alva, Veerappa Moily, Oscar Fernandes and B.K. Hariprasad, besides Dr Parmeshwaran and Jaffer Sharief. In addition, there are many heavyweights in the state such as former chief ministers S.M. Krishna and Dharam Singh and Dalit stalwart, Mallikarjun Kharge. Despite this top-heavy team, the party came a cropper, thanks to a poor selection of candidates and an ineffectual campaign.
Some feel it was a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth. Others blame the AICC rule which stipulates that general secretaries and secretaries should not interfere in their home states. Outsiders like Prithiviraj Chavan, Vyalar Ravi and Digvijay Singh took the decisions without relying on the knowledge and experience of general secretaries from the state familiar with the caste composition and voting patterns of individual constituencies. The outsiders contend that the insiders who are now carping were simply pushing for their kith and kin. Alva’s son, Sharief’s grandson and Hariprasad’s brother were all denied tickets by the selection committee.
