SECOND THOUGHT

Shinde,who was earlier said to be disinclined to contest the next Lok Sabha elections,seems to have changed his mind.

SECOND THOUGHT

Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde,who was earlier said to be disinclined to contest the next Lok Sabha elections,seems to have changed his mind. He has conveyed to the party leadership his intention to contest from his Solapur parliamentary constituency once again. This comes as AICC general secretary Madhusudan Mistry is learnt to be holding discussions with state leaders to finalise the tentative list of party candidates.

CONDITIONS APPLY

Union minister Rajiv Shukla recently claimed that he had written to the Maharashtra government offering to return the land that had been given to BAG Film Education Society,chaired by his wife,at Andheri in Mumbai in 2008 at a throwaway price. His offer was learnt to be conditional though. Shukla was learnt to have stated in the letter that he would surrender the land,if any illegality is found in the allotment. Prima facie,according to official sources,the allotment appeared to be illegal because,as per rules,the said land could be allotted only to municipal primary schools,which could not be run by any private player.

PRIME LOCATION

The Ministry of Home Affairs MHA has a new year gift for the anti-terror investigating agency NIA. A proposal giving them an acre of land at the prime location in Delhis Lodhi Colony has been cleared. The agency currently functions from NDMC building near Connaught Place where they moved from Jasola only this year. Created after 26/11 attack,the NIA has asked the Home Ministry to provide space to construct its own office. The Home Ministry said that the land near CRPF in CGO complex which houses the headquarters of central paramilitary force can be allocated to them. The construction of the new building will be undertaken by NBCC and CPWD.

END OF TERM

HRD Minister Pallam Raju has chosen not to seek another extension for Joint Secretary A K Singh,who is in charge of Central Universities and had handled the controversial Delhi University four-year Undergraduate Programme FYUP issue. Singh an IAS officer of the UP cadre completes his deputation term at the Centre next week. Raju,however,has sought an extension for another Joint Secretary,Jagmohan Singh Raju,of the 1985 batch,who is likely to be moved to fill in Singhs place.