Despite political differences, bonhomie seems to be in the air, with Union Rural Development Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh of the Congress and BJP general secretary and MP Gopinath Munde taking a copter ride together to temple town of Shirdi last week.
Through exchange of pleasantries they gave out the message of ' ye dosti hum nahin todenge' (we will not break friendship, come what may). However on the issue of Anna Hazare, the duo struck a divergent note at a joint press conference addressed by them. While Vilasrao Deshmukh objected to news channels harping on the central government bowing down before Anna to rectify Lok Pal bill, Munde saw nothing objectionable in it.
Deshmukh said it was wrong to say that the Centre had bowed before the social activist. He said the UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi had given her support to Anna Hazare’s campaign and that the UPA was very serious about the issue of corruption and to combat the same, the government was taking every step. He said the UPA was committed to passing the Lok Pal bill and even referred to the then NDA government as having tried its best to get the bill through.
On the other hand, Munde said that the government had to take the cognisance of Anna’s struggle largely owing to the groundswell his campaign against corruption was generating. He said the draft of the Lok Pal Bill had been gathering dust all these years, it was only but after the countrywide agitation on the issue that the government was galvanised into action.
He said it would take two third majority support to pass the bill in the parliament and this is where the role of his party comes in. He also said the BJP would extend its full support to the bill during the voting. Thus he seemed to have rebutted his friends remarks.
Both Vilasrao Deshmukh and Gopinath Munde, attired in spotless white and black jacket, arrived in Shirdi accompanied by revenue minister Balasaheb Thorat. It’s not known if the helicopter they travelled in was hired of if the politicos themselves paid the fare out of their pockets or whether the government funded the fare despite the visit being personal in nature.
Reiterating that they were pucca friends and that they never let their political differences come in the path of their friendship, the duo together visited the temple and had the darshan. They also said that wherever they decide to go, they go together.
Showing posts with label Politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Politics. Show all posts
Monday, April 11, 2011
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Opposition puts the government on mat
Regretting the fact that the Adarsh scam had brought disgrace to Maharashtra in its golden jubilee year, the Opposition on Wednesday urged former chief minister Ashok Chavan to disclose the names of his rivals who had given ' supari' to fix him in the scandal.
Cornering the Congress- NCP government over Adarsh, the BJP- led opposition in the Assembly, demanded a Joint Legislative Committee ( JLC) probe into it.
Leading the charge, leader of opposition Eknath Khadse sought stringent action against the bureaucrats involved in the scam, including suspension and filing of criminal cases against them. Inaugurating the debate on Adarsh in the lower house, Khadse said the Opposition had submitted a list of 33 similar scams to the Governor.
" When Prithiviraj Chavan took over the reins of the State, he promised a clean administration but unfortunately retained tainted Ministers and officers in his team," he said. The opposition leader said the file for allotment of land for the controversial project was first brought before the then chief minister Manohar Joshi in 1997 when there was a Shiv Sena- BJP government in the state, but the proposal was rejected.
Later, it came to the Revenue Minister in the same government who too turned it down. Khadse virtually held former Congress MLC Kanhaiyalal Gidwani chiefly responsible for the scam, saying he had written several letters to various Secretaries and Ministers seeking favours for the society. The Gidwani family owned three flats in the society, he said, adding many documents in the Adarsh files were replies to his letters.
The plot on which the 31- storey building stands came under the Coastal Regulatory Zone ( CRZ) and hence could not have been allotted, Khadse said. Pointing out that initially there were just 30 members in the society, he said the number kept on increasing as the file moved. Every bureaucrat who cleared the file, got one flat. " It was one- signature, one- flat formula evolved by the bureaucrats," he quipped.
He alleged that several top bureaucrats incuding former Urban Development Secretary Ramanand Tiwari, Deputy Secretary P V Deshmukh, Subhash Lala, Principal Secretary to former Chief Minister S K Shinde, and former BMC Chief Jairaj Phatak were among the beneficiaries.
The Leader of Opposition said a portion of adjoining Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport ( BEST) land was improperly used by the Society and about 80 metres approach road was reduced to 18 metres, virtually shutting the way for ambitious water transport project from Nariman Point to Uran.
Khadse said objections raised by Managing Director of Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority Ajit Nimbalkar were overruled.
He lamented that though the CBI was probing the scam, it had not yet filed an FIR in the case.
Cornering the Congress- NCP government over Adarsh, the BJP- led opposition in the Assembly, demanded a Joint Legislative Committee ( JLC) probe into it.
Leading the charge, leader of opposition Eknath Khadse sought stringent action against the bureaucrats involved in the scam, including suspension and filing of criminal cases against them. Inaugurating the debate on Adarsh in the lower house, Khadse said the Opposition had submitted a list of 33 similar scams to the Governor.
" When Prithiviraj Chavan took over the reins of the State, he promised a clean administration but unfortunately retained tainted Ministers and officers in his team," he said. The opposition leader said the file for allotment of land for the controversial project was first brought before the then chief minister Manohar Joshi in 1997 when there was a Shiv Sena- BJP government in the state, but the proposal was rejected.
Later, it came to the Revenue Minister in the same government who too turned it down. Khadse virtually held former Congress MLC Kanhaiyalal Gidwani chiefly responsible for the scam, saying he had written several letters to various Secretaries and Ministers seeking favours for the society. The Gidwani family owned three flats in the society, he said, adding many documents in the Adarsh files were replies to his letters.
The plot on which the 31- storey building stands came under the Coastal Regulatory Zone ( CRZ) and hence could not have been allotted, Khadse said. Pointing out that initially there were just 30 members in the society, he said the number kept on increasing as the file moved. Every bureaucrat who cleared the file, got one flat. " It was one- signature, one- flat formula evolved by the bureaucrats," he quipped.
He alleged that several top bureaucrats incuding former Urban Development Secretary Ramanand Tiwari, Deputy Secretary P V Deshmukh, Subhash Lala, Principal Secretary to former Chief Minister S K Shinde, and former BMC Chief Jairaj Phatak were among the beneficiaries.
The Leader of Opposition said a portion of adjoining Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport ( BEST) land was improperly used by the Society and about 80 metres approach road was reduced to 18 metres, virtually shutting the way for ambitious water transport project from Nariman Point to Uran.
Khadse said objections raised by Managing Director of Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority Ajit Nimbalkar were overruled.
He lamented that though the CBI was probing the scam, it had not yet filed an FIR in the case.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Jagan warns of Sonia tirade in coming days
The 'bad boy' of Congress S Jaganmohan Reddy on Tuesday launched a broadside against UPA chairperson and Congress party president Sonia Gandhi making it clear that was ready to take her head on in the coming days.
Accusing her as a merciless, jealous and vicious woman, he made it clear that his fight would be against those elements in her. Jagan likened himself as upright and man of integrity.
The former MP was speaking with his followers at Pulivendula of Kadapa district in Andhra Pradesh. In the meeting he announced that would launch the new party within 45 days.
Explaining reasons for his departure from the Congress party he made Sonia squarely responsible for that. He said that had requested Sonia to take up Odarpu atra ( solace giving) in the state and that was being rejected by her.
However as had promised had taken up the atra and the Congress had created all sorts of troubles for him, he said.
Jagan said that the legislators and leaders were browbeaten from attending the atra.
" Even they went on to search my daily Sakshi' office. This could be understood if there was a Telugu Desam government in the state and NDA government at Centre. But Congress was ruling here and there. I asked the then Chief Minister K Rosaiah about it. He said there were orders from high command. How should I understand this", Jagan questioned.
Accusing her as a merciless, jealous and vicious woman, he made it clear that his fight would be against those elements in her. Jagan likened himself as upright and man of integrity.
The former MP was speaking with his followers at Pulivendula of Kadapa district in Andhra Pradesh. In the meeting he announced that would launch the new party within 45 days.
Explaining reasons for his departure from the Congress party he made Sonia squarely responsible for that. He said that had requested Sonia to take up Odarpu atra ( solace giving) in the state and that was being rejected by her.
However as had promised had taken up the atra and the Congress had created all sorts of troubles for him, he said.
Jagan said that the legislators and leaders were browbeaten from attending the atra.
" Even they went on to search my daily Sakshi' office. This could be understood if there was a Telugu Desam government in the state and NDA government at Centre. But Congress was ruling here and there. I asked the then Chief Minister K Rosaiah about it. He said there were orders from high command. How should I understand this", Jagan questioned.
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