Despite Sonia Gandhi`s disclaimers few would believe that the ongoing smear campaign against the Anna Hazare-led group does not have her sanction. For all their unsavouriness, the likes of Digvijay Singh do not go about waging personal battles. The Congress party and the coalition it leads at the centre have clearly refused to admit defeat even after losing the war of nerves over the Lo
It is still unclear whether the CD implicating Shanti Bhushan in a conversation with Mulayam Singh Yadav, in which he promises the latter that his son Prashant Bhushan could manage a judge for Rs 4 crore, is genuine. The CD surfaced just days after the former law minister became the co-chairman of the joint drafting committee notified by the government following the Anna Hazare-led agitation fo
The ruling Congress party has reacted predictably to Anna Hazare`s fast unto death. Spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi, among others, has pointed out that the agitation against the draft Lokpal Bill infringes on the role of the legislators. He has argued that it is the job of the legislators and not that of the social activists to frame laws. Anna Hazare`s fast, therefore, he has said, amounts to de
Wikileaks have given fresh ammunition to the opposition in the cash-for-votes scandal of 2008. The opposition is all fired up, but what are the actionable options before it to put the government on the mat? While the leaked cable leaves little to imagination or doubt, it may not stand scrutiny in courts. Politically, the BJP has already ruled out a no-confidence motion, as no NDA MP wants to go
In the aftermath of a series of post-quake explosions at various nuclear plants in Japan, the government of India has carried out a safety check at all nuclear plants within the country. That is very much in the order of things. However, the larger question being raised is that our nascent nuclear energy policy and initiatives in that direction need to be reviewed. Some experts, who have been w
The supreme court has turned down the mercy killing plea from Arun Shanbaug, who has been in vegetative state for 37 years now. [Read the report here] Mercy killing or euthanasia is seen as criminal homicide around the world though a few c
The supreme court has finally intervened to put an end to the farce over P J Thomas’ appointment as central vigilance commissioner. The apex court has said that the recommendation made by the high-powered committee headed by the prime minister did not consider the relevant material and as such its advice "does not exist in law". In other words, the appointment of
Yet another budget has been presented. The debate this year was how to maintain growth momentum while keeping inflation under control. On the growth part, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee said in his budget speech that Indian economy was reverting to the pre financial crisis days of nine percent growth, while on the inflation front all he could say was that Rserve Bank measures would ease the
At a time when the centre is facing the heat from the opposition for setting up a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) to probe the 2G scam, Suresh Kalmadi, the face of the CWG fiasco and Congress MP from Pune wants a JPC to probe the overlays and other CWG scams as well. In the first case, the government sacrificed much of the previous parliament session to fend off the opposition deman
The abduction of Malkangiri district collector RV Krishna and the government`s decision to suspend anti-Maoist operations in the area has revived an important debate at an important juncture. At a time when the centre seems to have summoned some resolve to engage the Maoists in combat rather than just talks, is it okay for the state government to be seen to be giving in to the demands of the ex
We often face a curious dilemma during elections: whether to vote for the rape accused or the murder accused, if the one facing corruption charge will be a better MLA/MP or the one known to be a wheeler dealer? That is of course a slight exaggeration, but you get the drift. In competitive democracy, all parties are eager to get the numbers and thus eager to overlook the background of a candidat
Appointment of former cabinet secretary BK Chaturvedi and space commission member Roddam Narasimha, by the prime minister to probe into the Isro spectrum scam has raised a question of "conflict of interest". Chaturvedi was cabinet secretary in 2005 when the Isro`s deal with Devas Multimedia was signed and hence, his role is in not above suspicion. Narasimha happens to be a member of t
The recently-leaked 600-page report of the special investigation team (SIT) probing the 2002 Gujarat riots has reportedly pronounced chief minister Narendra Modi guilty of complicity in the heinous killings. The SIT has, however, admitted that its findings cannot be investigated further under the law due to lack of evidence. In other words, the SIT has pronounced Modi guilty without evidence to
In Karnataka, it’s a choice between, as BJP president Nitin Gadkari put it, illegality and immorality. Chief minister B S Yeddyurappa faces charges of corruption (Rough estimates go up to Rs 500 crore). However, the response from the Raj Bhavan has also surprised independent observers. H R Bhardwaj is known to be an obedient loyalist and little beyond that. His appointment as governor in
The purpose of the cabinet reshuffle seems unclear. Was the prime minister trying to refurbish the image of his government, which has taken a beating following the charges of corruption and failure to contain inflation? Was he trying to add dynamism or was it about weeding out the incompetent and the non-performers? Nothing seems clear because he retains all and has merely juggled ministr
After three years of runaway inflation, the government has come up with a concrete plan to curb inflation which is nothing more than an old wine in an old bottle. Nothing new or innovative in it. For example, the five short-term measures are: state-owned agencies to sell onion at Rs 35 a kg and continue to sell edible oil and daal at subsidized rate, crackdown on hoarders, restrictions on impor
Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi has blamed food inflaiton, which has reached a record high for the year, on compulsions of coalition politics. Of course, his party`s ally Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has criticised him for the statement. But do coalition compulsions bind the government`s hands in tackling such a sensitive issue as rising prices, which can even jeopard
The year 2010 is finally over. It had begun innocuously enough, but soon started showing its true colours. One headline here, one headline there and we thought it was just a case of bad planning for the Commonwealth Games; things will fall in place at the last minute. Soon we realised what was building up was a big-ticket scam, one of the biggest we have ever seen. The most insulting part was t
A Chhattisgarh court has slapped a life sentence on activist doctor Binayak Sen for his alleged ties with the Maoists. He has been found guilty for passing on letters to jailed extremists and helping some in opening bank accounts. Maoism has emerged as the biggest internal security threat in recent years, and the state would be justified in dealing with Maoists as well as Maoist
The year 2010 has turned out to be a year of corruption, what with one or the other scam making headlines all the time. While history of corruption in India, stretches quite a bit before the Independence, what was especially noticeable about the scams of 2010 was a distinct brazenness of the accused. Suresh Kalmadi and A Raja, to name two of them, displayed a devil-may-care attitude, which has
