National Highway 39 in Manipur has been blocked by some Nagas since 11/4/2010. Prices have shot up in Manipur. Life has become difficult. Manipur government has done nothing to stop the blockade. Indian government has done nothing to stop the blockade. National Highway 53 also came under blockade. However some suppliers were brought through under…
Tag: Indian Politics
Defence by MPs of their demands
MPs have come out with defence of their demands for increase in salary and benefits. In my previous article I had proposed that salaries of MPs be made Rs.86,000/- p.m. and their allowances and benefits be abolished and I stick to that. There are two types of MPs: Lok Sabha MPs and Rajya Sabha MPs….
Murders, not honour killings
Murder is murder whoever commits it for whatever reason. Murder does not become honour killing because murderers think a marriage was against the honour of family or community.
Many times people in media talk of honour killings. They persist even after they are told that they are murders.
Facilities to former Presidents and Prime Ministers
A reply dt. 26/4/2010 under RTI has revealed facilities granted to former presidents and their spouses, former vice presidents and their spouses and former prime ministers.
Former prime ministers have facilities of secretarial staffers and office expenses without limit for the first five years and after that Rs.6,000/- p.m.
Salaries of MPs
MPs want increase in salaries. A committee of MPs has recommended that salaries of MPs should be on par with that of Secretaries of Government of India.
For secretaries the salary is Rs.80,000/- p.m. It is not known what allowances and perks they get apart from salary.
For MPs the salary is Rs.16,000/- p.m. They get a constituency allowance of Rs.20,000/- p.m., daily allowance of Rs.1,000/- when Parliament is in session, free accommodation, phones, water, power, healthcare, railway travel and 34 free single air journey tickets.
Sports and IOA
Sports Minister M. S. Gill came up with an order restricting the tenure of officials of IOA and its affiliates. He fixed the retirement age at 70.
The officials were upset. They challenged the minister and have gone to court. They claim restricting terms and fixing retirement age of IOA officials is against Olympic Charter and India can be expelled from Olympics.
BJP, JMM and Jharkhand
On 28/4/2010 BJP withdrew support to Shibu Soren led government. It was to submit a letter to the governor of Jharkhand the next day. Shibu Soren’s son Hemant Soren stepped in. He wanted BJP to continue to support. Shibu Soren will step down. Hemant Soren will be CM. BJP did not agree. Hemant Soren proposed that CM can be from BJP.
BJP had candidates to be CM. BJP forgot about withdrawal of support. Now the discussion was who should be CM. One candidate was opposed to coalition with JMM. The chance of becoming CM made him forget about it.
Some MLAs in JMM are opposed to BJP CM. They were not ministers in Shibu Soren government and they have no hope of becoming ministers in BJP led government. However they do not have enough members in their groups to cause a legal split.
Crime and phone tapping
Outlook has come out with second instalment on telephone tapping. This includes a bureaucrat who wanted Rs.8 crores bribe, a minister in UP who wanted a bribe from engineer and the wife of an air vice marshal who talked to a beautician about prostitution racket.
Corrupt people whose conversations have been tapped must be exposed. Recently there have been some cases of high profile corruption. Two bureaucrats in India’s home ministry have been arrested. One of them took bribes for approving bulletproof jackets. Head of MCI who took bribes to grant recognition to medical colleges has been arrested. Three persons in CRPF who sold arms and ammunition to Naxals have been arrested. Naxals had used those arms and ammunition against CRPF jawans in Dantewada.
Cut motions fail
On 27/4/2010 cut motions moved in Lok Sabha by BJP and Left Front failed. BSP, SP and RJD did not vote for the motions. BSP was not part of the group led by Left Front. SP and RJD were part of the group. There was speculation of BSP abstaining on cut motions. It voted for the motion. SP and RJD took Left Front for a ride.
BJP blamed Congress for misuse of CBI in cases involving BSP, SP and RJD leaders.
Left Front should think about associating with SP in future. SP ditched Left Front during 2008 trust vote and now again on cut motion vote.
Congress had said it has a strategy for cut motions. Left Front and BJP should have guessed the strategy. BSP’s position was clear one week before. When SP and RJD did not issue whips on 26/4/2010 it was clear they will not vote for the cut motions.
Politicians and phone tapping
On 23/4/2010 Outlook reported that phones of four politicians were tapped. They were Digvijay Singh, Nitish Kumar, Prakash Karat and Sharad Pawar. The period stretched from February 2007 to April 2010. Vinod Mehta, editor of Outlook, claimed his sources were impeccable.
It is difficult to believe that over four years and two months phones of only four politicians were tapped. Either the sources did not give full information to Vinod Mehta or Vinod Mehta had held back some information.