BJP National Executive meet to focus on Presidential poll

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Last Updated: Sat, May 12, 2012 15:51 hrs

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Mumbai: The BJP National Executive meeting, scheduled here on May 24 and 25, will focus on the Presidential poll, a senior state party leader said here today.

"President Pratibha Patil's term ends on July 24. This will be the last meeting of BJP national executive before the presidential poll, which is going to be the turning point in the country's politics," Maharashtra BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari said.

"The presidential poll being of so much political significance for the country, the meeting will deliberate in detail on all the aspects of this crucial issue," he said.

The two-day meet will conclude with a public meeting, Bhandari told PTI. Asked if there will be a joint rally with the leaders of ally Shiv Sena, Bhandari said, "this is solely a BJP event."

Over 500 delegates, including chief ministers, deputy chief ministers, leaders of opposition and party state unit chiefs, are expected to attend the meeting, Bhandari said.

Amid reports that Nitin Gadkari, who completes his three-year tenure in December this year, may get a new term in office, party sources said the issue is decided at the National Council meet, deliberations for which could be held in the Mumbai meeting.

As per the BJP constitution, only a National Council comprising around 2,500 office-holders from across the country can make amendments to the party rules and decide on crucial issues like giving another extension or a new term to the party president.

The national council of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is meeting here Thursday to discuss India’s security situation and to ratify Nitin Gadkari in the party president’s post.
The three-day national convention of India’s largest opposition party started in this Madhya Pradesh city Wednesday with a meeting of its national executive.

Party Spokesman Prakash Jawadekar told IANS Thursday morning: “The inaugural session of the national council will be addressed by party president Nitin Gadkari at 11 a.m. after his ratification for the top post.”

Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley will present a resolution on national security, one issue where the BJP hopes to corner the ruling United Progressive Alliance — it says the government is too soft on Pakistan over Islamist terrorism.

Jawadekar said Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi — one of the hardliners on the issue — is expected to intervene in the debate over the resolution.

He said the resolution would deal with Islamist terrorism, the Maoist menace, alleged infiltration by China in Arunachal Pradesh, the proposed India-Pakistan talks slated on Feb 25 and Home Minister P. Chidambaram’s concurrence to the amnesty scheme for militants willing to return from Pakistan administered Kashmir.

The resolution is expected to be passed Friday.

The national council will also discuss amendments to the BJP constitution, that have been proposed to make the organisational election process simpler and to increase the number of central office bearers.

Jawadekar said the changes would reduce the workload on party office bearers.

“Only 19 state units of the party have completed their organisational elections,” he pointed out. A simpler process is expected to ensure that more states follow suit.

The West Bengal state BJP has written a letter to chief election commissioner S Y Quraishi, protesting against the appointment of state industries minister Partha Chatterjee as the chairperson of Haldia Petrochemicals and requesting the CEC to disqualify the minister as a member of the assembly.

BJP leader Tapan Sikdar said in Kolkata on Wednesday that the state assembly in a recent legislation had granted exemption to ministers and legislators so that they could become chairpersons and directors of companies.

"This legislation could be seen as a pre-emptive measure against legal challenges to its industry minister Partha Chatterjee's new role" as chairman of HPL, a joint venture between the Chatterjee Group and West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation. Sikdar said he had already met governor M K Narayanan and requested him to withhold assent to the amendment bill of the assembly. If necessary, BJP would also explore legal steps against the amendment. According to Sikdar, only Parliament could bring about such a legislation, a state legislature did not have the power to do so. Such a law, according to him, would against constitutional norms and moral principles. If ministers were given charge of running companies, it would not be possible for these companies to be run independently. They would also become vulnerable to political pressures. Already another minister had been made chairman of a state-run transport corporation.

Sikdar said, the Congress government at the Centre was powerless to stop the West Bengal government from indulging in such an irregularity as it was dependent on support fromTrinamool Congress for survival.

"Of late, the Trinamool government is indulging in irregular acts, without paying heeds to legal, constitutional and moral principles." He mentioned of a few instances in the past where MPs accepting offices of profit had to choose between either of the two.

The Election Commission on Monday confirmed recording 55 per cent polling in the elections held for the three municipalities on Sunday. This thirteen per cent increase in the polling percentage, compared with 42 per cent in 2007, has made the BJP very hopeful of retaining power.

The BJP believes that its traditional supporters - the elite upper class, businessmen and trading community - does not go out and vote en bloc and any increase in the voting percentage is a sure sign of their increased participation in elections and thereby increased support for the BJP.

Before the elections took place, the BJP Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, V K Malhotra, appealed to the people to come out and vote in large numbers. Speaking to Deccan Herald then, Malhotra had� opined that the Congress support base – Muslims, scheduled castes etc - always voted in large numbers and hence, any increase in voting percentage would be to the BJP’s advantage. As a result of this increase, the BJP has been buoyant since the polling.

Reacting to the increased poll percentage, BJP Delhi Pradesh President Vijender Gupta said on Monday that the increased polling was expected as people were fed-up of the Congress-ruled Delhi government and they had vented their anger by voting for the BJP.
“Issues of corruption, price spiral were bound to take its toll on the Congress. This government has broken the back of Delhiites and they are not going to spare it. The 13 per cent increase in polling per centage is positive vote for BJP,” Gupta told Deccan Herald.

He pointed out the increased polling percentage of 53 per cent in South Delhi and said that the BJP was winning all the three municipalities. Less than 40 per cent polling was recorded here in 2007, with some areas recording as low as 30 per cent.� Interestingly, Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee chief and MP J P Aggarwal considers the increased percentage to as his party’s advantage.

He rubbished the BJP claims and said that the BJP was ruling the MCD in Delhi and if there was any increase in polling, it had to go against the BJP and not against the Congress.
“These elections are for the civic bodies and not the Delhi government. Now, the BJP has been running the MCD for last five years and the people have come out in large numbers to vote, it can only mean one thing and that is anti-BJP voting,” said Agarwal.

BJP on Thursday questioned the move of the UPA government seeking Presidential Reference on whether telecom licences granted between 1994 and 2007 on first-come-first-served basis be treated as illegal, saying 2G decisions taken during NDA rule were as per laid down norms and principles.

"Inspite of 2G decisions being clearly above board, clearly as per norms and principles, it is also being made part of the reference," party spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said here.

The Presidential Reference raises a question whether telecom licences granted in 1994, 2001, 2003 and 2007 on first-come-first-serve basis be treated as illegal in wake of the February 2 judgement.

"...this shows how an indecisive government is seeking the advisory jurisdiction of the Supreme Court even on matters which have to be executive decisions only," she said.

New Delhi, Jan 25 (IANS) Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Rajnath Singh Tuesday termed as 'undemocratic' the government efforts to stop the party's youth wing from hoisting the national flag in Srinagar on Republic Day, saying it was their fundamental right.

'It is the fundamental right given to the people of India to hoist the (national) flag and it is very unfortunate and undemocratic that the central government, along with the state government, is not allowing people to hoist the flag at Lal Chowk (in Srinagar),' Singh told reporters here.

Rajnath Singh has been sitting on a hunger strike at Rajghat here since Monday 8 p.m. to 'protest against the government decision to prevent hoisting of national flag at Lal Chowk in Srinagar'.

Announcing that he will continue his hunger strike till Jan 26, Singh said: 'I have already requested the prime minister and the president to allow people to hoist the tricolour.'

'Stopping countrymen from hoisting the (national) flag will send a wrong message in the country and will be a moral victory for separatist forces in the state,' he said.

BJP leaders had planned to address a public meeting in Jammu Tuesday to coincide with the arrival of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha's Ekta Yatra (unity march) that plans to hoist the national flag in Srinagar's Lal Chowk Jan 26 on the occasion of Republic Day.

BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and Ananth Kumar were not allowed to move out of Jammu airport after they landed there by a special flight Monday afternoon. They were later taken into custody by the Jammu and Kashmir police and sent to Punjab.

Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram Monday phoned Jaitley and asked him to return to Delhi, but the BJP leaders did not agree.

The prime minister had issued a statement Saturday saying that Republic Day was not an occasion to score political points, to embarrass state and local administrations or to promote divisive agendas.

With six days to go for state assembly polls in Punjab, political parties have intensified their campaign in the state. The outgoing ruling alliance of the Shiromani Akali Dal [ Images ] (Badal) and Bharatiya Janata Party [ Images ] is banking on Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal and L K Advani [ Images ] to retain power in the state.

Meanwhile, the Congress led by its state president Captain Amarinder Singh with the help of Congress President Sonia Gandhi [ Images ], Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi [ Images ] and other senior leaders are leaving no stone unturned to topple the Akali-BJP combine.

The BJP is making desperate attempts to save its face in Punjab [ Images ] after its ministers had to resign from the Cabinet on charges of corruption. Five years ago, Prakash Singh Badal and the BJP joined hands to throw Captain Amarinder Singh out of power. Now, they find the tables turned on them.

For Rediff Realtime News on the Punjab elections, click here!

"We are winning the elections and the Captain seems to be buying time from the Congress party. We will get more seats this time than we did last time. The BJP should also do well," Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal told a crowd of 7,000 in Patiala district.

He denied that he was being pitched for the post of CM. "One thing that I have been making clear is that once we regain power Sardar Prakash Singh Badal would continue to be the chief minister, as we need his experience in adminisstration. After all he is the tallest leader of the state," he told rediff.com.

However, the Congress seems to have an edge in Punjab.

Gandhi who addressed several public meetings in the state this past week has asked pointed questions on the development claims made by the Akali Dal-BJP alliance. "Explain what development the Akali-BJP government had carried out in the state in the past five years. This government had proved to be most inefficient one and Punjab had seen total decline on all fronts during the last five years," she said.

She charged the state government with using only Rs 526 crore out of Rs 5,000 crore sent to the state for distribution under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. She called the bluff of the ruling alliance by telling the crowd the 'atta-daal scheme' of the state government was 100 per cent financed by the Centre. And still the Akali-BJP government was trying to claim credit for it".

Meanwhile, Captain Amarinder Singh is striving hard and hopping from constituency to constituency to ensure that the edge the Congress has over the Akali Dal-BJP alliance is not lost because of weak management of the polls by party workers. He has been in touch with the party high command to chalk out the election schedule.

He hopes to bag at least 60-plus seats to ensure that the Congress has a smooth victory.

However, the Congress too has a problem at hand. It has to deal with substantial number of rebels who were denied tickets. Leading the bandwagon of rebels is Malvinder Singh, the brother of Captain Amarinder Singh.

"In the 117-seat assembly to get a clear verdict you need to have 60 seats. At the moment, neither the Congress nor the Akali Dal-BJP seems to be getting a clear majority. There are 35 seats that are decided under a margin of 1,000 votes.

he real importance of the BJP president, Mr. Lal Krishna Advani's announcement at the recent party national executive meeting in New Delhi has gone unnoticed. The "Swaraj to Suraj Yatra" he plans to undertake is at best a political exercise to take his message of "Su-Rajya" (good governance) to the people. The means being used for this purpose has understandably lost some of its novelty and therefore, apprehensions of a muted response are not entirely misplaced.

What, however, is of interest is Mr Advani's audacious attempt to co-opt Subhas Chandra Bose in the pantheon of proponents of Hindutva and make him the mascot of his Yatra. If the Yatra is successful, then not only does the BJP stand to gain electorally, but Subhash Chandra Bose will be freed from the confines of political myth-making that has reduced him to callendar lithographs which adorn living rooms in provincial Bengal and the dimly lit offices of Forward Bloc in Calcutta.

In a sense, the appropriation of Subhash Chandra Bose by the BJP is a posthumous homecoming for a nationalist who believed that rashtrabhakti is a synthesis of religion and nationalism, of the spiritual and the political. In the early decades of this century, when others were looking up to Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi for inspiration, Bose was looking elsewhere for guidance: His search for a religious philosophy that would spur political activism led him to explore the teachings of Swami Vivekananda and the writings of Aurobindo Ghosh. The latter made a lasting impression on his mind, providing his political activism with a religious side.

The profound Impact that Aurobindo Ghosh had on Subhash Chandra Bose is reflected in his autobiography: "In my undergraduate days, Aurobindo Ghosh was easily the most popular leader in Bengal... a mixture of spirituality and politics had given him a halo of mysticism and made his personality more fascinating to those who were religiously inclined... We felt convinced that spiritual enlightenment was necessaly for effective national service..."

It is, therefore, not surprising that he should have also been influenced by Bankim Chandra Chattergee's construction of nationalism. And like Aurobindo Ghosh, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and Bal Gangadhar Tilak, the Indian nation for him extended beyond the geographical to the devotional plane. During his college days he discovered the wretchedness of not India but "impoverished Mother India."

A quintessential Hindu

Curiously, his view of the other India, the one which appears so distant from Hauz Khas village and is ignored by the votaries of "globalisatlon" who derive masochistic pleasure from the rapacious behaviour of free market economics and pine for Kentucky Fried Chicken, is not different from that of the BJP. For, "the picture of real India", which Subhash Chandra Bose described as "the India of the vlllages where poverty stalks the land, men die like flies, and illiteracy is the prevailing order", is also the India which the BJP believes should receive priority over that India which revels in rejecting anything that carries the label "Made in India", including Hindu spirituality and religious philosophy.

In his book, 'Brothers Against The Raj', Leonard A. Gordon writes about Bose's quest for a religious philosophy to serve as the core of nationalism and sustain his political activism: "Inner religious explorations continued to be a part of his adult life. This set him apart from the slowly growing number of atheistic socialists and communists who dotted the Indian landscape." And It was this "religious exploration" that set apart Subhash Chandra Bose from Jawaharlal Nehru for whom "this was vain quest". Although Bose scrupulously avoided publishing his faith or his quest, he remained firm in his belief that "Hinduism was an essential part of his Indianness", his Bharatiyata. In other words, he subscribed to what is now considered politically incorrect--cultural nationalism or, call It If you must by its other name, Hindutva.

This did not, however, make him a bigoted Hindu, nor did It propel him towards Hindu orthodoxy. Commenting on "definite Hindu streak in Bose's dislike for Gandhi", Nirad C. Chaudhuri records in his memoirs, 'Thy Hand! Great Anarch', "He was in no sense a bigoted or even orthodox Hindu. But he had grown up in the first two decades of the twentieth century in Bengal,where, owing to the influence of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and Swami Vivekananda, there was a fusion of religion and nationalism, so that the nationalist feeling had a pronounced Hindu complexion and Hinduism a pronounced political character".

After two months of hectic negotiations, the ruling Shiv Sena-BJP alliance in Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday announced its seat-sharing formula with the Republican Party of India (Ramdas Athavale group) with a promise to give the latter a share in the pie of the country’s richest civic body.

The Sena and the RPI have come together for the second time, after the 1967 civic polls when RPI was a single unit. The Sena will contest 135 seats, BJP 63 and RPI 29. In 2007, the BJP had 72 seats and the Sena 155. Since the alliance with RPI was a proposal mooted by the Sena after Athavale spoke to Sena chief Bal Thackeray, the latter has given up 20 seats - including a seat where they have a corporator but its reservation has been changed from OBC to Women (SC).

The RPI has got three seats it had won in 2007 and it will largely be fighting against Congress and Samajwadi Party corporators. The Sena has given two seats won by Arun Gawli’s Akhil Bhartiya Sena (ABS) in Byculla to RPI.

Athavale, who was insisting on one more seat from Sena till Wednesday night, has now been pacified with the promise of a post in the civic body and hopes of more during the 2014 Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. The Sena has asked Athavale to deal with miffed Dalit Panther leader Namdeo Dhasal, who did not attend the press conference.

“This alliance was necessary and historical... and a dream of many years... The decision is not just for elections. We have come together to fight the corrupt Congress government,” Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray said.

The BJP and BSP on Monday disrupted proceedings in the Rajya Sabha demanding inclusion of life of freedom fighter Rani Avantika Bai in the school curriculum leading to two adjournments.

The Upper House was first adjourned for 15 minutes as BJP joined the protest by BSP members, who said the government had rejected their demand in this regard.

Rani Avantika Bai was a Lodhi warrior-queen in the princely state of Ramgarh, now in Madhya Pradesh. She had fought against Britishers in 1857 and sacrificed her life.

Trouble began after Ganga Charan (BSP) said during Zero Hour that in reply to his question earlier this month the government had expressed inability to include the life of Rani Avantika Bai in the school syllabus.

He said government's explanation was that school students were already overburdened. Joined by his party colleagues and BJP members, he asked how freedom fighters can become burden.

Even while Deputy Chairman A Rahman Khan asked for order, the BSP members trooped into the well. Khan adjourned the House for 15 minutes.

When it re-assembled, some BJP members again trooped into the well as their Deputy Leader SS Ahluwalia demanded that HRD Minister Kapil Sibal should be immediately called.

BJP members resorted to slogan shouting, "Insult to freedom fighters will not be tolerated."

Both Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Shukla and Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal said they would convey the sentiments of the agitated members to the HRD Minister. But it did not satisfy the Opposition and BSP.

Khan said there was a translation mistake in the reply and it would be corrected. However, BSP and BJP insisted on a specific commitment from the government on their demand. Amid din, Khan adjourned the House till 2 pm.

After two months of hectic negotiations, the ruling Shiv Sena-BJP alliance in Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday announced its seat-sharing formula with the Republican Party of India (Ramdas Athavale group) with a promise to give the latter a share in the pie of the country’s richest civic body.

The Sena and the RPI have come together for the second time, after the 1967 civic polls when RPI was a single unit. The Sena will contest 135 seats, BJP 63 and RPI 29. In 2007, the BJP had 72 seats and the Sena 155. Since the alliance with RPI was a proposal mooted by the Sena after Athavale spoke to Sena chief Bal Thackeray, the latter has given up 20 seats - including a seat where they have a corporator but its reservation has been changed from OBC to Women (SC).

The RPI has got three seats it had won in 2007 and it will largely be fighting against Congress and Samajwadi Party corporators. The Sena has given two seats won by Arun Gawli’s Akhil Bhartiya Sena (ABS) in Byculla to RPI.

Athavale, who was insisting on one more seat from Sena till Wednesday night, has now been pacified with the promise of a post in the civic body and hopes of more during the 2014 Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. The Sena has asked Athavale to deal with miffed Dalit Panther leader Namdeo Dhasal, who did not attend the press conference.

“This alliance was necessary and historical... and a dream of many years... The decision is not just for elections. We have come together to fight the corrupt Congress government,” Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray said.

Athavale said he had broken his long alliance with the Congress as it used to forget RPI after coming to power and hoped that the Sena would not do the same. “We are satisfied with the seat sharing; both parties had to face difficulties to give us seats. We had asked one more seat yesterday but due to a local combination, there are difficulties in getting that seat. We then took a decision that the alliance should not break due to seat sharing. Our aim now is 2014.”

The Sena and the BJP have exchanged three seats, including ward number 134 in Chembur over which there were fights within the BJP earlier this week. The BJP has given ward numbers 71, 134 and 192 to Sena and got 62, 110 and 206 in return. Though neither party had won these seats in 2007, they are being exchanged to accommodate leaders affected due to change in reservation.

BJP state president Sudhir Mungantiwar said the alliance was reached to best protect the interest of Mumbaikars. “We will show them the Khadakwasla way. We will not let the Cong-NCP enter Mumbai.”

Gujarat gov wins UNPSA (United Nations Public Service Award)

We feel privileged to inform you that this year’s United Nations’ Public Service Award (UNPSA) has come to our country. The Chief Minister’s Office of Gujarat has been recognized by the UNO through this award (2nd place) for its contribution “towards improving the effectiveness, efficiency and quality of public service”. This award has come in recognition of Gujarat Chief Minister’s ICT based grievance redressal system called ‘SWAGAT’ (State Wide Attention on Grievances by Application of Technology). This system was adjudged by the United Nations to be a global model for improving Transparency, Accountability and Responsiveness in Public Service. This online grievance redressal system is conceptualized, developed and implemented by the Chief Minister’s Office itself. It is running successfully for last seven years and has been a boon for the users who are the common people of the State. For us, this award is a continuing journey towards excellence.

Vijaya Nagar, Hubli

The town of Hubli was swathed in saffron owing to the Path Sanchalan or Route March held as part of Hindu Shakti Sangama. The Sanchalan received an overwhelming response from citizens. It was carried out in different parts of Hubli and Dharvad, with 4 different groups consisting of 5000-8000 Swayamsevaks in each. 3 otherSanchalans also joined in a confluence at the Kitturu Chennamma Circle, Hubli.

Thousands of citizens teemed on both sides of the entire stretch of roadway to welcome Swayamsevaks with flowers, slogans and saffron flags. Slogans of Vande Matharam and Bharat Mata ki Jai reverberated eternally.

The BJP National President Shri Nitin Gadkari has approved the recommendations of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, Tamilnadu and Odisha's State Election Committee regarding the bye-election to the Legislative Assembly of different States.

The names of the candidates finalised for the Legislative Assembly Constituencies are as under:-

Sl. No.	Name of State	Constituency No. and Name	Name of the Candidate
1.	Andhra Pradesh	74-Mahabubnagar	Sh. Y. Srinivas Reddy
2	Gujarat	84-Mansa	Sh. D.D. Patel
3	Kerala	85-Piravom	Sh. K.R. Rajagopal
4	Tamil Nadu	219-Sankaran Kovil (SC)	Sh. L. Murugan
5	Odisha	89-Athgarh	Sh. Bikram Dash