After continuous allegations on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Prime Ministerial candidate of the party, Shri Narendra Modi whether being communal or against Muslims. Attempts made by Rahul Gandhi during his mallicious election campaigns proving the Governance under the objective of ‘Har hath Shakti, har hath tarakki’ to portray UPA Government as the most progressive pan India has come up to the stage of false utterances.
In Bardoli, Gujarat, Rahul Gandhi stated “Bharatiya Janata Party represents RSS ideology which killed Mahatma Gandhi, and showed scant respect for the poor while claiming to work for them”.
In against of this statement, a senior advocate of Vishakha-patnam Bar and a Trade Unionist, Shri Karra Bhavani Shankarudu, has served a legal notice to Rahul Gandhi for violating the image of RSS, a nationalist organisation involved in character building and nation building, spreading virtues and brotherhood among all nationalists.
RSS has always been in forefront to the call of nation, be it in the war or in natural calamity. Even, the attempts to thwart the principles of Democracy like the emergency in 1975 where its volunteers have plunged into selfless service and sacrifice for the cause of nation. RSS always been appreciated by one and all for its selfless service including the Former Prime Minister Jawahar lal Nehru, Jayaprakash Narayan and then Former Home Minister Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel.
Senior Advocate also mentioned the phrase that Rahul Gandhi made such utterances even without verifying the facts or the judgment delivered in Mahatma Gandhi assassination case and is therefore a willful campaign to malign the reputation of RSS and polarise the community at large by spewing hatred. Feeling of jealousy at the growth and growing popularity of swayamsevaks and member of the RSS fraternity running various State Governments in the country which have been winning accolades from the common public and thus unable to accept or digest the same. Malicious and vicious vilification campaign against such members of RSS, and RSS ideology in particular.
—Bureau Report
UPA gets one more face punch
Search Panel on Lokpal
UPA Government efforts are of no use on Lokpal before the house rest for this session. After the refusal by the eminent lawyer, Shri Fali Nariman of being a part of the selection committee for Lokpal. Now, it’s Former Supreme Court Judge, Shri WKT Thomas who decided not to head the search committee. Shri Thomas opted to be out of the search panel after going through the Lokpal rules.
In a setback for the UPA Government’s efforts to forward names to a selection committee headed by the Prime Minister for appointment of the chairperson and other members of the Lokpal which are under the panel mandates.
The Eminent lawyer, Shri Fali Nariman stated that the current selection process would overlook “the most competent, the most independent and the most courageous.” And following the rejection in the panel, Justice Thomas said, “When Mr Nariman opted out of the search panel, I got a copy of the Lokpal rules and after going through the rules I fully agree with what Mr Nariman has said.”
He also found the “recommendations of the search committee are not binding on the selection committee. Therefore, the work of the search committee can as well be done by the selection committee itself.” He also wrote a letter to Union Minister of State, PMO V Narayanasamy, in which he declined to be part of the search committee, Justice Thomas said its job was only to pick names from the list given by the Department of Personnel and not make an independent search.
He also stated in the letter that the applications from persons to be considered for Lokpal membership are criticised and no doubt it would deter deserving persons from being considered. Justice Thomas said he did not consider it worthwhile to travel to New Delhi just to draw up a panel from the list.
Besides the Prime Minister, the selection panel has the Lok Sabha Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition, the Chief Justice of India or a judge of the Apex Court nominated by him, and an eminent jurist nominated by the President or any other member.
—Monica Sangwan
Increase in MGNREGA days, but no provision of funds
UPA’s one more pepper spray
Pawan Kumar
UPA tries to prove to be the best wound healer for labour class. Government decided after the Cabinet meeting held on February 28, 2014 that they do care for the class and showed their concern for their upliftment and development. Alliance announced that after April, 2014, the MNREGA card holder will get the benefit of extra 50 working days which is 100 uptill now. So, the card holder will get 150 working days under the scheme. While the interim budget presented on February 17, 2014 in the Parliament stated that arrangment of Rs 34,000 crore has been done. In which, 60 per cent will be used for worker’s wage and 40 per cent for the building material.
Last budget 2012-13 which was implemented in the financial year 2013-14, UPA made the funds of Rs 3,30,000 crore available for MNREGA. The average employment result of only 47 days, 43 days or 36 days in the past three financial years, where MNREGA employment card holders were only in the count of 12.59 crore in 2012-13 (Facts and data from NREGA website). 4.48 crore families got the employment, which are less than 10 percent families which were actually got the benefit.
Surprisingly, the Government announced the funds and failed to make them available to the states. Only 80 percent of the resources were provided. The State Government used only 69 percent of the allocated funds. Now, the raised question to be that how much wealth has been undergone corruption, it says it all that 31 percent of the money has not been used by the State Governments and the used fund comprises of 75 percent of the wage.
Now, Central Government has announced 150 days employment for NREGA card holders but the reality is only those Janjati Societies will be benefitted who have land rights according to the Forest Law, 2006. Accordingly, only 14 lakh families will be in the category and on the condition that they must have completed their course of 100 days. 8 lakh families from the states Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand and 6 lakh from rest of the country will fall under the new amendment. This clarifies that UPA scratching the wounds of the workers apart for pepper spray activity once again.
At present, if minimum employment wage will be Rs 200 per day taken as an average for 100 days, the required amount shows the stats of Rs 2,60,000 crore and the available funds by the Government is only Rs 34,000 crore. It will increase, if the duration will be increased by 50 days. It clearly portrays the ethics and the policies of the Government to take political gain and an attempt to fool the class. It needs to drag the attention that janjatis of the country are aware and will not be duped by the UPA Government. They are already victimised by inflation and price rise, now, another attempt to make fool out of them but janjatis are observing each and every minutiae detail precisely.
(The Writer is Zonal Organising Secretary of BMS)
Tribute to Bangaru Laxman
Former BJP president Bangaru Laxman passed away at a hospital in Hyderabad on March 1. He was 74. He was not keeping well for some due to kidney ailment and died of cardiac arrest. He is survived by three daughters and a son.
Former Union Minister during the NDA government and a prominent Dalit leader of the BJP and contributed to expand the party base all over the country. Born in a dalit family in Andhra Pradesh, he joined politics at an early age and was elected to Rajya Sabha in 1996. He was also jailed during the Emergency in 1975. His wife Smt Susheela Laxman was a BJP member of 14th Lok Sabha and was elected from Jalore constituency in Rajasthan.
BJP President Shri Rajnath Singh and manyother party leaders condoled the death of Bangaru Laxman. He body was taken to state BJP headquarters to enable people pay their last respects, before being taken to the crematorium at Punjagutta. In his tribute Shri LK Advani hailed Bangaru Laxman’s services to the BJP. Senior leader M Venkaiah Naidu, TDP Chief N Chandrababu Naidu, CPI state secretary K Narayana and others also paid tributes.
