Delhi High Court rejects Swamy''s petition for Sonia Gandhi''s disqualification as MP

New Delhi, Dec 16 : The Delhi High Court on Wednesday rejected an appeal asking for Congress President Sonia Gandhi to be disqualified as an MP for having accepted a title bestowed by the Belgium government in 2006.
A bench comprising Chief Justice A P Shah and Justice S Murlidhar rejected the petition filed by Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy.
The petitioner Swamy, in his petition, had asked the Election Commission to hold an inquiry against Sonia Gandhi.
Swamy on Wednesday said that a proper investigation must be done into the matter and it appears the Central Government is planning to hide the facts related to the case.
"Proper inquiry has not been held in the case. It seems that government is trying to hide something and impression must go to the public that no one is above law," Swamy said.
The court, however said, a proper inquiry has been done by the Election Commission and nothing remains to be further investigated in this case.
"We have to see that there is an element of merit in it. From this material, we find it difficult to agree with you. Even in differing opinion of election commissioners (on the issue) we find no merit in it," the Bench stated.
During her visit to Belgium in November, 2006; Sonia Gandhi was awarded the ''Order of Leopold'', the second highest civilian award of Belgium, and an honorary doctorate degree.

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HT Sangliana Appointed Vice Chairman of NCM

Former M.P. H.T. Sangliana. Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy


Bangalore, Dec 15 : H.T. Sangliana, former Karnataka Director General of Police, has been appointed Vice Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities with the rank of Minister of State.

Sangliana, a former MP who was expelled from the BJP after he voted in favour of the India-US nuclear deal during the trust vote against the UPA government last year, would have a tenure of three years.

The notification relating to his appointment was published by the Government of India in an extraordinary gazette on December 14, the release said here on Tuesday.

Sangliana became famous for arresting Adbul Karim Telgi, prime accused in the multi-crore stamp paper racket.

Sangliana was defeated in the Lok Sabha elections when he contested from Bangalore Central constituency on a Congress ticket.

The Commission is currently headed by Chairperson Mohammed Shafi Qureshi. The Commission comprises three members apart from the Chairperson and Vice Chairman.

Read more: http://www.sinlung.com/northeast/ne-people/ht-sangliana-appointed-vice-chairman-of-ncm.html#ixzz0Zl9C7r5E

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Rising clamour for new states puts Congress on defensive

New Delhi, Dec 11 The central government’s acceptance in principle of demand for a separate Telangana state has set off a chain reaction, prompting political leaders to raise old demands for Vidarbha, Gorkhaland, Bodoland, Harit Pradesh, Bundelkhand, Purvanchal and states carved out of some other regions.

Faced with the growing clamour for new states across the country, the Congress Friday accepted that lack of development of a region could be a reason for demand of smaller states, but stressed that the party was against demands for new states being made for “political adjustment of leaders”.

Reacting to developments, Congress spokesman Shakeel Ahmed admitted that the clamour for new states has increased the difficulties for the government. “But it (the government) will respond with a cool mind,” Ahmed told IANS.

He said that the Congress is not against smaller states but the demand should be need-based.
The Congress response came after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati raised the political pitch by demanding creation of three states from the present Uttar Pradesh.
“I have written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, urging him to give us clearance for creating independent states of Budelkhand and Harit Pradesh out of a giant-sized and unmanageable Uttar Pradesh,” Mayawati told a hurriedly convened press conference in Lucknow Friday evening.
Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Ajit Singh, a strong votary of Harit Pradesh, said in New Delhi that his party will launch an agitation if the central government does not consider demand for creation of the new state.
Activists of Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) in West Bengal have also reignited their demand for Gorkhaland.
A four-member Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) delegation alongwith Darjeeling MP Jaswant Singh met Home Minister P. Chidambaram here Friday to press for creation of a separate state.
In Assam, the Bodo, Karbis and Dimasa tribes have once again raised the demand for statehood.
Former railway minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad, who at one point strongly opposed creation of Jharkhand from Bihar, said Friday that he supported demands for creating Purvanchal and Bundelkhand.
The Congress is also facing new demands from its own ranks with former minister and party MP Vilas Muttemwar stoking the demand for a new state of Vidrabha. Muttemwar has written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh demanding creation of the new state. In Andhra Pradesh, there are demands for a three-way bifurcation if Telangana is made a new state.
“If a region has lacked behind in economic indicators and has lacked focus in development, it can be a cause for demand for statehood. But new states cannot be formed for political adjustment of leaders,” he said.
The spokesman said even in case of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand, which were created as new states in 2000, results have not been to expectations. “The desired results have not come,” he said.
Justifying the decision regarding Telangana, he said it was an old demand and the government had to deal with the situation sensitively in view of the fast unto death of Telangana Rashtra Samiti chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

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Sonia moots rehab panel

SUMAN K. SHRIVASTAVA & JAYESH THAKER

Sonia Gandhi at an election rally in Ghatshila on Tuesday. Picture by Bhola Prasad Sisai/Ghatshila, Dec. 8: Sonia Gandhi touched upon on all aam admi concerns in Jharkhand today and raised the hope on one of the primary issues facing the tribal state, promising to set up a National Rehabilitation Commission to ensure adequate compensation for people willing to part with land for development projects. Addressing two mammoth election rallies in Ghatshila and Gumla today, the Congress president took off from where her son and party general secretary Rahul Gandhi left during his visit to Bermo and Latehar last week when he played on stability and the need for synergy between the Centre and state governments for the sake of development. “The rehabilitation commission would ensure that villagers who are willing to part with their land for development were compensated adequately and rehabilitated properly,” the Congress chief explained, touching a chord with the over 20,000 tribals who had gathered at a rally in Sisai in Gumla to garner support for party nominee Geeta Shree Oraon, daughter of veteran leader, late Kartik Oraon. “We want development but not at the cost of displacement of tribals,” she said, having echoed similar sentiments hours earlier at Ghatshila. At a rally in support of state Congress president Pradeep Balmuchu, Sonia recalled the party’s strong bond with adivasis and how Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi worked for their betterment post-Independence. Sonia's statement, that seeks to institutionalise relief and resettlement of the displaced is a fresh idea from the party’s backroom that could have far-reaching implications in tribal areas of central and eastern India. Congress sources said more such ideas relating to land acquisition are incubating in Rahul Gandhi’s mind as the UPA's initial commitment of restoring tribals’ rights over forests is not resolving problems. In her second leg of campaigning in Jharkhand, Sonia also referred to Naxalites but stuck to a tough line even as she reiterated what Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has always maintained about holding talks with rebels only if they abjured violence. Development work, as Singh has said, and the law and order machinery would exist simultaneously. “But it is our responsibility to face the violence being perpetrated by anti-democratic forces,” she said. She refrained from mentioning former chief minister Madhu Koda by name but indicated the party’s regret at having supported a regime of Independents for close to two years. Listing the various people-friendly initiatives taken during President’s rule in the state, Sonia said: “We promise to provide a stable and corruption-free dispensation in Jharkhand.” She didn’t spare the Opposition BJP too. “Hamare virodhi jaat aur dharam ke nam par rajnitik rotiya saek rahen hain. Yeh log yeh kaam Jharkhand ke saath saath dusre rajyo mein bhi kar rahen hain (The Opposition is trying to score political points in the name of caste and religion. Besides Jharkhand, they are doing this in other states too),” she said.

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