Delhi Election Shahdara 2013

Former Delhi Minister and three-time Congress MLA from Shahdara Narender Nath enjoys a slender lead as people do not think he has had a role in Congress’ failures on inflation and  orruption. He will, however, need to guard against consolidation of Punjabi voters and rising anger against Sheila Dikshit Government. 

Jhilmil Councillor and 2008 runner up Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) candidate, Jitender Singh Shunty,  robably had his best chance in last Delhi Elections when he lost by a mere 1,536 votes. Today, the 
social activist faces competition from BJP Councillor Nirmal Jain and a few others for the ticket. 

Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party does have pockets of influence in lower middle class colonies but may not have enough overall 

SHAHDARA, once part of Meerut District in Uttar Pradesh, is a true replica of India’s diversity. Though dominated by Punjabis, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, Biharis, Brahmins and Muslims (around 60,000, 30,000, 20,000, 17,000 and 12,000, respectively) it also has Baniyas (about 10,000), Garhwalis (about 6,000), Malayalis (about 3,000), Bengalis (about 1,000), Nepalese (about 1,000) and even Andhraites (about 800).  Read more..

Raghuram Rajan: PM's first choice for RBI Governor

COVER STORY

banking rbi chief

Raghuram Rajan: PM's first choice for RBI Governor

By Neeraj Mahajan

A

If you have the Prime Minister himself backing you everything else is cake-walk. Fifty year old Raghuram G. Rajan's appointment as the next Governor of Reserve Bank of India for a period of three years hardly comes as a surprise. As the PM's first choice, the Chief Economic Advisor's selection as the 23rd Governor of RBI was a foregone conclusion

The dice was heavily loaded in favor of Raghuram Rajan a lead advisor in the finance ministry who made a name for himself by predicting the global financial crisis. He was essentially an appointee of the Prime Minister. It might be recalled that in November 2008, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had appointed Rajan as honorary economic advisor. Once again Manmohan Singh insisted on Rajan's selection as Chief Economic Advisor last year, when Kaushik Basu retired. This swung the tide in his favor and the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) simply echoed the PMs Choice. There were as many as 18 equally strong contenders for the post of Chief Economic Advisor advertised by the finance ministry in April 2012 and 8-9 interviews were conducted. The shortlisted candidates included IDFC managing director & CEO Rajiv Lall and Assistant secretary-general to United Nations Read more..

Delhi Election 2013 Sultanpur Majra

Controversy follows Jai Kishan, the three-time Congress MLA from Sultanpur Majra, wherever he goes. One hears umpteen number of stories of high-handness of the MLA and his sons Rahul and Varun. Yet, he looks set to retain the constituency .

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has been a runner-up to Jai Kishan most of the times, appears to be in no position to dislodge the MLA. Sushila Bagri, daughter of 2008 BJP candidate Nand Ram Bagri, is seeking party’s nomination. So are Ramchander Chavria, a Delhi BJP leader from Outer Delhi and Rahul Shahi, who defected to the BJP from the BSP. 

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has fair support in this lower middle class constituency where over 95 per cent of the electorate belong to the Scheduled Castes. 

The BSP is a force to reckon with and the names of Sanjay Gupta and Mukesh Ahlawat are in circulation for the party nomination. 

JAI Kishan (55) is a big admirer of late Sanjay Gandhi. Though he joined Delhi politics in 1991, over a decade after Sanjay died, the trajectory of his political career does remind of the younger son of former Prime Minister late Indira Gandhi. Like Sanjay, Jai Kishan is brash and does not mind taking law into his hands. He has allegedly been involved in several cases of assault, intimidation and riots, including 1984 anti-Sikh riots. In 2011, a Delhi Court even ticked off the MLA for misusing the provisions of SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, to put his enemies into a spot of bother. In 1998, he was denied ticket after his name figured in a 1984 riot case. Jai Kishan’s son Varun was also named in an FIR in 2007 for allegedly assaulting a vendor. Read more..

Delhi Election 2013 Tughlakabad

Two-time BJP MLA Ramesh Bidhuri continues to be popular in Tughlakabad, despite 60 per cent of the constituency being parched due to inadequate supply of drinking water. 

Though a resurgent Congress may again push the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) to third spot, it is unlikely to dislodge Bidhuri, the Delhi BJP General Secretary. Former Congress MLA Sheesh Pal is among the front runners for the party nomination. 

In 2008, BSP’s Sahi Ram Pehalwan, now a Councillor from TekhandWard, was the main challenger. He is again in race for his party ticket but Mayawati is known for throwing surprises. 

Surprisingly, despite having a large lower middle class, Aam AadmiParty (AAP) does not enjoy significant support in the constituency. 

Today the entire Tughlaqabad fort area, including Tughlakabad village, is facing acute shortage of drinking water. Considered nerve centre of Tughlakabad Assembly Constituency (besides current BJP MLA Ramesh Bidhuri, it is the residence of former MLAs Sheesh Pal and Rambir Singh Bidhuri), the village with close to 30,000 voters, is part of the 60 per cent of the constituency where scarcity of drinking water has led tempers to boil. The village women and children can be seen running around and scouting for drinking water in pipes during any time of the day. Drinking water is the biggest issue for around 1.5 lakh voters of the constituency living in Tughlakabad and Tekhand villages, Harkesh Nagar, Lal Kuan, Pul Prahladpur, 35 JJ Camps, including Sanjay Colony and Indira Kalyan Vihar.Read more..

EQ is the great divider

INITIATIVE

workplace dalip singh

EQ is the great divider

Senior officials are the Government’s interface with the public and it is their ability to lead with empathy that can determine their success

EMOTIONAL Quotient (EQ) has an important role to play in making the workplace happy and healthy. What is Emotional Intelligence (EI)? It is not a fuzzy term anymore. Broadly, it encompasses intrapersonal and interpersonal skills. People who know their emotions can manage disruptive feelings, understand the undercurrents and use that knowledge to create better relationships and results. Read more..

‘Share what you have, give what you can’

FIRST STIRRINGS

dr mehta

‘Share what you have, give what you can’

WHEN I decided to write about unusual pursuits of retired civil servants, three officers were insistent that I write on Mr DR Mehta (IAS, Rajasthan, 1961) He is known for two achievements: As the Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank and Chairman of SEBI for six years until 2002, he is credited with introducing game-changing financial reforms. But much more than these achievements, Mehta remains the face of the world-famous Jaipur foot and his brainchild, the
Bhagwan Mahavira Viklang Sahayata Society (BMVSS), in Jaipur. This organisation has fitted artificial limbs on tens of thousands of patients over the last 38 years. Read more..

Enabling PRIs to perform

GOVERNANCE

pris rural organisations

Enabling PRIs to perform

One of MGNREGA’s most ‘bottom-up’ features is its reliance on rural local self-government structures, but are the panchayati raj institutions (PRIs) geared up?

By Abhilaksh Likhi

THE initiation and countrywide implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) represents a milestone in social policy and employment creation with its rights-based approach and focus on livelihood security. The flagship programme has benefitted millions of marginalised rural households by providing them with unskilled work and led to prevention of stress migration in lean agricultural seasons. A UNDP/Carnegie Endowment study points out that, from the scheme’s first year of operation in 2006-2007 till 2010-2011, job creation accelerated from less than 1 billion workdays distributed amongst 20 million households to 2.5 billion workdays for 50 million households. Read more..

2014: Will it be Shivraj’s turn?

STATE SCAN

bjp madhya pradesh

2014: Will it be Shivraj’s turn?

The outcome of the November Assembly polls may, many believe, reveal another strong contender in Shivraj Singh Chauhan for the Prime Ministerial post within the BJP if the party manages a victory in the next general election

By Puneet Nicholas Yadav in Bhopal

IF the past year ended with a verdict on the ‘Gujarat model’ of governance, this year is likely to conclude with a judgement on a different model, that of Madhya Pradesh. Like Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh too is a BJP-ruled state and the outcome of the November 2013 Assembly polls will, as many believe, reveal another strong contender within the BJP for the Prime Ministerial post if the
party manages a victory in the next general election. Read more..

‘Vendetta’ triggers IAS-IRS war

STATE SCAN

official rivalry madhya pradesh

‘Vendetta’ triggers IAS-IRS war

The High Court order terming income tax raids in 2008 on then State Home Secretary Rajesh Rajora as unsustainable has opened a Pandora’s box in Madhya Pradesh

By Puneet Nicholas Yadav

THE Madhya Pradesh High Court’s verdict on June 29, terming the May 2008 income tax raids at the residence of the then home secretary, Rajesh Rajora, as “not sustainable under law” has triggered an open war between the State’s IAS officers association and the IRS association. Rajora, a 1990-batch IAS officer, was placed under suspension in February 2010 for allegedly contravening the All-India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968, and probed by the IT department for alleged ‘undisclosed and unexplained income of Rs 5.21 crore’. A division bench of the High Court, comprising Acting Chief Justice KK Lahoti and Justice MA Siddiqui, accepted Rajora’s defence that the raid was conducted at his residence on the orders of then Director General of Income Tax (Investigation) SS Rana without sufficient grounds. Read more..

Watch thy words

MY CORNER

civil service amitabh thakur

Watch thy words

The career bureaucrat is like a sitting duck before the media, who lack a sense of accountability for their words

By Puneet Nicholas Yadav

A July 6, 2013, article in a reputed newspaper, titled “Akhilesh loses ground in UP, Mulayam loses hope” gave a brief political analysis of affairs in Uttar Pradesh. It also tried to take general stock of the administrative scenario in the State. And it referred to me, saying: “Officers in the UP government are also kicking-off discipline. A senior PCS officer, Hari Shankar Pandey, filed an FIR against three IAS officers for harassing him. A senior IPS officer, Amitabh Thakur, files PILs with an alarming regularity, in complete disregard of service rules. Read more..

Negative sentiment

STOCK DOCTOR

dr gs sood

Negative sentiment

THE market sentiment has turned so negative that investors have stopped discussing markets.
The dollar returns over the past year in the Indian market is among the worst for emerging markets, mainly due to the steep depreciation of the rupee, caused by low forex reserves and a huge current account deficit. The problem is lies not only with the external front but also because of selfinflicted problems. Read more..

Balancing between chaos and order

PERSPECTIVE

freedom sadhguru

Balancing between
chaos and order

FREEDOM is a word that means different things to different people, depending on the context of their lives. In this country, before 1947, azadi meant freedom from British rule. We believed we would be free if the British went away. They did go away. August 15 remains a significant day for this reason. Politically, we are free, but freedom continues to be an issue. As long as an individual experiences himself within limitations, freedom will be an issue. There is something within a human being that dislikes boundaries. However big the boundary, the moment he touches it, he wants to break it – there is something within us that longs to become boundless. Read more..

Losing out to Big Brother

Bric-a-brac

In and Out

Losing out to Big Brother

WHY Murli Deora was unceremoniously shunted out from the Petroleum Ministry is still a mystery. He was not the only one shifted from the ministry housed in Shastri Bhawan. While Deora was transferred to the Ministry for Corporate Affairs, Petroleum Ministry Secretary S Sundreshan was shifted to the Ministry of Heavy Industries. The transfers were then blamed on the KG basin gas price issue. But, the matter was not so simple. Sources now inform that a business house’s desire to own the Navratna Public Sector Undertaking, the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), was the  real reason behind the transfers. When Deora was brought into the Petroleum Ministry, the business tycoon thought he was very close to owning the PSU. Pressure started mounting on Deora the day he became minister. Deora then realised that though it was all right to associate with the industrial house in his individual capacity, things were different now that he had become a minister in the Government of India. Read more..

Adjustment issues

Bric-a-brac

In and Out

Adjustment issues

margaret alva wants to be back

WHEN a politician who has spent his lifetime in mainstream politics lands in a small political place, he has two options. One, he becomes a part of the wheeling-dealing that goes on at the State level and panders to State satraps. Or, two, he behaves like an ostrich and enjoys the sojourn till the end of his political career. But, Margaret Alva, the Governor of Rajasthan, does not fit into either category. She is finding it difficult to acclimatise in the State. She is active, keeps touring the State and meeting politicians. Last month, when President of India Pranab Mukherjee visited Rajasthan, she was overjoyed. She described the President as her senior colleague and mentor, forgetting that Mr Mukherjee was now the President of India and that there was a certain protocol to address him. She was so enthused that though she was not scheduled to visit the Ajmer Dargah and Delhi, she accompanied the President in the special plane. Read more..

All in the Family

Bric-a-brac

In and Out

All in the Family

mulayam’s relatives corner important positions

IF one is in the ruling Samajwadi Party of Uttar Pradesh, one can climb the ladder only up to a certain point. After that point, all roads are reserved for relatives of Mulayam Singh Yadav. Even when one becomes a minister in the State, one only gets the liberty to roam around in red-beaconed cars. No prizes for guessing that the writ of Mulayam’s family members runs in the government. The family has four members in Parliament – Mulayam himself, his daughter-in-law, Dimple Yadav, his nephew, Dharmendra Yadav, and his cousin, Ramgopal Yadav. The family has two MLAs – his son, Akhilesh Yadav, and brother, Shivpal Yadav. Read more..

One with friends & foes

Bric-a-brac

In and Out

One with friends & foes

hooda keeps all happy

HARYANA Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda can go to any extent to help his friends and he cares two hoots if that kicks up a controversy. Recently, he appointed four new members of the Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSU). The day he appointed his four favourites, the decision boomeranged. He had appointed Savita Tayal, wife of his close friend, ML Tayal, an IAS officer and former Principal Secretary to the Haryana Government, to the Commission. Tayal is currently a member of the Competition Commission of India. His brother-inlaw, Justice Hemant Gupta, is a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Read more..

Flowers from office

...by the way

Flowers from office

The unkempt look of government offices can disappoint anybody. But it is not always true. The Government pays no less attention to housekeeping, especially on Saturdays and Sundays. Offices are cleaned rigorously, though most of the work is outsourced. Every morning, like a home, office assistants clean the sahib’s table and place fresh drinking water. Corridors in certain ministries are even perfumed regularly. The early morning activity can be noticed mainly at the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion in the Ministry of Commerce. Well-dressed foreigners can be seen at the reception of Udyog Bhawan early in the day. The department also has a canteen maintained by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) where the quality of food matches that of a five-star hotel. Apart from this, early every morning, Read more..

A survivor all the way

...by the way

A survivor all the way

Some bureaucrats show a tremendous capacity
to survive in any regime. Deepak Singhal, a
1982-batch IAS officer of the UP cadre, appears to
be one of them. He seems to know which side of
his bread is buttered and has thus survived many
storms in the State. He was very close to Amar
Singh, a Member of Parliament and the one-time
Man Friday of Mulayam Singh. His voice on the
controversial Niira Radia tapes can be heard on
YouTube, where he openly discusses a gas-related
deal for Noida and Greater Noida. Singhal was
then serving as the Managing Director of the
Pradeshiya Industrial and Investment Corporation
of UP. Singhal was also very close to Mayawati. It
is rumoured that Singhal invited Mayawati to his
beautiful house in Noida once. The BSP supremo
was so enamoured by the design and construction
of the house that she then and there bought it. Read more..

Some serious bossing

...by the way

Some serious bossing

There is an important and sensitive ministry in the
Government of India where both the lady minister
and the secretary are foul-mouthed. The officials who
work in this ministry in Shastri Bhawan are upset at the
behaviour of these big bosses. One day, it crossed all limits
of decency when a lady Joint Secretary from the
Indian Economic Services (IES) went to present some
papers to the Secretary. He became furious on seeing her
work and told her this was not the way to work.
Apparently, the lady JS is an efficient officer, but the
Secretary somehow is not happy with her work. Read more..

Gatecrasher on Janpath | Gatecrasher on Janpath

...by the way

Gatecrasher on Janpath

Adaughter’s marriage is a very personal and happy
moment for any father. When the father is the
head of an investigative agency of India, the nuptials
become a subject of curiosity and discussion. Lowprofile
CBI Director Ranjit Sinha’s daughter, Rudrani,
recently got married to Avnish Kumar Sharan, a 2009-
batch IAS officer from Samastipur in Bihar. The
reception was organised at Sinha’s official residence, 2
Janpath, in Delhi. All the CBI officers and staff and
senior ministers attended. One important visitor,
Intelligence Bureau chief Asif Ibrahim, came Read More...