PM Admitted to AIIMS, Surgery Today

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday will undergo a “coronary artery bypass graft” at Delhi’s All- India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). The surgery is likely to render Singh out of action for nearly two weeks, including one at the hospital. The surgery would be performed by a team of doctors from the AIIMS and the Asian Heart Institute, Mumbai.

Confusion prevailed in political circles through Friday, as Singh’s decision to allow the doctors to perform the heart surgery as early as Saturday came as a surprise, triggering speculations on who would “officiate” during his hospitalisation.

During Premier Singh’s stay at the hospital and the time he would need to recuperate, the decision making process will, according to “the standing orders” devolve on the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, to be chaired by the senior-most Minister.

Minister for External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee is the senior-most member of the CCPA.

Others on the key panel are HRD Minister Arjun Singh, Home Minister P Chidambram, Defence Minister AK Antony, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad and Transport Minister TR Baalu.

In accordance with the protocol Mukherjee, as the senior most Minister, routinely chairs Cabinet meetings during the Prime Minister’s absence from the national capital.

Mukherjee will also be responsible managing the Finance Ministry as the PM has held the portfolio since P Chidambaram was appointed Home Minister.

According to a Rashtrapati Bhavan communique, the President, on the Prime Minister’s advice, has “assigned additional charge of the Ministry of Finance” to Mukherjee “from January 24, 2009 until the recovery of the Prime Minister from medical treatment.”

Though not accompanied by an official announcement, media reports say, an “alternate” arrangement has been put in place regarding the Prime Minister’s responsibility in the nuclear command authority.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi called on the PM, before the latter was admitted to the AIIMS on Friday afternoon. The two are reported to have discussed the implications of the absence necessitated by the medical condition.

Later in the day, MEA Pranab Mukhjerjee met both the PM and the Congress chief.

Following his meeting with Gandhi, Mukherjee said there was no need for “re-designation.”

He said: “These are theoretical questions. We do not know how long it would take or what would happen. This is normal, the government is there.”

President Pratibha Patil spoke to the Prime Minister on Friday night and wished him a speedy recovery.

Secy. Clinton Calls New Delhi

With the stardust around US President Barack Obama beginning to settle, and Washington going back to business as usual, newly appointed Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Friday called Minister for External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee, who heads the Indian response to cross border terror.

Clinton made the call a day after she assumed responsibilities as the top US diplomat and is reported to have expressed desires to take Indo-US bilateral ties to a new level.

"Secretary Clinton expressed her desire to work together with the External Affairs Minister to take the relationship between India and the US to a new level," the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

Both ministers agreed that they would like to further strengthen the excellent bilateral relationship between India and the United States.

The call came amid a worsening war of words between India and Pakistan, New Delh blames elements inside Pak territories of complexity in the 26/11 Mumbai terror strikes. Islamabad, however, has continued to address Indian claims.

Congratulating the former US first lady on her appointment, MEA Mukherjee extended an invite to Clinton asking her to visit the country at a mutually convenient date.

Hillary Clinton has visited India on several occasions on official as well as private visits.

UP Congress Says NO To SP Alliance

Intense maneuvers were yet again witnessed, in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections, on Friday, as powerful faction-heads continued to push for a greater piece of political meat. In Uttar Pradesh - the state Congress unit, miffed with prospective allies SP, demanded that the party go it alone in the forthcoming LS polls.

The UP state Congress unit is reported to have formally conveyed to party chief Sonia Gandhi that ‘going it alone’ in the Lok Sabha polls would be the best option for the party, in UP, than ‘surrendering’ to the ‘unfair’ means and ‘pressure tactics’ employed by the SP.

Speaking to the media UP state Congress unit chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi confirmed the shift in strategy saying: “The Congress co-ordination committee has formally conveyed to the party president that the state unit is ready to contest all 80 Lok Sabha seats in UP.”

Attributing the move to The UPCC has also forwarded a list of three Congress probables for each of the state’s 80 parliamentary constituencies.

Analysts say a four-way contest in the state is sure to help the Mayawati led BSP, who governs UP and is planning on winning 50-odd LS seats to ensure she emerges the most powerful leader on the national firmament after the elections.

AICC general secretary in-charge for UP, Digvijay Singh, and the SP leadership have engaged in repeated skirmishes over fine print of a pre-poll alliance they must work out to arrest the BSP onslaught.

Attributing the decision to safeguard long term Congress interests Joshi added that her party was not willing to trade in the labour of the entire UP Congress, especially that of Rahul Gandhi, for the revival of the party.”

She says the Congress leadership has been urged to “settle the matter by January 26.”

Satyam Fraud: Sebi, SFIO Denied Custody

Citing technical grounds a Hyderabad court on Friday rejected market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India's (Sebi) plea to interrogate Satyam founder Ramalinga Raju and his brother Rama Raju, while refusing to entertain a similar petition filed by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO).
The 6th additional chief metropolitan magistrate rejected Sebi's plea for taking the Raju brothers into custody for a day as "not maintainable."

The petition filed by SFIO seeking six days custody of Ramalinga and Satyam's former CFO Vadlamani Srinivas was rejected as the agency had failed to mention the relevant law under which the custody was sought, say media reports.

The court, reportedly, directed the SFIO counsel to file a fresh application.

The three were, meanwhile, sent to judicial remand till January 31.

Rama Raju was sent back to judicial custody earlier.

Ramalinga Raju and Srinivas were sent to judicial remand after they were produced in the court this evening after five days in police custody.

The court has scheduled a hearing of Ramalinga Raju and Srinivas bail applications on January 27, Rama Raju’s bail plea would be heard on January 28.

Public prosecutor K Ajay Kumar had opposed Ramalinga Raju's bail plea, contending that he was supposed to be a watchdog of public money, but betrayed the trust by fudging accounts.

"The crime he (Ramalinga Raju) committed was grave and heinous," he said.

The Rajus were arrested on January 9 and Srinivas on January 10 and have been inaccessible to the Sebi and SFIO investigation teams, which have been camping in Hyderabad since January 8.

Ramalinga Raju had disclosed a Rs 7,800 crore accounting fraud in his company on January 7.

(With inputs from PTI)

Pak-Afghan on US Terror Radar

Speaking to the State Department after Richard Holbrooke was appointed Special US Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Obama said the worsening situation in the region poses a grave threat to what he called 'global security' but added that the situation could not be quickly resolved.
"Afghanistan and Pakistan are the central front in the America's war against terrorism and the deteriorating situation in the region poses a grave threat to the global security. It's an international challenge of the highest order. That's why we are pursuing a careful review of our policy."

"The American people and the international community must understand that the situation is perilous and progress will take time. Violence is up dramatically in Afghanistan. A deadly insurgency has taken deep root. The opium trade is far and away the largest in the world," he said.

The comments come ahead of an expected influx of some 30,000 American troops into Afghanistan to combat al-Qaeda-linked and pro-Taliban insurgents that have sent violence skyrocketing in the region over the last two years.

Obama warned that al-Qaeda and Taliban are able to 'strike from bases embedded in rugged tribal terrain along the Pak-Afghan border'.

US officials say militant activities in the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan affect cities in the US, Britain and other western countries.

Meanwhile Holbrooke said Pakistan's situation is "infinitely complex and I don't think I would advance our goals if I tried to discuss it today.''

He indicated an eagerness to travel to the region and report back to Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

President Obama’s statements soon came in for applause in New Delhi, welcoming the statement Defence Minister AK Antony urged the world to initiate action to tackle terror emanating from Pakistani soil.

Underlining an immediate need to disband terror outfits operating in Pakistan, Antony claimed that at least 30 terror camps are still operating in Pakistan.

"Sympathy and solidarity is fine, but what India needs is action," said Antony.

Advani Seeks Samarthan for Sushasan

Borrowing heavily from Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose on his 112th birth anniversary, NDA prime ministerial shadow, LK Advani on Friday urged voters to relent with ‘samarthan’ (support) for his campaign in lieu of the for ‘sushasan’ (good governance) his party could provide.

With elections looming large, Advani rephrased Netaji’s call “Tum mujhe khoon do; main tumhe aazadi doonga” into a more contextually appropriate “Tum humein samarthan do; hum tumhe sushashan denge” (give us your support; we promise you good governance).

He was speaking at function organized by the FICCI to mark the freedom fighter’s 112th birth anniversary.

Providing a sneak preview of campaign rhetoric Advani said his party would inform masses that self-governance had not been transformed into good governance and the country’s poor showing on the United Nations Human Development Index, that identifies as India as the venue of the highest number of malnutrition-related deaths, and the high suicide rate amongst farmers.

Citing the absence of good governance as the cause behind the country’s problems, Advani attacked the Congress for passing on thorny issues to future generations, he said Netaji would have been appalled by the prevailing scenario in the country.

The stalwart known for his high pitched oratory took the Congress to task for complicating the border disputes with Pakistan and China knottier and inspiring the demographic invasion from Bangladesh into Assam and other parts to promote its own cause.

He said vote bank considerations marred the Congress approach on cross-border terrorism from Pakistan and added that “partial corrective measures” in the wake of the Mumbai terror strikes were brought forth by compulsions and not conviction.

He described the audacious attack on the country’s commercial capital as “a monumental failure of governance by the Congress-led governments in New Delhi and Mumbai” while adding the “Congress has a lot to answer for.”

He said the present Congress-led alliance was “the worst of all Congress regimes, most corrupt, most inept, and most unfaithful to the great heroes of our freedom struggle.”

Referring to the Satyam scam, Advani called for a judicial probe into the fraud and termed it an incident damaging the image of the country.

He claimed that the BJP-ruled States were better governed than the Congress-ruled States and added that at the end of the present UPA terms he had no qualms in terming the earlier NDA government under Atal Bihari Vajpayee as “far superior” compared to the present ruling coalition under Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi.

Shekhawat Effect: Rajvi May Replace Raje

Dissent continued to run through Rajasthan state BJP unit on Friday with party legislator and son in law of senior party functionary and former vice-President of India Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, Narpat Singh Rajvi demanding to be appointed Leader o Opposition in the Assembly.

The post is presently held by former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje.

Senior BJP parliamentarian Ramdas Agarwal in a letter to party president Rajnath Singh has claimed that Rajvi recently met BJP prime ministerial candidate LK Advani and requested that he be elevated to the post.

In the letter dated January 13, 2009, Agarwal linked Rajvi's desire for the post to Bhairon Singh Shekhawat's sudden return to active politics and added that Rajvi’s appointment could resolve differences within the party and help the state BJP score better results in the LS elections.

Refusing comment on the reports, Agarwal simply said: “The matter is being looked into.”

While refusing to comment on the reports, Rajvi said: "There were several issues related to the state BJP which I discussed with Advaniji.''

Office bearers of the state BJP too refrained from comments on the matter.

Party insiders say the inability to resolve differences with Shekhawat and Rajvi may hurt BJP prospects in the LS elections.

Rajvi is said to be at the tip of a disgruntled iceberg that promises to come crashing on BJP poll prospects if the party fails to take note of the simmering discontent within the party.

Several BJP leaders in the state are said to be sore with the former chief minister Raje and have come out in the open since the BJP sffered an electoral stback in the lections to the state Asembly late last year.

The state is divided into 25 parliamentary constituencies that could not be ignored ahead of a close contest that the parliamentary elections, in May, promise to be.

German Team Meets Mumbai Police

With the 26/11 Mumbai terror strikes sending alarm bells ringing in capitals around the world, a top level German delegation headed by Federal Police chief Joerg Ziercke, on Friday met the top brass of Mumbai police and sought information on the attack and the subsequent police investigations.

Three German nationals were killed in the macabre attacks, which were arguably the worst ever terror strike on India.

A day after it held discussions with senior officials in Delhi, the delegation met Mumbai Police Commissioner Hasan Gafoor and other senior police officers, said a report on the PTI website.

"The delegation and our officials discussed the incident, how the police handled it and investigations into the November 26 attacks," it added.

The delegation is also likely to visit the sites of the terror attacks including the Hotels Taj, the Oberoi and Nariman House.

The German delegation had on Thursday met National Security Advisor (NSA) M K Narayanan, Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta, CBI Director Ashwini Kumar and IB Director Rajiv Mathur.

Ziercke had said the chief of Germany's elite commando force GSG-9 Olaf Linder is expected to visit India late next month to discuss ways and means to train commando units in the country.

Babri Demolition Back in Focus

With Lok Sabha elections looming over the immediate horizon, NDA prime ministerial hopeful and top BJP leader LK Advani used his Urdu website to refute allegations he continues to face for involvement in the demolition of the ‘Babri Masjid’ in Ayodhya way back on December 6, 1992.

The BJP stalwart says he was unaware of any plans to destroy the disputed structure on that fateful day.

"We were unaware of what was happening. We appealed to the kar sevaks on the dome to get down," he writes.

Many believe that the proceedings in Ayodhya were a culmination of Advani’s Somnath-Ayodhya Rath Yatra of 1991, which saw the firebrand leader exhort the majority community to seek rights over the disputed structure as a symbol of honour.

A section in the media had described the ‘Yatra’ as a “bloody journey,” a simile that Advani, in the post, he was deeply hurt by.

He adds that no incident of communal violence happened along the way of the Yatra and says it was opposition propaganda that resulted in the campaign being perceived of as anti-Muslim.

Trying to set the record straight once and for all, he says: "Kya meri yatra Muslim Mukhalif thi, bilkul nahi."

He further urged Muslims to use their franchise to favour "supreme national interests" and not to be swayed by "motivated" campaigns.

The demolition was followed by widespread communal violence.

Advani says the Hindu society is a tolerant one, he adds, "I would be very sad if Hindus leave the virtue of tolerance but I would be saddest if someone attributes this virtue to be a weakness."

Leaders cutting across political parties, later, said the post is the last ditch effort by Advani to woo Muslim voters for the BJP, which continued to push its campaign ahead on Friday n face of major dissentions.

The demolition of the ‘Babri Masjid’ was a major factor contributing to the meteoric rise of regional parties in the northern heartlands, as both the Congress, which was at the helm of a minority alliance government at Center at the time, and the BJP suffered a colossal loss of face amongst Muslim voters after the demolition.

Muslim parliamentarians, including those from the Congress, had used various platforms to launch a scathing attack against then Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao, with a little known Muslim leader from Gujarat – Ahmed Patel – perhaps, being the only one to defend Rao.

Patel is the present number two in the Congress hierarchy and serves as political advisor to Congress president, Sonia Gandhi.

(With Inputs from the PTI)

Advani to Start “Sankalp Yatras” From Feb.4

January 23, 2009Visionmp.com News Service

Uncapping plans to rally support for his prime ministerial campaign, Advani has decided to resume his Vijay Sankalp Yatras across the country.

The Yatra will commence from Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh on February 4.

Karuna Issues Final Appeal, Ultimatum

An under pressure Karunanidhi on Friday continued to push for New Delhi’s intervention in the ongoing atrocities on Lankan Tamils, the Tamil Nadu chief minister made a “final appeal” to the Centre, by way of a resolution moved in the assembly, for an immediate ceasefire in that country.

Cautioning the government against ignoring the resolution, the third so far on the issue, Karunanidhi said: “We want a ceasefire today, next a political solution, followed by peace.”

Karunanidhi cautioned that if the resolution failed to achieve its objective, the DMK would convene either its general council or executive committee and take “appropriate decision on its future course of action,” the chief minister warned.

Deconstructing the carefully worded statement, correspondents said “appropriate action” could only be construed as a veiled threat to withdraw support from the UPA.

Sri Lankan troops are fighting what they call a decisive battle against the LTTE, and have reportedly shown utter disregard for civilians and children

Over the last 72 hour shelling in safe zones has reported to have killed nearly 66 people in what the Lanka government designates as “safe zones”

Karunanidhi’s threat, his third in recent times, has failed to find takes in the Congress, speaking to media persons in New Delhi, party spokesperson Manish Tiwari said that the DMK decision to call a meeting of its general council could not be termed an ultimatum.

With Lok Sabha elections scheduled for May, Karunanidhi’s failure to convince the UPA to act on behalf of Sri Lankan Tamils is sure to Under fire from his allies to add to his anti-incumbencies in Tamil Nadu, the state with whom Lankan Tamils share close cultural and family ties.