12855 - LIVE: AAP's Amanatullah Khan says 'nothing went wrong at all', calls Anshu Prakash's allegation 'baseless' - Times Now news

LIVE: AAP's Amanatullah Khan says 'nothing went wrong at all', calls Anshu Prakash's allegation 'baseless'

Updated: Feb 21, 2018 | 01:41 IST | Times Now Digital

New Delhi: In a shocking and an unprecedented incident, Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash on Tuesday alleged that he was roughed up by Aam Aadmi Party MLAs during a meeting at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence on Monday night. A spokesperson for the AAP government as well as the party leaders, however, denied the claim, accusing Prakash of “making such ludicrous allegations”. They further claimed that Prakash made casteist remarks at the meeting. Meanwhile, demanding MLAs' apology, the Delhi government employees have gone on strike. Also, the Home Ministry has sought a report from Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal seeking details of the incident. 

The AAP claims the meeting with the Delhi Chief Secretary was called to discuss "faulty implementation" of Aadhaar that "deprived about 2.5 lakh families of ration", while Prakash claimed TV advertisements were the discussion point. In a complaint letter submitted to the Delhi Police, Prakash has alleged that the MLAs shouted at him and abused him. The alleged assault has triggered a war of words between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the opposition parties, viz. the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress.

Meanwhile, IAS Association Secretary, Manisha Saxena, complained to Lt Governor Anil Baijal, claiming that the attack on Monday night was a "planned criminal conspiracy" against the top bureaucrat. The Delhi Government Employees Welfare Association (DGEWA) has demanded an action against the accused AAP MLAs who "manhandled" and "mistreated" the top bureaucrat.

Here are the LIVE updates:

- AAP leader Amanatullah Khan, who has been named in FIR, tweets: "Nothing went wrong at all,  in Yesterday meeting @cmoffice. Allegation are completely base less and fabricated. Objective is to deliver the proper food supply to the poor citizen of Delhi..  @cs behavior was ruthless, irresponsible and sarcastic &  politically motivated."

- Dependra Pathak, chief spokesman of the Delhi Police, says: "We have registered a case where it's said that yesterday late night, the Chief Secretary was called at the CM's residence where some MLAs were also present and the Chief Secretary was assaulted. An investigation has begun. Another complaint has been filed by a Delhi Minister where he has said that he was assaulted while he was taking the lift in Delhi Secretariat. We have registered a case and an investigation has been initiated."

- Government employees take to the streets, hold candlelight march against the alleged manhandling of Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash by AAP MLAs. 

- An FIR has been lodged against AAP MLAs under Sections 186 (obstructing a public servant from performing the duty), 353 (assaulting a public servant), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 342, 504, 506(2) & 120b & 34.

- BJP workers protest near Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's residence.

- It is a sad situation when the Chief Secretary is being manhandled by MLAs, it is totally unacceptable and very very wrong, makes it worse if the CM was present there. The CM himself has been a civil servant, did he ever do this? Or what if this happened to him? Shameful: Congress leader Sheila Dikshit tells ANI

- 

Manjinder S Sirsa

✔

@mssirsa

इस हद तक का ग़ुस्सा है दिल्ली सरकार के कर्मचारियों को @ArvindKejriwal और उनके मंत्रियों से... देखिये कैसे मंत्री इमरान हुसैन अपनी जान बचाकर भागे दिल्ली सचिवालय से!
अगर केजरीवाल खुद को सही समझता है तो क्यों घर में छुपकर बैठा है? जाये सचिवालय और कर्मचारियों और लोगों का सामना करे!!

9:45 PM - Feb 20, 2018

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- After addressing a press conference, Khetan tweeted: "I just received a call from Hon'ble HM @rajnathsingh ji's office. I have been told that HM is very busy and he wont be able to meet me.'

- As a Home Minister, Rajnath Singh should first order an inquiry into the alleged assault on Chief Secretary. We request the Home Minister not to come to any conclusion by just listening to one party. Let there be an independent inquiry. In the interim, people of Delhi should not suffer. They are threatening that they won’t work. An attempt has been made to destabilise our government. What is the fault of the people of Delhi? Why is administration not working? People are suffering because of ‘no work’ by the administration. Some people at the Delhi Secretariat are shouting that ministers should be thrashed. Who are these people? We want to know whether they are officers or some outsiders: AAP leader Ashish Khetan

- I was attacked first. Then, MLA Imran Hussain was assaulted. It is astonishing that an attack has taken place at the Secretariat which is a high-security zone: Ashish Khetan

- It was a riot-like situation, a crowd had gathered who became violent and even raised slogans, we don't know who they were. Everything is on CCTV, it will be clear from it. Police were mute spectators: AAP leader Ashish Khetan on ruckus at the Delhi Secretariat

- AAP MLA Imran Hussain has also been assaulted inside the Delhi Secretariat.

- We have lodged a complaint with SC/ST Commission against the casteist comments made by the Delhi Chief Secretary: AAP MLA Prakash Jarwal

- We had asked him about an area where people were not getting basic facilities like medicine, the Chief Secretary suddenly shouted 'maine Daliton ki thekedaari nahi le rakhi hai'. His temper was high. He said that 'you are not fit to be MLA, I will only reply to the L-G': AAP MLA Prakash Jarwal to news agency ANI

- It is shameful that the Chief Secretary was manhandled in the presence of Arvind Kejriwal. The Home Minister assured that there will be inquiry into this incident of assault: IAS Officers Association

- Home Minister Rajnath Singh reacts to the controversy, says: "I am deeply pained by the happenings involving the Chief Secretary of the Delhi Government. The civil servants should be allowed to work with dignity and without fear. The MHA has sought a report on the incident from the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi. Justice will be done. A delegation of IAS DANICS & Subordinate Services of Delhi Government met me today and apprised me of the prevailing situation."

- We are not going to resume work till an action is not taken. Today, we will take out a candle march at Rajghat in protest. The Home Minister has said he has asked for a report: DN Singh

- Key points in Prakash's complaint copy are: ‘AAP wanted funds for AAP ads’, ‘MLAs shouted at me and abused me’, ‘Without any provocation, MLA started hitting me’, ‘No casteist slurs made against MLAs’ 

- Times Now accesses the complaint letter written by Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash to police. It says the meeting was not over PDS but about publicity. No casteist slur was made against MLAs, he adds.

- The AAP is worried now that they cannot win the 20 seats from where its party’s MLAs have been disqualified. This is the reason for such an attack on the chief secretary. Does such CM have the right to stay on his post? Such CM has no moral responsibility to stay on the post. He must resign immediately: Patra

- The constitutional crisis that has come to the fore in Delhi today is something which is very worrying...The way Arvind Kejriwal and his MLAs behaved was appaling and absolutely condemnable. This is not the way democracy functions: Sambit Patra 

- AAP has become synonymous with anarchy. From an abusing and accusing party, the AAP has become an anarchy party, says BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra

- Delhi Chief Secretary meets Home Minister Rajnath Singh; Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba is also present 

- The Home Ministry seeks a report from the Delhi L-G over the details of the incident. 

- Delhi Chief Secretary speaks exclusively to Times Now, says the details of the complaint are in the FIR. Denying the allegations made by the AAP against him, Anshu Prakash told the channel that the said discussion when the incident is said to have taken place was about the Delhi government's publicity plan for the next three years.

- The AAP has released a video showing the ruckus inside the Delhi Secretariat.

- Rebel AAP leader Kapil Mishra tweets: 

Kapil Mishra

✔

@KapilMishra_IND

Confirmed information - During the meeting, Ration and Aadhar was not discussed at all.

Only issue discussed was "Advertisement"

Two MLAs attacked Delhi Chief Secretray in front of CM after CM abused Cheif Secy.

7:03 PM - Feb 20, 2018

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- This is an attempt to intimidate the bureaucracy. It was all pre-planned: Manisha Saxena

- Prakash was called for a meeting around midnight on Monday where Kejriwal along with his deputy Manish Sisodia and 10 to 12 MLAs were present. The meeting was on "some advertisements by the Delhi government which were in violation of the Supreme Court's guidelines", says Saxena. "For the past couple of years, officers have been insulted and humiliated in public. The attack on the Chief Secretary is an attempt to intimidate the bureaucracy to toe the line of the powers that be." She, however, refuses to name the MLAs who attacked the Chief Secretary.

- IAS Association Secretary, Manisha Saxena, speaks to the media after a meeting with Baijal. She says they have asked the Lt Governor to take strict action against the accused MLAs. She also says that the officers would work on Tuesday with a black band as a mark of protest and that the association has also filed a police complaint. 

- Now, AAP's Ashish Khetan alleges assault inside the Delhi Secretariat. Police have been called in.

- We are going on a strike with immediate effect, we are with our Chief Secretary until they (those at fault) are not arrested we will not get back (to work): DN Singh

- Talking to reporters after meeting the L-G, DGEWA president DN Singh said: "We have urged the L-G to take legal action against those who are responsible. This is like a constitutional crisis, never seen such a thing happen in the past many years."

- The Delhi Government Employees Welfare Association (DGEWA) demands an action against the accused AAP MLAs who "manhandled" and "mistreated" the top bureaucrat.

- "In total, nine AAP MLAs were present at the CM's residence when the Chief Secretary was assaulted. They represent people of Delhi but are nothing short of urban naxalites. How utterly disgusting behaviour," Gupta says.

- BJP MLA Vijender Gupta, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, alleges that Kejriwal "in his dictatorial style" called the Chief Secretary at midnight on Monday and "berated" him in front of his MLAs. He adds that Kejriwal was "drunk on power" and his concern was only about why more funds were not dispersed for advertisements. "Such is the state of affairs under AAP." 

- It shows how the AAP is involved in malpractices and corruption. If something good happens, Kejriwal and his MLAs take credit, and in case of something bad, the onus falls on the government. Iss tarah se haathapaai karna, koi gundagardi hai kya?: Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit

- 

Vijay Goel

✔

@VijayGoelBJP

केजरीवाल सरकार ने तो जनता को मारा ही है (Zero Development, प्रदूषण)
और अब मुख्य सचिव पर AAP विधायकों ने हमला किया! सूत्रों के मुताबिक 2 विधायकों ने केजरीवाल के घर पर हो रही मीटिंग में चीफ सेक्रेटरी अंशु प्रकाश के साथ हाथापाई की, इनमें से एक विधायक अमानतुल्लाह ख़ान। What a shame!

5:35 PM - Feb 20, 2018

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- Prakash Jarwal, an AAP MLA present at the meeting, sent an e-mail to Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal on Tuesday, demanding that an FIR be lodged against Prakash. He claimed that the Chief Secretary made casteist remarks at him and another MLA Ajay Dutt when they asked him why Dalit families were not getting rations. 

- In a statement, the Aam Aadmi Party said: "About 2.5 lakh families deprived of rations last month due to faulty implementation of Aadhaar. MLAs were under tremendous pressure from the public. There was a meeting of MLAs at CM residence. The Chief Secretary refused to answer questions, saying he was not answerable to MLAs and the CM, and that he was answerable only to L-G. He used bad language against some MLAs and left without answering any questions. Now, he is making ludicrous allegations."

10234 - Modi-Kejriwal cold handshake: Social media abuzz over PM's body language with AAP chief at CM's meet as the Governors' issue clouds centre-state relations - Daily Mirror

Modi-Kejriwal cold handshake: Social media abuzz over PM's body language with AAP chief at CM's meet as the Governors' issue clouds centre-state relations

By MAIL TODAY BUREAU

PUBLISHED: 09:08 +10:00, 17 July 2016 |

That awkward handshake that summed up uncomfortable relationship between PM Modi and CM Kejriwal

An awkward handshake on Saturday summed up the uncomfortable relationship between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. 

In videos from the Inter-State Council meeting held in New Delhi that went viral, the PM is seen spending only a fraction of a second holding the AAP chief’s hand even as he looked relaxed in the presence of other chief ministers, including those from non-BJP states. 

Kejriwal has been a bitter critic of the Prime Minister, often blaming him for all the ills plaguing the Delhi government. 

From questioning his educational qualifications to sending vitriolic tweets, the CM has not missed an opportunity to target Modi. 

The 11th meeting of the Inter- State Council- that looks at disputes between states and between the states and Centre - saw the presence of many formidable opponents of the BJP such as Nitish Kumar of Bihar and Mamata Banerjee from West Bengal. 

None of them allowed the friction to come in the way during the informal greetings at the all- important event that came against the backdrop of the Arunachal Pradesh controversy, with the BJP receiving a setback in the Supreme Court which reinstated the state’s ousted Congress government. 

Even Congress chief minister Harish Rawat, whose government in Uttarakhand was nearly toppled by the BJP, was seen greeting the Prime Minister with warmth. 

In his inaugural address at the conference, the Prime Minister even singled out Congress-ruled Karnataka for reducing the consumption of kerosene and getting 75 per cent of the savings from the Centre. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with others at the eleventh Inter-State Council Meeting in New Delhi 

“The government of Karnataka, while moving swiftly on this initiative, has sent its proposal to the Petroleum Ministry. This has been accepted and the grant has been disbursed to the state government,” he said. 

Modi also said that the states’ share in central taxes has gone up from 32 to 42 per cent, which meant availability of greater resources to the state.

I am happy to share that the total amount received by states from the Centre during 2015-16 is 21 per cent higher than the amount received in 2014-15. Similarly, panchayats and urban local bodies will receive 2.87 lakh crore rupees during the 14th finance commission, which is substantially higher than last time,” he said. 

The Prime Minister also shared with the chief ministers that 102 crore Aadhaar cards have been distributed in the country of 128 crore people. 

Among adults, 96 per cent of the people now have Aadhaar cards. 

In his concluding remarks too, the Prime Minister said that the near total acceptance of Aadhaar as a tool to promote good governance and transparency will result in savings to the exchequer. 

He also discussed security issues and told the chief ministers that happenings across the world cannot be ignored, in light of the deadly terrorist attack in the French city of Nice. 

He stressed on the importance of a good CCTV network and maintaining a visible presence of police forces.  

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-3693671/Modi-Kejriwal-cold-handshake-Social-media-abuzz-PM-s-body-language-AAP-chief-CM-s-meet-Governors-issue-clouds-centre-state-relations.html#ixzz4GLkIEz1H 

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7678 - Delhi becomes first State to launch e-ration card service - The Hindu

NEW DELHI, March 28, 2015

Updated: March 28, 2015 05:35 IST

Delhi becomes first State to launch e-ration card service

MOHAMMED IQBAL

A woman with a printout of an e-ration card during the function held at the Delhi Secretariat on Friday.— Photo: Meeta Ahlawat

Delhi became the State in the country to launch an e-ration card service with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal initiating the scheme on Friday. The scheme for linking ration and Aadhaar cards would enable the beneficiaries of Public Distribution System (PDS) to get the cards online from the government’s web portal without hassles.

The new facility is expected to curb corruption and increase transparency in the system.

Launching the scheme in the State Secretariat auditorium here, Mr. Kejriwal said e-ration cards would bring immense convenience to the people of the Capital, as the new arrangement would cut down the delays in preparation and delivery to the beneficiaries.

As soon as an application for providing food security is approved by the Food Supply Officer concerned, a message will go to the cellphone number of the beneficiary informing him or her about approval of application and ration card.

The beneficiary can go to the portal of the department, http://nfs.delhi.gov.in, enter the ration card number and other basic information and get a password on cellphone. After entry of this password, the e-ration card will be generated which can be stored in the electronic form and used to get the ration supplies. It can also be printed by the beneficiary from anywhere.

Addressing the gathering, Mr. Kejriwal said his government was committed to eradicating corruption in PDS and assured that strict action, including registration of criminal cases, would be taken against those found guilty. No one indulging in diversion and blackmarketing of ration would be spared, he added.

Mr. Kejriwal said many more e-government initiatives, including computerisation of fair price shops, would be launched in near future.

7672 - Kejriwal to launch e-ration scheme on Friday - Business Standard

Kejriwal to launch e-ration scheme on Friday

IANS  |  New Delhi  March 26, 2015 Last Updated at 18:34 IST

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will launch the e-ration card service in the national capital on Friday.

Delhi will implement the scheme which links the ration and Aadhaar cards together in a bid to curb corruption and bring in transparency and increase accountability, an official said on Thursday.

"Those who have Aadhaar cards can apply online and those who applied and are waiting to get one can use the Aadhaar card number on the online slip," the official said.

Other proofs of identity will also be accepted, the official added.

7632 - E-ration cards in Delhi from next week - TNN

E-ration cards in Delhi from next week

TNN | Mar 21, 2015, 02.59AM IST

NEW DELHI: Delhi is set to become the first state to roll out the e-ration card scheme. From next week, beneficiaries under the public distribution system, who have an Aadhaar card, will be able to download the ration cards from the Delhi government website.

Government sources said other details concerning application and allocation of ration cards would also be made available online. "If one has an Aadhaar card, they can apply for a ration card online as well. Even those who have applied for the cards but yet to receive the same, they can apply afresh on the basis of the Aadhaar number. People can also apply through the office of the local MLA," said a source.

In case one has no Aadhaar card, they need to produce three documents as proof of identity.

Deputy CM Manish Sisodia had earlier told TOI that the online system would help curb corruption and would lead to greater transparency.

Similar services have also been announced by Punjab and Maharashtra though Delhi will be the first to actually implement it.

Officials said along with this, the government will also start issuing temporary licences for fair price shops. "It takes about three months to set up an FPS. In case someone's license is cancelled for what ever reason, the government will issue a temporary license within a week that will be valid for three months. This is as long as it takes to issue a permanent license. This is being done so that people do not have to suffer in the absence of an FPS," said sources.

5054 - Why Kejriwal govt in Delhi should abandon biometric Aadhaar?—Part XXI - Money Life

Why Kejriwal govt in Delhi should abandon biometric Aadhaar?—Part XXI

GOPAL KRISHNA | 02/01/2014 04:57 PM |   

Wherever direct cash transfer scheme based on Aadhaar was launched in the states that went for elections, Congress lost. Promises based on biometric Aadhaar are rooted in a make believe world to which Indian voters are allergic to, shows the recent assembly elections

It is noteworthy that in the four states where assembly elections took place, the biometric Aadhaar based direct benefits transfer (DBT) was being implemented in 154 assembly seats of Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, Indian National Congress, the champion of DBT could win only 17 seats. In Delhi where DBT scheme was taken up in 63 assembly constituencies with Rs103 crore in cash transfers, the party won only eight seats. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 31 seats and the Aam Admi Party (AAP) got 28 seats. The verdict is starkly against Aadhaar-based DBT. A report from DNA dated 16 December 2013 has underlined this. Instead of biometric Aadhaar-based DBT being a game changer for the Congress it has emerged as a regime changer.

Click here to Read More

3420 - Won't back Arvind Kejriwal's party: Anna Hazare - Times of India

Won't back Arvind Kejriwal's party: Anna Hazare Sarang Dastane, TNN Jun 16, 2013, 01.26AM IST PUNE: Social crusader Anna Hazare, who turned 75 on Saturday, appealed to the citizens to stop supporting political parties and extend support to independent candidates with a clean image in the coming elections. Hazare was speaking at a function organized by the villagers of Ralegan-Siddhi to mark his 75th birthday. Kiran Bedi, former IPS and one of his close associates, was present. "I am not against Arvind. He is a good person and has a clean image. But he has opted for a political path and I am not in support of it. I have no plans to campaign for his party. If Arvind leaves the party and comes forward to establish janatantra (people's democracy) in the society, we can fight this battle against corruption together," said Hazare. "A few days back, a person came to me and said he is Arvind's worker and is planning to contest the the election. I appreciated his thought but told him that I do not support him. I can think of supporting him only if he fights as an independent candidate and has a clean image," he said. The septuagenarian activist said that the constitution says that an individual can fight election, not a group or a political party. "Formation of political parties misleads citizens. The representatives of political parties cannot free the country from corruption because they themselves are corrupt. The parties put unnecessary pressure on voters and the people don't get a choice while selecting candidates. They cast votes for candidates selected by political parties. Citizens should understand what the constitution says. The society needs to select individuals who are ready to serve people," he said. Hazare also challenged political parties for a debate on the issue of corruption. "No party has come forward so far. Political parties have not been performing their job and are responsible for the deep-rooted corruption in the society. As many as 35 ministers are tainted and 169 MPs are facing various charges. That's why the society needs to reject political parties to have a corruption-free country," he said. The anti-corruption crusader said that his ongoing tour has received overwhelming response all over the country. He has toured five states and plans to visit four more in a tour that starts June 22. "After the announcement of elections, I will hold rallies in every state. I will tell the people that if they want to vote for political parties, they have failed to act against corruption," said Hazare. "Though I have completed 75 years, there is still a long way to go. I will begin fast at the Ramlila grounds from October if the government fails to bring a strong Lokpal bill. The second fight for independence has begun. It is a 'do or die' situation. I will approach individuals and seek their support for a strong corrupt-free democracy." The Bhrashtachar Virodhi Jan Andolan Nyas also announced a 75-point programme on Saturday. It includes various citizen-friendly programmes such as blood and eye donation camps, planning camps for youths, plantation drives etc. Bedi said the fight for Lokpal has reached a crucial phase. "The government should bring the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) under the purview of Lokpal," she said.

2815 - Cash transfer for BPL not feasible’

Cash transfer for BPL not feasible’

New Delhi,Nov 29, 2012 DHNS:

Cash transfer for public schemes is a “terrible lie”, said activists at a meeting held at Jantar Mantar on Wednesday.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Brinda Karat said that if one compared India with African countries, India would beat them in terms of poverty. 

“The government is not willing to tax business tycoons and is making the common man suffer by cutting down subsidies,” she said. Karat added that her party has asked the government not to link Unique Identification Number or Adhaar cards with schemes for the poor like NREGA and others. 

“If I am an NREGA worker and my fingerprints change after six months due to the work I do, I will not be able to avail any benefit under the Adhaar card,” she said. 

The CPI(M) has also demanded a hike in scholarships and pension for widows and the elderly. Lawyer and activist Usha Ramanathan said the government has declared in a public document that fingerprint and iris (of the eye) authentication for UID is unscientific.

She said in Kerala, children are now being forced to get a UID to get admission in schools. Activist Aruna Roy said Rajasthan has made it mandatory for the working class to get Adhaar cards to work under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. “If we are forced to get UIDs, our identity will be in crisis as we will be tracked. Our bank accounts will be tracked,” she said.

Economist Ritika Khera also questioned the efficacy of the cash transfer system. “The government was blindly imitating countries like Brazil without realising that the latter has fewer poor people and is far more urbanised with a robust banking system,” she said. 

Delhi-based jhuggi-jhopri residents said if cash transfer is successful, getting adequate ration will become a far-fetched dream. 

“If we get cash, our husbands will buy liquor instead of ration. Most families will use it for emergency situations. We don’t want cash because even shopkeepers will hike prices to make more profit. We want our 35 kg of ration,” said Pushpa, a daily wage earner in Delhi. 

Kejriwal calls it a bribe

Land acquisition and corruption will be among a string of issues to be highlighted by Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party, which on Wednesday described the UPA government's decision to launch direct cash transfer scheme as a bribe to voters, reports PTI.

After a two-day meeting of AAP’s National Executive which took several decisions about future plans, Kejriwal also said the expose on corruption will continue even as it will target price rise and power issue in the national capital.

Commenting on the cash transfer scheme, he said the scheme may end up in stopping “some leakages” but on several counts it is not desirable.

“The timing is questionable. This is a way of giving bribe to voters,” he told reporters when asked about the government's decision to launch its new flagship programme of direct cash transfer from January 1 next year. Though it would stop some leakages, he said the decision raises several questions.

He said the rationale is wrong in ending public distribution system and giving cash to people. “You end ration and give them cash. This does not take into account price rise,” he said. On the issues to be taken by his party, Kejriwal said land acquisition, corruption, ensuring fair price for farmers, labour issues, including that of contract labour, will be high on priority.

“In Delhi, we will raise price rise and power related issues,” he said. Kejriwal said the party will form district committees in 337 districts of the 15 states by January 26 and committees at state-level by mid-February.

===========================================================

1698 - The Officer Raj by Shekhar Gupta - Indian Express

Posted: Sat Oct 15 2011, 01:38 hrs

On the last working day of September, the Nandan Nilekani-led UID Authority received a rather clinical-sounding communication from the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), informing him that he was sending in a team to conduct a performance audit of UPA 2’s flagship programme. This was to be a performance audit. Now, UID was not due for audit this year, so this was some kind of special initiative. And sudden too. Because on the morning of the very next working day, October 3, Monday, the CAG team was sitting in the UID offices. It was almost like a tax or CBI raid.
 

Now, you could argue either way on the constitutionality or justification behind such a sudden move, particularly when there hasn’t been even a whiff of any financial wrongdoing on the part of the UID. Even in terms of performance, its work has hardly gathered pace, so it may be much too premature for audit evaluation. But while there are no charges of wrongdoing of any kind against the UID yet, it has been dragged into a bureaucratic turf battle with some sections of the Planning Commission, and it is no secret on Raisina Hill that the opposition to the project (and the relative financial autonomy given to it) is led by Sudha Pillai, a redoubtable IAS officer now serving as secretary to the Planning Commission. 

To be fair, she has been open in questioning certain aspects of the way the project is being run. And it is probably only a coincidence that the current CAG, Vinod Rai, not only happens to be her 1972 batchmate, but also shares with her their parent cadre of Kerala.
 

We have no evidence at all of the two working in concert in any way, and so let us simply presume that each one has been acting on his/ her own, driven by bona fide doubts about the project. But what is evident is that each of them is at least individually challenging a programme so precious not only to this government, but also to the UPA’s top leadership, the Gandhis. Let’s not take a position on whether this is a good or a bad thing. Let us simply say that such things are nearly unprecedented in New Delhi.
 

If you’ve been observing our politico-bureaucratic complex closely over the past few months, you will find many such things that were hitherto unthinkable, or at least extremely rare. Some examples:
 

On July 29, Ashwani Kumar, minister of state for science and technology, threw a dinner party in honour of the new cabinet secretary and CVC, to which other senior political leaders and even top diplomats were invited. Now, how often have you seen ministers holding parties to welcome new bureaucratic appointees? In the British system we follow, in fact, the cabinet secretary is the clerk of the cabinet.
 

Just a fortnight back, the Indian Coast Guard took out advertisements (including in this paper) announcing the launch of two new ships. One of these was launched by the wife of the secretary, defence production, and the other by the wife of the joint secretary. So far, you thought these ceremonial, publicised launches were the privilege of the political class. With the politicians hiding in bunkers now, came the bureaucrats. And now their wives have joined the party too.
 

Almost every day now, you see civil servants, particularly those from economic ministries, on your TV screens. From finance to power to coal to oil and gas, almost all key economic ministries have seen their top civil servants emerge as their most visible spokespersons. On top of this bureaucratic star cast was, of course, our former home secretary G.K. Pillai. In fact, the only truly invisible civil servant is the seniormost of them all, the cabinet secretary, who, such a nice, self-effacing man, will most likely tell you that that is the way it is meant to be.
 

This government is under a legal assault of sorts from more civil servants retired from top positions than any in India’s history. At least three former chief election commissioners, one former cabinet secretary, 17 former Central government secretaries or equivalent and four former DGPs are in court, mostly with PILs, against this government. 

This list also includes a real surprise, a former air chief, Air Chief Marshal S. Krishnaswamy, who has joined a PIL questioning the appointment of directors to SEBI. And as this is being written, a group of former high-ranking government officials, led by former Union cabinet secretary T.S.R. Subramanian, and including former CEC N.

Gopalaswami among others, have filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010. It seeks a stay on all proposed nuclear plants till a safety reassessment of all nuclear facilities in India and a cost-benefit analysis of nuclear plants are carried out.
 

As they would say in bureaucratese, this list is by no means conclusive, or even exhaustive. But it does give you the picture. That with the weakening of the political authority of UPA 2, with its ministers hiding in fright rather than going out to explain, support and be accountable for their decisions, our civil services are enjoying a golden era of unfettered, unquestioned power. They are controlling their ministries, with the political bosses afraid of questioning any bureaucratic input as it would later be seen as a scam by a regulator or anti-corruption watchdog (CAG, CVC, even the CBI), all totally manned by brethren in the same civil service. The result is indeed an unprecedented civil service coup.
 

You may also want to add to it the fact that most of the civil society groups — on all sides — are led by former bureaucrats (N.C. Saxena, Aruna Roy and Harsh Mander of Sonia Gandhi’s NAC; Kiran Bedi and Arvind Kejriwal of Anna’s team; and E.A.S. Sarma, B.D. Sharma and others of the anti-big project opposition loosely built around Medha Patkar). From all formulations it now also seems that the new Lokpal, whatever the nature of the final bill, would also be mostly manned by former bureaucrats, selected by a committee with a preponderance of their own former colleagues.
 

Can you blame the bureaucracy for this? Maybe not, because they are simply walking into a vacuum left behind by a political leadership which is not willing to stand up for its beliefs, convictions, or even bona fide decisions. This is the main reason it has got itself into such a jam on the 2G scam. 

With no real centre of gravity in UPA 2, its ministers are caught in an every-man-for-himself mindset. It’s been ceding ground which legitimately belongs to an elected government, to all claimants: the judiciary, civil society, RTI leaders, and now its own civil servants. The net result is this creeping acquisition of state power by the civil service. The state of this government is best characterised by that brutal, if sexist, old saying from the Hindi heartland: garib ki joru, sab ki bhaujai (a weak man’s wife is everybody’s sister-in-law).
 

Is this is a good thing, or a bad thing? Many, in fact most, of these civil servants are probably honest, well-meaning Indians — so what is wrong if they displace our bumbling politicians?
 

I am reminded of a story that former US Ambassador to India Robert Blackwill says he would tell routinely to his students at Harvard University’s Kennedy School. Bureaucrats, he said, were like doctors and nurses in the emergency ward of a hospital. When a patient was wheeled in, their job was to follow Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and wait for the specialists (the political leaders) to arrive next morning. The politicians would then decide what to do with the patient, and the bureaucrats would, in turn, implement those instructions. 

But you can imagine what would happen if people trained to follow SOPs took over the job of the specialists in a country as challenging to govern as India. The result would be a government in deep freeze, incapable of taking decisions, running on mere SOPs. In brief, a government in the emergency ward, which is as good a way as any to describe UPA 2 today.
 

sg@expressindia.com