I was doing my course project and working with IAS officer who was Director/Chairman (not sure but head of department) in sub division or branch which then comes under Ministry of Education. IAS officer was upright woman.
Chaprasi will never carry her files or organize her room or even move his butts. She used to do all chores herself including dusting her own room. Same problem was with other junior staff. Junior staff was so good in dragging stuff. They had big problem taking notes from her. They used complain why she takes files at home, she should look after her 2-3 years old kid etc.
I have seen ministers screaming at her without reasons. Her rescue was to take foreign trips to attend some conference extra.
There was some request from Minister regarding question raised in parliament. We provided answer. Well, minister was not happy with figure. He screamed at her. Her problem was how to cook data and lie? She refused to change. Well, Minister did his own magic with data.
Now she is working with private sector.
Initially, I thought it was chauvinistic syndrome. But later saw same nonsense, rather worse to another male IAS officer in other ministry.
<b>Mulayam prefers Land Cruiser to Amby</b>?<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->For a man who likes to flaunt his socialist leanings, <b>Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav is fast acquiring the trappings of a luxurious life -- his government has now cleared the purchase of eight Toyota Land Cruisers for his use</b>.
The <b>state cabinet has approved the Rs 40 million purchase of eight bulletproof vehicles for Yadav's fleet -- each Land Cruiser costs Rs 6.6 million.</b>
The purchase of the Land Cruisers comes close on the heels of Yadav's fad for Rolex watches and other trimmings of a luxurious life.
Officials say the chief minister is entitled to bulletproof vehicles because of his Z-Plus category security cover.
In an apparent balancing act, <b>Yadav has also ensured clearance for the purchase of 150 air-conditioned Ambassador cars and 150 Maruti Gypsys for his council of ministers and others holding equally important offices.</b>
The Ambassadors will be used by the ministers while the Gypsy vehicles are meant for their police guards.
<b>Each Ambassador is priced at Rs 550,000 and Gypsy costs about Rs 400,000, leaving the state exchequer with a hefty bill of Rs 140 million</b>
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--emo&  --><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo--> World Guj meet: Visa woes for Modi
[ Saturday, April 22, 2006 09:19:23 pmTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
AHMEDABAD: The first-ever world Gujarati meet is being organised in the USA in July 2006 and the organisers are very keen to have Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in their midst.
Even Modiâs bitter political rival and Union textiles minister Shankersinh Vaghela has confirmed his participation.
But this is an uphill task, considering the stinging snub the US government delivered to Modi in March 2005,when it denied him a diplomatic visa and revoked his 10-year tourist visa. Modi was forced to call off his address to the Asian-American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) in Florida and a public meeting in New York.
He eventually delivered a speech played over a giant screen at these events. One year later, a delegation of Gujarati on making another attempt at convincing the US state department that the denial of visa to Modi, on account of the Godhra riots in 2002, was an over-reaction.
"Before coming to India to canvass for the convention, we inquired with the state department and officials told us that they could not say anything till a fresh visa application is made," says New Jersey-based Dr Sudhir M Parikh, chairman of National Organisation of Indian Associations in the US.
Earlier this week, when the organisers met Modi and extended an invitation to him to attend the convention, he is understood to have told them that he would not apply for a visa till he gets an assurance from the state department that it will consider it favourably.
"It is unfortunately a deadlock because such an assurance is not forthcoming," says Prakash A Shah of the AAHOA, now a key organiser of the Gujarati Convention.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Mulayam's lifestyle costs millions to exchequer
Sunday May 14 2006 00:00 IST
IANS
Newindpress.com
LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav may never tire of flaunting his socialist leanings but his luxurious lifestyle tells a different story.
Close on the heels of his fad for Toyota Land Cruisers - eight of which were purchased by his government - Mulayam's love for extravagance is reflected in the heavy expenditure incurred by the cash-starved state on the maintenance of his two official residences.
A sum of Rs.21.07 million was spent during the last financial year on the maintenance of Mulayam's two plush bungalows - the designated bungalow of the chief minister and the one allotted to him as "former chief minister".
The state has been traditionally providing furnished bungalows for lifetime to all former chief ministers. In fact, at least 10 such bungalows have been occupied either by former chief ministers or their next of kin.
Most of these palatial houses were identified and allotted by successive chief ministers during their incumbency.
Expensive renovation of the bungalows was also carried out during their respective tenures, so that they could continue to maintain their five-star lifestyles at the taxpayer's expense even after ceasing to occupy the high office.
The renovation of three bungalows earmarked for top officials in the vicinity of the chief minister's official residence cost Rs.45 million, while the maintenance cost of the official residences of 60 odd ministers worked out to just Rs.11.07 million in 2005.
Similarly, the allocation for the maintenance of as many as 600 houses belonging to the government estates department here stood at merely Rs.10 million last year.
However, Mulayam's younger brother and state Public Works Minister Shiv Pal Yadav justified the expenditure saying: "Mind you the expenditure has not been made on his personal home. After all, no chief minister can carry away the official residence."
He went on to argue, "A lot of the expenditure had to be incurred as a part of the security needs of the chief minister. Mulayam Singh Yadav has been under Z-Plus security cover for years and in the last security review the administration was advised to carry out certain changes, modifications and additions in the official residence. And no government will compromise with the chief minister's security simply because it will cost too much."
He declined to make any comment on the luxury provided in the form of high-class sanitary ware, opulent furnishings and other expensive fittings.
The chief minister was not available for comment.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Why no info on Sonia, Rahul or Priayanka bungalow? Media is very selective.
<b>'Kalam has an independent opinion' </b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->He has an independent opinion. He weighs pros and cons. He thinks about future," says space scientist, U R Rao.
It must have been the future of the legislator's role that troubled the President. Otherwise, he would not have demanded a comprehensive policy on the issue.
The Supreme Court's criticism of the decision to impose President's rule in Bihar must have made him extra-cautious.
.......................
Though Kalam has never expressed himself publicly, sources say that he has been unhappy with the manner in which the UPA government has handled certain issues.
<b>He has watched from a distance how the office of the Governor could be exploited during the Goa and Jharkhand crisis last year.
He also tried to form an independent view on crucial issues including the recent reservation fiasco when he met students' groups.</b>
<b>There's nothing wrong if President Kalam wants the Parliament to reconsider some issue because he is well within his constitutional rights to do so</b>.
But by sending the office of profit bill back, he has made his unhappiness with the UPA Government public.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--emo&:cool--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/specool.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='specool.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Ailing Chandrashekhar wants to bequeath assets to nation </b>
Pioneer.com
Akhilesh Suman | New Delhi
<b>...Political legacy to Deve Gowda, * Trusts Manmohan Singh will find way out ---- Once known as the Young Turk, now an ageing and ailing former Prime Minister Chandrashekhar is keen to see his massive assets and dwindling political legacy pass into proper hands.</b>Â
He has offered to will his public assets controlled by various trusts to the nation through Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his political party to former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda.
"Chandrashekhar has written to the Prime Minister and expressed his desire to submit to the nation his assets that should be supervised and run as public property," said an old and close Chandrashekhar associate.
As the first step, Chandrashekhar has offered to the Central Government a 500-bedded hospital set up by him in his village Ibrahim Patti, in Balia. The hospital is run by Rachnachakra, a trust, he established two decades ago.
Â
Sources said the former Prime Minister is also keen to hand over several other trust-run properties to the Government. Among them are: Devashthali Vidyapeeth, Balia; Jai Prakash Narain Trust, Balia; Shahid Samarak Trust, Balia; Bharat Yatra Kendra at Bhondsi in Haryana, Delhi, Mumbai and other places; Yuva Bharat Trust, Delhi; Centre for Applied Politics, Delhi; Institute for Studies in Industrial Development, Delhi.
Chandrashekhar expressed his desire to the Prime Minister through his old associate and political advisor (when he was the Prime Minister) HN Sharma. Sharma told the Pioneer that he had met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the issue on May 19 to convey the wishes of the former PM.
In his proposal, Chandrashekhar suggested that Power Grid Corporation should run the Balia Hospital as a public institution on a no-profit basis. Despite his illness, Chandrasekhar had recently attended a function to mark the start of Power Grid Corporation's operation in Balia.
<b>List of Assets: </b>
* A 500-bedded hospital in village Ibrahim Patti, in Balia
* Devashthali Vidyapeeth, Balia
* Jai Prakash Narain Trust, Balia
* Shahid Smarak Trust, Balia
* Bharat Yatra Kendra at Bhondsi in Haryana, Delhi, Mumbai and other places
* Yuva Bharat Trust, Delhi
* Centre for Applied Politics, Delhi
* Institute for Studies in Industrial Development, DelhiÂ
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->So TN minister behaviour is on dot. They can't keep hatred to themselves or inside TN.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
The Anbumani Ramadoss party in TN enjoys the support of North Tamil nadu Vellalar caste. They are anti dalit (they claim to be pro dalit!!) and anti brahmin, anti-hindi, anti-hindu (some idiots even support Sandal wood smuggler Veerappan and Separate Tamil nation).
Dr. Ramadoss and his men (Paattaali makkal katchi or PMK) have now found a new love towards tamil language and are starting a new era of Dravidian politics (with out the Dravidian tag like ADMK, DMK) which targets North indians (sic), Brahmins and all other population whose mother tongue is not tamil but they live in Tamil nadu.
This party is fast becomming a neo pseudo secular out front competing with DMK in all aspects of appeasement politics.
Now they are in coalition with DMK. (but, things can change!).
<!--emo&:flush--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/Flush.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='Flush.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--> http://www.kaumudi.com/news/070506/india.stm
<b>People must snatch their rights: V P Singh</b>
NEW DELHI: Urging people to "snatch" their rights if they were not given to them honorably, former Prime Minister V P Singh said the time had come for the poor and downtrodden to join hands to become a strong force in the political arena. He asked people to snatch their rights if they were not given by the "system" despite making pleas and submitting applications and petitions.
"Sometime I feel like taking up arms to fight the prevailing system where justice is hardly being given to the poor and downtrodden. But age is not on my side to take up arms," he said while addressing a meeting organized here to celebrate his 75th birthday.
In an obvious reference to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections scheduled for next year, Singh, who is trying to form an alliance against the Samajwadi Party and BJP, said the condition of the poor in different parts of the country is very bad and they should join hands to become a strong force to take political power.
"All (political parties) are engaged in making governments. Governments come and go. What we now need is to build the country and not the government," Singh said
Asking people to oppose political parties who are in power with the help of "communal forces", Jan Morcha President Raj Babbar said its fight for justice for the poor and backward classes would continue under Singh's leadership.
Justice Party President <b>Udit Raj </b>said all secular parties have come together to fight the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh to restore the honor of the poor and Dalits.
A large number of people from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi also wished Singh on the occasion.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-Mudy+Jul 8 2006, 11:12 AM-->QUOTE(Mudy @ Jul 8 2006, 11:12 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin--> <b>Indian Politicans behaving badly - enjoy Video </b>
Any Idea which year ?
[right][snapback]53266[/snapback][/right]
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
While "'pandEmonium' is a word associated with our Parliaments at Delhi and takes place very often, I doubt whether our Politicians at Delhi have ever descended to the level depicted in this video.
UP perhaps?
<!--emo&:cool--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/specool.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='specool.gif' /><!--endemo--> Kalam for 'developmental politics'
Source: PTI. Image Source: AP
Mumbai, Jul 17: President A P J Abdul Kalam today exhorted political parties in the country to devote more time to "developmental politics" rather than concentrating on winning elections.
To a query by a student of Mumbai University on the occasion of the institution's 150th year celebration, Kalam said "political parties should be 30 per cent political and 70 per cent developmental. But in our country it is just the opposite. They should concentrate on making India a developed nation by 2020." Kalam, who visibly enjoyed his interaction with students of the university as they asked him a variety of questions from rooting out corruption in the country to brain drain, also stressed the need to lift people from the drudgery of poverty and remove social injustices, still prevalent in the country.
When asked when the country would get a "set of qualified politicians to run the country", the President joined in the ensuing laughter from the audience, saying "It is upto the voters to elect qualified, educated people to run the country. But recently the number of educated and well qualified politicians has increased." Congratulating the Mumbai University on completing 150 years, he said "this university must have produced millions of engineers, scientists and leaders in other fields over the years. I congratulate all the teachers who have been responsible for this." The University presented scroll of honours to 15 eminent citizens including industrialist Mukesh Ambani, Chairman of HDFC Deepak Parekh, flute maestro Hari Prasad Chaurasia, and cartoonist R K Laxman, to mark the occasion.
Anyone know the history of this? Since commies banned it, may be worth reading it and nonexistent nationalistic groups in India can use it, counter commies etc, or so the dream goes... <!--emo&  --><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->RESOURCE: <b>Censored Book on Public Interest Litigation in India Now
Online</b>
------
Ed. note: Dr. Hans Dembowski wrote an important study of public
interest litigation in India, concentrating on the Calcutta region, published
by Oxford University Press in 2001. The ISBN is 0195653092. However,
for reasons not yet clearly established, the <b>Calcutta High Court issued
an order of contempt of court for the publisher and the author. </b> The
matter remains pending now, five years later, and the hard copy book has
been withdrawn by the publisher. When I met the author at this year's
BASAS conference in London, I suggested that when the text was
available online that he should share this with the H-ASIA members for their
information. The document has now been put on the web and is available
as Dr. Dembowski notes below. I have also added, at the end of the
post, a table of contents for the document. The book was published in
English; the site is bi-lingual, German and English.       FFC
********************************************************************
From: Hans Dembowski <Hans.Dembowski@fsd.de>
<b>A controversial study on judicial activism and civil society in India
is finally available again</b> â accessible at the following URL:
<http://www.asienhaus.de/taking-state-to-court>.
Originally, Oxford University Press published Hans Dembowski's book
_Taking the State to Court â Public Interest Litigation and the Public
Sphere_ in early 2001. However, OUP discontinued international
distribution that year, because the Calcutta High Court started
contempt-of-court proceedings against the author and the publisher.
The case has been
kept pending since. No judgement was passed. For five years, academic
debate has thus been blocked. <b>The sociological study deals with several
politically relevant matters, including urban planning, governance, the
environment and, of course, the role of the judiciary</b>. <b>The entire book
is available online in a pdf-version. Asienhaus is a German NGO, the
pdf-files are free.</b>
Thanks - and best wishes,
Hans
Dr. Hans Dembowski
E+Z Entwicklung und Zusammenarbeit
D+C Development and Cooperation
Frankfurter Societät
Postfach
60 268 Frankfurt/Main
Tel.:Â Â Â +49 (0) 69/7501-4366
Fax:Â Â Â +49 (0) 69/7501-4855
E-Mail: euz.editor@fsd.de
www.inwent.org/e+z
www.inwent.org/d+c
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--emo& --><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo--> Mumbai: Pawar says he added fictional 12th blast in Muslim area
NEW DELHI, AUGUST 11:For the first time, Sharad Pawar has admitted, on record, that he had âdeliberately misledâ people following the 1993 Mumbai blasts by saying there were 12 and not 11 explosions, adding the name of a Muslim-dominated locality to show that people from both communities had been affected.
Spilling the beans on what became an ill-concealed secret in later days, but had never been said openly, Pawar said he had to quickly find a way to stop Mumbai from going up in flames and this was the ploy he hoped would keep Hindus from retaliating.
The step was pre-meditated as only shortly before making the announcement about the 12th blast that never was, he had been informed of 11 coordinated blasts in the city in March 1993, all hitting Hindu majority areas.
Speaking to The Indian Express Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta on NDTVâs Walk the Talk, which will be broadcast tomorrow at 7.30 pm, Pawar, who was Maharashtra Chief Minister at the time said he had anticipated clashes between Hindus and Muslims and he had to prevent that from happening.
âI went on TV and deliberately misled people. Instead of 11 explosions I told 12 and one of those areas was Masjid Bunder, dominated by minorities,â Pawar said.
And then at the Air India office, where the first explosion had occurred, Pawar came up with another âdeliberate fudgeâ to prevent riots.
More in here: To keep the peace, I misled people on â93 blasts: Pawar
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Caught on tape: Minister-Mafia conversation </b>
Pioneer News Service | New Delhi
Private TV channel claims chat was officially recorded ---- A TV news channel exposure claiming to show<b> Union Minister of State for Home Manikrao Hodlya Gavit talking to a hardened criminal in a jail in Bulandshahr</b>, UP, on Sunday has given fresh ammunition to the NDA-led opposition to attack the UPA Government in Parliament.
Zee News on Sunday replayed parts of the<b> incriminating tape recording a conversation between the Minister and the jailed outlaw on the latter's cell phone wherein the Minister sought the outlaw's help in settling a land case involving his son-in-law. </b>The channel claimed that the UP police had officially taped the conversation.
In turn, the Minister promised the outlaw, identified as Sundar Singh Bhati that the appointment of a jail superintendent by the UP Government would be stalled.
Gavit, who represents Nandurbar constituency of Maharashtra in Lok Sabha, however, flatly denied any conversation with the alleged outlaw. He claimed that the voice attributed to him in the tape was not his. He also claimed that he had never talked to the alleged outlaw on his cell phone.
Despite the Minister's repudiation, the BJP-led opposition made it clear that it would raise the issue in Parliament on Monday and demand that the Minister be sacked and a criminal case registered against him on the basis of the taped conversation.
"If Zee News claim that the tape was officially recorded by the law agencies is correct, this is a very serious matter and the Prime Minister should immediately remove the Minister and take action against him," BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar said.
Senior Supreme Court advocate and former Solicitor General Harish Salve also said that the tape was evidence of the Minister's culpability and his connections with the mafia don should be investigated by the police after taking him into custody.
Zee News claimed that the UP Police was officially taping the cell phone used by Sundar Singh Bhati in Bulandshahr Jail and the<b> Minister was talking to him from the phone of one of his associates and not from his official telephone.</b>
It also claimed that the official agency that had taped the alleged conversation, which took place in May this year, had satisfied itself that the voice on the taped conversation matched that of the Minister.
<b>The tape showed that the outlaw had sought the minister's help in getting the jail superintendent of Bulandshahr, identified as RK Kesarwani, transferred within 24 hours</b>. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Whether he had used offical or unofficial phone, minister should be kicked out ASAP.
<!--QuoteBegin-Capt Manmohan Kumar+Aug 12 2006, 09:34 AM-->QUOTE(Capt Manmohan Kumar @ Aug 12 2006, 09:34 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin--><!--emo& --><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo--> Mumbai: Pawar says he added fictional 12th blast in Muslim area
NEW DELHI, AUGUST 11:For the first time, Sharad Pawar has admitted, on record, that he had âdeliberately misledâ people following the 1993 Mumbai blasts by saying there were 12 and not 11 explosions, adding the name of a Muslim-dominated locality to show that people from both communities had been affected.
...
âI went on TV and deliberately misled people. Instead of 11 explosions I told 12 and one of those areas was Masjid Bunder, dominated by minorities,â Pawar said.
And then at the Air India office, where the first explosion had occurred, Pawar came up with another âdeliberate fudgeâ to prevent riots.
More in here: To keep the peace, I misled people on â93 blasts: Pawar
[right][snapback]55539[/snapback][/right]
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Now I get it. Antulay and Arjun Singh and all sundry UPA leaders were blaming Hindus and such for Mumbai 7/11 blasts. Must be really some sort of genuis to spread blame elsewhere in order to 'keep peace'.
<!--emo&:cool--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/specool.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='specool.gif' /><!--endemo--> 'When I lost in '99, I had to apologise to her'
Rustam Roy
[ 12 Aug, 2006 1305hrs ISTINDIATIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
RSS Feeds| SMS NEWS to 8888 for latest updates
Q: What next?
Manvendra: I want to instill a certain sense of discipline. I think what we are essentially lacking is an integrity about politics and a certain discipline in the style of functioning.
I don't get into the game of comparing the growth of India with some other country because each society lives in a different situation and circumstances cannot be compared in either country. I don't think we must be like this or that, that's rubbish.
We can only keep ourselves down so I'm looking to improve ourselves. I believe in criticising ourselves because unless you don't practice internal criticism, you won't be able to grow as a nation.
Q: Do you think the pace of progress in India is so slow that the message is often lost?
Manvendra: Yes that is because we don't change our structure. The structure that was there in 1950 is still there in 2006 when society was completely different.
Q: How will you change it?
Manvendra: The society has to realise that it wants to change. I'm doing it for my constituency as that is my area of influence. The need for change is something that has to come from within society.
Politics is not the answer to all the problems, sometimes politics is part of the problem. It is for society to realize what it wants for itself. What I feel is not just limited to political patronage or political position, it is also to give a certain direction to the area that I influence and that is what I try to do.
Q: Am I speaking to the future Foreign Minister of India?
Manvendra : I hope not. (smiles)
Q: Why is that?
Manvendra: I don't want to be in a post I'm not cut out for!
Q: So which ministerial post is best suited for you?
Manvendra: Well, something with which I'm familiar and I'm intellectually comfortable with. I can contribute in that sense.
Q: And what would that be?
Manvendra: That is for the party to decide what my intellectual contribution is!
Q: You follow the Liverpool football team. Your favourite player?
Manvendra: Yes of course, you see the emblem hanging there (I look up and the slogan says: You will never walk alone). In the current team, the best player is Gerrard - he is the best mid-fielder in the world. I also wear a Liverpool armband. (He shows it to me proudly, a red armband)
Q: What did you think about the Zidane head-butt? Which team were you supporting in the World Cup final, France or Italy? Which is your favourite team?
Manvendra: I was supporting any team which had Liverpool players. Obviously, Zidane was provoked -- the Italians have a way of provoking people.
Q: India went completely berserk with the month-long World Cup. What is your take?
Manvendra: I think it was a television event. I think anything which is determined by television is not a long-lasting phenomenon. It has to stay longer in our minds for it to have an impact on society. That is why I want to set up a football academy.
My constituents love the idea because at one time there were several players from Rajasthan in the Indian team.
Like I said earlier, my idea is to start from the grassroots and not urban areas. The pyramid has to be made from the bottom and not from the top. I have a 15 -20 year vision for my academy.
Q: What is Mr.Manvendra Singh's message to the nation?
Manvendra: Participate. Don't be cynical, be optimistic and have a blast.
< Previous|1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|10|
I want to instill discipline: Manvendra
From Daily Pioneer
Who's Who: Discover a new world
Vir Sanghvi, Shekhar Gupta, Chandan Mitra... beware! You have no mean competition. After all, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, L K Advani, Pranab Mukherjee, George Fernandes are all journalists.
-----
The cynics who thought our Parliament was filled with criminals and self-serving manipulators, must go through the Who's Who section accessible on internet. While the most common professions listed by our MPs are farmer, social worker, writer and advocate, a majority of them are animated by the passion for the service of poor and the weaker sections. <b>Not just Arjun Singh and Ahmed Patel but even Madhepura MP Pappu Yadav and Mohd Shahabuddin are list as humble farmers</b>
Look what <b>Sadhu Yadav's goal is: "Implementation of works based on human values and establishing healthy social traditions</b>." Lalu's notorious brother-in-law's special interests are: "Social service, participating in debates, symposia, seminars for intellectual development." Another RJD member of Lok Sabha from Siwan, <b>Mohd Shahabuddin, who is an MA in political science and even done his PhD, lists his special interest as "promotion of educational institutions of advance learning</b>."
Rahul Gandhi, son of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who has mentioned her profession as politics, is yet to accept himself as a politician. Rahul, who has done his M Phil in Developmental Economics from Trinity College at Cambridge University, says he is a 'consultant'.
Among the other younger leaders of the Congress, Sachin Pilot and Jitin Prasada, both MBAs, claim to be "agriculturist" but Jyotiraditya Scindia, also an MBA from Havard, has this as his profession: Politician.
Among the BJP's younger lot, Manvendra Singh, son of former Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh, takes pride in describing himself as a journalist but Dushyant Singh, son of Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia, says he as a businessman. Manavendra has done his MA from Hampshire College, US, and Dushyant is an MBA in hotel administration from Switzerland. While Manavendra's special interest is writing, Dushyant says "assisted in organizing tourism festivals in Jhalawar" as his social activity.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav's son <b>Akhilesh appears far more experienced. An engineer by profession, he describes his social activity thus: "Struggling for development of rural poor, farmers and the downtrodden." His special interest? "Fighting corruption</b>." His uncle Ram Gopal Yadav is, however, candid enough to admit that his special interest is playing with children while senior Samajwadi Party PM Ramjilal Suman chooses to reveal his romantic self by mentioning his special interest as "reciting Urdu poetry."
The BJP member, Yogi Avaidyanath, who lists his profession as "religious missionary" is a science graduate and Kharbela Swain, the busiest politician in Parliament, is an artist and dramatist. Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Jaswant Singh's social activity is no less interesting - "actively engaged in efforts aimed at persuading people to give up drugs and drinking." Congress leader Santosh Mohan Deb's profession includes "maintaining communal harmony!"
Janata Dal-U leader George Fernandes, who is also the convenor of the National Democratic Alliance that proudly flaunts its Pokhran-II feat, enlists "anti-nuclear campaign" as his special interest.
Congress Rajya Sabha member and Minister Subbarami Reddy, whose USP in political circles is throwing lavish parties at five star hotels, is a "philanthropist and an eminent public orator in English and Telugu."
<!--emo&:clapping--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/clap.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='clap.gif' /><!--endemo--> Shekhawat praised for 4-yr stewardship
[ 20 Aug, 2006 0031hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
RSS Feeds| SMS NEWS to 8888 for latest updates
NEW DELHI: The ringing applause for Bhairon Singh Shekhawat as he completed four years as Rajya Sabha chairman on Friday would lead one to believe that he was born for the job.
Far from it. Rising to be the presiding officer of an August House would have been the unlikeliest job description for the son of a humble farmer from Rajasthan who had to drop studies after high school following his father's death.
Even his flourishing political career - upon which he embarked in 1952 clothed in saffron robes - did not give any indication to the enormous success he would be as chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
At a time when divisiveness and partisanship is the name of the political game, the 83-year-old Shekh-awat has steered clear of all controversy and brought a great degree of dignity to a thankless job.
Shekhawat's part in running the Upper House in an orderly and fair manner is all the more remarkable compared to Somnath Chatterjee's turbulent time as Lok Sabha Speaker.
While Chatterjee has hurtled from one controversy to the other, Shekhawat has been almost invisible, doing what the Constitution asks of him without fear or favour.
However, it was not predicted to be so at the start of his tenure. Coming as he did from the saffron camp was enough for the naysayers to be sceptic. But Shekhawat proved everybody wrong.
<b>Cash-for-Query MPs may be reinstated </b>
When rapist, criminals, murder, moles are ministers in UPA, why not have cash for query MPs. They have to learn, how to reach to top. Every year new crime should be added to their resume.
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