Kaun Banega Next Prez

[ramana]

Or atleast have her (NH) as the Vice President!

Meanwhile in Business standard

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->PLAIN POLITICS

Aditi Phadnis / New Delhi June 16, 2007



<b>The Presidential nomination drama has diminished the Congress’ authority. </b>
 
All her working political life, Pratibha Patil, likely to become the next President of India and the only woman ever to occupy the post, has used her maiden name. <b>It must, therefore, have been galling for her to hear her former adversary and current supposed benefactor, Sharad Pawar, direct reporters to kindly refer to her as Patil-Shekhawat—because that’s what her name is. </b>
 
So Patil-Shekhawat will change her name in the service of the nation, adding a caste and patriarchal appellation because it will help her win the election. She has let Sonia Gandhi know that she contested her first election as a Patil and did not change her name after that. The real reason probably is that ‘Shekhawat’ has no resonance in Maharashtra whereas ‘Patil’ might have fetched you some community votes. 
 
<b>After a nondescript political career, during which she did very little to represent women, has the best woman won? And if she does become President, will it be for the right reasons? 
 
More than any other election, this election is a national shame—because it represents everything that is regressive about the Indian system. Patil-Shekhawat is being supported by the Congress for one reason and one reason alone: that she has the right name. That she is uncontroversial and non-threatening is being described in Congress circles as her biggest strength. The Congress did not go out purposefully in search of a qualified, appropriate woman candidate for Presidentship who could become a consensus candidate. They chanced upon Patil-Shekhawat when the Left and the DMK put their foot down and nixed three other names they were offered.</b> 
 
Patil-Shekhawat has an MA and an LLB and she was a practising lawyer in Jalgaon, where she belongs. Combined with 18 years of political experience during which she nearly became chief minister (nearly—she was denied the chance because of Sanjay Gandhi, who preferred a supplicant Muslim in A R Antulay), this is being cited by the Congress as a great achievement by the standards of the 1960s and ‘70s. 
 
Look around you, cry Congress managers. Do you see a woman in the Congress better qualified and more experienced? The urge to retort is strong: and whose fault is that? In the new Goa assembly, there is one woman MLA out of 40. The Maharashtra government does not have a single woman minister. 
 
<b>Patil-Shekhawat’s nomination is also distressing and depressing because it represents double defeat for the Congress. One, the Left and the DMK are now strong enough to turn down not one, not two, but three choices of the Congress for President.</b> 
 
<b>Shivraj Patil’s nomination was rejected by the Left not because they wanted a woman. It was rejected because they considered the home minister as being communal and incompetent.</b> One could ask how they can hold this view and still shore up the government. One must also marvel at the home minister’s capacity to absorb humiliation silently.  <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->
 
<b>But more than that, it says something about the leadership in the Congress today.</b> Indira Gandhi may have had the numbers but there were times she was at war with her own party. Would she, as a leader of the party, have tolerated any section of the Left dictating to her and humiliating her colleagues as it has done today? 
 
<b>What little the Left did not do, the Congress leadership did itself. Pranab Mukherjee was moved from defence to external affairs, because he is efficient; and denied a chance at Rashtrapati Bhavan because he is too efficient. The trust deficit between him and 10 Janpath is now so well-known that the water carriers in the AICC talk about it.</b> 
 
In order to buttress the case against him, Congress managers say he was not elevated because the Left canvassed for him too enthusiastically. There are also suggestions that he orchestrated the campaign himself. This is totally untrue, but it appears to have caught the imagination of the Congress President. 
 
<b>If a Presidential election is about give and take</b>—in power politics, in policy, as a bonding force—<b>the Congress </b>has resoundingly lost the game. It <b>has just given, got nothing in return.</b> The Left and the DMK have demonstrated they have the power of veto—indeed, Karunanidhi is going to return to Tamil Nadu and boast that it was he who installed a woman President in Rashtrapati Bhavan, when the Congress was getting ready to put in place a man who couldn’t control law and order. 
 
And the Congress? Instead of extracting parliamentary assurances on various legislative and reform measures from the Left in return for keeping the home minister out of Rashtrapati Bhavan, the party has quietly succumbed to pressure with nothing to show for it. 
 
The 2007 Presidential election is going to be an exciting one. But is it going to be one that helps get glory for the Congress? Not hardly likely. 
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Actually the INC is playing for the next elections. The way the Constitution is written it is the single largest party that will get chosen to form the govt. Its not the largest combination. Once chosen it can form all sort of inducements to keep communla forces out of government. So for the NDA its very important to not only win the next elections as a coalition but also e the largest party to be invited to form the government.

However with myopic vision they may not be able to choose the strategy to achieve this. And their allies are just wonderful in ensuring that they dont get elected in numbers to ensure that they get plum posts in any future cabinet.

[ramana]

<!--QuoteBegin-Viren+Jun 15 2007, 06:02 PM-->QUOTE(Viren @ Jun 15 2007, 06:02 PM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->These are numbers:

Figure stacked in the Presidential race:
Congress                                                    280,000
UPA allies                                                    141,000
Left                                                            111,000
UPA total                                                    532,000
BSP                                                            57,200
NDA and rest of the parties including SP        511,000

from IBN

NDA clearly has the chances to play the spoiler here if they stick together.


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Where does the Third Front stand? Or is it already in the 511K figure?

What the NDA needs is to break the UPA allies - 20K and 40K from INC. Or need to have ABV visit Mayawati.


Still very fluid till voting day. The press is busy writing off the NDA candidate before he/she is named. And praising SG for her wile when she is obviously forced to choose Patil-Shekawati.

Strange courtier behavior. Loss is praised as victory. <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo-->

[Guest]

NDA definitely has the chance to give a fight of their life. Too much of stupidity like Maharastrian etc are coming into picture. Even BJP should go for an impure saffron in this fight.

[ramana]

Pioneer Op-Ed

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Who will be the next President?

DN Mishra

The President of India is merely a titular head. He has to abide by the decision of the Government. At best, he can refer back a decision of the Cabinet only once but if it is returned to him the second time he has to put his stamp of approval. But, he plays a significant role when there is a fractured mandate or even otherwise in case of disputable arithmetic of numbers in the Lok Sabha.

<b>After the election of 2004 Lok Sabha, if in place of APJ Abdul Kalam the preceding occupant was there, he would have administered the oath of office of Prime Minister to Sonia Gandhi. Imagine what would have happened?</b>

Today, at the juncture of this Presidential election, there is a similar situation. <b>The impending Lok Sabha election is not going to yield the magic majority for any party. Alliances have to be there. In such a situation, the President's role will be crucial. Many names are doing the rounds.</b> There are debates on why not give APJ Abdul Kalam a second term. In fact, the BJP leaders had gone to him with a request. His response was positive in words but negative in content.

He agreed but with the condition that his candidature would have to be unanimous, knowing well the hostile attitude of Sonia Gandhi. Next followed the debate over politician vs non-politician in Rashtrapathi Bhawan. The Left wants a political President. Various surveys conducted showed that 70 per cent to 90 per cent people want that Kalam be given a second term. If there were direct elections for Presidentship, Kalam would have won hands down.

Then there was serious proposal for Narayananmurthy of Infosys. Various non-political people like Mashelkar and, Rahul Bajaj were speculated upon. <b>From the Congress side, the first name that appeared was that of Sushil Kumar Shinde hoping that he would get the votes of Schedule Caste MPs across partylines. But with the UP elections and Mayawati emerging at the top, the scenario changed. She would not like any other Dalit leader to be seen higher than herself. So Shinde's fate got sealed.</b>

She proposed a Brahmin candidate. A number of names came up - Pranab Mukherjee, ND Tiwari, Motilal Vohra and Vasant Sathe. Mukherjee being the only experienced Minister in the Cabinet who apparently couldn't be spared and Tiwari were out of favour. <b>In his own eyes, Arjun Singh is the senior most among the Congressmen. But he is unpopular.</b>

Now it has been officially declared that Sonia Gandhi will decide the Congress candidate at an appropriate time. I have witnessed a number of Presidential elections and one name that invariably gets floated every time is Dr Karan Singh. <b>At present, the Congress is seriously pursuing a Muslim appeasement policy. </b>So, the name of former Chief Justice AH Ahmadi also did the rounds. One can go on adding any number of candidates if newspapers are guides.

<b>On the contrary, Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat is conducting a campaign for himself. He will have leave no stone unturned. He went to Jyoti Basu seeking his support. He conducted Rajya Sabha as Chairman with grace and aplomb. He has friends across partylines. If one can recall, the Vice-Presidential election he made history of sorts as the NDA candidate. The NDA's numerical strength was enough to win Vice-Presidentship, but he got 45 votes more from parties not in the NDA.</b>

Shekhawat is not only a political figure but a clever one too. <b>One can recall the first support he got from SP which organised an election rally during a UP campaign. It was addressed by J Jayalalitha, Om Prakash Chautala, Chandrababu Naidu and AGP leader Brindaban Goswami.</b> It is obvious that for all these parties the choice is Shekhawat.

Recently, there was a meeting of leaders of eight parties. In Chennai meeting due next week it may be formalised. <b>I think that the formation Third Front may tern out to be only an aggregation of parties. I say so because there must be a solid all India pole around which allies may play their role. Without a strong central pole, Government could be disastrous, as we are witnessing in the UPA.</b> It is not only on the price front, internal security minority appeasement but also on economic front and the conduct of foreign policy, the UPA conglomerate is full of discordant voices. <b>A stable pole at the Centre is essential which the Third Front lacks.</b>

<b>But the Third Front may play a crucial role in the President's election. On the surface if looks like the Congress candidate will win hands-down for there is a gap of 1.1 lakh votes between Shekhawat and so far the unknown Congress candidate. But don't be too sure of this result for 1.1 lakh vote gap is too small a margin. Just 60,000 votes falling into the net of Shekhawat will turn the table.</b>



This Presidential election is going to be interesting one.

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[ramana]

From Deccan Chronicel, 16 June 2007. <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' /><!--endemo-->

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Heavyweights were Left out
 

New Delhi, June 15: Congress heavyweights in the race for the presidency failed to impress the Left parties and their own party high command during the exercise to evolve a consensus. This ultimately helped Ms Pratibha Patil, who was nowhere in the race till Thursday.

While Congress chief Sonia Gandhi’s refusal to relieve party heavyweight <b>Pranab Mukherjee</b> from his duties as external affairs minister and other party responsibilities was the official reason for him not being considered, <b>the real reason is that Mrs Gandhi does not trust Mr Pranab Mukherjee. The same is the case with Mr Arjun Singh, the Union HRD minister</b>, who also lacked support in his party because of his age and other factors, like the OBC quota controversy, though the Left had a soft corner for the HRD minister.

<b>The other names that were discussed and dropped </b>were those of Union home minister Shivraj Patil, Congress Working Committee member Mohsina Kidwai, Union power minister Sushilkumar Shinde, Dr Karan Singh, veteran leader N.D. Tiwari, AICC treasurer Motilal Vora, senior dalit leader and Congress deputy leader in the Lok Sabha G. Venkatswamy, party in-charge for Tamil Nadu and Kerala Veerappa Moily, Madhya Pradesh governor Balram Jakhar, All-India Congress Committee general secretary Margaret Alva and Union social justice and empowerment minister Meira Kumar.

Among the women leaders, sources said the names of Ms Mohsina Kidwai, Ms Margaret Alva, Ms Meira Kumar and Ms Nirmala Deshpande were discussed at Thursday’s consultations at the Prime Minister’s residence here, but <b>Ms Pratibha Patil was preferred by the Left without a murmur, and also by the Congress.</b>

The Marxists’ opposition to Mr Shivraj Patil further delayed the process. <b>The Left opposed Mr Patil on the grounds that he would not have made a good candidate while Mr Sushilkumar Shinde’s candidature was opposed as unacceptable by BSP chief Mayawati.</b>

<b>Dr Karan Singh’s royal lineage went against him and his association with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad weakened his case with the Left.</b> Though Dr Karan Singh denied any association with the VHP, it was not enough to convince the Marxists.  It was earlier thought within the Congress that Ms Mayawati would prefer a brahmin from the north, especially Mr N.D. Tiwari or Mr Motilal Vora, but their names were non-starters.

As far as Mr G. Venkatswamy and Mr Balram Jakhar were concerned, no one within the Congress took their claims seriously.<b> Mr Shinde was already a dalit face so Mr Venkatswamy’s status as a senior dalit leader was already covered by Mr Shinde. Mr Veerappa Moily was earlier considered for the post of vice-president but later a section of the Congress felt the Left would back the former Karnataka chief minister and OBC leader for President.</b> However, by that time the Congress had played the "woman card" to evolve a consensus without further delay. Barring Mr Jakhar, <b>the rest of them have been playing important roles in the government, and in the party, but neither their performance nor standing in public life could influence those who mattered.</b>

While the Congress played every cards to make its nominee acceptable, <b>the Left had laid down criteria to stop "loyalists" from going to Rashtrapati Bhavan during the two-week exercise. </b>

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[Guest]

When push comes to shove, lefties will go Cong way rather than NDA. Mayawati seems to have seen this coming and extracted her pound of flesh (dropping of Taj corridor case, Rs 7000 cr for state etc) and made pact with Cong on this issue. NDA has some crypt-keepers like Thackarey who can't be really counted upon. It's funny to see them harping on first <i>Marathi-manus</i> (or lady) when this Marathi lady did diddly squat when insults were heaped upon them repeatedly - starting with removal of Veer Savarkar plaques. Some back room deals have been struck for sure. NDA doesn't have seem to have the numbers to go at it alone. If they are going to loose, they might sow seeds for long term here.

[Guest]

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->नई दिल्ली। राष्ट्रपति पद के लिए भैरो सिंह शेखावत को बतौर निर्दलीय उम्मीदवार बनाने की पहल पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री चंद्रशेखर ने कर दी है। जल्द ही कुछ और गैर राजग दलों एवं नेताओं की तरफ से शेखावत के पक्ष में ऐसी ही अपील जारी होंगी। संप्रग की गणित के खिलाफ अपनी मुहिम को सफल बनाने में लगा राजग भी अपने स्तर पर तमाम बड़े नेताओं और दलों के संपर्क में है। http://www.jagran.com/news/details.aspx?id=3466940<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Beginning of 3rd front alignment with Shekhawat.

Chandrashekhar announced support to Shekhavat. Says is in touch with other 3rd front parties. Prakash Singh Badal - who is known for connection in third front as well as dravidian parties - takes up the initiative.

[Guest]

<!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo--> Prezing for a dummy

Swapan Dasgupta

I must shamefully confess to being in solidarity with those members of the non-voting classes who, in their naiveté, imagined that President APJ Abdul Kalam would be given a second term on the strength of SMS campaigns. I didn't actually participate in these slightly dubious exercises to swell the coffers of media organisations but I always entertained a profound fondness for the long-haired eccentric who enhanced the dignity of Rashtrapati Bhavan.

As a keen observer of politics, what attracted me to President Kalam was his constant willingness to play with a straight bat. Throughout his tenure, there were many ticklish issues that came up before him. These ranged from exercising his Constitutional prerogatives to putting his signature on Constitutional appointments. On all occasions - barring, perhaps, the imposition of President's Rule in Bihar last year - he played strictly by the book. It is not that he disregarded the advice of the Union Cabinet - he is Constitutionally mandated to follow its guidance on most matters - but it was made clear to the political class that Rashtrapati Bhavan would not bend the rules to favour the ruling dispensation. It was his reputation as an impartial upholder of the Constitution that acted as a deterrent to attempts to subvert India's fragile institutions.

Sonia Gandhi's dramatic resignation from Parliament last year was, for example, a pre-emptive move to avoid disqualification under the Office of Profit rules. Had there been an obliging rubber-stamp in Rashtrapati Bhavan, the UPA Government would have rushed through a highly dubious ordinance. Likewise, it is well known that President Kalam made many Ministers sweat it out with demands for details and clarifications before approving some less-than-wholesome appointments.

What distinguished him from his predecessor was that while President KR Narayanan's awkwardness was based on political preferences, President Kalam's was centred on ethical norms. It was the fear of how President Kalam would react, rather than him actually asserting his independence, that made politicians uncomfortable. His reputation of being "non-political" was based on the fact that he didn't believe it was his job to be sympathetic to the political compulsions of the Government. Kalam was not an activist in the same way as Giani Zail Singh and Narayanan were. His conception of the presidency was deeply conservative.

The sense of propriety that Kalam brought to Rashtrapati Bhavan stemmed from two factors. First, he did not owe his professional achievements in the scientific establishment to politicians. Second, he approached political disputes from the perspective of an outsider. He was not burdened by spurious labels of polarisations. He couldn't be reduced to a convenient stereotype. Finally, Kalam had a large public appeal - in all walks of life, particularly among children - which was totally independent of politics. It was this popularity that gave him a shield against reckless political pressure. Politicians instinctively knew that in any dispute involving the Government and Rashtrapati Bhavan, public sympathy would decisively be with Kalam. He was not someone they could afford to mess with - and so he had to go.

It is this wariness which explains why the more manipulative sections of the ruling coalition, particularly the Left and Sonia loyalists, couldn't countenance either Kalam or someone blessed with the same level of integrity. That is why they kept harping on the importance of having a "politician" as President. But, it was not a case of finding a person with a distinguished and unblemished record in public life. Throughout these past weeks, Sonia has never concealed her preference for loyalty to the dynasty and malleability. She wanted another Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed who signed the declaration of Emergency in 1975 without batting an eyelid. This naturally ruled out Pranab Mukherjee who had walked out on Rajiv in the mid-1980s.

The post-facto tokenism (the "first" woman was the sixth choice of the Congress) surrounding the selection of Pratibha Patil cannot take away from the fact that Sonia wants a dummy occupying the posts of both President and Prime Minister. Bhairon Singh Shekhawat is the last remaining obstacle.

[Guest]

Barnala in race for V-P’s post
Badal backs, Karunanidhi lobbies for him
Sarbjit Dhaliwal
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 15
Surjit Singh Barnala, Governor of Tamil Nadu, has emerged as one of the candidates for the office of the Vice President of India.

Sources today confirmed that the DMK chief and Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M. Karunanidhi, has been lobbying for Barnala for the past some days in this regard.

Sources said Karunanidhi had discussed Barnala’s name for the post of Vice President with the leaders of left parties during his visit to Delhi on June 13.

A senior leader of the DMK on behalf of Karunanidhi had also talked to Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal for making Barnala as candidate.

It is learnt that Badal, who is in Delhi today, has supported the move. He is scheduled to meet senior leaders of the BJP and other parties which are associated with the National Democratic Alliance.

Karunanidhi holds Barnala in a high esteem and has a good personal rapport with the Governor. Karunanidhi and Barnala had become friends in 1990 when the latter took a moral stand and resigned from the Governorship of Tamil Nadu.

[Guest]

http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_st...ntent_id=167280

The Presidency and the papparazzi

Television channels are spinning shameless yarns to cover up their sloppiness

MALVIKA SINGH

There is no scandal that hovers around her person, and no controversy that compels her to be ‘shown’ on our rather sensationalist and opinionated telly. She is not a ‘regular’ on those one-of-a-kind-shows on the little box because she is serious and has a great track record, as she stands apart with quiet dignity from the many professional politicos who are forever pontificating, rather superficially, on the idiot box that has become the modern day ‘manch’ for political rhetoric and endless diatribe. The candidature of Pratibha Patil for the Indian Presidency has been one of the more refreshing announcements in weeks. She was not part of the daily party handouts that journalists of today lap up without question.
The press, particularly the television channels, were totally off the mark. One channel had gone out on a limb, patting itself on the back in an ad that told us constantly that it had broken the news before it happened. It was amusing to watch the celebrated anchors cover up their boo-boo after the name of Ms Patil was announced. The channel had not the remotest idea of what was going on in the Congress party. The viewers were then put through non-stop ‘analytical’ chatter to explain away their supreme lack of true information. Over the last month, earnest anchors with a we-know-it-all smirk, had dressed up the Union home minister as the President-in-waiting. They had run a rather absurd ‘poll’, and tomtommed the result as though they were the kingmakers. Their high-pitched excitement made no sense. With Sonia Gandhi’s googly, they have crumbled, and how
Then, on June 14 after Ms Patil’s name was announced, this one channel told us repetitively through the long evening and into the night that the messy confusion of the Presidential election was because of messy party politics. In fact, the confusion and mess were created by a clueless press that has gotten used to working with ‘press briefs’, doing no legwork whatsoever except at dinner parties. They had managed to create, spread and begin to believe an unsubstantiated story, a modern myth. One of the senior anchors went on to say that Shivraj Patil was Sonia Gandhi’s first choice and that she had to buckle under Left pressure. Again, they were so wrong.

Sonia Gandhi, unless this man had met her secretly and she had confided in him, had announced no name before Pratibha Patil. Why spread something that was not said—an untruth? These guys and gals on TV wrote the screenplay of the farce, enacted it through their pretty faces and strange dialects of English, and when the drama flopped, blamed Sonia Gandhi for their failure because she had pulled the rug from under their pretty feet.
Having gone on and on about Shivraj Patil being Sonia Gandhi’s chosen candidate because of his loyalty, then about Sonia Gandhi wanting a rubber stamp (sic), and all the other simplistic stuff that they churned out, they are now desperately trying to knit a story about the ‘close friendship’ that Sonia and Pratibha share! Hopefully, having manufactured this grand farce, the channel that broadcast this non-news will learn to step out into the real world and give up its ‘lobbying’ instincts, and just report the news as it happens, showing the non-partisan truth through the lens of the camera. There’s no need to make TV reporting a picturised op-ed page.

Many news channels have become so obviously partisan that one is forced to question the veracity of anything presented as ‘news’. Is it the whole truth or half the truth? Are the bits and pieces edited to suit a bias? Is the reality being interpreted in news bulletins? There are other forums on the box for interpretation and analysis, for views and counterpoints. Reporters are there to report, not to add their mindless comments, something they inflict on the audience with undisturbed regularity. English language Indian TV has become predictable even with its ‘breaking news’. Most political reporting is careless, sloppy and juvenile. That Mayawati won Uttar Pradesh by not appearing on the small screen speaks volumes.

[Guest]

http://www.dailypioneer.com/indexn12.asp?m...t&counter_img=3

AIADMK W'nt support Cong nominee in Prez poll

PTI | Chennai

AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa today said her party would not support a Congress nominee in the Presidential election.

"We have taken a decision that we will not support a Congress nominee. It does not matter whether it is a man or a woman. We will go by our decision," she said.

"It was a collective decision of the parties who form part of the non-BJP and non-Congress Front," she said.

A final decision on this regard will be taken on June 18 at the conclave of the (Third) Front leaders here, she told reporters here at the end of the AIADMK executive meeting.

[Guest]

<!--emo&:argue--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/argue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='argue.gif' /><!--endemo--> Woman or man i.e. not the question? Question is no sincere effort has been made on the part of politicians to find out a suitable successor to Prez Kalam if he is not the census candidate for 2nd term. If these trends continue(e.g. Judiciary Vs Politicians), politicians will find going really tough in times to come.
Jai Hind
Capt M Kumar

[Guest]

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Push and pull begins </b>
Pioneer News Service | New Delhi
Man or woman, won't support UPA: Jaya
Amid politically significant moves, the ruling UPA and the Opposition NDA on Saturday stepped up campaigns for garnering support for their respective Presidential candidates. 

In a contest which is bound to test the strength as well as the political acumen of the rival camps, Vice- President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat on Saturday ignored protocol and called on UPA's Presidential nominee Pratibha Patil at Jodhpur House after she arrived in New Delhi on Saturday.

Shekhawat, who was accompanied by Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia, refused to divulge to the media what transpired in his 20-minute meeting with Patil.

Shekhawat's move to meet Patil is being seen as a pre-emptive one as Patil had sought an appointment to meet him.

Expecting a close contest, both camps have adopted the twin strategy to consolidate support within their respective alliances and, simultaneously, poach into the rival's support base.

<b>On a day of hectic activities, Shekhawat spoke to several leaders including AIADMK Chief J Jayalalitha who has, incidentally, made ti clear that there is "no question of supporting the Congress candidate whether man or woman."</b>

<b>Putting his weight behind Shekhawat, former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee talked to Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray while Leader of Opposition LK Advani held talks with Janata Dal(U) leader Sharad Yadav. </b>

<b>After the meeting, Yadav categorically said "there is no difference among us. We will go by the NDA's choice."</b>

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, meanwhile, led the mobilisation drive for UPA by inviting SP general Secretary Amar Singh for talks and having telephonic conversations with Sharad Yadav and Bal Thackeray.

<b>In a pre-emptive exercise, NDA Convenor George Fernandes called on Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav and sought the SP's backing for Shekhawat.</b>

<b>Former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar, another member of the Socialist block, appealed all parties to support Shekhawat.</b>

On its part, the Election Commission on Saturday formally announced the poll schedule. The last date for nominations is June 30. Papers would be scrutinised on July 2. The last date for withdrawals is July 4 and polling will be held on July 19. Counting is fixed for July 21.

On a day of hectic political meetings, NDA sources said they had received signals from AIADMK, SP, Telugu Desam, Indian National Lok Dal and the Asom Gana Parishad that they are ready for a joint strategy to ensure the defeat of the UPA nominee. The group is expected to finalise its stand at a meeting of its constituents in Chennai on Monday. The NDA leaders will meet the same day.
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[Guest]

Rashtrapati, patni or woh?
17 Jun, 2007 l 0143 hrs ISTlJug Suraiya /TIMES NEWS NETWORK
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Pratibha Patil having emerged as the odds-on favourite in the presidential race, there has been speculation as to whether India's first woman president should be referred to as the 'Rashtrapatni', in deference to the gender change which might be effected in a hitherto all-male office. Some, however, might feel that 'Rashtrapatni' not only conveys a sub-text of conjugal obligations which would be most inappropriate, to say the least, in this case but also that such supposed gender sensibility takes political correctness (PC) too far.

For instance, if Hillary Clinton becomes the next US president (again, the first woman to occupy that position) would she be referred to as Mrs Presidentrix ('directrix' being the PC equivalent of the putatively male designation of 'director')? By that token a female doctor should be a doctrix, a woman actor an actrix, and so on, ad absurdum.

As has been pointed out, not all male-allusive nomenclature ('mankind' as a sobriquet for the gender neutral 'humanity', for instance) is suggestive of patriarchalism. For example, everyone talks about 'manholes' (with their subterranean connotations of sewage drains) but not about 'womanholes'. In PC terms, of course, manholes should be called 'peopleholes' or 'humanholes', as should 'manpower' and 'manhunt' be suitably modified.

Such verbal gender gimmickry can have curious results. For instance, there is the 'evolution' of 'chairman', through the desexed 'chairperson' to the literally dehumanised 'chair', which renders a living being into an article of furniture.

To come back to the nominal question of Pratibha Patil as the future occupant of the presidential chair, perhaps a public poll should be conducted to determine what her fellow citizens would like to call the First Political Citizen (Citizene?) of the country. Some might suggest Rashtramata, which would be in keeping with our identification of Bharat Mata as our Motherland. Others, who feel that motherhood is a male-devised ploy to condemn women to a home- and children-bound existence safely away from the sphere of public affairs, might prefer 'Rashtrastree'.

The popular vote, however, could well settle for that ubiquitous and uniquely Indian form of address respectfully and yet affectionately applied to women of a certain age. Yes, India might soon have its first Rashtraunty.

[Guest]

Armed forces have moved on from "senapati" to "senadhyaksha".

So may be its time for a small constitutional amendment to replace the word "rashtrapati" with "rashtradhyaksha". Even the word "adhyaksha" is masculine, but its feminine version is easy "adhyakshaa", and is not as loaded as "rashtra-patni".

[Guest]

Harish Khare begs Shekhawat to withdraw nomination.
http://www.hindu.com/2007/06/18/stories/...671100.htm

[Guest]

It's one of THE most ridiculous articles written. What's this Harish Khare guy's background?

[Guest]

Harish Khare, known commie, Yale product, leader of anti-Modi gang and editor of Toilet newspaper.
<!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->

[Guest]

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Pratibha's remarks on veil generate a row </b>
New Delhi, June. 18 (PTI): The UPA-Left Presidential candidate Pratibha Patil today found herself at the centre of controversy over her remarks on the veil, with historians and Muslim groups terming them historically inaccurate.

<b>The Rajasthan Governor had at a function in Udaipur yesterday said the 'Purdah' system began in India after the Mughal invasion to protect women from the invaders. </b>

B P Sahu, a historian at Delhi University, disagreed with Patil's views, saying the veil existed much before the Mughals arrived in India.

"People are not historically aware that the veil existed in early Indian society. It was a way to show respect to the elders," Sahu said.

"But the idea that the 'Purdah' system started as a result of the invasion by the Mughals is one of the stereotypical ideas that have been taken from the works of British historians," he said.

The Jamaat-e-Ulema-i-Hind said Patil's statement was inaccurate.

"It is wrong to say the 'Purdah' system began after the Mughal invasion. There are several areas in the country where women do not wear the veil and there are several other areas where the veil has always been the practice, even before the Mughals came to India," Ahmed Abdul Hameed Nomani, General Secretary of the Muslim group, said.

He, however, said it was "not an anti-Muslim statement". "It is a widely perceived view and we would not like to see it as an anti-Muslim statement," Nomani said.

Member of the Jama Masjid's consultative committee Yahya Bukhari criticised Patil's statement, saying, "It is a purely religious matter and she has no right to interfere in matters of any religion."

He termed it an "anti-Muslim" statement. "Pratibha Patil is an educated woman. But her statement reeks of ignorance," Bukhari said.

Academician Kamal Mitra Chenoy said the statement was "historically inaccurate".

<b>"Though it is widely believed that the 'Purdah' system began after the Mughal invasion, in fact, it was prevalent earlier,"</b> he said.

Addressing a function to mark the 468th birth anniversary of the 16th Century Mewar ruler Maharana Pratap in Udaipur, Patil had said, "We have been practising 'Purdah' in Rajasthan, which was brought about since we had to fight the Mughals. We had to protect our women and children and that is why the women were kept behind closed doors."

<b>She went to ask women to give up the 'Purdah'. "We are into the 60th year of Independence. But women are still behind the veil. This is not proper in view of the changing times. We have to change with the times," </b>Patil said.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001...181961.htm<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

If she sticks to her views and don't apologize anyone, my vote is for her.
This will tell us whether she is with spine or not.

[Guest]

Smart move Mr Shekhawat!

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Shekhawat to 'pull out' if Kalam agrees for 2nd term
CNN-IBN
Posted Monday , June 18, 2007 at 21:06
Updated Monday , June 18, 2007 at 21:38

New Delhi: <b>In a quick turn of events, Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhwat on Monday night offered to withdraw from the Presidential race saying he would be happy if consensus could be achieved on the candidature of incumbent President APJ Abdul Kalam.</b>

<b>Shekhawat announced his decision hours after the Third Front decided to back Kalam for the second term in Rashtrapati Bhavan.</b>

Earlier on Monday, Shekhawat had formally thrown in the hat in the presidential contest as in Independent candidate, supported by the NDA. "Nothing would give me greater satisfaction than the President (Kalam) so consenting. For this, total unanimity of all parties is an imperative. I would be happy if that were achieved," Shekhawat said in a statement.

The surprise decision by eight Third Front parties in Chennai earlier on Monday to not go with either NDA or UPA and instead back Kalam for the Presidential post sparked off fast-paced political developments in Delhi.

Seventy-five-year-old Kalam is, however, understood to be reluctant about taking up the post for a second time. But at no occasion, Kalam had given any direct reply on whether he wished to have another innings.

"What I am saying is the only issue that anyone coming to this post has to always keep the nation bigger than himself or herself... For me the nation has always been bigger than myself and it will continue to remain so," he would say. But now, he is back in the limelight again with even NDA leaders expressing their readiness to accept him as a consensus President.

"We will meet Dr APJ Abdul Kalam and persuade him to contest the elections," AIADMK chief Jayalalitha said in Chennai. The Third Front leaders are likely meet President Kalam as early as Wednesday to persuade him to agree to contesting for a second term in Rashtrapati Bhawan. Sources in Rashtrapati Bhavan said Third Front leaders had sought time to meet Kalam on Wednesday.

Given the popularity of President Kalam, the UPA found itself on shaky ground as its candidate Pratibha Patil would now be up against major odds if both the NDA and the Third Front parties manage to convince Kalam to take up presidentship for a second time.

<b>Asked for the party response to the proposal, Congress leader Jayanthi Natarajan said: "We have enormous respect for Dr Kalam. President Kalam has had a remarkable tenure as the President." This clearly showed the predicament the Congress finds itself in. Justifying Patil's candidature, Natarajan said: "Pratibha Patil's candidature is a historical initiative."</b> <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->

<b>Announcing their unanimous support for a second term for Kalam, the Third Front parties, in fact, dismissed Pratibha Patil as a "joke played on the nation by Sonia Gandhi."</b> <!--emo&:clapping--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/clap.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='clap.gif' /><!--endemo-->

They said Pratibha Patil does not have the kind of stature to become President. "Kalam is a neutral person. Pratibha Patil cannot be compared to Dr Kalam," TDP leader Chandrababu Naidu said in Chennai after the meeting.

The Third Front leaders also pointed out that Kalam commands the respect of all sections of the society. The eight parties also requested other political parties to put aside political considerations and support Kalam's candidature. "We will wait for the political response," Jayalalitha said.

(With agency inputs)<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->