07-18-2007, 01:05 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Pratibha uses luxurious Falcon for campaigning </b>
Pioneer.com
Nidhi Sharma | New Delhi
The run-up to the election for the thirteenth President of India seems to have become a display of power, speed and comfort. No, not the plain and simple arithmetic of who has the numbers. But a show of who has arrived on the political scene. <b>Unlike any other presidential candidate in the history of India, UPA-Left nominee Pratibha Patil is jet-setting all across India in a hired Falcon and Bombardier Global Express executive jets to woo the electors</b>.
So what is the big deal about these jets? For the uninitiated, these are one of the most expensive jets that can be hired. If you want to show the world that you have arrived, you travel in a Falcon or a Bombardier Global Express. Rather than using a commercial airline or hire a less ostentatious aircraft like Cessna or Beechcraft, the Congress has chosen a Falcon. According to Civil Aviation Ministry records, there are only eight Falcons in India. Three are owned by the Tata Group, two by GMR, one each by Anil Ambani, Mukesh Ambani and the Hindujas.
<b>Travelling in a Falcon is like travelling in the lap of luxury</b>. It is what Anil Ambani lent to the Bachchans to visit Tirupati after Abhishek got married to Aishwarya Rai. Predictably, his group did not loan its Falcon to the UPA-Left presidential candidate. <b>It is learnt that two aircraft with markings VT-DHA and VT-TBT were used by Pratibha. The first one, which was used twice is a Bombardier Global Express, which is a top-notch jet owned by the likes of Steven Spielberg and Bill Gates. The second aircraft, a Falcon 2000, was used thrice. These are believed to be owned by two of India's topmost industrial houses, both headquartered in Mumbai.</b>
Though all luxury jets can be customised to be what the owner wants them to be. Most Falcons have two sections. One section has a private area with a double bed, shower, personal entertainment system, a library of films and facilities for phone calls and faxes. The second section has 7-8 seats in plush leather that can recline to become cosy beds. It has a separate bathroom too.
Usually hiring a private jet could cost anywhere between Rs 45,000 to Rs 70,000 per hour, including fuel costs, landing fees, parking and waiting charges. However, Falcon is a class apart. <b>The Congress has been very tight-lipped about the expenses incurred by Patil on her campaign. Party treasurer Moti Lal Vora said, "We will pay the bill when it is furnished". </b>
Patil has already campaigned in 18 States and Union Territories. Starting with Chennai on July 1, Patil has already flown in her Falcon to Trivandrum, Pudducherry, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Srinagar, Chandigarh, Simla, Patna, Ranchi, Bhubaneshwar, Bhopal, Jaipur, Raipur, Kolkata, Gujarat and Goa. The Congress, however, is in no mood to give a breather to the 72-year-old. There are last minute campaign plans for Wednesday - a day before the Electoral College votes for the 13th President of India. Sources said that Patil would have to cover Maharashtra before Thursday.
It is not uncommon for politicians to hire private jets to zip from one place to another. Business houses often loan out their jets and just to maintain the facade of public propriety the political party pays the fuel cost. However, <b>this is the first time that a presidential candidate has ever travelled on a Falcon for a nation-wide campaign.</b>
<b>Patil's predecessors showed no such inclination to campaign. Giani Zail Singh, Shankar Dayal Sharma, KR Narayanan and APJ Abdul Kalam did not campaign on such a scale.</b>
The Election Commission of India has not set any cap on expenditure for presidential elections. Unlike candidates contesting parliamentary and Assembly polls, <b>the presidential candidates do not even have to declare assets, furnish details of daily expenses on campaigning or criminal record before the Election Commission. This grey area seems to have helped the UPA-Left's presidential candidate. The scale of the campaign is massive</b>.
Political observers point out that the Electoral College would soon be electing the First Citizen of India, who has not only undertaken an unparalleled campaign but also never declared her assets in the public domain. The last time she was a member of Parliament, there was no rule making declaration of assets mandatory.
The Congress leaders, however, are defending this extravagant exercise by terming it as "tradition". On the need to take Patil to all State capitals party general secretary Digvijay Singh said, "It is a Congress tradition that if a presidential candidate is not a unanimous choice, he is taken to all State capitals." This kind of campaigning, however, is unprecedented. Presidential elections have always been contested but apart from the 1969 VV Giri-Sanjeeva Reddy contest, the fights have never been this close.
Even then, Reddy -- the official candidate of the Congress did not tour the country. Parliamentary Affairs Minister P R Dasmunsi calls those days "charming". He said: "VV Giri campaigned in one or two odd places. But those days were different. Chandrashekharji went to campaign for Giri on behalf of Indiraji. The fight was different."
What is inexplicable is that when UPA-Left combine has the desired numbers, why does the candidate need to undertake a campaign similar to parliamentary and Assembly elections. As per the Congress' own estimates, released by Dasmunsi last week, the UPA-Left nominee can bank upon 6,31,464 votes in the Electoral College - well above the half way mark required for sweeping the presidential elections.
<b>Itinerary</b>
July 1 Chennai
5 Trivandrum, Pudducherry
6 Bangalore, Hyderabad
7 Srinagar
8 Chandigarh, Simla
10 Patna, Ranchi, Bhubaneshwar
11 Bhopal, Jaipur, Raipur
13 Kolkata
14 Delhi
15 Gujarat, Goa
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
It must be Hindujas or Mukesh Ambani group.
Pioneer.com
Nidhi Sharma | New Delhi
The run-up to the election for the thirteenth President of India seems to have become a display of power, speed and comfort. No, not the plain and simple arithmetic of who has the numbers. But a show of who has arrived on the political scene. <b>Unlike any other presidential candidate in the history of India, UPA-Left nominee Pratibha Patil is jet-setting all across India in a hired Falcon and Bombardier Global Express executive jets to woo the electors</b>.
So what is the big deal about these jets? For the uninitiated, these are one of the most expensive jets that can be hired. If you want to show the world that you have arrived, you travel in a Falcon or a Bombardier Global Express. Rather than using a commercial airline or hire a less ostentatious aircraft like Cessna or Beechcraft, the Congress has chosen a Falcon. According to Civil Aviation Ministry records, there are only eight Falcons in India. Three are owned by the Tata Group, two by GMR, one each by Anil Ambani, Mukesh Ambani and the Hindujas.
<b>Travelling in a Falcon is like travelling in the lap of luxury</b>. It is what Anil Ambani lent to the Bachchans to visit Tirupati after Abhishek got married to Aishwarya Rai. Predictably, his group did not loan its Falcon to the UPA-Left presidential candidate. <b>It is learnt that two aircraft with markings VT-DHA and VT-TBT were used by Pratibha. The first one, which was used twice is a Bombardier Global Express, which is a top-notch jet owned by the likes of Steven Spielberg and Bill Gates. The second aircraft, a Falcon 2000, was used thrice. These are believed to be owned by two of India's topmost industrial houses, both headquartered in Mumbai.</b>
Though all luxury jets can be customised to be what the owner wants them to be. Most Falcons have two sections. One section has a private area with a double bed, shower, personal entertainment system, a library of films and facilities for phone calls and faxes. The second section has 7-8 seats in plush leather that can recline to become cosy beds. It has a separate bathroom too.
Usually hiring a private jet could cost anywhere between Rs 45,000 to Rs 70,000 per hour, including fuel costs, landing fees, parking and waiting charges. However, Falcon is a class apart. <b>The Congress has been very tight-lipped about the expenses incurred by Patil on her campaign. Party treasurer Moti Lal Vora said, "We will pay the bill when it is furnished". </b>
Patil has already campaigned in 18 States and Union Territories. Starting with Chennai on July 1, Patil has already flown in her Falcon to Trivandrum, Pudducherry, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Srinagar, Chandigarh, Simla, Patna, Ranchi, Bhubaneshwar, Bhopal, Jaipur, Raipur, Kolkata, Gujarat and Goa. The Congress, however, is in no mood to give a breather to the 72-year-old. There are last minute campaign plans for Wednesday - a day before the Electoral College votes for the 13th President of India. Sources said that Patil would have to cover Maharashtra before Thursday.
It is not uncommon for politicians to hire private jets to zip from one place to another. Business houses often loan out their jets and just to maintain the facade of public propriety the political party pays the fuel cost. However, <b>this is the first time that a presidential candidate has ever travelled on a Falcon for a nation-wide campaign.</b>
<b>Patil's predecessors showed no such inclination to campaign. Giani Zail Singh, Shankar Dayal Sharma, KR Narayanan and APJ Abdul Kalam did not campaign on such a scale.</b>
The Election Commission of India has not set any cap on expenditure for presidential elections. Unlike candidates contesting parliamentary and Assembly polls, <b>the presidential candidates do not even have to declare assets, furnish details of daily expenses on campaigning or criminal record before the Election Commission. This grey area seems to have helped the UPA-Left's presidential candidate. The scale of the campaign is massive</b>.
Political observers point out that the Electoral College would soon be electing the First Citizen of India, who has not only undertaken an unparalleled campaign but also never declared her assets in the public domain. The last time she was a member of Parliament, there was no rule making declaration of assets mandatory.
The Congress leaders, however, are defending this extravagant exercise by terming it as "tradition". On the need to take Patil to all State capitals party general secretary Digvijay Singh said, "It is a Congress tradition that if a presidential candidate is not a unanimous choice, he is taken to all State capitals." This kind of campaigning, however, is unprecedented. Presidential elections have always been contested but apart from the 1969 VV Giri-Sanjeeva Reddy contest, the fights have never been this close.
Even then, Reddy -- the official candidate of the Congress did not tour the country. Parliamentary Affairs Minister P R Dasmunsi calls those days "charming". He said: "VV Giri campaigned in one or two odd places. But those days were different. Chandrashekharji went to campaign for Giri on behalf of Indiraji. The fight was different."
What is inexplicable is that when UPA-Left combine has the desired numbers, why does the candidate need to undertake a campaign similar to parliamentary and Assembly elections. As per the Congress' own estimates, released by Dasmunsi last week, the UPA-Left nominee can bank upon 6,31,464 votes in the Electoral College - well above the half way mark required for sweeping the presidential elections.
<b>Itinerary</b>
July 1 Chennai
5 Trivandrum, Pudducherry
6 Bangalore, Hyderabad
7 Srinagar
8 Chandigarh, Simla
10 Patna, Ranchi, Bhubaneshwar
11 Bhopal, Jaipur, Raipur
13 Kolkata
14 Delhi
15 Gujarat, Goa
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
It must be Hindujas or Mukesh Ambani group.