NEW DELHI: Admitting that corruption is the “biggest issue” that is “bleeding people dry”, Rahul Gandhi on Saturday sought to reach out to the India Inc by saying that “arbitrary powers” were holding up projects.

Interacting with business leaders here and responding to their concerns, the Congress vice-president favoured rule-based system in clearances to correct the situation.

Asserting that the UPA government was committed to deal with corruption and push growth, he outlined the steps taken by the government, including enactment of Lokpal, to combat graft.

Gandhi talked about the problems of inflation, clearances, accountability and transparency while underlining the need for pushing the growth to alleviate poverty and making the country the largest economy by the time it turns 100 years old.

“I am in complete agreement with the need for regulatory system to be rapidly and radically modernised. Frankly, there are no excuses for the length of time required to clear some of these projects. We are fast-moving economy. We cannot allow you to be held back by slow decision-making. Accountability has to be clear, fixed and time-bound,” he said, addressing the FICCI Annual General Meeting.

“The biggest problem is absolute arbitrary powers at all levels of the system. This is what we face... In India, there are lot of arbitrary powers. The Environment Minister or the Chief Minister can take any decision he wants,” he said while responding to concerns of the industry that clearances were holding up projects.

“The real issue in all these things, whether land acquisition or environment it is arbitrary power,” Gandhi said, while advocating the need for eliminating the system of arbitrary powers.

He said the “paradigm” in the country has changed and in this scenario, “we have to build rule-based structure... we have to get used to the new paradigm. We have to move away from the arbitrary idea that a Chief Minister and an Environment Minister can do anything.” — PTI

Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan resigns

NEW DELHI: In a shake-up ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan resigned on Saturday from the Union Council of Ministers and more may be in line for being drafted into party work.

The resignation of 59-year-old Natarajan, Minister of State with independent charge of Environment and Forests, has been accepted by the President, a Rashtrapati Bhavan communiqué said.

It also said that Oil Minister M. Veerappa Moily will hold additional charge of the Environment Ministry.

Ms. Natarajan, a senior member of Rajya Sabha doing a third term, hails from Tamil Nadu and was brought into the ministry two years ago.

Sources said Natarajan, who has, of late, been more visible on television channels defending the party, may be drafted for organisation work.

Sources said there could be some more ministers who could resign to be brought to party organisation in preparation for the elections.

Names doing the speculative rounds in this regard are Jairam Ramesh (Rural Development), Sachin Pilot (Corporate Affairs) and Jitender Singh Bhanwar (MoS-Defence).

In the wake of the rout in Rajasthan Assembly elections, Pilot’s name is being talked about as a possible PCC chief.

There is also talk of a reshuffle in the AICC in which some general secretaries may be dropped. Bhanwar, considered close to Rahul Gandhi, is a possible candidate for general secretaryship in the AICC. He had earlier been an AICC Secretary.

In line for change is PCC chief’s post in Haryana which may go to AICC Secretary Ashok Tanwar. — PTI

NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said on Saturday that India and the US are in talks to resolve the stand-off over the alleged mistreatment of an Indian envoy and both sides would not want their close ties to be hurt by this “one incident”.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event at the industry chamber FICCI, the minister said that the ongoing “conversation” between India and the US to resolve the row over the treatment meted out to India’s Deputy Consul General in New York should be allowed to come to its “logical conclusion”.

“Let the conversation go to its logical conclusion... my conversation (with the US) is not completed,’ Khurshid said to questions on what India and US are doing to resolve the stand-off, especially after the US said it would not dilute its legal stand on  Khobragade, who has been charged with visa fraud and underpaying her nanny.

He said India and the US have close ties that have been built up over many years and both sides would not want the partnership to be spoilt over “one incident”.

“People of both sides do not want the ties to be spoilt between two old friends by this one incident,” he said. — IANS

WASHINGTON: The US on Saturday continued to insist that senior Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade will not get retroactive immunity even after her transfer to the Indian mission at the UN even as the two sides said they would remain engaged to resolve the issue.

"When immunity is conferred, it does not retroactively take effect at a previous point in time but relates solely to the diplomat's current status," State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said yesterday.

"So, I think some of the confusion here has been if there is a change in status, does that mean that there is a clean slate from past charges. There's not," Psaki said.

"For anyone, it would apply for the length of time that they have that diplomatic status," the State Department spokesperson said.

However, the US assertion that retroactive immunity is not possible flies in the face of precedents such as the one involving a Saudi prince in 1982 when he was accused of holding an Egyptian woman against her will in Dade County in Florida state.

Observers say that at the time of the incident, Prince Abdulaziz had no diplomatic credentials. But three weeks later, the State Department granted Abdulaziz and his family full diplomatic immunity.

The Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Dade County's counter claims and held that the Prince had been eligible for diplomatic status at the time of the incident even if he had not received it.

The Court ruling, in effect, endorsed the concept of retroactive immunity. The spokesperson said the two countries were trying to resolve the issue. "As you know, we are engaged and in touch with our Indian counterparts. The Secretary has had a call. Under Secretary Sherman has been engaged. And we're continuing the conversation with our Indian counterparts privately.

"We've also put out a range of statements over the past couple of days that I would certainly point you to. I also wanted to point you to the comments of External Affairs Minister (Salman) Khurshid's comments earlier today where he talked about the importance of US-India relations, talked about how valuable they are," Psaki said.

"And we certainly fully agree that it's important to preserve and protect our partnership," Psaki said. "So we will continue these discussions through diplomatic channels, through private conversations," she said. Psaki said Secretary of State John Kerry is planning to call Khurshid soon to discuss the issue and discuss a way forward.

"We (Kerry) reached out to him (Khurshid), and I believe Parliament was in session; he wasn't available at the time, but he looks forward to speaking with him soon when we can align the two schedules up," she said, adding that Kerry has actively engaged on the issue and has received several briefings on the issue."

Paski contended that "receiving diplomatic immunity does not nullify any previously existing criminal charges. Those remain on the books. Nor does obtaining diplomatic immunity protect the diplomat from prosecution indefinitely. It relates to the status of a diplomat's current status for the length of the time of that status," Psaki said.

Diplomatic immunity means, among other things, that a foreign diplomat is not subject to criminal jurisdiction in the United States for the time they are a diplomat, for the time they have that immunity, she said.

After her arrest on visa fraud charges in New York last week, Khobragade, 39, was transfered this week from the Indian consulate to its Permanent Mission at the UN.

Psaki also said that the US is yet to get an official request "through the proper channels for accreditation" and hinted the full diplomatic immunity would remain till the time she is posted at the UN.

A 1999-batch IFS officer, Khobragade was arrested and then handed over to the US Marshals Service (USMS). She has since been posted to India's Permanent Mission in New York. Khobragade was taken into custody as she was dropping her daughter to school before being released on a USD 250,000 bond after pleading not guilty in court.

The ill-treatment of its diplomat evoked a sharp reaction from India which initiated a slew of steps to downgrade the privileges enjoyed by the US diplomats and their families.

India also asked the US to drop all charges against Khobragade and demanded an apology for mistreatment. Khobragade, if convicted, could face a maximum sentence of 10 years for visa fraud and five years for making a false declaration.

Meanwhile, the UN said it has received official notification from India to register Khobragade as a member of the country's Permanent Mission and the request will be processed according to "standard procedures".

"The United Nations has received notification to register Devyani Khobragade as a member of the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations. The United Nations is processing this request per its standard procedures," Acting Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Farhan Haq said.

Haq, however, said he had no comment on whether the criminal charges against Khobragade would impact her getting a UN accreditation or whether she would now enjoy full diplomatic immunity in the case. — PTI

Thiruvananthapuram: The Election Commission has recommended to the Law Ministry to treat all paid news as an electoral offence since it had been causing “maximum damage” to the electoral process, Chief Election Commissioner V.S. Sampath on Saturday said.

“Corruption implications of paid news has its impact on every one... media, candidates and people and it is one that causes maximum damage to the electoral process”, Sampath said while delivering a key-note address at a seminar on ‘Electoral Reforms’, in Thiruvananthapuram.

Paid news should be made an electoral offence so that all those who indulge in it face consequences, he said.

On election model code of conduct for political parties, Mr. Sampath said the practice of giving advertisements by governments in power on its achievements just days before the announcement of poll dates should be stopped. However, there could be exception for issues connected with health, poverty alleviation schemes and on consumer interest, he said.

Stressing that radical reform in the poll arena was the need of the hour, Sampath said decriminalisation of politics, transparency in the functioning of political parties and auditing of political parties funds were some of the areas that needed urgent attention.

On the steps taken in this regard, Sampath said, “We have a long way to go in electoral reforms. Inadequacies have been felt and expressed in many areas. Remedial measures are slow in coming“.

Law to prohibit candidates with criminal records was underway. “However, you cannot expect a drastic change in such things in a short time”, he said.

He ruled out the possibility of making voting by a person mandatory by law. In the last Parliament polls, about 30 crore people did not vote. “So if voting was made mandatory by law, CEC has to take cases against 30 crore people”, he said, adding, it would only add burden of judiciary.

The Election Commission does not believe in compulsion and instead it has launched a nation-wide campaign to promote participation of electorates in voting process, he said, adding the efforts in this regard have reaped success in the recent elections held in five states.

The voting percentage was the highest in the recent history.

Later, when reporters asked about the reaction of the government on Election Commission’s recommendations, Sampath said, “This question has to be put before the Law Minister and parliamentarians“.

On the next poll date, he said the term of the present Lok Sabha expires on May 31 next year. The Election Commission was mandated to conduct the polls before that date. “We will fulfil responsibility in this regard”, he said

Normally, general elections are held in phases. Last time they were held in six stages, he said.

The seminar was organised by Centre for Parliamentary Studies and Training Secretariat of the Kerala Legislature.

Kerala Assembly Speaker G. Karthikeyan and Chief Electoral Officer Kerala, Nalini Netto were among those attended the function. — PTI

MUMBAI: Two weeks after Sanjay Dutt was granted a month-long parole, the Bollywood actor was on Saturday released from Pune’s Yerwada Jail.

Additional Director-General of Prisons Meeran Borwankar confirmed the development to PTI.

Dutt, undergoing remainder of his five-year jail term for possessing illegal firearms, part of a cache of weapons meant to be used during the 1993 blasts, was granted parole on December 6.

The 53-year-old had applied for parole citing ill-health of wife Manyata, to Pune Divisional Commissioner Prabhakar Deshmukh in whom the authority to grant parole is vested.

However, photographs in the media of Manyata purportedly attending the screening of a film and also a celebrity birthday party that day, had raised questions about Dutt’s claim regarding her illness.

A major controversy had erupted over granting parole to Dutt for the second time in little over a month forcing the Maharashtra government to order an inquiry.

Home Minister R.R. Patil had ordered the inquiry to ascertain the basis for granting parole to the film star after allegations of favouritism and protests outside Yerwada jail intensified.

Earlier, the actor had availed of 15 days leave of furlough, extending it further by another fortnight in October on medical grounds.

Dutt was shifted to the central prison in Pune from Mumbai’s Arthur Road Jail in May this year. — PTI

JAIPUR: Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje on Saturday retained 46 ministries as she allotted portfolios of Rural Development and Panchayti Raj, Health and Mines among her Cabinet ministers.

She allotted Rural Development and Panchayti Raj Ministry to Gulab Chand Kataria and Health Ministry to Rajendra Rathore.

Kailash Meghwal was given the Mines Ministry and Kalicharan Saraf was alloted the Education Ministry. Sanwar Mal Jat was appointed the Water Resources Minister.

The ministries retained by Raje include Finance and Home.

On Friday, nine BJP MLAs were sworn in as Cabinet ministers while three others were given independent charge as Minister of State in the Vasundhra Raje government.

Two of the nine Cabinet Ministers, Kataria and Rathore have criminal charges against them.

Kataria, former Home Minister in previous term of Raje, is accused in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case of Gujarat in which CBI has filed a supplementary chargesheet against him early this year.

A Mumbai court has granted him an anticipatory bail.

Rathore was arrested and sent to jail by CBI in connection with the Dara Singh fake encounter case in which about a dozen policemen are already in jail.

A Jaipur court had discharged him in a controversial order even before charges were framed against him. — PTI

WASHINGTON: Acknowledging the need of a system of check and balance to prevent any misuse, US president Barack Obama defended the controversial Internet and phone surveillance program arguing that this keeps the nations safe and has prevented terrorist strike.

Obama said that "there had not been evidence and there continues not to be evidence that the particular program had been abused in how it was used," and that it proved a useful tool for the intelligence community.

The program ensured that any thread on a potential terrorist threat can be followed effectively, Obama said at his last press conference of the year.

Justifying the concerns raised over the disclosures on the surveillance program, the President said "It is clear that whatever benefits the configuration of this particular program may have may be outweighed by the concerns that people have on its potential abuse."

"And if that's the case, there may be another way of skinning the cat," he said.

"So we just keep on going at this stuff and saying, can we do this better? Can we do this more effectively ?" he said adding that the recommendations of the panel which submitted a report in this regard are consistent with that.

Disclosing the recommendations of the panel, Obama said the program is required.

"We can't unilaterally disarm. There are ways we can do it potentially that gives people greater assurance that there are checks and balances, that there's sufficient oversight, sufficient transparency," he said.

It could be redesigned to address such concerns, the President said.

The recommendations of the panel would be implemented, Obama said adding that the disclosures and debates over the program has convinced him that this is only going to work if the American people have confidence and trust.

"So whats going to be important is to build that back up," said the US President.

"I take that into account in weighing how we structure these programs," he said.

He said that the information required by the intelligence agencies could also be obtained by having the private phone companies keep these records longer.

"That might cost more. There might need to be different checks on how those requests are made. There may be technological solutions that have to be found to do that," he said. — PTI