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Sonia scouts for
image makeover Cong claims credit for economic reforms
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Poll dates likely
by month-end Don’t raise
Ayodhya issue during poll: Front Cop among four
held in 980-crore fraud case Probe ordered into
theft of alloy rings Valentine’s Day
celebrated despite threats
Sinha sees move
to subvert ICCR mandate
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Sonia scouts for image makeover New Delhi, February 14 Taking a cue from Britain’s Margaret Thatcher and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Ms Gandhi is said to be actively scouting around for a professional to help her in this task. When running for the Prime Minister’s post, Ms Margaret Thatcher had hired the advertising agency Saatchi and Saatchi which made her famous as the “Iron Lady.” Nearer home, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu hired ad guru Alyque Padamsee to devise his communication package in addition to using him as a “sounding board” for ideas. Congress insiders said Ms Gandhi was essentially looking around for a communications professional who would aid her with her personal communications and press management and also give her an image make-over. “Security is a big issue as far as Ms Gandhi is concerned. The person concerned will have to see how to work within these confines and yet ensure her accessibility,” commented a party insider. This fresh thinking in the Congress on making Ms Gandhi more accessible to the press and the public is a clear departure for the party which virtually revelled in her projection as an “enigma and a mystery”. Party strategists changed tack after the Congress suffered a humiliating defeat in the recent Assembly elections. The Pranab Mukherjee report, which analysed the elections, stressed on the need for using professional help in media management. Consequently, a conscious move has been initiated to change the Congress President’s approach towards the press. To begin with, Ms Gandhi was personally fielded before waiting mediapersons to answer queries after important party meetings. She hosted a special luncheon at her residence for mediapersons covering the Congress. This was followed last week by a dinner for editors of national newspapers and television channels. Another dinner is to be hosted next week for editors of regional and language newspapers and a separate one for Urdu newspapers.
Here, a special effort has been made to reach out to those who are identified as her critics. “She has been meeting mediapersons on an individual basis. But this is the first time she has had this kind of interaction,” said a senior Congress leader, adding that her “roadshows” or “jan samparak” programmes in Uttar Pradesh and other states even also a part of the same plan to demystify Ms Gandhi. It is not just Ms Gandhi but Congress strategists are also trying to ensure that the party’s spokespersons and other “visible faces” become more media-savvy. Perfect Relations, a public relations firm, has been hired to train Congressmen on handling the press and coach them about the identified “talking points” to take on the BJP and project the party. The firm is also to help in media outreach in 48 centres,
identified as critical by the party. This is in addition to an advertising firm which is to be hired for the party’s election campaign. |
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Cong claims credit for economic reforms New Delhi, February 14 While hitting out at the BJP for claiming credit for introducing economic
reforms, the party today publicly claimed these policies as its patent and said these were actually introduced by successive Congress Prime Ministers. On the other hand, the Congress charged that the BJP had consistently opposed the same policies which it was owning up to now. In keeping with its decision to highlight the party’s achievements, the Congress pointed out that it was Indira Gandhi who brought in the Green Revolution, made India a space power, was responsible for the first peaceful nuclear explosion in addition to introducing anti-poverty programmes. Congress secretary Jairam Ramesh said economic reforms were introduced in a modest manner way back by Indira Gandhi with cement decontrol. These were continued by her successor Rajiv Gandhi with the reform process getting a big boost during Mr P.V.Narasimha Rao’s tenure, Mr Ramesh stated. He was careful in not singling out Mr Rao for introducing economic reforms and instead chose to give credit collectively to Congress Prime Ministers, describing it as “change with continuity.” At the same time, Mr Ramesh lashed out at the BJP, stating that it had all along opposed much of the economic reforms introduced by the Congress Prime Ministers and yet it was taking credit for the same policies. Mr Ramesh also rubbished BJP claims on an 8 per cent economic growth, stating that the average growth rate under the NDA government over the past five years had been no more than 5.6 per cent in contrast to the rate during Congress regimes when it ranged from 6 to 9 per cent. |
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Chidambaram meets Sonia New Delhi, February 14 Out in the cold for some time, Mr Chidambaram has been looking to come back to active politics and is learnt to have met Ms Gandhi several times in the recent past in this connection. It is learnt that Mr Chidambaram is pushing for an alliance but the Congress leadership would prefer that he joined the party. Mr Chidambaram has had a long association with the Congress and was a close friend of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. He left the party before the 1996 Lok Sabha poll along with Congress veteran
G.K. Moopanar following a disagreement with the then Prime Minister
P.V. Narasimha Rao over his decision to tie-up with the AIADMK. They floated a separate party, the Tamil Maanila Congress, which entered into an alliance with the DMK and helped Mr Chidambaram return to the Lok Sabha. |
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Poll dates likely by month-end
Tiruchirappalli (TN), February 14 Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswami said here that the commission had lined up a series of meetings with various state and Central Government officials and finalisation of the modalities for the elections could be taken up only in the last week. Mr Gopalaswami, who recently assumed the charge of Election Commissioner, said a meeting of state Chief Secretaries, Electoral Officers and Directors-General of Police would be held in Delhi on February 16 and 17. The commission would then hold discussions with the Union Home Secretary on February 19, followed by a meeting with political parties on the next day, he added. On the dispute between the two factions of the Nationalist Congress Party over the symbol, Mr Gopalaswami, who is here to attend a college function, said the arguments had been completed and the rival factions had been given time up to Friday to submit additional documents. To a question, he said the practice of deploying a mix of Union and state government employees for election work would be continued for the coming elections.
— PTI |
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Don’t raise Ayodhya issue during poll: Front New Delhi, February 14 The political parties, organisations and religious leaders, should not raise the issue at this juncture, rather contribute in solving the problem through negotiated peaceful settlement, said S.M. Asif, president of the front in a statement issued here today. |
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Cop among four held in 980-crore fraud case New Delhi, February 14 The accused — Amrit Lal Syal, Neena Syal and Pamila Syal directors of Golden Forest India Limited and another firm, and an ASI— were arrested following a complaint by an investor. The police told mediapersons that the companies, with headquarters in Chandigarh and branches all over the country, would invite investments from people, offering tempting returns over 10 times the amount invested in 10 years. The accused, it was pointed out, had purchased around 12,000 bighas in Ambala, Dehra Dun and other places and had issued receipt-cum-allotment letters in favour of each investor, showing that he or she had been made co-owner of the big land holding with hundreds of other similar investors. The terms and conditions for investments were far too complicated to be comprehended by the people. The companies had appointed thousands of agents all over the country to rope in the investors. The companies had allegedly collected Rs 980 crore from two crore persons across the country. The investors had been given post-dated cheques, which were likely to be dishonoured, as the bank accounts had become inoperative due to insufficient funds. |
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Probe ordered into theft of alloy rings
Bangalore, February 14 “It is a breach of security, of course.... we have set up a high level committee to inquire into the theft,” Nair told reporters after inaugurating the new telemedicine facility of Narayana Hrudayalaya on the outskirts of the city. He said the titanium rings, developed at the Mishradatu Nigam (Midani), Hyderabad, were one of the first production lots which was kept outside the bonded store for inspection. “This is used for experimental packages. It is not a critical item,” Nair said. The theft of the 29 rings valued at Rs 22.5 lakh was reported on Thursday from the high security LPSC complex during a routine check. Nair said the elite Central Industrial Security Force was looking after the security of the installation. LPSC Group Director C.S. Prasad in a complaint to the police said the rings were brought from the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram. The LPSC is engaged in the development of liquid and cryogenic propulsion stages for launch vehicles and auxiliary propulsion system for both launch vehicles and satellites.
— PTI |
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Valentine’s Day celebrated despite threats
New Delhi, February 14 Shops decorated with heart-shaped balloons did roaring business. Cards and red roses were sold at triple the normal price with many a teenager thronging shopping malls to celebrate the Valentine Day in the Capital. Restaurants and hotels offered special deals for couples as radio and TV stations relayed messages of young lovers on their networks, like many English dailies. However, Shiv Sainiks, who have been protesting against the celebration of what they call a western idea and culture in recent years, burnt down posters and cards in front of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly in Lucknow to register their protest and raided several parks and restaurants to track down young couples. Led by Deputy Chief of Sena’s Lucknow unit K.K Sharma Shiv Sainiks caught several couples moving about in parks and forced them to do push ups and chided them for following western culture, party sources said. The Sena has threatened to force couples caught moving about in the city today to tie the nuptial knot, said Vijay Tiwari, the state unit chief of the Shiv Sena. In Bhopal, activists of the Bajrang Dal and the Shiv Sena held rallies and demonstrations in front of hotels, eateries and gift shops even as the police was deployed to prevent any untoward incident. As the hardliners patrolled the cities to “enforce” the Indian culture, reports from Tamil Nadu spoke of youths celebrating the Valentine’s Day in remote villages. In Kannappan Moolai in Nagapattinam district for the second consecutive year, most of the youngsters, who are construction labourers and elementary school dropouts, put up hand written posters on the walls of houses extolling the virtues of love. Most of them do not even know the history of the Valentine’s Day. They just call it ‘Lover’s Day’.
— PTI |
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‘Cultural police’ beat up couples on Valentine’s Day Lucknow, February 14 Activists of the Shiv Sena burnt greeting cards and an effigy of St Valentine in front of the Assembly in Lucknow. The Bajrang Dal observed ‘Besharam Divas’ in Kanpur, 80 km south of Lucknow. They also barged into a restaurant where Valentine’s Day celebrations were on and smashed windowpanes and furniture. “Before we could understand anything, at least 12 Bajrang Dal activists entered the first floor of the restaurant and started breaking furniture,” Mr Shyamal Kaushik, owner of the restaurant, said. The police failed to arrest the offenders. “They all left before the police could reach,” he said. Shiv Sena activists went around Lucknow in small groups, asking people not to celebrate Valentine’s Day. |
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Sinha sees move to subvert ICCR mandate New Delhi, February 14 Ministry sources said Mr Sinha had carried out a review of the role played by one of three vice-presidents of the ICCR, Mr S.S. Sohni. The ICCR has always remained a bone of contention between the Department of Culture in the Ministry of Human Resource Development and the Ministry of External Affairs. In order to facilitate its smooth functioning, the vice-president was entrusted with the task of running the country’s premier institution. However, after the death at the time of former vice-president Krishan Kant, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee decided to entrust the ICCR responsibility to Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson Najma Heptullah, hoping that her international stature as chairperson of the International Parliamentary Union (IPU) would help the institution to expand its role and reach countries across the globe. This expectation could not fructify during the first year of Dr Heptullah’s tenure on account of repeated problems between her on the one hand and former vice-president H.Y. Sharda Prasad and former ICCR Director-General Suryakant Tripathi on the other, sources said. Both had been brought to the ICCR by Krishan Kant . Dr Heptullah ensured that a fresh team of her choice was provided to her. Former IAS officer S.S. Sohni, who had subsequently joined the staff of former President Shankar Dayal Sharma, was made a vice-president. Mr Tripathi was replaced by Mr Rakesh Kumar who was made the ICCR Director-General. The Prime Minister also made available the services of head of the BJP cultural cell D.P. Sinha who was made the second vice-president. Mr D.P. Sinha is believed to have written a letter to
the Minister of External Affairs and vice-president Bhairon Singh Shekhawat. In the letter, he has pointed out that an activist role by any of the ICCR vice-presidents beyond the mandate of the ICCR constitution was likely to affect the morale and
administration at the institution. After the letter, the External Affairs Minister decided to undertake a review of the role of played by the vice-president. Trouble began when Mr Sohni decided to chair a meeting of the Departmental Promotion Committee meeting held during Dr Heptullah’s recent visit to Pakistan. Eyebrows were raised when Mr Sohni decided to set aside the
administrative norms as a political appointee does not preside over such meetings. The MEA representative raised objection to Mr Sohni chairing the DPC meeting. The meeting could not be completed. Meanwhile, it is learnt that the Prime Minister’s office has also received a communication from the Department of Culture that one ICCR was funding domestic institutions in Mumbai and Pune, which was a clear violation of its guidelines. |
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World Book Fair opens New Delhi, February 14 "We must not allow subjugation of literature by market forces," he said after inaugurating the 16th World Book Fair in the Capital today. On the debate of books losing out to the increasing popular Internet, he said the value of books could never be diminished. "You can read a book whenever you want, however you want. You cannot do that with the Internet. Books have a special feel and fragrance of their own," Dr Joshi said. Earlier addressing the function, Nobel laureate and renowned writer Sir V.S. Naipaul, said literature was on the verge of extinction because publishers were only interested in seeking marketing triumphs. National Book Trust Chairman Brij Kishore Sharma said censorship had not been imposed on any book at the fair, but asked publishers to follow rules and regulations. |
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