The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Team Anna rubbishes Bill, gears up for next round Vibha Sharma/TNS New Delhi, December 22 Anna Hazare and his team today rejected the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill, 2011, and prepared for the next round of high-voltage protests towards the year-end, hoping to blight the Congress’ 2012 election drive in key poll-bound states. A day after Sonia talked tough and called the government draft “strong”, Anna dared the Congress chief to a public debate to convince people that the proposed legislation was “strong”. ”Sonia Gandhi says the Bill is strong. If it is so, let her come out and debate with us in front of the media. Let people see it. Convince the people of the country that it is strong. We will explain how it is not strong,” Anna said in Ralegan Siddhi. “What is right and wrong with the Bill, let us debate in public,” he said, adding that he and his supporters would picket homes of Sonia and Rahul to highlight their demand for a strong Lokpal. Soon after the Bill was tabled in the House, Anna threatened to renew protests while associate Arvind Kejriwal declared the new legislation “worse” than the one introduced by the government in August. “The Bill is of no use if the Lokpal does not have control over the CBI and the lower bureaucracy is not brought under its direct control,” Kejriwal said. “It is worse than the Lokpal Bill introduced in August. We reject the (new) Bill, withdraw it and introduce it after redrafting it," he added. Describing the new Bill as "anti-people and dangerous", Kejriwal said the proposed legislation was meant to crush the rights enjoyed by people.
	Anna dares Sonia to public debate Ralegan Siddhi/New Delhi, December 22 Setting the stage for a confrontation with the government, Anna Hazare today rejected the Lokpal Bill introduced in Parliament, saying it is “very weak” and dared Congress chief Sonia Gandhi for a public debate on the proposed legislation. Soon after the Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha, Hazare said in Ralegan Siddhi that the new Bill was "very weak and useless" and it would not help in tackling corruption as it did not bring the CBI under the control of anti-graft ombudsman. "This government is incapable of tackling corruption. Why are they scared of giving away the CBI? If the CBI comes under Lokpal's control, they fear that there will be a line of ministers going to jail,” Hazare told reporters. Hazare said the new Bill is of no use if the anti-corruption ombudsman did not have control over the CBI and the lower bureaucracy was not brought under its direct control. "Sonia Gandhi says the Bill is strong. If it is so, let her come out and debate with us in front of the media. Let people see it. Let us have a face-to-face debate. Convince the people of the country that it is strong. We will explain how it is not strong," he said earlier in the day. "What is right and wrong with the Bill, let us debate in public," he said. Hazare’s remarks came as a response to Sonia Gandhi's speech at Congress Parliamentary Party meeting yesterday during which she said the proposed legislation was strong and she was ready to fight for it. Continuing his attack on the government, Hazare said he will go ahead with his three-day fast from December 27 in Mumbai and then leave for Delhi to join the 'jail bharo' agitation during which he would protest outside the residences of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. Describing the Bill as "anti-people and dangerous", Hazare's close aide Arvind Kejriwal said in Ghaziabad (UP) it was "worse" than the legislation introduced in August in Lok Sabha. Upping the ante, Hazare said, "I will be part of the group that will 'gherao' the residences of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi as part of our jail-filling agitation." He said putting the CBI out of Lokpal shows how the Bill will be "useless". "The biggest victims of corruption are the poor who have to pay bribes to get any work done. How will the common man live like this? Our demand is that lower bureaucracy be brought under Lokpal," he said. But the lower bureaucracy is being brought under Central Vigilance Commission which is under the control of government, he contended. "How will the common man get justice? The lower bureaucracy and CBI should be under Lokpal. Only then the Bill will be in the right form," he said. Criticising the Grievance Redressal Bill, Hazare said the government does not have the intent to help people fight corruption and they were making people take rounds of government offices to get their complaints addressed. He also voiced concerns about the effect of a "weak" Central law on state Lokayuktas. When asked about demands for reservation in the Lokpal Bench and Selection Committee, Hazare said he had left a decision on this to Parliament. He said he would appeal to people not to vote for those parties which have opposed the Jan Lokpal Bill. Kejriwal said the proposed legislation is meant to crush the rights enjoyed by the people. “Under the present Bill, the government will have all the control over Lokpal as it will have powers to appoint and remove members at its will. It is worse than the Lokpal Bill introduced in August. We reject the (new) bill. It should be withdrawn and introduced after being redrafted," he said. — PTI
	DMDK plans black flag protest against PM Chennai, December 22 The DMDK today said it would stage a black flag protest against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here on December 26 during his two-day visit to Tamil Nadu from Sunday, alleging that the Centre was "biased" against the state on a host of issues, including Mullaperiyar dam. The Centre had not acted in Tamil Nadu's favour on the Mullaperiyar dam issue, though a Supreme Court verdict was in the state's favour, DMDK founder and Opposition Leader in the Tamil Nadu Assembly Vijayakant said. On Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project, he said people near the KNPP site have been protesting against it for months. Instead of assuaging their feelings, the Prime Minister had said the first reactor would be operationalised soon, he said in a statement here. Further, the Centre had not acted on the vexed issue of attacks on Indian fishermen allegedly by the Sri Lankan navy. The Prime Minister is scheduled to attend various functions in Chennai and Karaikudi during his visit. — PTI
	Food Security Bill tabled in Parliament Vibha Sharma/TNS New Delhi, December 22 The National Food Security Bill, 2011, made it to Parliament today, and just in time before the crucial Assembly elections in the coming year, even as opposition to the “historic” legislation continued pouring in from states. The “world’s largest experiment in providing food security to the poor”, with provisions for infants, lactating mothers, senior citizens, homeless and the destitute, was introduced by Food Minister KV Thomas in the Lok Sabha. The proposal seeks to give legal right to cheaper foodgrains to 63.5 per cent of country’s 1.21 billion people. The Bill envisages maternity benefit of Rs 1,000 per month for a period of six months. Besides, the eldest woman in the family, who is not less than 18 years, will be deemed the head of the household for the purpose of issuance of ration card. It will be the duty of states to take delivery of foodgrain stock from the Centre and disburse it. And in case people do not get their entitled quantity of food grain, they will be entitled to food security allowance from the state government. The Bill has now been referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee, which will go into specifics like what happens to states which are already offering rice at Rs 1 per kg as against Rs 3 per kg as proposed by the legislation, besides other issues. The Food Ministry is also examining suggestions and objections, continuously pouring in from several states. The proposed legislation is a major initiative by the Congress-led government after flagship MGNREGA during the UPA-I tenure. Starting 2012 fiscal, the NFSA will be rolled out in phases to achieve for the UPA in 2014 what MGNREGA and farmers’ loan-waiver scheme had done for the coalition in 2009 General Election. Opposition to Bill Concerns over financial viability and other issues are being raised by states and Opposition parties. After AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar, BSP chief Mayawati today joined the list of critics, questioning the government over financial burden of the ambitious proposal, including cash transfers and delivery of foodgrain. Terming the proposed Bill as “impractical” and an “election stunt” of the Congress, the UP Chief Minister said it would put additional burden on the state governments. Thomas, who said the Bill was prepared after wide consultations among various stakeholders, including state governments, assured he would explain to dissenting chief ministers the merits of the Bill. The Food Minister claimed that the financial outgo would not be as large as feared. On whether the scheme would enhance the annual food subsidy amount to Rs 1 lakh crore-plus annually, he said, “The implementation of the food law would require an additional amount of not more than about Rs 20,000-21,000 crore annually by way of subsidy.”
	It will burden states: Maya Shahira Naim Tribune News Service Lucknow, December 22 Terming the Food Security Bill (FSB) as impractical, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati described it as a political stunt by the Congress-led UPA government in the face of Assembly elections in five states in early 2012. According to Mayawati, the Bill was tabled without proper provisions for funds and foodgrains. Charging the UPA government of not updating the below poverty line (BPL) list, she alleged that vast numbers of eligible persons had been kept out of the Act’s coverage as a result of it. Complaining that the Bill would putting additional fiscal pressure on non-Congress ruled states, Mayawati referred to a particular provision in the FSB which asserts that if a state, for whatever reason, fails to provide foodgrain to deserving persons, the state government would have to pay food security allowance. “Tabling the Bill without going into extremely important details like funding and availability of the foodgrains clearly establishes that the main purpose behind the Bill is to extract political mileage during the forthcoming Assembly elections to be held in five states,” she claimed. Mayawati pointed out that though the Bill proposed that the state governments must constitute a Food Security Commission for effective implementation of the Bill once it becomes an Act, all expenses incurred by such a commission like salary of the staff, paraphernalia required to ensure its smooth functioning would have to be borne by the state government. Citing the burden it would put on the state government, she said that the storage of foodgrain, its transportation to different parts of the state and proper distribution to the deserving will require cold storages and a full-fledged transport mechanism which, again, will have to be borne by the state governments.
	Parliament panel favours one rank-one pension Says financial liability of Rs 3,000 cr a year incorrect Vijay Mohan/TNS Chandigarh, December 22 Recommending the grant of one rank-one pension (OROP) to retired armed forces personnel, the Parliament’s Committee on Petitions has said that it is not convinced with the hurdles projected by the Ministry of Defence in implementing the proposal. Observing that the financial liability for implementing OROP is Rs 1,300 crore for 20110-12 "which is not a very big amount for a country of our size and economy and also considering the purpose for which it would be utilised", the committee said it is not convinced with the version of the Finance Ministry that implementing OROP would generate similar requests from civilian employees because the terms and conditions of service of the two are vastly different and much harsher and difficult for the military. The committee, in its report tabled in Rajya Sabha yesterday, also found to be incorrect, the financial liability of Rs 3,000 crore per annum put forth by the Department of Ex-servicemen Welfare (DOEW) for OROP. Nixing financial, administrative and legal hurdles projected by the DOEW, the committee observed,” The defence services serve the nation with utmost devotion and selflessness but their demands are consistently being ignored, not by the heads of the Armed Forces, but by bureaucrats. It’s a typical example of bureaucratic apathy.” The Committee observed that the demands of veterans, including OROP, were included in the election manifestos of various parties but not given effect “The findings of the committee were appreciable and pro-veteran,” said Maj Navdeep Singh, a High Court lawyer dealing with service matters. “Even the legal difficulties expressed by DOEW have no legs to stand upon. It claimed that the Supreme Court had upheld the implementation of cut-off dates in pensionary matters in various cases. However, what DESW did not mention is the fact that there are many more decisions, including very recent ones, where cut-off dates have been deprecated,” he added. Further, the committee did not accept DOWS’ claims on legal issues and held that on the contrary.
	Rent at commercial rates being charged for fast site Shiv Kumar/TNS Mumbai, December 22 Social activist Anna Hazare’s supporters are facing a huge cash crunch. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is charging a whopping Rs 11 lakh for the use of its grounds at the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) where Anna Hazare is to fast for three days in protest against the Lokpal Bill. Jagrut Nagrik Manch, the Mumbai-based non-government organisation which is coordinating Hazare’s fast in Mumbai, has been sent a Bill of Rs 11,31,678 for hiring the MMRDA grounds from December 26 to 30. While the fast is scheduled from December 27 to 29, a day before and after the event will be utilised to erect the ‘shamiana’ and other paraphernalia. The organisers have also been asked to pay a security deposit of Rs 7,69,500. "We are charging the NGO at commercial rates according to normal practice," Rahul Asthana, CEO, MMRDA, said today. The MMRDA lets out the grounds for a number of events including rock concerts and trade fairs. Team Anna, which organised its protest in Mumbai earlier this year at the Azad Maidan in South Mumbai, had to move the venue of Hazare's fast to the suburbs due to security reasons. The Azad Maidan is located opposite the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus train station and the headquarters of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation lies just across the grounds. The police felt that huge crowds converging on the grounds would amount to a security threat. The hefty price tag has unnerved Team Anna. India Against Corruption, the umbrella body of Team Anna's supporters, have appealed to Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan for a waiver or concession of the rental by the MMRDA. No decision on that has been taken so far. However, if the concessions do not come about, Team Anna will seek donations from its supporters to raise funds, according to members of the group in Mumbai.
	Government flip-flop over quota issue Anita Katyal Our Political Correspondent New Delhi, December 22 The introduction of the new Lokpal Bill in the Lok Sabha today was preceded by utter confusion over the omission of the clause providing quotas to minorities in the nine-member ombudsman. The government flip-flop was evident when it eventually succumbed to pressure from Rashtriya Janata Dal president Lalu Prasad Yadav,Samajwadi Party chief Mulayum Singh Yadav and Muslim MPs from different parties and reintroduced quotas for minorities. A number of Congress MPs, it is learnt, also conveyed their apprehension over the adverse political impact of denying reservation to minorities in next year’s Uttar Pradesh assembly polls. Both the Congress and the Samajwadi Party are competing in wooing the minorities in UP. UPA ministers said the Bill which was approved by the Union Cabinet two days ago had recommended that the Lokpal and the search committee, which is to shortlist names for the anti-corruption body, will have reservation for Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC), minorities and women. Late last night, shortly before the Bill was sent for printing, senior UPA ministers, including Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Law Minister Salman Khurshid, decided to revisit the provision pertaining to quotas for minorities. They had second thoughts on this issue after it was brought to their notice that this provision could be struck down in court as the Constitution does not provide for reservations on the basis of religion. The Constitution provides for quotas for SC,ST and OBCs. Consequently when the Bill was circulated to the members today, the term minorities had been dropped which led to strong protests from Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president Lalu Prasad Yadav and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayum Singh Yadav.In fact, this last-minute change also came as a surprise to UPA ministers. Although a senior minister maintained that a Cabinet decision could only be amended by the Cabinet, government officials pointed out that rules have a provision allowing the Prime Minister to change or amend a Cabinet decision. “I believe it was deliberately deleted and then put back after more deliberation,” remarked another senior Cabinet minister. The move, however, did succeed in isolating the BJP and the Shiv Sena, which opposed quotas for minorities in the Lok Sabha before the introduction of the Bill. At the same time, the UPA hopes to elicit the support of the Samajwadi Party and the RJD, who held up the introduction of the Bill and also accused the the Congress and BJP of collusion. The ruling coalition had agreed to provide quotas in the anti-corruption body following a strong demand for it at the all-party meeting, which was convened by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to discuss the Lokpal Bill. Given the wide support for reservations, the BJP had also gone along with proposal. However, BJP leaders, L.K.Advani, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitely, brought up this issue again when they met Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee earlier this week in connection with the Pension Bill. They had pointed out that quotas on the basis of religion are not provided for by the Constitution and sought to persuade the minister to drop this clause.
	Assembly poll: EC to meet Union Home Secy today Ajay Banerjee/TNS New Delhi, December 22 The Election Commission of India will meet the Union Home Secretary RK Singh tomorrow to decide upon the deployment of central paramilitary forces for the forthcoming Assembly elections in five states, including Punjab. Elections could be announced any day to elect legislative assemblies in the states of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa, sources said. Reacting to media reports that the poll schedule may be announced on December 23, ECI spokesperson Rajesh Malhotra said, “There was no such plan.” Deployment of paramilitary forces in the states would be crucial as several polling booths had been listed as sensitive by the security forces. Yesterday, the ECI met the Chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and asked that an effective mechanism be put in place for monitoring expenses of candidates and parties. Meanwhile, sources said an announcement as regards elections and imposition of the model code of conduct could be made soon after the Home Secretary’s meeting with the ECI. This could be tomorrow, or on Saturday. The detailed plan for deployment has already been made by the Home Ministry. On the political front, a crucial meeting of the Union Cabinet started late this evening to discuss issues, including reservation for the Muslims. The Cabinet cleared a quota of 4 per cent for Muslims within the 27 per cent quota for OBCs. The ruling UPA combine wanted to do that before the elections were announced. Once the Cabinet has cleared this, it will be notified tonight.
	Sadananda Gowda wins Council bypoll Shubhadeep Choudhury Tribune News Service Bangalore, December 22 Karnataka Chief Minister DV Sadananda Gowda was today elected to the Legislative Council. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader beat his Congress rival Anand Gaddadevaramath in a bypoll. Gowda is a Lok Sabha member from the Udupi-Chikmagalur constituency and had to become a member of the state Legislative Assembly or the Legislative Council within six months of assuming the Chief Minister’s office as required by the Constitution. BJP functionaries in Karnataka are hoping to see a more decisive Sadananda Gowda after this win. “The victory has given a seal of approval to Gowda’s position as Chief Minister. Certainly, we will see a more pro-active Chief Minister now,” KS Eshwarappa, MLA and president of the BJP’s Karnataka state unit, told The Tribune. Gowda, during his four-and-a-half month tenure as CM (he took over on August 4), had earned the sobriquet of being “a puppet CM controlled by Yeddyurappa”. His performance has been lacklustre and the party lost the only byelection held in the state with him as the CM. It, however, seems that getting out of Yeddyurappa’s shadow will not be an easy job for Sadananda Gowda. In a clear signal that Yeddyurappa would continue to demonstrate his influence over Gowda, the latter was today flanked by Yeddyurappa, Excise Minister Renukacharya, Major and Minor Irrigation Minister Basavraj Bommai and others of the Yeddyurappa camp as he emerged victorious after the counting of votes. Initially, doubts were being raised about Gowda’s prospects in the elections. But as the poll came closer, it became increasingly clear that Gowda would sail through the contest. The ruling BJP, having 122 members in the 225-member Karnataka Assembly, was in a position to ensure Gowda victory. But Gowda also received tacit support from the Opposition JD(S). In the final countdown, 199 out of the 225 MLAs of the House cast their votes. Gowda secured 123 votes and had a margin of 54 votes over the Congress nominee, the only other candidate in the fray, who secured 69 votes. Seven votes were declared invalid. Gowda need not resign from the Lok Sabha immediately. According to the prohibition of simultaneous membership rules, his Lok Sabha seat will automatically become vacant after 14 days of the publication that he has been elected to the state legislature in the Gazette of India or the official gazette of the state.
	From godfather of comics, Indian superhero, Chakra New Delhi, December 22 A Mumbai teen debuts as the first Indian superhero created by comic legend Stan Lee, the driving force behind some of the world’s popular comic book heroes like Super Man, X- Men, Thor and Fantastic Four. Lee in collaboration with local artists and writers has created the hero "Chakra - The Invincible," that is expected to be launched in India by April 2012 and would be distributed in India by Liquid Comics, according to information put out by the company. The first issue will be released free in April 2012 via Liquid's website 'Graphic India' and further distribution would be through the site's digital comics platform. "Wow! I'm incredibly excited to be collaborating with my friends at Liquid Comics and their best-in-class team of artists as we launch a great new, thrill-a-minute superhero saga named Chakra - The Invincible,” said Lee in a statement. "Against the spectacular backdrop of the great Indian metropolis of Mumbai, we tell the incredible saga of Chakra, our daring teenage hero," he said. The series follows 'Chakra', the alter ego of Raju Rai, a genius who is determined to use science to unlock the secrets of human potential. He develops a technically-enhanced suit that activates the mystical chakras of the body unleashing newfound abilities and powers. Liquid Comics CEO, Sharad Devarajan said, "Stan Lee is one of the most prolific storytellers in the world today, having created iconic characters that have generated billions of dollars at the box office and are known by nearly every man, woman and child on earth." "What better way to conceive of a new generation of Indian superheroes than in collaboration with the Godfather of the genre?" adds Liquid's co-founder, Gotham Chopra. Graphic India currently offers digital comic books like Shekhar Kapur's "Devi" and "Ramayan 3392 AD"; Gotham Chopra's "The Sadhu"; Deepak Chopra's "Myths of India"; Saurav Mohapatra and Saumin Patel's "Mumbai Macguffin"; and Samit Basu's "UnHOLI." — PTI
	Around the country in 84 days - on wheelchairs! Mumbai, December 22 On September 28, four plucky Mumbaikars set out on a challenging 84-day nationwide tour. On December 20, the four physically challenged professionals completed their wheelchair-bound trip after logging in an impressive 19,000 km spanning 28 state capitals! The tour, which started from Mumbai, was undertaken mainly via the Golden Quadrangle and stretched from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and from Gujarat to Arunachal Pradesh. The effort - christened 'Beyond Barriers - Incredible India Tour' - was the brainchild of Arvind Prabhoo, 44, who is a quadriplegic since 23 years and operates a cable and internet service in Vile Parle. "We were accompanied by three helpers each on the tour which we undertook in three SUVs. In each state capital or top tourist destination, we moved around on our folding wheelchairs," Prabhoo, sounding weary after the long trip, told IANS. He was accompanied in the 'mad-venture' — as some people jokingly termed it — by fellow quadriplegic Nishant Khade, 33, director of Das Offshores Pvt Ltd, an infrastructure company; Neenu Kevlani, 40, a publisher from Bandra suffering from scoliosis since 11 years and Sunita Sancheti, a tax consultant from Bandra and a paraplegic since 24 years. "Nobody has attempted a nationwide tour like this on wheelchairs and we decided to do something different, despite our severe handicaps. We are happy that we have achieved it without any problems whatsoever during the tour," Sancheti said. — IANS
	2G scam: Raja’s former aide claims threat to life; 1 held New Delhi, December 22 A special CBI court trying 2G case today witnessed high drama when a key witness said he has received a threat from a person who was present in the court and was immediately arrested. During the proceedings, Asservartham Achary, ex-aide of former Telecom Minister and an accused in the case A Raja, told Special CBI Judge O P Saini that the person who is threatening him is present in the court. As he made the complaint, the person later identified as Jaiprakash, ran away but was nabbed by the police posted outside the court room. The police then produced the man, who is in mid 30s, before the court which queried him about his presence. On seeing him, Achary told the judge that he had not met the man earlier but his PSO had told him in the morning that he was the same person who had came to his house earlier to meet him. On his part, the man identified as Jaiprakash told the court that he brings food and water for some of the accused in the case. But the court was not satisfied and handed him over to police to interrogate him. Achary, who has been given security by Delhi Police after he complained to the CBI on the alleged threat, told the court that the person who was threatening him was sitting with Raja's former private secretary R K Chandolia since morning and just left the court room. He further said that he and his family members are being threatened since August 6 and he informed about it to the CBI in September after which he has been given a Personal Security Officer (PSO) by the city police. — PTI
	Passport case: Hasan Ali booked for hiding info Pune, December 22 The Pune Passport Office has filed a complaint against the main accused in money laundering and tax evasion case Hasan Ali Khan for allegedly giving false information while renewing his passport in 2004, police said today. Khan is booked under sections 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating) of the Indian Penal Code and sections 10 (3) and 12 (1) of Indian Passport Act by Chatushrungi police station. The passport office has said in its complaint that the city-based stud farm owner, while applying for renewal of his passport, deliberately did not disclose information about the other two passports held in his name. — PTI