The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Coal Minister’s comment sparks row
Tribune News Service

Lucknow, February 23
Union Minister for coal Sriprakash Jaiswal today stirred a controversy by proclaiming the possibility of President’s rule in Uttar Pradesh in case the Congress party failed to get a majority.

The statement coming with two phases of Vidhan Sabha elections still to go triggered sharp reactions from both the BJP and the Samajwadi Party.

Interacting with the media in Kanpur, when a reporter asked the minister what would happen if the Congress failed to win the ongoing Assembly elections, he replied without even blinking: "We will declare President's rule."

Reacting to the statement, Uttar Pradesh BJP’s chief ministerial candidate Uma Bharti lashed out at the Congress for its ‘feudal mindset’. According to her, the Congress did not believe in democracy and the people will teach it a lesson through the ballot. Calling Congress’s stance a veiled threat, she said such a statement was "undemocratic and indicative of a feudal mindset”.

“Congress does not believe in democracy,” she said. Samajwadi Party General Secretary Ram Gopal Yadav said, “The comment reveals the Congress minister’s fear.”

Samajwadi Party state president Akhilesh Yadav also took a dig at Jaiswal’s remark, saying his statement reflected the Congress’s disappointment over its failure to garner support.

Cong disapproves of Jaiswal's remark

NEW DELHI: Jaiswal was forced to retract his statement on the possibility of imposition of President's Rule in UP after the Congress disapproved of his remarks. His statement did not go down well with the Congress leadership and this was conveyed to the minister. This was also evident from party spokesperson Manish Tewari's reaction. "We are in the running to form the government. All Congressmen should desist from speculation," he said.

Poll Snippets

Art of being in the headlines

The two leaders in Uttar Pradesh who hail from neighbouring Madhya Pradesh - Congress' Digvijay Singh and BJP's Uma Bharti - have a knack of remaining in the headlines. The latest is BJP's chief ministerial candidate Uma Bharti sitting on a dharna in front of the Charkhari police station in Mahoba district hours before polling was to begin there. The BJP candidate contesting from there, Uma is protesting against the district administration reportedly harassing her supporters as she was a VVIP. Returning officer and district magistrate Muthukumarasamy B, however, said they had picked up three of her supporters and brought them to the police station for interrogation on getting information that they were distributing cash on the eve of the election. The high-voltage drama of Uma sitting on a dharna with her supporters made the DM release her supporters to defuse the situation, but not without warning that the matter would definitely be taken up after the voting. Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh, on the other hand, attacked the BJP saying he felt sorry that an "outsider" from Madhya Pradesh had been projected as the party's Chief Ministerial candidate in UP. Singh said he felt sorry for state BJP leaders like Rajnath Singh, Kalraj Mishra and Surya Pratap Shahi, who were not considered fit to be the state's CM, instead an "imported" outsider like Uma Bharti had been brought in.

Politics over marriage

The Samajwadi Party's candidate from Garautha in Jhansi is a sitting MLA, Deepnarayan Singh alias 'Dadda', who enjoys clout in the region by virtue of his unique politics of 'matrimony'. Dadda (elder brother) has facilitated mass marriage of over 700 young women from different castes and communities in this poverty-stricken region of Bundelkhand. The auspicious "Akha Teej" was chosen for these mass marriages. Head of SP's Lohia Vahini Dadda vehemently denies any political motive behind his programme for mass marriages, but admits that it helps him nurture his constituency. This is his way of meaningfully reaching out to people, he says. The rough calculation is that with one such marriage, he reaches out to 50 of the relatives from both the groom's and bride's sides. Through this calculation, he safely claims to know over 35,000 people who all may not vote for him, but definitely are an asset for him.

A bit of Munna Bhai

'Bais saal ka time bahut lamba hota hai, mamu' (Twenty- two years is a long time, mamu) was the dialogue delivered by Munna Bhai Sanjay Dutt while asking people to now give a chance to the Congress party. After his 'home-coming' to the party of his parents' choice, Sanju Baba has been addressing three to four meetings everyday. The election coinciding with the success of his film 'Agneepath' is bringing in huge crowds to get a glimpse of him.

(Compiled by Shahira Naim)

Ramlila Maidan Crackdown
Govt, BJP cross swords over apex court verdict

New Delhi, February 23
The government on Thursday said it will study the Supreme Court's critical observations on the way Delhi Police dispersed yoga guru Baba Ramdev and his supporters from the Ramlila ground here last year. The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) blamed the Congress-led UPA for the incident.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni said Baba Ramdev should also take note of the court's observations that he was negligent, did not have control over the crowd and ran from the podium causing ruckus past-midnight June 4 last year.

The apex court slammed the police for acting in an arbitrary manner and using excessive force in dispersing Baba Ramdev and his followers. It also pulled up the yoga guru for not cooperating with police. Soni said the government, including the home ministry, will study the apex court observations on police (that they used excessive force in dispersing Baba Ramdev's followers).

"The ruling raises some questions: If the Delhi Police is responsible, how come home ministry is not responsible," BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar told reporters.

But the party said that "by today's judgment, the court is diluting the right to protest". "We don't agree with Supreme Court's comment on Ramdev's contributory negligence. If he's responsible, then by that logic, Mahatma Gandhi would also have been responsible for police atrocities on the crowds which participated in his gatherings," Javadekar added.

The court said that what happened at the sprawling ground on the night of June 4-5, leading to the death of a woman, was a demonstration of the might of the state.

Justice BS Chauhan and Justice Swatanter Kumar pulled up Ramdev for not cooperating with police and asking his followers to disperse only after police imposed prohibitory orders banning the assembly of people.

The court awarded an ad hoc compensation of Rs.5 lakh to the next of kin of Haryana resident Rajbala who suffered spinal injuries and died. — IANS

Erring cops to face action

NEW DELHI: Delhi Police Commissioner BK Gupta on Thursday said disciplinary action would be taken against the policemen responsible for using violence against the crowd that was present at Ramlila Maidan for Baba Ramdev's indefinite hunger strike last year. The police said certain individual personnel made errors while discharging their duties by not following the proper procedure and rules.

Fishermen’s Killing
Italy makes conditional offer to cooperate

Italian Marines being taken to a court in Kollam on Thursday. — PTI

Kochi, February 23
Italy told the Kerala High Court today that the state police had no jurisdiction to investigate its two naval marines charged with killing of two Indian fishermen but it made a conditional offer to cooperate in the probe into ballistic examination of the weapons used.

A Kollam court, in the meantime, has extended the police custody of the two marines till March 1. The naval guards have been in police custody since their arrest on Sunday.

The Italian stand amid the diplomatic row with India was articulated by visiting Deputy Foreign Minister Stefan de Mistura here and its counsel before the Kerala High Court which asked why that country was not cooperating. The Court admitted a petition filed by the Italian Government seeking to quash the FIR against the two marines.

With India not relenting on Italy's demand that the case be taken out of a Kerala court, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna said any decision on how to pursue the case against the two accused should be left to the Centre and the Kerala government.

Mistura spoke of the conditional cooperation after meeting the two Marines Latore Massimiliano and Salvatore Girone at the CISF Guest House at Wellington here.

"We will cooperate for the ballistic examination, but we should also be present. Hope it will bring out justice" Mistura told reporters. "We stick to our stand that the vessel was in international waters when the incident took place. It was 22.5 nautical miles of Kollam coast," Mistura said. — PTI

5 ‘bank robbers’ gunned down in Chennai

Chennai, February 23
Five persons, suspected to be involved in the two recent daring bank robberies in the city, were shot dead by police in an alleged encounter here in the wee hours today.

The police said the five holed up in a house in Velacherry locality fired at them when they surrounded the place and asked them to give themselves up, prompting them to retaliate. The five persons, four from Bihar and one from West Bengal, were brought dead to a hospital while two police inspectors suffered bullet injuries, Commissioner of Police JK Tripathy told reporters.

He said police recovered five pistols, two revolvers and some magazines and ammunition besides Rs 14 lakh in cash from the ground floor house of a two-storeyed flat located in a heavily populated area.

The identity of the deceased were established based on voters ID cards and driving licence recovered from the spot, he said giving their names as Chandrika Ray, Harish Kumar, Vinay Prasad, Vinod Kumar (all from Bihar) and Abhay Kumar from West Bengal.

The police, who had yesterday released video footage of a suspect in the bank robberies, swooped down on the house around 1 am following a tip-off. "Prima facie investigations by showing pictures to some of the bank people established these people operated in the both the banks," he said. — PTI

Confusion galore over Centre’s stand on gay sex
R Sedhuraman
Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, February 23
Utter confusion prevailed today over the stand of the Central Government on homosexuality, with the Home Ministry counsel arguing in the Supreme Court against the Delhi High Court verdict decriminalising such acts and the Health Ministry taking a neutral stand.

Making the issue murkier, the Home Ministry issued a statement when its counsel, Additional Solicitor General PP Malhotra, was still arguing before a Bench comprising Justices GS Singhvi and SJ Mukhopadhaya, pleading for striking down the HC verdict.

“The Ministry of Home Affairs has not taken any position on homosexuality as is being reported in the media (television channels),” the government clarified in a hurriedly issued press note, obviously after noticing the flash news on the electronic media on the arguments of Malhotra.

The press note further said the Union Cabinet had considered the issue in the wake of the HC verdict and decided not to appeal against the ruling, holding that homosexual activity among consenting adults in privacy would not attract prosecution under Section 377 of the IPC under which gay or lesbian sex is a crime.

The government had, however, decided to assist the SC in deciding the “legal questions” if other parties challenged the HC verdict, it said.

After ASG Malhotra completed his arguments, another ASG Mohan Jain appeared for the Union Health Ministry, stating that the government had taken a neutral stand on the issue.

When the bunch of appeals had come up for hearing for the first time in the SC in 2009, Attorney General GE Vahanvati had told the court that the government would not file any affidavit in the SC and would only assist it on legal points. The Home and Health ministries had taken contradictory stands in the HC as well before finally reconciling their views there.

Bihar’s first open jail set to be a reality soon
Sanjay Singh/TNS

Patna, February 23
The Bihar government’s preparations to start its first open jail are in full swing. Altogether 13 double-storeyed apartments, having eight flats on each floor, are getting final touches to accommodate the 104 life term convicts along with their families in the open jail coming up on a 100-acre plot of land adjacent to the Central jail premises at Buxar.

Superintendent of Buxar jail, SK Ambastha, who has been assigned the additional charge of open jail as well, was quite hopeful to start it from April this year. According to Ambastha, 32 open jails were functional across the country as on date. Of these 15 were in Rajasthan alone. As a matter of fact, Bihar was also toying with this concept for past few years.

The state government had enacted a new legislation by the name of ‘Bihar Open Prison Rules-2008’ to run this prison four years ago. But the idea seems to have taken the final shape now. The rules governing the open jail stipulate that a selection committee headed by the IG (Prisons) would nominate the inmates to this prison on the basis of their good conduct in course of their incarceration.

The inmates of open jail have to be life term convicts having served two-third of their imprisonment term behind the bars. The purpose behind accommodating them in the open jail along with their family members is to allow them socialise and adjust to the world outside the confines of a prison so that they lead a happy life after being freed, Ambastha said.

The state government would bear the expenses incurred on the living of the prisoners and the prisoners will have to earn money to support their family. If the jail authorities do not have any jobs for them, they are allowed to go outside the jail premises to earn their livelihood. But they have to work within the radius of 5 km so that they return to their flat within the open jail before sunset, Ambastha said.

While working outside, the inmates of open jail will not be under any watch or guards and they can also keep their earnings with themselves to spend on their family. Each inmate of the open jail will be provided two rooms with one toilet and a kitchen each il where he can live with his wife and children. The children of these inmates will be provided free education by the state government as per the norms under the Right to Education Act.

No hike in Aakash-2 rates: Govt
Aditi Tandon/TNS

New Delhi, February 23
The government today said there would be no hike in the prices of low cost tablet Aakash-2 slated to hit the market in April this year. The tablets will be made available at the current price of Rs 2,276. That is the cap the Government has decided even in the tenders floated for manufactures of the new and advanced version of Aakash, which was first released in October last.

There has been a lot of speculation about the pricing of the advanced version of the world’s cheapest tablet which was manufactured by Canada based entrepreneurs Datawind.

But HRD Minister Kapil Sibal today said cost would not be hiked. Top ministry officials dealing with the project clarified, “Price cannot be a paisa more than Rs 2276. And specifications have to be improved when compared to the first version,” NK Sinha, Ministry official said today.

The new version will have capacitative touch screen, a processor of 800 mega hertz and a much longer battery life.

Last year, the ministry had distributed 600 tablets to students for use and obtained their feedback. “We were told the speed was very low, the battery drains out quickly, the processor was slow and the resistive touch screen was not of much help. The new version, to be launched by April, will have improved features but the same cost as the old,” Sinha said.

The ministry is planning to go to the Cabinet to seek approval for rolling out 50 lakh Aakash tablets by December next year. Since a huge subsidy element is involved per piece, the Cabinet approval would have to be sought. The Government wants 22 crore Aakash tablets for all its students in the long run.

“Although right now we don’t have manufacturing capacity, we want to develop it indigenously. The world’s annual consumption of tablets is about 3 crore. If the entire production of the world comes to India, we will still require about seven years to get 22 crore tablets for our students. That’s why we need local manufacturers to develop production lines. Right now the tenders are open. Anyone, including Datawind, can bid,” Sinha told The Tribune.

Mumbai Cong chief resigns over graft charges
Shiv Kumar/TNS

Mumbai, February 23
Mumbai Pradesh Congress Committee President Kripashankar Singh resigned late Wednesday night after the Bombay High Court asked the police to file charges against him under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The resignation of Singh, who first put in his papers more than a year ago when his links with former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda came to light but was rejected by the party leadership, was finally accepted.

Putting on a brave front, Singh told reporters that his resignation had nothing to do with the court order. "I resigned, accepting responsibility for the Congress's poor showing in the BMC elections," Singh said.

The court order asking the Mumbai's police commissioner to probe the assets owned by Singh came while it was hearing a Public Interest Litigation petition filed by activist Sanjay Tiwari.

According to the petitioner, Singh had accumulated assets via his son Narendra Mohan disproportionate to known sources of his income. Narendra Mohan is married to the daughter of Kamlesh Singh, an associate of Madhu Koda.

Both Kamlesh Singh and Madhu Koda are in jail.

According to the petitioner, both Koda and Kripashankar Singh had monetary transactions which need to be investigated.

Medha Patkar backs anti-dam protests

Guwahati, February 23
Activist Medha Patkar today said the anti-big dam agitation in Assam was snowballing into a national movement owing to the mass support it had generated and the struggle resounded from ‘Narmada to Brahmaputra’. Patkar said, “This struggle is being undertaken by those who are dependent on and love the rivers.” — TNS

tackling terror - IiI
Anti-terror body may miss March 1 take-off
Ajay Banerjee
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 23
With serious differences of opinion originating over the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), its scheduled start on March 1 is now in doubt.

The Home Ministry, after getting a clearance from the Cabinet Committee on Security, had announced that the NCTC - an over-arching body for counter-terrorism operations - would be operational from March 1. Top sources in the government said there are many ways to hold the NCTC back. One of them is not appointing a director of NCTC, which will imply that the body is not yet functional.

After the Prime Minister put the onus on Home Minister P Chidambaram to explain and address the concerns of the states, the Home Ministry is planning to liaise with chief ministers at official and bureaucratic levels. Chief secretaries and DGPs of states will be invited for a discussion.

Sources said there is no doubt that states will not counter the NCTC, but a consultation process on the subject would be in order. Discussion at the official and political levels cannot be completed by March 1, said officials. The government may have to take the legislative route to get the NCTC passed through Parliament. The UPA does not have the requisite numbers in the Rajya Sabha and the manner in which the Lokpal Bill fell through is still fresh in the government’s mind.

States may not protest against the immunity from legislative control enjoyed by the IB, but the same sort of immunity for the NCTC is unthinkable, it has been stated. In case the Centre makes the NCTC accountable, it would manage to have the body functional, it has been added.

The option to hive off the NCTC from the Intelligence Bureau may not be acceptable to the security Czars in the North Block as it is the IB which presently coordinates the counter-terrorism operations across the country.

Sources said the protests against NCTC are not just from the Opposition parties or the allies of the UPA, like the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress, but murmurs are now originating from within the Congress over the powers enjoyed by the NCTC. “There is scope for putting safeguards to prevent any misuse of the NCTC in the future,” a senior functionary said.

Experts have said the dual role of the NCTC - in intelligence gathering and collating besides operations, could turn the Intelligence Bureau into yet another central police force. Since the NCTC will be functioning under the IB, there is risk of several IB operations - till now clandestine - coming under court scrutiny, they have stated.

States raising anti-NCTC clamour despite their vulnerability
Ajay Banerjee/TNS

New Delhi, February 23
The Northern Army Commander-based at Udhampur has a major say in the deployment of forces in Jammu and Kashmir. The working relationship between the forces is seamless as the Chief Minister heads the Unified Command.

The Rashtriya Rifles, a wing of the Indian Army, and the Jammu and Kashmir Police are involved in direct fight against militants, while the Border Security Force (BSF) mans the international border with Pakistan, the Army is stationed along the Line of Control (LoC) and the CRPF is stationed in Srinagar.

On the eastern part of the state, the Army and, to some extent, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) are tasked with the security of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China. These efforts are backed by movement of supplies, rations and material. The Indian Air Force has major role in all this, especially during winter.

The state is a classic case of the Centre-state cooperation in battling terrorism. Similar working arrangements exist between various forces operating in the northeastern states where the Intelligence Bureau, the Army, the IAF, the state police and the Assam Rifles go about their tasks by coordinating at all levels.

So, in case there is a road blockade affecting Manipur, separate desks in the Army and the IB monitor it and keep the Central Government updated. Practically, even before the Manipur CM informs the Centre, the foot-soldiers of the Army and the IB relay the information to their bosses for further transmission to the government for action.

Around 14 Chief Ministers of non-Congress-ruled states have questioned the Union Home Ministry proposal to make the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) functional from March 1. The CMs have termed it as an attack on the federal unity and claim it will spoil the Centre-state relations.

A realistic look at the track record of states reveals an abysmal picture on the anti-terror front and lack of coordination. Former DGP of the BSF Prakash Singh, who filed a petition in the Supreme Court on police reforms, says “States cannot handle counter-terrorism on their own. It is regrettable that such protests are emerging now.”

Besides J&K, the Centre is the forefront of the battle against Naxals in the red-corridor where it is spending crores on equipment, sensors, choppers, roads and logistics. A sum of around Rs 800 crore is being spent this fiscal to fortify 400 police stations in Naxal-hit areas. Posts of around 12,000 additional special police officers (SPOs) have been sanctioned by the Centre to strengthen intelligence network in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.

The CRPF suffered a major setback in 2010 when 76 of its men were gunned down by Naxals. Slowly they have turned the tables on the Naxals with a dogged fightback.

the DEPENDENCE

States are woefully ill-equipped to monitor terror activity

From NSG hubs to central forces, Centre provides everything to tackle such cases

Entire coastal security is headed by the Navy and the Coast Guard, both under the Defence Ministry

Fight against Naxals is led by the CRPF

The Army, the CRPF and the BSF are at the forefront for checking terror in J&K

Centre providing crores for police modernisation in various states

Now, Khanduri points a finger at EC
SMA Kazmi
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, February 23
BJP leader and Uttarakhand Chief Minister BC Khanduri today accused the Election Commission of being partisan and playing ‘dirty’ to favour the Congress. Upset over the return of 50 per cent of the postal ballots as ‘undelivered’, Khanduri demanded an inquiry, alleging there is a conspiracy to deprive the BJP of legitimate votes.

Khanduri went on to claim that a majority of defence personnel support the BJP and that is why the EC and Congress have joined hands to get postal ballots declared as invalid.

While Congress leaders in Uttar Pradesh, notably Salman Khurshid and Beni Prasad Verma, earlier dared the EC on the ‘sub quota’ issue after the EC hauled up Khurshid for violating the Model Code of Conduct, this is the first time a BJP leader has raised his finger at the EC during the current round of elections.

Officials here confirmed that as many as 1.19 lakh postal ballots were issued for people who figured on the electoral rolls this time. 82 thousand postal ballots were issued during the last Assembly election in 2007. Postal ballots which are received by Returning Officers till the morning of the counting on March 6, will be counted before declaring results, they added. As many as 30,000 ballots have indeed come back as ‘undelivered’, they said.

In a close contest, postal ballots can make a crucial difference, specially in constituencies in which the the result is expected to be decided by a couple of hundred votes. It is also learnt that the Congress has identified 40 constituencies in the state, in which postal ballots could play the spoiler. The party candidates from these constituencies were summoned to New Delhi on Wednesday for a crash course on postal ballots. They were told to object to all postal ballots which fail to establish the identity of the voter.

There are five assembly constituencies, in each of which over five thousand postal ballots have been issued. There are four constituencies having more than three thousand postal ballots.

No CCTV footage in hotel brawl case: Police

Mumbai, February 23
Investigators, who had pinned hopes on a CCTV footage for evidence in their probe into the assault case against Saif Ali Khan, were left disappointed with police saying today no video cameras were installed in the area where the brawl took place at a luxury hotel.

Saif, who has been booked for assaulting an NRI businessman Iqbal Sharma at a restaurant in Taj hotel following a complaint, meanwhile said the brawl on Tuesday night is not a "publicity stunt" and that he felt sorry for what had happened. — PTI

Journalist’s murder: Five accused detained in MP

Bhopal, February 23
With the detention of five persons, the Special Task Force of Madhya Pradesh police today claimed to have cracked the case of murder of a free-lance journalist and his family-members in Umaria.

The murder was linked to kidnapping of a boy in the Umaria district, top-level police sources said.

Hemant Jharia, son of a PWD engineer, had been kidnapped by those detained today, and it is suspected that the murdered journalist, Chandrika Rai, had played some role.

Though Umaria Police claimed that the boy was rescued without parents having to pay ransom, investigators believe that money changed hands.

Dispute over sharing of spoils between kidnappers and Rai could have led to his murder, police said. — PTI

Charminar, Golconda Fort vie for Unesco heritage title
Suresh Dharur/TNS

Charminar (L) and the ruins of Golconda Fort. Photos by writer

Hyderabad, February 23
The historical monuments in and around Hyderabad are being spruced up as part of preparations to get the recognition as World Heritage sites by UNESCO.

Charminar, the 400-year-old cultural symbol of Hyderabad, Qutub Shahi Tombs and Golconda Fort would vie for UNESCO recognition to make it to the list of world heritage sites of 2013.The Andhra Pradesh Government will soon constitute a committee to oversee removal of all encroachments around the historical sites.

The committee will be headed by the Chief Secretary and representatives from the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, ASI, Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority, Department of Tourism, and Horticulture Department.

According to official sources, the committee will be responsible for the removal of encroachments and also for beautification and the upkeep of these monuments. The government has already submitted a detailed maintenance plan to UNESCO through Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

“The dossier was sent well before the deadline of February 1,” said Prof P Chenna Reddy, Director of the State Archeology and Museums Department. Last month, a three-member sub-committee, formed by International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and the Union Ministry of Culture visited these places and suggested individual plans of conservation for each monument.

The ICOMOS, a global NGO network, is responsible for the management of the world's heritage sites and brings together all professionals and supporters of heritage preservation throughout the world. In India, there are now 27 World Heritage sites, of which 22 are cultural sites and 5 natural sites.

The Committee, comprising of Dr Amita Baig, Dr Sikha Jain and Dr Priyaleen Singh, was of the opinion that to get a tag of a World

Heritage Site these monuments need regular upkeep and a clear approach road so that the tourists could visit without any hassles.

According to Chenna Reddy, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture has evinced keen interest in undertaking beautification of the monuments, and its representatives visited them in October last.

“We hope that they will have another look at them in next few weeks to take its initiative a step further. The trust had proposed an MoU with the Archaeology Department to chalk out a programme for documentation, laying of gardens, conservation of monuments, civic amenities and involving local community under public-private partnership mode,” he said.

Yeddy shows his strength as Gadkari arrives
Shubhadeep Choudhury/TNS

Bangalore, February 23
BJP president Nitin Gadkari will have a tough time restoring a semblance of unity in the faction-ridden unit of the party in Karnataka. He arrived here this evening to preside over a two-day brainstorming session of the BJP.

In a move calculated to coincide with Gadkari's visit, deposed CM Yeddyurappa today arranged a show of strength by calling the party MLAs, MLCs and MPs to his residence for a luncheon meeting. This was apparently done to exert pressure on the party's central leadership to reinstate him as chief minister.

Yeddyurappa successfully roped in rural development minister Jagadish Shettar and home minister R Ashoka who were in rival camp when he backed D V Sadananda Gowda to succeed him after being forced to quit as chief minister last August after his indictment by the Lokayukta on illegal mining.

Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda, accompanied by state unit chief K S Eswarappa, called on Yeddyurappa at his residence, but left soon after. Gowda apparently wanted to persuade Yeddyurappa against his plan to show strength.

"We discussed the current political situation, on the coming Udupi-Chikamagalur Lok Sabha by-election and on strengthening the party," Eshwarappa told reporters, saying there was no proposal to accommodate Yeddyurappa in the discussion. It is well known by now that Yeddyurappa has fallen out with Sadananda Gowda, despite backing him for chief minister-ship. Gowda has been asserting his position and trying to come out of Yeddyurappa's shadow.

The conflict between Yeddyurappa and Sadananda Gowda also has a caste angle. Gowda, a Vokkaliga, is being seen as enjoying the confidence of former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, a fellow Vokkaliga, whose party JD(S) has a substantial following among the members of the caste.