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US non-committal on India’s request for access to Headley
game
Shame
Former spotboy arrested
Shaurya Karanbir Gurung
At Goa meeting, BJP may
balance Modi clout with Gadkari comeback
A floating hospital in Guwahati soon
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3 new Army Commanders named; 2 shifted
Integrated military exercise held in Punjab
India strongly objects to China-Pakistan rail link
Talwars move SC for summoning witnesses
Rajesh and Nupur Talwar in a Delhi court. A file photo
Scorching heat continues, Delhi swelters at 45°C
Ansari hopeful of surface connectivity with Uzbekistan
India, Japan to institutionalise regular naval exercises
Three Aadhaar-based identity verification services go online
LS poll: Chandigarh may see high-profile contest
Scorching heat continues, Delhi swelters at 45°C
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US non-committal on India’s request for access to Headley
New Delhi, May 24 Sherman, who is here to prepare the ground for the India-US strategic dialogue to be held towards the end of June, held meetings with External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, National Security Adviser Shivshanker Menon and Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai. She said Secretary of State John Kerry was looking forward to his visit to India for the strategic dialogue, which will be co-chaired by the External Affairs Minister from the Indian side. Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde during his US visit, which ended May 22, had sought access to Headley and his accomplice Tahawwur Rana, who were sentenced by a Chicago court after being found guilty of terrorism charges. Answering a media query on New Delhi's request for access to Headley, Sherman said India and the US had held the bilateral Homeland Security Dialogue during Shinde's visit. "That is the channel, along with the Department of Justice to resolve this request. And I am sure both our governments will work through this in whatever way is appropriate," she said. Sherman said both governments were working at all levels on a number of projects dealing with global economics, global strategic security, energy, climate change, people-to-people and regional cooperation. Terming the depth and breadth of India-US relations as "extraordinary", she said the US also was looking forward to the visit by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh - as "this is a strong, powerful relationship not only in the region but in the world". To a question on Afghanistan's request for more security assistance from India, she said India is "a crucial and key player in the future security and development of Afghanistan, both bilaterally and regionally". Mentioning the development assistance by India in Afghanistan and engagement in regional dialogue forums, she said: "Anything will be positive when India is engaged."
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Mumbai police may grill Rauf
Mumbai, May 24 Vindoo, who is presently in custody, allegedly told investigators that he had sent the presents to Rauf while he was officiating at the current edition of the IPL. The police says the actor allegedly collected the gifts from a bookie called Pawan Jaipur and had sent it to Rauf via a messenger named Taneja, also a bookie. Taneja was arrested by the police and the consignment sent to Rauf is in the process of being seized, police said. Following the revelations, Rauf was dropped from the panel of umpires scheduled to officiate in the forthcoming Champion's Trophy. Controversies are not new to Rauf. Last year, Mumbai model Leena Kapoor who claimed to have an affair with the umpire filed a complaint of sexual exploitation against him. She went on to allege that suspicious-looking people were coming to meet him at match venues with gifts. Kapoor, however, withdrew her complaint against the umpire.
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Former spotboy arrested
Shaurya Karanbir Gurung New Delhi, May 24 Investigators claimed that Mohammed Yahya was in touch with players of more than one team, including Rajasthan Royals, to spot-fix matches for bookies. Yahya uses his alias Yusuf, which is inspired from the original name of a Bollywood actor, Dilip Kumar. Yahya had worked with Kumar as spotboy in the 1980s, according to sources in Delhi Police’s Special Cell, which is investigating the spot-fixing case. Before Yahya’s arrest, the police only had his alias and some descriptions of his physique. “An arrested bookie named as Chandresh Patel, alias Chand, had only told us that Yahya was a fair looking and heavily built man. It was difficult to spot Yahya at the airport. We saw some of his details on his immigration form. We then caught him from the security-hold area. There were only few minutes for him to board the flight,” said a senior Delhi Police officer, close to the investigation of the case. Investigators claimed Yahya belonged to Hyderabad and was currently staying in Mumbai. Police believe his arrest may lead to the involvement of more IPL teams in the spot-fixing scam. Besides cricketers, Yahya was strongly connected with celebrities and bookies. He had started working as a spot boy in Bollywood from 1984 until 2010. He also frequented Dubai and had several acquaintances there. He allegedly owns a property there, according to the sources. Meanwhile, Delhi Police investigators are having a tough time in nabbing bookies and fixers, who used codenames to conceal their identity.
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At Goa meeting, BJP may balance Modi clout with Gadkari comeback
New Delhi, May 24 Five states — Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Delhi — are slated for elections later this year. Coming ahead of the Lok Sabha poll, these elections are important for the BJP, which is smarting from humiliating defeats that it suffered in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and now Karnataka. Politically sidelined Gadkari is said to be sulking due to “lack of support from the top leadership” in helping him clear his name in corruption links that cost him the party’s top job early this year. While his management skills remain questionable (considering the outcome in UP Assembly polls during his tenure), the party is expecting good results from the five poll-bound states which may help him recover some of the lost ground within the party. His efforts are believed to be backed by the group opposed to Modi. Interestingly, the same leaders were responsible for Gadkari’s unceremonious ouster, but as they say, politics makes strange bedfellows. While assigning Modi the role of the campaign panel chief may be the party’s compulsion (considering the immense support he enjoys at the grassroots level), there is a belief that if Gadkari makes a success of the job assigned to him, it may help divert some spotlight from the Gujarat CM. The party continues to remain mum on questions regarding Modi’s projection as the NDA’s PM candidate by a section of the party but there is a feeling that the decision might be taken after looking at the Assembly election results. Clearly, there is a war within the BJP over who the PM candidate should be. Recently, senior party leader Sushma Swaraj, who is also seen as one of the contenders, did not rule out the stake of veteran leader LK Advani. While one group is rooting for Modi, his detractors are sceptic and cite his “limited hardliner appeal”. The Modi fan club, however, believes that if the country witnesses a “presidential form of elections for the PM” with a Modi versus Manmohan Singh or Rahul Gandhi contest, it could be advantage BJP. With a strong grassroots-level push for Modi, the Modi fan club says it is becoming increasingly difficult for the senior leadership to ignore his stake. The Gujarat CM’s detractors counter this claim, referring to Advani and Sushma’s “pan-India” acceptability and also among allies like the JD-U.
Balancing act
Modi may get to chair the election committee for the forthcoming General Election and Gadkari may head the management committee for Assembly polls in five states
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A floating hospital in Guwahati soon
Guwahati, May 24 A hospital ship (floating hospital), first of its kind in the country, is being constructed at Pandu Port in Brahmaputra River in Guwahati with the objective to taking specialised healthcare closer to lakhs of underprivileged people living in inaccessible river isles in Brahmaputra River valley in Assam. Setting the ball rolling for the floating hospital project here today, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi saw merit in the innovative concept that, he said, would boost healthcare delivery to downtrodden living in areas that are accessible only through river routes. Gogoi said the hospital ship could be the role model to introduce a bigger network of floating health clinics using mechanised smaller boats so that larger section of the people gets benefited. The project was conceived by Sanjoy Hazarika, managing trustee of the Centre for Northeast Studies and Policy Research (C-NES) which has been running 15 boat clinics in 13 districts of Assam in partnership with National Rural Health Mission that has benefited over 10 lakh poor people in the state so far. “The
hospital ship project has received a building grant of Rs 4 crore from
the North Eastern Council (NEC). When completed, the floating hospital will provide specialised healthcare services, especially to mothers and children from river island community in Assam. Most
significant is that institutionalised safe deliveries will become a
reality for those people living far off the mainland in the valley,”
Hazarika said. When completed, the 130-feet-long floating hospital will have three levels. It will be equipped with a modern operation theatre, diagnostic facilities like portable X-Ray and ultra sound machines, recovery and delivery rooms, separate wards for male and female patients with five beds each besides other essential facilities.
Will have modern OT
* Hospital is being constructed at Pandu Port in Brahmaputra in
Guwahati * Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said hospital would boost
healthcare delivery to the areas that are accessible only through river
routes * The hospital ship project has received a building grant of Rs
4 crore from the North Eastern Council * When completed, the
130-feet-long floating hospital will have three levels * It will have
a modern operation theatre, diagnostic facilities like portable X-Ray
and ultra sound machines, recovery and delivery rooms
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3 new Army Commanders named; 2 shifted
New Delhi, May 24 Lt Gen Sanjeev Chachra, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GoC-in-C) of the Western Army Command, Chandimandir, will move to the Northern Command, Udhampur, on July 1 to replace Lt Gen KT Parnaik, who will superannuate, according to an order issued here tonight. General Chachra is an infantry officer. Lt Gen Philip Campose has been immediately promoted in-situ in his present rank of Director General Perspective Planning. On July 1, he will take over from General Chachra as the new Western Army Commander. General Campose is from the mechanised infantry. The Western Command strike formations rely on armoured and mechanised units when launching an attack. Lt Gen Anil Chait, GoC-in-C of the Central Army Command, Lucknow, has been shifted to take over as Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (CIDS) to the Chiefs of Staff Committee. He will take over on July 1 from Lt Gen NC Marwah, who superannuates. General Chait of the armoured corps has in the past commanded the prestigious Ambala-based 2 Strike Corps. Lt Gen Rajan Bakshi, presently the General Officer Commanding (GoC) of Leh-based 14 Corps, has been promoted as the GoC-in-C of the Central Army Command. He is also from the armoured corps. Lt Gen Sanjeev Madhok, presently Director General IT, has been promoted as GoC-in-C of the Army Training Command with effect from on June 1 to replace Lt General K. Sundenra Nath. General Madhok is from the Guards and has in the past commanded the Jalandhar-based 11 Corps.
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Integrated military exercise held in Punjab
Jalandhar, May 24 A defence spokesperson said exercise ‘Panchjanya’ was conceptualised by the Army’s Western Command for rapid mobilisation and speedy multiple offensives deep into enemy territory. In a first, all three corps of the Western Command exercised together in an integrated manner. The focus of the exercise was on new and efficient ways of fighting a war in a synergised battlefield. As part of the overall Western Command exercise, troops of the elite Vajra Corps practised their battle drills and procedures. The exercise involved participation of a large array of all arms, combat and support elements including artillery guns, rockets, missiles, armoured tanks and helicopters. Special emphasis was laid on the functional integration of the Army with the Indian Air Force in a network-enabled environment. A senior defence officer said, “The integration has been seamless”, with the Air Force deploying their fighter and bomber aircrafts, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and attack helicopters in support of the operational plans of their Army counterparts. Stretched over a period of 15 days, the exercise was progressively structured so that the participating units and formations are put through their paces in a simulated, realistic battlefield environment. All elements of command and combat decision-making were activated during the exercise. Army Commander and Vajra Corps Commander, along with other senior military commanders, witnessed the exercise on May 23 and 24. During his visit to the exercise area, Lt Gen Sanjiv Chachra, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command, witnessed combined arms manoeuvres, including insertion of heli-borne forces. Expressing satisfaction on the operational readiness of the formation, he appreciated the high training standards and motivation level of the troops. He complimented the Commanders and the troops for their exceptional display of professionalism. (With inputs from Vijay Mohan in Chandigarh)
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India strongly objects to China-Pakistan rail link
New Delhi, May 24 He said New Delhi had made known to Beijing its opposition to any cooperation between China and Pakistan involving the disputed area of the PoK. China and Pakistan signed an accord for the proposed rail link during Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's visit to Islamabad. India has been quite concerned over the increasing China-Pakistan cooperation, especially on projects involving the PoK. However, Ignoring New Delhi's concern, China has indicated it would go ahead with building infrastructure in PoK as part of its cooperation with Pakistan, its 'all-weather friend'.
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Talwars move SC for summoning witnesses
New Delhi, May 24 The couple's appeal against the high court order was mentioned before a bench comprising justices B S Chauhan and Dipak Misra which posted the matter for hearing on May 28. This the second time this month that they have knocked the doors of the apex court with the plea to summon additional witnesses, including ADG (Law and Order) Uttar Pradesh and then CBI Joint Director Arun Kumar to record their statements. They have challenged the dismissal of their petition by high court's May 21 order which had said: "There is no need to force the prosecution to call witnesses other than those it deems proper." The High Court was of the view that the trial court had the right to decide which of the witnesses should be summoned and their statements recorded. The couple had moved the high court after the apex court on May 13 had refused to entertain their petition after taking strong exception to Talwars directly challenging the trial court's order before it. The apex court bench had asked them to approach the High Court saying it was a wrong procedure to approach the Supreme Court directly. While the Talwars are seeking legal redressal at higher courts, the trial court is going ahead with its proceedings in which they are facing trial in the murder case of their teenaged daughter Aarushi and domestic help Hemraj. The trial court had dismissed their petition on May 6 and ordered recording of statements of Rajesh and Nupur, who are the main accused. The statement of CBI Investigating Officer AGL Kaul, the last prosecution witness, has already been recorded. The CBI case is that the murder of 14-year-old Aarushi five years ago was carried out by her parents and that no outsider was present. In his deposition before the special court, Kaul, who headed the CBI probe, had submitted that the agency's investigation had revealed no evidence of any third person's entry into the Talwar residence. Aarushi was found dead with her throat slit in her bedroom on May 16, 2008. The initial suspicion went on Hemraj whose body was later found in the terrace at their residence in Jalvayu Vihar in Noida on the outskirts of Delhi. — PTI
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Scorching heat continues, Delhi swelters at 45°C
New Delhi, May 24 Simmering heat swept the entire Punjab and Haryana region, with Amritsar continuing to be the hottest place with a maximum of 47.7°C, the Met department said. While Hisar was the hottest in Haryana with 47.3°C, Chandigarh registered a maximum of 43°C. Temperature settled above the 45 degree-mark in most parts of Rajasthan, where Sriganganagar remained the hottest place with a maximum of 47.4°C, five notches above normal, followed by Churu, which recorded 46.4°C. Kota, Bikaner and Jaipur recorded highs of 45.6, 45.5 and 44.4°C, respectively, the Met department said. Similar conditions prevailed in Uttar Pradesh also, where acute power crisis forced people to take to the streets. Protests were reported from various districts, where people shouted slogans and burnt effigies of the power department. Banda was the hottest place with a maximum of 47.4°C and the temperature settled largely above normal in most parts of UP, including Allahabad, Agra, Meerut, Jhansi, Bareilly, Kanpur and Moradabad divisions. Heat wave killed 16 peacocks at a village in Morena district of Madhya Pradesh during the past 24 hours, officials said. District Collector N B S Rajput said he has given instructions to the forest and veterinary departments to make adequate arrangements of food and water to save the birds from excessive heat conditions prevailing in the region. Khajuraho was the hottest place in MP with a maximum of 47°C, followed by Gwalior, which registered a high of 46.2°C. Heat wave continued to sweep Maharashtra's Vidarbha region also even though the mercury in Nagpur, after settling at an all-time high of 47.9°C on May 22, maintained a declining trend for the second consecutive day to settle at 46.3°C. — PTI
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Ansari hopeful of surface connectivity with Uzbekistan
On Board Special Aircraft, May 24 Talking clearly in the backdrop of his four-day visit of Uzbekistan that concluded today and wide range of discussions that took place on the Afghanistan situation as also the absence of surface connectivity between the two countries, he said that his definition of mountains in between was that while there was air connectivity, but surface connectivity was missing. This was an unmistakable reference to the situation prevailing on the Indo-Pak borders and the Pakistan-Afghanistan borders and also on the border between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan, which prevented surface connectivity. “Some people don’t want that” and this was clearly a hint directed at Pakistan that has continued to maintain its hostile position with both India and Afghanistan and has always been on look-out for strategic depth in Afghanistan vis-à-vis its eastern neighbour India. Ansari quoted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to substantiate his point that how the surface connectivity between South Asia and Central Asia could be overcome. Manmohan Singh had once said it was his “wish was to have breakfast in Amritsar in India, lunch in Lahore in Pakistan and dinner in Kabul in Afghanistan.” “This type of connectivity we are talking about”, he said clarifying his statement which he made at the end of his visit that “was very good and where the host went extra mile in extending the courtesies.” “Normally, the official protocol and courtesies end at the capital cities - this is practice all over the world, but in Uzbekistan, his host President Islam Karimov ensured that courtesies were extended even in Samarkand and Bukhra,” Vice President said while admiring the unprecedented hospitality extended to him and his delegation. Ansari, while sharing the details of his visit and in particularly the meeting that he had with President Islam Karimov in Tashkent on Wednesday, reiterated “It is our policy that no X Y Z country should interfere in the affairs of Afghanistan”. A considerable time was spent on the discussions on Afghanistan and the situation that may arise after July 2014 when the western forces were expected to pull out of the trouble-torn country. He made it amply clear that ahead of 2014, further discussions would be held and views would be exchanged. “That exercise will continue”, he stressed during his brief interaction with media. President Karimov made it clear to the visiting Vice President that despite the two countries having historic and friendly relations, there was not enough Indian business presence in his country. This was one of the areas of main concern. Another point that Uzbek President stressed was that there was no connectivity between the two countries. This area needed special attention.
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India, Japan to institutionalise regular naval exercises
New Delhi, May 24 Defence cooperation will be high on the agenda of the two countries when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visits Japan from May 27-30 for the annual India-Japan Summit. The summit was to be held in November last year but had to be postponed in view of the sudden announcement of elections in the East Asian country. Briefing reporters on the visit today, Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai denied that growing defence cooperation between India and Japan was aimed at checkmating China. “What we do with Japan is bilateral and is not intended against anyone,” he said. Significantly, Manmohan Singh’s visit comes within a week of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang’s trip to India against the backdrop of the PLA incursion in Ladakh. Both India and Japan have territorial or maritime dispute with China. The PM’s visit to Japan will be reciprocated by a rare gesture by the Japanese Emperor and Empress, who would for the first time visit India at the end of this year. The PM, who is leading a high-level delegation to Tokyo, will hold talks with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe on a range of issues of mutual interest and discuss ways to bolster strategic and global partnership between the two countries, Mathai said. Asked about the civil nuclear cooperation agreement negotiations for which have not made much headway since Japan was struck by Fukushima nuclear disaster in March, 2011, he said, "Agreements always take a certain amount of time. Discussions have given some impetus recently." Indicating that several issues still need to be worked out, he said, "There are a number of stages we have to go through before we reach the signature. I can't put a date on it. We would certainly like to conclude this." "We hope to make by the end of this year more progress in this field," he said. On his way back from Tokyo, the PM will visit Bangkok on May 30-31 aimed at elevating bilateral relations into a "strategic partnership" but the long-awaited Free Trade Agreement is unlikely to be signed with some sticky issues still to be sorted out.
Focus on defence ties
* Defence cooperation will be high on the agenda of the two countries when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visits Japan from May 27-30 for the annual India-Japan Summit. *
The summit was to be held in November last year but had to be postponed in view of the sudden announcement of elections in the East Asian country.
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Three Aadhaar-based identity verification services go online
New Delhi, May 24 Around 300 permanent Aadhaar Kendras would be established initially and the number would go up to 1,000 by September. The three services launched are e-KYC, OTP (one time pin) authentication and iris authentication. The e-KYC service will enable individuals to authorise service providers to receive electronic copy of their proof of identity and address. Authentication and e-KYC services of UIDAI will help residents avail benefits of Aadhaar-linked services and give public/private entities an economical, secure and flexible mode of verifying user identity. Aadhaar Kendras or permanent enrolment centres will facilitate enrolment of residents left out and also serve as update centres for resident who wish to update biometric or demographic data. These will be located in common services centres, government buildings in block/mandal/tehsil/municipal ward office or in the official premises of the Registrar or such premises as may be expressly approved by the Registrars. Residents can also seek information about their Aadhaar generation status or get e-Aadhaar printed at these centres. Launching the services, Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said the Aadhaar authentication and e-KYC services will give a boost to use of the Aadhaar platform for authenticating the identity of people. There could be leakage ranging between 20 to 40 per cent in the present system of delivery of benefits under various schemes and said that these services would help plugging them, he added. "The centres will facilitate enrolment of residents left out during camps organised by registrars and also facilitate biometric and demographic update," UIDAI chairman Nandan Nilekani said. “This is a major step in enabling Aadhaar holders to avail various services by using the Aadhaar platform. It also makes sense for various user agencies as they can identify a beneficiary/customer using a fast, secure, economical and paperless format,” he added.
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LS poll: Chandigarh may see high-profile contest New Delhi, May 24 While the cash-for-jobs scam, which cost Chandigarh MP Pawan Bansal his job as Railway Minister, has set off a race within the Congress for the prestigious constituency, senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley’s plan to court arrest from Chandigarh on May 27 has now set speculations rife that the ace BJP lawyer could be preparing for his Lok Sabha debut from City Beautiful. On Monday, the principal Opposition party will hold a “Jail Bharo Andolan” throughout the country to highlight “corruption, price rise, scams of the Congress directly affecting the aam aadmi”. Party president Rajnath Singh will lead the agitation in Delhi and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj in Madhya Pradesh - the state that sends her to Parliament. Interestingly, the party has chosen Jaitley — Sushma’s counterpart in the Rajya Sabha — for Chandigarh. In the past two decades, Chandigarh’s Lok Sabha elections have mostly revolved around Bansal and BJP’s Satpal Jain. Bansal won in 1991 and followed it up in 1999, 2004 and 2009. While Jain also won twice (1996 and 1998), Bansal’s spectacular rise in the past few years — his inclusion in the government as a Minister of State in UPA-I and elevation to the Cabinet rank during UPA-II — made the going tough for the BJP. Embroiled in an embarrassing situation as he is now, sources say if Bansal does not get an official clean chit, the Congress may find it difficult to field him from Chandigarh, though Bansal would still fight hard for the seat or for at least one of his confidants. Vinod Sharma is another long-standing aspirant for the prestigious constituency but lately, it seems, Law Minister Kapil Sibal has been actively considering moving to Chandigarh, especially with the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP gunning for him in Delhi. Obviously, the BJP is aware of all this. Even though Jain has won twice, to counter Sibal or Bansal as might be the case, the BJP may find it safer to rely on Jaitley especially keeping in mind the city’s profile.
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Scorching heat continues, Delhi swelters at 45°C
New Delhi, May 24 Simmering heat swept the entire Punjab and Haryana region, with Amritsar continuing to be the hottest place with a maximum of 47.7°C, the Met department said. While Hisar was the hottest in Haryana with 47.3°C, Chandigarh registered a maximum of 43°C. Temperature settled above the 45 degree-mark in most parts of Rajasthan, where Sriganganagar remained the hottest place with a maximum of 47.4°C, five notches above normal, followed by Churu, which recorded 46.4°C. Kota, Bikaner and Jaipur recorded highs of 45.6, 45.5 and 44.4°C, respectively, the Met department said. Similar conditions prevailed in Uttar Pradesh also, where acute power crisis forced people to take to the streets. Protests were reported from various districts, where people shouted slogans and burnt effigies of the power department. Banda was the hottest place with a maximum of 47.4°C and the temperature settled largely above normal in most parts of UP, including Allahabad, Agra, Meerut, Jhansi, Bareilly, Kanpur and Moradabad divisions. Heat wave killed 16 peacocks at a village in Morena district of Madhya Pradesh during the past 24 hours, officials said. District Collector N B S Rajput said he has given instructions to the forest and veterinary departments to make adequate arrangements of food and water to save the birds from excessive heat conditions prevailing in the region. Khajuraho was the hottest place in MP with a maximum of 47°C, followed by Gwalior, which registered a high of 46.2°C. Heat wave continued to sweep Maharashtra's Vidarbha region also even though the mercury in Nagpur, after settling at an all-time high of 47.9°C on May 22, maintained a declining trend for the second consecutive day to settle at 46.3°C. — PTI
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Dentist couple Rajesh and Nupur Talwar on Friday moved the Supreme Court challenging the Allahabad high court order refusing their plea to summon 14 witnesses in the Aarushi-Hemraj murder case trial.
The couple's appeal against the high court order was mentioned before a bench comprising justices B S Chauhan and Dipak Misra which posted the matter for hearing on May 28.
Chandigarh, the way that the situation is unfolding, may well become the battleground of political bigwigs in the next Lok Sabha elections.
While the cash-for-jobs scam, which cost Chandigarh MP Pawan Bansal his job as Railway Minister, has set off a race within the Congress for the prestigious constituency, senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley’s plan to court arrest from Chandigarh on May 27 has now set speculations rife that the ace BJP lawyer could be preparing for his Lok Sabha debut from City Beautiful.
Sources said the task of chairing the all-important election committee for the forthcoming General Election might be assigned to Modi at the meeting. But to put a limit to Modi’s growing stature, former party president Nitin Gadkari may be given the job of managing the forthcoming Assembly elections, thereby paving the way for Gadkari’s comeback into top-level party affairs.