The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Success of AAP forces BJP to revise strategy for LS polls Vibha Sharma Tribune News Service New Delhi, January 1 The Aam Aadmi Party’s ambitious national plans have prompted a concerned BJP to revise plans for the upcoming general elections. In a meeting here later this month, the party leadership will form strategy for 2014 keeping in mind the faith articulated by the Delhi’s lower middle class in AAP and after-effects of slashing of water and electricity tariffs by the Arvind Kejriwal government on rest of the urban India. By hijacking BJP’s poll planks - corruption and price rise — AAP had already cornered the principal opposition. And after fulfilling two key promises within 48 hours of assuming office, it has hit another of Narendra Modi’s talking point — good governance. Sources say party ideologue RSS has asked BJP bosses to conduct a survey at the grass-root levels to assess the impact of AAP’s decisions on the lower middle class - the group which has no political commitment but concerns for daily issues like bijli, pani and sadak. The sources add the RSS has cautioned the saffron outfit to re-think poll-related strategies by focusing more on lower middle class - the section that AAP successfully tapped in Delhi. Though the RSS has a Plan B in the case the BJP under Modi fails to make it to the 200 mark on its own, there are no solutions if the massive chunk of voters gets divided on populist poll promises. “AAP has changed the dynamics of Indian politics. Its populistic promises can have a major impact on the lower middle class, which is drifting towards the party that promises maximum gains on day-to-day issues,” they say. So the message from RSS is that the BJP should stay united come what may and present a clean image to urban middle and lower classes by selecting good candidates. So far as rural areas are concerned, the same formula would apply. The BJP knows that in rural areas the votes it gathers in rural regions are more for the leader than the party. A day before the national executive meeting, the BJP will also hold a meeting of office-bearers on January 16 to discuss the change in political situation. Interestingly, the strategic meet of top leaders on January 17 will coincide with a similar session of the AICC. It will be followed up two-day open session of the national council at the Ramleela grounds on December 18 and 19, ending with significant political and economic resolutions and an election strategy. Top BJP leaders will address the sessions. This will be the Modi's first major strategy meet after a court in Ahmedabad gave him a clean chit on his role in the 2002 riots. Changing scenario * The party leadership to form strategy keeping in mind the faith articulated by Delhi's lower middle class in AAP and after-effects of slashing of water and electricity tariffs by the Delhi government * The RSS has asked BJP bosses to conduct a survey at the grass-root levels to assess the impact of AAP’s decisions on the lower middle class * The RSS wants the BJP to stay united come what may and present a clean image to urban middle and lower classes by selecting good candidates
	Post Delhi defeat, Cong says 11 lakh voters duplicate Tribune News Service New Delhi, January 1 Ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress today petitioned the Election Commission alleging that there were over 53 lakh duplicate voters in the electoral rolls of Delhi, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Demanding the constitution of special teams to authenticate the electoral rolls, the Congress pointed out that while Delhi had 10.98 lakh duplicate voters, Andhra had 31.06 lakh and Karnataka 11.59 lakh. The complaint is significant as it comes close on the heels of Congress’ humiliating loss in Delhi elections where it won just eight out of 70 segments. In percentage terms, the Congress has said that 10.07 per cent of all voters in Delhi are duplicate and need verification. Ironically, Congress was in power in Delhi for 15 years before losing to the Aam Aadmi Party which it is now backing from outside. As much as 16.49 per cent of all voters in Karnataka have been found to be duplicate by the Congress which flagged the issue with Chief Election Commissioner VS Sampath. In Andhra, it found 5.37 per cent of total voters to be duplicates. The complaint, submitted today to the EC by secretary Legal Cell of the Congress KC Mittal, states, "We analysed the electoral rolls for various quality aspects, including possible duplicate records. We compared records on four parameters: name, age, gender and relatives' name." The Congress complaint in respect of Delhi says, "We analysed the electoral rolls across 70 constituencies in New Delhi and suspect that over 10 lakh records are duplicate. In Karnataka, we analysed the electoral rolls of 28 segments of Bangalore city and found 11 lakh duplicate voters. And in Andhra, we compared the electoral rolls from January 2013 to November 2013 and found deletions in excess of 2 per cent in 244 out of 294 constituencies.”
	BJP moves EC Tribune News Service New Delhi, January 1 Stepping up its attack against Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, the BJP today petitioned the Election Commission to act against him for filing affidavits containing incomplete information. Having dared the Congress to sack the Himachal CM, BJYM chief and Hamirpur MP Anurag Thakur alleged the affidavits filed by him did not mention about the money received as loan from a power sector company or that the family held shares in another company. Thakur said he met CEC VS Sampath and submitted a memorandum to take action as per law against Virbhadra Singh for hiding certain vital information about his income in the affidavits filed before the EC before the HP Assembly poll and by his wife ahead of the Mandi Lok Sabha byelection. Neither did Virbhadra Singh disclose the money received from the power company promoter nor provide details of shares held by his wife and two children in the power company subsidiary in his affidavit filed before the EC, the BJP MP alleged. A day after the BJP Yuva Morcha (BJYM) held a demonstration in front of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s residence against Virbhadra Singh, the Congress youth wing today sought to pay back the BJP in the same coin by holding a protest at its chief Rajnath Singh’s residence against the proposed move to re-induct former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa into party fold. The Indian Youth Congress (IYC) said the demonstration was to expose the “double standards and hypocrisy” of the BJP that was re-inducting Yeddyurappa. The former Karnataka Chief Minister had quit the BJP a few years ago to float his own party on removal following allegations of illegal mining and charges of corruption.
	Lokpal Bill gets President’s nod New Delhi, January 1 The much-awaited Lokpal Bill today got the assent from President Pranab Mukherjee, providing for creation of an anti-graft watchdog which will bring under its purview even the Prime Minister with certain safeguards.The Bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha on December 17 and by the Lok Sabha the next day. The Lok Sabha secretariat had yesterday sent to the Law Ministry a copy of the Bill which has been signed by Speaker Meira Kumar. The Bill was then forwarded to the Rashtrapati Bhavan for the President's assent, official sources said. The President has signed the Lokpal Bill, the sources said. The Bill takes the shape of the Act after the signing by the President and following certain procedures. After the assent by the President, Secretary Legislative Department in the Law Ministry will sign it and send it for publication in the official gazette. The Bill aims to set up institution of Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayuktas in states by law enacted by respective legislatures within one year of coming into force of the Act. The Bill was first passed by the Lok Sabha at the fag end of the winter session of 2011, but not by the Rajya Sabha, where it was debated but the house was adjourned before voting on it. Later, a select committee of the Rajya Sabha had suggested changes in the Bill, most of which which were incorporated and approved by the Union Cabinet. Following the amendments, the Rajya Sabha had passed the Bill. — PTI Anti-graft provisions * The Bill provides for the creation of an anti-graft watchdog bringing under its purview the PM with certain safeguards * It was passed by the Rajya Sabha on December 17 and by the Lok Sabha a day later * It will now be signed by the Secretary, Legislative Department, in the Law Ministry and sent for publication in the official gazette
	Non-subsidised LPG cylinder dearer by Rs 220 New Delhi, January 1 The price of non-subsidised cooking gas (LPG), which customers buy after consuming their quota of subsidised cylinders, was hiked by a steep Rs 220 per cylinder today on firming international rates. The 14.2-kg cooking gas cylinder that consumers buy beyond their entitled nine cylinders at subsidised rates will now cost Rs 1,241, up from Rs 1,021 in Delhi, state-owned fuel retailers said. This is the third increase in non-subsidised LPG rates in the past month. The price was hiked by Rs 63 a cylinder to Rs 1,017.50 on December 1. It was increased by a further Rs 3.50 to Rs 1,021 on December 11, when the government raised the commission for LPG dealers and distributors. The government had in September 2012 capped the supply of subsidised domestic LPG cylinders to six per household in a year. The quota was raised to nine cylinders per household in a year in January 2013. Any requirement above this limit has to be purchased at market rates. There is no restriction on the number of non-subsidised cylinders that a consumer can buy. State-owned oil companies revise rates of non-subsidised LPG on the 1st of every month, based on the average imported cost and rupee-US dollar rate during the previous month. A subsidized 14.2-kg cylinder costs Rs 414 in Delhi. Officials said state-owned oil firms currently lose Rs 762.70 per cylinder on the sale of subsidised LPG. Non-subsidised LPG rates in Mumbai have been increased to Rs 1,264.50 per cylinder from Rs 1,038. International LPG rates have firmed up due to increased winter heating demand, they said. — PTI
	India, Saudi Arabia to sign labour pact today Tribune News Service New Delhi, January 1 Nearly a year after Saudi Arabia changed laws to bring domestic workers in its ambit under the Nitaqat programme, India will enter into a labour cooperation agreement with the country tomorrow that is intended to benefit 28 lakh Indian workers in that country. The agreement is scheduled to be signed by visiting Minister of Labour from Saudi Arabia Abdel bin Mohammad Fakeih with Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi, the Ministry of External Affairs said here. “This is the first time that we are entering into an agreement with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on labour-related matters. This stems from changes in Saudi law where they have brought domestic workers into the ambit of their law. We hope this will be the stepping stone for our cooperation on other labour matters. Once this agreement is signed and finalised, we hope to work with them towards finalising a more comprehensive agreement on all aspects of our labour cooperation,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said. Nitaqat came into force from last year and since then, 1.40 lakh Indian workers have returned home but at the same time number of Indians who went to the country is much larger, the MEA said adding that through dedicated efforts by the Indian community there, and advice tenders by the Government through Indian Missions there, workers from the country have been able to overcome difficulties that were being encountered there in a transitory manner. “This is a law which the Saudi Government had decreed for everybody, it was not a law for India alone. But I think we have been able to overcome those difficult times, and now we look to further enhance our bilateral cooperation with Saudi Arabia including in the field of labour cooperation,” the spokesperson said.
	Railway ticket racket: CBI begins probe New Delhi, January 1 The Central Bureau of Investigation today registered a preliminary enquiry (PE) to look into alleged misuse of emergency railway tickets by some railway unions in collusion with some of travel agents. Sources in the agency said the PE was registered against unknown persons to carry out a probe into misuse of railway tickets issued under quota to various railway unions. The PE claims some office-bearers were allegedly colluding with travel agents for confirming railway tickets at a premium, the sources said. The CBI had arrested a Railway Board member earlier last year in an alleged bribery case and carried out raids at various places during which some documents were recovered which indicated that such a practice is being followed by some individuals, the sources said. — PTI
	India, Pak exchange lists of N-facilities Tribune News Service New Delhi, January 1 India and Pakistan today exchanged lists of nuclear installations and facilities and nationals of each country lodged in other’s jails. The list of nuclear installations and facilities is exchanged by the two countries on January 1 every year as part of an Agreement on the Prohibition of Attack against Nuclear Installations and Facilities. The agreement, signed on December 31, 1988, came into force on January 27, 1991. This is the 23rd consecutive exchange of lists between the two countries, the first one having taken place on January 1, 1992. Both sides also exchanged the list of nationals lodged in other’s jails as part of an Agreement on Consular Access between India and Pakistan. The agreement was signed on May 21, 2008, and is exchanged twice every year on January 1 and July 1. Pakistan is believed to have handed over a list of 281 Indian prisoners, while India has reciprocated with a list of 396 Pakistani prisoners. As per the list, there are 232 Indian fishermen and 49 civilians in Pakistan jails. India has 257 Pakistani civilians and 139 fishermen in its jails. Prisoners’ list * As part of an Agreement on Consular Access between India and Pakistan, the two countries also exchanged the list of nationals lodged in each other's jails. The lists are exchanged on January 1 and July 1 of every year.
	Mountain strike corps, its1st division raised Tribune News Service New Delhi, January 1 The mountain strike corps, aimed at countering China, was formally raised by holding a "flag hoisting" ceremony at Ranchi today. The headquarters of 59 Division, under the Corps, was also raised simultaneously this morning. The second Division, 72, will be raised at Pathankot later. This is the first corps to be raised since the 9 Corps was raised at Yol, near Dharamsala, in 2005. It would take another 10 months to complete staffing and equipping of the 59 Division that would get already established regiments, sources said. The regiments would be replenished with new recruits as this corps would lead to force accretion and not draw from existing forces. Instructions have already been issued for moving of regiments. Each of the Divisions will have four brigades and a strength of around 30,000 each, including infantry, signals, artillery, engineers, armoured and supply, besides helicopters. The existing three strike corps at Ambala, Mathura and Bhopal have around 80,000 troops each. The CCS cleared the corps on July 17, allocating Rs 64,000 crore to be spent over the next six-seven years. Ranchi is the temporary headquarters. The corps and the division will have their headquarters at Panagarh in West Bengal. The IAF special operations aircraft, C-130 J Super Hercules, will also be based there. Maj Gen Raymond Norohna has been designated as the first GoC of the corps that has been named the 17 Strike Corps. Normally a strike corps is headed by a Lieut General rank official. Maj Gen Norohna is slated for promotion as Lieut General and the file for his appointment along with the promotions of 14 other Major Generals is pending with the appointments committee of the Cabinet. The board for promotion was conducted on November 13 and since then the file has been moving between the Ministry of Defence and the Army over some queries. First since 2005 * This is the first corps to be raised since the 9 Corps was raised at Yol, near Dharamsala, in 2005 * It will take another 10 months to complete staffing and equipping of the 59 Division that will get already established regiments * The second Division, 72, will be raised at Pathankot later
	Lt Gen Suhag takes over as Vice Chief of Army New Delhi, January 1 Lt Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag, who is tipped to be the next Army Chief, took over as the Vice-Chief of the Army Staff today. General Suhag, who was commissioned in the Gorkha Rifles in 1974, has a long experience in counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir and North East and had participated in IPKF operation in Sri Lanka. The Army had announced the decision to designate Suhag, till now the Eastern Army Commander, as the next Vice-Chief on December 12. His fate appeared uncertain after the then Army Chief Gen VK Singh imposed a discipline and vigilance promotion ban on him while he was heading the 3 Corps in Dimapur. VK Singh had charged Suhag with "abdicating responsibility" in "a most unprofessional and lackadaisical manner" while dealing with a botched operation by an intelligence and surveillance unit under him. The ban was revoked by Gen Bikram Singh, when he took over as the Army Chief, paving the way for Suhag's elevation as the Eastern Army Commander in June, 2012. Gen Suhag has had a tenure as a company commander in Operation Pawan, which was launched by the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Sri Lanka. He raised and commanded 33 RR in Nagaland and later led 53 Infantry Brigade, which was involved in counter-insurgency operations in Kashmir, an Army spokesperson said. — PTI
	Chhattisgarh’s richest candidate set to be Cong legislature party chief Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, January 1 In an interesting turn of events in Chhattisgarh, Congress legislators are likely to elect the richest candidate in the state as their legislature party leader in an election due tomorrow. mbikapur MLA Tribhuveneshwar Singh Deo, the 117th descendant of the Sarguja royal family with declared assets worth Rs 560 crore, is expected to be the clear winner for CLP leader’s position with Congress president Sonia Gandhi today sending senior leaders Ambika Soni and Ajay Makan as central observers for the election. Top Congress sources told The Tribune that Singhdeo, who led the party to victory in all but one segment in the Sarguja parliamentary constituency of the state, was the front-runner for the slot. What makes Singhdeo interesting is the fact that he was officially the richest candidate in the fray in the recent polls in Chhattisgarh. His assets grew from Rs 187 crore in 2008 to Rs 560 cr now; moveable being Rs 10.03 crore and immovable Rs 550 crore. Singhdeo also has Rs 4.25 lakh cash and Rs 94.22 lakh in 18 bank accounts and owns 35 pieces of agricultural land and homestead lands at six places. Congress sources said the central leadership was impressed with the fact that Singhdeo had, during his poll speeches recently, declared that he would shave off his head if he failed to get a majority for the candidates in Sarguja Lok Sabha segment where he played a vital role in ticket selection and was proved right. In the rest of the state, Congress listened to former CM Ajit Jogi and lost power to BJP again. Moreover, Sonia had personally campaigned in Ambikapur, Singhdeo's Assembly segment, the same place where BJP PM candidate Narendra Modi held a rally with a Red Fort replica in the backdrop. Financial acclaim apart, Singhdeo is expected to win the CLP leader’s race because he pulled off a major victory for the Congress in an area otherwise dominated by the BJP. Sarguja is one of the few Lok Sabha segments where Congress MLAs won in the recent state poll.
	Diplomat’s Arrest in NY Devyani’s UN application under review, says US Washington, January 1 The US is still reviewing the application for the transfer of senior Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade to the United Nations and issue the necessary documents to her for full diplomatic immunity, a top American official said here. “It is under review. We cannot predict when that review will be complete,” said a State Department spokesperson in response to a question on the status of the UN request to grant full diplomatic status to Khobragade. The State Department had received her application from the United Nations in New York on December 20. Normally, the State Department takes a decision on this very quickly, but this time the US is taking an unusually long time. “We cannot compare this to previous requests as each request is evaluated on its own merits,” the spokesperson said yesterday. Khobragade was arrested on December 12 on charges of visa fraud and misrepresentation. At the time of her arrest, she was Deputy Consul General at the Indian Consulate in New York. The US says, in this capacity, she did not have full diplomatic immunity. Days after her arrest, the Indian Government transferred Khobragade to the permanent mission of India to the United Nations (UN), with the view that this would give her the necessary diplomatic immunity. — PTI Embassy staff wages * The US has said the salary of its embassy staff in countries around the world is based on prevailing wages in conjunction with the local laws. "Generally, compensation plans for locally employed staff at US Missions abroad are based upon prevailing wage rates and compensation practices for corresponding types of positions in the employment locality," a State Department spokesperson said.
	MATTERS MILITARY Cold brings IAF’s ‘big bird’ to Chandigarh While flying out of the Chandigarh airfield, don't be surprised if you catch a glimpse of the Indian Air Force's Big Bird, a C-17, parked in a corner. The IAF's newly acquired Globemaster III heavy lift aircraft has been stationed in Chandigarh for undertaking sorties to the northern sector as winters have set in and many roads have become non-operational. Airlifting supplies to the northern sector is primarily the responsibility of the Chandigarh airbase, which is also home to an IL-76 squadron, an AN-32 squadron and a helicopter flight that operates the world’s largest chopper, the Mi-26. The American C-17 can airlift about double the load that can be carried by the Russian IL-76 strategic freighter, enabling the IAF to ferry in more material with fewer sorties. Having been in service for less than six months and forming part of the Hindon-based 81 Squadron, “Skylords” — the three Globemasters that have arrived from the US so far — are already making their presence felt. Besides other tasks, a single C-17 recently airlifted an infantry battalion to Port Blair. Colonel’s Deadly Scoop For hockey enthusiasts, there is a new treasure trove of rare old photographs, news clippings, messages, analysis and anecdotes in the form of a coffee table book brought out by Olympian and Arjuna Awardee Col Balbir Singh. Titled “The Colonel’s Deadly Scoop”, the profusely illustrated book recounts in detail the journey of Indian hockey, detailing its triumphs as well as moments of crisis, life in uniform and the role played by the army in promoting the sport. The author, who in his own words “made playfields his battlegrounds as he did not get a chance to go to war”, hails from a fourth-generation military family from Sansarpur in Punjab. His grandfather had fought in the First World War, his father battled Rommel’s tanks in the deserts of North Africa in World War-II and later fought Pakistani raiders to save Srinagar in 1947 and his son now serving with the Parachute Regiment. Women behind Tejas success A few weeks ago, the Tejas light combat aircraft was granted ‘initial operational clearance’ to enter IAF service. A host of women engineers played vital roles in the development of the indigenous light-weight fighter. Some of these women engineers have been working for decades in the male-dominated Indian aviation industry and have been associated with Tejas as well as other aircraft design and development projects for several years. Many among them have reached senior positions in Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, the state-owned unit engaged in production of the fighter. Two engineers, Chandrika SK and Shardha K are working as deputy general manager and assistant general manager, respectively, with HAL. Several among them also had opportunities to travel abroad to France and Russia in connection with the development programme and accompany the Tejas during field trials. In fact, the design team for the Tejas’ trainer two-seat trainer variant was led by women engineers Poongothai and Mamatha K. Sportsman General in Jaipur In their new General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, the Jaipur-based South Western Command has a sportsman who has donned Indian colours. Lt Gen Arun Kumar Sahni, who took over as Army Commander on December 31, is a sportsman of standing. Belonging to the Regiment of Artillery, Lt Gen Sahni is an accomplished horserider and a polo player, who has represented the country in polo and equestrian events. Now hopes are high that Army polo teams will get spurred on to do even better. As a military professional, he has served as the Additional Director General, Military Operations, in Army Headquarters, where he was responsible for force structuring and operational preparedness of the Army. He also had a stint as Assistant Military Attaché at Embassy of India, Moscow, for three years. (Vijay Mohan and Ajay Banerjee)
	Cut power tariffs or face agitation: Mumbai MP Tribune News Service Mumbai, January 1 Member of Parliament from North Mumbai Sanjay Nirupam has threatened to launch an agitation if the Maharashtra government did not intervene to reduce power tariffs in the metropolis. In a letter to Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, Nirupam demanded that the Maharashtra government reduce power tariffs for consumers who consume less than 500 units per month in Mumbai. “Whenever we have raised the issue of high power tariffs in Mumbai, the state government has told us that the matter has been referred to the regulator,” Nirupam said in his letter. The MP noted that the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi has reduced power tariffs without consulting the power regulator. He demanded that the Maharashtra Government conduct an inquiry into the capital costs of power utilities supplying electricity in Mumbai. Nirupam said he wanted an audit of the cost structure of the power companies supplying electricity to Mumbai. Apart from the civic-controlled BEST, Reliance Energy and Tata Power are the two utilities which supply power to Mumbai. While users in the financial capital can choose their power suppliers and switch from one utility to the other, consumer organisations have been alleging over-charging. Nirupam suggested that power companies in Mumbai were acting as a cartel to raise power.
	13 crib deaths in 2 days at Malda hospital Malda (WB), January 1 Eight more infants died in the Malda Medical College and Hospital today, taking the death toll in the past two days up to 13, hospital sources said. Several babies who are presently undergoing treatment in the neo-natal ward and the SNCU ward of the hospital are stated to be critical, sources said. Hospital authorities said breathing trouble, low birth weight and infection were the prime causes behind the crib deaths, adding most babies were admitted to the hospital from Chanchol, Habibpur and Pakna areas of the district. “Severe chill and lack of protection from the winter were also behind the newborns being infected with diseases and developing breathing troubles. Most patients who came from the villages were already in a bad shape,” a hospital official said. — PTI
	Jalpaiguri blast: 1 more held Jalpaiguri (WB), January 1 One more person was arrested today in connection with the December 26 Jalpaiguri blast in a moving bicycle which killed six persons. Dipak Roy, a suspected Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO) link man was arrested from Bhabeshmore area under the jurisdiction of the Bhaktinagar Police Station in the district, police sources said. — PTI
	Six Indian tourists die in Nepal mishap Kathmandu, January 1 Six Indian tourists were killed and five others injured when a jeep carrying them plunged into a river in Tanahun district in Nepal on New Year's Eve. The incident occurred last night when the jeep carrying 10 Indian tourists, all from Kolkata, was heading for Kathmandu from tourist city of Pokhara. The vehicle fell into the Marsyangdi River near Chunpahara area in Bandipur village, 152 km from Kathmandu, at 11 pm (local time), police said. The dead have been identified as Binay Kumar Tiwari (58), Hemanta Tripathi (13), Kalawati Tiwari (56), Poonam Tripathi (33), Neha Tripathi (20), and Milan Tripathi (36). The five injured, including two children, have been admitted to Laxmi Hospital in Dumre in Udayapur District for medical treatment. The bodies have been kept at the same hospital for the post-mortem. — PTI
	Telangana leader stripped off portfolio Move comes just two days before the debate on Telangana Bill Suresh Dharur Tribune News Service Hyderabad, January 1 The regional divide in Andhra Pradesh over the imminent bifurcation of the state has further deepened with Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy reshuffling the portfolios of two ministers, a move seen in political circles as his desperate attempt to stall the division process. The Chief Minister, who has revolted against the UPA government’s decision to carve out a separate Telangana state, has stripped D Sridhar Babu off the Legislative Affairs portfolio, two days ahead of the resumption of the Assembly session to take up debate on the AP Reorganisation Bill, 2013. Sridhar Babu, who hails from the Telangana region, has been a staunch supporter of the statehood cause. He had rubbed the Chief Minister on the wrong side over the issue of debate on the Telangana Bill in the Assembly. The Legislative Affairs portfolio has now been handed over to Primary Education Minister S Sailajnath, who hails from Anantapur in Rayalaseema region and a strong votary of the united Andhra Pradesh cause. Sridhar Babu has been given the Commercial Taxes portfolio. The sudden move has created ripples in political circles with Karimnagar district, from where Sridhar Babu hails, observing a complete shutdown on Wednesday protesting against the Chief Minister’s decision. Sailajanath, who is a staunch loyalist of Kiran Reddy, is also th e convener of the Seemandhra Congress Legislators’ Forum. He has been in the forefront of the movement against the division of the state. Cutting across party lines, Telangana leaders were quick to condemn the “politically motivated” reshuffle and alleged that it was a deliberate move by the Chief Minister to stall the creation of Telangana. The political tussle between Congress leaders from the two regions gained momentum after President Pranab Mukherjee sent the draft AP Reorganisation Bill to the state Assembly seeking its opinion. The Assembly has been asked to return the draft Bill along with its opinion by January 23. Sources said Kiran Reddy shunted out the Telangana leader from the Legislative Affairs portfolio to gain an upper hand in conducting the proceedings in the House. What has also irked Telangana leaders is that the move comes when Assembly Speaker Nadendla Manohar is on a tour of Lucknow and Patna to study how the Uttar Pradesh and Bihar Assemblies handled the division ahead of the creation of Uttarakhand and Jharkhand. Sources said with Sailajanath now handling legislative affairs, there was every possibility of Seemandhra legislators getting a free hand to disrupt the House and disallow discussion on the Telangana Bill. The Bill would not be put up for voting and the legislators would only be able to air their views on the division of the state. Former state Congress president D Srinivas sought the party high command’s intervention in the matter. Nizamabad Congress MP Madhu Yashki said, “If the CM thinks he can stall the Telangana process by having a Seemandhra minister handle the legislative affairs portfolio, he is sadly mistaken. Whether the debate on the Bill takes place or not in the Assembly, the Bill will be introduced in Parliament.”
	No plans of floating party: Andhra CM Hyderabad, January 1 Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, who rebelled against the Congress high command over the state’s bifurcation, today said he had no plans of floating a new political party. “I have no such thoughts,” the Chief Minister told mediapersons at his camp office this afternoon, putting rumours on the issue to rest. Speculation had been rife that the Chief Minister would walk out of the Congress to launch his own political party, banking on his new-found image as a “champion” of a united Andhra Pradesh. —PTI