NK'S POST

Madhya Pradesh BJP Govt changes law to circumvent office of profit, appoints legislators to PSUs NK SINGH Bizarre things start happening in political theatre as elections year approaches. The Madhya Pradesh Government decided in March 2017 to exempt eight government corporations and boards from the ambit of office of profit. The politically significant development got buried in routine news. Consequently, the cabinet decision to amend MP Assembly Members’ Disqualification Act did not evoke the debate that it deserved. Simply put, the proposed amendment to law allows the government to appoint MLAs as chairpersons and office bearers of so-called autonomous corporations and boards, many of which are notorious for corruption and gross irregularities. Till now, it is prohibited because these posts are considered "office of profit” as these corporations are financed by the government. If an MLA is appointed to these posts, he becomes automatically disqualified fro...

Madhya Pradesh Anti-incumbency stares BJP in the face NK SINGH The results of January 2018 civic elections make it abundantly clear that anti-incumbency sentiments stare the ruling BJP in the face in MP. The opposition Congress party seems to be fast gaining ground in the state, which will go to poll in less than a year’s time.  The BJP has lost four of the six municipalities to the Congress even as it managed to capture seven of the 13 town councils that went to poll, with one seat going to an Independent candidate. In addition, the BJP also lost two town councils where voters unseated the ruling party under right to recall provision.  More worrisome for the BJP, the Congress share in popular votes has surged by 7 per cent, 43 per cent in 2014 civic election as against 36 per cent in assembly election four years ago. Till a few years ago, no one talked about, or cared for, results of local body elections in MP.  The local bodies were local bodi...

Madhya Pradesh Some little known facts about OP Rawat NK SINGH Om Prakash Rawat, who takes over as Chief Election Commissioner of India on January 23, had recused himself in April 2017 from hearing cases related to Aam Admi Party. He was, at that time, the Election Commissioner. (In October that year, however, he joined back the EC's full bench for hearing the case.) Rawat's action was extraordinary, probably the first of its kind in Election Commission of India's history. He took the step after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal publicly said he did not believe in independence of two Election Commissioners ---- AK Joti, a former chief secretary of Gujarat, and OP Rawat, a retired IAS officer of MP cadre. Joti, being the senior most Election Commissioner at that time, subsequently became the Chief Election Commissioner in July. Now Rawat takes over from him. Joti served as chief secretary when Narendra Modi was chief minister of Gujarat. After he retired, ...

Madhya Pradesh Signs of life in MP Congress NK SINGH BJP in Madhya Pradesh may do well to take note of two recent developments in Congress that it has successfully stalled from coming back to power for 14 years now. The first is the much publicised show of unity put up by Congress in mounting a gherao of Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha on February 22, 2017. The protest against “misdeeds” of Shivraj Singh Government was feeble, with top leaders meekly walking towards waiting police vehicles to court arrest. But they succeeded in brushing their differences under the carpet and coming on one platform after a gap of almost three years. The significance of the show of unity ---- although it could barely last for a few hours ---- was that it had taken place under direct instructions from Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi. Sick of infighting among its top leaders, the party high command finally cracked its whip, bringing Digvijay Singh, Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia on...

NK SINGH Going through my archive, I came upon a gem. It seems that our esteemed MLA from Bhopal (central), honourable Surendra Nath Singh, is a serial offender. In 1992 police had registered a criminal case against him after BJP’ organisational elections were rocked by violence, hooliganism and street fights. Singh was then the president of Bhopal district BJP. Another accused in the case was former BJP MLA Shailendra Pradhan. Before your jump to wrong conclusion, let me clarify that BJP was in power in Madhya Pradesh at that time! The Chief Minister was the intrepid Sunderlal Patwa. After the registration of criminal cases, the party leadership also came down heavily against half-a-dozen workers involved in a spate of ugly incidents that dented forever the image of BJP as a disciplined party in MP. Patwa, the legendary disciplinarian, died in December 2016. He was a stern administrator, who believed in rule of law and allowed his officers to act without fear or favour. The cr...

NK SINGH God give us men. A time like this demands Strong minds, great hearts, true faith, and ready hands; Men whom the lust of office does not kill; Men whom the spoils of office cannot buy; Men who possess opinions and a will; Men who have honour; men who will not lie; The poem, by Josiah Gilbert Holland, a 19th century journalist and writer, also seeks men who can stand before demagogues. In January 2017 it appeared as a display picture, popularly known as DP, on the WhatsApp profile of Katni SP Gaurav Tiwari. The young police officer was in news recently because he was transferred after his investigation into Rs 500 crore hawala racket threatened to ensnare high and mighty. As a public servant, bound by conduct rules of service, he cannot speak about his unceremonious transfer, his second in six months. But the poem pretty well sums up not only his feelings but also of those honest officers who fulfil their public duty with integrity. As the 34-year-old IPS office...

Narendra Modi & Praveen Togadia NK SINGH Dr Praveen Togadia is in the eye of a storm. Resurfacing after his mysterious disappearance at Ahmedabad, he has levelled several allegations. Earlier Media reports suggest that he was elected VHP's International Working President despite attempts by a section of RSS to stop his re-election. It is a known fact that Togadia and Narendra Modi have shared an uneasy relationship for years now. At one point of time both were considered Hindutva mascots in Gujarat. I had interviewed Narendra Modi for  Indian Express  in 2007, shortly before assembly election that year. This is what he said about Togadia in the interview carried in the newspaper's issue of November 1, 2007: The VHP and RSS were part of your support base last time. this time people like Praveen Togadia are openly working against you. I do not have a single instance of the Sangh Parivar crating any problem for me. The Sangh Parivar is with me. They have always backed me, hel...