PM says RTI should not hamper government work

New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday said a critical look must be taken at the RTI Act and concerns on it discussed and addressed. But he asserted that there would be no dilution of RTI Act. 

“The Right to Information should not adversely affect the deliberative processes in the government,” he said addressing a two-day annual convention of the Central Information Commission here.

“We must take a critical look at it. There are concerns that need to be discussed and addressed,” he stressed.

There have been demands for amending the transparency law by certain sections of government who feel it is “transgressing” into their functioning.

The prime minister highlighted the need to strike a balance between disclosure of information and the limited time and resources available with public authorities.
Amendments to the RTI Act and exemptions given to security agencies from making disclosures under it are expected to be debated at the conference being attended by information commissioners.

Another concern that has been raised is that the Right to Information could end up discouraging honest, well meaning public servants from giving full expression to their views.

Singh made it clear that there “will be no dilution of the RTI Act. We wish to make the Right to Information an even more effective instrument for ensuring transparency and accountability in administration”.

The prime minister said legislation for protection of whistleblowers would be enacted in the next few months to help prevention of violence against those who seek to expose wrongdoings in the public administration.

Accusing the government of being “scared” of the RTI Act, the BJP slammed the prime minister’s statement favouring a “critical look” at the transparency law and warned that any attempt to dilute the act would be opposed across the country.

“Is the government scared now of the RTI Act? The government wants to turn its back towards the Act. The government, which has already lost its credibility, fears that it will be nowhere if this Act survives for a long time,” said BJP spokesman Rajiv Pratap Rudy.

He claimed the prime minister was siding with the rhetoric of such organisations which are seeking exemption from the transparency law.

PM’s post not vacant at the moment: Digvijay to Mayawati

New Delhi: Responding to Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati's remark that Congress will make either Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar or Union Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde the Prime Minister to split the Dalit vote ahead of the UP assembly polls, party general secretary Digvijay Singh on Friday said that the PM's post is not vacant at the moment.

Talking to media persons, Digvijay Singh slammed Mayawati for her Rs 685  cr magnum opus park, which was inaugurated by her in Noida today, and said that the chief minister has wasted huge amount of public money.

Earlier, Mayawati accused the Congress of  trying to split the Dalit vote.

"Congress is trying to split the Dalit vote but they are unable to do anything. The party, despite Babu Jagjivan Ram being the right candidate for the Prime Minister, did not make him...

"Afraid of BSP's mass base, Congress may make either Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar or Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde as Prime Minister before the Assembly elections," she said inaugurating the controversial Dalit icon park.

Mayawati accused the Congress-led coalition at the Centre of not paying heed to the development of Uttar Pradesh as also her proposal to carve out separate states of Bundelkhand, Poorvanchal and Western Uttar Pradesh.

She also alleged the Centre was not providing the state's share from the central fund.

"Between 2007-08 to 2010-11, a total of Rs 21,385 crore is due with the central government, due to which many projects are stalled," Mayawati said, adding "even a special package demanded by me has been turned down by the Centre".

In 2007 UP assembly elections, Mayawati single handedly won the politically key state. The UP Chief Minister has never made secret of her ambition to become the first Dalit Prime Minister.

PM writes to Anna, says political consensus needed for right to reject

New Delhi: Declaring government's commitment to a strong Lokpal, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday said Anna Hazare's demand for 'Right to Reject' provision in electoral law needs political consensus.

Even as Hazare came out against the Congress in the Hisar Lok Sabha bypoll, the Gandhian and the Prime Minister exchanged letters on Lokpal and measures to fight corruption and other issues like electoral and judicial reforms in the last 20 days.

"As you are aware, we are committed to enacting a strong Lokpal law and we hope that we will succeed in this in the near future. However, our government is working on a broad agenda to fight corruption and bring in administrative reforms," Singh said in a letter to Hazare written yesterday.

He was replying to Hazare's letter of September 21 in which he had flagged several issues including Lokpal, electoral reforms and strengthening of grass roots institutions.

"In this several legal, administrative and technical aspects will be included. Establishment of the Lokpal is part of this broad agenda," Singh said.

Referring to Hazare's demand for including the provision of right to reject candidates through the option of 'none of the above' in the voting system, saying in a democratic society a political consensus was necessary on such issues.

"Our government is actively considering various proposals related to electoral reforms. Among the proposals being considered is the 'right to reject' which you have mentioned.

"In a democratic society, a political consensus is necessary on some issues. We want to discuss several proposals on electoral reforms with all political parties and act on proposals on which there is broad agreement," Singh said.

Hazare had demanded in another letter dated September 23, that the Prime Minister should write to Chief Ministers of all Congress-ruled states to pass a Bill for establishment of a Lokayukta.

Hazare maintains that the government had promised him during his fast at Ramlila grounds that Lokayuktas would be set-up in states.

"You had assured that order will be issued to Congress-ruled states for setting up Lokayuktas. According to the assurance, written orders should be sent to Chief Ministers of all Congress-ruled states," Hazare had said.

In his reply dated October 7, Singh drew Hazare's attention to the in-principal agreement in Parliament on August 27 on establishment of Lokayukta in states.

"This consensus in Parliament has also been sent to the Standing Committee so that it can consider them during their deliberations. I hope you will agree with me that before going ahead we should first let Parliament complete the process of enacting a Lokpal law," Singh said.

Telangana crisis: PM steps in, tries to soothe Congress leaders

Hyderabad: Stepping in to defuse the Telangana crisis, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday said he understands the separate statehood demand and gave an assurance that the Centre will make all efforts to find a solution to the contentious issue soon.

Meeting a delegation of Congress leaders from agitation-hit Telangana region in Andhra Pradesh, Singh also told them that he would talk to Congress President Sonia Gandhi in this regard and put all their demands before the party's Core Committee.

As the general strike in Telangana entered its 22nd day, the leaders, including senior Minister J Geetha Reddy and K Jana Reddy, briefed Singh about the situation in the region and the urgent need for Centre's intervention as people were not in a mood even to celebrate upcoming festivals.

The delegation that included Ministers, MPs and an MLC told the Prime Minister that the Centre should announce a time-frame for taking a decision on the separate issue as time is running out.

"We briefed the Prime Minister of what is happening in Andhra Pradesh, in Telangana region. He knows the Telangana issue and the problems. We briefed him in detail about the strike that is being supported by every section of the society," Geetha Reddy told reporters after the 30-minute meeting at the PM's 7, Race Course Road Residence.

"He expressed his understanding and sympathies to us. He said we need to solve the problem. He also told us that we will try to solve it as soon as possible," Geetha Reddy said.

The leaders told Singh that they would assure that the safety and security of people of non-Telangana regions in Hyderabad would be protected if a separate Telangana state is formed.

They also asked Singh to advice Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy not to show "apathy" towards the Telangana region.

2G war: PMO's role may come under scrutiny, Pranab warns Manmohan

New York: After a 45 meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, an angry Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee declined comment on the 2G controversy as it was sub judice and he first needed to talk to "our valued colleague" Home Minister P. Chidambaram.

Pranab Mukherjee handed all the documents related to the 2G spectrum allocation to the PM as they met in New York.

Sources said that Mukherjee told the Prime Minister that the 2G note was released by the PMO and not his office.

He also told the Prime Minister that PMO's role in the 2G row may come under scrutiny, sources said.

Mukherjee will on Monday meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi to brief her about his meeting with the Prime Minister. 

Like Manmohan Singh, he too suggested that Sunday's meeting was essentially to brief the prime minister about his interactions in the US and not about a finance ministry note to the PMO on the then finance minister's role in the auction of the 2G spectrum.

"Unless I talk to the law minister, unless I talk to Mr. Chidambram, who is our valued colleague, unless I talk to the other party leaders and I go through all the papers, relevant papers, what comment will I make?," Mukherjee asked Indian journalists at a hastily summoned press conference in his hotel suite.

"And why should I make a comment on a domestic issue outside India? I am not fugitive. I am not leaving the country for all times to come," a visibly agitated finance minister said.

"Therefore, I will what I can say, what is permissible for me to say. I am not a lawyer. I have to take the expert opinion on it. Therefore, it would not be proper for me to make any comment on that."

"But as all of you wanted to meet me yesterday (Saturday) and I was a bit rude. That's why I thought I'll meet you," Mukherjee told journalists who had patiently waited for his arrival at the hotel, where he and the Indian delegation accompanying Prime Minister Manmohan Singh are staying.

"I am not going to give you any earth shaking news. I gave you trouble to come to apologise that sorry I can't give you anything beyond that."

In the note, the finance ministry says Chidambaram, one of the government's most high-profile ministers, could have prevented spectrum from being given away at throwaway prices by insisting on its auction -- implying that presumptive losses worth thousands of crores could have thus been avoided.

The note, which was apparently shown to Mukherjee and accessed by an application under the Right to Information Act, was prepared by a deputy secretary in the finance ministry and sent to the Prime Minister's Office March 25.

At the outset, Mukherjee made it a point to say that there was "no cutting, no cancelling" in coming to New York a few hours earlier to brief the prime minister about his interactions in the US and three major pending legislations back home.

He had come to New York "for a very simple reason as the prime minister is here" and besides the International Monetary Fund-World Bank meeting, he had to brief Manmohan Singh about the India-US Business Council, CEOs Forum and Investment forum meets.

"I thought I'll report to the prime minister as any action can't be initiated unless I talk to him," Mukherjee said.

But "If all of you are not interested, I am sorry I can't make any comment for the very simple reason that except newspaper clippings, I don't have any information.

"It's a matter which has produced a piece of paper, a note from the finance ministry to the PMO, obtained through RTI and has been placed in court."

Asked what he gave the prime minister, Mukherjee said: "I wished him and gave him a bouquet of flowers."

US-Pak face-off: Gilani calls back Hina Rabbani Khar from UN summit

Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Sunday called back Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar from the US amid strained ties with Washington following an accusation that Pakistan was supporting the Haqqani terror network.

Khar was called back for consultations over the strained relationship between Pakistan and the US, Online news agency quoted sources as saying.

US military commanders have accused Pakistan's spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence, of supporting the Haqqani network for carrying out two attacks on the US embassy in Kabul and US military base in Afghanistan's Wadak province this month.

Gilani also called an all-party conference to build consensus on Pakistan's stance over the US threats. Khar will attend the conference to brief the political parties over Islamabad's ties with Washington.

The prime minister also called up President Asif Ali Zardari and took him into confidence regarding the developments.

He also telephonically discussed with different political parties the situation arising out of US accusing Pakistan of supporting Haqqani network.

Gilani spoke to Sheikh Rasheed of the Awami Muslim League, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid, Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Altaf Hussain of the Muttahid Quami Movement, the Nation qouted sources as saying.

Ties between Washington and Islamabad have been strained after the May 2 killing of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad.

They dipped further when the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, on Thursday accused the Pakistani government of supporting the Al Qaeda-linked Haqqani network.

Mullen called the Haqqani network a "veritable arm" of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the country's spy agency, as he testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on the US strategy in Afghanistan and Iraq.

He said the ISI-supported Haqqani network was behind recent attacks in Afghanistan including the September 11 truck bomb attack and the Sep 13 assault on the US embassy in Kabul.

Mullen said the Pakistani government's link to the extremist group would undermine the already troubled US-Pakistani relationship as well as the US-led counterterrorism campaign in Afghanistan.

Pakistan, however, dismissed US accusations that the ISI is using the Haqqani network for a proxy war in neighbouring Afghanistan.

2G war: Chidambaram offers to quit, PM says 'be patient', claims report

New Delhi: Amid a raging controversy over his stand on the 2G spectrum allocation issue, Home Minister P Chidambaram offered to resign when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called him before leaving for New York, says a TV report.

However, Manmohan Singh is understood to have expressed full faith in Chidambaram's integrity. The PM has reportedly said that he has full faith in the home minister during both his stints as finance minister and home minister.

With Chidambaram in a tight spot after the emergence of Pranab Mukherjee’s letter to the Prime Minister's Office on 2G Spectrum auctioning, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has got fresh ammunition to demand his resignation.

With Prime Minister Manmohan Singh away in New York, the phone airwaves case rocked the government again, this time over a six-month-old note of the finance ministry that fell just short of indicting Chidambaram, sparking a war of words between the Congress and the opposition that demanded his ouster.

"I don't know what note the media is talking about, in any case the matter is before the court. As far as Mr Chidambaram is concerned, as finance minister he continued to enjoy my full confidence, as home minister he continues to enjoy my full confidence," said Manmohan Singh.

According to another report, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee have spoken to Home Minister P Chidambaram over phone amid a controversy over his stand on the allocation of 2G spectrum.

Read: A Raja has been vindicated, says DMK

"I have assured the Prime Minister that I shall not make any public statement on the subject until he returns to India," Chidambaram said in a statement on Thursday in response to queries from media about his silence on the Finance Ministry note to Prime Minister's office on 2G spectrum submitted to the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

"The Prime Minister called me last night from Frankfurt and spoke to me. The Finance Minister called me from Washington and spoke to me," said Chidambaram, who held the Finance portfolio when the Telecom Department took a decision to allot 2G licenses.

Read: CBI opposes probing Chidambaram's alleged role in 2G case

Congress president Sonia Gandhi in the meanwhile was also briefed on the matter and was expected to take it up when the prime minister returns to the capital Monday, after attending the UN General Assembly, Congress sources said.

BJP leads ‘sack P Chidambaram’ chorus

In the monsoon session of the parliament as well the party had disrupted the proceedings demanding his resignation blaming him for the 2G scam and police action against protesters.

Pointing fingers at Chidambaram, the entire Opposition demanded his ouster from the union cabinet saying he had no moral right to continue.

“It is shameful that the finance minister of a country was directly responsible for 2G spectrum allocation scam. Either Chidambaram should resign or the PM should sack him,” said senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi, who is also the chairman of public accounts committee (PAC) that probed the scam. His aborted draft report had also referred to these details.

Read: CPI(M) demands CBI probe against Chidambaram in 2G scam

Incidentally, in Chennai Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalitha too joined the “remove Chidambaram” campaign saying the CBI should proceed against him as they did against A Raja.

But even though senior BJP leaders went all out against PC, they were rather muted in their criticism of the PM’s role in the scam. Joshi blamed Chidambaram for misleading the PM and said Manmohan was kept in the dark.

Read: Subramanian Swamy moves court against Chidambaram in 2G case

“The question that arises is that since prime minister is a well-known economist, how was he misled. Was he actually misled or he chose to be misled?” said Joshi.

“There are several questions which Chidambaram has to answer in relation to the fixation of the value of the spectrum in 2008. It is not an internal matter of the government. It involves public revenue,” said Arun Jaitley, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha.

'Not just the skull-cap, Modi has refused the Prime Minister's chair'

Ahmedabad: Outcry over Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s refusal to wear a skull cap continues to grow louder. Saiyad Imam Shahi Saiyad, who offered Modi the cap during the Sadbhavna Mission, said on Wednesday that the Gujarat Chief Minister can now forget about becoming India’s Prime Minister.

In an exclusive interview to Divya Bhaskar, Imam Shahi Saiyad said that Modi by refusing to wear the skull cap has squashed his own ambition of leading the country.

“He didn’t refuse the skull cap, he has snubbed his fate. Now he can never become the Prime Minister. If Modi had taken the skull cap as a token from all communities of the world, he too would have been accepted universally. But Modi thought the skull cap is from the Muslims. This shows what Modi thinks of Muslims,” Imam Shahi Saiyad said.

Though he did not take Modi’s move as a personal insult, the sufi saint criticised Modi for his alleged outlook.

“I am a sufi saint. I do not take this as an insult. I am not even protesting Modi’s move. He has insulted himself,” Imam Shahi Saiyad said.

“I went there to show my love and respect for Modi. But it seems he sees Gujarat as a separate part of India,” he added.

The sufi saint revealed that he was also a victim during the Godhra riots in 2002. He said that his ashram in Gujarat’s Nanad district was attacked during the tumultuous time. The ashram was put on fire by rioters. However, he managed to escape.

Putin, Merkel, Gates nominated for Chinese peace prize

Moscow: Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates have been nominated for the Confucius Peace Prize, China's equivalent to the Nobel Peace Prize.

The Confucius Peace Prize started in 2010, when it was announced just before jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Other candidates for this year include South African President Jacob Zuma and former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan, Chinese news portal sina.com said Saturday.

In July, Berlin-based organisation Werkstatt Deutschland announced plans to give Putin the Quadriga Award as a "role model for enlightenment, dedication and the public good".

The plan came under attack in the media and the political community. Many German public figures protested the idea, saying Putin's human rights record made him an unacceptable candidate.

Putin served with the KGB in East Germany for five years until German reunification in 1990.

Later, the organisation reversed its decision to award Putin the prestigious prize.

President Dmitry Medvedev later blasted the German organisation for reversing its earlier decision.

Praful Patel richest Union minister with R 122 cr, Kamal Nath at 3rd place

New Delhi: Ministers in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government have grown richer by an average Rs 10 crore since the 2009 general elections, says a report by an election watchdog.

Among the ministers who have gained the most in the past two years, Dr S Jagathrakshakan of DMK tops the list with an increase of Rs 64.5 crore - from Rs 5.9 crore in 2009 to Rs 70 crore 2011, according to the analysis by by Association for Democratic Research (ADR) and National Election Watch (NEW).

Jagathrakshakan, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, is followed by Heavy Industries Minister Praful Patel, who has increased his assets by Rs 42 crore - from Rs 79.8 crore in 2009 to Rs 122 crore in 2011.

Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath of Congress is the third richest minister who saw his assets grow by Rs 26 crore - from Rs 14 crore in 2009 to Rs 41 crores in 2011, the report said.

The watchdog said it has derived the figures after comparing the assets declared during the 2009 general elections, which is available in the Election Commission website, and the 2011 declaration put out in the PMO website.

Percentage wise, the highest increase has been for Jagathrakshakan whose assets have grown by 1,092 per cent in the past two years. He is followed by Panabaka Lakshmi of Congress with a growth of 828 per cent in her assets and Tusharbhai Chaudhary, also Congress, with a growth of 705 per cent in his assets.

As per the analysis, a minister in the present UPA government has assets worth over Rs 10 crore, marking an increase by Rs 3.3 crore since 2009.

"This is in spite of the fact that 19 ministers in their 2011 declarations to PMO have not given the value of several of their movable and immovable assets," said the report.

With assets worth 122 crores, Praful Patel tops the list of richest ministers, while Jagathrakshakan ranked second (with assets worth Rs 70 crore) and Kamal Nath (assets worth Rs 41 crore) is at the third place.

The report, however, said that 15 ministers have shown a decrease in their assets compared to that in 2009.

They include Corporate Affairs Minister M Veerappa Moily, Home Minister P Chidambaram, Petroleum Minister S Jaipal Reddy, Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah, Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh and Foreign Minister S M Krishna.