Independent Media
Reliance Industries chief, Mr Mukesh Ambani, has been named by the United Nations to a key advocacy group on Millennium Development Goals, whose mandate includes finding ways to fight socio-economic evils such as poverty.Mr Ambani is the only Indian to be a part of the MDG Advocacy Group that comprises eminent international personalities including Microsoft Chairman, Mr Bill Gates, philanthropist, Mr Ted Turner and Nobel laureate, Mr Muhammad Yunus, among others.
Ambani is expected to focus on a global partnership for development, that will include development of an open, rule-based, predictable, non-discriminatory trading and financial system.
UN said the top Indian industrialist will also look at the special needs of the least developed countries (LDC), as well as landlocked developing countries and small island developing states.
The MDGs are eight international development goals that all 192 United Nations member states and at least 23 global organisations have agreed to achieve by the year 2015.
These include reducing extreme poverty, reducing child mortality rates, fighting disease epidemics such as AIDS and developing a global partnership for development.
The MDG Advocacy Group will support the UN Secretary- General, Mr Ban Ki-moon in building political will and mobilising global action, says the world body.
One of the first tasks of the Advocacy Group is the preparatory process for the MDG Summit in September this year. The MDG Summit is being seen as a turning point in the collective effort to achieve the goals by the 2015 target date.
Mr Ambani's appointment to the advocacy group comes at a time when the 2010 Millennium Development Goals report card paints a dark picture for South Asia, including India.
Ambani is a member of the Prime Minister's Council on Trade and Industry, government of India, and the Board of Governors of the National Council of Applied Economic Research, New Delhi.
He is also the Vice-Chairman of The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), a CEO-led, global association of some 200 companies dealing exclusively with business and sustainable development.
Apart from being a member of the Indo-US CEOs Forum, Mr Mukesh Ambani is also on the International Advisory Board of Citigroup, the National Board of Kuwait and the McKinsey Knowledge Advisory Council.
18.7.10
Ambati Rambabu's suspension 'painful': YS Jagan
Independent Media
The Congress MP, Mr Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, on Sunday termed as "painful" the suspension of his close aide, Mr Ambati Rambabu, from the party.
He told reporters during his 'Odarpu yatra' in East Godavari district that he would take up the issue with the party's central leadership.
Mr Veerappa Moily, Congress general secretary in charge of party affairs in Andhra Pradesh, announced Mr Rambabu's suspension on Saturday night. Mr Rambabu, general secretary of the party's state unit, has been suspended for making certain remarks against the Chief Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah.
While criticising the Chief Minister for asking ministers and legislators not to join Jagan's yatra, Mr Rambabu had allegedly remarked that Mr Rosaiah should be indebted to late Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy's family for becoming the Chief Minister.
"The suspension of Mr Rambabu has pained me," said Mr Jagan, who continued his yatra for the seventh day
During the yatra, the Kadapa MP was consoling the families of those who died of shock following his father YSR's death in a helicopter crash last year.
"What mistake have I committed that they will give a warning to me?" quipped Mr Jagan when a reporter asked if Mr Rambabu's suspension was a warning signal to those supporting him.
"The blessings of God and my late father are with those who are with me," he said and recalled that Mr Rambabu had accompanied his father during his 1,500-km long 'padyatra' across the state in 2003.
Meanwhile, Mr Rambabu said in Hyderabad that he had not received any communication from party leadership about his suspension. He pointed out that the party allows two weeks time for replying to a show cause notice. The notice on Rambabu was served July 9.
The Congress leadership in Delhi issued a statement on aturday night, announcing Mr Rambabu's suspension. Mr Jagan loyalists ask how he could be suspended when he still had time to reply.
The Congress MP, Mr Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, on Sunday termed as "painful" the suspension of his close aide, Mr Ambati Rambabu, from the party.
He told reporters during his 'Odarpu yatra' in East Godavari district that he would take up the issue with the party's central leadership.
Mr Veerappa Moily, Congress general secretary in charge of party affairs in Andhra Pradesh, announced Mr Rambabu's suspension on Saturday night. Mr Rambabu, general secretary of the party's state unit, has been suspended for making certain remarks against the Chief Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah.
While criticising the Chief Minister for asking ministers and legislators not to join Jagan's yatra, Mr Rambabu had allegedly remarked that Mr Rosaiah should be indebted to late Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy's family for becoming the Chief Minister.
"The suspension of Mr Rambabu has pained me," said Mr Jagan, who continued his yatra for the seventh day
During the yatra, the Kadapa MP was consoling the families of those who died of shock following his father YSR's death in a helicopter crash last year.
"What mistake have I committed that they will give a warning to me?" quipped Mr Jagan when a reporter asked if Mr Rambabu's suspension was a warning signal to those supporting him.
"The blessings of God and my late father are with those who are with me," he said and recalled that Mr Rambabu had accompanied his father during his 1,500-km long 'padyatra' across the state in 2003.
Meanwhile, Mr Rambabu said in Hyderabad that he had not received any communication from party leadership about his suspension. He pointed out that the party allows two weeks time for replying to a show cause notice. The notice on Rambabu was served July 9.
The Congress leadership in Delhi issued a statement on aturday night, announcing Mr Rambabu's suspension. Mr Jagan loyalists ask how he could be suspended when he still had time to reply.
Mr Moily, who had visited Hyderabad Friday, had ruled out any disciplinary action against Jagan saying 'Odarpu yatra' was his personal move.
Why Reddy's Targeted : So much set back after Death of Dr. YSR in Indian politcs
Independent Media
Courtesy : Tehelka.com
BELLARY, A dusty town 270 km from Karnataka’s capital Bengaluru, has over the years transformed into a power centre of the rich and powerful. Famous for its iron ore mines and mining barons, a meeting called in the town may yet result in a change of guard in the state. On October 25, at a meeting called by Gali Janardhan Reddy, a mining baron and Karnataka’s Minister for Tourism and Infrastructure, mine owners rejected a decision taken by the chief minister of the state, BS Yeddyurappa. He had gone too far, they resolved. Within three days of that meeting, the Bharatiya Janata Party rushed its senior leader and in charge for Karnataka, Arun Jaitley, to the state. The BJP’s first ever government in Karnataka was in trouble 18 months after it took charge.
In an effort to raise money for the flood victims in the state, the chief minister decided to impose a cess of Rs 1,000 on every lorry transporting iron ore – a decision that was vociferously condemned by Janardhan Reddy and his brothers as the cess would adversely affect their mining empire. Unwilling to withdraw the cess (and bow down to the Reddys’ demands), Yeddyurappa pressed and obtained the required Cabinet approval. Hours after the cabinet decision, Janardhan Reddy and his brothers announced a decision of their own. Rallying all the mine owners of Bellary, they announced a Rs 500 crore housing project for the flood-hit victims in north Karnataka – independent of the government’s own rehabilitation plans for the flood affected. Two days later, as the crises worsened, the Reddys rounded up BJP legislators close to them and shifted them to posh resorts in Hyderabad and Goa – out of the Chief Minister’s and Jaitley’s reach. Even as discussions to resolve the crisis continue with the BJP’s central leadership in New Delhi, the question being asked is who are the Reddy brothers? And how did Janardhan Reddy come to occupy such a central position in the state’s politics?
There are a lot of stories one can tell about 42-year-old Gali Janardhan Reddy and his family. A man who owed debtors Rs 200 crore when his finance company collapsed in 1998. Ten years later, in 2008, the same man admitted that he and his wife alone have assets worth Rs 115 crore; with business turnovers of over Rs 2,000 crore. At last count, he and his brothers owned four helicopters besides an undisclosed number of aeroplanes. A number of luxury cars line the Reddy homes. In May 2009, the family spent an estimated Rs 20 crore on a wedding. The helicopters owned by the family ferried over 10,000 guests to the wedding even as 500 airconditioners helped them forget outside temperatures of 42 degree Celsius. A month later, the brothers donated a Rs 42 crore diamond-studded crown to a temple deity.
But it would be limiting to sketch Janardhan as a protagonist in a rags-to-riches story. If the last week alone is any indication, Janardhan Reddy has emerged to be a shrewd political strategist who is well on his way to establishing a Reddy Republic.
The second of three brothers, Janardhan Reddy is a member of the Karnataka Legislative Council – a position he has held since June 2006. His eldest brother Karunakar Reddy and the younger one Somashekhar are both members of the Legislative Assembly. B Sriramulu, another legislator from the area is very close to the family and is considered to be a Reddy brother. Of the four Reddy brothers then, three hold key portfolios in the current Yeddyurappa government while the fourth, Somashekhar is the chairman of a powerful statewide milk federation. Add to the family’s kitty, a Member of Parliament (Sriramulu’s sister J Shantha was elected to the Lok Sabha from Bellary), and two other members of Legislative Assembly. Impressive political growth for a family that first shot into the limelight for its trysts with senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj during her election campaign against Sonia Gandhi in Bellary in 1999. Within the family, there is easy acknowledgement of the fact that two people responsible for this growth are Janardhan and Sriramulu.
As a political strategist, there is no doubting Janardhan’s abilities. Months after the BJP formed its first government in the South with the support of independent legislators, the party launched Operation Lotus to wean away legislators from other political parties into the BJP. The legislators were offered cash incentives, offers of ministerial berths and key positions in various government corporations. In a conversation with TEHELKA at the time, Janardhan did not dispute the allegation that the Reddy brothers were behind Operation Lotus – “We asked them and they answered positively. And God had has given us enough. We are only sharing what we have,” said Janardhan. Rumours at the time pegged the amount paid to legislators who walked over to the BJP at a few crore rupees each. Today as internal power struggles grip the party, three of the eight entrants under the BJP’s Operation Lotus have thrown their lot with the Reddy brothers. An investment that has paid off at the time of crisis.
It isn’t the idea of entrenched political influence in Karnataka alone that strengthens the idea of a Reddy fiefdom. It also emerges from the casual disregard the Reddys have displayed for nationally established boundaries between Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Anantapur, the droughtprone Andhra Pradesh district that borders the Reddys’ home district of Bellary in Karnataka is stamped heavily by the Reddys’ presence. Their mining corporation, Obalapuram Mining Company (OMC) holds iron ore mining leases in Anantapur. In the past two weeks alone, the Divisional Forest Officer in Anantapur has issued five notices to the Reddy brothers for illegally mining across the border in Karnataka despite holding leases in Andhra Pradesh. The notices talk in detail of how the Reddys shifted the Karnataka-Andhra Pradesh state border by destroying the boundary markers — an observation upheld by the Karnataka and Andhra High Courts as well. In the latest notice issued on November 1 the liabilities are clearly mentioned. If convicted, Janardhan Reddy alone is liable to pay a penalty of Rs 1,000 crore for mining without a valid permit and an imprisonment term of six months. The Reddys have never responded to any of the notices sent to them on the issue.
Courtesy : Tehelka.com
BELLARY, A dusty town 270 km from Karnataka’s capital Bengaluru, has over the years transformed into a power centre of the rich and powerful. Famous for its iron ore mines and mining barons, a meeting called in the town may yet result in a change of guard in the state. On October 25, at a meeting called by Gali Janardhan Reddy, a mining baron and Karnataka’s Minister for Tourism and Infrastructure, mine owners rejected a decision taken by the chief minister of the state, BS Yeddyurappa. He had gone too far, they resolved. Within three days of that meeting, the Bharatiya Janata Party rushed its senior leader and in charge for Karnataka, Arun Jaitley, to the state. The BJP’s first ever government in Karnataka was in trouble 18 months after it took charge.
In an effort to raise money for the flood victims in the state, the chief minister decided to impose a cess of Rs 1,000 on every lorry transporting iron ore – a decision that was vociferously condemned by Janardhan Reddy and his brothers as the cess would adversely affect their mining empire. Unwilling to withdraw the cess (and bow down to the Reddys’ demands), Yeddyurappa pressed and obtained the required Cabinet approval. Hours after the cabinet decision, Janardhan Reddy and his brothers announced a decision of their own. Rallying all the mine owners of Bellary, they announced a Rs 500 crore housing project for the flood-hit victims in north Karnataka – independent of the government’s own rehabilitation plans for the flood affected. Two days later, as the crises worsened, the Reddys rounded up BJP legislators close to them and shifted them to posh resorts in Hyderabad and Goa – out of the Chief Minister’s and Jaitley’s reach. Even as discussions to resolve the crisis continue with the BJP’s central leadership in New Delhi, the question being asked is who are the Reddy brothers? And how did Janardhan Reddy come to occupy such a central position in the state’s politics?
There are a lot of stories one can tell about 42-year-old Gali Janardhan Reddy and his family. A man who owed debtors Rs 200 crore when his finance company collapsed in 1998. Ten years later, in 2008, the same man admitted that he and his wife alone have assets worth Rs 115 crore; with business turnovers of over Rs 2,000 crore. At last count, he and his brothers owned four helicopters besides an undisclosed number of aeroplanes. A number of luxury cars line the Reddy homes. In May 2009, the family spent an estimated Rs 20 crore on a wedding. The helicopters owned by the family ferried over 10,000 guests to the wedding even as 500 airconditioners helped them forget outside temperatures of 42 degree Celsius. A month later, the brothers donated a Rs 42 crore diamond-studded crown to a temple deity.
 |
| Power pack Janaradhan and Karunakar greet their brother Somashekhar Photo: KPN |
But it would be limiting to sketch Janardhan as a protagonist in a rags-to-riches story. If the last week alone is any indication, Janardhan Reddy has emerged to be a shrewd political strategist who is well on his way to establishing a Reddy Republic.
The second of three brothers, Janardhan Reddy is a member of the Karnataka Legislative Council – a position he has held since June 2006. His eldest brother Karunakar Reddy and the younger one Somashekhar are both members of the Legislative Assembly. B Sriramulu, another legislator from the area is very close to the family and is considered to be a Reddy brother. Of the four Reddy brothers then, three hold key portfolios in the current Yeddyurappa government while the fourth, Somashekhar is the chairman of a powerful statewide milk federation. Add to the family’s kitty, a Member of Parliament (Sriramulu’s sister J Shantha was elected to the Lok Sabha from Bellary), and two other members of Legislative Assembly. Impressive political growth for a family that first shot into the limelight for its trysts with senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj during her election campaign against Sonia Gandhi in Bellary in 1999. Within the family, there is easy acknowledgement of the fact that two people responsible for this growth are Janardhan and Sriramulu.
| REDDY MOUNTED A REVOLT AGAINST THE CM, LEADING THE MINING LOBBY TO REJECT THE NEW CESS ON TRANSPORTATION OF IRON ORE |
As a political strategist, there is no doubting Janardhan’s abilities. Months after the BJP formed its first government in the South with the support of independent legislators, the party launched Operation Lotus to wean away legislators from other political parties into the BJP. The legislators were offered cash incentives, offers of ministerial berths and key positions in various government corporations. In a conversation with TEHELKA at the time, Janardhan did not dispute the allegation that the Reddy brothers were behind Operation Lotus – “We asked them and they answered positively. And God had has given us enough. We are only sharing what we have,” said Janardhan. Rumours at the time pegged the amount paid to legislators who walked over to the BJP at a few crore rupees each. Today as internal power struggles grip the party, three of the eight entrants under the BJP’s Operation Lotus have thrown their lot with the Reddy brothers. An investment that has paid off at the time of crisis.
It isn’t the idea of entrenched political influence in Karnataka alone that strengthens the idea of a Reddy fiefdom. It also emerges from the casual disregard the Reddys have displayed for nationally established boundaries between Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Anantapur, the droughtprone Andhra Pradesh district that borders the Reddys’ home district of Bellary in Karnataka is stamped heavily by the Reddys’ presence. Their mining corporation, Obalapuram Mining Company (OMC) holds iron ore mining leases in Anantapur. In the past two weeks alone, the Divisional Forest Officer in Anantapur has issued five notices to the Reddy brothers for illegally mining across the border in Karnataka despite holding leases in Andhra Pradesh. The notices talk in detail of how the Reddys shifted the Karnataka-Andhra Pradesh state border by destroying the boundary markers — an observation upheld by the Karnataka and Andhra High Courts as well. In the latest notice issued on November 1 the liabilities are clearly mentioned. If convicted, Janardhan Reddy alone is liable to pay a penalty of Rs 1,000 crore for mining without a valid permit and an imprisonment term of six months. The Reddys have never responded to any of the notices sent to them on the issue.
| IN 2006 REDDY DECLARED BELLARY OUT OF BOUNDS TO THE THEN CHIEF MINISTER. ‘BELLARY BELONGS TO US,’ IS HIS PROCLAMATION IN 2009 |
An AIDE of the family, Kanti Reddy, told TEHELKA that the courts should consider the concern the brothers have for the people of Anantapur before indicting them for illegal activities. The brothers have provided employment to thousands of families there even as they spend all their money and energy for the upliftment of people in Karnataka, he said. It seems a simple logic – how do boundaries drawn years ago matter if there was no injustice done to people across them? Ask Janardhan about the illegality of mining across states, or of encroaching on someone else’s property and the response is a clipped no. It is a matter for the courts, says Janardhan. The only other comment he will offer is that the Reddys have been unfairly targeted by people blinded by jealousy.Besides mining corporations, the Reddys also own the Rs 25,000 crore Brahmani Steel plant in Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh. Amidst much controversy, late chief minister YS Rajashekhar Reddy had alloted 10,675 acres to the Reddy brothers to set up the steel corporation apart from the 3,500 acres for building a second airport in the district.
Perhaps what clinches the idea of a Reddy Republic are the stories about Janardhan’s public declarations on Bellary. A month after he was elected a member of the Karnataka Legislative Council he declared the district out of bounds for the then chief minister. Three years later in 2009, the council heard another declaration – Bellary belongs to us.
The ongoing discussions in Delhi between the Reddy brothers and the central BJP leadership then has many implications – it will determine the price a state has to pay for its Cabinet deciding to impose cess in Bellary without the Reddys’ consent.
Perhaps what clinches the idea of a Reddy Republic are the stories about Janardhan’s public declarations on Bellary. A month after he was elected a member of the Karnataka Legislative Council he declared the district out of bounds for the then chief minister. Three years later in 2009, the council heard another declaration – Bellary belongs to us.
The ongoing discussions in Delhi between the Reddy brothers and the central BJP leadership then has many implications – it will determine the price a state has to pay for its Cabinet deciding to impose cess in Bellary without the Reddys’ consent.
Karnataka CM Yeddyurappa backs Reddy brothers, wants Lok Ayukta to probe
Independent Media
Mr Yeddyurappa's statement came after his meeting here with senior BJP leader, Ms Sushma Swaraj, who is considered close to the Reddy brothers - ministers, Mr Janardhana Reddy and Mr Karunakara Reddy. The brothers had earlier held talks with Ms Swaraj and Yeddyurappa in the morning in the wake of demands by the state governor and opposition parties for their resignation.
Mr Yeddyurappa told reporters: "Let the Lok Ayukta (ombudsman) probe the entire issue. We are ready for a thorough probe of the illegal mining issue in the state from 2003."
However, he did not say anything about a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the illegal mining, which the opposition is demanding.
The Reddy brothers met the chief minister at the Karnataka Bhawan and later met with Swaraj, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
Ms Swaraj is believed to have told the brothers they should not "breach party discipline, whatever the decision is, in the interest of the party and the government".
But she also told them that the BJP will "not succumb to the pressure tactics of the Congress", an aide of Mr Janardhana Reddy, the state tourism minister, told IANS.
A high-level meeting of the party leaders here on Saturday had suggested that Ms Swaraj should "interact and influence the Reddy brothers" to save the Karnataka ministry, the first-ever BJP government in south India, party sources said.
The Saturday meeting was attended by senior BJP leader, Mr L.K. Advani, party president Mr Nitin Gadkari, Mr Yeddyurappa, party general secretary, Mr Ananth Kumar, office bearers of the state unit and several state ministers.
The Reddy brothers may address a news conference later on Sunday.
Mr Janardhana Reddy told the media that they will counter the "false propaganda launched by the Congress party". "I am ready to resign if any of the allegations are proved," he told reporters. "Neither the Supreme Court, the Lok Ayukta, not even the central government has found any wrong doing by us," he claimed.
The allegations against the brothers have become a thorny issue for the BJP since Governor, Mr H.R. Bharadwaj, last week asked Mr Yeddyurappa to drop the "corrupt ministers". Mr Bharadwaj had met President, Ms Pratibha Patil, as the opposition members in the Karnataka assembly - Congress and Janata Dal-Secular MLAs - held a dharna in the house pressing for a CBI probe into the illegal mining.
"The BJP is in a tricky situation of trying to safeguard its image while not succumbing to the opposition pressure to drop the Reddy brothers from the ministry," a BJP central leader
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) appears to have decided to defend the Reddy brothers of Karnataka, who are under attack over allegations of illegal mining, with Chief Minister, Mr B.S. Yeddyurappa, stating here on Sunday that the "Reddy brothers were not responsible for illegal mining".
Mr Yeddyurappa's statement came after his meeting here with senior BJP leader, Ms Sushma Swaraj, who is considered close to the Reddy brothers - ministers, Mr Janardhana Reddy and Mr Karunakara Reddy. The brothers had earlier held talks with Ms Swaraj and Yeddyurappa in the morning in the wake of demands by the state governor and opposition parties for their resignation.
Mr Yeddyurappa told reporters: "Let the Lok Ayukta (ombudsman) probe the entire issue. We are ready for a thorough probe of the illegal mining issue in the state from 2003."
However, he did not say anything about a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the illegal mining, which the opposition is demanding.
The Reddy brothers met the chief minister at the Karnataka Bhawan and later met with Swaraj, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
Ms Swaraj is believed to have told the brothers they should not "breach party discipline, whatever the decision is, in the interest of the party and the government".
But she also told them that the BJP will "not succumb to the pressure tactics of the Congress", an aide of Mr Janardhana Reddy, the state tourism minister, told IANS.
A high-level meeting of the party leaders here on Saturday had suggested that Ms Swaraj should "interact and influence the Reddy brothers" to save the Karnataka ministry, the first-ever BJP government in south India, party sources said.
The Saturday meeting was attended by senior BJP leader, Mr L.K. Advani, party president Mr Nitin Gadkari, Mr Yeddyurappa, party general secretary, Mr Ananth Kumar, office bearers of the state unit and several state ministers.
The Reddy brothers may address a news conference later on Sunday.
Mr Janardhana Reddy told the media that they will counter the "false propaganda launched by the Congress party". "I am ready to resign if any of the allegations are proved," he told reporters. "Neither the Supreme Court, the Lok Ayukta, not even the central government has found any wrong doing by us," he claimed.
The allegations against the brothers have become a thorny issue for the BJP since Governor, Mr H.R. Bharadwaj, last week asked Mr Yeddyurappa to drop the "corrupt ministers". Mr Bharadwaj had met President, Ms Pratibha Patil, as the opposition members in the Karnataka assembly - Congress and Janata Dal-Secular MLAs - held a dharna in the house pressing for a CBI probe into the illegal mining.
"The BJP is in a tricky situation of trying to safeguard its image while not succumbing to the opposition pressure to drop the Reddy brothers from the ministry," a BJP central leader
Bollywood actors Rahul Bose and Celina Jaitely walk the ramp during a fashion show in Bengaluru
Independent Media
Saturday night.— AP
Reddy brothers got support from the BJP top brass
Independent Media
The Reddy Brothers are on a goodwill mission to New Delhi to renew their bonds with senior BJP leaders and make sure the controversy over their involvement in illegal mining, does not affect their image. Accompanying tourism minister Janardhan Reddy and revenue minister Karunakar Reddy on their visit on Friday was none other than their close associate, health minister B. Sreeramulu.
The three ministers preferred to go separately than accompany the chief minister who is also in the national capital with two other ministers — home minister Dr V.S. Acharya and law and parliamentary affairs minister, Suresh Kumar. Nor are they staying at Karnataka Bhavan where ministers put up during their visit to Delhi.
Sources in the Reddy camp said the three ministers met BJP leaders including leaders of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj and explained in detail how they were being targeted by the media and Opposition parties. They also reiterated their claim that they were not involved in illegal mining.
The visit betrays a feeling of insecurity among the Bellary troika about their future, said sources. It comes soon after a meeting organised for party MLAs at Mr Karunakar Reddy’s residence. The revenue minister had then confided to legislators close to him that no central leader except Ms Swaraj was backing them. The Reddys are expected to return by Saturday evening.
The Reddy Brothers are on a goodwill mission to New Delhi to renew their bonds with senior BJP leaders and make sure the controversy over their involvement in illegal mining, does not affect their image. Accompanying tourism minister Janardhan Reddy and revenue minister Karunakar Reddy on their visit on Friday was none other than their close associate, health minister B. Sreeramulu.
The three ministers preferred to go separately than accompany the chief minister who is also in the national capital with two other ministers — home minister Dr V.S. Acharya and law and parliamentary affairs minister, Suresh Kumar. Nor are they staying at Karnataka Bhavan where ministers put up during their visit to Delhi.
Sources in the Reddy camp said the three ministers met BJP leaders including leaders of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj and explained in detail how they were being targeted by the media and Opposition parties. They also reiterated their claim that they were not involved in illegal mining.
The visit betrays a feeling of insecurity among the Bellary troika about their future, said sources. It comes soon after a meeting organised for party MLAs at Mr Karunakar Reddy’s residence. The revenue minister had then confided to legislators close to him that no central leader except Ms Swaraj was backing them. The Reddys are expected to return by Saturday evening.
Axe Reddys: Advani to BSY
Independent Media
Caught between the devil and the deep sea, the central leadership of the BJP on Saturday was said to be considering dropping the Reddy brothers of Bellary, under attack from the Opposition over alleged illegal mining activities, from the Karnataka Cabinet, but only if it could do so without jeopardizing the B.S. Yeddyurappa government.
Sources in the party told Deccan Chronicle that when Chief Minister Yeddyurappa met party veteran Mr L.K. Advani, the latter asked him if he was confident he could save his government after dropping tourism minister Janardhan Reddy, revenue minister Karunakar Reddy and their camp follower, health minister B. Sriramulu.
Mr Yeddyurappa is said to have replied in the affirmative, but state BJP president K.S. Eshwarappa is said to have cautioned Mr Advani that it would be a difficult game to play.
Sources privy to the conversation said the BJP could turn to the Reddys’ mentor Ms Sushma Swaraj to get them to resign on their own without creating a crisis and wait for the Lokayukta report. They could be back in government if the Lokayukta gave them a clean chit.
Stepping into YSR shoes: Jagan builds own cadre during yatra
Independent Media
The Congress MP, Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, is busy building his own cadre by interacting with village and mandal-level Congress leaders and supporters during his Odarpu yatra in East Godavari.
The Congress MP, Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, is busy building his own cadre by interacting with village and mandal-level Congress leaders and supporters during his Odarpu yatra in East Godavari.Mr Jagan, who was supposed to wind up the tour by July 19 after visiting 70-odd bereaved families, has extended it up to July 26. He is working hard building his base and an associate boasted that the MP was working almost 22 hours a day. While most Congress ministers and MLAs are keeping away from the yatra some are, however, extending their support to Mr Jagan. Prominent among them was minister for social welfare, Mr Pilli Subash Chandra Bose, who defied the diktats of the Congress high command and joined the yatra.
Mr Bose, a staunch loyalist and supporter of YSR, joined the tour at Peddapuram on Friday and continued on Saturday. The local Congress MLA, Mr Routhu Surya Prakasa Rao, also joined the tour. “I will extend all my support to late CM Y. S. Rajasekhar Reddy’s family irrespective of any repercussions,” he said.
Many Congress MLAs including Mr K. Srinivasulu, Mr Amarnath Reddy, Mr Alla Nani, Ms Pamula Rajeswari Devi and MLCs Mr Kandula Durgesh and Mr G.V.V. Satyanarayana Raju also took part in the yatra.
The minister for rural water supply, Mr Pinepe Viswaroop, representing the Amalapuram Assembly segment in the district has, however, kept away from the tour and the local MP, Mr Vundavalli Arun Kumar, has also been conspicuous with his absence while Mr Jagan has been touring the villages under his Parliamentary segment.
All along the scheduled stops of Mr Reddy, Congress cadres at mandal and village level and activists of NSUI are erecting huge cut-outs of YSR. Flexi boards and banners are also carrying portraits of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Mr Jagan and those of the lower rung leader who sponsored it. The gist of most of Mr Jagan’s speeches is: “I am no longer alone. I have the support from all of you coming from the bottom of your hearts. Kindly forgive me for failing to spare more time for you as I have been entrusted with a great task.”
Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy seems to be trying to copy Y.S.R’s famous 1,470 km-long padayatra of 2003 which had got him power.
Congress leaders meet Sonia
Independent Media
A delegation of Maharashtra Congress leaders, led by the Chief Minister, Mr Ashok Chavan, met the party chief, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, and apprised her of the situation in the state in the wake of flaring up of the boundary dispute with Karnataka.
They had already met the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, on the issue.
The Karnataka Chief Minister, Mr B.S. Yeddyurappa, said that “Belgaum is integral part of Karnataka.”
However, Mr Chavan said he was firm on his demand for UT status.
A delegation of Maharashtra Congress leaders, led by the Chief Minister, Mr Ashok Chavan, met the party chief, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, and apprised her of the situation in the state in the wake of flaring up of the boundary dispute with Karnataka.
They had already met the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, on the issue.
The Karnataka Chief Minister, Mr B.S. Yeddyurappa, said that “Belgaum is integral part of Karnataka.”
However, Mr Chavan said he was firm on his demand for UT status.
All India Congress suspends its General secretary in Andhra Pradesh :Ambati rambabui
Independent Media
The APCC general secretary and former MLA, Mr Ambati Rambabu, has been suspended from the Congress for publicly accusing the Chief Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, of trying to torpedo the Odarpu yatra taken out by the Kadapa MP, Mr Jaganmohan Reddy.
Mr Rambabu, a close follower of Mr Jagan, had also castigated Mr Rosaiah for celebrating his birthday before the first death anniversary of the former Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy.
The AICC’s move caught the state Congress by surprise, since there was the feeling that action would be delayed to prevent any ill-feeling in the Kapu community to which the former MLA belongs.
However, the union minister and AICC leader, Mr Veerappa Moily, who is in charge of party affairs in the state, said that the party had taken his utterances against the Chief Minister very seriously and decided to take immediate action.
Earlier, the PCC disciplinary committee headed by the former minister, Mr Kanteti Satyanarayana Raju, had served a show cause notice to Mr Rambabu asking him to appear before it and explain his statements.
He appeared before the committee and sought time till July 31 to furnish his explanation. The committee had agreed to it.
It was felt that this was a delaying tactic till the Assembly by-elections got over since Kapu leaders had said that any action against Mr Rambabu will be viewed as an attack against the community.
However, the AICC put its foot down and has decided to suspend him from the party regardless of the political fallout.
The APCC general secretary and former MLA, Mr Ambati Rambabu, has been suspended from the Congress for publicly accusing the Chief Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, of trying to torpedo the Odarpu yatra taken out by the Kadapa MP, Mr Jaganmohan Reddy.
Mr Rambabu, a close follower of Mr Jagan, had also castigated Mr Rosaiah for celebrating his birthday before the first death anniversary of the former Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy.
The AICC’s move caught the state Congress by surprise, since there was the feeling that action would be delayed to prevent any ill-feeling in the Kapu community to which the former MLA belongs.
However, the union minister and AICC leader, Mr Veerappa Moily, who is in charge of party affairs in the state, said that the party had taken his utterances against the Chief Minister very seriously and decided to take immediate action.
Earlier, the PCC disciplinary committee headed by the former minister, Mr Kanteti Satyanarayana Raju, had served a show cause notice to Mr Rambabu asking him to appear before it and explain his statements.
He appeared before the committee and sought time till July 31 to furnish his explanation. The committee had agreed to it.
It was felt that this was a delaying tactic till the Assembly by-elections got over since Kapu leaders had said that any action against Mr Rambabu will be viewed as an attack against the community.
However, the AICC put its foot down and has decided to suspend him from the party regardless of the political fallout.
17.7.10
Congress and others demands Nitish Kumar's resignation over scam
Independent Media
Congress party workers in Bihar staged a sit-in here on Saturday demanding the resignation of the Chief Minister, Mr Nitish Kumar, after the Patna High Court ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe against him into alleged financial irregularities of Rs 11,412 crore.
Hundreds of Congress workers and leaders staged a day-long sit-in at Kargil Chowk near Gandhi Maidan here. This comes ahead of the forthcoming state assembly polls in October-November this year.
"Nitish Kumar has no right to continue in office. He should step down on moral grounds. The Congress will launch a statewide campaign to expose his involvement in the scam. After the scam hit headlines, his clean image and good governance are being questioned by people," state Congress president, Mr Choudhary Mahboob Ali Qaiser, told IANS.
He said the Congress will stage protests at the district and panchayat levels as the central government funds provided to the state for development schemes had been "looted".
Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) have decided to meet Governor, Mr Devanand Kunwar, on Saturday or Sunday to submit a memorandum in this connection.
RJD chief, Mr Lalu Prasad,on Friday said Mr Nitish Kumar should resign as he was no more a leader with a clean image. "The court ordering for a CBI probe against Mr Nitish Kumar was enough for him to resign," Mr Lalu Prasad said.
On Thursday, a division bench of Chief Justice R.M. Doshit and Justice S.K. Katariyar handed over the probe to the CBI. The court observed that it was necessary to hand over the probe as the accused in the case are the chief minister, the deputy chief minister and 45 others, including ministers and top officials.
Petitioner Arvind Kumar pointed to financial irregularities in the development funds during 2002-2008 in Bihar.
He said the report of the accountant general (AG) of Bihar formed the basis of his complaint. In the report, the AG mentioned the financial irregularities in various funds meant for the development in the state.
The AG, in his report, had mentioned that the detailed bills to the tune of Rs.1,100 crore were not available and the state government could not provide the same to the AG for calculation and assessment.
The court has fixed July 26 as next hearing date in the case.
Earlier this week, a complaint was filed by Arwal district-based social activist Mohan Kumar in the special vigilance court of Patna, in which Nitish Kumar, Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi and 45 others have been accused of financial irregularities involving Rs 11,412 crore.
Congress party workers in Bihar staged a sit-in here on Saturday demanding the resignation of the Chief Minister, Mr Nitish Kumar, after the Patna High Court ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe against him into alleged financial irregularities of Rs 11,412 crore.
Hundreds of Congress workers and leaders staged a day-long sit-in at Kargil Chowk near Gandhi Maidan here. This comes ahead of the forthcoming state assembly polls in October-November this year.
"Nitish Kumar has no right to continue in office. He should step down on moral grounds. The Congress will launch a statewide campaign to expose his involvement in the scam. After the scam hit headlines, his clean image and good governance are being questioned by people," state Congress president, Mr Choudhary Mahboob Ali Qaiser, told IANS.
He said the Congress will stage protests at the district and panchayat levels as the central government funds provided to the state for development schemes had been "looted".
Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) have decided to meet Governor, Mr Devanand Kunwar, on Saturday or Sunday to submit a memorandum in this connection.
RJD chief, Mr Lalu Prasad,on Friday said Mr Nitish Kumar should resign as he was no more a leader with a clean image. "The court ordering for a CBI probe against Mr Nitish Kumar was enough for him to resign," Mr Lalu Prasad said.
On Thursday, a division bench of Chief Justice R.M. Doshit and Justice S.K. Katariyar handed over the probe to the CBI. The court observed that it was necessary to hand over the probe as the accused in the case are the chief minister, the deputy chief minister and 45 others, including ministers and top officials.
Petitioner Arvind Kumar pointed to financial irregularities in the development funds during 2002-2008 in Bihar.
He said the report of the accountant general (AG) of Bihar formed the basis of his complaint. In the report, the AG mentioned the financial irregularities in various funds meant for the development in the state.
The AG, in his report, had mentioned that the detailed bills to the tune of Rs.1,100 crore were not available and the state government could not provide the same to the AG for calculation and assessment.
The court has fixed July 26 as next hearing date in the case.
Earlier this week, a complaint was filed by Arwal district-based social activist Mohan Kumar in the special vigilance court of Patna, in which Nitish Kumar, Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi and 45 others have been accused of financial irregularities involving Rs 11,412 crore.
Andhra Pradesh Cabinet blocks CM proposals
Independent Media
The Chief Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, could not initiate inquiries into three crucial issues including the Sompeta firing as a majority of the Cabinet members shot down his proposal.
Mr Roaiah was isolated in the Cabinet meeting held on Friday, an unprecedented political development in the last few decades.
A majority of the ministers did not agree with the proposal to initiate inquiry into award of iron ore mining project to Rakshana Steels in Bayyaram, police firing in Sompeta and missing of Sri Krishnadevaraya jewellery in Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams.
According to sources, the ministers were vociferous and found fault with the very concept of succumbing to the pressure of the Opposition parties and ordering probes.
They also cautioned him against the investors losing confidence and avoiding the state, if the government went back on its own decisions referring to the latter expressing readiness to stop NCC power project.
The trouble started with Mr Rosaiah raising the Bayyaram controversy and the Opposition parties’ demand for a probe. Sources said Mr Rosaiah had sent the file relating to inquiry into Bayyaram coal deal to the mines minister, Mr B. Srinivasa Reddy on Thursday night itself. The minister was told to moot the proposal in the Cabinet.
Mr Srinivasa Reddy arrived at the Cabinet meeting hall in advance and showed it to several ministers present.
The Chief Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, could not initiate inquiries into three crucial issues including the Sompeta firing as a majority of the Cabinet members shot down his proposal.
Mr Roaiah was isolated in the Cabinet meeting held on Friday, an unprecedented political development in the last few decades.
A majority of the ministers did not agree with the proposal to initiate inquiry into award of iron ore mining project to Rakshana Steels in Bayyaram, police firing in Sompeta and missing of Sri Krishnadevaraya jewellery in Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams.
According to sources, the ministers were vociferous and found fault with the very concept of succumbing to the pressure of the Opposition parties and ordering probes.
They also cautioned him against the investors losing confidence and avoiding the state, if the government went back on its own decisions referring to the latter expressing readiness to stop NCC power project.
The trouble started with Mr Rosaiah raising the Bayyaram controversy and the Opposition parties’ demand for a probe. Sources said Mr Rosaiah had sent the file relating to inquiry into Bayyaram coal deal to the mines minister, Mr B. Srinivasa Reddy on Thursday night itself. The minister was told to moot the proposal in the Cabinet.
Mr Srinivasa Reddy arrived at the Cabinet meeting hall in advance and showed it to several ministers present.
SC supports HC on Mudirajs
Independent Media
The Supreme Court on Friday refused to stay the Andhra Pradesh HC order quashing the state government’s decision to shift a backward community from one group to another to rationalise reservation.
A bench headed by Chief Justice S.H. Kapadia said any order given at this juncture would adversely affect students who were midway through the admission process.
The HC had on November 3, 2009, quashed an order (GO Ms No 15) issued by the government in February 2009 bringing the Mudiraj community from D group of backward classes to A group. As per the state’s reservation scheme, the communities placed in A, B, C and D groups are provided 7, 10, one and 7 per cent reservation respectively.
The dispute had arisen following claims by the Mudiraj Mahasabha and Hakkula Porata Samiti that they had been placed in wrong groups and deprived of proportionate benefits in reservation.
Hearing the appeal filed by the state against the HC order, the bench, which also comprised of Justices K.S. Radhakrishnan and Swatanter Kumar, asked whether the admission process was over. When the court was informed that it was not fully over, the CJI said, “We don’t want to disturb it. At this stage we don’t want to create any problem for the students.”
The senior advocate, Mr T.R. Andhyarujina, appearing for some of the petitioners, questioned the rationale of the government decision for shifting of the communities. “Too many people are coming in one group creating problem to the communities already listed in that group,” he said.
Lawyers appearing for other groups also said that there should first be a study of different groups before such shifting can be done.
It was explained to the top court that the state had created ABCD categories to implement OBC quota in a “rationalised” manner on the recommendation of Anantharaman Commission in 1970.
The solicitor general, Mr Gopal Subramaniam, also submitted that the inter-group adjustments had not changed the percentage of the quota already allotted to a particular group.
While quashing the order, the HC had in principle accepted the state’s stand that periodic review by backward class commission should be done for inclusion and exclusion of certain groups from a particular category, but it wanted to know why increase and decrease in the sub-quota percentage for a particular group was not done in same proportion.
The Supreme Court on Friday refused to stay the Andhra Pradesh HC order quashing the state government’s decision to shift a backward community from one group to another to rationalise reservation.
A bench headed by Chief Justice S.H. Kapadia said any order given at this juncture would adversely affect students who were midway through the admission process.
The HC had on November 3, 2009, quashed an order (GO Ms No 15) issued by the government in February 2009 bringing the Mudiraj community from D group of backward classes to A group. As per the state’s reservation scheme, the communities placed in A, B, C and D groups are provided 7, 10, one and 7 per cent reservation respectively.
The dispute had arisen following claims by the Mudiraj Mahasabha and Hakkula Porata Samiti that they had been placed in wrong groups and deprived of proportionate benefits in reservation.
Hearing the appeal filed by the state against the HC order, the bench, which also comprised of Justices K.S. Radhakrishnan and Swatanter Kumar, asked whether the admission process was over. When the court was informed that it was not fully over, the CJI said, “We don’t want to disturb it. At this stage we don’t want to create any problem for the students.”
The senior advocate, Mr T.R. Andhyarujina, appearing for some of the petitioners, questioned the rationale of the government decision for shifting of the communities. “Too many people are coming in one group creating problem to the communities already listed in that group,” he said.
Lawyers appearing for other groups also said that there should first be a study of different groups before such shifting can be done.
It was explained to the top court that the state had created ABCD categories to implement OBC quota in a “rationalised” manner on the recommendation of Anantharaman Commission in 1970.
The solicitor general, Mr Gopal Subramaniam, also submitted that the inter-group adjustments had not changed the percentage of the quota already allotted to a particular group.
While quashing the order, the HC had in principle accepted the state’s stand that periodic review by backward class commission should be done for inclusion and exclusion of certain groups from a particular category, but it wanted to know why increase and decrease in the sub-quota percentage for a particular group was not done in same proportion.
SUBHAPRADAM Telugu Mp3 Songs Download
Independent Media
SUBHAPRADAMTelugu Mp3 Songs Download Here
SUBHAPRADAM
- Tappatloi Thalaloi - Chaitra
- Mauname Chebutendi - SP Balasubrahmanyam, Pranavi
- Yelelo Yeleleo - SP Balasubrahmanyam, Shankar Mahadevan
- Nee Navvey Kadadaka - Karthik, Sunitha
- Bailele Bailele Pallaki - Mallikarjun, Vijaya Lakshmi, Malavika
- Orimi Chalama O Bhumathoi - Rita
- Ambaparaku Deviparaku - D.S.V Sastry
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