Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav shares details of assets

Akhilesh Yadav has became the first Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister to declare his assets publicly.

Akhilesh (38), who declared his assets on the UP government website, owns three residential plots - two in Lucknow and one in Etawah - besides agriculture land worth Rs. 98 lakh. He has investments totalling Rs. 1 crore, and Rs. 1.18 crore in cash.

The Chief Minister also has a Pajero worth Rs. 20 lakh and loan worth Rs. 1.3 crore against his name.

Akhilesh took over as the state Chief Minister from Mayawati earlier this month after his Samajwadi Party's sweeping win in the assembly elections. Maywati too had declared her assets earlier this month when she filed for her Rajya Sabha nomination. Mayawati declared her assets at Rs. 111 crore. Behenji, as the former chief minister is known, in her declaration had said she has 380 carats of diamonds, and one kilogram of gold. Together, these are worth just under a crore. Her silver dinner set, which weighs nearly 20 kgs, is worth 9 lakhs.

Karnataka: Rs 2 lakh crore Wakf land scam has come in light

An alleged multi-crore scam involving encroachment and sale of Wakf Board land has come to light in Karnataka.

The scam is believed to be worth over Rs 2 lakh crore – more than the estimated Rs 1.76 lakh crore loss suffered by the exchequer in the 2G spectrum allocation scam. A report on the same was submitted to state Chief Minister DV Sadananda Gowda by Karnataka Minorities Commission Chairman Anwar Manipaddy on Monday.

A Karnataka government-appointed committee, headed by Manipaddy, stumbled upon the alleged scandal while surveying Wakf Board land.

Manippady said after submitting the 7,000-page report that the same may be tabled in the Karnataka Assembly in a day or two.

“Apart from powerful politicians, several Wakf Board members, Wakf officials, middlemen and land mafia have been involved in the scam," he said.

According to reports, the committee has named 38 Congress leaders in its report which also states that 22,000 to 27,000 acres of properties owned by the Wakf Board were unlawfully encroached upon and sold over the last 10 years.

"Misappropriation of Wakf land has taken place in city areas rather than in rural areas...About 85 per cent of misappropriation has happened in city areas," Manippady said.

The panel was constituted by the state government in November last year following complaints and media reports on the role of politicians and Wakf Board officials in the illegal sale of land to individuals.

Manipaddy said he has recommended to the government to set up a high-power committee to check corrupt activities taking place in Wakf Board and appoint a task force to retrieve Wakf properties sold illegally to "some powerful and influential people".

Delhi Lokayukta seeks action against Sheila Dikshit

Delhi Lokayukta Justice Manmohan Sarin has once again sought action against Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit for "misrepresenting" facts by announcing, in the run up to 2008 Assembly polls, that 60,000 low-cost flats were ready.

Justice Sarin had earlier too - July 2011 - recommended to the President to censure her. Deprecating the conduct of Dikshit, the Lokayukta, in his order, said people should "stand up against unethical practices" and build up a strong public opinion to ensure that public functionaries adhere to "high standards of integrity and conduct."

The Lokayukta had initiated a probe against Dikshit in October 29 on a complaint filed by advocate Sunita Bhardwaj, a BJP worker.

However, Union Home Ministry’s reply to Lokayukta said that no action was taken as there was no evidence of any ‘mala fide’ intention on the CM's part.

Urban development department has been advised to be ‘careful’, the letter to the Lokayukta said.

Dissatisfied with the reply, the Lokayukta has once again sought action against Dikshit on the grounds that the President was not properly advised at the first instance.

"In these circumstances it would appear that the President was not properly advised with regard to the factual position and the admitted position and role of the respondent (Dikshit) which led to advice of caution being given to the Urban Development Department instead of the respondent," Justice Sarin was quoted as saying by a news magazine.

Chief Minister Dikshit has maintained that distribution of flats was a "complex process" and that the government was not trying to "mislead" anybody.

The Lokayukta held that ahead of 2008 Assembly polls, Dikshit misrepresented to the public that 60,000 flats were ready for handing over knowing well that the same were not ready, in order to "obtain gain or favour to herself or her political party."

Mayawati assets doubled to Rs 112 crore as chief minister

Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati's assets doubled during her chief ministership of UP, from Rs 52 crore in 2007 to Rs 111.64 crore when she filed her nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha elections on Tuesday.

In 2010, when Mayawati contested the legislative council elections again (in 2007 she had fought a byelection; hence the need to seek a re-election), she had declared total assets of Rs 88 crore. A close look reveals that she ruled for 58 months and the increase (including appreciation) in her wealth in this period was of Rs 59 crore, which amounts to a growth of Rs 1 crore per month.

On Tuesday, her affidavit showed immovable assets worth Rs 96.38 crore and movable over Rs 15.26 crore. Besides Rs 10.20 lakh cash in hand, the dalit leader has around Rs 14 crore in five bank accounts, murals worth Rs 15 lakh, a revolver valued at Rs 5,390 and gold and diamond jewellery valued around Rs 96.53 lakh.

Mayawati filed an income tax return of Rs 6.51 crore in 2010-11 financial year. Her immovable assets worth Rs 96.38 crore include residential and commercial buildings in Delhi and Lucknow. In Delhi, she has two commercial buildings in Connaught place. The market value of the two properties is Rs 18.84 crore.

She has shown two residential buildings, one each in Delhi and Lucknow. The market value of the two assets is Rs 77.54 crore. While the commercial buildings were purchased in 2004 and 2005, the residential accommodation in upscale SP Marg, New Delhi, was bought in 2009 for Rs 54.80 crore.

In fact, two residential plots have been clubbed together to form a single asset in which she has invested Rs 7.78 crore on development and construction. The residential property in Lucknow's Mall Avenue is a new addition bought in November 2010 at Rs 15.68 crore.

Besides, she had also declared a residence in Lucknow worth Rs 97.42 lakh and one in Delhi worth Rs 18.02 crore apart from commercial property in Connaught Place and Okhla worth Rs 19 crore. She had no car of her own even then. In May 2010, Maya contested legislative council election again. This time her declared assets were Rs 88 crore, a gain of at least Rs 35 crore over her 2007 declaration.

She had then declared cash in hand Rs 12.95 lakh, jewellery of gold and diamonds worth Rs 86.8 lakh and other valuables worth around Rs 15 lakh. The residential and commercial properties in Delhi and Lucknow were valued at Rs 73 crore. She had then as well claimed that the money came from gifts and donations from supporters. On March 15, 2010, she was felicitated by party leaders at a function by a garland made of currency notes amounting Rs 21 lakh.

Going by her Tuesday's declaration, she has apparently disposed of the commercial property in Okhla and as chief minister she added two residential properties, one each in Delhi and Lucknow. In fact, in Lucknow, she has sold the residential property at Nehru Road and got a new one at Mall Avenue.

There is no change in the valuables and jewellery but the collection shows her love for living it up. Although she faces charges of amassing wealth with a disproportionate assets case being probed by the CBI, the growth of her assets shows that she has got good return of investment in property. Mayawati also has liabilities of Rs 87.68 lakh in form of loans from financial institutions.

However, she has not taken any life insurance policy and does not own a vehicle. She has also given details of her school and university education in the affidavit. She graduated from Kalindi College, Delhi University in 1975. She completed B.Ed from Meerut University in 1976. In 1983, she did LL.B from Delhi University. Maya has also claimed that no cognizance has been taken against her in any criminal case.

Bangalore lawyers attack TV reporters with stones

For about 60 minutes this morning, media crews outside a Bangalore court tried to duck stones, helmets, iron chairs all being flung at them by a group of nearly 500 lawyers. The riot lasted for an hour and subsided after the police resorted to a lathi-charge and tear-gassing. Ten journalists, most of them cameramen, are recovering in different hospitals in the city. Seven lawyers and 30 policemen were also injured.

"They attacked me with huge stones, they tried to take away my camera," said Mr Nagesh, a reporter with a local TV channel.

The lawyers say this was their protest against what they describe as one-sided coverage of their strike in January.   Lawyers had blocked one of the main roads near the city centre to protest against police assault against a colleague.  The protest had led to a seven-hour traffic nightmare in the heart of  Bangalore, provoking extensive media coverage.

Former minister Janardhana Reddy, arrested for illegal mining by the firms he owns in Bellary, was bring brought to court today, ensuring a huge turnout of reporters.

Chief Minister Sadananda Gowda says a judicial inquiry will identify those responsible for the worst of the violence.   The police is using the footage of news channels to find the culprits. Section 144 which bans people from assembling in groups has been imposed in the court area which is meters away from the Vidhan Soubha.

Teenager has been raped by a junior doctor in West Bengal's hospital

A differently-abled teenager has allegedly been raped by a junior doctor at a government hospital in West Bengal's Bankura district, about 150 kms from Kolkata. An FIR has been registered and the girl, who is hearing and speech impaired, is being moved to Kolkata for medical tests.

The clothes of the victim and the bedsheets have also been sent for examination.  Hospital officials say that the family has mistakenly accused the doctor in question of rape. They say he was examining the victim.  Her mother, however, says the 19-year-old girl was found naked and unconscious in the Bankura Sammilani Medical College where she was admitted for chest pains on Monday night.

"They asked me to wait outside and they took her inside. For two hours, they were inside," she explained. "Then I went inside and saw that her clothes were not on her and she was crying. Then I shouted at the doctor, asked him is this how you do treatment?" She added, "She told me everything using sign language."

The hospital's Superintendent, Panchanan Kundu, said a three-member committee has been set up to investigate. "We have received a complaint in this regard. It is learnt that the said doctor examined the patient without being accompanied either by a female hospital staff or a female attendant of the patient. The probe team will look into the allegations," he said.

"They (patients) come here for treatment. We paid for it with my sister's shame," said her brother.  

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has blamed two recent rape cases in her state as political conspiracies. Over the weekend, a woman was allegedly pushed out of a train and gang-raped. Ms Banerjee described that incident as one made up by the opposition Left in the state. She said the alleged victim's husband was a CPM supporter; but he has been dead for several years.  Before that, a woman was raped in a car by men she met at a nightclub on Kolkata's famous Park Street.  Even as the police confirmed that the woman had been sexually assaulted, Ms Banerjee had said the incident was fabricated to malign her government.

West Bengal Chisef Minister Mamata to meet PM, NCTC on agenda

Amid growing chorus against the National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC), West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is expected to take up the issue with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday.

Mamata and other CMs - Naveen Patnaik, Rama Singh, Nitish Kumar and J Jayalalithaa – are opposed to the anti-terror body; being set up under the Intelligent Bureau (IB), on the grounds that the powers imparted to NCTC would undermine the federal structure.

Last week, the TMC chief had skipped the inauguration programme of the NSG hub in Kolkata by Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, apparently to register her opposition to the NCTC.

The NCTC is scheduled to be fully operational by March 1.

The West Bengal CM may also raise the demand for a financial package for the state during her interaction with PM.

Raj Thackeray: Congress will be finished in civic polls

Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray called for a permit system for Mumbai to curb the influx of migrants.

"There should be a permit system for Mumbai, like the one in Russia. There, police keep a record of when someone has arrived and left your house," he said at a rally on Monday.

Making light of Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan's remark that Shiv Sena will become "inconsequential" after the February 16 Mumbai civic polls, Thackeray said the outfit will retain power in India's financial capital.

"Do you have a vanishing cream that you will wish the Sena away? Our party won't be finished. Instead, it will be Congress which will be routed in the poll," he said, addressing a campaign rally of the Sena-BJP-RPI alliance, in suburban Bandra.

Almost 80 Senas were formed after our party came into being, but no one has been able to take our place, he said.

On his friendship with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, Thackeray said they have been friends since the time Pawar watched the first Sena rally in 1966 at Shivaji Park, from the sidelines.

However, he targeted senior NCP minister Chhagan Bhujbal over the the multi-crore fake stamp paper scam. "Who protected you in the Telgi case?" Thackeray asked.

Thackeray also flayed Sonia Gandhi, calling her "an Italian woman, who is now ruling us."

The entire Gandhi family, including Rahul, Priyanka, Robert Vadra and his children participated in the UP poll campaign, he said.

"I won't let dynastic rule take place in Sena," Thackeray said.

He added, Son Uddhav was made the party executive president at the behest of nephew Raj Thackeray, who was then in the Sena, while Uddhav's son Aditya was "chosen" by the college youths as their leader.

Will Mayawati's magic work in 2012?

Her rock solid Dalit support may still be intact. But with charges of corruption and poor governance enveloping her, Chief Minister Mayawati may find the going tough in Uttar Pradesh, say political activists and pundits.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is determined to retain power it bagged in the country's most populous state five years ago on its own, stunning foes and friends alike. It will be no bed of roses this time, though.

For starters, there is disenchantment, widely referred to as anti-incumbency. Mayawati and government are battling corruption allegations too. Even admirers say she seems to have withdrawn from the people she claims to represent.

Then there is the opposition factor. The Samajwadi Party is charged up, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is determined to regain the support base it has lost while the Congress wants to make a spectacular comeback.

"She may not win a majority this time," political analyst N Bhaskara Rao said, referring to Mayawati, the four-time Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.

According to him, neglect of the basic "bijli-sadak-pani" (electricity, road, water) issues cast doubts on her ability to win an outright majority from the staggered seven-phase election starting Feb 8.

Rao admits that Mayawati's decision to deny tickets to a third of her legislators and sacking of 16 ministers over corruption charges shows she has strong decision-making capabilities.

But the 2007 magic -- "social engineering" -- has more or less broken down. Compared to five years ago, Brahmins and other upper castes don't seem to be backing her that enthusiastically.

Badri Narayan, an expert on Dalit issues with the Allahabad-based Govind Ballabh Pant Institute of Social Sciences, says that Mayawati's popularity was declining.

"Her Dalit vote bank is intact but sections of Muslims, Brahmins and Kurmis are shifting towards the Congress," Narayan said.

In his view, though Mayawati has an image of an iron lady, the distance between her and her party workers has increased over the past five years.

"As a person she is good, understands rural society, and has politically proved herself many times. But her exclusivity is going against her," said Narayan.

After her political baptism in 1977 by BSP founder Kanshiram, school teacher Mayawati had a meteoric rise in the party. She was made his heir in 2001 and became the party chief two years later.

In 1995, Mayawati created history by becoming India's first Dalit woman Chief Minister in Uttar Pradesh.

It was a short stint. She returned to power in March 1997 for another brief stint, and again was chief minister May to August 2002. She finally became chief minister on her own right in May 2007.

But even as her ambitions soared, the 2009 Lok Sabha election checkmated her. The BSP won just 19 seats, far below the 40 it hoped to capture. That was in part due to a Congress comeback, thanks to Ranul Gandhi.

Today too, Rahul Gandhi is going hammer and tongs against Mayawati.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa drops two Sasikala loyalists from Cabinet

In a Cabinet reshuffle, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has dropped School Education Minister S S Krishnamoorthy and Revenue Minister S P Velumani - both considered to be loyalists of her former confidante Sasikala.

N R Sivapathy has been appointed as the new School Education Minister while K A Sengottaiyan, who earlier held the Information Technology portfolio, has been named the new Revenue minister.

N Subramanian has replaced Mr Sengottaiyan as the Information Technology minister.

This is Jayalalithaa's first Cabinet reshuffle after the expulsion of Sasikala in December last year. In the same month, she had removed M Palanivel and Kaliyaperumal, both relatives of Sasikala, from the primary membership of the party.

Earlier, Sasikala's husband M Natarajan and Jayalalithaa's disowned foster son V N Sudhakaran were also handed the pink slip. The move was seen as an attempt by Jayalalithaa to nip in the bud reported moves by Sasikala's family to dominate the party and influence the AIADMK government.

Sasikala has long served as Jayalalithaa's companion. She is one of the main accused in a case that alleges the Chief Minister misused her office from 1991-1996 to collect assets worth 66 crores that cannot be accounted for.

That case is being tried by a Bangalore court to ensure a fair trial. Jayalalithaa objected to being summoned by that court, but was ordered by the Supreme Court to appear in person to answer questions. Sasikala travelled with her for those hearings in a special plane from Chennai.

Sasikala has, for three decades, been acknowledged as a power centre in the AIADMK because of her proximity to Jayalalithaa. Insiders say that her opinions counted towards the selection of ministers and party candidates.

In 1996, when Jayalalithaa was beleaguered by a slew of corruption charges, she had a brief falling out with Sasikala, who belongs to the strong Thevar community, traditionally AIADMK loyalists.

Panchayat polls in Gujarat today

Election to 8,250 village panchayats of Gujarat will be held on Today amid tight security.

The panchayat election, on such a large scale, is being seen in the state as the semi-final of the next year's assembly election. Chief Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP and the Congress are the two main contenders in tomorrow's election.

Though the village panchayat elections are not fought with party symbols, in most places, BJP-backed panels are named Sadbhavna panels, while the Congress has named its panels as 'shanti' panel or 'vikas' panel.

"We have made elaborate security arrangements...more than 1.16 lakh policemen will be deputed," secretary of state election commission, PS Shah, said.

"A total of 1.70 lakh voters will exercise franchise, while 97,000 candidates are in the fray."

Polling will be through the ballot papers.

The state election commission published the notification on November 19, 2011 regarding elections for 10,405 village panchayats. Of which, 2,147 panchayats have been declared as Samras, where panchayat members have been declared elected unopposed, following consensus in the village.

The re-polling, if required, will be held on December 30. The counting of votes will be take place on December 31.

A huge fire in Kolkata factory, no casualties

A huge fire broke out in a rubber shoe factory in south east Kolkata's Tiljala area, fire brigade sources said on Tuesday, days after a fire at the AMRI hospital killed 93 people. There were no reports of loss of life.

The leaping flames were controlled on Today morning after a 10-hour effort.

Twenty fire tenders were rushed to the spot to control the blaze, which engulfed the second and third floors of the building after the flames were first seen at 11 pm on Monday.

"Our men have managed to reach both the affected floors and the fire is now fully under control," a fire brigade official said.

He said combustible material stacked in the two floors and the narrow road made the firemen's work difficult.

The fire, 10 days after the devastating AMRI Hospital inferno on December 9, created panic in the locality.

As the area is very congested, all nearby houses were evacuated as a preventive measure.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Fire Services Minister Javed Khan visited the site in the early hours of Tuesday to supervise the fire-fighting operation.

The cause of the fire was not officially confirmed but officials suspect a short circuit.

West Bengal Liquor Tragedy Toll Shoots Up To 98

At least 98 people, mostly rickshaw pullers and labourers have died after consuming spurious liquor at Mograhat in South 24 Parganas district in West Bengal.

More than 60 people are battling for their lives in several hospitals, official sources said, adding the casualty might go up.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the government was contemplating demolition of illegal liquor dens.

In an interview to a private television channel, Mamata Banerjee said that the government was contemplating demolition of illegal liquor dens.

"I have seen many people die in hooch tragedies on several occasions. And they keep recurring. I urge help from the society and others to rise above political barriers and help in doing away with this social evil," she said.

Describing the deaths as "unfortunate", she said: "We have to run an awareness programme. If the illegal distilleries are regularised the government can earn revenue. But that would be a disservice to the society."

The state government had announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of those who died.

Four people have been arrested for supplying the moonshine in Sangrampur village in the South 24-Parganas district. Magrahat is 52 km from Kolkata.

Those taken ill have been admitted to the Diamond Harbour Hospital, health centres and nursing homes. Some have been shifted to Kolkata.

All the people fell ill after consuming spurious liquor from several illegal joints on Tuesday.

Soon after the incident yesterday, locals had smashed a liquor manufacturing unit at Mograhat and the joints from where it was being sold at Sangrampur.