State elections 2013 thread: Delhi, MP, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Mizoram

[bulbul]

^:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:

[Crookbond]

Shivraj Singh Chouhan's first order in 3rd innings as CM: Rice at Rs 1/kg for poor http://www.financialexpress.com/news/shivraj-singh-chouhans-first-order-in-3rd-innings-as-cm-rice-at-rs-1kg-for-poor/1207654

[bulbul]

The schemes – rice at Rs one per kilogram to poor, 'Mukhyamantri Khet-Sadak Yojana' to connect agriculture fields with roads, setting up of MP Madhyam Varg Aayog – a commission to address grievances faced by middle class people, and MP Vyapar Samvardhan Mandal for promoting industries to generate employment will come into effect from January 1, 2014. " What we had promised before election I am fulfilling in front of you. It is a reflection of our transparent governance model," Chouhan told the gathering after the oath ceremony. The Chief Minister said he would start a campaign in a big way to generate awareness to save girl child. "No nation can progress without saving their girls. We need to save girl child. It is our duty to ensure social and economic empowerment of women," he said. .. The Chief Minister said there would not be any new liquor shop opened in the state. Chouhan said he wanted to establish "Made in Madhya Pradesh" as a brand worldwide for generating employment opportunities and producing quality industry products.

:hatsoff: :hatsoff: this cheap rice giving is not agood idea , govts should empower people and make them earn by working. any way rest all are fine

[ganeshran]

Shivraj Singh Chouhan's first order in 3rd innings as CM: Rice at Rs 1/kg for poor http://www.financialexpress.com/news/shivraj-singh-chouhans-first-order-in-3rd-innings-as-cm-rice-at-rs-1kg-for-poor/1207654

:hatsoff:

[Yoda-esque]

It's going to be President's Rule for Delhi, with Lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung in charge. Top sources in the L-G's office have told Mail Today that President Pranab Mukherjee has been advised that no party is in a position to form the government in the state. "A file has been sent to the Rashtrapati Bhavan recommending President's Rule," the source told Mail Today.

[surajmal]

[Sachin=GOD]

AAP dodges crown of thorns, fends off Congress and BJP with 'tough' terms

NEW DELHI: Post-election politics in Delhi has become a game of one-upmanship with both Congress and BJP attempting to nudge the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) into forming a government and the new party seeking to dodge what it feels is a trap by setting conditions it calculates neither of the two big parties can accept. The political chess being played out saw Congress offering "unconditional" support to AAP on Friday and the latter responding by seeking assurances on issues such as an audit of power discoms, rollback of FDI in retail, supply of free water and passage of a "Jan Lokpal Bill". Chaffing at being bested by a new party their refused to take seriously, both Congress and BJP leaders have been privately expressing the view that AAP should be "allowed" to form a government and calculating that the new outfit would be swiftly discredited once in office. The hope that AAP will implode is based on the assessment that the newbie has made promises of free water and slashed power rates that are near impossible to deliver. The test of governance will prove AAP's undoing, the big two of Delhi politics seem to feel. Aware that running a minority government or depending on Congress for outside support is a fraught task, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal has, in turn, declared that he will expose the "shifty politics" of the national parties and sought to sidestep what he sees as a lure by unrolling a charter of action that embarrasses both Congress and BJP. AAP seems to be looking for an escape route as it will find it difficult to explain why it has chosen to deviate from its stand that BJP and Congress are two sides of the same coin and any truck with them will sully its image and transparency agenda. Congress leader Arvinder Singh Lovely promptly slammed AAP for grandstanding, saying the conditions were unreasonable and said most of the 18 issues outlined lay in the domain of executive action, something that does not require support in the state assembly. Kejriwal sought time from Delhi lieutenant governor Naseeb Jung on Saturday for greater clarity as to the nature of the support offered by Congress, but was quick to point out "Both Congress and BJP are competing to offer support...But what is their intent? I know it is not positive." AAP has been chary of accepting support or running a minority government, but needs to demonstrate that it is not being stubborn in rejecting office. On the other hand, Congress seems to keen to demonstrate humility in defeat while also setting out a fur-lined trap of the outfit that played a key role in its rout in Delhi. With Congress and AAP circling each other warily, BJP has said it is willing to sit in the opposition and play a constructive role. "We have not accepted support nor are we going to offer it. The party is willing to let AAP or any alliance between AAP and Congress to assume office without being a facilitator." The challenge thrown by Kejriwal is intended to set unacceptable terms for Congress as an investigation into power discoms clearly targets former chief minister Sheila Dikshit and suggests wrongdoings by the previous government. So does the pledge to probe graft cases relating to the Commonwealth Games. "Problems we have listed in our letter are those that have been created by Congress and BJP. It is their people who come under the Lokpal net. Can we still expect support from them? And what is the harm if these issues are clarified before government formation?" asked AAP MLA Manish Sisodia. Kejriwal shot off letters to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and BJP president Rajnath Singh, setting out the 18 points and asking if the two national parties are still willing to support AAP. Despite a slim chance of receiving a positive response, Kejriwal still played safe and said AAP will ask for a public mandate to decide whether it will form government or not. The assembly arithmetic has made it almost impossible for any party to fish for support. AAP won a stunning 28 seats in the 70-member Delhi assembly, while BJP bagged 32 seats. With just one independent — a BJP rebel — and a lone Janata Dal (U) member, the only other group in the assembly is Congress with eight MLAs. The LG, who sent a report to the home ministry, told AAP that he is willing to wait. AAP too has set no deadline for Congress and BJP to respond. "It is an open ended offer from us. The ball in their court now. Let us wait and see when and what they say in response to our letter," said Sisodia. During and after the election, the fledgling party drew fire from its weightier rivals for being a maverick and accused of skirting responsibility of a government formation since it had made lofty promises it was incapable of fulfilling. "Congress and BJP have been trying very hard to trap us but now it is our turn to expose the shifty politics they play. BJP emerged as the largest party after these elections. They have conveniently washed their hands of government formation. Till the results came out, both parties dismissed AAP as a nobody, called us pests," added Sisodia.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/assembly-elections-2013/delhi-assembly-elections/AAP-dodges-crown-of-thorns-fends-off-Congress-and-BJP-with-tough-terms/articleshow/27377771.cms exactly as I said yesterday - AAP just doesn't want to form the Govt. but also doesn't want to be blamed for re-election so its trying to find excuses through by giving Cong/BJP 18 unacceptable (and quite a few which cannot even be implemented) proposals - simply playing politics in the guise of being different.

[Sachin=GOD]

In refusing Congress alliance, did Kejriwal overplay his hand?

The leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had a seemingly irresistible offer – unconditional support from the vanquished Congress party – to form a government, but he more or less asked them to go jump. Did Arvind Kejriwal blow it? While no one should have any illusions about the value of the Congress’s offer of support – it would have been withdrawn when it suited that party – Kejriwal’s riposte to the offer bordered on the downright arrogant. Speaking outside the Delhi Lt Governor’s residence, Kejriwal set impossible terms for the Congress (or even the BJP) in order to maintain the illusion that he has been forced into another election and that he is not the one forcing it. His language was that of an activist, not of a responsible leader who has promises to keep. With the Congress’s “unconditional” support of eight MLAs in the Delhi assembly and adding one Independent JD(U) MLA, Shoeb Iqbal, who too offered unconditional support, Kejriwal should have crossed the magical half-way mark with 37 MLAs. Kejriwal, however, appeared to be irritated at this proposition. This is not surprising, since his success came from tapping the larger anger against the Congress. Taking its support would have undercut his legitimacy. It would also have given the BJP a handle against AAP, since Kejriwal has opposed the “corrupt, criminal and communal politics of the BJP and the Congress.” In an earlier tweet, the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitley, had described the Congress offer of support as the “convergence of those who wear honesty on their sleeves with the not so honest.” It was not Kejriwal’s aversion to forming a government with Congress support that was the problem, but the way he chose to speak his opposition and presenting himself as the sole conscience keeper of the nation. He spoke of investigating 15 years of Congress rule in Delhi and the BJP’s seven-year rule in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, and even talked of putting some of the leaders of these parties and bureaucrats and businessmen in jail. One wonders how the idea of sending all and sundry to jail becomes part of the agenda for governance. To be sure, politicians brought this on themselves by resorting to venal corruption, making ordinary people believe that all of them are crooks. The Anna movement further heightened this feeling and the anti-corruption Lokpal movement was intended to bring about transparency and probity in public life. Even though Anna and Kejriwal have since parted company, the latter has been taken as the natural inheritor of the Anna movement’s legacy. Kejriwal was the man who actually mobilised and channelised that anti-establishment mood. But given his near mandate to rule, his supporters expect him to bring some of the changes he has promised. People from posh middle class homes to slum-dwellers expect Kejriwal to deliver. In his eight-page-long letter, Kejriwal listed 18 issues on which he wanted a written commitment from both the Congress and the BJP. One wonders why the BJP should give him any such assurance, since it is the Congress that gave him unconditional support. The Aam Aadmi Party leader, having emerged victor in people’s eyes, sees this as a mandate to expect unconditional support from both the Congress and BJP, when all he has a right to expect is issue-based support – of the kind the Samajwadi Party and the BSP give the Congress-led UPA at the centre. Kejriwal obviously believes that the two parties should put down their entire support in writing on all the issues he has outlined, but which party tie itself down on so many issues without a debate or discussion. If they had to do that, they might as well merge with AAP, since they would have no right to dissent. It would be interesting to see how the two parties respond to Kejriwal’s aggressive and deliberately provocative agenda when his seven-day deadline ends. The issues listed include investigation and subsequent jailing of those who allegedly forged a nexus between leaders, bureaucrats, business houses, and contractors. Ditto for those indulging in electricity and water theft and overcharging for power. No prizes for guessing where it could all lead to - former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. Though Kejriwal didn’t take her name, AAP workers have been talking of the same for some time. Should Sonia Gandhi commit herself in writing to act against someone who kept her party’s flag flying for 15 years in Delhi? The Congress’s hurried issue of an unconditional support letter to the Lt Governor surprised many people. It was taken as a clever, albeit short-sighted, political ploy to put the brakes on BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. Rahul Gandhi has said he is willing to learn from the Aam Aadmi Party. He must now be wondering if he made a mistake in praising the AAP. A section of AAP’s young MLAs may also be wary about Kejriwal’s moves, especially those who are tasting electoral success for the first time. After Kejriwal’s public stance outside the Lt Governor’s office, re-election in Delhi is the only possibility, perhaps to be held along with the Lok Sabha election. Rematches are always risky, but miscalculations do happen. The AAP could gain tremendously or could even slip somewhat. Once cannot expect either the Congress or the BJP to give it a walkover, now that they know Kejriwal’s tactics. We will know only months from now whether Kejriwal’s aggressive statement today was a masterstroke, or a bloomer.

http://www.firstpost.com/politics/in-refusing-congress-alliance-did-kejriwal-overplay-his-hand-1287049.html

[asterix]

Lt. guv. Should immediately impose Presidents rule instead of waiting for 10 days more dramabaazi.....

[Sachin=GOD]

now what I would like to see is for Cong to play Kejriwal's bluff and accept these ridiculous demands - then Kejriwal would either have to form the Govt. with Cong (which would completely tarnish his image) or be blamed for re-election by both Cong and BJP.

[Ghost Buster]

now what I would like to see is for Cong to play Kejriwal's bluff and accept these ridiculous demands - then Kejriwal would either have to form the Govt. with Cong (which would completely tarnish his image) or be blamed for re-election by both Cong and BJP.

Re-election is the best option, its better to have a majority than a minority govt.

[Trichromatic]

AAP should form the government and go after Congress and BJP in whatever time they get.

[Sachin=GOD]

AAP should form the government and go after Congress and BJP in whatever time they get.

yeah.....first it should form a Govt. with the support of Cong and then go after them and BTW if they do form a Govt. with Cong then irrespective of what they achieve, their image would be tarnished forever.

[urbestfriend]

It is a win-win situation for AAP to take a backseat and wait for reelection. Next election will be BJP vs AAP..if AAP gets majority, they can rule without any problem and if BJP comes to power, they can learn the politics by being an effective opposition party.

[Sachin=GOD]

The good woman took a fall for UPA II Karan Thapar December 14, 2013

Do you know the saddest outcome of the recent elections?” In keeping with his question Pertie looked rather glum whilst his voice lacked its usual booming stridency. “Why don’t you tell me”, I replied, wondering what he would say. Pertie’s sudden interest in politics took me by surprise last week. It’s continuation was perplexing. So I was curious to find out more. “Sheila Dikshit! You only have to look around to see how much she changed Delhi. Whether it’s the metro, buses or flyovers, the constant supply of power or just the cleaner air, the improved signages and refuse collection, today’s Delhi is incomparably better than the city she inherited 15 years ago. I would say Sheila was the best chief minister the Capital has had and, probably, one of the best in the country.” “So why did she lose?”, I asked. “In Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh the voters retained their chief ministers because they believed they had done a good job. Why did Delhi punish Sheila instead?” Pertie’s first response was a soft sceptical laugh. The sort that suggests I had missed an obvious point. When he spoke, his tone suggested he was speaking to a child. “Sheila lost because of Dr Manmohan Singh’s government. The anger that toppled her was not directed against her performance in Delhi. It was seeking revenge for the corruption, policy paralysis and economic mishandling associated with the Central government. But Manmohan Singh, Sonia and Rahul Gandhi were not standing. Sheila was and she was felled in their place.” “But that argument could apply to Ashok Gehlot as well?” I wasn’t really picking a hole in Pertie’s argument so much as questioning why he thought it only applied to Sheila Dikshit. “In a general sense, yes”, he responded. “But it applies much more specifically to Mrs Dikshit than anyone else. First, because she operated in close proximity to 7 Race Course Road and 10 Janpath. Gehlot didn’t. And, second, because she’s intimately identified with the Gandhi family. She, therefore, became a natural target for the anger directed at them.” “So are you saying that Sheila Dikshit didn’t deserve to lose?” That’s clearly what Pertie’s arguments appeared to add up to. It seemed his implied conclusion was that Delhi’s voters had expended their wrath on the wrong politician. “Let me put it like this”, Pertie began with a smile that suggested he had thought of a convincing reply. “Suppose the Delhi elections had happened after the national elections and voters had already dispensed with Manmohan Singh and the Gandhis. Do you think they would have still bundled out Sheila or rewarded her with a fourth term to carry on the good work of the previous three?” Pertie’s counterfactual is certainly appealing even if not fully convincing. However, his underlying argument, that Sheila Dikshit was defeated because Manmohan Singh and the Gandhis were not on offer, has the ring of truth. I’ve since discovered that several senior Congressmen, including a few top ministers, agree. Unlike Pertie they don’t have the independence — or is it the courage? — to say so publicly. But in confidential whispers they’re speaking out loudly! “We’ve lost a good woman”, Pertie concluded, the glum look back on his face. “But that’s democracy for you. The people’s choice is not always the right one.” I’m not sure how much consolation that will be for Mrs Dikshit. But I’m confident of one thing: history will be a lot kinder than this contemporary verdict.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/comment/karanthapar/the-good-woman-took-a-fall-for-upa-ii/article1-1162686.aspx

[Crookbond]

It is a win-win situation for AAP to take a backseat and wait for reelection. Next election will be BJP vs AAP..if AAP gets majority' date=' they can rule without any problem and if BJP comes to power, they can learn the politics by being an effective opposition party.[/quote'] The letter was merely a means to unmask the "unconditional support" (which was not asked btw) offered by Congress. AAP now knows the "unconditional support" means. Congress says "unconditional support" then changes to "outside support". Now when asked to quantify their support on AAP's manifesto, they say only executive support. Ajeeb trolling hai bhai! BJP says "constructive support" and then when was asked on what issues they return back to their hollow sound byte rhetoric "shying away from responsibility". Bewkoof samajh rakha hai kya humein? Support, support kiyein jaa rahe hai; khoklein shabdon se.

[bulbul]

Why can't AAP offer "conditional" support to BJP or Con party :giggle: This moral bull raiders thinking this is a circus.

[Shunya]

as much as I liked to see AAP rising...I m disappointed in them after the results...they are just not ready for any type of responsibility...its easy to just oppose everything, but very difficult to actually manage and be in system...

[seedhi]

The letter was merely a means to unmask the "unconditional support" (which was not asked btw) offered by Congress. AAP now knows the "unconditional support" means. Congress says "unconditional support" then changes to "outside support". Now when asked to quantify their support on AAP's manifesto, they say only executive support. Ajeeb trolling hai bhai! BJP says "constructive support" and then when was asked on what issues they return back to their hollow sound byte rhetoric "shying away from responsibility". Bewkoof samajh rakha hai kya humein? Support, support kiyein jaa rahe hai; khoklein shabdon se.

That letter that AAP wrote is a complete cop out. Firstly, many of the issues (like statehood for Delhi) are not even in the ambit of the Delhi Assembly. Secondly, any party can only decide on supporting an issue when there is a reasonably clear law or Bill which is presented in the Assembly. For example, what does "ending VIP culture" mean ? Does it mean removing all security for VIPs ? Does it extend to CM, PM and President as well ? No bodyguards whatsoever ? How can AAP expect unequivocal answers when none of the specifics are clear. And what is the purpose of the Delhi Assembly then if things like this are decided through letters ? Furthermore, I don't understand why they addressed the letter to the BJP. If AAP forms the government then BJP would be the Opposition party in the Delhi Assembly which reserves the right to give issue based support or no support at all. The support from the Congress is enough for AAP to form the government. There is no reason to harangue the BJP. Does the AAP want no Opposition in the Delhi Assembly ? Lastly, the language used in the letter is an affront to civility. Congress has offered unconditional support so it is an issue for them how they handle this. But the BJP should throw that letter into the trash where it belongs.

[ravishingravi]

I think post election statements and reactions make it clear that AAP has no real concrete ideas. It is won on the back of frustrations and angst against the major parties.