Report

Mahila Congress - Dr. Jaya Shukla

NAGPUR: Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president, Shri Ranjit Deshmukh said the BJP-led NDA government has failed on several fronts and hence has no moral right to remain in power. He was addressing a huge gathering of Congress workers here on September 15 to protest against the Centre's policies. Later, Shri Deshmukh handed over a memorandum of demands to divisional commissioner on behalf of the Congress party.

Pointing that the BJP's government's partisan attitude in Gujarat came under fire from the Supreme Court and even then, the BJP-led Government was sticking to power shamelessly. State Congress Women's wing chairperson, Smt. Rajni Patil said that it was during the Congress regime of late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, that ten lakh women were brought into politics through Panchayati Raj.

Now, only Smt. Sonia Gandhi can further this programme. Smt. Patil lashed out at the Central govt. for its lackadaisical attitude in getting the Women's Reservation Bill passed in Parliament. She said the Congress President, Smt. Sonia Gandhi was keen on 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. The PCC vice-president, Smt. Prabhwati Ojha said women will fight for their rights until their demands are met.

In its memorandum the party demanded probe into the UTI scam, Defence scam, Door Sanchar scam and lack of transparency in govt. procurements by the NDA govt.

Mahila Seminar

SIKAR: The Sikar district unit of the Rajasthan Pradesh Mahila Congress organized a district-level seminar at village Abhypura on 17 August. District Mahila Congress president, Smt. Sohni Chaudhary presided over the function in which more than ten thousand women participated. All India Mahila Congress president, Dr. Rita Bahugana Joshi, AIMC general secretary and incharge, Smt. Krishna Gehlawat, Pradesh Mahila Congress president, Dr. Prabha Thakur and veteran Congress leader, Shri Balram Jakhar addressed the gathering. The leaders also asked the Mahila workers for their active participation during the coming assembly elections.

NDA Chargesheet-III

2. In November 2000, to allot petrol pumps and LPG dealerships, the Government set up Dealer Selection Boards across the country, each had three members, many had retired judges as chairmen _ all handpicked by Petroleum Minister Shri Ram Naik. Ads were placed, candidates called for an interview. So `objective' was this method that over half of the 3,850 allotments until May this year went to BJP workers, their relatives and Parivar allies.

3. The nation should hang its hand in shame since the "entire system has been subverted" to help its own. People will "lose all faith in the Government," if this is not curbed with a "heavy hand," says Justice Kuldip Singh who retired from the Supreme Court in 1997 and was recently appointed by this government as the Chairman of the delimitation commission.

3.1 "This is worse … as a deliberate attempt has been made the ruling party to help its partymen and sympathizers. It's a dangerous trend."

3.2 "I feel sorry if wrongful allotments were made by Selection Boards which happened to be headed by retired judges … who says all judges are above board? You have seen that in the recent PPSC case. There are judges and there are judges."

3.3 To reinforce this point, he added: "I remember that we had cancelled the allotment to the son of a retired high court judge in Chandigarh who was heading one of the Oil Commissions."

Aparna Mishra _ Petrol pump in Itaunja, Lucknow. She is the wife of Raj Mishra, a relative of Prime Minister Vajpayee. The address in the allotment is the same as that of the PM's residence in Lucknow. Says Mishra: "The vacancy was advertised in the general category and my wife applied. She got maximum marks in the interview with the Dealer Selection Board and the pump was allotted to her." When contacted, a spokesman of the PMO said the Prime Minister had not stayed there since taking office.

(Concluded)
- Compiled by DEPCO, AICC