Pick of The week
* Yeddy vs Bhardwaj
The battle between the chief minister and the governor took a turn for the worse. Karnataka governor HR Bhardwaj has sanction the prosecution of the BJP chief minister BS Yeddyurappa. BJP leaders are poised to meet President Pratibha Patil this week seeking the governor’s recall for misusing the Raj Bhawan to destabilise the BSY government. Yeddyurappa is accused of favouring businesses run by family and friends while freeing up government land for commercial usage. But the current stand-off contains worrying suggestions of constitutional lines being crossed in the dealings between the tainted CM and the overzealous governor.
* Minor shuffle
The ministerial reshuffle was widely seen to be an underwhelming thing. In the end, there was a plethora of chances not taken. For instance, the opportunity to send out a message that the government was serious about countering the image of being lax on corruption and non-performance was missed by simply shifting ministers from one portfolio to another. No one was sacked. Some portfolios were rejigged keeping an eye on the upcoming polls, particularly in Kerala and Uttar Pradesh.
The prime minister has said that a larger revamp will take place after the budget session. But given the impression of risk-aversion that the present exercise has confirmed about UPA-2, no one’s really holding their breath.
* Crime in Banda
The Banda case ? a Dalit girl was allegedly raped by a BSP MLA ? has put the Mayawati government on the defensive. Mayawati called a press conference on Thursday to announce suspension of four officials including three policemen, in connection with the registration of a theft case against the girl who was allegedly raped by BSP MLA Purushottam Naresh Dwivedi. She said that the action had been taken on the basis of a CB-CID report. With the dust already being kicked up for the 2012 assembly polls next year in the state, the BSP government is conscious of the danger of handing an issue to the Opposition in search of a fight.
* Bad money
The issue of black money secreted in foreign banks climbed centrestage last week. The cabinet took it up after the government came in for a tongue-lashing on the matter from the apex court. Reportedly both the prime minister and finance minister made it clear that as the government was bound by international tax treaties, it is not in a position to disclose the names on whom it has information regarding foreign bank accounts. Putting out the names in the public domain would mean that India may not be able to access such information again, said Pranab Mukherjee. Earlier, at a function in Rashtrapati Bhawan, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told reporters that ?There are no instant solutions to bring back what is called black money?.