CBI closes in on Modi's closest aide: The Times of India, July 23

AHMEDABAD: A CBI probe reached perilously close to Gujarat CM Narendra Modi's doorstep with sleuths on Thursday summoning his closest aide and state's home minister Amit Shah for his role in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case. Shah, who ducked the CBI team, is now to appear for questioning Friday amid strong likelihood of his being arrested, the first time ever for any home minister.

The CBI officer heading the investigation, DIG P Kandaswamy, told reporters: "During investigations into the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case, we collected some information against Shah. We want to question him about his role in this fake encounter. The notices have been served for this purpose."

Sources said that the CBI has in its possession details of telephonic conversations between Shah and the police officers DCP Abhay Chaudasma, DGP D G Vanzara and Rajkumar Pandian who were allegedly involved in the fake encounter of Sohrabuddin in November 2005. The senior cops are already in prison. CBI's case against Shah has been strengthened by the statement of a builder.

TOI, in its July 14 edition, was the first to report that the noose was tightening around Shah and that the CBI was likely to arrest him.

Although the CBI investigation was ordered by the Supreme Court after repeated allegations that Gujarat police was covering up, CBI's move against Shah was being seen as signaling Centre's intent to ensnare the Modi regime which has so far managed to dodge serious damage despite serious charge of collusion in the riots.

CBI action against his close aide could undermine the mystique of invincibilty that has grown around Modi, while giving Congress strong talking points for the minority community ahead of Bihar and West Bengal polls.

It was also sure to dertail the efforts to carry the opposition unity-forged on the issue of price rise which was on display in Bharat Bandh of July 5 into the Monsoon session of Parliament. With Muslims already deserting it in droves in West Bengal, the CPM would loath to be in BJP's company, that too in the wake of an issue concerning the riot-tainted Modi.

The BJP, though unsure of the extent to which the government was willing to go, was bracing for a confrontation, amid a growing possibility that the isolation could lead it to embrace the hardline Hindutva that Modi represents but which the party seemed reluctant to pursue outside Gujarat.

CBI's move against Shah had looked imminent since the arrest in April of DCP Chaudasma, a key figure in the conspiracy who had known Sohrabuddin. The builder who has testified against Shah has alleged that Shah was aware of Chaudasma's plan to eliminate Sohrabuddin, an alleged gangster acccused in serious criminal cases in three states.

The latest move was triggered by phone records showing a number of calls made by Shah to Vanzara and Pandian during the time of the encounter on November 26, 2005 and later.

An angry BJP lashed out at the CBI, accusing it of seeking to frame Shah. "The investigating agency has reached the lowest ebb after indulging in selective leaks in the media about the probe," said BJP spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad.

The CBI team summoned Shah twice for questioning on Thursday. After the minister replied to the first summon, which required him to appear before the CBI at 1pm on Thursday, the CBI called him at 1pm on Friday amid fears across the BJP leadership that his arrest was a strong possibility. At 9am, a team of CBI left its office in Gandhinagar and reached Shah's official bungalow. The team was told Shah wasn't there, so the officers served the notice to his wife.

A second CBI team reached his office at Sachivalaya in Gandhinagar at 10am where the same notice was served. Another team reached Shah's old residence in Ahmedabad. Finding the house locked, CBI officers stuck the notice on the door.

At 3pm, after Shah communicated his inability to turn up on Thursday as he was out of town, CBI officers served a second notice at his office asking him to appear on Friday.

A Gujarat government spokesman said the administration would cooperate with the probe. "Whatever is the process of law, one will follow it," said spokesman and minister Jaynarayan Vyas.

Shah said in a statement said he was "not in headquarters due to personal reasons" and hence could not receive the summons. Terming this as a political encounter, Shah said, "Had CBI given me enough time, I would have appeared before the officials. Such an attitude smells of suspicion. This has allowed people to spread rumours that I do not want to appear before the CBI and that I am on the run."

As the summons were being served, the top brass of Gujarat police and the government had gathered for the inauguration of Raksha Shakti University by Modi. Shah, despite being the home minister, was not among the invitees.

The summons cast a shadow over the function hosted by retired IPS officer O P Mathur, director general of the university, who has also been questioned by the CBI in this case. The hosts looked in disbelief as the entire media entourage, which had gathered for the inauguration by Modi, scampered towards the CBI headquarters in hearing about the prize catch.

Shah may be engaging lawyer:  Amit Shah is likely to appear before the CBI around 1pm on Friday, as desired by the investigating agency. He is likely to be arrested at the end of the questioning and there are reports that he may be accompanied by a lawyer. The name of Ram Jethmalani's son Mahesh Jethmalani has been suggested by Arun Jaitley.
Sources suggest that the time sought by Shah was to enable some top lawyer flown in from New Delhi to Ahmedabad. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/6203020.cms?prtpage=1

2. Ishrat Jahan encounter: Gujarat HC reserves verdict
Ahmedabad : The Gujarat High Court has reserved its verdict till August 12 on a series of petitions in the 2004 Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case.
The Division Bench comprising Justices Jayant Patel and Abhilasha Kumari reserved its verdict after concluding the final hearing in the matter.
The court has to decide on five petitions in all. Two have been moved by Shamima Kausar and Gopinath Pillai, mother and father of Ishrat Jahan and Pranesh Pillai alias Javed Sheikh respectively. http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/650612/

3. Bengal Speaker seizes DGP’s cell as he tries to take Assembly pics
Kolkata : West Bengal Assembly Speaker Hasim Abdul Halim on Thursday seized the cell phone of Director General of Police Bhupinder Singh for allegedly taking pictures of the Assembly when it was in session. It is illegal to take pictures of the House while it is in session.The Speaker asked government Chief Whip Syed Mohammad Masih to submit a report to him on Friday morning.

The DGP was also told to be present in the Assembly.The DGP, along with Chief Secretary Ardhendu Sen, Home Secretary Samar Ghosh, Kolkata Police Commissioner Gautam Mohan Chakrabarti and other senior state officials, was present in the officers’ gallery in the House when the police budget was being presented.

The DGP was seen fiddling with his mobile phone when all the Congress members trooped into the well after one CPM member allegedly made some derogatory remarks during the speech of independent member Manoj Chakraborty in the budget debate.

Congress member D P Roy sprang up and alleged the DGP was taking pictures. Later, CLP leader Manas Bhunia accused the DGP of committing a heinous act by taking pictures. “The DGP has lowered the image of the House since taking the pictures is illegal. He has defied the chair,” Bhunia added.

On this, the Speaker asked the Government chief whip to seize the cell phone, check the record and submit a report. “Taking pictures of the House is unlawful. The matter will be taken up tomorrow morning before question hour starts,” the Speaker added.

Later, the DGP admitted his mistake when he was summoned by the Chief Minister. The DGP also met the Speaker and sent a note to the government chief whip, saying he was trying to read an SMS and his finger accidentally touched the flash button. http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/650686/

4. BJP targets Krishna for ‘humiliating’ Pillai
New Delhi Launching a scathing attack on External Affairs Minister S M Krishna for “humiliating” Home Secretary G K Pillai, the BJP on Thursday made clear its intention to turn the heat on the government in Parliament on the “disconnect” within it over the approach towards Pakistan. The BJP plans to paint the latest developments as similar to that of the Sharm-el-Sheikh episode.

“After the blunder at Sharm-el-Sheikh and after the insult in Islamabad, we would like to know from the government where does India’s foreign policy stand?” asked BJP chief spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad. He noted that on sensitive issues of national security there was a “palpable disconnect between the Home Ministry and the Ministry of External Affairs.”

“Why the government cannot speak in one voice on issues of national security? The country had seen it earlier on the question of tackling Maoists,” he said. “Whatever the Home Secretary had said was absolutely true. The National Security Advisor echoed his views a few days ago.”

“When Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi compared India’s Home Secretary with Hafeez Sayeed and said that India’s External Affairs Minister also agreed with him that Pillai spoke like Sayeed, the External Affairs Minister kept quiet. And now he has publicly humiliated him,” said the BJP chief spokesperson.

“We want to remind Krishna that the distinction between sobriety and submission is very thin. I regret to say that he has transgressed that line. As far as the issue of national security is concerned, India’s image has suffered a serious dent because of his comments,” Prasad said. http://www.expressindia.com/story_print.php?storyId=650614

5. MEA vs MHA: Personality clash to blame: report in The Times of India, Juy 23
NEW DELHI: The internecine warfare that appears to have broken out in the government in the wake of the failed foreign ministers' talks in Pakistan has a strange quality about it. It was Pakistan that ambushed a meeting where the outcomes had already been decided. But somehow, the focus is off Pakistan and there is an unseemly battle raging between the foreign and home ministries trying to fix blame for the Islamabad fiasco.

How does one explain the seeming gulf between two powerful arms in the government? Well, there are different ways of looking at it.

It is an acknowledged fact that in modern government systems, which have to deal with complex and broad-brush issues like terrorism, immigration and homeland security, different departments often have opposing views and divergent priorities. And frequently this involves departments and ministries bumping into each other. For instance, in the post-Headley era, MHA's view was that people of Pakistani origin had to go through extra stringent checks. For them, shutting doors was the best option. The MEA pushed back, because they took a broader view and insisted that after a specified time period, the MEA reclaimed its discretionary powers. This was fine, because all of this happened in the thrust and parry of governance, or checks and balances, if you will. But when if carries over to the MEA saying they were denied access to Headley's interrogation reports, and MHA asserting that this was not so, the issue becomes a little more serious.

This "democracy of ideas" acquires a sharper edge once one brings personalities into the equation. After the 26/11 attacks, there was a major power shift within the government. Earlier, Shivraj Patil's ineffectualness was amply offset by the power centre that Pranab Mukherjee, then in the foreign ministry, represented.

But P Chidambaram, the new home minister, took on a bigger role, including counter-terrorism, intelligence, homeland security and, inevitably, Pakistan in his brief. That necessarily intruded on the MEA's Pakistan turf, as well as the national security adviser's empire. The MHA appeared to be driving the counter-terror agenda, while MEA was supposed to do Pakistan, a relationship dominated by the terrorism issue. The NSA, who should have been in complete charge of foreign and security policy like his predecessor, the legendary M K Narayanan, was also given a truncated brief. That has complicated matters significantly.

But who should decide how the pie would be divided? And there is the real beef in this saga -- a genuine lack of coordination at the apex of government. With the top leadership becoming less assertive, there is a strange spectre of key ministers and ministries going solo. One only has to look at Mamata Banerjee and the railway ministry to realize that. This isn't a problem with the MEA-MHA alone, in issue after issue, it cuts across government.

On a sensitive issue like Pakistan, which cuts deeply into domestic politics, India needs a clearer strategy, and needs somebody in charge. The only thing this "North Block-South Block divide" has exposed is that this particular position still has to be filled. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/6202789.cms?prtpage=1

6. Cong demands dismissal of Nitish government
PATNA: Congress legislators in Bihar on Friday met Governor Devanand Konwar and handed over a memorandum demanding the immediate dismissal of the Nitish Kumar government over alleged irregularities of Rs 11,412 crore in the state.
A day after Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Left parties legislators submitted a memorandum to the governor in this regard, Congress legislators led by state party president Mahboob Ali Qaiser also did the same.
The Congress legislators also demanded the removal of state assembly Speaker Uday Narain Choudhary for his "partisan" role and decision to suspend 67 opposition legislators for unruly behaviour and taking no action against ruling legislators.
Qaiser said that the governor assured them that he would look into the matter.
Qaiser said the Congress had distanced itself from other opposition parties to oppose the matter in its own way.
The 67 opposition legislators were suspended for unruly behaviour in the assembly, which witnessed violent clashes between the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and opposition members on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Unruly scenes were witnessed in the assembly Wednesday as a slipper was flung at the speaker in the house and flower pots were broken in the premises by opposition legislators.
The delegation of the other opposition parties led by the RJD marched to the Raj Bhavan Thursday evening and presented a memorandum to the governor, demanding the dismissal of the Nitish Kumar government.
The Left parties, including the Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India-Marxist and Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), have decided to stage a daylong sit-in July 23 over the scam.
Nitish Kumar and deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi are among the 47 people named in the court complaint alleging irregularities of Rs 11,412 crore during 2002-08 in Bihar.
Petitioner Arvind Kumar pointed at financial irregularities in the use of development funds.
The Patna High Court has asked the Central Bureau of Investigation to probe the complaint, a move the government has appealed against. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/6204327.cms?prtpage=1

7. Sibal unveils take on Negroponte's $100 laptop at $35
NEW DELHI: More than five years after it was conceived by then education secretary Sudeep Banerjee to take on Nicholas Negroponte's $100 laptop and one-and-half years after his demise, HRD minister Kapil Sibal on Thursday unveiled access-cum-computing device priced at Rs 1500 or $35 for students but can be eventually owned by public at large.
The sleek-looking device -- a cross between I-Pad and tablet PC and charged by an equally sleeker solar panel -- is designed by experts at IIT, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Madras and Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. The upper price limit for the device is pegged at $35.
The $35 price, he said, is inclusive of cost of manufacturing abroad. However, the cost of the solar panel has not been factored into the price yet. The ministry is in talks with a company to bring down the cost of solar panels.
Based on Open Source, the device does not have a hard-drive. It can not only support video-web conferencing facility, but also boasts of several other latest features -- multimedia content viewer (pdf, docx, ods, adp, xls, jpeg, gif,png, bmp, odt, zip, AVCHD, AVI, AC3), searchable Pdf reader, unzip tool for unzipping files, computing capabilities such as Open Office, SciLab for printing support, media player capable of playing streamed along with stored media files, USB port etc. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/6202207.cms?prtpage=1