Shotgun Sinha takes on Modi over Rahul Gandhi

Shotgun takes on Modi over Rahul Gandhi

PATNA: If BJP MP from Patna Saheb set tongues wagging with his unbridled praise of Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, on Tuesday he went a step further and took on Gujarat CM Narendra Modi for describing the Gandhi scion as an "aquarium fish'' saying he disagreed with the Hindutva hardliner.

Different people may have different views. I do not agree with (Modi's) view,'' Sinha said, adding, even L K Advani was impressed with Rahul after meeting him. "Rahul Gandhi is bright, composed and calm. The way he is working at the grassroots, I see a very bright future for him. He can be a role model,'' said Shotgun, as the cine star is called by his fans.

He then went on to praise one of Sangh parivar's all-time bugbears, India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, saying nobody could deny Nehru's contribution to the country. He then let it be known that he was speaking in his personal capacity.

Sinha had fewers flattering words for BJP which, he said, faces "a leadership crisis''. But it should not affect Maharashtra polls, he said, and added day-to-day needs and not internal matters of a political party matter for voters these days.

Sinha also said he felt sad for expelled BJP leader Jaswant Singh. "He was one of our tallest leaders, a founder member of the party. There must be a valid reason for the decision to expel him without giving him an opportunity to defend himself,'' Sinha said.

Sinha, who served as Union minister for shipping in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, said he has `kad' (stature) but no `pad' (post) in the party. He agreed with Arun Shourie that RSS should take over the BJP to guide it. Having met RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in Nagpur recently, he said, "I think the turbulence in BJP is temporary. An `amrit manthan' is on.''

Years ago, Sinha had similarly embarrassed the state BJP leadership when he invited Lalu Prasad and his wife Rabri Devi, the then CM, to a play in a local hall and praised them to the skies. This at a time when BJP leaders were fighting court cases, alleging Lalu's involvement in the multi-crore fodder scam. 

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Kalavati out of polls her party cites pressure

Kalavati out of polls, her party cites 'pressure'

2009-09-29 15:20:27 Last Updated: 2009-09-29 15:21:02

Nagpur: Farm widow Kalavati Bandurkar on Tuesday withdrew her candidature from the Maharashtra assembly polls - a decision her party said she was "forced" to take by "vested interests" after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi propelled her to fame. The move came five days Kalavati travelled in an ambulance to file her nomination papers. Terming her decision as `regretful`, the sponsors of her candidature, Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS), however, said the struggle of starving farmers would not end with this. `We have decided to field Bebitai Bais, another farmer widow, from Wani assembly constituency,` said VJAS president Kishore Tiwari. He said Kalavati had been under tremendous pressure from the Congress and Sulabh International chief Bindeshwar Pathak for her decision to contest as a VJAS-Third Front candidate. Terming the withdrawal of her candidature as "forced", Tiwari said she had become the icon of the debt-ridden farmers of the country, especially Vidarbha in eastern Maharashtra, which has seen over 7,000 suicides in the past few years. `Unfortunately, she could not bear the pressures of her celebrity status after her encounter with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and many other vested interests got into the act, compelling her to withdraw,` Tiwari said. Tuesday is the last date for withdrawal of nominations for the Oct 13 Maharashtra assembly poll, so VJAS and the Republican Left Democratic Front will now support Bebitai Bais for the elections, Tiwari said. `We have decided that this time, a Vidarbha farmer's widow must be elected to the assembly. It will be our way of paying tribute to the memory of over 7,000 debt-ridden farmers who committed suicide in the region. In September alone, 10 farmers killed themselves in Yavatmal district where over 1,600 people have died so far,` Tiwari said. He reiterated that the VJAS would make a serious attempt to "empower" the widows and orphans of Vidarbha and a widow elected from here shall be their face in the assembly. `Even if it means that I have to sell off all my property and belongings," Tiwari said. The Vidarbha region includes Yavatmal, Nagpur, Akola, Gondia, Gadchiroli, Wardha, Amravati, Buldana, Washim, Bhandara and Chandrapur districts. The Wani seat shall also be contested by the Congress and Shiv Sena candidates. News Sify  SEARCH

Rahul Gandh Priyanka Chopra Hrithik bag youth icon awards

Rahul, Priyanka Chopra, Hrithik bag youth icon awards

Gurgaon, Sep 26 (IANS) Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi was named Icon of the Year, while actors Priyanka Chopra and Hrithik Roshan bagged the youth icon awards in the entertainment field at a glittering award ceremony here.

Priyanka beat Katrina Kaif to the top spot and Hrithik left behind actor-director Farhan Akhtar at the inaugural edition of the India Youth Icon Awards organised jointly by Wizcraft Entertainment and electronics major Videocon at the Leela Kempinski Hotel here Friday night.

Rahul Gandhi, however, was not present to receive his award. Priyanka, who walked the red carpet, said being a youth icon meant a lot.

"Youth icon is a huge word. Today's generation, my generation is a very impatient one. It wants everything fast and mediocrity doesn't work for this generation. They are quick to dismiss something that doesn't work for them. So to be a youth icon for this generation, which has very high standards, feels great," Priyanka told IANS before the awards were announced.

The awards are aimed to recognise and reward individual excellence and exemplary achievement in the genres of business, sports, entertainment, media, social welfare and justice and technology.

In other categories, the winners included shooter Abhinav Bindra (sports), author Chetan Bhagat (the arts) and actor Rahul Bose (social justice and welfare).

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was graced with the Global Face of the Year award, while Deepika Padukone was named the Fashion Icon of the Year.

Rahul Gandhi surprise visit irks UP govt

Rahul Gandhi's surprise visit irks UP govt

2009-09-25 12:10:00 Last Updated: 2009-09-25 12:14:40

Lucknow: Officials in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday expressed their displeasure over the surprise visit of Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi to the state. Rahul Gandhi visited Bahraich district and met the villagers. He was also seen freely mingling with the crowd. State's top officials said they were not informed about Gandhi's itinerary. "He is SPG (Special Protection Guard) protected and no official tour programme about his visit to the state was given to the state government. The security of the SPG protected is vital for the government and keeping in mind the security lapses, the state government will take up the matter with the central government," said Mahesh Gupta, state home secretary. Congress Party said that the issue has been blown up beyond proportions. "No political party or leader is expected to inform another political leader about their movements. This can only mean that the issue being raised arises out of the political insecurity of that leader," said Jayanti Natarajan, party spokesperson. Rahul Gandhi's visit kept everyone guessing about what he was up to during his surprise visit. According to sources, the secrecy behind his visit was being seen as a move initiated by the SPG in the wake of the recent attack on the Shatabdi Express train in Haryana in which Rahul Gandhi was travelling. News Sify  SEARCH

Rahul Gandhi at it again A night out an open air bath

Rahul Gandhi at it again A night out an open air bath

Manjari Mishra & Bipin Chand Agarwal, TNN 25 September 2009, 04:37am IST

SHRAVASTI/LUCKNOW: One of the most visible faces in India — of a dimpled Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi — nearly went unrecognized in a Dalit hamlet in Shravasti, UP, late on Wednesday evening. Rahul had arrived around 8.30pm, during his ''secret'' visit to the remote district.

''Do you know who's he?'' asked someone from Rahul's entourage of the villagers. From a group of about a score of adults, none had an idea. ''We hadn't seen or heard of him,'' said Patiram, a landless farm-hand from Majra Tilhar, sheepishly. It was Nankoo, a nine-year-old kid, who ventured: ''I saw him on TV in Punjab when I went there with my father who worked there. Yeh Rahul Gandhi hain.'' The Gandhi scion smiled and said he indeed was.

Early Thursday morning, as the fair figure in a white towel stood near a handpump with a 'vardiwalla' operating it, more people learned that Indira Gandhi's grandson, who had spent the night in the house of gram pradhan Chhedi Pasi, was bathing.

The mystery appearance of Rahul in Tilhar led to much commotion in a cluster of 15-20 houses. A day before, two men had driven down the 'basti' claiming to be working for 'Bharat sarkar'.

''They took down our names, discussed our problems and left, saying they would be back with their 'bade sahib','' said Patiram.

On Wednesday, the two reappeared at 4pm. The 'sahib' was on his way and the villagers were asked to assemble to air their grievances. They rolled out mats and sat chatting with the crowd.

After Nanku had identified the visitor, the villagers had a one-and-a-half hour talk session. ''We told him about scarcity of water,'' said Nanbachcha, another villager. Rahul probed issues like education facilities for children, condition of their fields and cattle. He also asked the kids to recite math tables before retiring for the night in Chhedi's hut. ''For dinner, we served him khichdi,'' said Jalvarsha, Chhedi's mother. After his bath on Thursday morning, Rahul had a cup of tea and biscuit and left.

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