* Winter chill
The paralysis of Parliament continued through last week. The Opposition remained adamant on its demand for a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) to probe the 2G spectrum allocation scam. The government remained stubborn in its refusal to consider a JPC.
On Thursday, senior BJP leader LK Advani accused the government of being ?indifferent? to corruption. He insisted that only a JPC could probe all dimensions of the 2G spectrum episode. By all accounts, the Opposition will continue its attack on the government even after the Winter Session is over. The BJP is in touch with non-NDA parties like the TDP, BJD, AIADMK and INLD on a common strategy.
* Jagan?s revolt
Kadapa MP and the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy?s son Jaganmohan Reddy resigned from the party and Parliament, taking to its logical culmination the revolt he had begun sometime ago. The battlelines are now drawn in a state where till YSR?s death the Congress looked pretty well-settled.
On Wednesday, newly anointed Andhra chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy constituted a new council of ministers, dropping three Jagan loyalists, and keeping four berths open. The vacancies are presumably to accommodate MLAs who may threaten to follow Jagan out of the party or for Chiranjeevi?s Praja Rajyam Party should its support be needed by the Congress. The new Andhra Cabinet is Telangana-heavy with 16 ministers from the region. Significantly, the Justice Srikrishna Committee is expected to submit its report on or before December 31.
* Steady Yeddy
In this season of scams, it seems that Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa has managed to brazen out the serious allegations against him of denotifying land to benefit his kith and kin. The BJP high command, remember, refused to take action against its errant chief minister. But on Friday, last week, BSY was accosted by yet more allegations of corruption ? this time against a minister in his council of ministers. State minister for Information Technology Katta Subramanya Naidu has been named as a key accused by the Lokayukta in a Rs 87-crore land scam. He resigned on Friday.
Its failure to take action against Yeddyurappa has hobbled the BJP?s righteous crusade against the UPA on the 2G scam and on an allegedly controversial CVC appointment. BSY?s minister has had to go but the chief minister himself is holding on for now.
* Nagpur fest
The wedding celebrations of Nitin Gadkari?s son were a grand spectacle in Nagpur. Neither Gadkari?s own poignant personal narrative ? the aam aadmi who started his political career by pasting wall posters and rose from the ranks to become BJP president ? nor the myth of the spartan RSS stood in the way of the eye-popping, well-attended festivities. Big fat weddings of sons and daughters of politicians across the political spectrum have become the norm. But some shows are more remarkable than others.
Upcoming Events
* SC on CVC
The Supreme Court of India will hear the public interest litigation challenging the appointment of PJ Thomas as the chief vigilance commissioner on Monday. The Supreme Court has already made some sharp observations on the government?s decision to appoint Thomas as the CVC, despite a pending corruption case against him and in spite of the fact that Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, who was a member of the selection panel headed by prime minister Manmohan Singh, opposed his candidature.
