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USE
IT to Expand functioning of representatives
Once
all the career oppositions ranging from doctors, engineers and all
else fails, the remaining garbage becomes politicians. This was
the thought for the day from former deputy chief minister Gopinath
Munde , who was speaking in relation to the creditability of careers
in various fields, which he opeined was at a low and this situation
prevailed in the political field as well. Munde was speaking at
a function to mark the release of MLC Prakash Jawadekar's biannual
e-report at the Yashwantrao Chavan Natygriha on Sunday. MLA Girish
Bapat, Vishwas Gangurde, Shantarambabu Karmalkar, Former MP Anna
Joshi, BJP Pune City president Anil Shirole were also present on
the occasion.
Jawdekar
pointed out that the purpose of the e-report was that people should
make use of advancement in IT to enhance the responsibilities of
their elected representatives.
Munde reflected that he had not met a single parent who had encouraged
his ward to select politics as a career option Unlike in the west
where, politics is selected as a career options, it is not the same
in India he said. Munde pointed out that once a person entered the
political area, he became a corporator and then from a once-room
residence he moved onto a flat what people feel is that once a persons
enters the political area, the person who uses muscle power emerges
the victor, but while this is true in some cases, this should not
be used as a philosophy for victory.
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Is
this the dawn of the Ram-Lakhan era in BJP politics?
NEW
DELHI: The powers that be in the Sangh Parivar may appear to have
distanced themselves from the temple construction agenda for pragmatic
reasons but they continue to draw inspiration from the Ramayana.
Prime Minister Vajpayee talks of the need to have a `Lakshman Rekha'
against indiscipline in the BJP. And Union home minister L K Advani
promptly draws the line, attacking the spread of the culture of
ambition, factionalism and greed for office in the party.
Maybe
the Ram-Lakhan era in BJP politics has just begun, setting at rest
all speculation about a growing rift between Vajpayee and Advani.
Both leaders speak in tandem, echo the same sentiments and focus
on common tasks. Indeed, the Nagpur session of the BJP national
council has sought to hammer home the point that Advani is meant
to follow Vajpayee's policies and programmes in letter and spirit.
And, on its part, the RSS would ensure that the Union government
remains strong and stable.
The
PM's seven minute speech in which he talked about the Lakshman Rekha
concept was immediately picked up by his home minister. Advani said
that personal ambition and selfishness should not find place in
an organisation which was known for its idealism. He said the BJP
was different from others in the sense that it was more of a family.
Those who criticised the government realising very well that their
views were liable to become public were guilty of hurting this very
distinguishing feature of the party, he cautioned.
The
home minister didn't refer to any particular individual while sounding
the warning bell. Instead, he devoted the larger part of his speech
to talking about the BJP's march from being a small opposition party
to the main opposition party and then to becoming the ``natural
party of good governance''. Advani said his party would ensure that
India called the shots in the 21st century, just like the US did
in the 20th century, and that no other party was in a position to
do that. ``Yes, to see that this materialises, we have formed the
National Democratic Alliance with like-minded parties'', he said,
adding that it was after a lot of hard work that ``we are emerging
as the natural party of governance''.
It
is hard to imagine a stronger defence of Vajpayee and his government.
Indeed, Advani spoke with conviction. And almost all those who listened
to him on the second day of the conclave looked impressed. The dissenting
voices that had earlier come from Sushma Swaraj, Chaman Lal Gupta
and Sahib Singh couldn't leave a lasting impression. Vajpayee may
have a problem in his knees but he has certainly emerged stronger
politically. He now enjoys the full backing of his party. And what's
more important is that his home minister dances to his tune from
within and without.
(The
Times of India, 30th August 2000)
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Vajpayee
cuts short visit, triggers health alarm
NEW
DELHI: A little over three months after Prime Minister Vajpayee
was laid up with a throat infection, uneasy questions were once
again raised about his health on Sunday when he returned abruptly
to Delhi after cutting short his participation in the Bharatiya
Janata Party's national council session in Nagpur.
Aides
said Vajpayee cut short his trip as the pain in his knee joints
- caused by osteoarthritis - had aggravated recently because of
which doctors advised him rest.
According
to health ministry sources, the prime minister's problem is quite
acute and may require knee replacement surgery later. One of Vajpayee's
doctors has already left for the US to talk to experts and schedule
consultations there.
The
prime minister's left knee has apparently been giving him trouble
for quite a while. The cartilage between the two bones had worn
out because of age and the knee, therefore, tends to lock, sources
said. The fact that he is heavily built tends to aggravate this
condition and there is pain in the knee when he stands or sits for
a stretch of time. The humidity in the air further adds to the problem.
According
to Dr P. P. Kotwal, a professor of orthopaedics at the All-India
Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), osteoarthritis is essentially
a degenerative process. ``Sometimes it is crippling and ultimately,
if the patient does not respond to treatment, knee replacement becomes
necessary''.
Doctors
maintained the reason Vajpayee was rushed back from Nagpur was not
so much the pain but his inability to withstand strain in this condition.
There is a fear he may slip if the pain becomes unbearable due to
the strain of attending several functions. This is also the reason
why he was advised to sit while delivering his speech, sources said.
As
of now, doctors have intensified the physiotherapy which he has
been undergoing for quite some time. It is learnt that he has been
under the supervision of AIIMS director Dr P K Dave for treatment
of his condition. Intense physiotherapy with the help of ultrasound
and lasers was already being done twice a day.
On
its part, the Prime Minister's Office issued a carefully-worded
statement explaining that Vajpayee had been experiencing pain in
both his knee joints for the past few days due to exacerbation of
his osteoarthritis and had been advised rest soon after the Parliament
session. However, he chose to attend the BJP's national convention
at Nagpur. ``Since last night, the pain had aggravated, causing
him further discomfort. Therefore, on doctors' insistence, he agreed
to return to Delhi,'' the statement said.
Vajpayee's
media advisor, H K Dua, said there was no cause for concern, adding
that the prime minister was resting at home. ``His condition was
not that serious that he had to be rushed to hospital,'' Dua explained.
Aware
of the speculation that Vajpayee's sudden return would set off,
his aides ensured that he spoke to waiting presspersons at the airport
in the Capital where he laughed off queries about the cancellation
of his coming US visit. The soundbites and his brief appearance
on camera were essentially meant to quell any rumour about his worsening
health.
(The
Times of India, 28th August 2000)
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