Sonia finally revamps CWC set-up
Sonia Gandhi has completed her much awaited exercise of reconstituting the party heirarchy, protecting her predecessor Sitaram Kesri and his follower Tariq Anwar, sidelining Kesri's rivals Jitendra Prasada and Pranab Mukherjee, and inducting Rajesh Pilot, P A Sangma and S K Shinde into the CWC. The Sonia team is thus in place and this is the core of the Congress which is expected to tackle the arduous task of revitalising the ailing party.
Releasing BJP report a cover-up bid by CM: Jaya
AIADMK supremo J Jayalalitha has flayed Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi for releasing a `so-called white paper' in the State Assembly last week which alleged that the Al-Umma enjoyed AIADMK's support. The so-called white paper was prepared by the BJP top leaders in 1995 after inquiring into the 1993 bomb blast in the RSS office in Chennai.
BJP committee still at sea
Rather than smoothening the functioning of the BJP-led government, the constitution of the coordination committee appears to be compounding the confusion between the BJP and its allies. BJP spokesperson K L Sharma announced yesterday that the TDP and Haryana Lok Dal, both post-poll allies of the government, would be invited to attend the first meeting of the committee on May 9.
BJD for special state status
The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has decided to raise its demand for declaration of Orissa as a special category state before the Centre again in a bid to minimise the adverse impact the issue may have on the party when the by-polls to five Assembly constituencies are round the corner.
Central observer confident of early end to BJP-Mamata rift
Claiming that the BJP-Trinamool alliance in the state was not jeopardised, Kailashpati Mishra, the Central BJP observer, has said that he was optimistic about finalising seat-adjustment with the Trinamool Congress in the Panchayat elections. "Only a genuine willingness on the part of the State BJP and Trinamool Congress could stand the allies in good stead, and it would be done", said Mishra.
Sukh Ram meets BJP chief Thakre
Himachal Pradesh Power Minister Sukh Ram yesterday met BJP president-elect Kushabhau Thakre in an apparent bid to clear "misgivings" arising out of the BJP leader's remarks about him. During his 45-minute meeting with Thakre at the BJP office, he explained that no "prima facie" case has so far been established against him by any court.
