Travelling into the rural interiors and discovering newer landscaped is one of my passions. And I aim to follow this quite dedicatedly. The endless empty roads, the serene picturesque forests which envelop the sense are a thrill to behold.

Following are a few pictures of my escapes

ABHINAV BHARAT CLAIMS TO BE IB INFORMER, WANTS TO CONTEST ELECTIONS

by Mamta Sen

URL: http://www.covertmagazine.com/special-report3.html

MUMBAI: The year 2014 could well mark a new beginning for Abhinav Bharat, the right-wing Hindu group, which, its functionaries claim, has been helping the Intelligence Bureau with information on “infiltrators” and “agents”. They also claim that they are shocked that Abhinav Bharat has been branded a terror group by the Government after it was linked with the 11 accused — including Sadhvi Pragya Singh and Lt. Col. Purohit — apprehended in the Malegaon blasts case.

While the accused continue to be tried by the Nasik High Court for the role they played in the blasts, the organisation is silently trying to spread its wings across Maharashtra, as well as in Madhya Pradesh and Delhi. It even plans to contest the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Abhinav Bharat spokesperson Milind Joshirao told Covert that the effort now was to “get the organisation back on its feet” and that the candidates would be selected on the basis of a written test and an intensive training programme. “In our induction programmes strict discipline would be followed,” he added.

A top functionary associated with Abhinav Bharat insisted, “We have never given anyone any training in firearms or any such thing. It was because of us, and especially Purohit, that many ISI agents were arrested. We have no idea why he has been framed.”
Joshirao said that the organisation was in the process of getting from the High Court the trust deed papers that have been confiscated. “We have begun our activities from Pune and will soon be spreading across the country. We already have branches in Madhya Pradesh and Delhi, and we want to invite persons with similar thoughts to join us irrespective of caste and creed,” he said. Age is no bar for an Abhinav Bharat membership, and anyone between nine and ninety will be allowed entry.

Abhay Vartak, spokesperson of Sanathan Sansthan — a Hindutva group which too was recently accused of promoting terrorism in Goa — said that his organisation would witness from a distance Abhinav Bharat’s efforts to restructure itself as a political outfit and would not join hands with it. “We are an educational organisation. Our name has been unnecessarily dragged into the controversy. Our main agenda is the promotion of meditation and religious activities and not political propaganda,” he asserted.

THE BHARATIYA Janata Party is, however, sceptical. “They have to define their goals, and secondly, define their method of work. Unnecessary secrecy never helps to build a social and political organisation. Abhinav Bharat as a concept and as a group was created by freedom fighter Veer Savarkar and was aimed against the British. When these people start talking of Abhinav Bharat they must define their goal precisely,” said BJP leader Madhav Bhandari. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad too was not supportive of the Abhinav Bharat’s political ambitions. VHP’s Maharashtra spokesperson Venkatesh Apdeo said, “It is up to them whether they want to get into politics or not. Who are we to advise them? Their role should be properly explained. The VHP is the foremost organisation for the protection of the Hindu vote. Besides, they are yet to prove that they are not a terrorist group”

SHOPPING AT SAKS

By Mamta Sen
Url: http://www.covertmagazine.com/cover-story2.html

Mumbai: They shop in London and Paris. They wear international designer watches, use only the best perfumes and watches, and dine out every night. They spend lavishly on looking beautiful and spend time in five-star gyms and beauty salons. They are international citizens and travel to exotic islands for holidays and weddings. They love luxury cars, the more expensive the better, and own properties across the globe. They walk only on treadmills, and fly only first class. They are India’s rapidly growing billionaires who work hard and party harder.Chhaya Momaya is one such very successful and rich woman from Mumbai. One hesitates to call her a billionaire as she makes it clear she does not like such tags. But she comes from a rich family from Burma, her father owned a fleet of ships, and is married into a Mumbai-based rich and successful family. Chhaya describes herself as a “life coach, grooming and image consultant”. She works on grooming and etiquette with corporates — she was in Delhi as a guest of FICCI — models, actors, airline crews, beauty pageant contestants and pop stars. And has been doing so for the last 20 years. Her list of clients are many, including names such as Ulysse Nardin watches, Christian Dior, La Prairie skincare, Hummer Parfum, Agent Provocateur Parfum, Hugo Boss, YSL Perfume. The list is long and very “rich”.Chhaya is one of the few exceptionally successful women willing to be interviewed about her lifestyle. She is all over the rich and beautiful scene, with magazines commenting on her designer dresses, and carrying interviews quoting her on etiquette and grooming. Chhaya Momaya talked to Covert. Excerpts from the interview:Q: How do you begin your day, what is the first thing you do?A: The first thing I do when I get up is pray…Q: What is your routine on an average day? A: My daily routine begins with a prayer. I get up before sunrise and do my exercises. I love to devote time to my family and the next few hours are devoted to taking care of their daily needs like breakfast, as I believe food is the most important source of energy. After my family I then move on to check my appointments with my office. Since I deal in a variety of things, from launching high-end luxury products in India to being an image consultant for celebrities, I generally have to be well aware of my schedule. I also handle individual brands and was recently involved in the launch of high-profile stores. Due to the high-profile clients my timings are usually flexible and I can work according to my own rules. At times, I may be working till 2 a.m., whereas at other times I might not have anything to do.Q: Where do you shop? A: New York and Paris are my favourites.Q: Who are your favourite designers? A: I like shopping at Madison Avenue and Saks. In fact, I generally prefer staying close to Madison Avenue in New York. In Paris, there is this French Village with genuine Parisian trends. I generally prefer my evening gowns from Dolce Gabbana. I also love Moschino, Armani. In Indian wear I wear only Rohit Bal. There is no benchmark as to whether I purchase my designer stuff based only on exorbitant prices or otherwise. I only go by the need of the hour.Q: Do you like entertaining, attending parties? How often? A: I do not prefer attending parties except of a select few, but I love entertaining. Personally, I prefer a select group to a big crowd. But of course once a year I throw a party where I invite everyone; but usually, at my lunch and dinner parties, I invite just a select few. Women often need to get away from their busy lives and find some time for themselves.Q: Do you like dining out, what are your favourite haunts?A: I love eating out, especially French, Japanese and Mediterranean cuisine. In Mumbai, I prefer the Taj Hotel since they have the kind of cuisine I am fond of. Generally, whenever I travel, I prefer to book my restaurants in Paris and New York. I believe in trying out different cuisines and follow the rule that any food tastes better when you have had it 17 times.Q: Do you feel education is important? A: Definitely. Education is an important aspect of life. The education I prefer is usually self-taught and that with hands-on experience. Travelling is another different kind of education and I believe everyone needs to invest in travelling since that opens up various different avenues of life [¼]RICH TO RICHER IN MUMBAIIN MUMBAI A cup of tea at a five-star hotel costs Rs 350 plus taxes. A facial package at a salon used by celebrities starts at Rs 40,000 and can exceed Rs 1 lakh.A haircut at Parwane, a favourite with the city’s rich and beautiful, costs Rs 10,000 plus.The health club package at a five-star hotel begins at Rs 50,000 plus taxes. But a top of the class private gym, which has a long waiting list, costs Rs 1.25 lakh per year and offers facilities around the globe.A Hugo Boss fragrance begins from Rs 3,000. Limited editions come for Rs 5,000 plus. A Tom Ford limited edition is Rs 25,000. A Canali Black Diamond fragrance, a growing favourite, costs Rs 5 lakhs.Branded skincare products that the billionaires use begin at Rs 30,000 for a small bottle; a La Prairie bottle costs Rs 60,000. An Indian designer outfit begins from Rs 50,000.A clutch bag by Valentino, or Gucci, or Chanel begins from Rs 1 lakh plus.Coloured diamonds — pink, blue and green — that are becoming very popular cost a minimum of Rs 10 lakhs each.A first class air ticket to Paris costs Rs 5 lakhs.

GHOSTS OF MAHARASHTRA

by Mamta Sen

Delimitation, in which close to 90 of Maharashtra's 288 Assembly seats have disappeared into other constituencies, has given a new shape to the 13 October elections. Of these, 11 seats are thought to be crucial in their potential to determine which alliance will form the next Government and which party will have the upper hand in that alliance. So all the four major parties, the NCP, the Congress, the Shiv Sena and the BJP have fought acrimonious battles against their poll partners to get their candidates contest these "winning" seats. Some of these constituencies have also seen inner-party squabbles, dissidence and desertions, threatening to mar the prospects of the official candidates.

Apart from this are at least four more constituencies that have seen Congress and NCP fighting each other like bitter foes, delaying the announcement of their seat-sharing arrangements and the announcement of their respective lists.
In an election shaken by innumerable imponderables, the bitter tension between allies is likely to be a bigger problem than the conventional enmity between foes.

"MISSING" CONSTITUENCIES THAT HAVE SPELT TROUBLE FOR NCP AND CONGRESS
NEHRUNAGAR: Maharashtra Labour Minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik's traditional seat has merged with Kalina, which is Congress leader Kripashankar Singh's turf. Singh won the fight against Malik and will contest from Kalina.

KURLA: Minister of State for Home and Congress leader Naseem Khan's constituency is now a reserved SC seat. Since Congress grabbed Kalina, in return NCP ensured Kurla West was given to its Ravindra Pawar. This is a good seat for both parties because it has a majority of Muslim and Dalit voters. Naseem Khan has been accommodated elsewhere.

ROHA: Power Minister and NCP leader Sunil Tatkare was displaced from this seat in Raigad after it merged with Srivardhan. The Congress-NCP dispute over Srivardhan stemmed from the fact that it is considered to be a stronghold of Congress leader A.R. Antulay. Tatkare has finally managed to wrest this seat from the Congress.

MALSHIRAS: Former Deputy Chief Minister and NCP leader Vijay Singh Mohite Patil's constituency has vanished courtesy delimitation. Mohite Patil will now contest from Pandharpur, but this became possible only after Sharad Pawar himself pacified sitting MLA Baban Shinde who threatened to contest the elections as an Independent. Shinde was shifted to Madha. That has not stopped NCP workers from openly protesting Mohite Patil's nomination.

TASGAON: Former Deputy Chief Minister and NCP leader R.R. Patil's traditional constituency has disappeared from the electoral map. The NCP has decided that he will contest from neighbouring Kavathe Mahankal, although the Congress was not particularly keen to surrender this seat.

GADHINGLAJ: Speaker and NCP leader Babasaheb Kupekar's seat has vanished and merged with neighbouring Chandgad. The Congress put up a tough fight for this seat, so much so that the NCP thought of shifting Kupekar to Kolhapur. The seat has finally gone to Kupekar.

MAZGAON: This constituency held by the Shiv Sena has now merged with another constituency, Byculla. Both the Congress and the NCP were claiming this seat. Byculla has finally gone to Madhu Chavan of Congress.

UMERKHADI [MUMBAI]: This Muslim-dominated seat has merged with Khetwadi and Nagpada to form the constituency Mumbadevi. Both NCP and Congress leaders view this as a winning seat. The NCP put a lot of pressure on the Congress on behalf of its candidate Bashir Patel, but the seat went to Amin Patel of Congress. Bashir Patel has left the NCP to contest on behalf of the Samajwadi Party, which is a part of the Third Front in Maharashtra.

"MISSING" CONSTITUENCIES THAT HAVE SPELT TROUBLE FOR SENA AND BJP
DADAR: A Shiv Sena stronghold, this constituency has ceased to exist post its merger with Mahim. Sitting Shiv Sena MLA from Dadar, Sada Sarvankar wanted a ticket from Mahim, which he was denied. So his supporters vented their ire by attacking Sena leader Manohar Joshi's house. The Mahim seat has gone to Marathi TV star Aadesh Bandekar. Sarvankar has left the Shiv Sena and joined the Congress in the presence of Narayan Rane. He is now Congress' candidate from Mahim. This has left Congress' Ajit Sawant, who had been promised the seat, fuming. Last heard, Manohar Joshi's son invited Ajit to his home to console him.

KHED: Shiv Sena leader Ramdas Kadam's constituency has merged with Guhagar and Kadam has been given a ticket from Guhagar. This has led to a near spilt within the Sena-BJP ranks as Guhagar has been an RSS-BJP bastion since 1972.

OPERA HOUSE: This seat has disappeared into three constituencies. A chunk of Opera House has gone to Malabar Hill. A fight had started for Malabar Hill between BJP's Shaina N.C. and sitting BJP MLA Mangalprabhat Lodha, which the latter won.

THE CONGRESS and the NCP might have agreed to share seats, but both sides admit that differences continue in even those constituencies that remain unaffected by delimitation. The fight continued till the end, with some candidates eventually contesting as rebels when they were not given the seats of their choice. The Congress claimed Bandra West for its candidate Baba Siddiqui, but not after the NCP gave it a tough fight. The NCP tried its best to search for an acceptable Muslim face for the seat.

Both Anushaktinagar and Mankhurd have sizeable Dalit and Muslim voters and are strong seats for both parties and negotiations for these went on for a long time. Labour Minister Nawab Malik, who was ousted by Congress' Kripashankar Singh from Kalina, has been accommodated in Anushaktinagar. Mankhurd has gone to sitting MLA Sayyad Ahmed of Congress.
The newly created constituency of Dindoshi, over which a fight broke out between the NCP and the Congress, has been won by the Congress. The party has given a ticket to first-timer Rajhans Singh, Leader of the Opposition in the BMC. This has angered NCP corporator Ajit Raorane who has been nurturing the area for the last eight years and who was promised an NCP ticket in these elections. Raorane burnt effigies of Sonia Gandhi and Vilasrao Deshmukh to voice his protest and said he would contest as an Independent.
ALL MINORITY dominated reserved seats are swing seats in Maharashtra. This time round the MNS and Third Front will play a major role, especially in constituencies like Thane and Nashik where the Congress is expected to lose votes to the MNS. The Congress needs to win seats in Pune, Nashik and Thane to further its hope of coming back to power. In Vidarbha, the Mayawati factor is of some concern to both the NCP and Congress.

A major fight has broken out between the Shiv Sena and the BJP over the Guhagar Assembly seat. This was allotted to Shiv Sena's Ramdas Kadam who was left without a seat as his Khed constituency in Konkan was wiped out because of delimitation. Khed was a major loss for Kadam who has held the seat since 1990, winning every successive election. He is also regarded by the Shiv Sena as the only strong candidate capable of taking on former Sainik and rebel Narayan Rane on his home turf in Konkan. Kadam lobbied aggressively for Guhagar and Uddhav Thackeray managed to convince the BJP top brass to part with the seat. The decision, however, has led to a revolt in the BJP-RSS that wanted their three-term MLA Vinay Natu to contest from Guhagar.

Vinay Natu vowed that he would not work for Kadam and has now formed his outfit Shridhar Sena. Speaking to Covert from Guhagar he said that he would contest the elections as an Independent. "The Guhagar constituency has been with the Jan Sangh since 1972, then the Janata Party, followed by the BJP and later the BJP-Sena alliance. It has been a stronghold of the RSS for years and I am appalled that none of the party seniors informed me of this decision. They didn't even suggest that I contest from some other seat," he complained. He pointed out that his supporters had suggested that he start his own organisation and name it after his father. He insisted that the BJP and the RSS would be campaigning for him and not Kadam. As for joining the Congress-NCP alliance, he said that he had no plans for this at the moment. "I do not have any enemies now, only friends. Now that I am no longer with the BJP even the Congress and the NCP have promised me their support and I am sure to win this seat on my own strength," he said.

BJP leaders spoke openly of differences with the Shiv Sena. However, BJP leader Gopinath Munde asserted that the alliance would work as one, irrespective of some differences. "It is election time and we have to concentrate on what is at hand than focus on petty issues," he said. BJP state president Nitin Gadkari agreed. "The alliance will continue as one. We can't do much about the rebels, but this happens in every election," he said.

NCP LEADERS like Vijaysingh Mohite Patil, Ramraje Nimbalkar, Babasaheb Kupekar and R.R. Patil who lost their constituencies in the delimitation, have angered their close colleagues in their hunt for alternative seats. Mohite Patil and Ramraje Nimbalkar saw their respective constituencies reserved for Scheduled Caste [SC] candidates. Mohite Patil scored by putting a close aide as the candidate for the reserved seat, but now faces dissidence in Pandharpur.

The NCP is taking such rebellion seriously as it cost them two prestigious seats in western Maharashtra in the Lok Sabha elections. Former NCP loyalists Raju Shetty and Sadashiv Mandalik were denied tickets, contested as Independents and were elected from Kolhapur and Hatkanangale respectively in western Maharashtra. Shetty started his own party, the Swabhimaani Party and is now a part of the Third Front.

Former Deputy Chief Minister R.R. Patil lost his position after the Mumbai terror attacks, and his traditional constituency Tasgaon because of delimitation. Tasgaon has merged with Kavathe Mahankal. Patil, or Aba, as he is fondly called in party circles, has been representing Tasgaon since 1990. For a while, a race was on for Kavathe Mahankal between NCP's two Patils - Aba and Jayant Patil, the present Home Minister. Jayant Patil's constituency Walwa has been restructured and named Islampur. The NCP was planning to drop him and give the seat to a new face from the Muslim community. Jayant Patil finally managed to get nominated from Islampur and R.R. Patil got Kavathe Mahankal.

NIZAMUDDIN RAYEN, Mumbai Regional Congress Committee spokesperson said that 35 of the 60 constituencies in the Mumbai-Thane-Konkan belt are dominated by North Indians, both Hindus and Muslims. "Delimitation has changed a lot and for the Congress to come back to power it should think of considering allotting a minimum of 12 seats to minority candidates, at least in Mumbai," he said. The Congress has given five seats to Muslim candidates.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray chose the day of Eid in Mumbai to announce his first list of candidates for the Assembly polls. The MNS is contesting 147 seats and claims it will win at least 20. "I am not in competition with the Shiv Sena. This is rubbish," said Raj Thackeray and added that he was not perturbed by the rebels within MNS. "Where will the rebels go? What will they rebel about? I don't give tickets just by listening to my so-called friends. In fact I do not have any friends in the party. They are all my colleagues," he said.

All political parties are faced with rebellion in the ranks. The NCP and Congress leaders were shuttling between Mumbai and New Delhi till very late, as they were not even certain about an acceptable seat-sharing pact. The BJP and the Shiv Sena announced the list of candidates at the beginning of Navaratri and are facing full-blown revolts. The Third Front - a conglomeration of 18 national, state and regional political parties - was reluctant to release its list of candidates for fear of dissent and discord within. However, discord was out in the open even before the list was released and Rajendra Gavai belonging to one of the RPI factions left the Third Front over Ram Vilas Paswan's inclusion in the Front. The Congress has allotted three seats to Gavai's party.

THE NCP and Congress have found it extremely difficult to contest these elections together, with both suspicious of the other's intent. Congress leaders point out that the party decided to go along with the NCP largely because of the emergence of the Third Front. A top party functionary told Covert, "The alliance with the NCP is only to beat the Third Front candidates in rural Maharashtra. Neither party wants to take any chances at this stage."

The Congress leaders in charge of Maharashtra, Vyalar Ravi, Margaret Alva and A.K. Antony are barely able to communicate with the local unit and as leaders in Maharashtra pointed out, "They can barely speak in Hindi or understand us when we speak." Former Congressman Govindrao Adik, who defected to the NCP, pointed out that the Congress leaders in Maharashtra preferred taking their orders from Delhi and were unable to take any decisions on their own. He pointed to the prolonged seat-sharing talks with the NCP, saying that this gave the Opposition a head start in the State. "Unlike Sharad Pawar, who gives his State leaders complete freedom to make decisions, the Congress leaders have to run to Delhi for every single thing. This happened in the past and continues even today. There is not a single Congress leader in Maharashtra who can stand up and take a concrete decision on his own," Adik said.

Adik, presently a Rajya Sabha member, firmly believed that the Congress was striving hard to finish the NCP. "First they spread the news of the merger and then the prolonged meetings on the candidates' list. They should know by now that the NCP is a separate party. We already have a presence in 14 States and have representatives at all levels," he said, brushing aside rumours that the Third Front was the brainchild of Sharad Pawar and is intended to damage Congress prospects in the State. "Pawar himself was a part of the Third Front earlier during the Lok Sabha elections because he wanted to keep the secular forces together and had made this quite clear to the Congress high command," Adik said. He further pointed out that the NCP would have joined the Third Front, but this would have damaged its credibility at this stage.

The NCP has played mind games with the Congress, bargaining shrewdly for seats. For instance, the NCP decided to claim Nehrunagar, which has now merged into Kalina, for its MLA Nawab Malik, even though MRCC president Kripashankar Singh had made it clear that he wanted to contest the elections from there. Singh was so furious that he walked out of the negotiations with the NCP. The latter agreed to surrender the seat, but only for three others in its stead. It is fielding Muslim candidates from these seats.

The NCP has also started attacking the Muslim candidates being fielded by the Congress. This will be part of a larger strategy, but to begin with, the party issued statements in leading Marathi newspapers, openly opposing the Congress decision to field MLA Baba Siddiqui who, the NCP claimed, had mafia links. The statement, its leaders claim, was issued only after sensing the general discontent in the Bandra West Assembly constituency that Siddiqui is contesting.

THE THIRD Front, comprising largely of Dalit and Muslim political parties, is fast taking a concrete shape. Their main issues relate to political empowerment of Dalits and Muslims, as well as their security. The alliance also plans to raise the issue of arrest of Muslim youth by the Anti Terrorism Squad in Maharashtra, lack of justice and other such concerns during the campaign.

The Front has come out in support of the candidature of Kalavati Bandurkar, a widow from Vidarbha who was made famous by Rahul Gandhi in a speech in Parliament. Kalavati is supported by the Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti and is contesting from Wani in Yavatmal in spite of poor health and severe criticism from her family members and villagers who did not want her to contest out of gratitude to Rahul Gandhi.

Jayant Patil, president of Peasants and Workers Party, believes that this is not the first time that the Third Front has managed to make news. "Back in 1995 there was an alliance between the RPI, Janata Dal, PWP and the Communists and around 27 MLAs were elected. Then in 1999 we went in alliance with the NCP to bring them to power. We believe that we shall play a vital role again," he said. Ram Vilas Paswan who has just joined the alliance demanded six seats but has been given four Assembly segments: Buldana, Bhandup [West], Worli and Jalgaon.

RPI leader Ramdas Athavale who is heading the Third Front, said that they would be contesting all 288 seats and that the alliance would play a major role in electing the next Chief Minister of Maharashtra. "We plan to win at least 50 seats and swing 10%-12% of the Congress votes in our favour," he said, pointing out that this was not the first time that the RPI would be shaping the politics of Maharashtra. "In 1967, Labour Union leader Datta Samant and Vasudeorao Deshmukh, a Brahmin, had won their elections on RPI tickets," he said. "It is a myth that all Brahmins have gone to Mayawati," he added.

MLC Kapil Patil, who is the president of Lok Bharti, a Third Front ally, was of the view that the third alternative would be a formidable force in the State elections. "We have built a space to prove to the voters that a third alternative is there and is permanent in its objective," he said. His party will contest ten seats in western Maharashtra and three in Mumbai. The party has nominated cricketer Vinod Kambli, a Dalit, from Vikhroli to prove that it is serious. Patil said that the Front would cause major upsets by defeating the main parties in Thane, Ulhasnagar, Vasai, Ratnagiri, the tribal belt of Vidarbha, Nagpur, Nashik, Malegaon, Dhule, Mira Bhayander and Bhiwandi.

Meanwhile, Prakash Ambedkar's Bharip Bahujan Mahasangh has floated a Fourth Front and announced 126 candidates. The Front has around 12 political groups including the UDLF of Assam.
Kishore Tiwari of the Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti though was certain that the Congress would return to power. He said that the hostile Opposition would ensure this. "BJP's Gopinath Munde raises his voice only during elections. The Congress has a mass base of Dalits and Muslims who will support the party," he said.
Mohan Prakash, AICC observer for Maharashtra, agreed: "The Third Front is of no importance. They will eventually join the Congress. These are all pressure tactics" [¼]

HOME IS WHERE THE HEARTLESS ARE...

SPECIAL REPORT Mamta Sen

In the tales of Rubina Ali and Azharuddin Ismail, Slumdog Millionaire’s child stars who turned “refugees” at the blink of an eye, lies hidden the story of Mumbai’s Muslim community. It is the story of their plight when it comes to housing and Government promises.In March this year, after the film won several Oscars, Mumbai Regional Congress Committee president Kripashankar Singh announced that Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority Mumbai would allot Rubina and Azharuddin two Low Income Group flats at Malad. Singh announced that Chief Minister Ashok Chavan had already approved of the proposal. He was contradicted by Chavan himself, who stated that the approval was on hold. Singh then inducted the two children into the Congress’ election campaign. That they were not paid a penny for their services is, of course, another story. Meanwhile, the Maharashtra Government’s demolition squad razed their illegal shanties to the ground, rendering them homeless.It was only after the national and international media took note, and director Danny Boyle flew down to Mumbai and “gifted” the children a flat each through the trust Jai Ho — formed to take care of the children’s interests — that the Mumbai Congress got into action. Chavan finally gave his approval, and Singh prepared the allotment letters and got them delivered with a cheque of Rs 4 lakhs [from the MRCC fund] each.Nirja Mattoo, a trustee with Jai Ho, says that it was because of the keen interest taken by Boyle that the children are finally getting their own homes. “We did not want to politicise the issue, which was why we kept the matter low key,” she says, adding that the flats they are planning to acquire are 250 square feet each, while the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority [MHADA] has allotted the children 180 sq ft each.Nizamuddin Rayen, spokesperson for Mumbai Regional Congress Committee [MRCC], who along with Kripashankar Singh claims to have pushed the case, says that the process got delayed because of the election code of conduct. “Allotting flats is the State Government’s area of work. At the most, the MRCC can push a case. But we were the first to ask for houses for the children. And though the flats have been allotted from the CM’s quota, the MRCC has agreed to bear the furnishing expenses,” he boasts. MANY OF MUMBAI’S MUSLIMS, meanwhile, are feeling that their community is being taken for granted by the Maharashtra Government. They are finding it difficult to justify the razing of the children’s plastic huts, without giving them any form of accommodation beforehand, especially when specific promises had been made to them. Farid Shaikh of Mumbai Aman Committee says that Rubina and Azharuddin have been exploited by the Congress, just like all other Mumbai Muslims over the last many years. He believes that Priya Dutt, the local MP in whose constituency Rubina’s slum was located, should have had the courtesy to consider her case on humanitarian grounds. “It was Priya Dutt’s job to see that a house was allotted to Rubina as soon as she won the elections,” he says. According to Shaikh, nearly 50-60% of the city’s Muslims live in slums. Political parties use them for political gains and then do nothing for them. “Subsidised housing for Mumbai’s Muslims, like other facilities, is only on paper. The reality is different. With Rubina this issue has come to the forefront,” he asserts.As for Priya Dutt, the newly re-elected MP from North-Central Mumbai, she ensured that her husband Owen Roncon did the talking on her behalf. Roncon was quite annoyed when asked why his wife did nothing to give a flat to Rubina. “Let me tell you that MP funds are not for buying flats. The funds are meant for the betterment of the area. Rs 2 crores are given to spend on the development of 16 lakh people from the constituency; and not on someone like Rubina who has had her fair share of glory,” he said, accusing the media of blowing the issue out of proportion. “Just because the Congress paid a huge sum of money to buy the copyright of the song Jai Ho, doesn’t necessarily imply that Priya should give a flat to her,” he retorted.Amin Patel, chairman of the Maulana Azad Minority Financial Development Corporation [MAMFDC], a Maharashtra Government body for the uplift of minorities, points out that though he would have helped Rubina in his personal capacity, he did not have the power to do so. “We cannot give subsidised housing, but only loans for self-employment and education. Vilasrao Deshmukh, when he was Chief Minister, had proposed a 5% reservation for minorities in MHADA. I am talking to the State housing secretary, Sitaram Kunte, to see that this reservation is implemented,” he says. Patel, who is from the minuscule Aga Khani community, however, does not agree that it is only the Sunni Muslim community [to which Rubina belongs] that faces problems related to housing and finance, and not the Aga Khanis. The Aga Khanis already have various housing societies constituted for them, where the Sunnis are allegedly denied residence. With important organisations like the MAMFDC and MHADA controlled by the Aga Khanis, Mumbai’s Sunnis feel that they are getting a raw deal.Patel says that the MAMFDC cannot make an exception for Rubina — or Azharuddin — just because she is a star. “Several other children face similar problems,” he says. A top Indian Youth Congress functionary, on condition of anonymity, points out, “Here is this girl from the minority community, who has managed to get noticed internationally, but the State Government ignored her deliberately. The Congress could have used her example to promote further development.” ABDUL JAFFAR ANSARI, president of All India Ulema Foundation told Covert that the children’s plight was partly discussed in a two-day conference held in Uttar Pradesh’s Azamgarh in May. Around 700 clerics attended the meeting. The BJP is quick to assert that the Congress had used the children to woo the Muslim voters. Madhav Bhandari, spokesperson of Maharashtra BJP, says, “Post the elections the Congress Government ignored both the children. It was a classic case of ‘use and throw’; this is how India’s oldest ‘secular’ party treats Muslims”

SPECIAL REPORT | Mamta Sen

MNS SPOILED THE POLLS FOR SENA

URL: http://www.covertmagazine.com/mamta-sen.htm

MUMBAI: “We have created new voters in these elections,” claims the Maharashtra Navanirman Sena. The Maharashtra State unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party is restless. “The Shiv Sena is deliberately playing down the fact that the split within has helped the Congress-NCP combine in the State,” senior BJP leaders point out. The MNS made a huge dent in the Sena vote bank, and almost all of the MNS’ 11 candidates got over one lakh votes each.

However, the Shiv Sena insists, for the record, that it faces no threat from the MNS, and there is no danger that the latter would eat into the Sena’s traditional Marathi stronghold. Sena spokesperson Neelam Gore says that according to an internal assessment, the MNS had done well wherever there was a consolidation of Congress votes. “If the split had been the reason, then we would not have won the Kalyan seat. Why didn’t the MNS make a mark in constituencies like Shirur, Buldana or Hingoli where the Nationalist Congress Party got defeated and the Shiv Sena won?” she asked, brushing aside questions about sharper divisions between the Sena and the MNS in the near future. “Balasaheb was forced to issue a statement in his journal Saamna against any such reunion taking place. There is no question of a truce or a merger. The media has been giving nonsensical space to this so-called merger, which I believe is all humbug,” she adds.

AKHIL CHITRE, executive member of the MNS Vidyarthi Sena — youth wing of the MNS — is of the view that the MNS has not cut into the traditional Sena vote bank. He says, “We have created our own vote bank, which is the new breed of young voters. They are educated and young — between the age groups of 18 and 35 years.” The key constituencies where the MNS has performed exceptionally well are Nashik, Pune, Thane and all of Mumbai’s six constituencies. Nashik and South Mumbai proved to be two key constituencies for the MNS. The party’s South Mumbai candidate Bala Nandgaonkar put up a tough fight against Milind Deora of the Congress. “Nandgaonkar has drawn in a lot of the first-time voters, especially Muslims from South Mumbai, while Shirish Parkar has succeeded in getting the Muslim, Gujarati and Marwari votes in North Mumbai,” Chitre points out. “We were keen to contest from Ratnagiri and Raigad since we were sure to get elected there, but we couldn’t because of a lack of funds,” he adds. He cannot say if the MNS and the Sena will join hands, but does not think they will. He does not agree that the MNS has contributed to the Congress’ victory by dividing Sena votes and insists, “We have created our own niche on the issue of development and ‘sons of the soil’.”

THE BJP believes that it has retained its vote bank, but the Shiv Sena has not been able to do so. “We have always maintained that the Congress is promoting the MNS to cut into our votes. The Congress has been funding them as well. This clearly shows in the results,” says Madhav Bhandari, BJP spokesperson in Maharashtra.Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray points out that the Sena may not have won a single seat in Mumbai in the Lok Sabha elections but the situation will change soon. “The Marathi manoos knows who its torchbearer is. Wait and see,” he says

HIS MASTER'S MUSCLE

By Mamta Sen and Noor-ul-Qamrain

URL: www.covert.co.in/mamta.htm

As the election process unfolds, Covert takes an in-depth look at one of the hidden links in the chain — the political muscleman, the tough guy who is used by every politician to do work that cannot be done by regular campaign workers.

Mumbai: With several gold chains around his neck, 37-year-old Pratik Patel makes his entry at the local teashop just off Vakola bridge in Santacruz, hours after the appointed time. “I had to avoid being caught, sorry,” he says, before asking why we are doing a special feature on political musclemen. “This democracy thing and clean governance is all rubbish,” he laughs, recalling how he witnessed booth capturing even when he was a child in the slums of Vakola.
“I was 14 when I got involved in elections, thanks to a local goon who was in touch with the young boys. We were asked to put stamps on a strip of paper and then fold and put them into a tin box which was later sealed with red wax. There were many such boxes. We usually worked at night, for almost an entire week,” he remembers. With the advent of electronic voting machines a lot has changed, but he says they have managed to duplicate these as well. In the years that followed he was given extortion jobs, which eventually became his main source of income. But he has now graduated to being the “bhai”, the head, and is grooming several newcomers in the profession: “Most of the boys who get into campaigning during elections are uneducated, unemployed and of course poor. We choose boys between the ages of 22-28. Politicians and established goons lure them by promising them money and power.” Even young girls in this age group are finding work in this line. “Girls, mostly from places outside Mumbai, who settle down in these slums and work as door-to-door saleswomen, act as a good cover for our boys,” he says.
Municipal, Assembly and Lok Sabha polls are the most lucrative of all their ventures, which also include activities like land grabbing and extortion. “We sell ourselves to the highest bidder and do not align with any particular party,” he says, adding that of all parties, the Congress pays the best. The rates vary from poll to poll. The charges for Assembly elections are between Rs 5-10 crores per constituency, but for the Lok Sabha, even Rs 100 crores is not enough.
Shiny Singh, 32, who is generally hired by one of the most controversial and high profile politicians from Maharashtra’s Konkan region, says that all politicians have their henchmen who rig the polls. Every booth is a rigged affair. “We bring in over 35% of the votes. Do you think the public actually comes out to vote for these politicians who claim to have won by so and so margin?” he laughs. For every 1,300 votes per booth, 800 are apparently bogus, courtesy the musclemen.
The process begins well before the elections, when boys are hired to examine the slums and get an idea of the actual number of residents living on each address via the electoral list. Many voters’ names continue to be on the list even though they have left their present address or died. This is where the musclemen come into the picture. “We get fake railway passes issued on these names, which are then passed on to our men, who on voting day stand in queue and cast their vote.” He nonchalantly mentions that even as he speaks fake passes are being printed and stored. They will be distributed a day before the election. “Local electoral officers and the police too are taken into confidence,” he adds. The distribution of money is a well-planned affair amongst voters prior to D-Day. Every family gets Rs 500 per day via a choudhury, the local middleman who gets to keep his share of the money. “Bogus voting happens during the first two hours after the polling centre opens and late in the evening, during rush hour. The afternoons are generally ignored,” he mentions.
Shiny says that his boss, a minister in the Maharashtra Cabinet and worth crores himself, hires boys at election time by giving them a “salary” of Rs 10,000 per month. “They have to come and sit at the party office for two hours every morning and evening. For every job performed a 60:40 arrangement exists. He has thousands of young boys on his payroll all over the State. They only turn up for rallies and elections.”
Once their interest is served the same politicians, however, ignore them for the next five years.
Daniel Swamy, 23, from Dharavi, who has been hired by the Congress to hang out at sensitive pockets to see that voters comply with his “orders”, says, “Politicians generally rope in boys as young as 12 to campaign for them. They train these boys to be their chamchas but do not guarantee employment or jobs once they win the elections. I once overheard one politician telling another, ‘Agar hum log in jaise logon ko kaam-dhanda dene lage, to hamara kaam kaun karega?’ That is when I realised what these people are like.”

Srinagar: In Jammu & Kashmir, election musclemen are entirely different from the men who run affairs in States like Bihar and Maharashtra. It is not the criminal gangs that operate for such purposes; but it is a strange mix of counter-insurgents, policemen and small-time politicians who become the musclemen when elections arrive. In Srinagar, in the recent Assembly elections, where voter turnout was low compared to other parts of the Valley, this dangerous breed of politicians-cum-gangsters played a vital role in making certain candidates win. About 1,200 former counter-insurgents, abandoned by the Government and security agencies, were used by the political parties and candidates for this purpose. They live without money, often in subhuman conditions, and are more than willing to work for the political parties. Some of them have even contested Srinagar’s municipal elections and become corporators.
Muzaffar Ahmad alias Babloo, for instance, is “indispensable” in Srinagar. In the recent Assembly polls he played an important role in “mobile voting” in Srinagar city. “I was paid for the job and so were my boys. We were given the task of polling votes at different stations in the Amira Kadal Assembly segment in favour of the candidates who won,” Muzaffar said.
In Kashmir, several henchmen of the separatist groups have joined mainstream politicians. Mansoor Ahmad was Junior Engineer with the State Government. In 1990 he was indicted in a scam in Anantnag district along with a number of officers. After the scam Mansoor joined the ranks of the militants and became an active member of the JKLF. In 2002, he joined Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and was handpicked by him as his personal secretary when he was Chief Minister.
A former Sikh militant, Indumeet Singh, is now closely “associated” with the PDP. He was with the JKLF in the early 1990s and was arrested and put in jail for several years. After his release, he started his own business in Srinagar. In the 2002 Assembly elections he was co-opted by the PDP and was prominent amongst those who stood up to the National Conference in the Valley. When Tariq Hameed Karra won from the Batamaloo Assembly segment and became minister in the Mufti Government, he made Indumeet Singh his PA. Indumeet provided a lot of “supporters” to the PDP in Srinagar city, including some released militants.
Syed Asghar Ali was director of Rural Development when Peerzada Syed of the Congress was Minister of Rural Development during the PDP-Congress coalition Government. Syed Asghar was suspended for being allegedly involved in a huge scam in his department. He joined the PDP and was very visible in the Kishtiwar-Doda Assembly segment organising support against Ghulam Nabi Azad. Ali is known as a prominent “land mafia mover” in Jammu city, where he owns a number of hotels. He used his money power in Kishtiwar and Doda and helped the PDP get “supporters” and “vocal voters”. In recognition of his services, the PDP soon selected him as their MLC in the recent 2009 Legislative Council elections