Even as the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Municipal Palike (BBMP), or the Greater Bengaluru City Corporation, poll results are coming out, the PM has another engagement with the city - on August 26, he will review digital policing in Bengaluru's famous Cubbon Park.
The project - the only one of its kind - is interesting: The PM has chosen three police stations which have adopted the smart policing and digital India initiative to do digital policing.
The other two police stations are in Assam and Uttar Pradesh. The idea is: Can policing be made more responsive and efficient by using e-techniques. Those who register a complaint at the Cubbon Park police station for instance, can access their complaint from anywhere in India, can track the progress of the investigation and can see the FIR on the net.
The PM will hold a meeting via videoconferencing to understand what has worked in the Cubbon Park model and where it can be replicated.
Some light on OROP
This week should see a breakthrough on the OROP issue. The Prime Minister's Office has escalated efforts to win over the fasting ex-servicemen and mediations through multiple channels are on. If the demonstration does not end on Monday, Pakistan NSA Sartaj Aziz will be able to return to Islamabad and report that the Indian defence services much worse off than their counterparts in Pakistan!
SP riled over Lok Ayukta
The Samajwadi Party (SP) is on a collision course with the Governor. The latest in this saga is the appointment of the Lokayukta in the state. Governor Ram Naik has returned the file with the state government's choice of Lok Ayukta for the third time, after the leader of opposition, Swami Prasad Maurya wrote to Ram Naik alleging that due process had not been followed in the state government's selection of Justice Ravindra Singh Yadav as the nominee for Lok Ayukta. Maurya said that he had no meeting with the chief minister and the chief justice of the High Court which is the procedure for the appointment. He also said that he had no knowledge of any conversations between the CM and the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court.
The last time the Governor returned the file was on July 23. Once earlier too, the file was returned on the grounds that the due process had not been followed. Clearly, the state government believes the due process is what it lays down and not what the Supreme Court has prescribed. So this week, we will hear from them what their side of the story is.
The chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, Chandrababu Naidu has had to reschedule his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and will likely meet him this week, causing him some political embarrassment.
According to Parakala Prabhakar, Advisor (Communications) to the Andhra Pradesh Government, the Prime Minister's Office suggested the AP CM choose dates from August 25 to August 31 to meet Modi.
Naidu had sought an appointment with the PM between August 16 and August 20. But this was put off following scheduling problems. So the CM packed his bags expecting to leave for Delhi last week, only to be told his appointment has been rescheduled.
Naidu is under pressure because although the TDP is part of the government, many of the promises made during the bifurcation of AP and Telangana have not been met. The main opposition YSR Congress, the Congress and the left parties have attacked the centre for not delivering on the special status and other promises, even after one year of being in power. Recently, YSR Congress President Y S Jaganmohan Reddy held a one-day protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi in support of these demands made to Andhra Pradesh.
Eyes on Swabhiman Rally
With election fever peaking in Bihar, all eyes are on the 'Swabhimaan Rally' to be held at Patna's Gandhi Maidan on August 30 organised by the 'Grand Alliance' of JD(U), RJD and Congress. The rally is critical, for it will not only see foes-turned-allies CM Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad sharing the stage (there is talk of Congress President Sonia Gandhi or even Rahul Gandhi attending the rally) the rally will also signal a frontal attack on PM Narendra Modi who, according to his opponents, has assaulted the Bihari pride. Modi had some time ago, at a rally alleged Nitish Kumar's 'DNA' being that of deceit and treachery. An infuriated Kumar had demanded an apology stating that Modi had insulted Biharis. The August 30 rally is meant to be a fitting reply, to "tell the Bihar electorate that BJP has no respect for Bihari Asmita (pride)". Modi's reference to Bihar as a BIMARU state has also riled his opponents.
