New Delhi, Feb 20 : "You do not deserve one paisa of public money," an angry Speaker Somnath Chatterjee said as members of several political parties stormed the Well of Lok Sabha raising a spate of issues and disrupted Question Hour.

So annoyed was the Speaker with the behaviour of some members, he said that he believed Parliament should be adjourned sine die.

"I think Parliament should be adjourned sine die ... public money should not be spent on useless allowances for you," he said as some members of the BSP, BJP, TDP, RPI, PMK and MDMK stormed the Well and raised slogans against the government on several issues.

BSP criticised the UPA government for "being anti-Dalit" as it had "ignored" the backward classes in a new draft legislation on universities introduced in the House.

BJP members joined them on the same issue, while members of PMK and MDMK trooped into the Well demanding that the government make efforts to "stop war" in Sri Lanka. TDP members were also seen raising the Satyam issue.

Angered by the members' behaviour, Chatterjee said "you are behaving in the most condemnable manner. I express my greatest annoyance and condemnation."

The Speaker said he hoped that the people of the country will give a "fit verdict" in the coming elections.

'Yeh Budget phans jayega'

"This budget will not pass... The budget will get stuck," Speaker Somnath Chatterjee warned Railway Minister Lalu Prasad today just before the interim Rail Budget was put to vote.

This threat, of course, was in a lighter vein by the Speaker who was wondering whether his request for railway connectivity of his constituency Seuri with Prantik in West Bengal.

"Speaker ko nahi diya, Budget pass nahi hoga. Aapne Advaniji ko diya, Vayalar Raviji ko diya. Yeh Budget phans jaayega (You have heeded to the requests of L K Advani and Vayalar Ravi and not the Speaker. Budget will not get passed. It will get stuck)," Chatterjee said light-heartedly, prompting laughter in the House.

To this, Prasad promptly said he had announced that the survey for new lines between Prantik-Seuri and Anandpur Sahib-Garhshankar was over and further action was being taken for getting necessary approval to start work on the projects.

"Oh, then it is alright," the Speaker said and asked the Minister to move the Budget for passage.

Chatterjee to brief Bangla MPs

Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, an aggressive votary for observance of rules in the House, will visit Bangladesh this weekend to address the newly-elected MPs there on how to conduct business in Parliament.

"I will talk about the importance of parliamentary democracy, proper functioning of Parliament and our experiences" to the members of the new Bangladesh Parliament, Chatterjee said.

On a lighter note, he said "of course, I cannot talk about the credibility of the Speaker because here I cannot control the House."

The Speaker has, on a regular basis, expressed his anguish over the disruption of proceedings and behaviour of members in the House.

Replying to questions, Chatterjee also blamed the media for highlighting the disruptions more than the proceedings. "Yesterday, (External Affairs Minister) Pranab Mukherjee made some important observations in the House. But the disruptions have received front-page coverage."

Arun Nehru

The heroes of the Jammu & Kashmir election have to be the father-son duo of Mr Farooq Abdullah and Mr Omar Abdullah. Several times in these columns I had predicted their victory and surely enough they have delivered. Besides them, there were many winners in this election: The Election Commision for a job well done; the PDP won seats in the Valley as did the BJP in Jammu. But it was Mr Farooq Abdullah who went against the tide of communal populism and spoke of national interest —— a bold and courageous move coming from a Valley politician.

This required a great deal of nerve and the Congress has done the right thing by supporting the National Conference. The PDP has done well in electoral terms but Mufti Mohammed Sayeed is well aware that his political stances that suit the Valley are in conflict with national objectives. Electoral rhetoric and governance are two different things and with General election around the corner this is not the time for experiments.

We all get wiser through experience and hindsight but I think that the people of Jammu & Kashmir have produced something special here. They have created history by turning out in record numbers to exercise their franchise (about 62 per cent to be precise) and for the first time in many years we are close to integrating the people of the State into a single entity. The young Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has a difficult job ahead and I wish him and the new generation of leaders in all the three parties —— Mr Omar Abdullah, Mr Rahul Gandhi and Mehbooba Mufti —— the very best. Hopefully their leadership will wash way the past and make way for a better future.

We also have good news on the Pakistani front with Islamabad and the Pakistani Army adopting a more positive approach to the issue of regional terrorism. Whereas on our eastern border the election result in Bangladesh is definitely welcome with Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League achieving a landslide victory there.

I have revised my 2009 General election prediction chart on the basis of current trends and I think we have to watch developments very closely in Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. In Uttar Pradesh although the anti-incumbency trends are visible against the BSP but I doubt if this will go in favour of the SP. Points on law and order and good governance may well go more to the BJP and the Congress, although much will depend on the strength of these two organisations in the State whether they can actually benefit from the changed situation. The given chart has been marginally adjusted vis-à-vis my previous one, but like I said one needs to closely watch the fight between the BSP and the SP in Uttar Pradesh, where things could still change as the election is still four months away. In Andhra Pradesh Opposition unity is still very shaky and the TDP, the TRS and the Left are yet to consolidate their positions. Chiranjeevi and his Praja Rajyam are still struggling with political direction and may well align with the BJP.

The Karnataka by-elections were a serious setback for the Congress and therefore appropriate changes in favour of the BJP have been made in the chart. The situation in Tamil Nadu is fluid and the DMK is in damage-control mode within the family and also with its allies. On the other hand, Ms J Jayalalithaa and the AIADMK have made major gains in the northern part of the State and along with the support of the Left and the BSP is in a strong position.

The Left will lose some seats but seems to be improving, both in West Bengal and in Kerala, although to a lesser degree in the latter. Its alliances with the AIADMK and the TDP will give it a presence in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh respectively and as things stand the Left may end with a tally of close to 50 seats. At present there is little to choose between the UPA and the NDA, and the Left-AIADMK-TDP combine will be a formidable rival to both. And if the BSP were to join this grouping we could be looking at a bloc of 100 seats plus, and without this number neither the NDA nor the UPA can form a Government at the Centre.

Uttar Prdesh with 80 seats will be crucial and it is good to see the BSP attempting to curb the criminal elements within the party. This ailment is not only confined to the BSP alone and even the SP has a great deal to do in this regard. I don’t think that the anti-incumbency trends against the BSP will be very severe in the short term but the SP may well gain in the long run. But both the BJP and the Congress are set to gain ground in the State. Coalition and regional politics have dominated Uttar Pradesh for close to two decades now but this could all change over anither two elections. In politics nothing lasts forever and electoral verdicts are for governance and not for creating personality cults and personal assets.

Shillong, Dec 20 : Meghalaya minister Donkupar Massar, who has three cases of assault pending against him, was today accused of extortion by petrol pumps owners in the state who demanded his resignation."Massar has asked the owners to pay Rs 50,000 and Rs one lakh monthly, depending on whether they were tribal or non-tribal," Meghalaya Petroleum Dealers and Transporters Association told Chief Minister Donkupar Roy today.

The association alleged the Mining and Geology minister had engaged three to four Naga youths to enforce payment. In a memorandum to Roy, the association demanded that Massar be dropped from the ministry and action against him.

All petrol pump owners would close down their outlets indefinitely from January 1 to register protest, it said.

Massar, an Independent, is already under police investigation in three cases of alleged assault.
He has been accused of assaulting four labourers in Borsora in West Khasi Hills district and also the Pongtung village headman Wallambok Lyngodoh in East Khasi Hills.

Three separate FIRs have been filed against Massar in Ranikor police station in West Khasi Hills and Pynursla in East Khasi Hills district. Massar, however, has secured anticipatory bail from a local court.

This is the third case of alleged criminal conduct by an MLA of the ruling alliance in less than three months.

Education Minister Manas Choudhuri had earlier lodged an FIR alleging Deputy Speaker Sanbor Shullai, in an inebriated condition, had assaulted him and threatened to kill him at a marriage party recently.

Government Chief Whip and NCP MLA Adolf Lu Hitler R Marak is also under police probe in an assault case. Marak's PSO had lodged an FIR alleging that the MLA had assaulted him.