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Rajnath Singh to contest by-poll from Mirzapur MIRZAPUR, Dec 29: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Rajnath Singh, who is not a member of the State Assembly, will contest a by-poll from mirzapur seat ...more A year of turmoil in Parliament NEW DELHI, Dec 29: It was a year of turmoil in Parliament, which began and ended on a stormy note on issues that are dear to the Sangh Parivar. ....more
Pak trying to scuttle ceasefire: Laxman BHUBANESWAR, Dec 29: BJP president Bangaru Laxman today said Pakistan was trying to ‘scuttle’ the ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir by its ....more Yearender Haryana CHANDIGARH, Dec 29: The third year saw Haryana Chief Minister O P Chautala win majority in the February Assembly elections but he also...more |
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Sonia, family holidaying BANGARAM ISLAND, Dec 29: Congress president Sonia Gandhi is on a week-long vacation here, the uninhabited picturesque island of Bangaram in ..more Coalition Govt, communal tension mark Orissa in 2000 BHUBANESWAR, Dec 29: Installation of a coalition Government for the first time in nearly three decades, the shocking death of 13 Royal Bengal tigers in...more
Hrithik controversy triggered by "media fabrication": Nepal NEW DELHI, Dec 29: Nepal today said the current disturbances were triggered by a "media fabrication" of the alleged remarks by actor Hrithik...more Security, pollution remain capital’s top concerns NEW DELHI, Dec 29: For the country’s capital which betrays the appearance of a fortified city, the year 2000 began under the shadows of a....more |
Rajnath Singh to contest by-poll from Mirzapur MIRZAPUR, Dec 29: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Rajnath Singh, who is not a member of the State Assembly, will contest a by-poll from mirzapur seat to be vacated by the sitting MLA Surjeet Singh Dang, a party spokesman said here today. "The Chief Minister has agreed to contest the Mirzapur seat in a by-poll and has given his consent," general secretary of BJP’s legal cell, Dilip Srivastava, said. Singh, who is not a member of either of the state legislative houses, has to seek election by April 2001 -within the stipulated six months of being made the Chief Minister of the state. Meanwhile, Dang has said that he would vacate the seat as soon as he received instructions from party leadership. "I want Singh to contest the Mirzapur seat as he had held it once," Dang added. (PTI) |
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A year of turmoil in Parliament NEW DELHI, Dec 29: It was a year of turmoil in Parliament, which began and ended on a stormy note on issues that are dear to the Sangh Parivar. If it was Ayodhya at the end, it was the Gujarat Government order allowing its staff to join RSS that rocked Parliament resulting in loss of several precious hours and days of business. Though Parliament again failed to take up the controversial Women’s Reservation Bill after opponents succeeded to torpedo it, year 2000 saw passage of certain important measures including the Information Technology Bill and those for creation of three new states. Eight years after the demolition of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, the issue rocked Parliament forcing frequent adjournment of both the Houses for days on end till Government agreed to the opposition demand for a discussion on a censure motion seeking the resignation of the three chargesheeted Union Ministers. It was another matter that the censure motion was defeated but not before the allies had a word of caution to BJP against deviation from the NDA agenda on issues that have been put on the backburner. However, the Government faced an acute embarrassment in the Rajya Sabha, where the ruling alliance is in a minority. The motion was adopted in the Upper House by 121 votes to 86. Several allies, caught between their "secular" image and need to keep NDA intact, voted with the Government in both the houses though it categorically disapproved the Prime Minister’s statements on temple construction in Ayodhya that added to the furore in Parliament. This is the second time in 22 years that an opposition motion was carried in the Upper House. In 1978 the House had passed a motion seeking setting up of a House committee or two separate commissions of enquiry into corruption allegations against the then Prime Minister Morarji Desai and the then Home Minister Charan Singh. In the aftermath of what happened in Parliament this time, Home Minister L K Advani said the censure motion on the Ayodhya issue in Lok Sabha "has given us a sense of stability because our opponents felt that on this issue, the allies would not support us. They also forced a division." The winter session ended on a bitter note with attack and counter-attack by leader of the opposition Sonia Gandhi and the Prime Minister in Lok Sabha. Vajpayee accused Gandhi of breaking parliamentary traditions by raking up contentious issues at the conclusion of the session after the Congress leader blamed Government for the loss of hours in the house over Ayodhya and women’s reservation issues. The Prime Minister said he would suggest convening an all-party meeting before the budget session next year to evolve ways to ensure that the parliamentary proceedings were not disrupted and at least question hour was allowed. (PTI) |
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Pak trying to scuttle ceasefire: Laxman BHUBANESWAR, Dec 29: BJP president Bangaru Laxman today said Pakistan was trying to ‘scuttle’ the ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir by its continuous encouragement to militant outfits like Lashkar-e-Toiba. Pakistan’s hand behind all militant activities was clear, he told reporters. Claiming that Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s declaration of extending the ceasefire had gone a long way in boosting the morale of the people, Laxman said NDA Government’s policy in this regard had resulted in making the Valley’s population dissociate from the militant organisations operating in the state. "The local people have started opposing the militant outfits which are being led by Pakistanis, Afghanis and Sudanese," he said. Stating that the declaration of Pakistan welcoming the ceasefire was aimed at pleasing the international community, Laxman said Islamabad continued to aid militant groups which were operating from its territory. "It’s a double game of Pakistan," he said, adding the military regime of Pakistan was loathe to see the return of peace and tranquality in Kashmir. The BJP president said the success of the unilateral ceasefire and its subsequent extension had made the Pak-sponsored militant outfits desperate. The recent attack at Red Fort was a manifestation of this desperation, he added. Lashkar-e-Toiba’s threat of making the Prime Minister’s office their next target was a further proof of their utter frustration and isolation from the people, he said. Laxman said the security of the country was a matter of concern as the ISI had spread its activities to many states. "About 35,000 people had been killed in ISI-sponsored violent activities in different states," he said adding more efforts from the Government and vigilance from the people were needed to tackle the same. Laxman described as unfortunate and deplorable the current anti-India agitations in Nepal over alleged remarks made by cine star Hrithik Roshan. The entire thing was based on a rumour floated by some forces in which Indian community was made the target, he said. Urging the Nepal Government to take stern action in safeguarding Indians and their properties there, Laxman alleged that Nepal had become a breeding ground of militant activities. That country had also ‘failed’ to control ISI activities despite the Indian Government asking them repeatedly to do so, he said. (PTI) |
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Yearender Haryana CHANDIGARH, Dec 29: The third year saw Haryana Chief Minister O P Chautala win majority in the February Assembly elections but he also seemed sitting on a precipice with court orders indicting Government for protecting molestation accused DGP SPS Rathore and setting aside election of one of his ministers. Chief Minister’s younger son Abhay Chautala made entry into the legislature with a bang winning the Rori by-election by more than 80,000 votes. Chautala himself could come out of the towering shadow of his father and former Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal by getting mandate for his leadership putting aside the allegation that he assumed power through backdoor on a mandate originally intended for his father. The astute politician in Chautala cut his alliance partner BJP to size as only six of its nominees were elected to the Assembly as against 11 in the dissolved house. He also let vigilance inquiries be launched against the leader of the BJP Legislative Party. The euphoria of development created by elections died soon with traders organising a statewide bandh on August nine. General category and backward class employees in the state capital also went on strike. The Government has announced many policies, including those industrial like growth, education development introducing english learning and computer education and the information technology policy to take the state on the it superhighway and facilitating e-governance. The Chief Minister further consolidated his position by winning Panchayat and Nagar Parishad elections though the opposition accused him of having misused the state machinery. The main opposition Congress, remained a divided House with the HPCC chief Bhupinder Singh Hooda and CLP leader and former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal refusing to bury the hatchet. The BJP seemed to have been driven to insignificance with the small presence of only six MLA’s and the party has been blowing hot and cold on Chautala adding to confusion. The daughter-in-law of Haryana, weightlifter Karnam Malleshwari, brought the state laurels by winning the lone medal for India in Sydney Olympics. Another girl Seema Antil kept the state’s sports prospects alive by winning a gold in the Junior International Athletic Meet. The state, especially Rohtak residents, welcomed the deposed Fijian Prime Minister Mahendera Chaudhary on August 17 with an honour befitting a Prime Minister. The State Government stood behind Chaudhary and urged international bodies and the Indian Government to create pressure for restoration of democracy. A senior leader and former minister Anand Singh Dangi was put behind bar on Dec four after he surrendered before a court in a corruption case. (PTI) |
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Security, pollution remain capital’s top concerns NEW DELHI, Dec 29: For the country’s capital which betrays the appearance of a fortified city, the year 2000 began under the shadows of a hijacking and ended on a bloody note with a terrorist strike in the garrisoned Red Fort underscoring the vulnerable points in security management. The attack on the Red Fort, one of the vaunted symbols of independent India, only added to New Delhi’s dubious reputation as one of the most unsafe Capitals of the world. Spending eight days in captivity of five Islamic hijackers who commandeered the Indian Airlines IC-814 flight to Kandahar, some 150 passengers and the crew came back home to a hero’s welcome, hours before the year started as the nation heaved a sigh of relief. The ordeal had ended, but not before doubts were cast on the efficacy of the Government’s Crisis Management Group to deal with such an eventuality swiftly. The fact that gaping holes in the security apparatus had not been adequately plugged were brought to the fore by the stunning strike by militants of Pakistan-based dreaded outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba on a military camp in the Red Fort on December 22 that left three persons including two army personnel dead. This was for the first time that an army camp was attacked in the capital. The security set-up was caught napping by the immaculate planning of the militants. At least half a dozen bomb explosions were also triggered through the year as the militants attacked public places keeping security personnel on the toes. United States President Bill Clinton’s visit in March, a major event in the Capital’s calender, however, went off without any hiccups. Beggars were thrown out of the streets as the entire city was spruced up for the occasion with an elaborate security network thrown in. Russian President Vladimir Putin visited in November during which significant defence deals were initialled by the two countries. The buzzword for the Delhi Government, led by Sheila Dikshit, was pollution. Towards the end of the year, it remained pre-occupied with the issue of closure of polluting industries in residential areas on the orders of the Supreme Court. While the Apex Court showed concern over the belching out of noxious gases by industries in the world’s fourth most polluted city, it also brought in its wake a host of complex socio-economic problems including rehabilitation of thousands of workers and their families. The highly emotive issue, which still defies solution, led to a massive agitation on November 20 by workers and factory owners who took to the streets reviving memories of the Mandal agitation of 1990. This was one of the largest demonstrations seen on the city streets in a decade with three people getting killed and scores injured as the agitators and policemen clashed. The issue acquired political overtones with the Congress-led city Government and BJP-led Central Government putting the onus on each other for the present crisis. The Supreme Court’s penchant for a pollution-free city also brought the ever burgeoning fleet of vehicles under scrutiny. The city Government will find it a Herculean task to meet the court’s March 31, 2001 deadline of phasing out diesel buses and replacing them with those run on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). The Government floated global tenders for CNG buses, but the entire process got mired in a controversy. In the absence of an alternative, the commuters could be in for torrid times ahead. Among the initiatives taken by the Sheila Dikshit Government were the outlining of the Information Technology (IT) policy and corporatisation of Delhi Vidyut Board (DVB). As part of the ongoing power reforms, DVB and Delhi Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) concretising the objectives and responsibilities of the two sides. With a vision of making the capital a cyber city by 2003, Ms Dikshit introduced computer education in Government schools, making it a compulsory subject till class nine. The Chief Minister came up with the ‘bhagidari’ (partnership) scheme to involve the common man in the upkeep of the city. Ms Dikshit also had to contend with intra-party squabbles with dissidents including some senior leaders coming out in the open against the performance of her Government. (UNI) |
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