Excelsior... Nation

Mr Manohar Joshi

Efforts in progress
to bring reg parties
under one umbrella

AURANGABAD, Oct 23: Efforts are in progress to bring regional parties under one umbrella, Union Heavy ....more

Rabindranath Tagore

Vishwa Bharati VC
highlights HR aspect
of Tagore’s works

DEHRA DUN, Oct 23 : There is an all-pervading consciousness of "Manavadhikar" (Human Rights) in ....more

Ruling BJP faces test
of its popularity in
municipal poll

LUCKNOW, Oct 23: The ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) faces a litmus test....more

High time cbi puts
its house in order: SC

NEW DELHI, Oct 23: Coming down heavily on CBI for giving false statement on......more

Laloo Prasad Yadav

Jail Hamara Gurudwara
Hai, says Laloo Yadav

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Oct 23: For Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Laloo Prasad Yadav jail is as sacred as a temple and he is not at....more

Sonia Gandhi

Bhaskar not opposed
to Prasada contesting
against Sonia

HYDERABAD, Oct 23: Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Bhaskar Rao today said he was not opposed to the reported bid by senior Congress....more

Clarify stand regarding
CM of Jharkhand:
Soren to Centre

RANCHI, Oct 23 : Keeping his options open, JMM supremo Shibu Soren today called upon the Central leadership of the NDA to clarify its stand ....more

US embassy announces
revision in visa fees

NEW DELHI, Oct 23: The US Embassy today announced a revision in visa fees with effect from .....more

Efforts in progress to bring reg parties under one umbrella

AURANGABAD, Oct 23: Efforts are in progress to bring regional parties under one umbrella, Union Heavy Industries Minister Mr Manohar Joshi said here today.

Addressing a press conference, Mr Joshi said that Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Mr Chandrababu Naidu has taken the lead in bringing regional parties together. The preliminaries are over and he is now talking to different regional groups, he informed.

To a question whether the Shiv Sena was still unhappy at not getting important portfolios, he said that the issue was before the Prime Minister and full justice was being done.

When asked about Sena’s stand on ‘Hindutva,’ he said there has been no shift in its stance, nor has the Bharatiya Janata Party’s deviation changed equations between them.

To a query about infotech parks, Mr Joshi said all help would be extended to establish the parks in the state.

On the demand for a separate Vidarbha state he said his party did not support it. Marathwada is also backward but they don’t talk about breaking away, Mr Joshi said.

He was here to inaugurate the Marathwada chapter of the World Marathi Chamber of Commerce and Industry. (UNI)

Vishwa Bharati VC highlights HR aspect of Tagore’s works

DEHRA DUN, Oct 23 : There is an all-pervading consciousness of "Manavadhikar" (Human Rights) in the works of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore which envisages the various dimensions of human rights culture as we know it today.

This was highlighted here by Dr D K Sinha, Vice Chancellor of Vishwa Bharati University (Shantiniketan), West Bengal, who is currently on a visit to the Rlek Human Rights Centre. Delivering a talk on "Rabindranath Tagore and human rights" yesterday, Dr Sinha said a rich philosophy of human rights could be culled from the works of Tagore.

What emerges from Tagore’s work is that a collective consciousness is what is needed for protection of man’s intrinsic rights, said Dr Sinha who is a renowned scholar of mathematics.

"Gurudev identified human rights with political and cultural rights of communities", he said while addressing participants of the P G diploma in human rights recognised by Vishwa Bharati.

Dr Sinha gave an interesting information during his talk by saying that Vishwa Bharati was restoring those lines or phrases in Tagore’s works which had been deleted by him during the British time due to constraints of a foreign rule. Some such lines were being restored in the famous novel "Ghare Baire" (the home and the world).

The creative atmosphere and environment at Shantiniketan since its inception was part of Gurudev’s concept that only in such peaceful and natural surrounding could a student’s mind absorb and "Internalise" knowledge and make it his own, Dr Singh said. This was Gurudev’s idea of "Prakriti Adhikar" or man’s right to be in unison with nature.

Dr Singh said that the "emotional kinship" between Vishwa Bharati and the Rlek Human Rights Centre was growing stronger. We are now bringing out abook on "associates of Vishwa Bharati," he said. Many institutes which believed in development of the human ethos were associated with the university, he added. (UNI)

Ruling BJP faces test of its popularity in municipal poll

LUCKNOW, Oct 23: The ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) faces a litmus test of its popularity when elections for the urban local bodies are held next month.

The elections for 11 Municipal Corporations, corporators and municipalities in addition to nagar panchayats in all the 71 districts in the plains of Uttar Pradesh are scheduled for November 20 and 23.

The main opposition Samajwadi Party, emboldened by its success in the recently-concluded panchayat elections, is optimistic that the party would further improve its performance following rise in its popularity and "disenchantment" of the urban electorate with the BJP owing to the party’s reported failure in the much-talked good governance.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), of late emerging as a force to reckon with, is also contesting the urban local bodies poll on its own and with full vigour and reports emanating from the districts say that there was a rush to "purchase" the tickets for the party.

As the ruling party had fared badly in the poll for panchayats mainly in the rural areas, it was leaving no stone unturned to salvage its image.

Apprehensive of the recent reverses suffered in the local bodies elections in the party-ruled state of Gujarat, newly-appointed UP BJP chief and former Minister Kalraj Mishra, during the party’s two-day state executive meeting in Sultanpur said last week the party would go all-out to contest the prestigious urban local bodies poll for which the mobilisation process had already begun.

In the last elections held five years ago, the BJP had captured the Mayor’s posts in Lucknow and most of the eleven cities having municipal corporations.

The party Government had completed, after giving full thought to all the pros and cons the formality of the rotation of the reserved seats for women, women belonging to weaker section and SC. In addition to Lucknow, the cities of Kanpur, Allahabad, Aligarh, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Bareilly, Moradabad, Varanasi, Agra and Gorakhpur have municipal corporations and they would elect their mayor directly.

For the poll schedule, the Government initially disagreed with the dates suggested by the State Election Commission (panchayat and local bodies) and even recommended a different date for the poll, but ultimately the cabinet reversed its decision and agreed for the two-phase urban local bodies poll on Novemeber 20 and 23, as suggested by the Election Commission for which the notification will be issued on Wednesday next.

Elections would be held for the posts of eleven mayors, 830 corporators, chairman for 117 Nagar Palika Parishads and its 5,011 members besides 421 Nagar Panchayat Chairmen and 4,853 other members.

Coloured ballot papers in pink, green and blue will be used in the elections to ensure convenience to the voters, whose number had swelled to more than 20 million, Mr T N Srivastava, Assistant Election Commissioner, UP told UNI here.

He said the number of the electors had risen to 20,56,280 against more than 18.2 million last time. The Commission had planned to set up 24,232 polling stations at 8,516 polling centres to ensure the smooth conduct of poll.

The Commission completed the formality of the revision of the electoral rolls and an estimated Rs 1.68 crore was spent on this count.

The result of next month’s urban local bodies elections would certainly have a fallout on the longevity of life of the BJP-led coalition Government as the poll is being held amid growing rumours of a change in the Chief Minister to help improve the party’s nose-diving image prior to going in for a mid-term Assembly poll early next year. (UNI)

High time CBI puts its house in order: SC

NEW DELHI, Oct 23: Coming down heavily on CBI for giving false statement on a probe file on Mukta-Panna oil fields case which went missing, the Supreme Court has said that such incidents are likely to shake Court’s confidence in the agency.

A three-judge bench, while upholding the award of oil field contract to Reliance-Enron Consortium, said "we note with concern that courts, including this court, have very often relied on this organisation for assistance by conducting special investigation."

"This reliance of the courts on the CBI is based on the confidence that courts have reposed in it and the instancese the one with which we are now confronted with are likely to shake our confidence in this organisation," it said.

The Bench comprising Justice S P Bharucha, Justice S S M Quadri and Justice N Santosh Hegde said "therefore, we feel it is high time that this organisation puts its house in order before it is too late."

Petitioner Centre for Public Interest Litigation had levelled several allegations against CBI regarding the shoddy job it did out of the investigation into the bribery charges and malpractices in the award of the contract. Justice Hegde, writing the judgement for the bench, said "we do not think it is necessary for us to go into all these allegations except confining our consideration to the stand taken by CBI before the Delhi High Court as to the existence of part-ii file No.1/636/D/95/AC/Bom saidfore the High Court with a view to denying the allegation that CBI was trying to suppress the contents of part-II file.

Petitioner had extracted certain portions of the said part-II file, which contained notings of the senior officers of the CBI including the one dated April 11, 1996 of Raghuvanshi, who instructed nair to swear the first affidavit of the CBI, the judge noted. (PTI)

Jail Hamara Gurudwara Hai, says Laloo Yadav

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Oct 23: For Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Laloo Prasad Yadav jail is as sacred as a temple and he is not at all averse to be lodged there.

He has his reason too: "Lord Krishna was born in a prison. Jail Hamara Gurudwara Hai (jail is my temple)."

An ardent supporter of animal husbandry, Mr Yadav, warns that the ongoing liberalisation programme and uncontrolled import of every other item will spell disaster for cattle.

Speaking at a meet-the-press programme of the Press Club here, Mr Yadav alleged that the BJP and other parties, jealous of the rise of a backward leader, had put him in jail.

They did not like me talking a lot in Delhi and my rise from humble circumstances. They framed charges at their will, but could not not prove them, he said.

The former Bihar Chief Minister also alleged that a BJP conspiracy was behind the recent massacres in Bihar to create tension between the Muslims and Yadavs.

Mr Yadav, who was at his writty best said he had "reserved the Chief Ministership for a woman for the first time in the country." on whether he would come back to the seat, he said: "I have great respect for women and Rabri will continue."

Coming down heavily on the import policies of the BJP-led Government at the Centre, he said, "in Delhi people are voicing the demand for the use of soyabean milk. Very soon disaster will strike our cows and milk, if the current import spree is not controlled."

Our country had become a mere market for the rest of the world.

Mr Clinton Ko Bhi Import Kar Leejiye (Import Mr Clinton also) and hand the country to him,’’ he told Prime Minister A B Vajpayee. Ours is an agriculture-oriented economy and crores of people are still illiterate. It cannot solve these basic problems,’’ he explained. (UNI)

Bhaskar not opposed to Prasada contesting against Sonia

HYDERABAD, Oct 23: Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Bhaskar Rao today said he was not opposed to the reported bid by senior Congress leader Jitendra Prasada to contest against Sonia Gandhi for the post of AICC president but asked him (Prasada) to refrain from making "baseless allegations and creating confusion in the party."

Rao told reporters here that it was "unbecoming of a leader of the stature of Jitendra Prasada to make an accusation that there was no internal democracy in the party."

The party had constituted an independent election authority at the national level and Pradesh election authorities at the state level to oversee and conduct organisational elections in a free and fair manner, he said.

Prasada’s alleged remarks at this stage that there was no internal democracy, would only trigger unnecessary confusion in the party’s rank and file, he said.

Rao said the election process was going on smoothly and democratically and there need not be any grouse for Prasada. In reply to a query, he said "let him (Prasada) contest against Sonia but refrain from making any baseless charges."

Rao said Prasada should not forget that it was he (Prasada) who first invited sonia to enter public life. (PTI)

Clarify stand regarding CM of Jharkhand: Soren to Centre

RANCHI, Oct 23 : Keeping his options open, JMM supremo Shibu Soren today called upon the Central leadership of the NDA to clarify its stand regarding the Chief Ministership of Jharkhand.

Talking to UNI here this morning, Mr Soren said, after four days the Morcha would be free to take its own decision. "Being a constituent of the NDA we have to wait for their decision," he said making it clear that the JMM was in no mood to give up its claim to the coveted seat.

The NDA must clarify whether it honoured the committment made to the Morcha through its convenor George Fernandes following which the JMM would decide what to do, he said.

A meeting of the party legislators and senior leaders had been convened here this forenoon to finalise the course of action to be taken by the party in the coming days, he said adding "we are leaving for Delhi in a day or two to gauge the mood of the NDA constituents on the issue."

Reiterating his claim to the post of Chief Minister in Jharkhand Mr Soren urged the NDA leaders to convene a meeting of the four alliance partners in Bihar, including the Morcha, to finalise the matter within four days as hardly anytime was left for the installation of the Government.

Talking about yesterday’s ‘Vijay Rally’ called by the Morcha to celebrate the creation of Jharkhand he said ‘Jharkhand has given is verdict in our favour and has already decided who should be the Chief Minister. Now it is upto the nda to honour this popular sentiment.’

The rally has also made one thing clear that people were in no mood to tolerate a Chief Minister who had not been with them in the movement for statehood, he added.

Mr Soren announced the launch of a fresh movement in the tribal-dominated area of West Bengal and Orisa for its inclusion in Jharkhand state.

He said we had settled for a Jharkhand of 18 districts only as a step towards realisation of our ultimate goal of a greater Jharkhand state of 26 districts.

Mr Soren said the ongoing movement for statehood in West Bengal and Orissa would be further intensified and if required a rally, like the one held here yesterday, would be organised at Calcutta to convey the party’s message and mobilise people for a greater Jharkhand state.

Claiming that strong resentment was brewing in the tribal dominated areas of West Bengal and Orissa for not being included in the Jharkhand state he called upon his party workers, who had come from Purulia in West Bengal and Sundergarh areas of Orissa, to intensify their struggle.

The JMM chief said people rising above party lines had gathered for the Morcha’s ‘Vijay Rally’ here to strive for realisation of a Jharkhand of their dream. (UNI)